Podcast thumbnail for OFC, You're Invited with Vanessa Maria

OFC, You're Invited with Vanessa Maria

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by Vanessa Maria

8 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview

Vanessa Maria is a cultural curator and creative leader working at the intersection of public life, programming, and community. OFC, You’re Invited aims to curate intimate rooms for thoughtful conversation, shaped by friendship. The bi-weekly series invites one guest per episode to bring a +1 – a sibling, partner, cousin, close friend, or long-term collaborator. So much of how we understand ourselves comes from the people we move through life with. This podcast is about making room for that. IG: https://www.instagram.com/nessamariaw/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamariawilson/

Language

🇺🇲

Publishing Since

1/30/2026

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Recent Episodes

Episode thumbnail for Making Friends in Your 40s: Proximity, Prosecco, and a Midsummer Night’s Dream

April 27, 2026

Making Friends in Your 40s: Proximity, Prosecco, and a Midsummer Night’s Dream

<p>On OFC, You&#39;re Invited, neighbors Navied Mahdavian (New Yorker cartoonist, memoir author, TEDx speaker) and Anthony Leyton discuss how their friendship began at Anthony’s daughter’s birthday party soon after Navied moved to Folkston, bonding through shared interests like board games and D&amp;D and deepening through weekly rehearsals for an amateur production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They talk about how proximity, intentional effort, and comfortable silence help friendships form, what they’ve learned from each other about trying new things, confidence, competition, and embracing failure in midlife. The conversation also covers creativity for pleasure versus work, how identities shift over time, old friends versus new friends, friendships fading without closure, parenting and meeting friends through children, and storytelling as a way to create meaning in a chaotic life, ending with their final words: “light” and “adventure.”</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p></p><p>00:00 Meet the Guests</p><p>01:09 How They Met in Folkestone</p><p>02:01 Birthday Party Friendship Spark</p><p>04:16 Moving Countries and Starting Over</p><p>05:55 Making Friends as Adults</p><p>12:05 Theatre as Friendship Catalyst</p><p>15:11 Lessons from Each Other</p><p>21:47 Creativity and Midlife Reset</p><p>26:29 Midlife Crisis Reframe</p><p>27:09 Identity After Milestones</p><p>28:49 Adult Friendship Intentionality</p><p>30:40 Old Friends New Mirrors</p><p>32:34 Who Were You Then</p><p>36:31 Escalator Politics</p><p>38:21 Roles We Revert To</p><p>41:41 When Friendships Fade</p><p>46:12 Kids And Parent Friends</p><p>48:30 Storytelling Makes Meaning</p><p>51:56 One Word Sendoff</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Vanessa 📩 Join the mailing list: https://vanessamaria.os.fan/mailing-list Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nessamariaw/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nessamariaw Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamariawilson/ OFC, You&#39;re InvitedInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofc.urinvited/</p><p><br></p>

Episode thumbnail for The Power of Vulnerability: Emma & Mel's Collaborative Success

April 13, 2026

The Power of Vulnerability: Emma & Mel's Collaborative Success

<p>campaign</p><p><br></p><p>Emma Slade Edmondson &amp; Melissa Legarda on Friendship, Identity, and Building Goodfor Through Radical Honesty</p><p><br></p><p>On You’re Invited, host interviews Emma Slade Edmondson—author, strategist, TEDx speaker, and co-founder of Goodfor—alongside her friend, creative partner, and co-founder Melissa Legarda, a journalist and podcast producer. They share how they first met in 2019 through a mutual friend on a campaign shoot, quickly built trust, and later deepened their bond through conversations in Paris that led to creating Goodfor, a purpose-driven storytelling house and conscious marketing consultancy producing podcasts, events, campaigns, and cultural consultancy. They discuss identity, mixedness, cultural fluency, workplace harm in creative industries, and how radical honesty, transparent communication, appreciation, and written agreements help them avoid resentment, resolve conflict, and support each other. Emma explains her children’s book Mixed and their evolving views on belonging, safety, and community.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Meet Emma and Melissa</p><p>01:09 How They First Met</p><p>02:12 Creative Chemistry on Set</p><p>04:25 From Shoots to Goodfor</p><p>09:23 What Goodfor Actually Does</p><p>11:52 Friendship to Business Partners</p><p>13:22 Workplace Trauma and Safety</p><p>17:14 Radical Honesty Playbook</p><p>22:13 Contracts and Conflict Tools</p><p>25:57 Showing Up for Each Other</p><p>28:32 Community Is Inconvenience</p><p>29:07 Why Mixed Was Written</p><p>32:53 Belonging And Identity</p><p>37:20 Travel Climate Responsibility</p><p>39:00 Race Talks With Mom</p><p>43:24 Learning From Each Other</p><p>50:02 Safety Vulnerability Belonging</p><p>52:04 Final Word And Thanks</p>

Episode thumbnail for From Supper Club to Global Production Studio: The Story of Mam Sham

March 30, 2026

From Supper Club to Global Production Studio: The Story of Mam Sham

<p>On Of Course You’re Invited, host speaks with Mam Sham founders Maria Georgiou and Rhiannon Butler, childhood friends since age 11 who grew a London supper club into a creative storytelling studio spanning events, food, design and film, known for immersive, narrative-led experiences and using packaging and physical design as storytelling tools. They discuss meeting at secondary school, building their bond through shared humor and creativity, and how “play” became central to their process and a practical tool during stressful client moments. They trace early career detours through art-world and hospitality jobs, lessons from years of graft, and key moments in learning pricing and negotiation with brands. They explain the shift to positioning Mam Sham as a studio offering cohesive storytelling across media, critique content-farming brand events, and describe partnering with Asahi to support their existing supper club.</p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Welcome and Introductions</p><p>01:21 Meeting at Age 11</p><p>06:30 Childhood Fears and Sleepovers</p><p>08:21 Early Creative Collaboration</p><p>12:47 The Power of Play</p><p>16:41 Finding Courage to Start</p><p>18:11 First Paid Gig</p><p>20:46 The Graft and Growth</p><p>21:30 Learning to Negotiate</p><p>25:20 Social Media vs Events</p><p>28:21 Becoming a Storytelling Studio</p><p>32:25 Creating Authentic Brand Events</p><p>34:38 Brands Back Creatives</p><p>36:19 Why Events Feel Same</p><p>37:01 Mini Eggs Satire</p><p>38:21 Funding Community Events</p><p>38:33 Asahi Supper Club Win</p><p>40:09 Studio Storytelling Dreams</p><p>43:25 Pricing Confidence Advice</p><p>46:25 Imposter Syndrome Pitch</p><p>48:16 Confidence Perception Trap</p><p>51:20 Friendship Builds Confidence</p><p>54:58 Brazil Spider Survival</p><p>58:58 Gratitude And Goodbye</p><p><br></p><p>Vanessa </p><p>📩 Join the mailing list: https://vanessamaria.os.fan/mailing-list </p><p>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nessamariaw/</p><p>TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nessamariaw </p><p>Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamariawilson/ </p><p><br></p><p>OFC, You&#39;re Invited</p><p>Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofc.urinvited/</p>

8 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

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What is OFC, You're Invited with Vanessa Maria?

Vanessa Maria is a cultural curator and creative leader working at the intersection of public life, programming, and community.

OFC, You’re Invited aims to curate intimate rooms for thoughtful conversation, shaped by friendship. The bi-weekly series invites one guest per episode to bring a +1 – a sibling, partner, cousin, close friend, or long-term collaborator.

So much of how we understand ourselves comes from the people we move through life with. This podcast is about making room for that.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/nessamariaw/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamariawilson/

How often does this podcast release new episodes?

This podcast updates daily.

Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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