In this episode of Shady Characters, Danielle Braithwaite—founder of Variant Movement—shares her journey from aspiring professional dancer to studio owner, mentor, and working mom. Danielle opens up about career-altering injury, launching a business during the pandemic while pregnant, and building a studio rooted in discipline, kindness, and community. It’s an honest look at creativity, leadership, and redefining success on your own terms.

Danielle never planned to become a studio owner. Her early dream was to dance professionally—traveling, performing, and living fully inside the art form she loved. But at just 21 years old, a serious hip injury abruptly changed her trajectory. Faced with an uncertain recovery and the loss of her professional path, Danielle found herself falling in love with teaching, choreography, and the impact she could have on others through dance.

After more than a decade of teaching and creating within other studios, Danielle took a leap—launching Variant Movement in 2021, during the tail end of the pandemic, while pregnant and navigating a high-risk pregnancy. What began as a low-risk experiment with a single studio room and a goal of 15 students quickly evolved into a thriving program of nearly 100 dancers in just four years.

Throughout the conversation, Danielle reflects on what it means to grow intentionally. Rather than chasing scale or multiple locations, she built Variant to stay small, personal, and deeply connected—ensuring every student is known, supported, and held to high standards both technically and personally. Success, for Danielle, isn’t just trophies or placements, but how students carry themselves, treat others, and grow into confident, respectful people.

The episode also explores Danielle’s experience as a working mother, balancing late nights at the studio with family life, and intentionally modeling ambition and leadership for her son. She speaks candidly about perfectionism, burnout, self-doubt, and the quiet pressure of wearing every hat as a founder.

Now entering its next chapter with the launch of Vivid, Variant’s elite performance team, Danielle reflects on the excitement—and fear—of growth, and why staying rooted in purpose matters more than ever.

This is a conversation about movement in every sense: physical, emotional, and personal. A powerful listen for creatives, founders, parents, and anyone navigating a pivot they never planned—but were meant for.

Photographer Matt Morgan sits down with Shady Characters to unpack a 20-year career that started in a high school photo class and led to shooting world-class athletes, punk rock icons, and award-winning commercial campaigns. From San Juan bathtub birth stories to photographing Shaq with nothing but a reflector, Matt reflects on creativity, lighting, fatherhood, golf, and the joy of capturing life — one frame at a time.

In this episode of Shady Characters, hosts Evan Burgher and Tim DeBrincat welcome longtime friend and collaborator Matt Morgan — a photographer whose career is equal parts craftsmanship, curiosity, and character.

Born (literally) at home in San Juan Capistrano, Matt stumbled into photography in high school after ditching a one-on-one construction class. What started as a creative elective quickly became a lifelong obsession. With encouragement from his dad, a hobbyist photographer, and the early influence of surf/skate culture, Matt spent his teens shooting friends in the water, at skateparks, and for a small clothing brand he helped launch.

After a fleeting attempt at the corporate world, Matt found his calling in wedding photography — a space where entrepreneurship and artistry collided. That foundation eventually propelled him into the commercial world, where he built a reputation as a master of lighting and a photographer who can make anyone comfortable in front of the camera.

Matt shares stories from shooting global athletes for Power Balance, including a surreal first encounter with Shaquille O’Neal, where he had under ten minutes to get the shot and ended up standing on a chair just to reach eye level. He talks about capturing punk legend Dwayne Peters (while driving him to set as he rolled a joint in the passenger seat), working with deeply trained classical musicians, and leading the technically demanding multi-person composite portrait for the Pacific Symphony.

The conversation dives into Matt’s obsession with lighting, his ongoing commitment to learning (including workshops with iconic photographers), and his unconventional philosophy about not specializing in one niche — but instead using diversity of experience to fuel creativity.

Outside photography, Matt opens up about fatherhood, surfing, the camaraderie of golf culture, generational traditions, and the infamous Morgan Family Christmas Card — a full-scale, Norman Rockwell-inspired creative production he now builds every year.

It's a warm, funny, and deeply human look at a photographer who’s spent two decades capturing stories, studying light, and celebrating the beauty in the everyday. Whether you’re a creative, a photographer, or just someone who loves a good origin story, this episode is packed with heart, humor, and inspiration.

In this heart-forward episode of Shady Characters, hosts Evan Burgher and Tim DeBrincat sit down with Harrison Taylor, Director of Leasing & Development at Almquist, and one of the key minds behind River Street Market — the new cultural hub redefining San Juan Capistrano.

Harrison shares what it’s like to raise four kids on Los Rios Street, the oldest residential street in California, and why the community’s small-town heartbeat is something he never plans to leave. From Trader Joe’s managers picking figs off his tree to seeing neighbors at River Street every weekend, he reflects on how intentionally connected San Juan really is — and why he believes that’s worth protecting.

He walks through his unexpected career pivot: leaving a decade in corporate electrical and solar sales, joining the Planning Commission to learn the development world from the inside, and ultimately being tapped by developer Dan Almquist to help shape River Street’s tenant mix. Harrison breaks down how he evaluates brands, why personality matters as much as financials, the wild story of landing Kovás Boots, and the pressure of curating a space that both honors history and brings something new.

Beyond development, Harrison opens up about starting Rad Dads, a men’s group born out of church, friendship, and vulnerability. He shares stories of pushing past comfort zones, dealing with stress and mental health, and the surprising power of showing up for other men in similar stages of life.

The conversation ranges from generational rowing stories and heirloom rings, to family legacy, surfing accidents, faith, and finding your place in a fast-moving world. At its core, this episode is about community — how to build it, how to protect it, and how to grow with it.

A must-listen for anyone who loves San Juan, is curious about development, or believes deeply in the value of showing up for the people around you.