From pawn to queen — what chess, bullying, and 20 years of persistence taught one filmmaker about life and business.

In this episode of No Bullsh*t Talks, I sit down with Carla Berkowitz — Venezuelan-born filmmaker, martial artist, former anti-Nazi spy (yes, really), and the creator behind the critically acclaimed chess documentary Critical Thinking (starring John Leguizamo and Michael K. Williams).

Carla is also the executive producer of the upcoming documentary Madwoman's Game, which has its world premiere at the Miami Film Festival.

We get into all of it: moving to the US at 11 without speaking English, being bullied every day until high school, catching Nazis for 11 years with the Anti-Defamation League, producing 15 fitness videos before anyone took her seriously as a filmmaker, and how a Sunday newspaper article in 1998 sparked a 20-year journey to make a movie.

We also talk about the racism she encountered when selling the film internationally — something she's sharing on camera for the very first time.If you've ever felt like a pawn — head down, grinding, wondering if it's worth it — this conversation is for you.

🔗 Links Mentioned in Video

Critical Thinking

Madwoman's Game

Show Notes and Transcript

Visit the website to get the transcriptions, notes and more insights from the episodes:https://n0bspodcasts.com

What is the podcast?

This podcast is for anyone who wants to learn what it’s really like running a business. A realistic view along with insightful and actionable advice. If you’re fed up of hearing the same stories about how successful entrepreneurs are and it just took a morning routine or a few simple steps, then this is the podcast for you. No Bullsh*t Talks is a podcast of REAL conversations between ambitious entrepreneurs, discussing both the highs and the lows of entrepreneurships and all the lessons learned along the way.

🎧 Listen For Free

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-bullsh-t-talks/id1605759771

Spotify (You can also watch the video here): https://open.spotify.com/show/7mYsm8OcmGNnQCiyeKoFEE

Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/id4759866?country=gb

Radio Public: https://radiopublic.com/no-bullsht-talks-GA1ZbP

RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/464e7ed8/podcast/rss

🙏🏽 Leave A Review

If you enjoy this show, then it really helps if you leave a review. So, please do leave a review and let me know what you think of the show!https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-bullsh-t-talks/id1605759771

Sabrina’s Socials

🌏 Podcast Website: https://n0bspodcasts.com

🌏 Sabrina’s Website: https://sabrinachevannes.com

🎙 Sabrina’s Solo Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3E9VGj26UgMS04rYwXrJ22?si=a04c40eef9444de1

📺 Sabrina’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sabrinachevannes

👩🏽‍💻 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sabrinachevannes

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/sabzyc

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabzyc

⏰ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/sabrinachevannes

Carla's Socials

🌏 Carla's IMBD: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9553082/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

👩🏽‍💻 Carla's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-berkowitz-91763220/

📸 Carla's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myperfectlybalancedworld/

📧 Get in Touch

I love hearing personally from my viewers, so if you have any feedback on any of the episodes or you have a suggestion for someone you’d like me to interview, please feel free to tweet me @sabzyc or find me on Instagram with the same username!