Self-Employed Happy Hour

Peri talks with Angela Merkert, the Executive Director of Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity, about her organization’s efforts to create a public bank owned by the State of New Mexico and how it could support more equitable access to capital in the state. Peri also shares updates from her self-employed life, including the story behind a new organization she co-founded, SEED NM. Tweener music: "Unabanker" by The Directory. Photo by Peri Pakroo. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsor P-Brain Media. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Host Peri Pakroo talks with Monique Salhab and Kendra Toth about their firm, RACED, which helps clients build equitable and inclusive workplaces and organizations. By embracing their own identities and their strengths in holding space for uncomfortable conversations, Monique and Kendra are developing a powerful partnership that helps build capacity within other organizations to continue the important, ongoing work of dismantling white supremacy. Peri also shares a few announcements from Pyragraph and Tricklock Company, whose Revolutions International Theatre Festival is just about to kick off. Photo by Peri. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsor Pyragraph. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

'Tis the season...of badass women stealing the show in the House impeachment hearings. ;) In this episode, host Peri Pakroo invites leadership coach, founder of Family Friendly New Mexico, and Producer/Host of The Well Woman Show Giovanna Rossi to talk about how women in leadership can maximize their effectiveness while staying physically and mentally well. With the holidaze looming, these tips are especially timely. Peri also talks with Coffee + Creatives co-founder Ruth Dove about what leadership means in the world of small business, artsy collabs and indie working. Tweener music: "Hold On" by Bellemah. Photo by Peri. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Holiday market season is upon us! Host Peri Pakroo invites woodworker and maker of useful recycled wood items Allegra Howell into the studio to talk shop, craft markets and more. Allegra shares how she got into the biz of recycled wood handicraft, what makes a good market, and how she works on scaling her business while being a mom to a pre-schooler. Peri also talks with A/V whisperer Stue Trory who shares recording tips in a new segment, "Checking Signal." Photo by Peri. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

What a week! The second annual Unconference just wrapped, and podcast host Peri Pakroo exhales and recaps the highlights with Ruth Dove from Coffee + Creatives, the organizer of the event. This conference of educational and networking events serving Albuquerque's creative workers is growing into a powerful model for how to engage, serve and support a robust creative community. Photo by Jason Collin. Theme song: "You Do You" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Host Peri Pakroo chats with Pilar Westell, owner of Zendo Coffee, a coffeehouse and art gallery in south downtown Albuquerque. We talked about the intersection between art and coffee, and the ins and outs of building and running a community space. Peri also chats with Ruth Dove from Coffee + Creatives about the upcoming Unconference week in Albuquerque, and the varied mix of venues that will host the week's events. Many thanks to Marty Adamsmith and Stue Trory for audio and production assistance. Photo by Ruth Dove. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Around ten years ago, Kei Tsuzuki and Molly Luethi wanted to create a social enterprise that would enable them to create quality jobs for refugees and immigrants. Today, Kei & Molly Textiles has made good on that mission, and has grown into a vibrant artisan manufacturing business that employs about eight full-time workers, and sells its screenprinted textiles at nearly 400 stores around the country. Host Peri Pakroo talks with Kei and Molly about the origins of their idea and how their values drive their business model. Peri also chats with Ruth Dove and Ayanna Nelson-Freeman from Coffee + Creatives about the role that employers can have in improving people's lives and communities. Many thanks to Marty Adamsmith and Stue Trory for audio and production assistance. Photo by Ruth Dove. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

I had the distinct pleasure of welcoming John Fugelsang to the studio to talk about comedy, politics, religion, and how he’s woven all those elements and more into his unique creative career. John is the host of the "Tell Me Everything" series on Sirius XM Insight (channel 121) and a frequent commentator and panelist. I chatted with him about how he got started in theater and comedy, and how he evolved into a funny-yet-incisive political commentator and broadcaster after a childhood suffused with religion and liberal thought. I also chat with Ruth Dove, co-founder of Coffee + Creatives about how her networking group helps creative folks in Albuquerque and beyond. Many thanks to Marty Adamsmith and Stue Trory for audio and production assistance. Photo by Marya Jones. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and Coffee + Creatives. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

When Danielle Vincent left her job at Oprah to start a soap-making business with her new husband, more than a few folks thought she was, well, crazy. Six years later, Outlaw Soaps is a success, propelled largely by Danielle's high-level marketing chops and time management skills. She has just written a new book, "You-Nicorn: 30 Days to Find Your Inner Unicorn and Live the Life You Love." Peri talks with Danielle about forging her own path and her passion for targeted, data-driven marketing. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

It's a hairy world out there, and Kyle Malone has a comb for it. Kyle had been running his branding firm Kinfolk Branding when he had the idea for an heirloom-quality beard comb, and he ran with the idea. Peri and Eph Sharpe talk with Kyle about launching Big Wood Beard Co, learning about his audience, and where the beard trend is going. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Building a business takes resourcefulness, resilience and often a lucky accident or two. No one knows this more than Sheri Crider, who has built a life as an artist and founder of visual art centers (currently, the Sanitary Tortilla Factory in downtown ABQ), despite challenges of addiction and incarceration in her early life. Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Sheri about the intersection of "businessperson" and "artist" and how she built upon skills in drawing and construction to create a rewarding, creative self-employed life. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Today on Self-Employed Happy Hour we get our activism on and talk with Maggie Byers and Emilie De Angelis of Moms Demand Action NM, a bi-partisan grassroots organization fighting the epidemic of gun violence in the US. Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Maggie and Emilie about the group's advocacy for common sense gun control legislation and how regular folks can get involved. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

Today on Self-Employed Happy Hour we talk wellness with coach, educator, bass player and grateful human Antonia Montoya. Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Antonia about how to carve out time and intention for self-care within a busy self-employed life. Peri also shares a slice of her self-employed juggle this winter, from her frosty living room studio. Segment music by Eph Sharpe. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

We're back with our second episode of 2018, featuring a fantastic conversation with Burque Noir founder Ebony Isis Booth! Peri and Eph Sharpe chat with Ebony about how she created a showcase for Black performers in Albuquerque, and how she balances the many different identities — poet, organizer, marketing pro, auntie-mom, holder of the mic — that make her who she is. Audio clip courtesy of Ebony Booth. Segment music by Eph Sharpe. Theme song: "You Know Who You Are" by Sam Miller. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox. Be sure to Like our Facebook page!

The mimosas are cold, the burritos hot, and Self-Employed Happy Hour is back! In this episode Peri welcomes a new co-host, artist and emcee Eph Sharpe, plus talks with Keif Henley, the owner of The Guild Cinema, Albuquerque's last indie cinema, about how to stay indie in a megaplex world. AND, Snap Judgment storyteller James Judd shares a story about being haunted by voices telling him he's not "really" working. Thanks to our sponsors Pyragraph and The Octopus and the Fox. Story underscore by Peri. Be sure to Like our Facebook page! Theme song: "You Do Your Own Thing" by Sam Miller.

Host Peri Pakroo is back at the podcast mic, processing the 2016 election and figuring out how to fit political organizing into her self-employed life. In this episode she interviews Eric Griego, longtime progressive politician and organizer who has served on Albuquerque's City Council and the New Mexico State Legislature, and is currently the State Director of the New Mexico Working Families Party. Eric and Peri talk about moving past grief and blamestorming after the election, and how progressives can build upon the momentum that was generated by Bernie Sanders and others to fight back against the "machine" politics that dominate both major parties. Eric fills us in on what he's doing with the Working Families Party, as well as what many other organizations in New Mexico are up to, and how they are coordinating to build inclusive, diverse coalitions and bring regular people into government. Listen below and/or subscribe at iTunes! Our rad theme song is “You Do Your Own Thing” by Sam Miller.

Host Peri Pakroo is back at the mic with more tales from the self-employed front. She interviews Collin Troy, a.k.a. Eph Sharpe, known to hip hop fans for his work with 2bers, but who also has a crap-ton of other creative ventures on his plate, including a new solo music project called Factory on Fire. Collin's also a graphic designer, visual artist, event organizer and all-around maker of creative things. Collin and Peri talk about how he fell into graphic design and entrepreneurship in order to support his creative work. He also shares what's up with his new solo project, and how he deals with the always unpredictable juggle involved in being both a parent and a creative person. Song clip: "Break Me Down" by Eph Sharpe. Be sure to Like our Facebook page! Theme song: "You Do Your Own Thing" by Sam Miller.

Business author and Pyragraph Publisher/Editor Peri Pakroo takes a break from her crash course in landlording to share more tales from the self-employed front. She interviews glitter-dusted musician and practicing Buddhist Little Bobby Tucker about this particularly surreal and scary political season, and talks with conceptual artist Jessamyn Lovell about her new work in progress, The P.I. Project, in which she is documenting the process of obtaining a private investigator license. Special thanks to Clarke Condé for his special appearance. Theme song "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon, other music by Peri.

Peri Pakroo returns to the dining room podcasting studio with more tales from the self-employed front, including an interview with social media strategist Roxanne Blair, and gallery owner Nancy Zastudil. Peri shares the latest news from her creative career magazine, Pyragraph, including their launch of coaching services and membership packages to support artists and creatives on a budget. Theme song "Brainless Job" by Grand Canyon, other music by Peri.

For the past year and a half, Albuquerque's beloved dance studio Keshet has been running a new arm of operations: the Keshet Ideas and Innovation Center (KIIC), a nonprofit arts incubator providing education, mentorship and rental space opportunities to local artists. KIIC's Program Coordinator Emily Dunkin and its Communications Director Carolyn Tobias joined us in the Pyragraph studio to talk about the resources they offer to creatives of all kinds—not just dancers—simultaneously benefiting both the artists themselves and our local creative economy. Also on the podcast is George Kenefic, Director of Enterprise at The Loan Fund, a community development financial institution that offers microloans to artists and other small businesses to help them grow. We talked about the resources that artists need, whether artists really are such bad businesspeople after all, how small loans can help creative businesses go to the next level, and more. Host Peri Pakroo is joined by Pyragraph Contributing Editor Josh Stuyvesant.