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Sparkle On With Devi Jags

Sparkle On With Devi Jags

By: Devi Jags
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Sparkle On With Devi Jags is a podcast and movement to help listeners reclaim their happiness, passion, and self-worth through the power of creativity.

Devi believes everyone has a "Sparkle," a fiery light inside us that can overcome darkness through artistry and our inner child. Elevating leading artists, creatives, and storytellers, this movement inspires listeners to reclaim what makes them shine and always Sparkle On.

SPARKLE IGNITE LLC Art Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • Mattea Conforti — Balancing Harvard, Hulu's The Testaments, and Playing Becka's Rebellion

    Mattea Conforti — Balancing Harvard, Hulu's The Testaments, and Playing Becka's Rebellion
    Jul 1 2026
    American actress Mattea Conforti’s career started on Broadway before she could drive. But lately, she attends Harvard and manages her breakout role of ‘Becka’ on Hulu's The Testaments. From playing young Elsa in Frozen 2 and starring in Matilda the Musical to now embodying Becka, a young woman navigating rebellion in The Handmaid’s Tale sequel, Mattea reveals what it takes to hold space for characters who are constantly fighting to express themselves in a world designed to silence them. She walks us through the process of building Becka's emotional arc across the season, from working with director Shana Stein (our previous episode!) to how some of her favorite courses at Harvard became essential for her character’s moral breaking point. Watch The Testaments on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/the-testaments-9e859f3c-4ba0-48ed-8421-37b34ceffa04 Follow Matea Conforti: https://www.instagram.com/matteaconforti/?hl=en Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:00:46 Landing the Role of Becka While at Harvard 00:01:58 Balancing Academic Learning with On-Set Experience 00:04:03 Justice, Ethics, and Playing Becka 00:05:14 Reuniting with Director Shanna Stein 00:06:59 Filming Intense Scenes and Self-Care on Set 00:08:57 Growing Up as an Actor: Independence and Collaboration 00:10:52 Building the World of The Testaments and Sisterhood 00:12:43 Becka's Rebellion and Non-Verbal Storytelling 00:15:32 Playing Becka's Sexuality and Breaking Point 00:17:35 Finding Yourself in a Character 00:19:48 Psychology, The Heroine's Journey, and Women's Stories 00:20:52 What's Next for Becka in Season Two 00:22:15 Why Acting Brings Joy and Happiness 00:24:47 From Competitive Dance to Matilda: The Origin Story 00:26:42 Telling Stories That Inspire and Motivate 00:27:45 Closing Thoughts and What's Ahead
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    29 mins
  • Shana Stein — Directing The Testaments, The Boys, and Finding Hope Through Youth Rebellion

    Shana Stein — Directing The Testaments, The Boys, and Finding Hope Through Youth Rebellion
    Jun 24 2026
    Director and executive producer Shana Stein joins Sparkle On to trace her path to directing some of television's most politically charged series, including Hulu's The Testaments, Amazon's The Boys, Power, 56 Days, Jack Ryan, and The Lincoln Lawyer. She shares how youth rebellion became the beating heart of her work on The Testaments (sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale) — a story about young women born into oppression who discover their power, rather than women who had freedom taken from them. Shana walks us through how she thinks as a director: approaching each show as its own puzzle, finding the DNA that keeps fans coming back while bringing something new, and treating violence, movement, and color as tools to build tension rather than spectacle. Her signature, she explains, is giving showrunners more of what they love while quietly elevating it. This conversation also reaches beyond the set — into the privilege of saying no, the power of mentorship, and the leap of faith it took to leave a fast-tracked agent career at William Morris and betting on herself at AFI. Shana reminds us that the stories we tell can shape the next generation, and that sometimes the most radical act is playing make-believe for a living. Follow Shana Stein: https://www.instagram.com/shanasteindirect/?hl=en Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:00:45 The Process of Being Chosen for Major TV Shows 00:02:31 Meeting on The Testaments After the 2024 Election 00:05:59 Youth Rebellion and The Testaments' Hopeful Energy 00:07:35 Entering Different Worlds and Embodying Dystopia 00:09:49 Working with Young Actors and Creating Safety on Set 00:12:53 Different Styles: The Testaments vs The Boys 00:15:21 Building Tension and Becka's Pivotal Arc 00:22:41 Research, Meditation, and Staying Open to Ideas 00:24:07 Color Grading, LUTs, and the Made-for-Hulu Look 00:28:14 Improving Your Craft and Cracking Each Show's Puzzle 00:31:49 The Four-Year-Old Who Wanted to Move to Hollywood 00:32:57 The Awakening: Theater Camp and Seeing Broadway 00:37:40 Quitting the Agency and Betting on Film School 00:39:25 The Path from Producing to Directing 00:40:49 The First Directing Opportunity and Taking the Leap 00:42:48 Betting on Herself 00:45:13 Saying No and Choosing Family Over Fear 00:48:19 Raising the Next Generation and Mentorship 00:50:27 Closing Thoughts and Sparkle On
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    51 mins
  • Grace Hong — How Creativity Became Her Corporate Exit Strategy

    Grace Hong — How Creativity Became Her Corporate Exit Strategy
    Jun 18 2026
    Grace Hong (Nolo Grace) joins Sparkle On to share how creativity became her corporate exit strategy and why building a life aligned with your artistry is worth the decade-long journey. As the founder of Parasol Music, an artist-driven agency and music label with placements in Disney's Moana, Avengers Doomsday, and Avatar Fire and Ash, Grace reveals the winding path from Wall Street to songwriting, production, and vocal direction for projects like the Olympics Closing ceremony with Kate Hudson. From crying in Bali to releasing a single with Sean Kingston, Grace walks us through her transformation into an artist. She shares why leaving her corporate career to travel the world was the only way to deprogram and stop running from her true creativity. She reminds us that false starts aren't failures, rejection is part of the process, and sometimes it takes 10 years of feeling lost before everything clicks into place. Her story proves that the creative journey is never linear, and the only way forward is to trust yourself, collaborate with intention, and keep building even when you can't see the finish line. Follow Grace Hong / Nolo Grace: https://www.instagram.com/nolograce/?hl=en Parasol Music: https://www.parasolmusic.com Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:00:40 First Memories of Music and Early Creative Blocks 00:01:48 Journaling as Creative Expression and Escape 00:03:56 Discovering Musical Ancestry and Breaking Through Fear 00:06:21 The Corporate Path and the Illusion of Struggle 00:07:26 Burnout, the Leap, and the Metamorphosis 00:08:47 The Slow Rebirth: Teaching Herself Music from Scratch 00:14:23 Meeting Her Producer Husband and Finding Her Voice 00:18:13 Relationships as Mirrors and Creative Containers 00:23:52 Collaborating with Kate Hudson, Ludacris, and the Olympics 00:28:31 Giving Notes Without Crushing the Artist 00:31:20 From Negative Self-Talk to Love Is Worth It All 00:34:14 Writing Truth: Pain, Beauty, and the Song Called Mother 00:36:29 Turning Fragments into Songs Through Collaboration 00:38:35 Community, Wealth, and the Nomad Journey 00:41:23 Building the Ultimate Creative Project 00:43:53 Ten Years of False Starts and the Album I Exist
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    46 mins
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