Ask The Expert: Winning Emmy and Finding Peace with Karen Lee Cohen

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Hello, hello Amplifyou family Michelle Abraham your house here today for an ask the expert interview. I have a special guest here with me today Karen Lee Cohen. So, Karen, how are you doing today?

Fabulous. So good to see you, Michelle,

Podapalooza Intro/Outro: Great to see you too. So let me tell you guys a little bit more about Karen. She is a career and spiritual mentor, a public speaker. She's an author. She's an Emmy Award winning TV producer and a consulting. And among many other things, she's got an amazing award winning book, as called, it's about time, which we're going to dive into a little bit today, too. So Karen, it's great to have you here today. And you know, knowing that our audience, or people that want to get on the mic, get more exposure, get more visibility in their business, from someone who spent so many years in the world of television, and producing and things like that, what's the one piece of advice you would give them today, if they're still thinking about it?

Well one of the first things I tell people is to work hard. I mean, I know that sounds very, very simple. But it's amazing. So many of the people that I've helped get into the business there because they were insurance with me, and saw what good workers they were and I and so looking for internships, wherever you can, I think is really important in any business, but particularly in the television, film business, because there's a lot of opportunities there. And to look for mentors, and if you when you have a mentor to keep up with them, I've mentored quite a few people. And some of them keep in touch with some don't. And it's you know, I try to keep in touch with them, that it's really important to keep that communication going, whether it's on social media or our emails. So you know, work hard show that you know what you're doing. One of the biggest things that I did when I was starting out was I learned as much about the business as I could, you know, just, you know, how to light how to direct edit, to write, and not that I would ever get paid for any of those things. But I felt that in order to be and I pretty well knew I wanted to be a producer and an executive, I felt that I needed to know it all so that before I could tell somebody else what to do, I sell, I highly recommend that you figure that what however you do it, whether it's doing your own little videos, I doubt what it what it takes to do audio, what it takes to do it what it takes to do video, so that you have a pretty good overall feel for what it is. And also don't say you have to do one particular thing. I mean, that's, you know, a lot of us, a lot of people go into the business, saying, I definitely want to be a producer, I definitely want to be a director. And one of the things that I've learned is to just let let that evolve, get involved in as many different areas as you can, and see what really suits you. And I know that's very hard, especially for young people who go to who are very, very focused on what they want, but the more open you can be and just to allow the opportunities to present themselves.

They think, you know, to boil it down and do what you're seeing is that it's a lot about relationships to so connect with the right people offer to be of service to that. Keep in contact with them. And then also I know what you're saying about the tribe, you know, if being able to do it yourself, like when when we tell when we have clients or watch podcasts like, you know, if you learn to do it yourself first, they know how you want it done. So when you have a team do it or someone else do it, it kind of it makes sense to it. It's a little bit helpful. Yeah, great. Yeah. And I remember that back to my fitness careers, like I wanted to go into fitness to I think help new moms, but I hadn't been any mom myself. And so, you know, I found that hard to work with new moms until I had become a new mom. But then I realized that working with all different kinds of people fitness, I really liked the people that were more advanced in fitness and pushing them harder to reach goals. So either you got to try a bunch of different things before you decide which thing that you like the best. So that's great advice. I'm right there with you. So let's talk about how did you go from being a TV producer to writing your own book About your TV career.

It was a long journey. But I went from actually from being a TV producer to being a TV executive. I was program director at NBC in New York for eight years. And then I, before I became program director while I was program directors, also executive producer, and I won my first Emmy, which was when I was in Chicago as a as a producer. And then I won seven of the my eight Emmys when I was in New York, yes, executive producer doing talk shows and documentaries and things like that. So I was AWS I was executive and producer at at the same time. It was many, many, many years later that I wrote the book, I only wrote the book, and I just started in 21 finished it. And in 2022, during the pandemic, then many people had told me, you know, oh, gee, I had an early career I was in I lived in Los Angeles, Hollywood twice. And the first time was when I was just starting out as a production assistant. And I had moved to LA with $100 in my pocket, go and I'm going to, I'm going to try this. So the first time I was there, I had just wonderful good luck. I worked with a wonderful woman named Della Reese, which some of your your audience will know. And some won't doubt you probably know, della from Touched by an Angel, but she had a music variety show when many, many years ago and when I worked with her, and she was an extraordinary game, I got to work with her and Bob Hope which again, not everybody might know this is right. Because right. No, no, no, no. Bob Hope the hope snuck on. It's did I probably miss mispronounced it?

No, that was me. That was me just not knowing my TV personalities very well.

I was fortunate enough to be with him when he was doing the USO tours. So I worked overseas, but I actually got to go to one one of the USO tours. And we went to Vietnam and Germany and Greece and Thailand. And it was during the Vietnam War, or ordinary experience, which would will take a lot of time to explain, but it's in the book. It was an extraordinary opportunity to see firsthand what goes on in in, in a war zone. When I worked for Rod Serling, who was just an extraordinary man. He was the one who did the Twilight Zone. So but I was we did it. A Hollywood show called Hollywood radio theater where we actually did rate we did dramas on the radio. And that was great. Yeah, it was very cool. It's an extraordinary experience. And it was extraordinary working with him. He was just an amazing gentleman. And then later I worked with people like jewel the singer, and Al Roker, I did a pilot without before he was known as dead as well known as he has he is now for the today's show. And I did eight Christmas tree lighting. So people like Lily Tomlin and Peter Allen and Betty Buckley. So I've had a lot of fun experiences, which is why people tell me I should write a book.

But when you've had some amazing experiences,

When actually the the impetus for actually doing the book was I'm very active with my my Alumni Association, I'm on the Columbia College Chicago's Alumni Board. And in 1920, and 19, and 2021, we had what was called a grad Expo, where we had a zoom setup where we, we had we were in different rooms, and we were talking with students who are graduating, and I was in the Zoom Room for students who might want to live in another city because I live live in Los Angeles. And for whatever reason I was motivated, but one of Miami's in the in on my desk, where the where the book is now. And so I got a lot of attention and a couple of the gentlemen that are said, Karen, you need to write a book about how to win an Emmy ring really write a book about how to win anatomy, first of all, quantify it. And second of all, they Television Academy wouldn't allow me to use which I later confirmed they wouldn't let me use it in either the front or the back cover. But it was enough and it was during the pandemic so it was enough of the impetus for me to say to myself you know what, it's about time to sit down and write it and something else which is he a credit my angels and guides with something gave me the idea to write to colleagues and friends and relatives to ask them to send me their memories, which was just

One I think that would have been cool. i

And again, I cannot tell you where that came from. So I'll go I'll give my angels the credit for it but was so in That was before I'd written a line, I wrote the email, what I ended up doing is using and I had probably about 45 people respond. And I use, there's probably about 25 of them in the book. And what I did was I wrote a chapter and then it's a memory of bytes of that chapter, I put their memories. Um, so I kept it separate. It was so much fun to see how people remember things differently. What my memory is, or what somebody else that were yes was different. So that that's kind of how I went from being a producer and television executive to writing the book with a lot of stuff in between. That's amazing.

You've worked with some incredible people. How do you hold your composure when you're working with such amazing people and not be like the star is starstruck? You know, like, you mentioned so many people that are like, very famous that you worked with? Yeah. No

Time to be starstruck.

Treat them like regular people. I think that's probably the right. Yeah,

Well, because they are. And also just to get your job done. I mean, most of them, I was a production assistant or associate director on those shows. So I had a lot of work to do. So there really was no time to be starstruck with any of them. You just you work, you put you down, and and you work. And maybe after that, when I was writing the book, I was probably more pressing. I'm

Podapalooza Intro/Outro: looking back at all the people that you were just like, focused on, like, how out excuse me, yeah, you've met the Dalai Lama to having you.

That was, you know, it. Again, it was something that I was not conscious of, at the time, we did a show when I was at NBC in New York, we did a show called the first state. This was all local television, that network, and wonderful Manning rest Barber was the host and producer. And he said, Karen, you gotta come meet the Dalai Lama. And I really didn't know who that was. But I trusted wrestling. They said, Okay, and it was set. I mean, I look back at it. Now, again, I would have taken some pictures with just excuse me, in those days, I said everything to my mother. And she had come to Canada with pictures. And I realized now the impact it had on my life. At the time I was in, there's pictures of the book of what I was told to you and a shawl, a scarf. And he had he takes that, and which he did, and we have a picture of that. But then he put the scarf around his arm and shook my hand. And this was his first or second time in the United States. And I found out later that he didn't do that. Especially then, and not with a woman. So I've been told that that was extraordinary. Yes. Yes. So I and I have a picture of him shaking my hand. So again, it's something that in retrospect,

Yeah, at the time, were you just some random person? Just a regular guy you're meeting? Yeah.

Well, I mean, I knew them. Because of our fun stuff. I knew there was something special, special, Jim, but I really had not studied them. I did not know the situation. And Taiwan. I really did not now and now he's, you know, he's one of people that I that I think is one of the extraordinary do in Saudi, sir. But yeah

You might know, then. That's so cool. And so how did you kind of like, you know, you've been on your spiritual side to you now, is that always been there? Or is that something that's kind of grown over? Over time?

Absolutely grown over time, I grew up not even realizing that angels and guides existed. I wasn't part of my upbringing, I really didn't. Now the first time I lived in LA, I was in a bookstore in an angel book fell off, fell, fell down on my bed at night. And I and I bought it and read it, but I was not really very conscious. Again, follow that.

People may have ignored that and be like, Oh, bookseller, my head who knows that?

Yes, guys somehow just didn't know it was assigned. But in again, it wasn't until I wrote the book that I realized how much that had been part of my life, all my life. The twists and turns that I took during my life, and during my career, had to be guided. I mean, I just, you know, something didn't work. I picked myself up and you know, think there's a book about that and start opening the saga about that, and start all over again. And I had to start all over again quite a few times. And that I'm still I'm still doing that. So but I realized that because in my current belief system because of my angels and guides, I trusted my intuition. I learned to trust my my intuition, and I haven't been guided throughout my life. I've just there's some wonderful people that I work with that, that I've, I've worked with. And I call my teammates that are mentioned in the book. But also if you go to my website, and you sign up, you can get a list of them just people. There's a woman called Sue Storm, who's also self, the angel lady. And she introduced me to a bunch of my angels who I call on all the time by by name. So it's, it's a process, but you know, it didn't it didn't happen overnight.

Yeah, I bite in so now I was reading on your website, you, you now are have a company that's very much a part of your spiritual journey, too. And in your production in production, is that right? Well,

Crystal pyramid productions, which I formed back in 1989. When I first when I moved to Los Angeles, the second time after, after I was in New York, I moved to Los Angeles to work for this show called hard copy. And that's that's a long story. But I, I was smart enough to put in my contract that I could, after the first six months, I was allowed to form my own company, which is what I said that crystal period production has been around for a long time, then. Yeah, yeah. It has been around for a long time. It's just to see it too, has had with the insurance, but now it's, it will be, I think, the basis for the West BDS movement, which is what I'm working on now.

That's great. Well, that's a beautiful segue, because I was gonna ask you about that. So tell us more about the movement that you're creating. i

Yeah. i, it started with me thinking that I was going to do a follow up to my memoir, I was going to write because there's a chapter about spirituality and a trap chapter about my health and wellness journey in the book. And I knew that I needed to do much more of that I didn't want that to be in the in the first book. So I started writing second book about my health and wellness, alternative health and wellness journey. And that that's key, because I've, for a long time been trying to launch an alternative health and wellness channel, which is another one story, however, but in the process, it became obvious to me that and less speak ease came as again, I'm not sure where it came from. But I had for well over 10 years, I had been signing all my social media with with species. And the idea to be peace I got from a woman named Alexandra Carroll, who was Jules mom, she wrote a book called The architecture of all of all abundance and energy talks about when your peace inside that cell will create peace in the world. And for whatever reason that resonated with Yeah, so that's so the book became is becoming less Vitis, and at 1.1 of my friends and colleagues said to me, Karen, this isn't a book, there's some movement. And that feels right. You know, I, that's my purpose. That's what I'm here for, to help people learn how to be patient side. And I do believe that's how we will create peace in the world, it's going to get one on one basis, it's you and me. And then next guy, just being patient side, and knowing that we are one, but that's a process. So the book has both alternative health and wellness modalities, they have like, right now, 14 people who are who are in it, with, you know, very, very specific kind of modalities, but they're all very spiritual. So everyone talks about what Leslie peace means to them, how to peace. And then whenever in their their modality is. So it's kind of like Sinead, the most important thing I've ever done. Yeah, I don't know where it's gonna go. And I don't get there. Which been wonderful is that people just coming from all over Sandy want to be

Yeah, that's the exciting thing about a movement and it is something we kind of coach our podcasters on, you create some content that's movement worthy and people get on board with it and you never know where it's gonna go then when it becomes bigger than you and it becomes something that's got a has specific, a specific goal of its I think that's really beautiful. And I think there's that sounds like a beautiful movement. No, no better way to create world peace I didn't have making sure we all have in our internal peace, and being peace. I think that's so wonderful. So exciting to see the journey, where that goes, and the adventures that takes him the people I brings on board. But it's such a great way to have such a strong message when you you're really creating a movement and that's really awesome.

And as you said it's creating itself. It's not about Yeah, this

This thing it takes off on its own In a truly a movement.

Yeah, exactly. And that's and that feels right. What one of the things that that came to me when someone asked me recently, what what is your message? And it's love and trust yourself. Now when we love and trust ourselves, we will be able to eat a swamp. Yeah.

Well, Karen, this has been awesome. Amy had one last question about it's about time. So I know we talked about your book, and we talked about you writing it? Would you take a look at the significance of the title of it, and they just keep looking at it and the picture on the screen? For those who are listening by he has a picture on the book there that keep looking at and going, what do I bet this the title of it? What What was it about time for I'm hearing

And the titles, it's about time I award winning TV adventure, and the only reason I say that is you look up. It's about time, there's no books called it. So where it came from was when I won my first family, which was when I was in Chicago was for a show called NBC salute chic Chicago, it was a music variety special. And it was about the opening of the apparel market in Chicago. Anyway, I it was my first Emmy. And when I went to accept it, I looked to the audience, and I said, it's been a long time. But what I meant was this about time, I had been nominated dozens of times.

And I am what you want.

Yeah. That's one of my fun stories yet. So yeah. Was

that your first that was the first one doing you've gone? When several other since then?

Yes, then then I went so a lot of theirs. But the first one will always be a little Right. Like, like any other first ride?

Oh, that's awesome. I thought that must have been something significant in the in the book. So that's very cool. Any last words of advice for our podcasters that are out there sharing their message and the world

Will definitely to love and trust yourself. Go inside, trust your intuition to be peaceful and and I don't know, maybe just in a spiritual sense. But to stop and read or meditate or do things to help yourself, really know that all of your answers are inside. And I know that some big big asks to know that if somebody has said that to me 10 years ago yet sure. But it is the message that I have now that we really do have that. Get as many teammates as you need, you know, and be be smart about it. But at the end, trust yourself. Just know that only you know, know what's good for you. Other people can help you, they can advise you with the real answers inside of year and trust that.

Amazing, beautiful, thank you so much for sharing your time with us today. Can you tell our audience a little bit more about where we can find the book and more about you? And if they want to have you on on their show as a guest?

Oh, yes, probably the best way is you can get to my website by less BP stat calm. Or Karen Lee cohen.com. You can buy the book either there or on amazon.com. And to contact you can contact me to be a guest there or go to my email which is KarenLeeCohen1@gmail.com.

Also, thank you so much, Karen, for being with us today. It's been a pleasure having you on there amplify your family. Make sure you go and check out Karen online, follow her follow along with her journey. You'll grab her book and reach out to her and want to have her on as guests on your show. Your thanks so much for being with us say

Thank you.

You're welcome. All right, Amplifyou go out there. Have a fabulous week. We'll see you again next city.

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