November 17, 2022, 7:30AM

Ian Cairns was born in Melbourne, Australia on July 24th, 1952, grew up in Cottesloe, a beach suburb of Perth, Western Australia and has been a surfer for over 55 years. Honing his surfing in the big and stormy waves of Yallingup and Margaret River, 200 miles south of Perth, Ian developed world-level big wave skills that lead to a successful 10-year pro surfing career. Ian was influential in establishing the world professional surfing circuit and particularly the World Championship Tour. He was known as the premier "power" surfer of his era who dominated the North Shore during the mid to late-seventies.

In the 1980s Ian coached young surfers and in 2010 became the Head Coach of Surfing America winning world Championship Gold at the ISA World Games in 2010, ISA World Masters in 2013 and ISA World Standup and Paddling Championships in 2015. In late 2020 Ian and his partners launched a new media venture, Surfing.com, and produced and syndicated the World of Waves TV (WOW).

January 19, 2023, 7:30AM

A lifelong resident of Laguna Beach, Alex Rounaghi was elected to the Laguna Beach City Council in November 2022. His top priorities include undergrounding power lines on Laguna Canyon Road, fully funding public safety, addressing housing needs for seniors and artists, protecting the environment, and advancing data-driven government. Prior to his election, Alex served as Chair of the Laguna Beach Housing & Human Services Committee. Alex is a graduate of Laguna Beach public schools and Dartmouth College.

February 16, 2023, 7:30AM

Based in Laguna Beach, CA, Jorg Dubin has had an extensive career creating paintings, sculptures, ceramics and working in design for over forty-five years. Dubin studied painting at the Art Institute of Southern California with Stephen Douglas and sculpture and design with Kris Cox and Richard White. He has been the art director, set builder, and production designer on seven films for O Entertainment. Dubin designed and fabricated the Sept. 11th. Memorial for the city of Laguna Beach titled, “Semper Memento”, (Never Forget), built from two I-beams from the world trade center. He has also created over ten site-specific sculptures and has created work for the hospitality industry all around the country for their public spaces and high-end restaurants. Dubin currently maintains a painting and sculpture studio in Laguna Beach, CA.

July 21, 2022, 7:30AM

By the time Anders was 10 years old, he knew that he’d grow up to be either an architect or a heavy metal drummer. Anders shifted focus from the music studio to the architectural studio when ‘90s, grunge and alternative music pushed heavy metal out of the spotlight, and he began working for some of the best architects in Orange County. After finishing two degrees in architecture and design theory, Anders opened the doors to his own firm in 2005 where Anders specializes in innovative designs for custom homes, galleries, salons, restaurants, retail fashion boutiques and specialized commercial projects. He’s fortunate to have a diverse group of passionate architects working for him who find the same joy in making thoughtful architecture as he does.

Anders received a Master of Architecture degree from UCLA and Bachelor of Architecture degree, cum laude, from Cal Poly Pomona and served on the faculty of Cal Poly Pomona where he taught architectural design studio for 2 years.  Anders continues to be a guest lecturer and juror for architecture and design classes at Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Baptist University, USC, Saddleback College, Orange Coast College, Cal State Long Beach, Los Angeles Institute of Architecture, and Design, and Chapman University.

August 18, 2022, 7:30AM

 As the owner of Marilyn Wellness Studio located in beautiful Laguna Beach, California, Marilyn Montero serves clients to provide a magical experience with hypnotherapy, life coaching, and wellness coaching for all areas of their lives. These areas include weight loss, anxiety, stop smoking, depression, relationship, habit control, and much more. Marilyn uses her wisdom, education, skills, kindness, and natural intuition to provide an enhanced experience that allows clients to achieve optimal wellness.

Her goal is to understand where her clients are and help them discover their true-life desires to devise a personalized treatment plan that includes hypnosis to help them elevate as individuals to support all areas of their lives. Marilyn is driven by the concept that everyone she can help will have positive effects in the world.

As a clinical hypnotherapist, wellness coach, and life coach, Marilyn is passionate about helping others grow towards wellness. She lives with a deep passion for helping people, this fuels her soul when the results become their reality.

October 20, 2022, 7:30AM

Marian will discuss surviving COVID and maintaining a business in Laguna Beach for over 20 years.

Marian has a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Northern Kentucky University where she was a scholarship athlete in basketball and volleyball. She went on to receive a master’s degree in exercise physiology while pursuing coaching at Indiana University, ultimately becoming a head coach at University Of Wisconsin-Richland. Marian’s love for sports and fitness, and wide-ranging experience as a business owner has helped guide her vast experience in the industry as a general manager, sales manager, and owner.

April 21, 2022, 7:30AM

After graduating with an incredibly useful degree in philosophy from UC Santa Cruz, Sean Cook decided he would live in Florence, Italy for "a year or so." He figured he'd teach a bit of English, ride a scooter around the city like in a Fellini movie and learn to speak some Italian. While there he worked as an English teacher, Italian translator and then as the owner/manager of a largish English school in a medium-sized city on Italy's second biggest island, Sardinia. Never having really intended to move to Italy permanently, and having noticed that twenty-six years had elapsed since his arrival there in 1994, he decided it might be time to move back to the US, which he did in July of 2021, with his wife and two teenagers in tow. He has recently founded the online language school, Ciao Languages, where it is theoretically possible to study any language you could care to learn. He works from his office/home on Holly Street, right next to his mom and step dad's house (Pam and Al Oligino), just like a nice Italian family.

May 19, 2022, 7:30AM

After 30 years as a successful financial planner, Patrick decided to pursue another passion.

He enrolled in the chef’s school at Laguna Culinary in Laguna Beach. After graduating in 2008, Patrick took his passion for cooking and community and became head volunteer chef for the Orange County Rescue Mission homeless shelter. Patrick founded and operated the popular Kitchen in the Canyon in Laguna Beach, and is currently working as brand manager/sales rep for Ingardia Bros. Produce Inc. while still serving the community with his culinary skills through Orange County Rescue Mission

June 16, 2022, 7:30AM

Denise Di Novi is an award-winning film and television producer, whose projects have grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. Denise counts among her producing credits such diverse motion pictures as Heathers, Little Women, Practical Magic, Crazy Stupid Love, Focus, and a number of films during her producing association with Tim Burton, including Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood and James and the Giant Peach.

Denise also has experience as a director. Her directorial debut, the sexy, psychological action thriller, Unforgettable, starring Rosario Dawson and Katherine Heigl was released in April 2017. Di Novi has also directed television episodes of Sneaky Pete, Outlander, and Ray Donovan.

Denise set up her own production company, Di Novi Pictures, in 1993 at Columbia Pictures.  She went on to have a production deal at Warner Bros Pictures for two decades where she produced many incredible films. Most recently, Di Novi produced the AppleTV+ film The Sky Is Everywhere, directed by Josephine Decker.

Denise was the recipient of Women in Film’s 2016 Crystal + Lucy Award for Excellence in Film.

November 18, 2021, 7:30AM

Billy Fried grew up in Baltimore and graduated from Amherst College with a degree in English Literature and Asian Studies. Billy worked as a waiter in Honolulu, where he saved enough money to travel the world with a backpack, and immerse himself in Asian culture, which he had studied in college. A little serendipity led to some modeling gigs in Japan, which he then parlayed into travels and work in Europe. He met his then wife in Italy, and they launched a fashion line called Billy Ballo. After selling the business, Billy launched a magazine called Buying, Selling & Owning YOUR HOME. Billy embarked on a career in advertising, first working for global agency WB Doner as Sr VP, Business Development. The agency offered him an opportunity to move to Orange County to oversee and help grow the business. In 2003 he launched kayaks into the ocean with the birth of La Vida Laguna. Over the course of nearly 20 years his eco-friendly business has flourished and grown to now offer stand-up paddling, surfing, hiking, electric bike tours, and a number of corporate teambuilding activities. He has become a thought leader and speaker on corporate culture building through team play.

February 17, 2022, 7:30AM

After six years of managing various local coffee shops, Steve and Embry Munsey had friends and family encouraging them to start a coffeehouse. Because of their love for community and grand adventures, the idea took well—and it took quick! In late 2010 they started dreaming up and working on plans to open a Laguna Beach Coffee Shop in 2011.

Life, with its detours and curveballs, including the sudden loss of their son Jedidiah at birth led them to putting the dream on hold. They found themselves back in Embry’s hometown of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas five years later in 2016, and ended up launching their Mobile Coffee Bar Experience, “Jedidiah Coffee”. They were a part of many special events, exploring North Texas with their three kids in tow, but SoCal never stopped being home. In 2019 they settled back in Laguna Beach to continue the grand coffee adventure. . They love how coffee cultivates community; one of the many reasons why that they added “coffee roasters” to their resume in 2019. At the heart of Jedidiah Coffee (and the Munsey Family), they see a community gathering around a great cup of coffee.

March 17, 2022, 7:30AM

Jacob Cho has been actively teaching martial arts in Laguna Beach since 2008.  He started with an after-school program at Anneliese’s private schools then opened Cho’s Academy in September of 2009 with Dana Sara, both lifelong practitioners of the martial arts. Cho’s Academy is currently owned and operated full-time by Jacob.

He has a lifetime of experience coming from a family of martial arts experts.  More specifically, his father, a first-generation Korean-American immigrant is a Tae Kwon Do master and pioneer who began grooming Jacob at a very young age.

Jacob knew he wanted to teach full-time, but never imagined how challenging, rewarding and life-changing it would be.  Although his academy offers classes for all ages, he is most proud of the many opportunities he’s had to have a positive impact working with local kids.  His youth programs emphasize and cultivate discipline, work ethic, self-respect through commitment, effort and resulting accomplishments, respect and caring for others, patience, self-control, fitness, self-defense and much more.  Cho says, “The values and life-skills that traditional martial arts offer are timeless."

August 19, 2021, 7:30AM

Ms. Dupuis will discuss her top priorities as City Manager, including listening and collaborating with all the voices in our community through meetings with various organizations in town and via one-on-one conversations with business owners, residents and staff.

She will also discuss a series of comprehensive engagement and satisfaction surveys to include our business community, residents and entire City staff.   The results of these surveys will be presented to the City Council at a future strategic planning session so they can set goals and objectives to pursue over the next five years.

September 16, 2021, 7:30AM

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris is a businesswoman and community leader who was elected to the State Assembly in 2018. In her first term, Cottie has secured millions of dollars in funding for projects in our district and introduced important legislation to combat sea level rise, improve services for veterans and help small businesses.

Cottie serves as Chair of Assembly’s Accountability and Administrative Review Committee and as Chair of the Select Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She also serves on the Assembly’s committees for Banking & Finance; Revenue & Taxation; Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy and Veterans Affairs.

October 21, 2021, 7:30AM

Mayor Pro Tem Sue Kempf is nearing the end of her 3rd year as a Laguna Beach City Council member. Prior service to our community includes nearly 5 years as a Laguna Beach Planning Commissioner, 4 years as Chair of the City's Emergency Disaster Preparedness Committee, and a member of the Council appointed team to draft the View Preservation Ordinance.

In her professional career, Sue was the President of Mirion Technologies Dosimetry Services Division, Managing Director Vodafone PLC and Executive Director at Verizon Wireless.  Sue has served on a number of boards including the Vodafone Foundation and the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association.