Puran & Susanna Bair, Authors, “Living from the Heart,” & Founders, Institute for Applied Meditation

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Please welcome Puran and Susanna Bair, authors of “Living from the Heart,” a book
that approaches meditation from a different perspective – the heart. The duo will
discuss how using heart-based meditation can completely transform our well-being,
benefiting both the mind and body, and they’ll explain exactly how to do it.

The husband and wife team also founded the Institute for Applied Meditation, and
have been working in this space for decades by improving the physical, emotional,
and spiritual health of those who practice this type of mediation. Puran and Susanna
say by coordinating our heartbeat with breathwork, we can achieve a level of
meditation and relaxation like nothing else, which is ultimately healthier. They
incorporate the energy of the four elements – air, fire, water, and earth – and will
explain further how it’s done during our interview.

Please welcome Puran and Susanna Bair to our show, #DeborahKobyltLIVE,
available on all video

Gregg Schwenk, Creator, Newport Beach Film Festival

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We’re so excited about this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival from October
16-23, featuring over 100 film and 250 shorts from 32 countries.

The festival opens with a screening of Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon” starring
Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Canavalle and Andrew Scott. The closing
night film will include a screening of Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” starring
Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac & Christoph Waltz. And for the International
Film category, the Italian film, “When Mom Is Away…With The In-Laws” is already
said to be a show stopper.

We will be speaking with the creator of the NBFF, Gregg Schwenk, who joins us to
talk about what’s become one of the industry’s most exciting festivals, including
some of the special events over the week-long event. Make sure to go on the
website for details, but Gregg will give us an inside peek during our interview.
Please join us on all video and audio platforms of #DeborahKobyltLIVE,
#LittleItalyPodcast, and #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast. I’m your host,
#DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you.

Maura Fanti, PhD, Research Assoc. Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at USC

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Want to live longer? It’s all about our food. In fact, “we are what we eat” isn’t just a
phrase about weight. Maura Fanti, researcher at USC’s longevity institute, has been
connecting the benefits of calculated fasting and metabolism, inflammation, and a
healthier life, and she says to live longer, we need to give our digestive system a
break.

Please welcome Maura to our show, who joins us to discuss how fasting doesn’t just
help shed pounds, it can increase our life span, too. She talks about the benefits to
our liver, which we know filters out toxins in our systems, and she wants people to be
educated to make healthy decisions because our lives literally depend on it.
Maura is from Italy and studied at the University of Cagliari (Italy) before joining USC, and
she points to how the American diet is so radically different from the Italian diet, and
how incorporating proper fasting with certain foods can drastically reduce
inflammation, which we all know is the culprit to declining health and weight gain. And
we don’t have to fast all day. Maura gives us practical tips on the best way to achieve
a healthy fast without feeling famished.

I met Maura at an event sponsored by @ItalyInLA and @IICLosAngeles, and we
spent some time discussing how to get people to make healthy, which is often difficult,
but perhaps approaching from a clinical perspective might be more beneficial. We’ll
talk about that, in addition to her early work in Italy, eventually leading her to Los
Angeles. And she’s one of our featured guests as part of Italian Heritage Month.
Please welcome Maura Fanti to our #LittleItalyPodcast, #LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, &
#DeborahKobyltLIVE. I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and I thank you for joining
us.

Vicky Carabini, NIAF Regional VP & Chair of the Italian Studies Council at Chapman University

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Italians are known for their vibrant culture worldwide, and when I hear the term, “it
takes a village,” I think of Vicky Colarossi Carabini, a woman who serves as her own
village promoting Italian culture throughout Southern California. Please give a warm
welcome to Vicky as one of our featured guests for Italian Heritage Month.
Since 2007, Vicky Carabini has served as Ambassador to San Juan Capistrano’s
Sister City, Capestrano, Italy. She is Chair of the Italian Studies Council and Board
Member of the Ferrucci Institute at Chapman University, which has one of the most
active Italian Studies programs in the country. Vicky is also Regional VP for the
National Italian American Foundation, aka NIAF, which promotes Italian heritage at its
highest level through programs based out of D.C., and she’s working hard to ensure
California has a large presence within the organization. Vicky is also forever hosting
fundraisers, Italian film nights, parades and food drives to keep the Italian community
actively involved in Orange County where she lives. And if you’re looking for
something to do, check out her newsletter that keeps So Cal peeps informed on all
things Italian.

Why does this all matter? Because to keep our culture, or any culture alive and active
within a community, it requires committed involvement, and that’s Vicky. In 2003, Vicky
and her husband, Michael, purchased a farmhouse in southern Tuscany and have
been producing olive oil ever since. She and her family have since attained Italian
citizenship and are now residents of Sarteano, where the farmhouse is located.
In recognition of her work in 2020, Silvia Chiave, then Consul General of Italy in Los
Angeles, knighted Vicky Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order
of the Star of Italy) on behalf of Italian President Sergio Mattarella. This honor is one
of Italy’s highest recognitions for Italians abroad and is awarded to those who
distinguish themselves through philanthropy, cultural advocacy, research, and
strengthening international ties. Bravo, Vicky!

The world is such a complicated place, and the more we give and get involved in our
communities, the better place it will be. Being of Italian heritage myself, I wanted to
open this discussion with Vicky about how we can all be better stewards to our
heritage and community, and we’ll talk about that. Please welcome Vicky Colarossi
Carabini on all video and audio platforms of #LittleItalyPodcast,
#LittleItalyOfLAPodcast, and #DeborahKobyltLIVE.

I’m your host, #DeborahZaraKobylt, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you here.