White Water is new podcast about creative urgency and the crazy things that happen when we ‘ride the wave’ of life.
Hosted by Panakin’s Founder, Maya Guice, each episode features candid stories of tenacity and grit from individuals leading creative ventures that span industries, mediums, and borders. If you’ve got an idea and don’t know where to start, come hang out with us in the white water.
It’s cold and tumultuous…but if you don’t get in, you may never catch a wave, baby!
What is White Water?
In business, creativity, and personal growth, White Water is that critical transition phase where we leave our comfort zone and ride the wave toward our dreams. It’s a period marked by creative urgency, where the pressure to innovate fuels rapid change and unexpected breakthroughs.
I start the podcast with a four-part breakdown to bring the metaphor to life. Listen to the trailer.
Read the blog on Medium.
TRAILER
ENTER THE WHITE WATER:
The Ocean Doesn’t Come to Us
WHITE WATER — PT I
The Edge of Action:
Answering White Water’s Call
WHITE WATER — PT II
Waiting for Wind:
White Water, Weather, and the Conditions for the Right Waves
WHITE WATER — PT III
Effort is Part of the Elegance: Ride the Wave Like You Mean It
WHITE WATER — PT IV
The Detour is the Destination: Where the
White Water Meets the Road
FULL EPISODES
EP 001
Reimagining Altadena:
The Fire, The Future, and the Case for a Rethink
Can imagination help solve a housing crisis?
In this episode, I join Kacy Keys—one of LA’s most influential women in real estate—and my mom, a lifelong Altadena resident, for a drive through a neighborhood still healing post fire. As we take in what was lost and what remains, Kacy and I talk about what happens after the fire: the slow rebuild, the policy gridlock, and the deeper housing crisis it exposes. Listen in as we explore how imagination becomes a tool for recovery, how local politics have stalled development across LA, and what it might look like to reimagine housing from the ground up—not just in Altadena or the Palisades, but citywide.
EP 002
VICTORIA CASSINOVA
Creative Alchemy & the Deliberate Art of Becoming
Painter Victoria Cassinova survived a five-story fall—and turned that life-altering moment into a masterclass in creative alchemy. From learning to walk again to redefining her path as an artist, Victoria shares how she transforms pain into purpose, and why manifesting your dreams often requires us to slow down to speed up.
Victoria is an LA-based visual artist whose work explores the unconscious and unseen. Her bold, multimedia style blends striking portraiture with abstract textures, touching on themes of identity, resilience, and community. Known for her large-scale public murals, her distinct voice has made her a sought-after collaborator for brands like Netflix, Disney Pixar, Adidas, CNN, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and more. She’s also contributed to political and social justice initiatives through powerful visual storytelling.
Entirely self-taught and fiercely expressive, Victoria’s art is as much about social commentary as it is about beauty, placing her among the most compelling creative voices in LA’s contemporary art scene.
Listen in as Maya and Victoria talk about what it means to be in the White Water——the messy, powerful process of turning change into creative growth.