Join Yasi and Steven, along with Athletes and the Arts co-founder Randy Dick, as we talk to the quintessential Athlete and Artist, Tim Cunningham. He turned down a chance to play in the NFL to pursue a career as a professional jazz musician. Thirty years later, after recording 8 albums and touring all over the world, he is still going strong. He talks about the difficulty playing Division 1 football, maintaining his passion for music over the years, and staying healthy while playing the sax.

Tim's website: www.timcunninghammusic.com

Instagram: @tim.cunninghamsaxophonist

Facebook: @TimCunninghamMusicPage

Bio: When Tim Cunningham was faced with the choice between the football field or the musical stage, fortunately he chose the latter. Having played the saxophone for over half his life, Tim spent his college years at Michigan State splitting his time between playing defense and playing music. And although a football scholarship saw him through school, his passion for the sax has carried him well beyond, as he passed up an NFL contract and eventually pursued a career in music.

For decades the words "smooth , sultry, cool & funky" have been used to describe Tim's high energy and emotional stage show as his sexy blend of smooth jazz and soulful R&B connects with people of all ages, races and genres of music. This unique and versatile style has earned Tim the pleasure of opening for jazz greats Dave Koz, Norman Brown, Brian Culbertson and George Benson. On the flip side, his bumpin' R&B flavor has on occasion paired him with Earth Wind & Fire, Cameo, Boyz II Men, Patti Labelle, Frankie Beverly, Jeffrey Osborne, and the late Luther Vandross.

Signed to Atlantic Records in 1994 Tim's first major label release, "Right Turn Only," featuring the efforts of Will Downing, Brian Culbertson, Kevin Whalum, and Bobby Lyle was released in 1996. It's featured single, "This is the Life," hit #19 on the Smooth Jazz Chart and received much international airplay. Tim's additional CD credits include "Sax Change Operation", "A Change in Altotude", "Waiting For Love", "Inner Peace", and "Manchester Road" which was picked up by Nite Breeze Music/Universal in 2008. His 2011 release entitled "Reflection", features a cool collection of original tracks packed with smooth grooves and emotional ballads. In 2012 Tim recorded and released "Tim Cunningham Live" where he covered a collection of some of his favorite songs.

In 2019 Tim hosted and performed in the 1st Annual Smooth Jazz Cruise on Land in St. Louis. This inaugural festival featured Brian Culbertson, Eric Darius, Grace Kelly and Erin Bode and was produced by Entertainment Cruises Productions and producers of the Smooth Jazz Cruise.

Tim's experiences bridge beyond the live stage to TV as he co-wrote and performed the theme song to 20th Century Fox's "Bertice Berry Show". He also appeared in the movie, "The Ghost Who Walks" as Officer Taylor, three episodes of "The Untouchables" TV series as The Saxophonist, BET's "Jazz Central and a commercial spot for Budweiser. In 2021 "Smile" co-written with Al Caldwell from Tim's "Waiting for Love" CD was featured in the movie, "The Job" written, directed and produced by Randy J. Goodwin.

In October 2022, after nearly a 10 year recording hiatus "Freedom" was released, with his new single, "Enough Said" (remix) climbing the Smooth Jazz Network , Radio Wave and Smoothjazz.com charts.

Yasi and Steve join Athletes and the Arts Founder Randy Dick in welcoming opera singer Leslie Bickle onto the show. Leslie discusses her journey from Canada to the UK, performing for the late Queen Elizabeth II, working with performers to overcome performance anxiety, and becoming a yogi and yoga's value in singing and performing.

Leslie's website: http://www.lesliebickle.com

Athletes and the Arts website: http://www.athletesandthearts.com

Bio: Leslie Bickle is an opera singer and Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher specialising in vinyasa, mandala, yin and restorative yoga. She has an eclectic background as a music teacher, a ballet dancer, and she has played many different instruments including violin, cello and flute.

Originally from Canada, Leslie’s performing career has taken her across the globe. Recent role highlights include Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Micaëla (La Tragédie de Carmen) and Ilia (Idomeneo). She was a National finalist with the Canadian Music Competition and National semi-finalist/Regional finalist with the New York Lyric Opera Theatre. She received the Catherine Osbourne Opera Award, and was a recipient of the Philip Hattey Scholarship and the Dame Eva Turner Scholarship. She also had the immense pleasure of meeting and singing for the late Queen Elizabeth II.

To date, Leslie has had the privilege of working with various companies in her native country of Canada and in Europe. This has included Opera Atelier, Muskoka Opera Festival, Amersham Festival of Music, Tapestry Opera, the Berlin Opera Academy, Canadian Stage Company, Toronto Opera Collaborative, Oakville Chamber Orchestra and the Toronto New Music Festival. In additional to her extensive singing background, Leslie is the founder of Yoga with the Breath, a health and wellness yoga start up company that provides education, classes and resources for performers, organisations and institutions. Leslie works with her clients to provide customised support to meet individual needs. She has a particular interest in optimising breathing and helping people manage performance anxiety. Leslie recently gave private and group yoga sessions and customised support for athletes at the Vitality 10km race with Our Parks UK.

Leslie is also a speaker and supporter of health and wellness for elite performers. She was invited to speak at the MHPC22 conference in Oslo Norway in the autumn of 2022. The MHPC22 international conference was for physicians, athletic trainers, therapists, and music and performing arts students and professions, who seek to improve the performance, health and well-being of musicians and performing artists within all genres. Most recently, Leslie was invited to speak at the international conference PAMA, where she gave a talk on performance anxiety and conscious breathwork.

Leslie is a graduate from the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, and the prestigious Royal Academy Opera programme at the Royal Academy of Music, and she currently resides in London, England.

Our topic today is resilience in performance, overcoming obstacles to make it in the performing arts. Tasi and Steven talk with up-and-coming star Anna Dreslinski, a singer/dancer who is currently performing in the opera Ainadamar at the Met in New York. She straddles the worlds of opera and musical theater, performing in shows such as West Side Story, Amadeus, and others, but she’s had to overcome many different issues along the way. This includes hip surgery, injuries keeping her out of rhythmic gymnastics, and abuse at the hands of Dr. Larry Nassar, the imprisoned US Gymnastics physician. Her life lessons are inspirational, and you won't want to miss this episode.

WARNING: This episode discusses sexual abuse, and although no graphic detail is described, the topic may be sensitive for some of our audience, so we want to issue this warning in advance.

For Anna's page with the Met Opera, go to: https://www.metopera.org/discover/artists/soprano/anna-dreslinski/

Instagram @adreslinski

For more on Athletes and the Arts, go to http://www.athletesandthearts.com

Yasi and Steven talk with actress Carolyn Ann Miller about life on and off the stage. She shares about her ups and downs as a NYC actress, her performances in South Pacific and Titanic, and her creation of Safe Space for actors.

Instagram: @carolynannemilleractor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.a.miller.54/

Bio: Carolyn Anne Miller is a born and raised Chicago native. She moved from Chicago to New York City immediately after graduating college in 2015 and would dare to say that after almost 10 years she is now a proud New Yorker.

However, Chicago hotdogs will always be better than NYC's attempt. Sorry!

Offstage, she's constantly creating, whether it's workshopping her cabaret, interior design, writing in her free time, planning her new musical, free drawing or illustrating her mom's new children's book, or crying and laughing so hard at her favorite place on earth, **SAFE SPACE (IG: @safespacemanhattan). She is also a massive lover of the earth and spends as much time as she can outside!

Carolyn has worked in and out of NYC since moving here. She performed in the 10-person ensemble supporting TITUSS BURGESS in his Carnegie Hall production of Take Me to the World: A Stephen Sondheim Tribute. She's created a home regionally with the Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theatre starring in many of their shows including; South Pacific, Nellie Forbush; 9TO5, Doralee Rhodes; Something Rotten, Portia; Spelling Bee, Olive Ostrovsky; Titanic, Kate McGowan, and several more.

**Carolyn and her friend Jenn Smith created Safe Space, a judgement-free, supportive, and encouraging performance event during the pandemic. Their goal was to provide space to those who lost their space, had no space, or wanted to try out space just for fun. We welcome folks from all across the spectrum of artists, ranging from Broadway artists to artists who are singing in front of folks for their very first time! We occasionally offer professional video and we ALWAYS offer a supportive community, fabulous vibes, and an unforgettable night! We exist purely to raise up and encourage all artists!​​​

Join Yasi and Steven as they welcome strength & conditioning coach Ash Wang onto the show. They discuss Ash's career journey through classical violin training, studying neuroscience, making Soulcycle playlists, building a strength and nutrition coaching business, writing her recipe book, and following her intuition all along the way.

For Ash's book "Alimentary: A Nutrition and Recipe Companion For the Athlete", go to https://www.ashwang.fit/shop

For Ash's website, go to https://www.ashwang.fit

Instagram: @ash_lucy_wang

Bio: Ash Wang comes with 7 years of professional experience in the health industry, alongside an educational background in Neuroscience and classical violin.

She started her professional journey with in-person training and group fitness in the high-octane NYC market and has since transitioned her business to being solely-based online, removing geographical barriers. Ash coaches individuals from all walks of life, improving nutritional habits and training performance.

Ash’s fitness journey began in dingy college gyms, not knowing the difference between a barbell and a dumbbell, experimenting with different styles of strength-training and dabbling in “powerbuilding” for years. At 25, she landed on the sport of Olympic Weightlifting and has fallen in love with the obsessive, technically complex, and thrilling nature of the sport — She has not looked back since.

Outside of the gym, Ash is an avid consumer of scientific research literature, spending too much time (and money) at her local coffee shop delving into various topics of interest including, but not limited to, gerontology, food politics, and food history. In her spare time, she loves writing and creating art.

She published her first Nutritional Coaching Guide & Recipe Book, and the hardbound edition comes out January 2025.

Sparty, the mascot for Michigan State University, is perhaps the most well-know mascot in sports today. To be that famous, you need a whole team to support you. And Michigan State has the first mascot sports medicine program in the country. On our show today is Sue Petrisin, director of the Sparty Mascot Program and Ashley Tripplett, Sparty's research coordinator. Why does Sparty have a research coordinator? Because Sparty has a sports medicine team around him doing ground-breaking research on the physical demands of the job. Sue and Ashley talk all things Sparty, the good, bad, and just plain funny. But they also share their research they presented at the American College of Sports Medicine, gained from internal and external monitoring of Sparty's health and wellness. They also share their hopes to spur more colleges to follow their lead into developing mascot sports medicine programs.

For scheduling Sparty for an event, go to https://alumni.msu.edu/sparty/appearance-request.cfm

For more about the history of Sparty, go to https://alumni.msu.edu/sparty/history.cfm

Instagram: @therealsparty

Bios:

Sue Petrisin is the Director of the Sparty Mascot Program at Michigan State University, a program under the MSU Alumni Office. Sue holds a master’s degree in labor relations and human resources, along with bachelor’s degrees in food science and dietetics, all from Michigan State University. An MSU employee for 39 years, she spent 29 years in the Division of Residence Education and Housing Services (formerly Housing and Food Services).

Sue joined the MSU Alumni Office, overseeing university programs such as Homecoming, Alumni Travel, Alumni Grand Awards, and Grandparents University before being assigned responsibility for the Sparty Mascot Program in 2014. As the demands of managing the Sparty Mascot Program grew, her other program responsibilities were reassigned to other staff members.

After spending time watching Sparty in action and evaluating the program’s operations, she identified several areas that needed improvement. These included the condition of the suit, the selection and training processes, Sparty’s presence at events – both on- and off-campus, whether university or private - and his public perception among public, alumni and university faculty, staff and students.

Recognizing there was health impact on the student performing as Sparty, Sue sought assistance to help others understand what these students experienced and the need for additional support and focus for the program. This led to a research project with the Michigan State University Department of Kinesiology.

The health and safety of our students is always priority one. We have established policies and procedures that guide our program.

Sue is joined by Assistant Director Jill Wesley in managing the Sparty Mascot Program, one of the most recognized mascots in the world.

Ashley Triplett is the Research Coordinator for the Sparty Mascot Program at Michigan State University. She has been working with the program since 2019 to better understand physiological responses of individuals serving as mascots and improve the health and safety of students participating in the Sparty Mascot Program. Ashley completed her PhD in Kinesiology at Michigan State University in 2021. She also earned her M.S. in Kinesiology and B.S. degrees in Kinesiology and Human Biology at Michigan State University.

How does one take music, rapping, writing, performing and turn that into a career? On our show today is recording artist Derek Demkowicz, aka Demko, and Michael Reiber, head of marketing for Headlights Hip Hop and Derek’s buddy from high school. We discuss how they started in music, the value of comedy improv training, and the benefits of controlling your own destiny. Derek and Michael also talk about their hip hop concert they are putting on in Detroit on May 18, 2024.

For Demko's Spotify page, go to: https://open.spotify.com/artist/36bOXFMGTOcg3fNGsqVZhi?si=4_X9uuIAShijrEfyKpFHgQ

For Demko's Apple Music page, go to https://music.apple.com/us/artist/demko/1557597311

Demko's IG: @demkomusic

For more resources on performing arts medicine, go to www.athletesandthearts.com

Bios:

Derek Brian Demkowicz, AKA Demko, is an LA-based rapper, producer, and sound engineer with Detroit and Chicago roots. As an independent artist he has gained over 250k streams worldwide, released songs with Grammy-nominated artists, and connected with fans in 150+ countries. Notable collaborations include: Royce Da 5’9”, Mick Jenkins, GAWNE, and Futuristic. Stream Demko wherever you listen to music.

Michael Reiber has years of music industry experience out of New Orleans, Detroit, New York, and currently Nashville. His passion for human connection through music and creative brand storytelling has been the focus of his work since the beginnings of his career at Loyola University New Orleans, where he started his first marketing company in 2016. Today, Michael is the Head of Marketing for Headlights Hip-Hop, a rap start-up headquartered in Detroit, and manages Demko, his lifelong friend that he met through music in high school at U of D Jesuit.

Classical music is pervasive and ubiquitous and yet for many people, it is difficult to connect with. We met one classical pianist who makes it her mission to connect with audiences and bring her joy of classical music to the masses. She is the extraordinary Jeeyoon Kim. a multi-hyphenate musician-author-blogger-podcaster-educator-and-performer. Our Athletes and the Arts founder Randy Dick caught up with Jeeyoon recently and he’s here with her on our show today.

For more on Jeeyoon, go to https://www.jeeyoonkim.com

Instagram @jeeyoonkimpianist

X: @jeeyoon_pianist

For Athletes and the Arts, go to www.athletesandthearts.com

Bio: Award-winning classical pianist Jeeyoon Kim has delighted audiences across the United States and the world with her combination of sensitive artistry, ‘consummate musicianship, impeccable technique, and engaging and innovative concert experiences.’ (New York Classical Review)

​From the start of her career, beginning with her celebrated 2016 debut album, 10 More Minutes, Jeeyoon has thrilled classical music fans with her artful performances. Through her unique performance presentations, Jeeyoon has connected with concert attendees decidedly younger than the average by engaging in musical conversations from the stage. Her second album and concert project, Over. Above. Beyond., further stretched the mold for classical piano performances by collaborating with New York-based artist Moonsub Shin. Jeeyoon's collaboration with the artist delivered a multimedia experience that was also captured in an award-winning music video. Kim’s following project titled, 시음/si-úm/, began during her 2020 residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity for their 'Concert in the 21st Century' program. This concert project incorporates poetry and black and white photography. Jeeyoon's dedication to pushing the boundaries of traditional classical music to connect with a new audience has inspired a dedicated and passionate fanbase that defies conventional wisdom.

Jeeyoon began studying the piano when she was just four years old, and her love of music propelled her through her undergraduate studies in piano performance in her native Korea. After moving to the United States, she received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance with Distinction from Indiana University’s renowned Jacobs School of Music.

In pursuit of a deeper understanding of music education, she earned a second master's degree in piano pedagogy from Butler University, where she concurrently served as a faculty member. As a testament to Jeeyoon’s abilities as an educator, she was recognized with the 'Top Music Teacher Award' from Steinway & Sons for three consecutive years, from 2016 to 2018.

Jeeyoon is an author, educator, public speaker, podcaster, and award-winning performer. In 2021, she published her first book, Whenever You’re Ready, offering readers a personal glimpse into her life. This self-help book in a concert-style structure shares wisdom and insights gained from Jeeyoon's musical experiences. After a successful reception throughout North America and Europe, the book was published in South Korea in 2022. The book, translated into Korean by the author herself, has made it to the top 3 best sellers in South Korea in the self-help category. Jeeyoon Kim currently resides in San Diego. Between a busy concert touring schedule, she happily practices her piano daily, maintains a studio full of dedicated piano students, and surfs each morning at sunrise.