Life Changes Show, September 23, 2024
Life Changes Show with Filippo Voltaggio and cohost Mark Laisure, with Executive Producer Dorothy
With Guests, International Speaker, Author, Azim Khamisa and, Producer and Sound Artist, Laura Escudé
Featuring Interview Guest, International Speaker, Author, Peacemaker, and Founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, Azim Khamisa; and Performance Guest, Producer and Sound Artist, Laura Escudé, on The Life Changes Show, Episode 808
Interview Guest: AZIM KHAMISA; and Performance Guest: LAURA ESCUDÉ
Headlined Show, Life Changes Show September 23, 2024
Life Changes Show with Filippo Voltaggio and cohost Mark Laisure, with Executive Producer Dorothy
Featuring Interview Guest, International Speaker, Author, Peacemaker, and Founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, Azim Khamisa; and Performance Guest, Producer and Sound Artist, Laura Escudé, on The Life Changes Show, Episode 808
Interview Guest: AZIM KHAMISA; and Performance Guest: LAURA ESCUDÉ
Guest, Azim Khamisa
Following the murder of his son in 1995, Azim Khamisa founded the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF.org), which started a subsequent forgiveness movement that has reached millions.
He has received over 80 local, national and international awards amongst which are: In 1997 he received the National Crime Victims Special Community Service Award presented by President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno, In 2002, he received Search for Common Ground’s prestigious award alongside Desmond Tutu and Ted Koppel In 2004, he participated in the Synthesis Dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama which was hosted by Pope John Paul at his summer palace in Castelgandolfo, Italy and in 2006 he was given the “Spirit of Crazy Horse Award” from the Reclaiming Youth Network alongside Mohammad Ali. In addition, Azim has been the recipient of the California Peace Prize in 2003 and the Pepsi Freedom Heroes Award in 2006. He has received several other Peacemaker of the Year awards.
Azim has served as TKF’s founder and leader for over 27 years. He is an emissary of peace and an international inspirational speaker with over 700 keynotes, including one to 300,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial at the Stand for Children Rally organized by the Children’s Defense Fund, as well as a speech to the United Nations General Assembly at the High level forum on the culture of peace.
Azim serves on the Board in the capacity of Vice Chair for the Institute of Noetic Science (www.noetic.org). IONS was founded 49 years ago by Edgar Mitchell who was the 6th man to walk on the moon and is a leading global institution on researching consciousness.
With a strong passion to share his message with the youth and to inspire nonviolent leaders become proactive as peacebuilders, Azim, in addition, has given over 1,000 presentations to over a million students worldwide. He is a published author of five books: Award-winning Murder to Forgiveness (being made into a feature film) ; From Forgiveness to Fulfillment, From Fulfillment to Peace and The Secrets of the Bulletproof Spirit: How to bounce back from life’s hardest hits co-authored with Jillian Quinn and published by Random House. His 5th book “Leadership for the greater good – A guide for truth to power champions” recently released in May 2020. He has been featured countless times in local, national and international media. In November 2018, Azim spoke for the TEDWomen conference that has been viewed by over 1 million viewers: go.TED.com/azimandples.
Azim was born in Kenya of Eastern roots and educated in England in mathematics and finance and has over 45 plus years’ experience in international finance. Azim lives in La Jolla, California and is the proud father of daughter Tasreen and grandfather of Shahin, Khalil and Miya.
Guest, Laura Escudé
From technology to artistry to production to show design to wellness, there are few people who understand the complete spectrum of the music industry. Laura Escudé is one of these rare individuals. She’s the creator of The TransmuteTM Accelerator under the umbrella of The TransmuteTM Academy, Founder of Electronic Creatives and an Ableton Certified Trainer since 2008. To sum up, Laura Escudé is a Future Classical artist blending music, tech, and consciousness. Synthesizing her skills as a classically trained violinist and technical prowess as an avant-garde electronic producer, Escudé infuses neo-classical & sleek futuristic style with raw emotion elicited with her musical machines.
Based in Los Angeles, Escudé is an artist, innovator, entrepreneur and live show designer with a deep understanding of complex technology, a profound passion for music and art and a unique talent for fusing the two. Career highlights include performing in the GRAMMY Premiere band, programming and designing shows for Kanye West from 2009-2017, opening for Miguel on his 2015 Wildheart tour and building a thriving international business populated by top-tier professionals.
But while Escudé’s life and work are dynamic, her ultimate goal is simply to inspire.
As an artist, Escudé executes this mission through music. She’s released myriad albums, singles and EPs under the name ALLUXE, synthesizing her skills as a classically trained violinist and her prowess as an avant-garde electronic producer. Now making music under her own name, Escudé released the Transmute EP, her most intimate work to date, capturing the sound and feel of a woman who’s examined the darkest parts of herself and come out the other end transformed. Escudé’s live performances are known for their sleek futuristic style and the raw emotion she elicits from her musical machines. She’s done official remixes for artists, including M83 and Poliça, with her violin playing featured on albums by Big Grams, Kanye West, Jay Z and many more.
Technology is a second language for Escudé, who became the world’s first Ableton Certified Trainer in 2008. In 2012, she founded Electronic Creatives, using her skills to hire and train programmers and playback engineers for artists including Logic, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Big Sean, Charli XCX, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Electronic Creatives has hosted several playback engineering training programs over the years, with the latest being MASTERTRACK Worldwide.
These creative applications of technology have made Escudé one of the world’s most in-demand live show designers. She’s brought massive productions to life for artists including Kanye West, Jay Z, Bon Iver, Missy Elliot, Herbie Hancock and television megabrand American Idol. Escudé toured extensively with these shows, collaborating with artists to create fresh, thrilling experiences for audiences worldwide.
It was while on tour that Escudé learned the challenges of staying healthy on the road. In 2016, tour burnout landed her in the hospital. She was exhausted, stressed, and not sure how to get better. It was a low point that forced Escudé to take a break from work and focus on her health. This physical, mental, emotional and spiritual process involved letting go of unproductive habits and thought patterns, facing her fears and giving up aspects of her life that didn’t serve her. Escudé was soon not just better, but for the first time in her life truly thriving.
The experience inspired Escudé to help others, particularly live performers, optimize their own health and well-being. In 2017, she launched The TransmuteTM Retreat, a week-long workshop incorporating yoga, meditation, nature, live performance workshops and community performances. In 2019, she launched The TransmuteTM Accelerator online course to help artists accelerate their live performances using technology, and in 2021 launched The TransmuteTM Academy, a community dedicated to Ableton Live + Music Tech Courses & Events to help artists continue their growth in music and business, in addition to The TransmuteTM Academy Masterclasses with special guest presenters 2x month. The TransmuteTM Accelerator is a year-long program, with launch events featuring top industry experts, such as Suzanne Ciani, The Album Leaf and Sudan Archives.
Escudé released a new EP titled “ENOUGHNESS” in May 2021. ENOUGHNESS was born out of her deep journey of quiet reflection and recovery during the past year, an exploration of self love, and emerging the other side with a deeper enjoyment of life. For Escudé, music is the most inclusive space. It is her intention for this EP to be a journey and space to cultivate knowing, healing and for transformation.
With all Escudé has achieved in the realms of music and technology, it’s clear why she’s been called “the best in the world at this job.” Escudé continues to propel forward this three-tiered platform of Future Classical music artistry, tech and consciousness and it just keeps getting better.
Life Changes Show
Come and join the conversation about what's going on and what we can do together about it, with it, and for it. We have the choice, we have the power. We can do magic if we just believe!
A show about the changes going on in us, to us, around us, and because of us. Therefore, it's technically a show about "Everything," only with a how to make it better, see it better, be better.
In the show, there is talk about, and with, people who have either been through major changes, are helping others with major changes, or people who are changing the world for the better in a major way.
The show is a one-hour talk show format with a monologue by the host, a 30 minute interview with a guest of note, capped by a "Producer's Wrap" segment, in which Filippo and Co-Host Mark Laisure, and sometimes surprise guests, bring it all home for the listeners in a sometimes humorous and sometimes touching, but always entertaining conversation.