The Dream Chasers Podcast

Hosted by Samantha Ainsworth

Episode 11

Max Lorei

Photographer/Actor

Max Lorei is a photographer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His forte is dramatic bold visual engaging portrait work of and clean stunning headshots. Max has an extensive background in acting and modeling and this has helped him extensively in bringing out the mojo and great expressions from his clients. You can find his work at Loreauxphotography.com and his headshots at maxlorei.com. The best way to book a session is reaching out at 8148813718 or loreauxphoto@gmail.com

Harlem by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

The Dream Chasers Podcast

Hosted by Samantha Ainsworth

Episode 10

Michelle Balfe

Michelle M Balfe, CI CT NIC

ASL English Interpreter for 30+ years

Adjunct Instructor for 25 years

Academic Advisor at CCAC for 2 years

Health & Wellness Coach for Oola the Mind & Body Company for 4 years

Wife, mom, sister, aunt. Dog mom to 2 crazy Labradors

Chaser of dreams for a long ass time.

30 years deep into an interpreting career took me from Akron, OH to Anchorage, Alaska to

Pittsburgh. I have interpreted more than a few Broadway shows – Chorus Line, and Jersey Boys

(twice) are favorites. Stand-up comedians Jerry Seinfeld, and Lisa Lampanelli. Speakers Dr. Maya

Angelou, and Sir Edmund Hilary. Countless politicians. Musicians like Steven Curtis Chapman, Josh

Groban, Tyrone Wells, and JT Hodges.

Currently, I process video relay phone calls for the FCC and holy hell have I seen / heard some

shit during these calls. 11 years of processing phone calls could fill a book. I even have a title for it “I

Couldn’t Make This Shit Up” I may write it when I’m 90.

I teach the process of interpreting at CCAC not ASL, I leave that to the Deaf community to do. I

teach what to do with ASL after you have a firm grasp of the language. I train future interpreters best

practices, help them decide what kind of interpreting best suits them – educational, medical,

theatrical, political, legal, etc.

I also teach College Seminar for CCAC. All the shit you wish someone would have told you

before you started college. I help them answer 3 questions: what do you want to be when you grow

up, who can best educate you for that purpose, and how do you do it without going broke or crazy?

Being a teacher and motivator at heart lead me to becoming a Coach. Oola helped me find a

life of health and wellness from the inside out. I followed the Oola framework for a year on my own.

One of the founders, Dave Braun, emailed me and asked if I’d be interested in being a Coach. I said

no, because I was committed to offering certified interpreters workshops every month for the entire

year. Dave knew nothing about interpreting, but he knows workshops. He emailed me every month or

6 weeks or so to ask how it was going and how he could help. He wanted nothing from me, he just

wanted to help me succeed. Creating materials is time consuming and expensive. Oola framework

aligned with my training philosophy, and their materials are top notch. In January 2020, I became a

Certified Oola Coach.

Dream Chasing, to me, means taking my gifts and talents and building a balanced life of purpose.

Finding a purpose and impacting the world with it IS the chase and the dream, therefore, changes.

I always say 2 things:

1) I can change the world in 10 minutes.

2) they (you Samantha!) could write a bad B flick about my life.

Harlem by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

A multi-talented award winning storyteller with over twenty-five years of experience as a producer, director, writer, director of photography and editor, PJ Gaynard has a BFA in Film, Video, and Animation from Rochester Institute of Technology and an MA in Humanities/Humanistic Studies from CalState Northridge. Recently his work has included a strong bend toward community filmmaking. You can learn more about PJ Gaynard at https://www.goatmilkfudgeproductions.com/

Dreams take on many forms. As a society, we often focus solely on the results of goal-setting an dream chasing and not the journey itself. Because of this, many folks are shy about talking about their Big Fat Dreams until they achieve them. BUT what if we simply celebrate the journey TOWARDS the dream? The journey is often overlooked but can truly be the life-changing event... even more so that the realized dream. In each episode, we will discuss a new dream, an old dream, a realized dream, or perhaps a dream that didn't turn out the way we expected.

Harlem by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore— And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?