What happens when you spot a gap in an industry and decide to build the thing you wish existed?

Marissa Hill is the executive producer of Shade Studios and host of ShadeTV, the #1 female-led channel covering sneaker style and entertainment on YouTube and Snapchat. What started as a passion for sneakers grew into a media platform, production company, brand partnerships, and opportunities across film, fashion, and entertainment.

In this episode of If I’m Honest, Marissa gets candid about starting her YouTube channel during COVID, breaking into the male-dominated sneaker space, and learning how to turn great content into a sustainable business. She shares why she invested in high-quality production early, how listening to her community shaped the channel, and how creating evergreen, searchable content helped her build an audience beyond viral moments.

We also dig into the business behind being a creator: pitching brands before you have a massive following, building long-term partnerships, finding the right people to contact, handling rejection, and staying top of mind when the timing isn’t right. Marissa also shares how her experiences as an NCAA athlete, model, actress, and film critic helped her develop the resilience to keep going when the answer is no.

Plus, we talk about what she’s building next with the Dynasty Sports Film Festival and why sports stories have the power to inspire people far beyond the field.

Buckle up for an honest conversation about finding your niche, betting on yourself, building relationships, and creating opportunities instead of waiting for them to find you.

Follow Marissa at https://shadestudios.com, https://www.youtube.com/@ShadeTV247, snapchat.com/add/shadetv247, x.com/ShadeTV, instagram.com/shadetv247, instagram.com/marissaehill, tiktok.com/@shadetv247.

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What if the opportunity that changes your life is one email away?

Carly Valancy is a founder, artist, writer, and self-described connection obsessive who has built her career around a simple idea: life really is about who you know...but you have far more agency over who you know than you might think.

After moving to New York City to pursue musical theater, Carly challenged herself to reach out to one person every day for 100 days. That experiment helped her find an agent, book a national tour, connect with people she admired, and ultimately build the foundation for the work she does today.

In this episode of If I’m Honest, Carly and Julia talk about overcoming the fear of reaching out, why we often reject ourselves before anyone else gets the chance, and how curiosity can create opportunities you never could have planned for.

Carly also gets candid about the business behind her ideas; from burning out on an early version of Reach Out Party to rebuilding it with better systems, hiring for the skills she doesn’t have, developing Tether, and creating Anti Networking events designed around depth instead of collecting contacts.

They also dig into patience, entrepreneurship, authenticity, motherhood, and why Carly believes her theater education became one of her greatest advantages as a founder.

If you’ve ever thought, “Who am I to reach out to them?” this conversation might make you send the message anyway.

You can find Carly on social media at @carlyvalancy, visit her site https://carlyvalancy.com, and read her Substack https://carlyvalancy.substack.com.

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What do a corporate communications executive, a DJ, an Emmy-winning TV producer, a comedian, and a startup founder all have in common?

After five incredible conversations, Julia Landauer steps behind the mic for a solo episode to unpack the themes that kept surfacing across every guest's journey. Despite their wildly different careers, each guest revealed remarkably similar lessons about ambition, resilience, relationships, and creating a meaningful life.

In this episode, Julia shares the five biggest takeaways she's learned so far this season, including:
* Why building a career is never linear and why reinvention is part of the process.
* Why the people who succeed don't wait for permission to get started.
* How authentic relationships become the greatest career accelerators.
* Why personal growth often comes before professional success.
* How embracing discomfort leads to confidence, resilience, and long-term fulfillment.

Julia also gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce the podcast while balancing a full-time career, reflects on the moments that have challenged and inspired her, and shares why she feels more energized (and more humbled) than ever.

If you're navigating a career transition, building something new, or simply looking for encouragement to take the next step, this episode is a reminder that you're never too old, it's never too late, and action creates clarity.

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