12 week u podcast by 12 Week U

We've been receiving a lot of inquiries about why we've been quiet and what has happened to 12 Week U. Well we're here to let our listeners know just what we've been up to. A couple of weeks ago, Pye, along with clinical psychologist, Dr. Glen Hong, launched 12 Week Relationships, a podcast about creating better relationships in weeks, not years. But, not to worry, this doesn't mean 12 Week U is a thing of the past. In this episode, Pye and Dr. Hong give an update on the new podcast, what it's about, how it came to be, as well as the future plans for 12 Week University.

Cameron Chow is a news anchor turned law student turned high school English teacher. With his incredible ability to adapt and successfully change course, Cameron has navigated his way through his various careers until landing his current position as a teacher. His depth and empathy allows him to understand his students and how they learn and in this episode, we explore the power and importance of curiosity, ownership, and conflict. We dive deep into Cameron's experiences as a teacher and how we can cultivate a mindset of growth and learning.

Glen Hong is a Clinical Psychologist, Life Coach, and professor with over 20 years of experience and has focused on treating depression and anxiety, helping his clients overcome emotional traumas and difficult moments. Now, Glen is an author of his new book, Upside Down, which focuses on breaking free from habitual negative thinking to discover emotional freedom and subsequently, success and fulfillment in various aspects of life.

Zach Sutton is a commercial and beauty photographer based out of Los Angeles. Zach developed his career on the road, beginning with a sudden move to New Mexico where he built his business photographing actor headshots, and later moved to LA where he currently bases his operations out of. Zach has gained considerable reputation as a beauty and portrait photographer as well as an educator, providing workshops, lectures, and seminars.

Peter Glatz’s story is one to behold. At the age of 65, Peter has shattered norms and expectations by walking away from his dental practice of 40 years in pursuit of a new career as a chef. With his life-long passion of cooking, Peter traveled the country working as a line cook, some of which are high-profile restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs. Today, Peter has been featured on many online news outlets and has become an icon and a testament to the pursuit of happiness. As his journey calls him to new and anticipated restaurants across the country, Peter also occasionally tours from his own kitchen-equipped bus called the Bertha Bus, sharing his own culinary creations with the world.

Aundre Larrow is a Jamaican-born photographer based in Brooklyn. Focusing on exploring and understanding human experiences, Aundre has traveled across the country and photographed incredible moments as a part of The Last Expanse project, W. Kamau Bell’s United Shades, as well as Blocked From the Ballot. His unique perspective and storytelling on social issues has sparked recent projects such as Equity Through Editing and throughout his career, Aundre has grown to be an effective leader in the world of photography as well as social justice.

Riana Milne is a life and relationship coach who is also the best selling author of several books designed to help individuals overcome personal traumas and realize the life they desire. With an MA in Applied Clinical Psychology, Riana has a proven track record of changing many lives through her private practice and has become highly regarded in her industry as well as among businesswomen, being named one of the top 100 successful international women in business. Today, Riana continues to guide her clients to a life of love, strength, and healing.

Marlies Hartmann is a wedding photographer who has been named one of the top 100 in the world. Having begun her journey in photography well into adulthood, Marlies has defied the norm and broken through to become one of the highest regarded in the industry. In addition to her incredible accomplishments, she has also participated in popular game shows such as The Price is Right and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, being a prize-winning contestant in the former. Today, Marlies continues her highly successful photography brand and has begun teaching and mentoring photographers coming up in the industry.

Seth and Beth Kerechanin are a husband and wife photography and entrepreneur duo from Ohio. With highly educated backgrounds in chemistry and teaching respectively, Seth and Beth are the proud owners of a successful wedding photography business as well as other ventures including their own podcast and a 70 year old company they recently acquired. They are the embodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit as they are constantly on the lookout for the next opportunity to expand their horizon.

Chris Hemphill is a data scientist and VP of AI & Growth for SymphonyRM, a platform for provider and patient management in the healthcare industry. Chris’s understanding of the learning process as well as his technical aptitude has opened up a host of opportunities including long distance ultra-running as well as creative endeavors such as music and hosting his own performances on Twitch. Today, Chris seeks out the “why” of things as he explores the technical applications of data and AI to improve and develop tools that help professionals and creatives alike.

Lauren Mullee is a family attorney and the founder of The Law Office of Lauren Mullee where she helps couples and families traverse some of the most difficult moments of their lives. With over a decade of experience handling divorces, Lauren seeks purpose in providing a positive perspective on an otherwise unfortunate situation and sets out to genuinely help her clients in ways other lawyers may not. Her profound empathy and interest in her clients has led her to be one of the most respected and effective attorneys in her field.

Dan Kitajima is the owner of Kitajima Insurance Agency that boasts over a million dollars in annual revenue. Having invested in digital and social media advertising as well as SEO and AdWords, Dan’s agency has become the top provider of Insurance for Hispanic Americans in California. Dan has been exploring new ways of creating content and how to connect with his target demographic as well as potential customers as he and his team continue their reputation of incredible service for their clients.

Sasha Leahovcenco is a commercial photographer who, in recent years, shifted his focus toward humanitarian projects in underdeveloped countries. Since moving to the US from his home country of Moldova where his family still resides, Sasha has worked tirelessly and built up a reputation as a photographer until he found an opportunity to photograph and tell the stories of residents in places such as Russia and Mongolia. Since then, Sasha has mobilized crowd and self funded projects to document and better the living conditions of the less fortunate. Sasha’s work is a testament to the power of photography and the goodwill of a team dedicated to assisting the voiceless.

Kenna Klosterman is a travel photographer who also serves as the host of CreativeLive TV, We Are Photographers Podcast, as well as her own travel tours and retreats to various countries around the world. After receiving her MBA from Wharton, Kenna moved onto serve on the marketing team of Fortune 500 companies until she decided to hit the road and travel around the world, an experience that would change her perspective as well as her career trajectory as she became a leader in the photography and a guide for those seeking to discover themselves through travel.

George Varanakis is an event organizer with a history of success working with Creative Live, WPPI, and now, the Portrait Masters. During his eight years with WPPI, George Varanakis grew the show by an incredible 400% and has grown the Photo Channel at CreativeLive into a multi-million dollar business. His incredible connection with his audience and educators as well as his aptitude for adapting and constantly evolving proved beneficial in 2020 when he successfully overhauled the traditional Portrait Masters conference model to an entirely online platform.

Michelle Ford is a project manager at a software development company as well as a photographer. Her youth in the highly conservative Philippines has sparked a unique life trajectory as she navigated the cultural differences since moving to the States and through her experience with religion, relationships, and family, developed a strong mindset and became a leader in the tech world, as well as a happy mother of two.

Mike Kelley is a renowned architectural photographer who is highly regarded as being one of the top in the industry. Mike’s work has attracted top-tier clientele and his work can be recognized worldwide. Aside from architectural photography, Mike has found immense success with his own personal creative endeavors including his famous “Airportraits,” which has in turn, led to a whole new type of clientele with aviation giants such as Emirates and FedEx. Mike is also one of the top educators in the photography industry with extensive courses on architectural photography in collaboration with Fstoppers.com.

Alison Conklin is a Pennsylvania based wedding photographer whose deep connection with photographs and memories help capture incredible moments of her client’s lives. Having grown up with parents who were also avid photographers, her early exposure to photography helped her cope with the loss of her mother, and with a shoebox full of her family’s most precious moments, Alison began her journey in providing her clients with the deep connections and memories that a photograph can give.

Jerry Ghionis is a Las Vegas based photographer and educator whose work spans multiple genres including wedding, portraits, fashion, and commercial. Having begun his career in Australia, Jerry quickly rose to prominence with his own highly successful photography studio before moving his life to America where he continued his legacy servicing top tier international clients and creating an expansive library of educational content. To date, he has garnered numerous prestigious accolades including Grand Master of WPPI and AIPP, and has helped countless photographers build successful businesses and brands.

Andrew Funderburg is a photographer turned entrepreneur. Andrew’s deep passion for creating memories and client experiences as a photographer paved the way for Fundy Software and Fundy Design Suite, which he founded in 2008, and focuses on design and sales solutions for professional photographers. His services have profoundly impacted the photography industry and since the massive success of Fundy Software, Andrew has expanded into the podcast arena himself with Old Crazy Runners, a podcast about everything running.

Jason Vinson is an award winning wedding photographer based in Arkansas. Learning to draw inspiration by being in the moment, Jason captures stunning images that portray the most authentic and spontaneous moments. Jason's images are distinct with style and has recently expanded to Family Documentaries where he spends a day with families to capture the everyday moments that often go un-captured.

Having attended college at Parsons in New York City, Sara Strid's extensive background in photography takes her through the heart of the editorial photography scene as well as a short gig working with the legendary Magnum Photos. Since moving back to her hometown of Stockholm, she continued her photography career away from the camera as the marketer for Kodak and eventually found her way to Profoto and continues taking photographs personally of her family.

Tasha Cochran is the founder of One Big Happy Life, an online platform designed to assist people with financial planning and management. Starting out as a single mother in the Marine Corps, Tasha quickly learned how to manage her personal finances and went from making $14000 at age 19 to a six-figure career with a law degree. One Big Happy Life began as a side-hustle creating educational Youtube videos and is now her primary focus as she and her husband continue to help others achieve financial independence.

John David Pittman is an Arkansas based commercial and editorial portrait photographer. Since beginning his career in photography, John David has garnered a list of clientele including some of the largest brands such as Nike, Ford, AT&T, Lululemon, and much more. His talent for capturing stunning portraits has earned him the trust of many clients as well as the title of “Legend of Light” by Profoto.

Me Ra Koh is a Texas based photographer and author. Prior to photography, Me Ra published a book titled “Beauty Restored” where she spoke of her physical and emotional abuse and her journey of healing from the trauma. Since then, she has become an iconic family and portrait photographer, author of various photography books, an educator, as well as the host of her own Disney Junior TV show. Her massive success is a testament to her strength and courage forged from adversity as she continues to inspire and empower women and families from around the world.

Kahran and Regis Bethencourt of Creative Soul Photography are a photography duo and the authors of the highly acclaimed book, Glory, as well as their AfroArt series. Kahran and Regis have dedicated their work to celebrating the beauty and power of African culture and have become globally recognized for their stunning images of children embracing cultural outfits and hairstyles. Their work has been featured by top media outlets and have led to opportunities working with some of the largest brands such as Disney and Amazon.

Nicole Chan is a former business consultant who is now the founder of three successful businesses in the Boston area. Nicole’s remarkable ability to adapt has led to her first post-corporate venture as a wedding photographer as well as opening her own escape room experience and when both of her enterprises were stopped in their tracks by the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her husband shifted gears and developed a revolutionary sanitization service that is now thriving.

Jason House is the founder and CEO of Iridium Sports Agency, which currently boasts a vast and diverse roster of MMA fighters. Iridium was founded in 2009 while Jason was a full-time law student and working as a waiter. Persistence as well as Jason’s attentive and involved approach to his clients has paid off as Iridium now represents 20% of all fighters in the industry and is a force to be reckoned with. Growing up, Jason and his family opened their home to numerous foster children, an experience that developed his ability to empathize and serve those around him, principles that manifest in the successes Iridium and its athletes see today.

Miles Witt Boyer is an Arkansas based wedding photographer. With a deep background in photography, Miles captures his clients with a degree of authenticity and empathy that is virtually unmatched in this industry. Miles’s focus on capturing the most genuine and unmanufactured emotions has placed him as one of the most highly regarded wedding photographers working today.

As founder and CEO of Ovation Communications, Kerri Garbis has provided hundreds of high level executives around the world with specialized training in presentation and public speaking skills. With a deep background in acting with a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse University as well as starring roles in many theater productions including her own one-woman show, Kerri’s extraordinary sense of emotional intelligence has helped her stand out as one of the most effective trainers in the field.

James Wallace is one half of the duo that produces the immensely popular and rapidly growing Youtube channel, The Stella Show, an episodic series for families and children. What began as a simple hobby with his wife and two children turned into a full fledged career that amassed almost one million subscribers in a year. The show’s success thrust the Wallace family into the spotlight and has become a full-time job as he and his wife write, direct, and produce each episode and has led to opportunities to work with industry networks like Nickelodeon.

Pratik Naik is one of the top retouchers in the industry with an extensive portfolio and client list of some of the best photographers around. His passion for retouching has evolved into his own boutique retouching agency as well as a full retouching education series in collaboration with The Portrait Masters. Pratik Naik is one of the top retouchers in the industry with an extensive portfolio and client list of some of the best photographers around. His passion for retouching has evolved into his own boutique retouching agency as well as a full retouching education series in collaboration with The Portrait Masters. In addition, Pratik is the founder of Infinite Tools and Infinite Color, Photoshop tools designed to open up advanced level retouching and color grading to photographers of all experience levels.

Victor Ha is the Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management for Fuji Film North America. He has two decades of experience in the photography industry from shooting professionally as a wedding and portrait photographer to working with companies like the MAC Group, NIK Software, and now Fujifilm.

Jen Rozenbaum is a boudoir photographer and a breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed in 2017, Jen decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction, ultimately defeating her cancer and reshaping her perspective through this life-changing experience. Since her battle with cancer, Jen has gone on to become an author, public speaker, and founder and host of the Shamelessly Feminine movement, and is a true testament to the strength and resilience that can arise out of life's most difficult moments.

Ben Von Wong has risen to global prominence through his epic and fantastical photography that pushed every creative boundary imaginable. Ben utilized his skills acquired through his formal background in mining engineering toward creative experiments that led him around the world on epic projects chasing storms, diving into underwater shipwrecks, among many other previously unfathomable endeavors. Ben eventually steered his expertise in producing viral campaigns toward working with companies, individuals, and charity groups to raise awareness for environmental activism and global causes.

Cahlan Sharp is a web developer, entrepreneur and educator. He’s been involved in multiple startups, but he’s known best for creating Dev Mountain. Dev Mountain is an in-person coding bootcamp that provides programmers with education and real world experience packed into a 12 week program. Dev Mountain was bought out for over $15 million dollars and Cahlan moved on to his next entrepreneurial venture, a home micro schooling platform called Prenda.

Erika and Lanny Mann, AKA, TwoMann, are a photography duo who have become globally recognized for their bold and unique photography style that defies and transcends industry standards. Their persistence on capturing the most authentic moments has won them countless awards and are highly sought out by clients from around the world. Erika and Lanny also host workshops and events where they focus on how to think outside the box and look for moments that tell the most compelling and genuine stories.

Arlene Evans is the force behind the content development and production for WPPI, Rangefinder Magazine, and previously, Creative Live. With her instinct for discovering talent as well as her deep understanding of the photographic community, she successfully built up CreativeLive's massive online platform that has reached millions of creative professionals around the world. Currently, she serves as the Conference Producer for WPPI and is fully focused on creating a great community experience at this year's upcoming event.

Frederick Van Johnson is the voice behind This Week in Photography. With a background as a photojournalist for the Air Force and his footprints deep in the heart of Silicon Valley, having worked for behemoths including Adobe and Apple, Frederick has experienced the best and worst of the tech industry and eventually found his voice through his own podcast. Since Frederick stepped in as the host, TWiP has grown to become one of the most popular photography platforms in the world.

Jared Gant is a Colorado based wedding photographer. Not only has he created a successful and sustainable photography business that brings in a quarter million dollars in annual revenue, he has a keen sense of efficiency and developed a workflow that allows him to operate his business at a fraction of the time with extraordinarily effective methods of acquiring clients. Today, he is extending his business expertise and teaming up with his wife, who is a lawyer, to create a platform that just may revolutionize how the legal industry operates.

With a career spanning over three decades, Joel Grimes sits in the upper echelon of commercial and advertising photographers working today. Joel quickly rose to prominence with his technical proficiency and constant creative curiosity and has continued to innovate and adapt his skills alongside the evolution of photography from film to digital, building a massively successful brand and creating stunning work that continues to push boundaries. Joel has photographed everybody from celebrities to billionaires and is also one of the most prolific educators around, teaching at workshops and lectures as well as his own online photography platform.

Lauri Laukkanen is an advertising photographer and director who has seamlessly transitioned into the Head of Virtual Production for ZOAN. Since 2012 he’s worked with brands like Apple, Paramount, Polar, Finavia and PWC to name a few. In 2020, he directed JVG, one of the largest virtual reality concerts ever produced for Finland’s May Day. JVG garnered a live-audience of over 700,000 people and was viewed by nearly 24% of the entire country.

Mike Kelley is known as one of the world’s top architectural photographers. His work has attracted clients that include Tesla Motors, Herman Miller, and Arquitectonica just to name a few. His obsession with aviation led to a series of personal work or “airportraits” that has been published in virtually every major outlet, and featured in museums throughout the world. Mike is also one of the top online educators in the photography industry with best-selling tutorials that are available through Fstoppers.com

Spencer Boerup is the owner and founder of MagMod. With a background in wedding photography, Spencer saw the need for better flash modification tools. MagMod released their first products in 2013 on Kickstarter and was an instant success. They exceeded their backing goal by 600% receiving over $200,000 in initial sales. From then MagMod has gone on to revolutionize the way photographers approach lighting.

In the world of photography, there are few photographers more recognizable than Sue Bryce. With over 30 years of experience, Sue’s distinct style and approach to contemporary glamour portraits have become the modern face of portraiture. From having owned and operated her own 7-figure photography studio to now teaching tens of thousands of photographers around the world how to do the same, Sue is the force behind Sue Bryce Education, The Portrait Masters, and The Portrait Masters Conference.

Jeremy Blossom is a former reality TV star and is the co-founder of Strikepoint Media. Founded in 2013, Strikepoint Media is a digital marketing agency that specializes in lead generation, funnel building and media buying for significant growth. His company has generated over $750 million dollars in sales for their clients and annual agency revenue exceeds $27 million dollars.

Sam Hurd is one of the most influential portrait and wedding photographers of the past decade. Sam is also one of the most sought out educators. From in-person workshop experiences to online education through Sam’s Patreon membership, photographers want to learn how Sam sees the world. His unique approach to photography has yielded multiple techniques and styles that have become ubiquitous with his name. In this episode, we’re getting into all of it. Sam’s background as a NASA contractor, through to his career and creative mindset as a photographer.

We’re going to try something different in this episode. Jas Panag is a long-time friend who I’ve been recently coaching and working with. In one of our recent conversations, I realized that a lot of the things we were discussing might be helpful to others. I asked Jas if he’d be willing to bring our conversations and coaching sessions onto the podcast and he agreed. Jas has had a lot of difficult and incredible experiences throughout his life, now he’s working towards laying down the foundation for the career and life he wants to create.

Charmi Patel Pena is a photographer, industry leader and educator, as well as an ambassador for Nikon USA. Charmi specializes in Southeast Asian weddings and her work has created happy clients and garnered industry awards and accolades from around the world. As an educator, Charmi has taught on platforms like Creative Live, WPPI, Mystic, and is presently an SLR Lounge Educational Ambassador. In addition to her photography and educational endeavors, Charmi is also known as an advocate for women’s equality and social justice.

Patrick hall is a photographer, educator, and entrepreneur. In 2010, Patrick and his partner Lee started Fstoppers.com. Fstoppers started out as a simple place for creative professionals to learn photography and cinematography from behind the scenes videos. Fast forward 10 years, today Fstoppers gets around 3-5 million unique visitors a month. Today Patrick/Lee run Fstoppers full-time and split their time between home in Puerto Rico, and production on the road.

Lindsay Adler is an American portrait and fashion photographer based out of New York. In addition to an extensive body of work, she’s also known as one of the most prolific educators in the photography industry. She’s one of the most popular instructors on Creative Live, has her own extensive library of education, and can be found regularly teaching at tradeshows and conferences. In 2020, Lindsay also became the first woman to win the Rangefinder Icon of the Year Award.

Today's guest, Pei Ketron, is a photographer, educator and speaker who presently works on the Adobe Lightroom team. Her photographs and travel photography have garnered significant attention around the globe. She was born in Taiwan, but grew up on the Navajo Nation in Arizona within a biracial household. This along with her BA in Psychology and MA in Special Education and Assistive Technology gives her a unique perspective and ability to empathize with the subjects of her photography.

Giva the “Arm Collector” Santana is a retired mixed martial artist who fought in Bellator, ShoXC and M-1 Global. He’s a decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor with over 30 years of experience and having won numerous world championship titles. Giva is the co-founder and head instructor at One Jiu Jitsu, one of the best gyms in California. You can also find Giva regularly on UFC as a coach and corner for many of the world’s best mixed martial artists.

Clark Stacey is the co-founder and CEO of WildWorks, and has over 23 years of experience in video game development. His company's online playground for kids, Animal Jam, blends safe social gameplay with educational content and hands-on wildlife conservation. Today Animal Jam boasts over 100 million worldwide players.

Lee Morris is a photographer, online educator, and entrepreneur. In 2010, Lee and his partner Patrick Hall founded the website Fstoppers.com, a website dedicated to helping inspire photographers and cinematographers. Today, Fstoppers gets around 3-5 million unique visitors per month. Their YouTube channel is approaching one million subscribers, and their premium education is in a league of its own.

Today's guest, Goli Kalkhoran, is a former Federal Public Defender with a focus on death row defense. Feeling drained and demoralized, Goli left law to become an entrepreneur. With time her decision led to a successful business and the birth of a podcast and platform called “Lessons from a Quitter.” It’s a place where she teaches and coaches others on how to intelligently leave unfulfilling careers in order to chase meaning and value.