Welcome to The Purple Cult, where we strive to live more creative, mentally and physically well lives! The Purple Sessions are a new series where independent alt-rock artist Anastasia Elliot interviews fascinating people about creativity, mental health, wellness, and how they inform each other. You will hear inspirational stories from many different walks of life and gain tips and tricks for hacking your own authentic self expression and mental health. In Episode 9, Anastasia interviews Matt Wagner, AKA, MNERVA in preparation for their show in Nashville, June 15. Matt is a multi-talented artist. As a drummer, rapper, singer, and musical theater writer, Matt strives to live his most creative life by stretching himself into all of these outlets. He is passionate about mental health and being completely yourself and encourages self discovery in his relatable lyrics. Fun fact: Matt received a cease and desist letter from 21 pilots for his first musical, Blurry Face, The Musical.

In episode 8 of The Purple Sessions, alt-rock artist Anastasia Elliot interviews celebrity mind-reading duo, The Sentimentalists! You may know them from television shows like America's Got Talent, Canada's Got Talent, or The Penn and Teller show. Miss Steffi Kay transports you back to the golden age of magic with her vintage style while Mysterion balances her out with his devilish cool persona. In todays show, you will even get to see them perform some of their mind bending magic on Anastasia. This is an episode you don't want to miss! 

In episode 7, Anastasia interviews So Han Fan, founder of West China Tea. West China Tea is a tea house located in Austin, Tx and an incredible online store where you can purchase their products. Through his passion for sharing Chinese tea culture, he created this amazing company where he sources unique farm-direct tea and artisan tea ware. His vision is to build a community worldwide through tea culture. They have an online community, two Youtube channels, online workshops, and even a tea of the month club. If you have never had an interest in tea before this, I think this conversation could change your mind! So Han Fan has given our lovely community a coupon code for 15% off your tea order! Just use this code at checkout: PURPLECULT

Anastasia Elliot: www.anastasiaelliot.com

West China Tea: www.westchinatea.com

In this weeks episode, Anastasia interviews Dusty Gannon, lead singer and guitarist for Vision Video, a goth-pop band based in Athens, Georgia. You may also know him as Tik Tok's "goth dad!" Dusty is a fascinating person who has lived his life in service of the greater good and used music as a way to heal and work through his traumas. From his time in the Army in Afghanistan, to becoming a fire fighter, to the creation of music that he hopes will give people the message that it's "okay to not always be okay," Dusty is an inspiration. He also has a hearse and can do makeup better than any woman I know. 

Anastasia Elliot: www.anastasiaelliot.com

Vision Video: www.visionvideoband.com

In episode 5, Anastasia Elliot talks with Swedish singer-songwriter Andreas Moss. He is part of the new vanguard of queer artists trying to deconstruct the pop panorama. From winning the green card lottery to leaving behind his rising career in Christian music and his "picture perfect" life, to writing countless songs for other artists, Andreas has had a fascinating and turbulent life. He has harnessed his most true form of self expression through catchy pop music with colorful and powerful visuals and is a creative force in this world. His stories are inspiring and if you don't know of him yet, it won't be long before you see him everywhere. 

Anastasia Elliot: www.anastasiaelliot.com

Andreas Moss: www.andreasmoss.com

Have you ever wanted to know the secret to happiness? In Episode 4, Anastasia Elliot talks with Robert Mack about cultivating a happier and more fulfilled life. Robert Mack is an ivy-league educated positive psychology expert, celebrity happiness coach, television personality, and author of "Happiness From The Inside Out." In this episode, you will get actionable advice on how to make big shifts in your life to become less anxious, more clear, and overall happier. Your happiness is in your control! 

In Episode 3, Anastasia Elliot interviews multiple Grammy award winning mixer, engineer, and producer, F. Reid Shippen. In addition to Reid's creative work, he is also an entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of SongFarm, a non-profit organization that builds recording studios and provides musical creative opportunities for under-served high schools. Shippen engineered and mixed Anastasia's upcoming LP, La Petite Mort, and is one of her favorite creative partners in crime. Anastasia and Reid discuss making records, hacking your mental health, imposter syndrome, and the changing landscape of the music industry. Whether you are interested in the behind the scenes of making records or not, this conversation has many gems for you to apply to any field you are in. 

In Episode 2, Anastasia Elliot and guest host - music journalist, Derek Jones, interview the multi-talented Kat Von D. Kat Von D is a world renown tattoo artist, model, entrepreneur and recording artist. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality television show LA Ink. She is also known for being the former head of Kat Von D Beauty (renamed KVD Vegan Beauty). In May 2021, Kat released her first single "Exorcism" from her debut album "Love Made Me Do It." We discuss the inspiration behind her new music project and how she fuels her creativity.