ABOUT
Diana Weynand
Adventurer in Charge
M.M. Ed., M.M.A.
I have surfed the wave of cutting-edge technology in the film and television industry for most of my career. Sometimes it was daunting to step in front of a piece of high-end production equipment and figure out how it worked. But I didn't just have to learn the equipment and software, I had to write about it, develop curricula on it, and then teach it to high-level operators and artists who had specific needs and requirements for their upcoming entertainment and news shows.
Now, after authoring over 15 Apple-certified step-by-step how-to books on video editing as well as other books on video production and post-production, I know how to tame the beast of a complex technical and educational challenge. To do this, I combine two techniques.
First, I "crack the marble" of both the content and the intent. It's not enough to understand how the software works. You have to also know how you will need to use it. I don't know about you. But in my experience, we simply don't have time to learn everything about everything. We have to be selective. And focusing our intent increases our expectation of success.
The second technique is something I learned when getting my Masters in Music Education. I spent hours in a piano rehearsal room where I first learned how to break down my creative process into "baby steps" in order to reach my goals. Coming full circle, I've incorporated the "Baby Steps" approach and my "Crack the Marble" technique into my unique "Mastermind Your Life" curriculum.
I realized that my skill of breaking down content and intent into baby steps could be applied to—well—just about any project in any area.
Why the sports theme? I love what sports brings out in us. Not just our competitive nature, but our desire to be good at something. Our willingness to 'get in the ring' or 'put on a glove' to catch what life is throwing at us. I also love the heck out of being in nature. And almost all sports puts me in direct contact with nature. So...win-win.
I am about process. Don't come to me with an "If I don't sell a script in six weeks–I'll die" approach. I will teach you how to get where you want to go, but it will be methodical and sure. No need to purchase a lottery ticket to make it happen. Roll up your sleeves and get to work—one baby step at a time.
The first side of my life was filled with music—singing, playing, teaching, writing. This led to two degrees in Music Education and a love affair with songwriting. After a quick trip to Nashville with songs in hand, I decided a career in songwriting would be a challenging pursuit. So I went back to school and pursued a second Masters degree, in Media Arts, which would allow me to pursue my combined interests of photography, recording, producing, directing and writing.
After a productive career in the film and television industry, I started to redirect the focus of my attention. I was being called by just about anything that felt like an adventure—music, sports, the environment, creative writing. I started a business, 2nd Side Adventures, LLC, which became the umbrella company for the endeavors I wanted to pursue in the "2nd side" of my life.
Along the road to embracing this change, I invested time in learning how to improve my ability to process projects—and myself. Then early in 2018, I decided to share what I had learned. I invited colleagues into a "mastermind" group to develop ways to pursue goals more efficiently. I applied my skills as an author and curriculum developer—a skill I honed leading a film and television training business for much of my career—to creating a new course. That course is "Mastermind Your Life."
After seven months of development, and months (even years) of research, I have created a combination of workshops and seminars that make up the "2nd Side Adventures' Life-Enhancing Training Program." I invite you to explore the courses on the Offerings page and read the Comments page from the seminar attendees to learn about their personal experience from having gone on this journey.
