Neighbors and Friends Podcast

In this episode of The Neighbors and Friends Podcast, Kaiy sits down with Teo Hunter, founder of Crowns and Hops. Together they discuss the importance of self care in business, and the responsibility they hold to break racial stereotypes. They share craft beer, cheese, tears, and laughs.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠

In this episode of the Neighbors and Friends podcast, Kaiy has an unhinged, vulnerable conversation with Julia Tokarz, the co-owner of East side Cheesecake. They cover it all from family businesses in previous generations to how relationships play a role in running a business. This charcuterie episode is just as tempting as it is insightful.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠

Kaiy sits down with Samona Caldwell, the Director of Business Connect, to discuss how opportunity is offered and how systems work. The truth that no one talks about is that access is only one part of the story. Energy, resources, time, and capacity shape who actually benefits from life-changing business opportunities. ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠

In this episode, Kaiy sits down with Lidia Garcia, founder of the Pasadena Run Club. They discuss the importance of community when taking on any new challenge like running, building a business, or tackling a big goal. They explore how to build a profitable business while serving a community and how to create inclusive spaces without judgement.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠

Visibility looks glamorous from the outside, but anyone who has ever tried to show up online knows the truth: it’s complicated. In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with poet, writer, actress, and creative force Arielle Estoria for a conversation about what it really means to be seen.The two dive into the tension between influence and entrepreneurship, the pressure to constantly perform your worth, and the exhaustion that comes with being visible in a world that demands perfection but fears sincerity. They talk about impostor syndrome, identity, and the quiet fears that keep so many brilliant people from sharing their work because they don’t want to be judged, misunderstood, or labeled “cringe.”ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life.Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

As business owners, we often hold space for others, our teams, our customers, our community...but who holds us?In this episode, Kaiy talks with Jeff Mendoza of Dept of Skin. When Neighbors & Friends Café first opened, Jeff was one of the first to show up. When hard times hit, he showed up again, offering care to Kaiy’s team. Their relationship is built on a shared belief: that inclusivity and care are at the core of both their brands.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, I sit down with Ariell, who once ran Carla’s Market in Highland Park. Ariell and I first connected through LISC, as two entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of running a business. Earlier this year, she made the bold decision to close Carla’s and pivot toward a new chapter - one aligned with her purpose.We talk about what it means to reinvent yourself when life forces your hand. From the shared challenges of small business to the courage it takes to pivot, we explore endings as beginnings, the freedom in letting go, and redefining success on your own terms. This is a conversation about identity, transition, and trusting that even when a door closes, the next one opens with intention.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

There’s the business version of you, and then there’s you. In this episode, Kaiy sits down with Lizzy Okoro, a longtime advisor, advocate, and now Director of the Women’s Business Center. This conversation is about what it really means to navigate and reshape business spaces as a woman.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

Entrepreneurship is often framed as inspiration, resilience, and grit...but for most founders, the emotional cost is much more complex. In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with Tami, a somatic therapist whose work blends soul therapy, bodywork, tarot, regulation practices, and deep emotional processing. Together, they have an honest, grounded conversation about the parts of entrepreneurship that rarely get talked about: the anxiety that simmers under big decisions, the self-doubt that creeps in at every pivot, the guilt around rest, and the emotional labor leaders carry behind the scenes.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

Some leaders are easy to spot, but very few people ever ask who they lean on.In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with Nikki High, the owner of Octavia’s Bookshelf, and a woman who has unintentionally become a pillar in Pasadena’s cultural landscape.It’s a conversation about what leadership really feels like behind closed doors: the expectations, the emotional labor, the pressure to hold an entire community with grace, and the quiet loneliness that comes with being “the strong one.”ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

In this episode, Kaiy sits down with Carola Secada, co-founder of Revolve Impact and Tepito Coffee, creator of Dena Heals, and a mother raising kids while supporting a community. Together, they unpack the myth of “doing it all” and the invisible weight carried by women building businesses, nurturing families, and showing up for their neighborhoods again and again. They talk about what it really looks like to run mission-driven, community-rooted enterprises while navigating the pressure to perform, the exhaustion of invisible labor, and the false promise of “balance.”It’s a look behind the curtain of two women who are unbalanced, unbothered, unstoppable. It’s not because it’s easy, but because their community, their work, and their children deserve the legacy they’re building.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

Some stories don’t begin at the beginning, they begin in the aftermath.In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with her friend and neighbor, Marike, founder of Altadena Candle Co., for a conversation about surviving the unimaginable: losing a husband, losing a home, losing the version of life you once knew… and somehow finding a way to begin again.Before they ever knew they lived a block apart, Marike walked into Neighbors & Friends not just as a business owner looking for shelf space, but as someone looking for community in the middle of crisis. What neither of them knew is that their lives were already intertwined and that this conversation would become an exploration of two parallel journeys through grief, motherhood, reinvention, and creating beauty after destruction.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

Some conversations don’t just remain conversations - they change you.In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, I sit down with someone who has been a quiet architect in the background of my personal and entrepreneurial evolution: L’lia “Tizzle” Thomas. She’s an astrologer, a grant writer, a healer, and a guide. She's a true alchemist in every sense of the word. Tizzle is the person who taught me that business strategy means nothing if the person running the business is falling apart inside. She walked me through boundary-setting when I didn’t know where to begin. She helped me build routines that could actually support the scale of my dreams. She sat with me in the hard questions and helped me see myself and my work with a new kind of honesty and softness.In this conversation, we talk about what it really means to build a business while building yourself.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with her friend and storytelling mentor, the founder of Die Free Studios, Asia David. Asia helped Kaiy unlock a bio, a brand story, and a sense of clarity after five years of searching for the right words.Together, they talk about the stories we inherit, the ones we hide behind, the ones we outgrow, and the ones we’re brave enough to rewrite. This isn’t just a conversation about branding. It's a conversation about identity, truth-telling, healing, and what happens when you finally have someone who can help you translate who you are into language that feels like home.The cheese board is built, the walls come down, and the two of them dive into how storytelling shapes everything - our businesses, our relationships, our confidence, and the way we show up in the world.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠

In this episode of Neighbors & Friends, Kaiy sits down with filmmaker and creative powerhouse, Felicia of Feee Films for a conversation about the long game - legacy, impact, motherhood, and the kind of community you don’t just live in, but pour yourself into.This isn’t a story about loss or rebuilding in a literal sense. It’s a conversation about what it means to carry vision through chaos, to mother in uncertainty, and to stay rooted in community even when the ground feels shaky.Kaiy and Felicia reflect on the unexpected ways people become connected, the sacred responsibility of telling stories that matter, and the kind of generational impact they hope their work and their lives will leave behind.ABOUT THE SHOWNeighbors & Friends is a podcast and digital series hosted by Kaiy Smith-Biesman, founder of a growing restaurant empire in Pasadena, California - Neighbors and Friends Cafe, Stems, and Neighbors and Friends Kitchen.Behind every breakthrough is a chapter most people skip - the part where the real work happens. This podcast brings entrepreneurs, executives, creatives, and community builders together for honest conversations about what it actually takes to create change.ABOUT KAIYKaiy Smith-Biesman is a food & hospitality founder, powerhouse coach, podcast host, and mother. Her philosophy is owning being unbalanced and unbothered while building your dream life. Kaiy has demonstrated how to integrate being of service in her business model by creating an ecosystem that empowers Black and Brown founders with every milestone.⁠⁠Visit Neighbors and Friends here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about Kaiy's mentorship⁠ ⁠