September 12, 2026 • 52 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The following is a paid program. WOR's airing of this
program constitutes neither an endorsement of the products offered or
the ideas expressed. Welcome to A Moment of Zen. Time
to sit back and relax as model, actress, mentor, and
supermom Zen Sams takes you on a sexy and wild
ride covering the latest in film, fashion, pop culture, cryptocurrency, fintech, cannabis,
(00:24):
and entertainment from the millennial mom's perspective. Here's your host,
Zen Sams.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Welcome back, beautiful tri-state area and beyond. You're listening to
A Moment of Zen right here on 710WOR. The voice
of New York, iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams. We
have an incredible show lined up for you today, so
let's get right to it. First up, in the Westbridge
Academy Speaker Series, we're joined by Ashley Carter. She's a creator,
(00:50):
autism advocate, and a community connector. The headliner today is
When the Classroom Doesn't Fit the Child and Why a
Different School Can Create a Different Future. Our topic, we're
going beyond the IEP. We're going to reframe specialized education
and From a last resort to the right fit. Then
in sculpting the future series brought to you by Aloe Clay,
(01:11):
we're joined by Dr. Alexandra Hart. She's a board certified
plastic surgeon and founder of Dr. Alexandra Hart Plastic Surgery.
Our headliner, well, the new natural. Why plastic surgery is
moving away from done. And our topic, from mommy makeovers
to donor fat, how the new era of aesthetics is
(01:32):
rebuilding the body quite differently. Next, we move into the
heart of influence brought to you by Diamond Lake and
its subsidiaries with co-contributor Brian J. Sposito and our guest
Robert Antonelli. Robert is a retired NYPD narcotics detective who
proudly served 20 years with the New York City Police
Department in honor of September 11th' s 25th anniversary. Never forget,
(01:57):
but are we starting to? Our topic is 25 years
after 9-11, what do we owe the heroes and the
generation that doesn't remember? And finally, in the Going Deep
podcast series with host Lana Kerr, we step into the
world of fashion with internationally recognized designer Adolfo Sanchez. It's
all coming up right here on A Moment of Zen.
(02:18):
Stay tuned on 710WOR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio.
We'll be right back after this.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
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Speaker 2 (02:53):
Welcome back, beautiful New York tri-state area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
Welcome back to the Westbridge Academy Speaker Series. Today, I
want to talk about a moment that can be absolutely
terrifying for a parent. Your child is struggling in school.
(03:14):
You've had the meetings. You've worked through the IEP. You've
tried the accommodations. Maybe you've even reached the point of
home instruction. And eventually the conversation changes from how do
we make this classroom work to do we need a
completely different classroom? Now for generations, specialized education has carried
an unfair stigma that somehow leaving the traditional public school
(03:36):
environment means a child has failed. But what if we've
had that backwards? Now, our headliner today is when the
classroom doesn't fit the child and why a different school
can create a different future. Joining us right now is
Ashley Carter. She's a creator, community connector and arts advocate
who shares her personal growth and journey as a first
(03:57):
time mom through her experience raising her incredible son, Ashton.
Ashley has become a voice for autism awareness and for
the role that arts can play in helping children express themselves, connect,
and thrive. And this story is incredibly personal. Ashton's journey
included a later autism diagnosis, challenges in school, home instruction,
(04:18):
and ultimately finding a different educational placement. Today, Ashton is
a student at Westbridge Academy and he's thriving. And outside
the classroom, he's already pursuing another extraordinary part of himself.
He's a young actor who has participated in film productions,
is developing his creative voice, and is beginning to gain
attention through his social media. Now, Ashley herself has also
(04:38):
had to rebuild. Her journey has included job loss, motherhood,
and ultimately discovering a new purpose through advocacy, creativity, and community.
So this isn't simply a story about autism. It's a
story about what can happen when we stop asking a
child to fit into an environment that isn't working and
start finding an environment that fits the child. Ashley, welcome
(04:59):
to the show, superstar.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm so excited to chat with you. And you have
an incredible little man on your hands. I've personally met
him and taught him in a classroom and he is amazing.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
He is just a ball of energy. He is so
fun to be around and he teaches me something new
every single day. He keeps me on my toes.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Let's talk about when a mom knows, okay, and that
late diagnosis. So Ashley, before we there's ever an official diagnosis,
there's usually a parent living the reality, watching, questioning, wondering
why their child's experience seems different. So what were you
noticing with Ashton before his autism diagnosis? What ultimately led
(05:44):
you to that diagnosis? And do you wish it had
been recognized sooner?
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
So I just remember, you know, as a first time mom,
joking around a lot saying, oh, it's the terrible twos,
it's the terrible threes, you know, it eventually he'll grow
out of it. And one of my close friends, she
has twins about the same age as Ashton. And I
remember her saying, you know, Ashton really doesn't listen to you.
(06:10):
And my first thought was maybe there's like a hearing
issue there. So initially I went and had a hearing
diagnosis done and come to find out he did have
some hearing loss in his right ear. He had to
get ear tubes placed in. And I thought that that
would kind of, you know, fix what was going on.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
With the behaviors.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
But they actually still continued.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And it wasn't until about pre-K that I noticed just
a lot of the behaviors going on, especially with hitting, biting,
a lot of sensory challenges around food, textures.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Speech, noise.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And yeah, I think if we would have had a
diagnosis earlier than when we got it, I do believe
it would have helped some of the challenges that we
experienced later on down the road, closer to the six,
seven-year-old mark. But Yeah, I do wish if we got
it earlier, it would have definitely saved us a lot
(07:14):
of heartache.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
And that's what statistics can never capture, right? The period
before the diagnosis. When a parent like you knows something
is happening, but doesn't necessarily have the language or resources
yet to explain it. And I'm sorry you had to
go through that. And of course, all of the behaviors
now make sense to you because there's a level of
frustration for a child that can't properly communicate. and whether
(07:37):
it's biting, hitting, stimming, any of that, it all comes
from a place of hemispheric imbalance, right? Now let's talk
about the school struggles. So when school stops working, and
this is where diagnosis meets reality, an IEP is supposed
to be individualized, but having an IEP doesn't automatically mean
that every classroom becomes the right classroom. Federal special education
(08:01):
law actually recognizes this. The goal is to educate children
alongside non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. But it
also recognizes that there are circumstances where education in a
regular classroom, even with additional aides, and services simply cannot
be achieved satisfactorily, right? So placement decisions are supposed to
(08:22):
be based on the individual child's IEP and needs. Now
for Ashton, that journey eventually included home instruction. What was
happening in Ashton's previous environment? How did home instruction enter
the picture And what did that experience teach you about
what he actually needed? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So between pre-K four and first grade, Ashton was already
transferred to three different schools. Between summer programs and daycare settings,
it just, there was never a fit for him. We
always had to pick him up. You know, he was
getting kicked out of programs. It was just very frustrating.
(09:02):
And I remember in kindergarten, he had a 504 plan. And,
you know, it was really early for him to have that.
And I thought, you know, that would help. Kindergarten, he
ended up getting a one-to-one aid. And we thought that
that would help. Eventually, that transferred over to a different
placement setting in the public schools where he did have
a smaller classroom setting. It was about six to two ratio,
(09:28):
I believe. And even with that, he was just really struggling. And,
you know, I kept saying something needs to get done.
I think he needs like a smaller classroom or maybe
just this school is not the right fit. You know,
perhaps we could do an added district placement. And, you know,
it just wasn't happening at that time. I had to
(09:48):
keep doing some research. And then it got to the
point where his behaviors were just becoming so difficult for
the school where he started getting physically restrained and he
was coming home with bruises on his arms as if
somebody was grabbing his arm or you know trying to
(10:11):
just trying to put him in these holes that they
they think will help the child to you know calm
down and it actually it causes more stress to them, right?
Because now they feel threatened, they feel harmed. And Ashton
was only six years old when this was happening. He
just completely changed. He refused going to school. He didn't
(10:32):
want to wake up to go to school anymore. He
just had this sadness to him. And as a mom
that crushed me, as a first-time mom that just completely
crushed my soul, right? I felt like I did something
wrong because I transferred him to these schools and That's
when I said, you know, this is not working. I
really have to research more about special education. I need
(10:55):
to know my rights as a parent to a child
because this is not acceptable. I started doing the home
instruction process where a teacher came to the house. The
district had finally approved that after months. That started, I believe,
maybe around September of And then in November, he was
(11:18):
actually placed into added district placement.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
We have finally got that.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
But let me tell you, between 2024 to now, it
was a journey to get that approved last year.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Wow. I'm so sorry you had to go through that
because Ashton is such a bright little boy. And it's
such an important distinction because sometimes adding more support to
the same environment is not the answer. Sometimes the environment
itself has to change. Now, I want to talk about Westbridge,
the last resort or the right fit, right? So now
(11:50):
we get to the part of this conversation that I
really want to challenge. Because when a family hears that
their child may need a specialized educational placement, there can
be this immediate emotional reaction, like my child can't Couldn't
make it in regular school. We're being sent somewhere else. Right.
Kind of thought. And I think that language matters. I mean,
(12:10):
if you look at this statistically, Westbridge isn't simply a
place where students are sent.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
It's a New.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Jersey state approved private special education school serving K through
12 students with emotional, behavioral and learning challenges. Westbridge says
most of its students are referred by their local district's
child study team after evaluation. And its model combines that
individualized academic, the therapeutic support that we're talking about, counseling,
(12:39):
and the small classroom setting. In fact, if you look
at the statistics, Westbridge reports a 6 to 1 percentage.
student to teacher ratio so maybe specialized placement shouldn't automatically
be viewed as moving a child down maybe the right
child maybe for the right child it's moving them closer
to what they actually need so when westbridge academy became
(13:02):
ashton's next step how did you initially feel about specialized
placement and now that he's thriving how differently do you
see that decision.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
So I honestly didn't know what to expect from the
specialized school. I just knew that there was no going back.
I didn't want him in a standard public school setting.
I had to go back to work eventually. So I
knew the home instruction or homeschooling wasn't really going to fit.
The home instruction was more of like a wedge kind
(13:31):
of to get us, you know, to the added district
placement and the specialized school setting. But I do remember
scarier conversations. prior to the out of district placement where
his previous school had mentioned partial hospitalization settings. And, you know,
for me, I just did not feel like that was
(13:51):
the right fit for Ashton. I did really strongly believe
that it was just the school that he was in. And,
you know, when I found Westbridge, I was offered other
schools to tour. I was the one that found Westbridge
and presented it to the IEP team. And they wanted
us to go to another place in Hackensack, New Jersey.
(14:14):
And I said, you know, I want to check out
this school. This is the school I want to see.
It's the first one I want to see. And I
really don't want to see any other ones. I was
so set on it from just doing so much research.
And the moment that I walked in to those doors
for the tour... I just remember asking so many questions, right?
(14:36):
If they use a standard New Jersey curriculum, you know,
is there therapy, OT, speech, all of these things. And
the way that it just felt like home, I felt
walking into that building at peace. And I just really
knew that that was going to be the right fit
for Ashton. And looking back now and just seeing where
(14:58):
he is, I know that that was the right decision
that I made. And I made a few wrong turns
in the past, but this was definitely the right fit
for him and the right decision.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
This has been the Westbridge Academy Speaker Series right here
on A Moment of Zen. To learn more about Westbridge
Academy and its individualized academic and therapeutic programs, you can
visit westbridgeacademy.org. They're located in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and you
can follow Westbridge Academy on social media at Westbridge Academy.
And of course, to get to know Ashley and Ashton,
(15:31):
you can check Ashley out on the gram at momonamissionnj
and lightscamera.ashton. That's momonamissionnj and lightscamera.ashton. And they're on Instagram.
And of course, you're listening to a moment of Zen
right here on 710WOR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio.
(15:53):
That was the Westbridge Academy Speaker Series. We'll be right
back after this.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
A Moment of Zen is brought to you by Westbridge
Academy in Essex County, where students are seen, heard, and understood.
Neurodiverse K-12 students, many facing ADHD, anxiety, depression, or aggression,
discover strength through connection. With compassionate educators, therapeutic support, and
the latest technology, students can master academics and go further,
(16:19):
exploring music production, financial and automotive literacy, social media awareness,
and wellness. Visit westbridgeacademy.org to learn more.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Welcome back, beautiful New York tri-state area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
Welcome back to Sculpting the Future series brought to you
by Alloclave. Today, we're talking about a major shift happening
in plastic surgery. There was a time when cosmetic work
(16:48):
almost came with its own recognizable aesthetic. Bigger breasts, exaggerated curves,
dramatically altered faces. But today, women increasingly seem to want
something very different. Proportion, preservation, personalization and results that don't
necessarily announce that you've had anything done at all. Joining
me right now is Dr. Alexandra Hart. She's an American
(17:10):
board certified plastic surgeon, Emory trained physician and founder of Dr.
Alexandra Hart Plastic Surgery. She's also a mama of two,
bringing another perspective to a conversation about what women's bodies
experience after motherhood. Dr. Hart, welcome to the show, superstar.
Speaker 7 (17:26):
Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Okay, let's dive right in. The new natural. So, Dr. Hart,
plastic surgery has certainly gone through eras. We've seen the
oversized breast implants, thanks to the Kardashians, the exaggerated BBL,
but thanks to the Kardashians, and the overfilled face, thanks
to the Kardashians. But now we're hearing a completely different vocabulary, right? Preservation, proportion, refinement, undetectable.
(17:52):
And that's fascinating to me because natural looking plastic surgery
doesn't necessarily mean women want less done. OK, so there's
a distinction there. So from your perspective, are women actually
asking you for less today or are they asking surgeons
to accomplish more while somehow making it look like they
did less?
Speaker 7 (18:12):
That's a great question. I think it depends a little bit.
I think in general, we're seeing a little bit more change.
patients being open to just having restored what they had before.
So not necessarily a, I want a really large breast
because I've never had them, but I really just want
to look like I looked like when I was 18.
(18:32):
And so pretty much anybody that's had a baby or
in the world of GLP-1s lost 30 pounds. I mean,
it's impossible to say that your body's going to look
the same. So even though it basically a lot of
times takes patients that maybe wouldn't have had surgery and
now they're kind of like, oh, maybe I would do
something to just augment a little bit. So I look
kind of naked how I do in clothes. So we're
doing a lot more softer breast augmentations, a little bit
(18:56):
less projection in terms of how far out the implants
stick out. We're doing maybe a little bit less very
large lip fillers, a little just more soft, natural looking curves.
And people are accepting that not everybody has to look
the exact same as well. So, you know, everybody kind
of has a different aesthetic and patients will come in
and tell you what their aesthetic is.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Well, that's the artistry of it, right? Because sometimes creating
a result that nobody can identify as plastic surgery is
actually more sophisticated than creating an obvious transformation. Which brings
me to the next question, right? So motherhood... may be
the ultimate example of restoration versus transformation. We use this
very cute phrase, mommy makeover, but what we're really talking
(19:40):
about can be multiple anatomical changes happening simultaneously, right? And
breastfeeding can change breast volume and position. Pregnant can leave
excess abdominal skin and that stretched or even separated abdominal muscles, right?
I mean, when you go into fat distribution, that totally changes.
The waist changes. And some of those things simply aren't
(20:03):
going away because somebody does another thousand crunches, right? Your
own practice describes the mommy makeovers as highly individualized. Tummy
tuck and breast surgery are common, but patients, they also
want to incorporate liposuction on the arms or the thighs.
And there's labiaplasty. I do a lot of labiaplasties, a
lot of BBLs.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I mean, labiaplasty is something I've always been interested in.
And my husband will be like, what's wrong? You know,
she looks beautiful. And I'm like, yeah, but I'm still interested.
And yeah, exactly. And even, you know, it's, it's, it's
a wide range. So when a mom walks into your
office and says, I don't want somebody else's body, I
want my body back. What are the areas she's most
(20:46):
commonly asking you to restore? And what does the modern
mommy makeover actually consist of these days?
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Well, I, in my office, I really, I spent a
long time in my consultations because I I really want
to get a sense of what is it that the
patient wants. I feel like the majority of times when
we have patients that maybe don't get what they want,
it's because we didn't really understand what it was they want.
And so I also like to talk to them about
how they feel. What is it that they don't like
when they look in the mirror? How does that affect
their day to day? What is it that, you know,
(21:13):
my mom always tells me, you know, people will never
forget how you made them feel. And so I kind
of want to understand, you know, when they look in
the mirror, they go to get dressed. What is it
that they don't like? Are they moving their labia out
of the way? Do they have to pick up their breasts,
even if they're small, to put them in their clothes?
Like things like that. And then I talk about, you know,
the limitations. And just because I sometimes think the best
(21:34):
plan is a breast lift and augmentation, that may not
be what the patient really wants. So pictures are worth
a thousand words. So I always talk about, I always
look at goal photos. I like them to be, they
can be them when they're 18. But I like to
at least have an idea of what the pictures are.
And probably the most common area is patients. I mean,
I would say breast is probably 99% of mommy makeovers.
(21:55):
And then after that, it really depends on the patient.
Tummies are maybe second most common. And then behind that
is actually I still do a decent amount of BBLs
because most patients don't. you know, after you've either lost
30 pounds, whether that's GLP-1s or weight loss from pregnancy,
you know, your butt doesn't look the same. And so
for the lipo, your waist and your abdomen and like
(22:16):
your lateral chest and everything for, you know, to do
all of those parts, it's like, well, that's kind of
your shot to get a BBL because most people don't
have enough fat to then come back and do it.
Or obviously now we have Aliclay. which is the off-the-shelf fat,
which can help you that. That's probably the third. And
then I do a lot of labiaplasties. And then one
of the more common things I do is Renuvion, which
(22:36):
is the skin tightening with the helium plasma with liposuction.
And that I do in a lot of moms all
over their body. They're like, well, if I'm asleep, can
you just go ahead and whatever tightening you can get
without cutting it out of my thighs, my arms, my neck.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
All the things.
Speaker 7 (22:51):
And so I would say those are kind of almost common.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Now let's chat about something. You mentioned something very proprietary
early on, and I want to circle back. You said,
you know, now we have aloe clay. So let's say
I don't necessarily need a massive mommy makeover. Maybe I've
got a hip dip. Maybe there's breast asymmetry. Maybe I've
lost localized volume. Maybe there's an indentation or irregularity following liposuction.
(23:15):
I mean, I've seen these things happen. So one established
solution is taking fat from one area of a body
and transferring it somewhere else. But there's a catch, right?
You need enough fat to harvest. I went down this
rabbit hole. I was told I didn't have enough fat.
And your own practice specifically notes that patients without sufficient
(23:35):
donor fat are may have another option for smaller volume
correction in areas including the breasts or buttocks, which is alopecia.
And this is where I think everybody listening is going
to have their little freak out moment, what consumers might
call cadaver fat. Yes, yes, I said it, cadaver fat.
But the proper terminology... is donated human adipose tissue. And
(23:58):
I have to say this, and I'm going to bring
you in for the scientific explanation, but for those of
you listening, I have aloe clay in my breasts. I
went down the rabbit hole of knowing what I'm putting in.
It's made from donated human fat tissue, and it does
contain non-living fat cells. an extracellular matrix and lipids and
connective tissue. That's the overall of what's in my breasts
(24:21):
from a science perspective. But I mean, when I first
heard of this, Dr. Hart, I was like, someone else
is fat. I don't want that. But I mean, the
truth of the matter is that I was educated and
I think you'll say the same thing that we've been
using donated human tissue and medicine for generations.
Speaker 8 (24:39):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I mean, I found out it was bone, skin, tendons, ligaments, corneas,
heart valves. I mean, yes, 100 percent. So, Dr. Hart,
help us get past that psychological ick factor. Why does
donated fat sound so radical when medicine has relied upon
other forms of donated human tissue for decades? And could
(25:00):
adipose allografts become another normalized tool in body contouring? Talk
to me.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
So, I mean, really, adipose tissue is really that kind
of the last frontier for fat. I mean, forever, cardiologists,
you know, cardiothoracic surgeons have been using bovine heart valves.
We use ADM, which is made of like human skin
for years and years in breast tissue. I mean, for me,
I think the ick, I think comes from us having
to talk about it. You know, let's just go back
and talk about breast implants. When I put in breast
(25:25):
implants to somebody, they have a 10 page form they
have to sign from that manufacturer about that specific implant.
I don't know of any other implant that we get
that requires that. Corneal implant, hips, knees, shoulders. I mean,
literally nothing else are people getting 20 page consents from
the FDA to get in, but somehow breast implants are.
(25:46):
And I'm sure somebody could write a book one day
about the social implications of why breast implants are so
scrutinized and blah, blah, blah. But I think that Alakle
and the processed cadaver fat falls into that same category
because it's an elective thing because it's for aesthetics. It
gets a lot of flack for being very similar to
what it is. But as far as that exact product goes,
(26:07):
I mean, they are following the FDA guidelines, which is
minimally processed human tissue has to go. And as long
as it's minimally processed, it can be used as long
as it's decellularized. And that's the same thing. And I've
used that and I've used fat grafting forever. And I
will say, I still do encourage patients to use their
regular fat if they're already having surgery and they're already
(26:29):
getting lipo because it's like, why not? But the results
from Aliclay versus fat, I mean, the Aliclay is about 30%.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
More cc per cc.
Speaker 7 (26:39):
In terms of what you're actual getting out of it.
And that's because, you know, it's already been processed for
the things that we're going to go ahead and inject
on regular fat crafting. So I think the way people
get around the ick is, In medicine, there are probably
so many things that we are using that people don't
recognize as human derived. But there is no DNA. There's
(27:00):
no cells. There's no anything like that. It's purely the substance.
It's honestly not unlike Radiesse or Sculptra, which are just
purely a biogenerating scaffold that your body is going to
grow into. This is very, very similar. It just happens
to be fat.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You can learn more about Dr. Hart and her practice
at dralexandrahart.com. And you can learn more about the technology
we've discussed today at aloclay.com. This was Sculpting the Future
series brought to you by Aloclay. You're listening to a
moment of Zen right here on 710WOR. The voice of
(27:34):
New York iHeartRadio. We'll be right back after this.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
This is a moment of Zen in partnership with Alloclay.
Looking to add volume or contouring to your body? What
if there was a non-surgical solution to increase volume naturally?
No liposuction, no fillers, just real lasting transformation with little downtime.
Consider Alloclay, an innovation in body contouring. Follow on social
at Alloclay. Alloclay is intended to be applied subcutaneously in
localized areas of the body to provide cushioning and support
to the patient's body where adipose tissue naturally exists. Alloclay
(27:58):
does not contain viable cells and has no systemic effect
and is not dependent upon the metabolic activity of living
cells for its primary function. This Allograft is intended for
single patient use only. Human tissue shall not be offered
or dispensed for veterinary use.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Welcome back, beautiful New York tri-state area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
It's time for another installment of the Heart of Influence
series brought to you by Diamond Lake and its subsidiaries.
This weekend marks a milestone that is difficult to even
(28:28):
say out loud. 25 years since September 11th, 2001. Now,
for those of us who lived through it, September 11th
isn't something we learned about. We remember it. We remember
where we were. We remember the television screens. We remember
the smoke. We remember trying desperately to reach the people
we loved. And here in New York and New Jersey,
(28:50):
so many of us knew someone or knew someone who
knew someone who never came home. But here's the uncomfortable
reality 25 years later. Someone who's 24 years old today
wasn't even alive when it happened. We now have an
entire adult generation for whom 9-11 isn't a memory, it's history.
If a generation wasn't there to remember September 11th, then
(29:11):
somebody has to teach them why we remember. Joining me
right now, Brian J.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Esposito.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
He's founder and CEO of Esposito Intellectual Enterprises and CEO
of Diamond Lake. Brian is an entrepreneur, an investor, and
strategic connector whose work spans tech, media, finance, digital assets,
including the rapidly developing world of tokenization. And Brian brings
a very special guest to our conversation tonight. Robert Antonelli
has more than 35 years of professional experience studying law enforcement,
(29:38):
legal services, business, and community advocacy. He's proudly served 20
years with the New York City Police Department, retiring as
an NYPD narcotics detective. But tonight we're focusing on another
important part of Robert's life, his passionate advocacy for the
Tunnel to Towers Foundation and and his commitment to keeping
the memory of September 11th and the sacrifices of America's
(30:00):
first responders and military heroes alive. Robert, Brian, welcome to
the show, superstars.
Speaker 8 (30:06):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 6 (30:07):
Thanks, Sam.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
Thanks for making this happen, my friend.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
All right, Robert, I'm going to start with you. You
wore an NYPD shield for two decades. Thank you for
your service.
Speaker 8 (30:16):
You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
So I don't want to begin with September 11th as history.
I want to begin with memory. 25 years represents an
extraordinary generational turning point. As I said, millions of American
adults today weren't even alive on September 11th. Tunnel to
Towers recognizes this. Its 25th anniversary initiative isn't simply commemorating
the past. It's specifically focused on educating the generations of tomorrow,
(30:42):
including bringing hope, an authentic piece of world trade center
steel across America so younger people can physically connect with
this history. So Robert, when you hear the words, never
forget 25 years later, do you believe America has actually
kept that promise or are we beginning to lose the
emotional understanding of what happened that day?
Speaker 8 (31:03):
I think it's a combination of both. I think there
is a lot less awareness. Children of a certain age
don't know the real history of Of 9-11, I don't know.
What happened on 9-11 was real. It hit American soil.
And what I saw on that day were people who
went to work, civilians fleeing over that Brooklyn Bridge in
(31:29):
herds in fear for their life that more was coming. Bleeding,
covered with dust, fear in their eyes. And I will
never forget how that burns in my mind. almost every day.
It was not a computer game. This was real. Real
terrorism hit America. But one of the things I did realize,
(31:55):
I did realize is people forgot. People forgot. Time heals.
Time heals. It's just a natural thing. I watched this
Tunnels to Tower Foundation build, grow, And that foundation will never, ever,
ever allow America to forget the way they're building, taking
(32:17):
care of the 9-11 survivors, first responders, mortgage-free homes, Gold
Star family, eradicating housing with veterans. Now we're going with scholarships.
The things they're doing are incredible. And if somebody could
just link in to the Tunnels to Tower Foundation, see
(32:38):
what they're doing. They will not let America forget. And
standing on that ground, I will not let America forget
if I have anything to say about it.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
And remembrance has to become action. For someone listening right
now who wants to do more than post Never Forget,
where can their time, voice, and resources make the greatest impact?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Giving, giving.
Speaker 8 (33:01):
I mean, more than 90 cents on the dollar goes
right to the fund. There's not that much administrative cost
in there. The Silla family has done a tremendous job
in bringing most of the dollars that are contributed right
into the fund. Again, housing, medical care, Gold Star families,
(33:24):
smart homes, eradicating veteran homelessness. This Foundation is going to
be huge and it's not going away. And I think
it's the best way to help 9-11 victims and Gold
Star families and veterans. It's a nice combination. It's a
nice conflation of doing good for an American charity.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
I really do.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
What is influence actually for? Brian, this brings me to you.
I want to bring you in early because of something
you said when you introduced Robert to me. You didn't say,
here's another business leader we should feature. You said, Robert
is a dear friend, and we want to help bring
support and resources and awareness to his 9-11 initiatives. And
that gets directly to the title of the series. I mean,
(34:12):
we live in a world obsessed with measuring influence through
followers and impressions and access and capital and valuation, but
none of those metrics tell us what someone actually does
with their influence. So Brian, when you've built a platform,
a network and access to people, you can move money
and resources and attention. Does using that influence to serve
(34:34):
other people eventually become an obligation rather than simply a choice?
Speaker 5 (34:39):
Even obligation might be the wrong word. I think it's
a duty. But I mean, that's always been my reason
for being here is helping others. And I mean, this
is something that every American should have on the top
of their mind because our entire country and globe was
affected by that. I grew up in Ocean Township, Bromston,
a town nearby, had almost every financial advisor that was
(35:00):
in that building, especially Cantor Fitzgerald. And everybody's got these stories,
but everybody was affected even down to businesses that had
some sort of connection to the financial district of New
York City. So for Robert to stand so strong this
many years later, it should not be a rarity. And
(35:20):
whenever I talk about things like 9-11, or veterans, the
only person that comes to mind as someone with major
influence is Jon Stewart. He's someone that is out there,
whether you like his political views or not, that's over here.
But he's in Congress. He's calling people out. He's fighting
for these families. He is making sure that they still,
that the world understands, hey, it's not just the loss
(35:41):
of light that day. It's the sicknesses and illnesses that
people have because of everything that they were exposed to
from that day. And obviously the psychological torment that families
had to go through and still go through daily. And,
you know, on the anniversary, it hits home for a
lot of people even harder. So it's a duty.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
It's a responsibility.
Speaker 5 (36:01):
And anybody listening, and I'm a little obnoxious when I
call people out, you know, maybe don't buy your 12th Rolex.
Maybe go and reach out to Robert and help this
foundation and help these organizations continue to help these families.
Maybe don't take a private jet on this trip with
your family. Maybe just do a first class ticket and
save the $ 50, 000 and put it towards things like this
(36:22):
that's actually helping people. And that emotional response of helping
somebody should be what you are addicted to. Not showing
off obnoxious behavior. A lot of people have plenty. Take
a moment and help people that need it. And thankfully,
Robert's out there. putting his responsibility to work and now
his influence out in there into the world to make
(36:45):
people just do better.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
And that's when influence becomes legacy right there. Because eventually
nobody remembers every deal you closed, but people remember who
you helped once you had the power to help them.
And that's really the heart of the series.
Speaker 8 (36:59):
To put some context on what Brian just said, after
the towers fell, many businesses just died.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
They had no money.
Speaker 8 (37:08):
The world was different 25 years ago. There weren't online stores.
People depended on foot traffic. There were restaurants. My wife
was in public relations and she had a background and
she volunteered for the Red Cross. And these people, they
needed help. So what we're doing today is trying to
call on, like Brian said, some businesses, some HR directors,
(37:29):
some CFOs. If you have a little extra cash in
the kitty and you're successful, yeah. Think about those who
are in need. Be an American. The greatest gift we have,
as I spoke with Brian before, is generosity. Be generous.
Help an American out. And go to that little website
that I developed and give.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Now, what did we lose after September 12th? So, Brian,
we talk constantly about September 11th. But something I think
we forget about is September 12th. Neighbors checked on neighbors.
People lined up to give blood. American flags appeared everywhere.
I'm holding back tears. I mean, firefighters, police officers, NEMTs
(38:10):
weren't influencers because they had followers. They were heroes because
they ran towards something everybody else was desperately trying to escape.
So for a brief period, political affiliation seemed secondary to
the fact that we were Americans. And 25 years later,
we're living through extraordinary political polarization, algorithmic eco chambers in
(38:31):
a culture that can turn almost anything into us versus them.
So Brian, from your perspective as a business leader who
connects people across industries and communities, what did America understand
about unity after September 11th that we've lost? And can
we possibly get some of that September 12th spirit back
without requiring another tragedy to unite us?
Speaker 5 (38:51):
First and foremost, I appreciate this conversations and that was
a beautiful moment watching you get emotional. And I think
that's answering my question. Those are the emotions that need
to be released for people to have that connection again.
And Robert, you're so well-spoken during this discussion and much
respect and admiration for you because I know this is
(39:11):
very hard to relive this, right? Especially in a public
forum like this. That's a hard question for me to
answer positively.
Speaker 6 (39:19):
I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
I mean, even people from where I grew up in
the Northeast, if you ever gave like police support, they
were getting shunned. It was a Robert is wild. Wasn't
it the last few years, as far as it was
trying to, trying to proudly respect and admire people, keeping
us safe. And then there's things like Antifa coming. It's
very hard to battle that. And I, and I'm sorry,
(39:42):
I'm positive Patty to the fullest I possibly can be,
but negativity is so powerful that, And when media support
gets behind that negativity just for popularity and streams and
advertising dollars, that's a difficult machine to move. And when
things happened during COVID and billions of people went away
because of hundreds of people's ideas and decisions, that's wild
(40:06):
to me. As an outsider watching it, very impressive that
a few dozen or a hundred people can move billions
of people. Scary thought. So I don't know if there
can ever be an American revolution again. I've been craving
for people to stand up and fight and protect this
country because I think it's up to us to protect
this country and where it goes and not political agendas
(40:26):
or different administration agendas. So you got to focus on
things like Tunnels to Towers, like what Robert's working on,
that's actually helping people and capturing that content and show
those emotions and the great work that it's being done
and you just hope that it's contagious and that other
people want to just do that and help, help people.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Well, Robert, thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you
for your 20 years of service with the NYPD and,
and more importantly for continuing that spirit of service through
the initiatives you're supporting today. And Brian, thank you for
bringing Robert and his mission to the heart of influence.
Of course.
Speaker 5 (41:05):
I want to do more of these discussions with Robert
and keep supporting him. He's an incredible human being. The
world needs him.
Speaker 6 (41:10):
Thank you.
Speaker 8 (41:11):
Have a peaceful day.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
For our listeners who want to turn remembrance into action,
learn more about the 25th Anniversary Initiatives or support first responders,
Gold Star families, and veterans, you can visit Tunnel to
Towers Foundation. You can go directly to their website and donate.
DoGood.T2T.org forward slash 25 years ago, we were changed forever 26.
(41:35):
And you can also follow Robert Antonelli on LinkedIn and
on X at BobbyAnton4. And I want to leave our
audience with something even bigger tonight. 25 years later, have
we truly kept our promise to never forget? I want
you guys to think about that. And what happens when
the generation responsible for remembering is becomes the generation responsible
(41:59):
for teaching. You're listening to A Moment of Zen right
here on 710WOR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio. That
was the Heart of Influence series brought to you by
Diamond Lake and its subsidiaries. We'll be right back after this.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
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Speaker 2 (42:18):
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(42:41):
Tune in to a moment of Zen, Saturday nights from
9 to 10 p.m. on 710WOR, The Voice of New York.
Welcome back, beautiful New York Tri-State area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR.
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
I'm going to pass the mic to our Going Deep host,
(43:01):
Lana Kerr, for an exclusive conversation with internationally recognized designer
Adolfo Sanchez. Lana, take it away.
Speaker 4 (43:08):
Adolfo, welcome to our platform. And we're just so happy
to have you here.
Speaker 6 (43:13):
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
Oh my goodness. Well, before we get into it, for
those of our guests that don't know who you are,
can you tell us a little bit about who you are?
Speaker 9 (43:24):
I am a fashion designer based in Los Angeles. Been
in the business for officially, I would say 2010, but
I've been playing with fashion since I was a kid,
you know, teenager. And yeah, I've been through all different
sides and realms of the industry. And at the end
of the day, I just consider myself a dressmaker really
(43:46):
at heart.
Speaker 5 (43:46):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (43:47):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (43:48):
What got you into fashion?
Speaker 6 (43:50):
Oh, this story.
Speaker 9 (43:51):
You know, I was always a creative kid that much,
I will say. At first, it was kind of replaying
with furniture when I was a really young teenager, revamping
old furniture and painting.
Speaker 6 (44:02):
And I knew I wanted to do something creative.
Speaker 9 (44:04):
I started going out into like the underground warehouse, nightlife
culture when I was really young.
Speaker 4 (44:09):
Really young meaning what age?
Speaker 9 (44:12):
Probably like not trying to inspire any other young kids,
probably like 14, 15.
Speaker 4 (44:16):
Really?
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:17):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (44:17):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (44:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (44:18):
And I met a.
Speaker 9 (44:19):
Group of really creative kids that were really into fashion
and I just wanted to hang out with them. And
they're very extreme with their sense of style and clothes.
And I was like, I want to hang out with
you guys. And they're like, if you want to hang
out with us, you better go look up who these
people are. And so, you know, they've kind of, I
always say they schooled me, which is a term also
that a lot of people don't use these days. They
schooled me in learning who Vivian Westwood is and Gautier
(44:41):
and Mugler and all those kind of more extravagant designers
and I think really watching John Galliano's For Christian Dior's
couture shows on YouTube when I was a teenager, I
was like, what is this? And I just kind of
fell in love with it and started pursuing it at
a young age.
Speaker 6 (45:00):
I didn't really know how to get into it.
Speaker 9 (45:02):
And so I just got a job in retail and
worked for Macy's when I was 15 and a half
and had just signed a work permit. And they sold
Versace at that location because it's located at South Coast Plaza,
which is an affluent mall in Orange County. And I
did well selling the Versace product there. And then that
led me into high-end retail and just led me into
(45:24):
pursuing my own brand.
Speaker 6 (45:26):
So I got into it.
Speaker 4 (45:27):
But what got you into making clothes? Because you defined
yourself as a dressmaker. So that's a different skill. I mean,
somebody can design, but I think when you can make
it yourself, what got you into that?
Speaker 6 (45:40):
And how did you get into that?
Speaker 9 (45:41):
So then when I was going out with them in
the nightlife culture, we started mimicking what was being done
on the runways. So if we'd see a runway show
and we'd be like, okay, we're all going to do,
you know, Alexander McQueen's newest collection.
Speaker 6 (45:53):
And so we'd all make stuff for ourselves.
Speaker 9 (45:54):
So I really started with costumes to be quite honest,
making costumes for myself for nightlife. And then that led
me into costumes and, I moved to Vegas for a
retail opportunity when I was still working with a corporate
ladder and working for high-end retail.
Speaker 6 (46:10):
And I was sewing on the side.
Speaker 9 (46:11):
I bought a sewing machine on the side and was sewing.
Speaker 6 (46:13):
And I didn't know what I was doing.
Speaker 9 (46:14):
I bought my first sewing machine at Walmart when I
was a kid and was buying the clearance fabric in
their clearance section and just trying to figure it all out.
I never went to fashion school. I'm self-taught. And I
did it probably the harder way. And it really started
with myself. And then making costumes for myself led me
into making costumes for opportunities like Sushi Samba's girls in
(46:38):
Las Vegas.
Speaker 6 (46:38):
I made corsets for them. It was one of the
first gigs I ever got. And then I did... You're self-taught. Self-taught.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
What did your parents think about you? That I'm crazy.
Speaker 9 (46:49):
Probably what they still think now. They didn't understand it.
I come from a very conservative background. first-generation Mexican-American family,
and very Catholic when I was younger, now very Christian.
I don't think they understood what was going on with
their son.
Speaker 4 (47:09):
When did you actually start your own brand?
Speaker 9 (47:13):
If you remember the crash of 2009 and 2010, and
I said to myself, I'm either going to move to
New York to pursue fashion, or I'm going to move
to L.A. I decided on L.A. because I'm from Orange County.
That's when I started trying to pursue my own brand.
I still didn't know what I was doing, I'll be.
Speaker 6 (47:30):
Quite honest with you.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
Okay, so you start to pursue your own brand. How
did you start your brand?
Speaker 9 (47:35):
I was silly, so I thought, well, I just did
1.2 at Gucci, so I'm sure I'm going to do
at least 200,000 with my own name, right? And it
just doesn't work out that way, right? And I was silly.
I was young, and I'm so ambitious and so driven
and just excited to pursue L.A.
Speaker 6 (47:52):
Uh, my own brand. So I moved to LA.
Speaker 4 (47:54):
Stick a pin. You said you were doing 1.2 million
at Gucci. What were you actually doing at Gucci?
Speaker 6 (47:59):
Selling retail retail. So that was like a sales goal
for the year.
Speaker 1 (48:03):
Right.
Speaker 6 (48:03):
Like, yeah.
Speaker 9 (48:04):
So then when I moved in 2010, I was like,
let me get into the business. And I really didn't
know how to really get into it. I was selling
dresses on independent websites and making one of a kinds
and things like that. Then I was approached by, um,
a full-figured, which then we called plus size, evening wear
(48:25):
line for private labeling.
Speaker 6 (48:28):
And I was like, what's private labeling? I had no idea.
Speaker 9 (48:30):
And they were like, well, you'll design it. We'll make it.
We put our name on it. I'm like, okay. Actually
turned out to be a really great position because I
learned how to I learned how to do pattern development.
I learned how to do scaling of sizing. I learned
quite a bit about the more mass market side of
the business.
Speaker 4 (48:51):
How old were you then?
Speaker 6 (48:52):
I moved back when I was 25.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
25, okay.
Speaker 4 (48:54):
You're still so young, though.
Speaker 9 (48:57):
I've always been a really driven person. I was just
always trying to figure it out.
Speaker 4 (49:01):
Does anything knock you down?
Speaker 9 (49:03):
Sure.
Speaker 6 (49:04):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (49:05):
Yeah. Life will knock me down. It'll knock me down
for a week, two weeks, a month, a day, whatever,
and then You just have to repivot and refocus and
go back at it again.
Speaker 4 (49:15):
So what is the toughest thing that you've faced in
your career? your life?
Speaker 9 (49:21):
Watching my mother go through cancer when I was 13
till I was like 17, you know, and, and, and
almost became my normal waiting for her outside of the
radiation center to come out when I would get out
of school or helping her eat when I was a
kid or seeing your mother bald when you're 14 and
not understanding why it is. And now there's unfortunately so
(49:41):
many more people and bigger centers and it's become some,
but you know, this was 96, 97. And so I
think because I was a kid and I didn't know
how to really handle that now as an adult, I
can try to handle things differently, but that's probably, I
think one of the things that really shaped my life
and really defined what, what I can handle and how
to go about it.
Speaker 4 (50:00):
Definitely at that young age to have that, I can
see how that has. Wow, Adolfo, this has been such
a pleasure. You've really shared a lot of great insights
into how you think. And I think a lot of
people will get a lot of courage from just hearing
your experience. So I really appreciate you coming on. Just
one final question that we ask every guest, you know,
taking away everything that, you know, all the things, ups
(50:20):
and downs, the waves that you talked about, what does
going deep mean to you?
Speaker 9 (50:25):
I think going deep for me means going deep inside
of yourself. and figuring out who you really are and
do what it is that you really love because life
is so short.
Speaker 6 (50:35):
Right.
Speaker 9 (50:35):
And I think when we go deep, whatever it is
with yourself or life or your goal or your love
or whatever, go deep, do it, do it right. And
enjoy it because we don't know how much time we
have left on this planet. So thank you.
Speaker 1 (50:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (50:48):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (50:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (50:50):
I really appreciate you taking the time to come.
Speaker 6 (50:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (50:52):
This has been, this has been great.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (50:55):
My pleasure. Thank you.
Speaker 10 (50:56):
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Speaker 2 (51:23):
For more information or to order CO2 Lift, ask your
skincare professional or go to CO2Lift. com. Well, that's a wrap,
my dear friends. We are at the end of our date.
Thank you so much for tuning in right here on
A Moment of Zen. It's been a pleasure being your host.
Do remember to go directly to our website, amomentofzen.com for
live listening links and episode downloads in your city. And
(51:45):
also remember that we're live on Traverse TV Sundays at
1 p.m. Eastern, YouTube Sundays at 2 p.m. Eastern and
all episodes of A Moment of Zen are available on
your home TV streaming platform. You could head directly to
our channel. It's family-friendly, free programming to you. You could
go to mox.yourhometv.com. Thank you for listening to us. It's
(52:06):
been an absolute pleasure being your host. Thanks again to
all of our partners, advertisers, and sponsors that continue to
make the show possible. And remember that happiness is the
only thing that multiplies when you share it. We'll be
back next week.
The following is a paid program. WOR's airing of this
program constitutes neither an endorsement of the products offered or
the ideas expressed. Welcome to A Moment of Zen. Time
to sit back and relax as model, actress, mentor, and
supermom Zen Sams takes you on a sexy and wild
ride covering the latest in film, fashion, pop culture, cryptocurrency, fintech, cannabis,
(00:24):
and entertainment from the millennial mom's perspective. Here's your host,
Zen Sams.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Welcome back, beautiful tri-state area and beyond. You're listening to
A Moment of Zen right here on 710WOR. The voice
of New York, iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams. We
have an incredible show lined up for you today, so
let's get right to it. First up, in the Westbridge
Academy Speaker Series, we're joined by Ashley Carter. She's a creator,
(00:50):
autism advocate, and a community connector. The headliner today is
When the Classroom Doesn't Fit the Child and Why a
Different School Can Create a Different Future. Our topic, we're
going beyond the IEP. We're going to reframe specialized education
and From a last resort to the right fit. Then
in sculpting the future series brought to you by Aloe Clay,
(01:11):
we're joined by Dr. Alexandra Hart. She's a board certified
plastic surgeon and founder of Dr. Alexandra Hart Plastic Surgery.
Our headliner, well, the new natural. Why plastic surgery is
moving away from done. And our topic, from mommy makeovers
to donor fat, how the new era of aesthetics is
(01:32):
rebuilding the body quite differently. Next, we move into the
heart of influence brought to you by Diamond Lake and
its subsidiaries with co-contributor Brian J. Sposito and our guest
Robert Antonelli. Robert is a retired NYPD narcotics detective who
proudly served 20 years with the New York City Police
Department in honor of September 11th' s 25th anniversary. Never forget,
(01:57):
but are we starting to? Our topic is 25 years
after 9-11, what do we owe the heroes and the
generation that doesn't remember? And finally, in the Going Deep
podcast series with host Lana Kerr, we step into the
world of fashion with internationally recognized designer Adolfo Sanchez. It's
all coming up right here on A Moment of Zen.
(02:18):
Stay tuned on 710WOR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio.
We'll be right back after this.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
A Moment of Zen is brought to you by Your
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(02:47):
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Speaker 2 (02:53):
Welcome back, beautiful New York tri-state area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
Welcome back to the Westbridge Academy Speaker Series. Today, I
want to talk about a moment that can be absolutely
terrifying for a parent. Your child is struggling in school.
(03:14):
You've had the meetings. You've worked through the IEP. You've
tried the accommodations. Maybe you've even reached the point of
home instruction. And eventually the conversation changes from how do
we make this classroom work to do we need a
completely different classroom? Now for generations, specialized education has carried
an unfair stigma that somehow leaving the traditional public school
(03:36):
environment means a child has failed. But what if we've
had that backwards? Now, our headliner today is when the
classroom doesn't fit the child and why a different school
can create a different future. Joining us right now is
Ashley Carter. She's a creator, community connector and arts advocate
who shares her personal growth and journey as a first
(03:57):
time mom through her experience raising her incredible son, Ashton.
Ashley has become a voice for autism awareness and for
the role that arts can play in helping children express themselves, connect,
and thrive. And this story is incredibly personal. Ashton's journey
included a later autism diagnosis, challenges in school, home instruction,
(04:18):
and ultimately finding a different educational placement. Today, Ashton is
a student at Westbridge Academy and he's thriving. And outside
the classroom, he's already pursuing another extraordinary part of himself.
He's a young actor who has participated in film productions,
is developing his creative voice, and is beginning to gain
attention through his social media. Now, Ashley herself has also
(04:38):
had to rebuild. Her journey has included job loss, motherhood,
and ultimately discovering a new purpose through advocacy, creativity, and community.
So this isn't simply a story about autism. It's a
story about what can happen when we stop asking a
child to fit into an environment that isn't working and
start finding an environment that fits the child. Ashley, welcome
(04:59):
to the show, superstar.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
I'm so excited to chat with you. And you have
an incredible little man on your hands. I've personally met
him and taught him in a classroom and he is amazing.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
He is just a ball of energy. He is so
fun to be around and he teaches me something new
every single day. He keeps me on my toes.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Let's talk about when a mom knows, okay, and that
late diagnosis. So Ashley, before we there's ever an official diagnosis,
there's usually a parent living the reality, watching, questioning, wondering
why their child's experience seems different. So what were you
noticing with Ashton before his autism diagnosis? What ultimately led
(05:44):
you to that diagnosis? And do you wish it had
been recognized sooner?
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (05:48):
So I just remember, you know, as a first time mom,
joking around a lot saying, oh, it's the terrible twos,
it's the terrible threes, you know, it eventually he'll grow
out of it. And one of my close friends, she
has twins about the same age as Ashton. And I
remember her saying, you know, Ashton really doesn't listen to you.
(06:10):
And my first thought was maybe there's like a hearing
issue there. So initially I went and had a hearing
diagnosis done and come to find out he did have
some hearing loss in his right ear. He had to
get ear tubes placed in. And I thought that that
would kind of, you know, fix what was going on.
Speaker 6 (06:30):
With the behaviors.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
But they actually still continued.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And it wasn't until about pre-K that I noticed just
a lot of the behaviors going on, especially with hitting, biting,
a lot of sensory challenges around food, textures.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Speech, noise.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And yeah, I think if we would have had a
diagnosis earlier than when we got it, I do believe
it would have helped some of the challenges that we
experienced later on down the road, closer to the six,
seven-year-old mark. But Yeah, I do wish if we got
it earlier, it would have definitely saved us a lot
(07:14):
of heartache.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
And that's what statistics can never capture, right? The period
before the diagnosis. When a parent like you knows something
is happening, but doesn't necessarily have the language or resources
yet to explain it. And I'm sorry you had to
go through that. And of course, all of the behaviors
now make sense to you because there's a level of
frustration for a child that can't properly communicate. and whether
(07:37):
it's biting, hitting, stimming, any of that, it all comes
from a place of hemispheric imbalance, right? Now let's talk
about the school struggles. So when school stops working, and
this is where diagnosis meets reality, an IEP is supposed
to be individualized, but having an IEP doesn't automatically mean
that every classroom becomes the right classroom. Federal special education
(08:01):
law actually recognizes this. The goal is to educate children
alongside non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. But it
also recognizes that there are circumstances where education in a
regular classroom, even with additional aides, and services simply cannot
be achieved satisfactorily, right? So placement decisions are supposed to
(08:22):
be based on the individual child's IEP and needs. Now
for Ashton, that journey eventually included home instruction. What was
happening in Ashton's previous environment? How did home instruction enter
the picture And what did that experience teach you about
what he actually needed? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
So between pre-K four and first grade, Ashton was already
transferred to three different schools. Between summer programs and daycare settings,
it just, there was never a fit for him. We
always had to pick him up. You know, he was
getting kicked out of programs. It was just very frustrating.
(09:02):
And I remember in kindergarten, he had a 504 plan. And,
you know, it was really early for him to have that.
And I thought, you know, that would help. Kindergarten, he
ended up getting a one-to-one aid. And we thought that
that would help. Eventually, that transferred over to a different
placement setting in the public schools where he did have
a smaller classroom setting. It was about six to two ratio,
(09:28):
I believe. And even with that, he was just really struggling. And,
you know, I kept saying something needs to get done.
I think he needs like a smaller classroom or maybe
just this school is not the right fit. You know,
perhaps we could do an added district placement. And, you know,
it just wasn't happening at that time. I had to
(09:48):
keep doing some research. And then it got to the
point where his behaviors were just becoming so difficult for
the school where he started getting physically restrained and he
was coming home with bruises on his arms as if
somebody was grabbing his arm or you know trying to
(10:11):
just trying to put him in these holes that they
they think will help the child to you know calm
down and it actually it causes more stress to them, right?
Because now they feel threatened, they feel harmed. And Ashton
was only six years old when this was happening. He
just completely changed. He refused going to school. He didn't
(10:32):
want to wake up to go to school anymore. He
just had this sadness to him. And as a mom
that crushed me, as a first-time mom that just completely
crushed my soul, right? I felt like I did something
wrong because I transferred him to these schools and That's
when I said, you know, this is not working. I
really have to research more about special education. I need
(10:55):
to know my rights as a parent to a child
because this is not acceptable. I started doing the home
instruction process where a teacher came to the house. The
district had finally approved that after months. That started, I believe,
maybe around September of And then in November, he was
(11:18):
actually placed into added district placement.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
We have finally got that.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
But let me tell you, between 2024 to now, it
was a journey to get that approved last year.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Wow. I'm so sorry you had to go through that
because Ashton is such a bright little boy. And it's
such an important distinction because sometimes adding more support to
the same environment is not the answer. Sometimes the environment
itself has to change. Now, I want to talk about Westbridge,
the last resort or the right fit, right? So now
(11:50):
we get to the part of this conversation that I
really want to challenge. Because when a family hears that
their child may need a specialized educational placement, there can
be this immediate emotional reaction, like my child can't Couldn't
make it in regular school. We're being sent somewhere else. Right.
Kind of thought. And I think that language matters. I mean,
(12:10):
if you look at this statistically, Westbridge isn't simply a
place where students are sent.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
It's a New.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Jersey state approved private special education school serving K through
12 students with emotional, behavioral and learning challenges. Westbridge says
most of its students are referred by their local district's
child study team after evaluation. And its model combines that
individualized academic, the therapeutic support that we're talking about, counseling,
(12:39):
and the small classroom setting. In fact, if you look
at the statistics, Westbridge reports a 6 to 1 percentage.
student to teacher ratio so maybe specialized placement shouldn't automatically
be viewed as moving a child down maybe the right
child maybe for the right child it's moving them closer
to what they actually need so when westbridge academy became
(13:02):
ashton's next step how did you initially feel about specialized
placement and now that he's thriving how differently do you
see that decision.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
So I honestly didn't know what to expect from the
specialized school. I just knew that there was no going back.
I didn't want him in a standard public school setting.
I had to go back to work eventually. So I
knew the home instruction or homeschooling wasn't really going to fit.
The home instruction was more of like a wedge kind
(13:31):
of to get us, you know, to the added district
placement and the specialized school setting. But I do remember
scarier conversations. prior to the out of district placement where
his previous school had mentioned partial hospitalization settings. And, you know,
for me, I just did not feel like that was
(13:51):
the right fit for Ashton. I did really strongly believe
that it was just the school that he was in. And,
you know, when I found Westbridge, I was offered other
schools to tour. I was the one that found Westbridge
and presented it to the IEP team. And they wanted
us to go to another place in Hackensack, New Jersey.
(14:14):
And I said, you know, I want to check out
this school. This is the school I want to see.
It's the first one I want to see. And I
really don't want to see any other ones. I was
so set on it from just doing so much research.
And the moment that I walked in to those doors
for the tour... I just remember asking so many questions, right?
(14:36):
If they use a standard New Jersey curriculum, you know,
is there therapy, OT, speech, all of these things. And
the way that it just felt like home, I felt
walking into that building at peace. And I just really
knew that that was going to be the right fit
for Ashton. And looking back now and just seeing where
(14:58):
he is, I know that that was the right decision
that I made. And I made a few wrong turns
in the past, but this was definitely the right fit
for him and the right decision.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
This has been the Westbridge Academy Speaker Series right here
on A Moment of Zen. To learn more about Westbridge
Academy and its individualized academic and therapeutic programs, you can
visit westbridgeacademy.org. They're located in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and you
can follow Westbridge Academy on social media at Westbridge Academy.
And of course, to get to know Ashley and Ashton,
(15:31):
you can check Ashley out on the gram at momonamissionnj
and lightscamera.ashton. That's momonamissionnj and lightscamera.ashton. And they're on Instagram.
And of course, you're listening to a moment of Zen
right here on 710WOR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio.
(15:53):
That was the Westbridge Academy Speaker Series. We'll be right
back after this.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
A Moment of Zen is brought to you by Westbridge
Academy in Essex County, where students are seen, heard, and understood.
Neurodiverse K-12 students, many facing ADHD, anxiety, depression, or aggression,
discover strength through connection. With compassionate educators, therapeutic support, and
the latest technology, students can master academics and go further,
(16:19):
exploring music production, financial and automotive literacy, social media awareness,
and wellness. Visit westbridgeacademy.org to learn more.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Welcome back, beautiful New York tri-state area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
Welcome back to Sculpting the Future series brought to you
by Alloclave. Today, we're talking about a major shift happening
in plastic surgery. There was a time when cosmetic work
(16:48):
almost came with its own recognizable aesthetic. Bigger breasts, exaggerated curves,
dramatically altered faces. But today, women increasingly seem to want
something very different. Proportion, preservation, personalization and results that don't
necessarily announce that you've had anything done at all. Joining
me right now is Dr. Alexandra Hart. She's an American
(17:10):
board certified plastic surgeon, Emory trained physician and founder of Dr.
Alexandra Hart Plastic Surgery. She's also a mama of two,
bringing another perspective to a conversation about what women's bodies
experience after motherhood. Dr. Hart, welcome to the show, superstar.
Speaker 7 (17:26):
Thank you for having me. I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Okay, let's dive right in. The new natural. So, Dr. Hart,
plastic surgery has certainly gone through eras. We've seen the
oversized breast implants, thanks to the Kardashians, the exaggerated BBL,
but thanks to the Kardashians, and the overfilled face, thanks
to the Kardashians. But now we're hearing a completely different vocabulary, right? Preservation, proportion, refinement, undetectable.
(17:52):
And that's fascinating to me because natural looking plastic surgery
doesn't necessarily mean women want less done. OK, so there's
a distinction there. So from your perspective, are women actually
asking you for less today or are they asking surgeons
to accomplish more while somehow making it look like they
did less?
Speaker 7 (18:12):
That's a great question. I think it depends a little bit.
I think in general, we're seeing a little bit more change.
patients being open to just having restored what they had before.
So not necessarily a, I want a really large breast
because I've never had them, but I really just want
to look like I looked like when I was 18.
(18:32):
And so pretty much anybody that's had a baby or
in the world of GLP-1s lost 30 pounds. I mean,
it's impossible to say that your body's going to look
the same. So even though it basically a lot of
times takes patients that maybe wouldn't have had surgery and
now they're kind of like, oh, maybe I would do
something to just augment a little bit. So I look
kind of naked how I do in clothes. So we're
doing a lot more softer breast augmentations, a little bit
(18:56):
less projection in terms of how far out the implants
stick out. We're doing maybe a little bit less very
large lip fillers, a little just more soft, natural looking curves.
And people are accepting that not everybody has to look
the exact same as well. So, you know, everybody kind
of has a different aesthetic and patients will come in
and tell you what their aesthetic is.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Well, that's the artistry of it, right? Because sometimes creating
a result that nobody can identify as plastic surgery is
actually more sophisticated than creating an obvious transformation. Which brings
me to the next question, right? So motherhood... may be
the ultimate example of restoration versus transformation. We use this
very cute phrase, mommy makeover, but what we're really talking
(19:40):
about can be multiple anatomical changes happening simultaneously, right? And
breastfeeding can change breast volume and position. Pregnant can leave
excess abdominal skin and that stretched or even separated abdominal muscles, right?
I mean, when you go into fat distribution, that totally changes.
The waist changes. And some of those things simply aren't
(20:03):
going away because somebody does another thousand crunches, right? Your
own practice describes the mommy makeovers as highly individualized. Tummy
tuck and breast surgery are common, but patients, they also
want to incorporate liposuction on the arms or the thighs.
And there's labiaplasty. I do a lot of labiaplasties, a
lot of BBLs.
Speaker 5 (20:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I mean, labiaplasty is something I've always been interested in.
And my husband will be like, what's wrong? You know,
she looks beautiful. And I'm like, yeah, but I'm still interested.
And yeah, exactly. And even, you know, it's, it's, it's
a wide range. So when a mom walks into your
office and says, I don't want somebody else's body, I
want my body back. What are the areas she's most
(20:46):
commonly asking you to restore? And what does the modern
mommy makeover actually consist of these days?
Speaker 7 (20:51):
Well, I, in my office, I really, I spent a
long time in my consultations because I I really want
to get a sense of what is it that the
patient wants. I feel like the majority of times when
we have patients that maybe don't get what they want,
it's because we didn't really understand what it was they want.
And so I also like to talk to them about
how they feel. What is it that they don't like
when they look in the mirror? How does that affect
their day to day? What is it that, you know,
(21:13):
my mom always tells me, you know, people will never
forget how you made them feel. And so I kind
of want to understand, you know, when they look in
the mirror, they go to get dressed. What is it
that they don't like? Are they moving their labia out
of the way? Do they have to pick up their breasts,
even if they're small, to put them in their clothes?
Like things like that. And then I talk about, you know,
the limitations. And just because I sometimes think the best
(21:34):
plan is a breast lift and augmentation, that may not
be what the patient really wants. So pictures are worth
a thousand words. So I always talk about, I always
look at goal photos. I like them to be, they
can be them when they're 18. But I like to
at least have an idea of what the pictures are.
And probably the most common area is patients. I mean,
I would say breast is probably 99% of mommy makeovers.
(21:55):
And then after that, it really depends on the patient.
Tummies are maybe second most common. And then behind that
is actually I still do a decent amount of BBLs
because most patients don't. you know, after you've either lost
30 pounds, whether that's GLP-1s or weight loss from pregnancy,
you know, your butt doesn't look the same. And so
for the lipo, your waist and your abdomen and like
(22:16):
your lateral chest and everything for, you know, to do
all of those parts, it's like, well, that's kind of
your shot to get a BBL because most people don't
have enough fat to then come back and do it.
Or obviously now we have Aliclay. which is the off-the-shelf fat,
which can help you that. That's probably the third. And
then I do a lot of labiaplasties. And then one
of the more common things I do is Renuvion, which
(22:36):
is the skin tightening with the helium plasma with liposuction.
And that I do in a lot of moms all
over their body. They're like, well, if I'm asleep, can
you just go ahead and whatever tightening you can get
without cutting it out of my thighs, my arms, my neck.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
All the things.
Speaker 7 (22:51):
And so I would say those are kind of almost common.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Now let's chat about something. You mentioned something very proprietary
early on, and I want to circle back. You said,
you know, now we have aloe clay. So let's say
I don't necessarily need a massive mommy makeover. Maybe I've
got a hip dip. Maybe there's breast asymmetry. Maybe I've
lost localized volume. Maybe there's an indentation or irregularity following liposuction.
(23:15):
I mean, I've seen these things happen. So one established
solution is taking fat from one area of a body
and transferring it somewhere else. But there's a catch, right?
You need enough fat to harvest. I went down this
rabbit hole. I was told I didn't have enough fat.
And your own practice specifically notes that patients without sufficient
(23:35):
donor fat are may have another option for smaller volume
correction in areas including the breasts or buttocks, which is alopecia.
And this is where I think everybody listening is going
to have their little freak out moment, what consumers might
call cadaver fat. Yes, yes, I said it, cadaver fat.
But the proper terminology... is donated human adipose tissue. And
(23:58):
I have to say this, and I'm going to bring
you in for the scientific explanation, but for those of
you listening, I have aloe clay in my breasts. I
went down the rabbit hole of knowing what I'm putting in.
It's made from donated human fat tissue, and it does
contain non-living fat cells. an extracellular matrix and lipids and
connective tissue. That's the overall of what's in my breasts
(24:21):
from a science perspective. But I mean, when I first
heard of this, Dr. Hart, I was like, someone else
is fat. I don't want that. But I mean, the
truth of the matter is that I was educated and
I think you'll say the same thing that we've been
using donated human tissue and medicine for generations.
Speaker 8 (24:39):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I mean, I found out it was bone, skin, tendons, ligaments, corneas,
heart valves. I mean, yes, 100 percent. So, Dr. Hart,
help us get past that psychological ick factor. Why does
donated fat sound so radical when medicine has relied upon
other forms of donated human tissue for decades? And could
(25:00):
adipose allografts become another normalized tool in body contouring? Talk
to me.
Speaker 7 (25:04):
So, I mean, really, adipose tissue is really that kind
of the last frontier for fat. I mean, forever, cardiologists,
you know, cardiothoracic surgeons have been using bovine heart valves.
We use ADM, which is made of like human skin
for years and years in breast tissue. I mean, for me,
I think the ick, I think comes from us having
to talk about it. You know, let's just go back
and talk about breast implants. When I put in breast
(25:25):
implants to somebody, they have a 10 page form they
have to sign from that manufacturer about that specific implant.
I don't know of any other implant that we get
that requires that. Corneal implant, hips, knees, shoulders. I mean,
literally nothing else are people getting 20 page consents from
the FDA to get in, but somehow breast implants are.
(25:46):
And I'm sure somebody could write a book one day
about the social implications of why breast implants are so
scrutinized and blah, blah, blah. But I think that Alakle
and the processed cadaver fat falls into that same category
because it's an elective thing because it's for aesthetics. It
gets a lot of flack for being very similar to
what it is. But as far as that exact product goes,
(26:07):
I mean, they are following the FDA guidelines, which is
minimally processed human tissue has to go. And as long
as it's minimally processed, it can be used as long
as it's decellularized. And that's the same thing. And I've
used that and I've used fat grafting forever. And I
will say, I still do encourage patients to use their
regular fat if they're already having surgery and they're already
(26:29):
getting lipo because it's like, why not? But the results
from Aliclay versus fat, I mean, the Aliclay is about 30%.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
More cc per cc.
Speaker 7 (26:39):
In terms of what you're actual getting out of it.
And that's because, you know, it's already been processed for
the things that we're going to go ahead and inject
on regular fat crafting. So I think the way people
get around the ick is, In medicine, there are probably
so many things that we are using that people don't
recognize as human derived. But there is no DNA. There's
(27:00):
no cells. There's no anything like that. It's purely the substance.
It's honestly not unlike Radiesse or Sculptra, which are just
purely a biogenerating scaffold that your body is going to
grow into. This is very, very similar. It just happens
to be fat.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You can learn more about Dr. Hart and her practice
at dralexandrahart.com. And you can learn more about the technology
we've discussed today at aloclay.com. This was Sculpting the Future
series brought to you by Aloclay. You're listening to a
moment of Zen right here on 710WOR. The voice of
(27:34):
New York iHeartRadio. We'll be right back after this.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
This is a moment of Zen in partnership with Alloclay.
Looking to add volume or contouring to your body? What
if there was a non-surgical solution to increase volume naturally?
No liposuction, no fillers, just real lasting transformation with little downtime.
Consider Alloclay, an innovation in body contouring. Follow on social
at Alloclay. Alloclay is intended to be applied subcutaneously in
localized areas of the body to provide cushioning and support
to the patient's body where adipose tissue naturally exists. Alloclay
(27:58):
does not contain viable cells and has no systemic effect
and is not dependent upon the metabolic activity of living
cells for its primary function. This Allograft is intended for
single patient use only. Human tissue shall not be offered
or dispensed for veterinary use.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Welcome back, beautiful New York tri-state area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR,
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
It's time for another installment of the Heart of Influence
series brought to you by Diamond Lake and its subsidiaries.
This weekend marks a milestone that is difficult to even
(28:28):
say out loud. 25 years since September 11th, 2001. Now,
for those of us who lived through it, September 11th
isn't something we learned about. We remember it. We remember
where we were. We remember the television screens. We remember
the smoke. We remember trying desperately to reach the people
we loved. And here in New York and New Jersey,
(28:50):
so many of us knew someone or knew someone who
knew someone who never came home. But here's the uncomfortable
reality 25 years later. Someone who's 24 years old today
wasn't even alive when it happened. We now have an
entire adult generation for whom 9-11 isn't a memory, it's history.
If a generation wasn't there to remember September 11th, then
(29:11):
somebody has to teach them why we remember. Joining me
right now, Brian J.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Esposito.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
He's founder and CEO of Esposito Intellectual Enterprises and CEO
of Diamond Lake. Brian is an entrepreneur, an investor, and
strategic connector whose work spans tech, media, finance, digital assets,
including the rapidly developing world of tokenization. And Brian brings
a very special guest to our conversation tonight. Robert Antonelli
has more than 35 years of professional experience studying law enforcement,
(29:38):
legal services, business, and community advocacy. He's proudly served 20
years with the New York City Police Department, retiring as
an NYPD narcotics detective. But tonight we're focusing on another
important part of Robert's life, his passionate advocacy for the
Tunnel to Towers Foundation and and his commitment to keeping
the memory of September 11th and the sacrifices of America's
(30:00):
first responders and military heroes alive. Robert, Brian, welcome to
the show, superstars.
Speaker 8 (30:06):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 6 (30:07):
Thanks, Sam.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
Thanks for making this happen, my friend.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
All right, Robert, I'm going to start with you. You
wore an NYPD shield for two decades. Thank you for
your service.
Speaker 8 (30:16):
You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
So I don't want to begin with September 11th as history.
I want to begin with memory. 25 years represents an
extraordinary generational turning point. As I said, millions of American
adults today weren't even alive on September 11th. Tunnel to
Towers recognizes this. Its 25th anniversary initiative isn't simply commemorating
the past. It's specifically focused on educating the generations of tomorrow,
(30:42):
including bringing hope, an authentic piece of world trade center
steel across America so younger people can physically connect with
this history. So Robert, when you hear the words, never
forget 25 years later, do you believe America has actually
kept that promise or are we beginning to lose the
emotional understanding of what happened that day?
Speaker 8 (31:03):
I think it's a combination of both. I think there
is a lot less awareness. Children of a certain age
don't know the real history of Of 9-11, I don't know.
What happened on 9-11 was real. It hit American soil.
And what I saw on that day were people who
went to work, civilians fleeing over that Brooklyn Bridge in
(31:29):
herds in fear for their life that more was coming. Bleeding,
covered with dust, fear in their eyes. And I will
never forget how that burns in my mind. almost every day.
It was not a computer game. This was real. Real
terrorism hit America. But one of the things I did realize,
(31:55):
I did realize is people forgot. People forgot. Time heals.
Time heals. It's just a natural thing. I watched this
Tunnels to Tower Foundation build, grow, And that foundation will never, ever,
ever allow America to forget the way they're building, taking
(32:17):
care of the 9-11 survivors, first responders, mortgage-free homes, Gold
Star family, eradicating housing with veterans. Now we're going with scholarships.
The things they're doing are incredible. And if somebody could
just link in to the Tunnels to Tower Foundation, see
(32:38):
what they're doing. They will not let America forget. And
standing on that ground, I will not let America forget
if I have anything to say about it.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
And remembrance has to become action. For someone listening right
now who wants to do more than post Never Forget,
where can their time, voice, and resources make the greatest impact?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Giving, giving.
Speaker 8 (33:01):
I mean, more than 90 cents on the dollar goes
right to the fund. There's not that much administrative cost
in there. The Silla family has done a tremendous job
in bringing most of the dollars that are contributed right
into the fund. Again, housing, medical care, Gold Star families,
(33:24):
smart homes, eradicating veteran homelessness. This Foundation is going to
be huge and it's not going away. And I think
it's the best way to help 9-11 victims and Gold
Star families and veterans. It's a nice combination. It's a
nice conflation of doing good for an American charity.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
I really do.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
What is influence actually for? Brian, this brings me to you.
I want to bring you in early because of something
you said when you introduced Robert to me. You didn't say,
here's another business leader we should feature. You said, Robert
is a dear friend, and we want to help bring
support and resources and awareness to his 9-11 initiatives. And
that gets directly to the title of the series. I mean,
(34:12):
we live in a world obsessed with measuring influence through
followers and impressions and access and capital and valuation, but
none of those metrics tell us what someone actually does
with their influence. So Brian, when you've built a platform,
a network and access to people, you can move money
and resources and attention. Does using that influence to serve
(34:34):
other people eventually become an obligation rather than simply a choice?
Speaker 5 (34:39):
Even obligation might be the wrong word. I think it's
a duty. But I mean, that's always been my reason
for being here is helping others. And I mean, this
is something that every American should have on the top
of their mind because our entire country and globe was
affected by that. I grew up in Ocean Township, Bromston,
a town nearby, had almost every financial advisor that was
(35:00):
in that building, especially Cantor Fitzgerald. And everybody's got these stories,
but everybody was affected even down to businesses that had
some sort of connection to the financial district of New
York City. So for Robert to stand so strong this
many years later, it should not be a rarity. And
(35:20):
whenever I talk about things like 9-11, or veterans, the
only person that comes to mind as someone with major
influence is Jon Stewart. He's someone that is out there,
whether you like his political views or not, that's over here.
But he's in Congress. He's calling people out. He's fighting
for these families. He is making sure that they still,
that the world understands, hey, it's not just the loss
(35:41):
of light that day. It's the sicknesses and illnesses that
people have because of everything that they were exposed to
from that day. And obviously the psychological torment that families
had to go through and still go through daily. And,
you know, on the anniversary, it hits home for a
lot of people even harder. So it's a duty.
Speaker 6 (36:00):
It's a responsibility.
Speaker 5 (36:01):
And anybody listening, and I'm a little obnoxious when I
call people out, you know, maybe don't buy your 12th Rolex.
Maybe go and reach out to Robert and help this
foundation and help these organizations continue to help these families.
Maybe don't take a private jet on this trip with
your family. Maybe just do a first class ticket and
save the $ 50, 000 and put it towards things like this
(36:22):
that's actually helping people. And that emotional response of helping
somebody should be what you are addicted to. Not showing
off obnoxious behavior. A lot of people have plenty. Take
a moment and help people that need it. And thankfully,
Robert's out there. putting his responsibility to work and now
his influence out in there into the world to make
(36:45):
people just do better.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
And that's when influence becomes legacy right there. Because eventually
nobody remembers every deal you closed, but people remember who
you helped once you had the power to help them.
And that's really the heart of the series.
Speaker 8 (36:59):
To put some context on what Brian just said, after
the towers fell, many businesses just died.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
They had no money.
Speaker 8 (37:08):
The world was different 25 years ago. There weren't online stores.
People depended on foot traffic. There were restaurants. My wife
was in public relations and she had a background and
she volunteered for the Red Cross. And these people, they
needed help. So what we're doing today is trying to
call on, like Brian said, some businesses, some HR directors,
(37:29):
some CFOs. If you have a little extra cash in
the kitty and you're successful, yeah. Think about those who
are in need. Be an American. The greatest gift we have,
as I spoke with Brian before, is generosity. Be generous.
Help an American out. And go to that little website
that I developed and give.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Now, what did we lose after September 12th? So, Brian,
we talk constantly about September 11th. But something I think
we forget about is September 12th. Neighbors checked on neighbors.
People lined up to give blood. American flags appeared everywhere.
I'm holding back tears. I mean, firefighters, police officers, NEMTs
(38:10):
weren't influencers because they had followers. They were heroes because
they ran towards something everybody else was desperately trying to escape.
So for a brief period, political affiliation seemed secondary to
the fact that we were Americans. And 25 years later,
we're living through extraordinary political polarization, algorithmic eco chambers in
(38:31):
a culture that can turn almost anything into us versus them.
So Brian, from your perspective as a business leader who
connects people across industries and communities, what did America understand
about unity after September 11th that we've lost? And can
we possibly get some of that September 12th spirit back
without requiring another tragedy to unite us?
Speaker 5 (38:51):
First and foremost, I appreciate this conversations and that was
a beautiful moment watching you get emotional. And I think
that's answering my question. Those are the emotions that need
to be released for people to have that connection again.
And Robert, you're so well-spoken during this discussion and much
respect and admiration for you because I know this is
(39:11):
very hard to relive this, right? Especially in a public
forum like this. That's a hard question for me to
answer positively.
Speaker 6 (39:19):
I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
I mean, even people from where I grew up in
the Northeast, if you ever gave like police support, they
were getting shunned. It was a Robert is wild. Wasn't
it the last few years, as far as it was
trying to, trying to proudly respect and admire people, keeping
us safe. And then there's things like Antifa coming. It's
very hard to battle that. And I, and I'm sorry,
(39:42):
I'm positive Patty to the fullest I possibly can be,
but negativity is so powerful that, And when media support
gets behind that negativity just for popularity and streams and
advertising dollars, that's a difficult machine to move. And when
things happened during COVID and billions of people went away
because of hundreds of people's ideas and decisions, that's wild
(40:06):
to me. As an outsider watching it, very impressive that
a few dozen or a hundred people can move billions
of people. Scary thought. So I don't know if there
can ever be an American revolution again. I've been craving
for people to stand up and fight and protect this
country because I think it's up to us to protect
this country and where it goes and not political agendas
(40:26):
or different administration agendas. So you got to focus on
things like Tunnels to Towers, like what Robert's working on,
that's actually helping people and capturing that content and show
those emotions and the great work that it's being done
and you just hope that it's contagious and that other
people want to just do that and help, help people.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Well, Robert, thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you
for your 20 years of service with the NYPD and,
and more importantly for continuing that spirit of service through
the initiatives you're supporting today. And Brian, thank you for
bringing Robert and his mission to the heart of influence.
Of course.
Speaker 5 (41:05):
I want to do more of these discussions with Robert
and keep supporting him. He's an incredible human being. The
world needs him.
Speaker 6 (41:10):
Thank you.
Speaker 8 (41:11):
Have a peaceful day.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
For our listeners who want to turn remembrance into action,
learn more about the 25th Anniversary Initiatives or support first responders,
Gold Star families, and veterans, you can visit Tunnel to
Towers Foundation. You can go directly to their website and donate.
DoGood.T2T.org forward slash 25 years ago, we were changed forever 26.
(41:35):
And you can also follow Robert Antonelli on LinkedIn and
on X at BobbyAnton4. And I want to leave our
audience with something even bigger tonight. 25 years later, have
we truly kept our promise to never forget? I want
you guys to think about that. And what happens when
the generation responsible for remembering is becomes the generation responsible
(41:59):
for teaching. You're listening to A Moment of Zen right
here on 710WOR, the voice of New York iHeartRadio. That
was the Heart of Influence series brought to you by
Diamond Lake and its subsidiaries. We'll be right back after this.
Speaker 1 (42:09):
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Speaker 2 (42:18):
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(42:41):
Tune in to a moment of Zen, Saturday nights from
9 to 10 p.m. on 710WOR, The Voice of New York.
Welcome back, beautiful New York Tri-State area and beyond. You're
listening to a moment of Zen right here on 710WOR.
the voice of New York iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Zen Sams.
I'm going to pass the mic to our Going Deep host,
(43:01):
Lana Kerr, for an exclusive conversation with internationally recognized designer
Adolfo Sanchez. Lana, take it away.
Speaker 4 (43:08):
Adolfo, welcome to our platform. And we're just so happy
to have you here.
Speaker 6 (43:13):
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
Oh my goodness. Well, before we get into it, for
those of our guests that don't know who you are,
can you tell us a little bit about who you are?
Speaker 9 (43:24):
I am a fashion designer based in Los Angeles. Been
in the business for officially, I would say 2010, but
I've been playing with fashion since I was a kid,
you know, teenager. And yeah, I've been through all different
sides and realms of the industry. And at the end
of the day, I just consider myself a dressmaker really
(43:46):
at heart.
Speaker 5 (43:46):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (43:47):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (43:48):
What got you into fashion?
Speaker 6 (43:50):
Oh, this story.
Speaker 9 (43:51):
You know, I was always a creative kid that much,
I will say. At first, it was kind of replaying
with furniture when I was a really young teenager, revamping
old furniture and painting.
Speaker 6 (44:02):
And I knew I wanted to do something creative.
Speaker 9 (44:04):
I started going out into like the underground warehouse, nightlife
culture when I was really young.
Speaker 4 (44:09):
Really young meaning what age?
Speaker 9 (44:12):
Probably like not trying to inspire any other young kids,
probably like 14, 15.
Speaker 4 (44:16):
Really?
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:17):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (44:17):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (44:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (44:18):
And I met a.
Speaker 9 (44:19):
Group of really creative kids that were really into fashion
and I just wanted to hang out with them. And
they're very extreme with their sense of style and clothes.
And I was like, I want to hang out with
you guys. And they're like, if you want to hang
out with us, you better go look up who these
people are. And so, you know, they've kind of, I
always say they schooled me, which is a term also
that a lot of people don't use these days. They
schooled me in learning who Vivian Westwood is and Gautier
(44:41):
and Mugler and all those kind of more extravagant designers
and I think really watching John Galliano's For Christian Dior's
couture shows on YouTube when I was a teenager, I
was like, what is this? And I just kind of
fell in love with it and started pursuing it at
a young age.
Speaker 6 (45:00):
I didn't really know how to get into it.
Speaker 9 (45:02):
And so I just got a job in retail and
worked for Macy's when I was 15 and a half
and had just signed a work permit. And they sold
Versace at that location because it's located at South Coast Plaza,
which is an affluent mall in Orange County. And I
did well selling the Versace product there. And then that
led me into high-end retail and just led me into
(45:24):
pursuing my own brand.
Speaker 6 (45:26):
So I got into it.
Speaker 4 (45:27):
But what got you into making clothes? Because you defined
yourself as a dressmaker. So that's a different skill. I mean,
somebody can design, but I think when you can make
it yourself, what got you into that?
Speaker 6 (45:40):
And how did you get into that?
Speaker 9 (45:41):
So then when I was going out with them in
the nightlife culture, we started mimicking what was being done
on the runways. So if we'd see a runway show
and we'd be like, okay, we're all going to do,
you know, Alexander McQueen's newest collection.
Speaker 6 (45:53):
And so we'd all make stuff for ourselves.
Speaker 9 (45:54):
So I really started with costumes to be quite honest,
making costumes for myself for nightlife. And then that led
me into costumes and, I moved to Vegas for a
retail opportunity when I was still working with a corporate
ladder and working for high-end retail.
Speaker 6 (46:10):
And I was sewing on the side.
Speaker 9 (46:11):
I bought a sewing machine on the side and was sewing.
Speaker 6 (46:13):
And I didn't know what I was doing.
Speaker 9 (46:14):
I bought my first sewing machine at Walmart when I
was a kid and was buying the clearance fabric in
their clearance section and just trying to figure it all out.
I never went to fashion school. I'm self-taught. And I
did it probably the harder way. And it really started
with myself. And then making costumes for myself led me
into making costumes for opportunities like Sushi Samba's girls in
(46:38):
Las Vegas.
Speaker 6 (46:38):
I made corsets for them. It was one of the
first gigs I ever got. And then I did... You're self-taught. Self-taught.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
What did your parents think about you? That I'm crazy.
Speaker 9 (46:49):
Probably what they still think now. They didn't understand it.
I come from a very conservative background. first-generation Mexican-American family,
and very Catholic when I was younger, now very Christian.
I don't think they understood what was going on with
their son.
Speaker 4 (47:09):
When did you actually start your own brand?
Speaker 9 (47:13):
If you remember the crash of 2009 and 2010, and
I said to myself, I'm either going to move to
New York to pursue fashion, or I'm going to move
to L.A. I decided on L.A. because I'm from Orange County.
That's when I started trying to pursue my own brand.
I still didn't know what I was doing, I'll be.
Speaker 6 (47:30):
Quite honest with you.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
Okay, so you start to pursue your own brand. How
did you start your brand?
Speaker 9 (47:35):
I was silly, so I thought, well, I just did
1.2 at Gucci, so I'm sure I'm going to do
at least 200,000 with my own name, right? And it
just doesn't work out that way, right? And I was silly.
I was young, and I'm so ambitious and so driven
and just excited to pursue L.A.
Speaker 6 (47:52):
Uh, my own brand. So I moved to LA.
Speaker 4 (47:54):
Stick a pin. You said you were doing 1.2 million
at Gucci. What were you actually doing at Gucci?
Speaker 6 (47:59):
Selling retail retail. So that was like a sales goal
for the year.
Speaker 1 (48:03):
Right.
Speaker 6 (48:03):
Like, yeah.
Speaker 9 (48:04):
So then when I moved in 2010, I was like,
let me get into the business. And I really didn't
know how to really get into it. I was selling
dresses on independent websites and making one of a kinds
and things like that. Then I was approached by, um,
a full-figured, which then we called plus size, evening wear
(48:25):
line for private labeling.
Speaker 6 (48:28):
And I was like, what's private labeling? I had no idea.
Speaker 9 (48:30):
And they were like, well, you'll design it. We'll make it.
We put our name on it. I'm like, okay. Actually
turned out to be a really great position because I
learned how to I learned how to do pattern development.
I learned how to do scaling of sizing. I learned
quite a bit about the more mass market side of
the business.
Speaker 4 (48:51):
How old were you then?
Speaker 6 (48:52):
I moved back when I was 25.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
25, okay.
Speaker 4 (48:54):
You're still so young, though.
Speaker 9 (48:57):
I've always been a really driven person. I was just
always trying to figure it out.
Speaker 4 (49:01):
Does anything knock you down?
Speaker 9 (49:03):
Sure.
Speaker 6 (49:04):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (49:05):
Yeah. Life will knock me down. It'll knock me down
for a week, two weeks, a month, a day, whatever,
and then You just have to repivot and refocus and
go back at it again.
Speaker 4 (49:15):
So what is the toughest thing that you've faced in
your career? your life?
Speaker 9 (49:21):
Watching my mother go through cancer when I was 13
till I was like 17, you know, and, and, and
almost became my normal waiting for her outside of the
radiation center to come out when I would get out
of school or helping her eat when I was a
kid or seeing your mother bald when you're 14 and
not understanding why it is. And now there's unfortunately so
(49:41):
many more people and bigger centers and it's become some,
but you know, this was 96, 97. And so I
think because I was a kid and I didn't know
how to really handle that now as an adult, I
can try to handle things differently, but that's probably, I
think one of the things that really shaped my life
and really defined what, what I can handle and how
to go about it.
Speaker 4 (50:00):
Definitely at that young age to have that, I can
see how that has. Wow, Adolfo, this has been such
a pleasure. You've really shared a lot of great insights
into how you think. And I think a lot of
people will get a lot of courage from just hearing
your experience. So I really appreciate you coming on. Just
one final question that we ask every guest, you know,
taking away everything that, you know, all the things, ups
(50:20):
and downs, the waves that you talked about, what does
going deep mean to you?
Speaker 9 (50:25):
I think going deep for me means going deep inside
of yourself. and figuring out who you really are and
do what it is that you really love because life
is so short.
Speaker 6 (50:35):
Right.
Speaker 9 (50:35):
And I think when we go deep, whatever it is
with yourself or life or your goal or your love
or whatever, go deep, do it, do it right. And
enjoy it because we don't know how much time we
have left on this planet. So thank you.
Speaker 1 (50:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (50:48):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (50:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (50:50):
I really appreciate you taking the time to come.
Speaker 6 (50:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (50:52):
This has been, this has been great.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (50:55):
My pleasure. Thank you.
Speaker 10 (50:56):
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Speaker 2 (51:23):
For more information or to order CO2 Lift, ask your
skincare professional or go to CO2Lift. com. Well, that's a wrap,
my dear friends. We are at the end of our date.
Thank you so much for tuning in right here on
A Moment of Zen. It's been a pleasure being your host.
Do remember to go directly to our website, amomentofzen.com for
live listening links and episode downloads in your city. And
(51:45):
also remember that we're live on Traverse TV Sundays at
1 p.m. Eastern, YouTube Sundays at 2 p.m. Eastern and
all episodes of A Moment of Zen are available on
your home TV streaming platform. You could head directly to
our channel. It's family-friendly, free programming to you. You could
go to mox.yourhometv.com. Thank you for listening to us. It's
(52:06):
been an absolute pleasure being your host. Thanks again to
all of our partners, advertisers, and sponsors that continue to
make the show possible. And remember that happiness is the
only thing that multiplies when you share it. We'll be
back next week.
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