In EPISODE 3 of SEASON 4 the crew gets back together, after what’s been almost a year since our last recording to wrap up 2025.

We recap our year as a podcast. From being nominated for Podcast of the year by Grand Rapids Hip Hop awards and being featured by Rapid Growth Media as one of the “10 Grand Rapids podcasts that deliver big” as notable recognitions.

We catch up with our co-host Sophie, who moved to California earlier this year and all that’s transpired with her transition there as well as your feeling surround the move.

Lastly we tap into each other’s respective current creative journey. From our most memorable creation this year to what we need right now in our journey. Lastly we wrap up with what art has done for our mental health.

WATCH THIS EPISODE HERE

About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.

GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook, Youtube & Website
Produced by Dave Benoit
Photography by Mary Partee

In EPISODE 2 of SEASON 4 we chat with actor, writer, producer and comedian, Brianna Blackburn aka Funny Girl Bri.

From wanting to be a police officer, influenced by her grandmother to her comedic influences of Bernie Mac & Bill Bellamy we start the episode diving into her comic roots. We chat about her first comedy performance to getting her first paid gig just 2-3 months later.

We chat about her family’s influence on her material, preparing for different audiences, her pre-show prep process, tough shows & being kicked off them. We then dive into staying encouraged, her “never being confident,” the Grand Rapids comedy scene, and advice for up & coming comedians.

We get into her Comedy Special filmed in 2022 and her growth in set times from 3min (her first show) to a 45min special.

We also get into:

• Her favorite comedy shows, movies, & comedians
• Who would be the five people to roast her, if she had another roast
• Some famous name drops
• Her process going into producing her own comedy shows
• A future talk show & people’s comfortability with just telling her all their secrets

Lastly, We finish with our question game. The cast & crew name a comedian, as Brianna gives her reactions, thoughts and stories about them.

Check out her comedy special HERE

Check out her movie Thanksgiving Roast 2 HERE

BIO: A classic laugh out loud comic, Brianna Blackburn has been making big waves in the Michigan comedy world. Combining solid material with crowd interaction, Brianna takes us on a hilarious ride that always ends in funny. Brianna is a multi time Laughfest performers, and has opened for Donnell Rawlings & Patton Oswalt as well as many others.

About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.

GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook, Youtube & Website
Produced by Dave Benoit
Photography by Mary Partee

THE IN-HOUSE SERIES: Part Four. The In-House Series highlights and give flowers to the in-house team members that are essential to our podcast success..

In EPISODE 1 of SEASON 4 we chat with Writer, Speaker, Director, Actor, Photographer & our very own podcast co-host George Ward. We start the episode, and to much of a surprise to the rest of the cast & crew, dive into George’s first creative mediums of music & singing and how growing up in church influenced that.

We give him, his flowers, literally. We chat about how his interest in reading & love for books have influenced his writing. How much the podcast is more than just a podcast but a form of therapy a strong community for him. We chat about the journey of creating his respective short films Do Over” & “The Miseducation of Adulting”and his YouTube series “A Moment of Clarity”.

We dive into his bouts with mental health, holding space in lives of others, and the ebbs & flows of his photography journey. We dive into his how his faith and art have mixed and all that has come from that.

We get into some powerful moments George discovered & reflected on while writing his book giving an account on the relationship he had with his father and his father’s impact on their family. Lastly, We finish with our question game. Sophie & Alfield share some of their favorite Ward Words of Wisdoms from Facebook as George shares his live reactions & stories about them.

BIO: Born & raised in Grand Rapids, George Ward is a multi-hyphenate creative. His artistic expressions covers Writing, Motivational Speaking, Directing, Acting and Photography. He is also one of the co-host of the GOATs podcast.

George has acted in local theatre shows like, “Clybourne Park,” starred in nationally televised commercials for Baker College as well written, directed, acted & produced the short films “Do Over” & “The Miseducation of Adulting”. He also had a YouTube series entitled “A Moment of Clarity” where he shared motivational & inspirational words of wisdom on faith, life and overcoming hardships.

George use his creative mediums to share about the importance of mental health, how it can impact creatives and how an individual’s platform/influence can help others. Currently, George is in the process of writing a book giving an account on the relationship he had with his father and his father’s impact on their family.

About: Multi-hyphenate creatives Sophie Rodriguez, George Ward and Alfield Reeves get together to chat about the arts, culture & their lives as creatives.

GOATs Podcast Socials Instagram, Facebook, Youtube & Website
Produced by Dave Benoit
Photography by Mary Partee