Better Call Daddy

Emem Washington’s journey to the TEDx stage began with an unexpected lesson from ironing clothes. It continued through motherhood, loss, career changes, and learning when to keep going and when to pause.

In this episode of Better Call Daddy, Reena talks with TEDx speaker coach Emem Washington about turning personal experiences into meaningful ideas, preparing for a TEDx talk, and why the best talks give audiences something they can use, not just a story to hear. Emem also shares her motherhood journey, including pregnancy losses and the eventual birth of her sons, and reflects on the hope that comes from speaking openly. Then Big Daddy Wayne weighs in on identity, life’s defining moments, and making sure your voice gives an audience something valuable.

🔥 In This Episode

How lessons from ironing became Emem’s first TEDx talk

Why resilience can mean pressing on, or choosing to stop, rest, or change direction

How Simone Biles’ decision to step back inspired Emem’s second TEDx idea

Emem’s unexpected path from biology to law, teaching, and speaker coaching

What TEDx organizers look for, and how to shape an idea for the stage

Why a personal story becomes more powerful when it offers an insight the audience can apply

How sharing her fertility and motherhood journey helped others feel less alone

Why Emem believes we should all find ways to use our voices

Big Daddy Wayne's reflections on identity, defining moments, and making a speech matter to its audience

💬 Quotable Moment
“We should all be speakers. The platform may look different for all of us, and that’s okay.” – Emem Washington

👤 About Emem Washington
Emem Washington is a TEDx speaker coach who helps people use their voices through writing, speaking, and storytelling. She coaches clients on developing TEDx ideas, applying to events, crafting and delivering talks, and making the most of their platform. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

🎙️ About Better Call Daddy
Better Call Daddy is hosted by Reena Friedman Watts and her dad, Big Daddy Wayne Friedman. The show features stories of resilience, inspiration, and hard-earned wisdom, one conversation at a time.

🌐 bettercalldaddy.com | Instagram: @reenafriedmanwatts

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Related topics: TEDx speaker coach, how to give a TEDx talk, public speaking tips, storytelling, finding your voice, resilience, pregnancy loss and motherhood, fertility journey, career change, Reena Friedman Watts, Big Daddy Wayne Friedman, Better Call Daddy podcast

Today’s conversation with Daniel Kramer goes deep, from losing his childhood friend at the Nova Festival to choosing what he can do instead of dwelling on what he can’t. We talk about perspective, identity, grief, gratitude, and why sometimes the hardest move is simply walking away and starting again.

In this episode

This episode explores how perspective shapes the way people respond to grief, disability, identity, professional setbacks, and political conflict. It centers on the loss of Daniel’s childhood friend Addir Masika at the Nova Festival, the personal impact of October 7, Jewish and Israeli identity, antisemitism, and the effort to remember individual human stories amid intense public debate. It also looks at the idea behind Daniel’s Choose Your Perspective podcast: we may not control the circumstances we’re given, but we can influence how we respond.

This conversation is useful for anyone navigating loss, difficult news, identity questions, career uncertainty, or a major change in circumstances.

Chapters

04:55 – Addir’s surfboard gravestone and the family’s memorial

12:02 – Losing a friend and a son

15:28 – Antisemitism, a recruiter’s “too political” comment, and talking about loss vs. the war

18:32 – Coexistence and protecting the ability of Israelis and Palestinians to live meaningful lives

19:57 – Doubling down on Jewish identity and sharing Addir’s story

27:36 – How the Choose Your Perspective podcast began

29:54 – Empathy without moral equivalence

30:48 – Understanding another perspective without agreeing with it

32:28 – Living with severe vision limitations and focusing on what you can do

33:20 – What “choosing your perspective” really means

35:12 – Stepping back when one bad event distorts the whole day

39:02 – How grief sharpens gratitude

41:33 – When walking away is the right decision

43:14 – Why start a podcast with a small audience

48:13 – Why human connection matters as AI expands

Key takeaways

Perspective is a choice in how you respond. Focus on what you can do rather than staying fixed on limitations.

Gratitude and grief can coexist. Loss sharpens awareness of ordinary days and second chances, and gratitude doesn’t erase pain.

Understanding isn’t agreeing. You can see how another person’s experience shapes their anger without giving up your own convictions.

Walking away can be valid. Leaving a business or job that harms your mental health makes room for what’s next. It isn’t proof of failure.

Creative work has value without a big audience. Podcasting offers connection, growth, and conversations that wouldn’t otherwise happen.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main idea behind choosing your perspective?
Perspective is a choice in how you respond to circumstances you can’t control. The goal is to focus on what can be done instead of what can’t.

How does grief influence gratitude?
Losing a young friend creates a sharper awareness of ordinary experiences, hard days, relationships, and chances to try again. Gratitude doesn’t erase pain, but it places it within the larger reality of still being alive.

Does understanding another perspective mean agreeing with it?
No. Understanding how someone’s experience may shape their anger or fear doesn’t require giving up your beliefs or your support for Israel. It’s a way to reduce hatred and make coexistence more possible.

What should someone do when a job or business opportunity fails?
Walking away can be a valid decision when something harms your mental health or no longer fits. Leaving a struggling business makes room for future work.

Why start a podcast if the audience is small?
Podcasting enables communication, creativity, connection, and personal growth regardless of listener count. A project is worthwhile when the process itself gives it meaning.

Resources and mentions

Choose Your Perspective podcast

Better Call Daddy Show

Five for Fighting and John Ondrasik

Nova Festival and Addir Masika’s memorial story

LinkedIn and Instagram: DanielKramer98

Books and ideas on mindfulness, stoicism, and perspective

AIPAC

Fauda

Connect with Daniel Kramer
Linkedin

Connect with Reena Friedman Watts
Better Call Daddy Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube

Fred Hakimian came to the U.S. from Iran with about $460, a dream of becoming an engineer, and a determination to build a better life. He worked three jobs while putting himself through college, helped bring his family to America, and traded a computer programming career for the jewelry business.

In this episode of Better Call Daddy, host Reena Friedman Watts sits down with her friend Shaily Hakimian, founder of Your Social Media Sherpa, and Shaily’s dad, Fred, to talk about the Iranian Jewish immigrant experience, building a business from scratch, and how family values shape entrepreneurship. Big Daddy Wayne Friedman closes with his take on the American Dream, finding your path, and the legacy of working hard for the people you love.

From hidden jewelry finds to a WhatsApp jewelry-trading network, this conversation is full of stories about resourcefulness, trust, and building something that lasts across generations.

🔥 What You’ll Learn

How Fred worked his way through college after arriving in America with very little money

Why he left a steady computer programming job to start a jewelry business

How he helped his family get established and find homes of their own

How to build trust and community in a global jewelry network

How immigrant family values shaped Shaily’s entrepreneurial drive

Why sharing your voice and what makes you unique matters

Wayne’s reflections on the American Dream, persistence, and finding your path

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Better Call Daddy

03:30 – Fred’s journey from Iran to the United States

08:00 – Working three jobs, college, and learning English as an immigrant

15:30 – From computer programmer to jewelry entrepreneur

21:00 – Helping family build a life in America

27:30 – Family history, hardship, and business ingenuity

36:00 – Hidden jewelry, big finds, and the hustle behind the deals

44:30 – Building a trusted jewelry trading community on WhatsApp

54:00 – Shaily’s work, Jewish heritage, and passing culture forward

1:06:00 – Using your voice and sharing what makes you different

1:18:00 – Egg freezing, Shy Tribe, and finding community

1:34:00 – Wayne on hard work, opportunity, and the American Dream

💬 Quotable Moment

“Don’t deprive the world of what makes you special.” – Shaily

👤 About Shaily

Shaily Hakimian is a marketing professional, social media coach, and community builder who helps business owners stay connected with the people who matter to their work. She is passionate about Jewish innovation and culture and about helping people find the confidence to share their voices.

🔗 Your Social Media Sherpa: https://yoursocialmediasherpa.com/
🔗 Fred’s Trading Company: find Fred on Instagram at Fred’s Trading Company

🎙️ About Better Call Daddy

Better Call Daddy is a podcast hosted by Reena Friedman Watts and her dad, Big Daddy Wayne Friedman, featuring stories of inspiration, resilience, and hard-earned wisdom.

bettercalldaddy.com | Instagram: @reenafriedmanwatts

👉 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, leave a review (http://ratethispodcast.com/bettercalldaddy), and share it with someone building a life and a legacy of their own.

Keywords: Iranian immigrant story, Iranian Jewish immigrant, Persian Jewish culture, American Dream, immigrant entrepreneur, jewelry business, jewelry trading, family business, family legacy, immigrant parents, father daughter podcast, Fred Hakimian, Shaily Hakimian, Reena Friedman Watts, Big Daddy Wayne Friedman, Better Call Daddy, WhatsApp business, community building, social media coach, finding your voice, resilience

Dad Reacts: From Intern to Producer in One Season

Reena Friedman Watts drove to Chicago for a radio job she didn’t get. A season later, she was a producer on The Jerry Springer Show.

In this episode of Better Call Daddy, Reena and her dad, Wayne Friedman, watch back her conversation with LuRae Lumpkin on And Then I Did This. Wayne has a front-row seat to the moment it all started: the call she made to him when she spotted that intern flyer.

🔥 In This Episode

What Reena watched and learned to go from intern to producer in a single season

Why she chose to work for the boss everyone else avoided

Why she walked away from a producer title to answer phones in Los Angeles

How twenty years of persistence with one publicist led to one of Jerry Springer’s last interviews, and later a piece of an HBO documentary

How the Better Call Daddy podcast grew out of daily calls with her father

Rebuilding your identity after every move and every role

Career change advice for seasoned professionals

Wayne’s reactions along the way

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – The creative idea that can’t wait

02:05 – Better Call Daddy and the father-daughter legacy project

05:30 – Intern to producer: what she watched to get promoted

08:20 – A singing scholarship, sports medicine, and the pivot to radio

13:40 – Landing one of Jerry Springer’s last interviews

19:20 – The episode that led to an HBO documentary

23:50 – Rebuilding your identity after every move

26:40 – Leaving the nine-to-five and learning sponsorships on the fly

31:10 – Career change advice for seasoned professionals

37:50 – Confidence, cutting toxicity, and the gold in your inbox

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👤 About Reena Friedman Watts
A small-town Kentucky girl turned television producer, Reena is now a podcast host, media coach, and storyteller. She’s a mom of four and 500 episodes into Better Call Daddy, and she lives by one rule: if the idea is real, put it on the calendar or act on it today.

🎙️ About Better Call Daddy
Hosted by Reena Friedman Watts with her dad, Wayne Friedman. Stories of resilience, inspiration, and hard-earned wisdom, building a legacy one call at a time.

🔗 bettercalldaddy.com | 📸 Instagram: @reenafriedmanwatts

🙏 Thank You to LuRae Lumpkin
This conversation originally aired on And Then I Did This. Find more from LuRae:

Podcast on Apple Podcasts

YouTube

LinkedIn

You Can Be Free newsletter

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Keywords: Reena Friedman Watts, Wayne Friedman, dad reacts, Better Call Daddy, And Then I Did This, LuRae Lumpkin, Jerry Springer Show, career change, intern to producer

Actor, teacher, and dad Rob Brownstein joins host Reena Friedman Watts. You may recognize him as the pain doctor in the Michael Jackson documentary. He’s a working actor, and he talks about what that really looks like: the freelance hustle, the rejection, and the persistence it takes to keep going.

Rob traces his path from budding musician to working actor, and what he learned along the way. He also talks about raising two daughters who are chasing their own dreams, and how being a parent has changed the way he thinks about life, art, and his own career.

If you love the arts, or you’re trying to figure out how to support the people you love while building a life you care about, this one’s for you.

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🔥 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

What life as a working actor looks like, ups and downs included

How parenting shapes your personal and professional growth

Why passion and authenticity matter in any career

A look behind the scenes of film and television

How to build confidence and push through self-doubt

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Meet Rob Brownstein: working actor, teacher, and dad

05:15 – From musician to actor

15:30 – Supporting your kids’ dreams

25:00 – The reality of working in entertainment

35:45 – Building confidence and overcoming self-doubt

45:00 – Family, passion, and what matters most

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💬 QUOTABLE MOMENTS
“You might as well find a job you love, because no matter what you do, it’s going to be freelance, and it’s going to be difficult.”

“Confidence comes from having the proof that you can do something.”
— Rob Brownstein

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👤 ABOUT ROB BROWNSTEIN

Rob Brownstein is a longtime working actor, teacher, and coach based in Los Angeles. His credits span film, television, theater, commercials, and voiceover, including Argo, Mad Men, The Office, Gilmore Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Breaking Bad, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Young Sheldon, Straight Outta Compton, Blonde, and Velvet Buzzsaw, among many others. He also appears in Michael, the recent and very popular Michael Jackson biopic, where he plays the burn doctor.

In addition to acting, Rob runs An Actor’s Space in LA and has been teaching and coaching actors all over the world. He loves talking about the craft of acting, auditions, self-tapes, confidence, career longevity, and why acting classes can be valuable for actors and non-actors alike.

Quick Links:
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0115282/
An Actor’s Space: https://www.anactorsspace.com/about

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🎙️ ABOUT BETTER CALL DADDY
Hosted by Reena Friedman Watts alongside her dad, Big Daddy Wayne Friedman, Better Call Daddy features stories of inspiration, resilience, and the wisdom that comes from experience.
bettercalldaddy.com | Instagram: @reenafriedmanwatts

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Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

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KEYWORDS: Rob Brownstein, working actor, Michael Jackson documentary, acting, parenting, family, confidence, creative process, Better Call Daddy, Reena Friedman Watts, Big Daddy Wayne Friedman