Thirty Minute Mentors Podcast Transcript: Interview with Two-Time Emmy Award Winner Christina Cindrich

I recently interviewed Christina Cindrich on my podcast, Thirty Minute Mentors. Here is a transcript of our interview:

Adam: Have you ever dreamed of winning an Emmy? Our guest today has won two. Christina Cindrich is a TV producer, host, actress, influencer, and skincare entrepreneur. Christina, thank you for joining us.

Christina: Thank you for having me. That was quite the intro.

Adam: So you won an Emmy for your work on I. You were the show's original host and producer. How did the idea for the show emerge and how did you pull it off?

Christina: Wow. Private Islands came to the network, AWE, which used to be called Wealth TV when I was working at it. One episode came to the network that was done by another company. So we took that idea and reformatted it. And then I created a new version of Private Islands. And we started from there. That’s pretty much it.

Adam: So your current show Global Passport with Christina Cindrich has one producer, host, writer, and offline editor. And that's you. What are the keys to balancing so many different roles successfully?

Christina: Eventually, I would love to hire a team, but the way that I want the show to be done can only be done by myself. So right now, I enjoy playing all roles because I have a vision of how I want the final product to look so I want to have full creative control. A lot of my work ethic and character traits fit perfectly for being a producer so it kind of happens very naturally for me to have full control over all aspects of the show. As far as the producing side, that's creating the ideas, pre-production of planning the locations, setting up with the PR contacts at hotels, tour companies, going and actually shooting the show for about five days and then the post production side is bringing it back, going through the footage, sorting out the interviews, doing an offline edit, and then sending that then to an editor. So I have a cameraman who shoots the shows and then I have an actual editor who just adds the icing and sprinkles on top.

Adam:  That’s awesome. How did you get here? Can you talk about your upbringing and Pittsburgh in your early days in LA and what are some of the key moments that set you up for success?

Christina: I am a Pittsburgh girl through and through. I'm very proud of my Pittsburgh background and the credit for the success that I've had thus far is my parents. They have given me a foundation that has just been full of so much love and support and I honestly don't know where I would be without them, so to have that kind of support from the two most important people in my life really gets me through anything. And I feel like being from Pittsburgh, there's a different work ethic that comes with an East Coast mentality. No offense, because you’re from California.

Adam: Thank you. Yeah, thanks for that. I appreciate it. My parents are both from New York and my dad has the most intense work ethic out of anyone I know. And I can't argue with that. There's definitely something to that East Coast mentality.

Christina: I feel like, you know, maybe the West Coast kind of likes the end result of whereas the East Coast likes the grind.

Adam: There's the process versus the result. I agree with that completely. You can't underestimate the value of the process and the journey and that's definitely one of the things that I hope to dive into over the course of this conversation. So along those lines, one of the things that is most interesting to me about your journey is that you left your career in Hollywood to move to a city called Boone, North Carolina. I don't know if we have any listeners in Boone, North Carolina, but you moved to Boone to take a job as a news anchor. How did you make that decision?

Christina: So I was 29. I spent my 20s in Hollywood. I moved out for college, but throughout my 20s I was an actress. So I was fortunate enough to be on some great TV shows and be in some big time movies, small parts, but big productions. And as anyone that's an actor in Hollywood, it's a tough business. It's hard to even just get a speaking role on a TV show. But there was no longevity with that, so it kind of got to a point where I'm 29 and I needed to start figuring out a plan and so at that time, I was kind of open to any opportunity that I could find. And somehow online, I found a news anchor position for Mountain Television News, from Boone North Carolina. And I have this adventurous side to me. So I'm kind of like, I never like to be too content in any of my ways. So it was an adventure so, why not I applied. Sure enough, I got it and I was like, Oh, shit. It just got real. Oh, within two weeks, right around the time of my birthday, I had a pack up my whole life in Hollywood. And I went to Boone North Carolina. It was a straight scene out of a movie. I was there for eight months, two blizzards, an ice storm. I gained 12 pounds. It was freezing. I worked seven days a week. So I'm coming here from Hollywood, like, you know, going on auditions and I had an agent and a manager and he was like, you know, going to fun dinner places every night or whatever. And then I- here I am in North Carolina working every day. Just me and my dog and not one friend the entire time I was there because it's just a different way of life there. No offense, to anybody from Boone, but it's it's- I saw my first confederate flag on the way there it just was different. And, and I knew that I was there for work and to make the sacrifice and I knew that ultimately it was going to reward me in some way. But it was tough. And though the most amazing part of that whole experience was the self discovery that I went through because when you spend every single day by yourself, you learn so much, you know? And I got comfortable being alone and comfortable spending time with myself. And that really kind of paved the way for my 30s.

Adam: What do you think are the best ways to challenge your comfort zone? Well, you clearly did and continue to with all of your traveling, moving to Boone. I mean, going to it from country to country. What advice do you have for listeners?

Christina: I think you just take that leap. I mean, it's even kind of- some people just have the same restaurant that they go to every week. Pick a new restaurant.

Adam: How do you know that about me?

Christina: I mean you know, pick a new place to go to and experience it or pick a new gym, a new workout class. I mean, that's a start, just to kind of expand and see what the result is for me like I'm intimidated to go to a new gym or new fitness class. If I've never been there before, but once I go, I'm all excited. And it's that small personal accomplishment that gives you the confidence to do bigger and bigger.

Adam: What advice do you have for listeners on how to assess whether they should consider pivoting in their careers like you did?

Christina: Pivoting as in getting into- going into a new position?

Adam: Well, you know, you were acting in Hollywood. Things were going well.

Christina: Kind of well.

Adam: Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, I grew up in LA, I've lived here, barring two years in New York, my entire life and I've been around a lot of people who are trying to make it in the entertainment industry and you had experienced a level of success that a lot of people would consider very, very good and you walked away from that to move to a new career and a new city and you pivoted. What advice do you have for people who are at a point in their career that might be going well, but what should they be considering to assess whether they should go into a different direction or not?

Christina: It's a tough line. It's different for everyone. I think that it's always great to reinvent yourself and if something isn't working within that five year mark or that 10 year mark, try something new. I mean, especially something that you're passionate about. When I went to North Carolina, I wasn't passionate about being a news anchor. I had never been a news anchor. But I knew that that was also in my skill set. So you know, find something that fits with what you're good at and give it a try. What's the worst that could happen? You don't succeed?

Adam: Yeah. I mean, you agree with that completely. Along those lines, can you share a failure; something that really set you back either personally or professionally, and how you were able to bounce back from it.

Christina: Failures happen all the time. I have tons. When I left my network AWE in 2015 and moved back to Los Angeles, I moved back to try to have a personal life because I was really- my whole life was committed to Private Islands at the time. And when I moved back, I thought here I am coming back to Los Angeles- I have two Emmys I've had some success with the TV show- that I was going to have the next opportunity happen. And it was such a rude awakening for me coming back because I felt again, like a small fish in a big pond. And that was tough. And that's when I really had to do more inner work. And when I explored more of my spirituality, I had free time. So it was like okay, well I have all this time while I'm trying to figure out the next TV show. What can I do to move forward and that's when I met some mentors. I felt that it's extremely important to have people that you can look up to that can give you advice. I have an energy healer- I don't know if anyone's into that. I am and I have found incredible insight from having one. Yeah, there's so many struggles. I did a TV show two years ago. I didn't get paid for nine months of my work. I had an attorney involved for a year- and to not get paid for the work that you were contracted to do. It was- It was tough. This is a tough business. And the hardest part is some of the people involved in this business. Not everyone has the same morals and values that you have. And you have to be able to just pick yourself back up and do it again. Try it again.

Adam: Can you talk about your daily routine? What do you- what does a day in the life look like? I know that you're on the road much of the time, but if you can maybe tell the audience what a typical day looks like from the time you get up until the time you turn in.

Christina: I am psycho.

Adam: Which is why we wanted to have you on.

Christina: My daily routine is kooky. It really depends. So if I'm in pre-production, so let's say it's the week before I leave for a trip, it's chaotic. One, I have to plan to be on on camera so that's a different level of stress that I put on myself because physically I have to be looking and feeling my best. And that takes a lot of work, you know. This is- these are shows that air for over 10 years so people are still watching my shows from 2010. So, you know, now that I'm older, things don't lay on me the way that they used to. So I work out very hard. That's extremely important to me to get my workout in in the morning.

Adam: What do you do?

Christina: I do a little bit of everything. I do spin classes, I do HIT classes. My new favorite place is Training Mate.

Adam: What is HIT for those who are not familiar.

Christina: It is like circuit training, high impact and with weights and like 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off. It’s a 45 minute class. It's a great way to just mentally prepare myself. I also go to this place called Set and Flow, which has the most incredible yoga classes. So for me, that's how I get my mind right is to get my workout in, get a sweat in. And then when I'm preparing for a shoot I'm on the computer all day. It's kind of the saying; I'm building a brand. I'm always busy. I'm always busy. I don't really have time for much of a social life because I've chosen to have that kind of lifestyle. And then I'm- so I'm packing. The packing process, for me, takes- it takes a good five days to start laying things out. I have to sort out my outfits because people remember what I'm wearing and each episode they asked me where I got things from and then basically doing all of all of the productions. And now when I come back from a shoot, I try to give myself some time off; a couple days to kind of decompress and unwind because it's so physically and mentally demanding while I'm on a shoot. So, coming back, I pretty much check out a bit. And rest. And by rest, it's kind of like lay in silence. And just- and just be. Yeah. And that's- I really need that. And then yeah, and then it's kind of like the same pattern 

over and over again.

Adam: How do you motivate yourself on the days you don't feel motivated?

Christina: The days that I don't feel motivated I now accept. So I feel like it's okay to have those days, that you're not motivated. I used to struggle with that because I used to think that I wasn't, you know, good enough for doing the most or- and now I just kind of like, recharge my battery, and hopefully find inspiration in the things that make me happy and then get back on track.

Adam: I love that. What's your philosophy on how to develop a winning mindset?

Christina: I think have a plan. You know, know what, exactly what, do you want? I think be specific with what you want because we can be really vague. It's one of the things my energy healer told me said, “if you're going in and you want this TV show or you want this, literally it's like going to a restaurant ordering off a menu. How do you want your burger cooked? What do you want on your burger? Be very specific.” I think writing things down really, or saying them out loud, really helps bring them to life. I think I have a power of manifestation and I always have my whole life. I don't practice that enough and I should. So going into the new year I will make actual lists of what I want to bring into my life. And I think that that's very powerful for people.

Adam: What are the best lessons you've learned from your experience traveling the globe?

Christina: Wow. Traveling is the best education that you can ever get. To experience different cultures; to see how people live- it's extremely humbling. But we're all the same. And to go to a place where, you know, nobody speaks the same language, but we all smile. We all have hearts. And that's kind of I think one of the biggest lessons or, you know, what I bring back from traveling is that we're really all the same at the end of the day.

Adam: Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. Is there anything else that you think would be interesting to the audience; things that you've observed in a particular country that you've stopped for a minute and said, “Wow, this is just really interesting.” I mean, you have an extremely unique perspective. It's not every day that any of us has the opportunity to really listen to someone who's been to as many places as you have, let alone has truly experienced each place the way that you have So I kind of want to go a little bit deeper. What are some other things that you can share with the audience?

Christina: So I went to Morocco a couple weeks ago. I was there last month. My first time there, it's been on my bucket list forever. I always thought, oh, Morocco, this, this looks really exotic. And it ended up being such a culture shock for me. One, that I feel like everyone needs to experience Morocco once in their life. Is it a place that I will go back to? Probably not. I found that the way that women are treated are so different. One of the most amazing parts though, about the company that I was working with, when I went there is that we were focusing on responsible tourism. And so we worked with a women's group that works with disadvantaged women and helps teach them how to become chefs. And then they got them put them into employment into hotels and riads and so that's super empowering for women there. But for the most part, a woman can't really walk down the street by herself. And I felt caged in, and I felt no sense of security or freedom that I like to feel when traveling. So that was pretty eye opening for me, you know, you walk down the street and you're holding on to your purse, and not making eye contact with anybody. And they definitely don't like people that have cameras. So, you know, we stood out in that aspect, but that was really interesting. The whole experience for me was pretty crazy. Another part of traveling- so I went to Thailand a couple months ago as well. And I had been to Thailand in 2012 and I did two episodes there. And when I was there, I did some animal experiences, so you know where you ride on an elephant's back or go see one of the tigers. But really the tigers, they're drugged. And so it's incredible now to see how tourism has changed over the years. And so it was really important for me to go back to Thailand and do an ethical animal experience. I thought a responsibility with my position to go back and to be able to show my viewers that things have changed. You are no longer- it's no longer acceptable to ride on an elephant's back and there are now places that are true sanctuaries that don't just call themselves sanctuaries, but that are actually you know, taking in these animals that have been mistreated, that have been abused and beaten and shot and they're bringing them in and giving them a safe environment. And I went to a place in Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand a couple months ago and I was crying there because I just felt it just to see them in this environment was just the most beautiful thing and then- they still air that- the network- they still see shows of me from 2012 and I have people that contact me and say, “How dare you promote these elephant experiences,” but at the time that was tourism was different. So now it's been years, you know? It's been eight years. So now that's another part of traveling is responsible tourism and how can you give back to communities and you know, instead of maybe going to a fancy restaurant for dinner, we'll go eat dinner in a family's home, which puts money in their pocket, and gives also me the experience to be with them and experience their culture from home. So it's, it's rewarding for both of us. She's incredible. I will say that when I was in Morocco, we did go to dinner in this family's home, and I asked to use the restroom and I went in and it was just a hole in the toilet. Yeah, and I had jeans on and so I walked in and I was like, there's no way- like I can't. So I had to hold it.

Adam: Oh my god. Wow. I've been to some pretty bad restrooms, but nothing that- wow. Okay, on a more uplifting note tou've won two Emmy Awards. What are the key elements to excelling in a creative field and how can you really position yourself to produce Emmy caliber work?

Christina: Wow. I mean, you have to love what you do. That's the thing you have to- you have to really know what you're good at, too. So, I feel my strong points are storytelling. And I think that I can bring an audience into a destination vicariously through my travels and hope that, you know, they feel like they're living the experience with me. As far as the actual content of the show. I have an amazing team. Now it's a small team, but it's trial and error and it takes time and you know, it took me some time to get to this point where I feel that I know the format of the show and what works and yeah, I mean, it wasn't always like this.

Adam: What are your thoughts on storytelling? What can listeners do to become better communicators?

Christina: I think just listen to someone. I mean, usually I'm on the other end here. You're interviewing me, but usually I'm interviewing someone and-

Adam: You’re doing a good job.

Christina: Thank you. It's a little different. I think you know, everyone has a story to tell every country is different. Every culture is unique. Figure out what makes it so special and then tell that story.

Asam: In our remaining couple of minutes, I'm going to ask some rapid fire questions. Okay. So you're very passionate about skincare. You have a skincare line. What are your best skincare tips?

Christina: Wow. I have a skincare line because one of my viewers- my viewers are awesome by the way- one of my viewers, who is the owner of a huge skincare manufacturer, Rejuvenol, all based out of New York, he contacted me and said, “Let's develop a skincare line.” So I said, “Sure.” Basically, for tips for that- my ingredient, my main ingredient is called monoi of Tahiti and it's an ingredient that's been around for hundreds of years in French Polynesia. It has the most incredible anti aging benefits. As far as tips; drink a lot of water and wash your face every night.

Adam: It's great. I love it. Practical advice; that's what I hope listeners get out of the show. Along the lines of practical advice; Christina is a social media influencer. So Christina, how can those interested in leveraging instagram, facebook, twitter do so?

Christina: I would say I think the content that you put out has to be quality. So quality over quantity. I don't curate my content. I post whenever I have something interesting to share. And I think that that's really important, too much can be too much. And if you have anything that can be inspiring to people share it.

Adam: What are the most important principles that listeners should adopt? To better excel personally or professionally? What are things that we can do to just be better and more successful human beings?

Christina: I think a lot of it really comes down to self love and self acceptance. And it sounds so cliche, but the more confident you are with yourself and your abilities, the better you're going to succeed.

Adam: Where can listeners follow you?

Christina: You can follow me on Instagram @MissCindrich. That's kind of my main place where I interact with people and my website’s Christinacindrich.com. And talk to me; I talk back.

Adam: That’s great, wow. Real human being; live and in person. Christina Cindrich, it was an absolute pleasure. Thank you for joining us and being part of the show.

Christina: Thank you so much for having me.