Sagewolf Interviews

nicholsonhatcompany.com
@nicholsonhatco
The scene:
We are in The Old Tobacco House, which is Keryn’s studio and shop. It is a dream - like hanging out in a gem of history, a literal gold mine. It turns out that Keryn and I have been making our way toward each other’s lives and the stars have aligned. I am honored to say that by the end of this interview, I was inducted into the Nicholson clan, and the rest is history in the making. Join us for a delightful rambling exchange of a budding sisterhood.
Highlights:
+ The Old Tobacco House (where there is zero tobacco)
+ We love you Brooke Luallen!
+ Building custom hats
+ “Full classic Western-styled hats for the hard-wearing individual”
+ Cowboys and Ranchers are very particular about their hats
+ Using equipment from bygone eras
+ Dad’s Stetson Open Road hat is how it all started
+ Brandon Wise we love you! (Hatter in Venice, CA that we both know well)
+ Starting in a garage down an alley on the wrong side of the tracks
+ Trusting your intuition and KNOWING in your gut
+ Taking pride in and keeping your last name
+ Entering a very male-dominated field
+ Liking not belonging and proving yourself
+ We have the same favorite restaurant and we went to the same high school - in a small town!
+ Resilience, adaptability, not scaring easily
+ Being introverted and setting boundaries on people interactions
+ Learning your own tools for your personal success and contentment
+ Learning when to not be too self-reliant and ask for help
+ Researching your craft daily and always aiming for mastery
+ Bringing a lost craft back
+ A local friend, Graham, makes her wooden hat forms
+ A local plant dyer, Brooke Luallen (see our interview) dyes her hats
+ A local silversmith makes her hat pins
+ Shout-out to Wedding Dress Designers Brittany and Ashley at Daughters of Simone
+ Ultramarathons and timed trail runs
+ Making time for physical and mental self-care
+ PeaceCorps in Ethiopia as a Community HIV/AIDS educator
+ Grad school in London: NGO and International Relations
+ Thesis in bio-intensive and small-scale farming
+ Finding a creative outlet: sourcing vintage for resale
+ Hatting for 5 years, 3 years exclusively
+ Hard-core researching your craft
+ Secret local BYOB rodeos
+ Hat rules: never put your cowboy hat on the bed
+ Trust your gut and instincts, don’t listen to naysayers
+ Why to not apprentice: develop your own signature
+ The differences from a big-box store hat
+ Mutual respect and camaraderie amongst hatters
+ Not feeling “masterful enough” to take on an apprentice
+ Dear Harry Ayala, you sir are a baller! (see our interview)
+ Using social media tools to share your gift with the world
+ Sharing my personal hats: a hat reading, if you will
+ Hats represent the blood, sweat and tears of people’s lives
A taste:
“It has memory, like muscle memory. The felt literally has memory. The first time you pounce or sand the hat and the first shape you give it, after it’s blocked on an old block, it never forgets.”
Favorite saying:

Support the show

Thank you for listening!
Please subscribe to support this project.
Love, Sagewolf xoxo

@barakhardley
The scene:
We are in Los Angeles, CA sitting in Barak’s living room joined by his two cats. This is the first interview I’ve been bullied into (is it bullying if you’re willing?) We have a total blast talking about life experiences that have shaped the way we think. At one point, Barak commandeers the interview to have us create something together - that’s an interview first! Barak is lovely, unique, kind, creative, and funny. Join us as we plan world domination...or maybe just another really good idea for keeping his cat from turning on the faucet.
Highlights:
+ A new year’s resolution of getting on Tik Tok
+ Learning to verbalize what you’re creating
+ Sharing the process of creating things with others
+ Dialoguing with others while creating
+ We met on the set of a music video - shoutout to @mamahotdog (hire us again! K thanks! ;)
+ Life is art vs. Art is life
+ Avoiding displeasure by creating opportunity out of any experience
+ Being inspired by others responding to your art
+ Reprioritizing social media beyond likes
+ Barak used to be a pastor and then stopped believing in God
+ Losing your “truth” and finding another one
+ This world is chaos and it’s so unlikely that we would exist
+ We are the universe aware of itself, enjoying itself
+ Podcasts: meet a stranger and talk like best friends for an hour
+ Becoming a comedian to deal with depression and insecurity
+ Developing more healthy aspects of validation
+ Making deeper friendships through projects
+ Transitioning from hoarder to maker
+ Removing obstacles from the creative process
+ Fighting through depression, being grateful for the experience
+ Craving challenges, knowing they bring breakthroughs
+ From avoiding uncomfortability to embracing the challenge
+ Figuring out that you like the struggle
+ Chasing the creative dream to feel genuinely satisfied in life
+ Creating the possibility that you can do whatever you want however you want
+ The necessity of the hustle to maintain the creative spirit
+ “What’s the place where I’m the best?” - where passions overlap
+ All the projects we pursue are connected, that crossroads is our own magic
+ Being confident in what you’re talking about and being less defensive
+ Barak hijacks the interview and I let him
+ We concept an experiential event on a white board
+ The greatest harm in life was comparing himself to others
+ Question the voice that says NO
A taste:
“I think the process of making things is so interesting to me. It’s more interesting than the thing itself.”
“I’d much rather be creating and building than spend another minute trying to resuscitate an acquaintance.”
Favorite saying:
“This is a cold brutal world, but it was cobbled together by people who had it much worse.”

Support the show

Thank you for listening!
Please subscribe to support this project.
Love, Sagewolf xoxo

@livvonoelreich

The scene:

We are in Ladera Heights, Los Angeles, CA on a warm day in Liv’s backyard sitting on lawn chairs drinking tea. This sounds like we live gentle lives; yesterday we fixed her garage door by lifting it together and also road motorcycles all over LA. This is our normal. Our friendship has weathered many journeys and many miles on motorcycles. Join us in the garden for curiosity, laughter, and pre-psychotherapy.

Highlights:

• A Swede from Alabama
• Difficulty making female friends
• Babes Ride Out
• Clicking together quickly and easefully
• Seeking adventures together
• Attacking the stressor immediately = non-procrastination
• Being in the world, being curious, being in action
• The importance of having purpose
• Currently in her Masters of Psych at Pepperdine
• Massaging is a lot of alone time with your own thoughts
• The body communicating different messages than the mind
• Rocking the body to see where the tension is holding on
• Being present with others
• Why do they scrub you wearing black granny panties at Korean spas?
• Near-death experiences that are hilarious
• Helping others transform their lives
• Weaving in experiences of acting, psychology, and massage
• Creating your life around physical freedom
• Seeing a wide horizon in your life
• Choosing newness to avoid stagnation
• Minimizing “making wrong”, blame, being fearful of the future
• Avoiding rejection by not proceeding
• Being 100% committed, AND detached from the outcome
• The Race to Alaska documentary
• The Women Riders World Relay
• Filming 12 women on motorcycles riding through Pakistan
• Transitioning from doing everything yourself to leaning into others
• Viewing your life as many projects
• Appreciation of others and listening
• “You lose intention when you lose punctuation.”

A taste:
“Through the physical comes the emotional.”

“Sometimes I don’t move forward with things because I like the idea of what is possible with the idea and if I move forward with it, perhaps it’s not going to work out the way I wanted it.”

Favorite sayings:

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” (The Serenity Prayer)

“The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough.” - Emerson

Support the show

Thank you for listening!
Please subscribe to support this project.
Love, Sagewolf xoxo

@manchaca_springs_saloon
The scene:
We are in Manchaca, Texas (South Austin) sitting at an old wooden table inside the saloon (where we have taken at least one shot of tequila once upon a time...). This place is what I would consider the ideal bar: decorated all over with badass collected artifacts, huge outdoor space with a stage for live music, and food trucks. Basically, one could live here. And Josh almost does. Not only is he here daily, but he lives down the road. Join us in the saloon for the story of where Josh came from and how he ended up sitting across from me.
Highlights:
+ The annual “Git Down” classic car show at the saloon
+ Likes entertaining
+ A BBQ joint became the saloon
+ Business name: Rodriguez Rod and Cycles
+ Started painting lowrider bicycles when he was 13
+ 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe is his daily beater (it’s gorgeous)
+ Built every bike he ever had from scratch
+ Had his own TV show on the Discovery Channel: Texas Car Wars
+ Now he’s ready to chill (and wouldn’t do TV life again)
+ His uncle gave him his first paint gun
+ First car at 15: ’77 Monte Carlo dropped to the ground, primer grey with a red velvet interior
+ Lots of drag races, way too fast on motorcycles
+ Has taught a few painters - those who showed genuine interest
+ Grew up in South Austin - was the cool spot back in the 80’s
+ Manchaca is the last part of South Austin that feels like it hasn’t changed
+ Manchaca is in Travis County, not part of Austin City (so, still the wild west)
+ The history of Manchaca and the springs/Onion Creek dates to the 1400’s
+ Has found over 1000 arrowheads in the area since he was a kid
+ Grew up across from the green belt (literally a paradise)
+ Growing up shooting bb guns
+ Lost an eye at 4 years old (not from a bb gun, it made his other eye stronger)
+ Making OCD work for you - developing an acute sense of detail
+ Being a big risk-taker
+ “Nobody ever wakes up in the morning and says, “Man, I’m glad I did that cocaine.”
+ Being a fighter, staying one step ahead, nobody else gets the last word
+ Doing a lot for your community, and your community helping you
+ Grew up in a house full of people, and then invited all the neighbors over :)
+ Growing up fast (too fast)
+ He’s an old soul, living young soul lessons (over and over)
+ Making mistakes, recognizing them, and choosing better
A taste:
“I grew up in South Austin...it was really the cool spot in Austin back in the ’80’s during my era of growing up. Everybody was wearing cut-off blue jeans and had their hair cut long and drank a lot of beer and sat underneath all the trees at every park you could find. And nobody got in trouble or got fucked with.”
Favorite Sayings:
“Higher than giraffe pussy.”
“You should only regret something once.”
"To thine own self be true."
"Always keep your mind open - there’s always two sides to the story."
"Keep your eyes open, and your ear to the ground."
"Be grateful for every new day."

Support the show

Thank you for listening!
Please subscribe to support this project.
Love, Sagewolf xoxo

@sagewolf_interviews
The scene:
We are sitting in the “Secret Garden” of Rachel and Chris’s LA home - which they so generously have made my home with them. These guys are my family, truly. They let me be 1000% myself and whomever I’m becoming. After many others’ requests for me to be interviewee, I chose Rachel to be my interviewer for my Sagewlf Interviews Podcast. I knew from the moment I met her that we were sisters for life and actually it was more like “It’s so nice to see you again!” Join us in the garden for the truth-telling of Sagewlf.
Highlights:
+ When I started going by Sage, my middle name
+ My “thing” that I can’t not do is these interviews with all of you
+ Creating an intentional gypsy life
+ Traveling to always be headed toward the people I love
+ My process in editing and note-taking for the interviews
+ The importance of curating the environment for the interviewee
+ Using social media to build community
+ How Sagewolf Interviews began
+ Learning how to build a website and do audio editing
+ Being a recovering perfectionist
+ Saying fuck it and pressing publish
+ Experimenting with and learning new tools
+ Beginning recording with my grandfather’s life story
+ Figuring out what is true to me, what I give a shit about
+ Doing everything at 150%, so choosing my “things” wisely
+ Recovering from perfectionism
+ Resourcing interviewees from my life - past and present
+ Learning how to approach a stranger for an interview
+ Being intentionally honest and vulnerable with others
+ Bringing out vulnerability and the desire to share in others
+ Learning to listen to others and making them feel heard
+ Changing from a fly on the wall to a fully expressed and joyful human
+ Why the name Sagewolf - a story about wolf behavior
+ Having interviewees choose their environment to create comfort
+ Eliminating considerations of vulnerability
+ Being invited into a sacred space by another
+ Being strong-willed, perseverant and adaptable
+ Disappearing from confrontative experiences
+ We have what we need in us already, we just have to learn how to use it
+ Self-reliance is a buffer for being vulnerable with others
+ Moving from LA to Utah and waking up to your own BS
+ Cultivating community without stereotypes
+ Finding “family” and “home” everywhere
+ Mormons are some of my favorite humans on the planet
+ Getting high off human exchanges
+ Contouring ourselves to create a comfortable place for others
+ Seeing ourselves - our own reflections - in others
+ Not allowing humility to keep you from interacting with others
+ Loving your younger little sad self
+ Aiming to get back to the young, innocent, confident self
+ Appreciating self as we are
+ What I want the outcome of the interview project to be
+ We have an obligation to share our unique gift with our world
+ The journey is the joy
A taste:
“It’s up to us, we have a conscious choice to make. We live in a very victim mentality culture [...] and it has intentionally disempowered us. It’s time for people to realize how actually powerful they already are and all they need to do is act on that [...] and see their power and not be afraid of that. I have total control over every situation because I choose how to respond [...] I can create an opportunity out of that for myself to better learn something..."
Favorite saying:
“Lemonade.” (When you get lemons, make lemonade)
“When the student is ready, the teacher arrives.” (from interviewee Lisa Farmer)

Support the show

Thank you for listening!
Please subscribe to support this project.
Love, Sagewolf xoxo