Meet Lara Vanian-Green  Podcaster July 15, 2021 We had the good fortune of connecting with Lara Vanian-Green and we’ve shared our conversation below. Hi Lara, what is the most important factor behind your success? There are several factors that I credit for the success of my podcast, but if I had to narrow it down to just one, it would have to be authenticity. Listeners instinctively sense when there is a lack of transparency or sincerity. By being honest about our stories, our lives, and perhaps most importantly – our imperfections, we foster a genuine sense of trust that people can relate to. We refer to our listeners as family and think of them as such. Once a month, we host virtual zoom meetings around a single topic, chosen by the participants. These have evolved into intimate gatherings of like-minded individuals and some have blossomed into real-world friendships. Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community? As a child of immigrant parents, growing up in the United States posed an inevitable sense of straddling two completely different sets of cultures. Among Americans, I frequently felt that I wasn’t “American enough” and in the Armenian community, I couldn’t help but feel like I wasn’t “Armenian enough,” which led to a perpetual lack of clarity as to where I truly belonged. This sense of being an outsider became a part of my identity. As a naturally sensitive kid, I was keenly aware of the loneliness of not fitting in with any particular group. As a result, I became a champion of the underdog. I was roughly 10 years old the first time I circulated a petition of my own making to the principal of my school demanding change! And I’ve been causing good trouble ever since. Many years ago, I heard about a story involving Mother Teresa, that solidified and in fact, perhaps for the first time, gave words to what I had long sensed was my life’s purpose. Mother Teresa was being interviewed by a radio host who told her that she had done so much for so many, that he wanted to do something for her. When he asked her what he could do, she told him to arise at dawn and go to where the homeless congregated in his city and find someone who felt that they were alone and to convince them that they weren’t. By no means would I compare myself to any saint, but our mission in that regard is essentially the same. I have a deep, visceral reaction to people who feel alone, who feel like outsiders looking in, who feel misunderstood, and my purpose is to welcome them into my motley family. We are all misfits in some regard, despite appearances to the contrary. While my belief is that this message is universal, I also felt that I could have the most impact on my community of origin: diasporan Armenians. Certain communities – and I can think of several that fit the bill – demand that you be one of them before they allow themselves to take in whatever it is you have to say. In my experience, Armenians are chief among them. I had my own motivation, too. After the birth of my daughter, I gave a lot of thought about what sort of Armenian community she would one day encounter, and I wondered if I might be able to have any influence in helping to shape the Armenian diasporan mindset of the future. It was with that sense of agency that I began to work towards my podcast in earnest. What I want people to know about Armenians in the diaspora and about my podcast is that we are not a monolithic people. We are as extraordinary and as flawed as any other group. We have a rich cultural heritage and are united by the intergenerational trauma of the first genocide of the twentieth century, but we are not defined by our past. And, frankly, I want all Armenians to know that, too. I want Armenians to stop trying to box in other Armenians because by doing so, you inhibit their genius and impoverish our community. I want Armenians to live up to the authentic Armenian ideals of generosity, hard work, and a united sense of oneness – from those who are one hundred percent Armenian by blood… or one thousandth of a percentage. The truth is that we are all one. If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to? Where would I take someone visiting L.A. for the first time? Well, for delicious Armenian food, we would have to stop by Carousel in Glendale. I’m a big fan of the mezzes (or appetizers) rather than meals, and many of those are vegan, which is a huge bonus! Also, Armenian coffee is a must. If you’ve never experienced the richness of Armenian coffee followed by a reading of your fortune in the cup, you’ve been missing out! It would be a crime to come to L.A. and not visit the beach, so for a fun afternoon, I would take them to the Santa Monica pier to people watch and take in the sights… but for a real beach experience, and let’s face it, fewer crowds, I would highly recommend Matador Beach in Malibu. It’s stunning and moderately secluded.   Who else deserves some credit and recognition? Above all else, I am genuinely grateful for the amazing support of our listener family. When I started Armenian Enough, I really didn’t know if my experiences would resonate with anyone else – they seemed so unique to me and I had always felt like an outsider when it came to the Armenian community. From Episode Zero on, the messages of appreciation from fans and the emails letting me know how similar their experiences in the community were, gave me the encouragement and incentive to dive even deeper and continue to develop my podcast. I would be remiss not to thank Anna Darian, my co-host for the virtual meetups (which were her idea!) Her confidence has helped bolster mine. My family and close friends were also very supportive. The first year, my young daughter would tell every single person she met, “My mommy has a podcast!” (It was pretty cute.) My biggest cheerleader all through the years has been my husband, who loves to brag to his musician friends that his wife gets more fan-mail than he does! Website: www.ArmenianEnough.com Instagram: @ArmenianEnough Facebook: @ArmenianEnough Image Credits @eric_fallecker Samantha Vanian-Green Link to original article: https://shoutoutla.com/meet-lara-vanian-green-investment-manager-podcaster/

Over the last several weeks, it has felt like life was threatening to come apart at the seams. Every day was filled with stress and uncertainty and worries about things that were completely out of my control. The one thing that was a constant wellspring of hope, love, and inspiration for me was the story of Mandy Breitenstein, who I follow on IG via her account @a_september_monday I’m not a religious person, but if every Christian were like her, I would WANT to be a part of a group like that. She walks the talk in a big way and with love & humility & reverence at her core. I wish I could be like Mandy. There’s a lot to her story and I don’t know all of it, but what I do know is that she and her husband (who already have four beautiful children) spent 777 days and over $50,000 to adopt a little girl with Down Syndrome from Armenia. Mandy is not Armenian by blood, but had a great aunt who was Armenian and says that she feels Armenian in her soul. She is Armenian enough. Children born with Down Syndrome are routinely abandoned after birth in Armenia. This is a fact and I try very hard not to judge that. The culture is certainly not welcoming towards children with different abilities. Armenia will only allow foreign adoption of children with disabilities. And despite the fact that there is not a long list of Armenians (or people in general) waiting to adopt them, the government has made the process a long and arduous one. In spite of this, the Breitenstein family has persevered – through a pandemic, through war in the region, through great financial and emotional struggle, to travel to Armenia with their four children in order to retrieve their fifth child, Ember. They consider themselves blessed to have her and to finally be able to give her the life she truly deserves. Two-year old Ember had never seen the outside world, having grown up within the walls of the orphanage. She had never been outside, never felt the grass under her feet, never gazed at city streets from the safety of a cozy stroller. Never had the love and constant attention from siblings and caretakers alike. Her list of nevers was a long one. To watch this family with this child… to watch her brothers and sisters embrace her and dote on her, to watch her new parents gush over her and pamper her… to watch Ember laugh and play and be joyful is truly to be in the presence of LOVE. Every day, I draw hope and inspiration from this family. They have given me so much already. They have given all of us so much. It is my wish to put together a care package with Armenian-themed gifts for baby Ember (and her lovely family). I’m hoping we can collect children’s books, toys, t-shirts… anything at all to show this family how grateful we are for their spectacular generosity and that they are welcome in our Armenian family forever. If you own a shop, store, or feel like creating a handmade item to donate, please get in touch with me at ArmenianEnough@gmail.com Let’s show this family that we love and appreciate them! And welcome Armenian and Armenian-adjacent families everywhere!

Voyage LA’s Article on my podcast can be linked to directly HERE. You can find our photos there, too. Only the text is copied below. JULY 1, 2020 Meet Lara Vanian Green Today we’d like to introduce you to Lara Vanian Green. Lara Vanian, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far. The idea for Armenian Enough – the podcast – came from a conversation I had with a friend, where we were talking about all kinds of things that fall under the general umbrella of LIFE. However, there was an additional layer of examination, an all-too-familiar one for people who belong to two or more cultures: what did this mean as an Armenian? (A variant of WWJD?) And when I pointed that out, she suggested I host a talk-show of some kind on the topic. Eventually, that morphed into a podcast idea. We discussed whether it should be in Armenian or English. I wasn’t sure my Armenian was up to par or whether we would reach our target audience (i.e., people like us). She said, “Well, you’re not Armenian-Armenian!” and I said, “Yeah, but I’m Armenian enough!” Immediately, I knew I wanted that to be the name of the podcast. Armenian Enough is about all aspects of life and culture in the diaspora. What does it mean to be Armenian enough? Who gets to decide the degree to which we are allowed to claim our heritage? How does belonging to two (or more) cultures affect our experiences, our world view, and our most intimate relationships? Every other Thursday (when the podcast is in season) we release an episode exploring an aspect of Armenian culture. We have episodes about coming out to conservative parents, about interracial marriages and raising biracial children, and even about Armenian paganism. My goal, outside of self-expression and discovery, is that Armenian Enough serves as a place where diasporan Armenians can find a true community where we are understood and embraced in every aspect — to finally feel at home in our own skin. Our growth has been slow and steady. We don’t pay to advertise so the growth has been completely word-of-mouth. As of today, we have over 27,000 downloads – something I’m very proud of, considering what a niche community we represent. The most rewarding aspect of putting myself out there (I do share about myself on the show) is the countless letters and messages I receive from listeners saying they never realized there were other people like them until they listened to the show. I felt the same way! The fact that we can connect in this way and realize that we are not alone and that our experiences are shared by others gives me the encouragement I need to keep pushing the envelope of what it means to be Armenian Enough in today’s world. We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? The hardest part was probably the steep learning curve regarding the technical aspects of podcasting! I had never so much as listened to a podcast before I had the idea to make one. I just knew I had a lot to say and I was banking on the fact that if I felt a certain way, there were probably a lot of other people who felt the same. I watched tons of tutorials and read books, but at the end of the day, there was nothing more powerful than plugging in the microphone and starting to record. I’m still not the best at editing, but I’m improving all the time. I spend between 4 to 6 hours editing my podcasts. Weekly, between booking guests, research, recording, editing and then promoting on social media, I would say I spend about 20 hours a week on each episode. That’s a lot of unpaid labor, but I look at it as a community service. We need this. I know we need it because of the overwhelming response of our listeners. And I don’t plan to stop doing what I’m doing until I’m all out of things to say, but people who know me well know how unlikely that is! We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know? Our podcast is the only podcast dedicated to life and culture in the Armenian diaspora. We feature outside the box topics and interview people who are pushing the boundaries of what it means to be Armenian. We are known for being a progressive, LGBTQ positive, forward-thinking voice within the community and we call out racism, homophobia, and out-of-date mores at every turn. I am incredibly proud that we are able to showcase the many expressions of modern diasporan Armenians and in doing so, break free from the tired old notions of having to fit in a particular box to be deemed acceptable within our communities. What is “success” or “successful” for you? Of course, I would love our podcast to hit one million downloads, but that’s not how I measure success. It’s the fact that our show is relevant, that it touches people, makes them think… and hopefully, opens their mind to new ways of being, new ways of recognizing their place in the world. To me, being a success means making a difference, and I believe we are doing that with every episode. We discuss things that have long been considered taboo in Armenian culture, from infertility to being transgender, to losing a spouse to suicide. We aren’t afraid to confront difficult topics and we do so with compassion and integrity. Contact Info: Website: www.ArmenianEnough.com Email: ArmenianEnough@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ArmenianEnough/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArmenianEnough/ Image Credit: Samantha Vanian-Green

Blown away by Alexis Ohanian’s video. It’s amazing to consider how many of us growing up in the Armenian diaspora, struggling to belong to two or more cultures, have internalized this feeling of never being enough. Armenian Enough, the podcast, is a forum in which any and all segments of our disjointed community can come together and engage in honest and vulnerable discussions about the pain, the love, and the humor we experience in our big and beautiful family.

People create works of art for different reasons – for themselves or to become famous or maybe even as a form of therapy. But the Armenian Enough podcast was created for YOU. As the first and only English-language podcast dedicated exclusively to life and identity in the Armenian diaspora, it has already broken new ground and laid the foundation for podcasts that follow. It is both a mirror for the current state of the Armenian diaspora and an invitation to look deeper at ourselves, to make the changes we want to see in the community, to pave the way for future generations. It is a labor of love, but make no mistake, it is still labor. The podcast is now and will always remain free. So, why should you support us by becoming a Patron? Because your support is how we measure what Armenian Enough means to you. Without listener support, there would be little reason to continue the grueling work of producing a bi-monthly podcast: soliciting guests, conducting research, investing in equipment, subscription fees for hosting and remote recording, website & promotion expenses, not to mention the 25+ weekly hours of intense work to produce a thought-provoking, quality podcast for your listening pleasure. I wish guests just turned up magically at my door and I could sit them down, hit the record button, and pop the interview on a podcast server! But it doesn’t work that way. (Shucks!) I podcast because I love it. Because I have something to say. Because I think all our stories deserve to be told. We deserve to be heard. And because I believe it makes a difference. Actually, I know it makes a difference because of the number of listener messages we receive. You’ve told us either in person or online, how much it means to finally see yourselves reflected, to see yourselves embraced by the Armenian community. It’s easy to think that someone else will do it, so you don’t have to. (And technically, you don’t have to.) But I hope you want to. Every single day, you vote for the kind of world you want to live in, with every dollar you spend. I’m asking for your vote, for your support, for your help in creating this space for meaningful, enlightening, and necessary conversations. Please become a Patron of Armenian Enough today. Thank you, Lara

On their Instagram account yesterday, @kooyrigs asked the question: has there ever been a time you haven’t felt Armenian Enough? They invited people to respond and then posted their responses anonymously. Some of them are reposted here, with permission. [www.kooyrigs.com]  

We LOVE our listeners. And it’s difficult to ask for things, even when they are needed. But let me start by saying, you absolutely do not have to donate. We will still love you just as much. The podcast is now and will always be free. All the time, energy, skill, love, and yes, money, has been given freely as well. Podcasting equipment costs us money, though, as do: software, remote recording platform subscriptions, graphic designers, DAWs, backup microphones and professional recording devices, not to mention pins, mugs, t-shirts, FB / IG ads, and professional tech support. I easily spend 25+ hours a week on average producing the bi-monthly shows. Recently, we experienced a slew of recording problems – each week was a different disaster. I lost sleep. A lot of it. My nerves were frayed. I felt so embarrassed the day I had to tell a guest that her entire brilliant, spontaneous interview was unusable. I vowed that would never happen again. I purchased a dedicated laptop to use solely for recording along with individual XLR mics and a backup recording system. (I still have next to no control over remote interviews, though. It is what it is.) I podcast because I love it. And I believe it makes a difference. Armenian Enough is a passion project for me. What I love most is when our listeners tell me how much something they heard touched them or made them see an issue from a different point of view. That’s how I get paid – in fan mail!!! Additionally, I’m a person who truly enjoys supporting people and projects I think are important. I like the feeling of being a small part of something great that someone else is doing. I like to encourage people who are in pursuit of their dreams. Sometimes, encouragement means being a Patreon donor or buying artwork or other merchandise simply because you want that person to be able to create more and do so more comfortably. That’s why the donation button is there. If you feel in your heart that you want to contribute, then please do. It all goes toward making the podcast better and engaging more listeners. Each one of us can truly change the world.  

I recently contacted an Armenian artist, whom I admire, to invite him to be a guest on the podcast. He politely declined. But his reason for declining the interview has haunted me since. He said to me that the only negativity towards his work has come from other Armenians and he wants next to nothing to do with the community. At first, I was saddened and a little shocked. I mean, he is a virtuoso. There’s no one quite like him in the world. He has brought Armenian themes (to not give too much away about his art form) to the world at large and received praise and applause. He is beautiful, and sensitive, and deep and openly gay. I Googled an old interview of his and discovered that when he initially rose to fame, the worldwide adulation was accompanied by hate mail and death threats. From Armenians. Only from Armenians. His own people had betrayed him. And I thought, no wonder he wants nothing to do with Armenians… he deserves to protect himself, his life, his sanity and peace of mind. It made me terribly sad. If we can alienate even the geniuses among us, what chance do ordinary Armenians stand? How can we tolerate this ignorance and allow racism, homophobia, misogyny to continue to claim victims in our community? We cannot. We must not. Each and every one of us must speak out, and embody our authentic selves, to protect the vulnerable among us. It’s the only way we will ever be able to create a community where all Armenians who have ever felt on the fringes of our society will truly feel at Home.

A few hours ago, I wrapped up an interview with easily the most well-known guest I’ve had on the show so far. It was truly an honor to be given hours of this man’s time — not in the slightest because he is an Armenian celebrity — but because after immersing myself in his work, I recognize the soul of a genuine artist. He is the only guest I’ve had on the show who refused my offer to send preliminary questions because he wanted to be spontaneous. You have to admire that. I do. So, I figured, I would still prepare a few questions (just for me!) but I would aim to be truly present and in the moment so I could surrender myself to the natural flow of our conversation. And I think I did that, for the most part. I could have talked to him for hours on end. Since my mother’s death, there is no one to have those deep-soul-dive conversations with. I long for those days… and maybe through him, I got to experience a glimpse of that again. Maybe I fan-girled a little, too. I forgot to ask him to autograph his book that he brought me as a gift. I forgot to take a photo or selfie (is it still called a selfie when there are two people in the picture?) I forgot to capture the moment because I was so present in the moment itself. Did I do the right thing? Not from a promotional standpoint, I know. But I gave myself to the moment and allowed myself to have it. Completely. It seemed only fitting since he was totally present for me. And oddly, in this day & age of documenting everything, not having done so has given an aura of purity to our encounter. And I like that. A lot.