Snoriezzz
Inspiring Your Child to Love Sleep,
One Story at a Time

Meet the Team

Marcia Gay Harden
(she/her)

CO-CREATOR / CO-HOST

Before deciding to voice ogres, bears, and ducklings, Oscar winning chameleon of stage and screen impersonated painters, FBI agents, and gun molls, to name a few. Passionate about sleep, kids, and tales that connect cultures, Snoriezzz is what occupies most of her waking – and sleeping time these days! A globe trotting Navy brat, she fell in love with storytelling from Japan to Greece – and books and stories have always been her center. A proud mother of three artistic kids – (who all agree she can’t draw, or sing, but does make a mean pickle relish!) She now trades in her red carpet heels for fuzzy slippers and makes bedtime the coolest time of the day. If you say it’s a snore, that’s actually a good review!

Natalie Peyton
(she/her)

CO-CREATOR / CO-HOST

Born and raised Austinite, but her Texas boots are made for walking! Spent time studying drama in Australia, doing stand-up in New York, and honed her podcast executive skills in California and Texas. A sleep devotee, adoring aunt, and passionate about mindfulness, Snoriezzz brings it all together like a well made German Chocolate Cake. Which also happens to be her favorite food, unless there’s peanut butter and jelly on the table. As a Snory Godmother, her sleeping mask is of course… pink.

Nana Simopoulos
(she/her)

SNORIEZZZ MUSIC, AND STORY COMPOSER

World traveler, string whisperer, and rhythm explorer. Blending sitar with jazz, she creates sounds as vibrant as her passport stamps. She’s the kind of artist who’ll transport you from a New York club to a Himalayan mountaintop—all in one riff. Whether conducting the winds or harmonizing with the stars, her music always finds a way to get both feet and spirit dancing. Expect the unexpected with a side of zen. When she’s not weaving global melodies, she’s probably lost in a groove somewhere between New York and the cosmos.
Sterling Steffan

Sterling Steffan
(he/him)

EDITOR, FOLEY, AND STORY COMPOSER

Austin-based musical maestro, a multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for whimsical creativity. Known for his saxophone serenades with bands like Mother Falcon, he also moonlights as the composer and foley whiz behind the enchanting children’s bedtime podcast, Snoriezzz. When he’s not crafting dreamy soundscapes to lull little ones to sleep, you might find him spinning records in his studio or recording in Berlin! With a flair for the eclectic, Sterling’s musical journey is as vibrant and varied as the Texas hill country he calls home.
Kyle Dempsey

Kyle Dempsey
(he/him)

PRODUCTION MANAGER AND DEEP DIVE RESEARCH

Born with a perpetual song in his heart, fell in love with storytelling through music. After studying music business, audio engineering, and clarinet, he now “mixes” it all up (you see what we did there?) with a bit of mindfulness into Snoriezzz.  Song screlter, joke cracker, and road runner – beep beep!  Actually, still training for a marathon!  Which is why, if you find yourself at the Thanksgiving table with him, you’d better plate up – and quickly. The three-layer chocolate trifle will disappear before you know it, and the turkey’s already gone.

Eulie Scheel

Eulie Scheel
(they/them) 

PODCAST AND EPISODE COVER ART

A Bennington art grad who is as comfortable with a blow torch as they are on the dance floor.   Welding by day and  boot-scootin’ line dancing at night, they are now the brains behind the whimsical cover art for Snoriezzz.  Dragons, phoenixes, centaurs, mermaids, and griffins, they have always loved fantastical creatures, and probably have a few of them tattooed on their body! 

Jill Scheel

Jitti Scheel
(she/her) 

INSTAGRAM ART AND BRANDING CONSULTANT

A vibrant design student  weaving her way through the Textiles major with a flair for knitting. Having lived in the sunny vibes of California, the bustling streets of New York, and the serene Catskills, she brings a rich tapestry of experiences to her craft.  Her love for music is as intricate as her textile designs, and she is known for curating a playlist nothing short of sonic art.  Also known for whipping up culinary masterpieces, even while backpacking the mountains.  Blending her deep curiosity about mental health and the power of art, she is a natural to create the whimsical affirmations and soothing messages for Snoriezzz.

Candace Peyton

Bridget Peyton
(she/her) 

Behavioral Specialist

Bridget, the whimsical wizard of Applied Behavior Analysis, holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). With 15 years of experience, she has worked her magic with at-risk youth and individuals from 18 months to 45 years old. For the past decade, she’s been sprinkling her expertise in Austin, Texas, on children with autism aged 2 to 8. Bridget’s secret ingredients? A dash of playfulness, a pinch of reading, and a hefty scoop of silliness, all while teaching valuable life skills. Her sessions are a delightful concoction of learning and laughter!

Bridget Peyton is a BCBA:  a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Master of Science in Psychology

Candace Peyton Wofford
(she/her) 

LEARNING SPECIALIST

Candace Peyton Wofford is a dedicated learning specialist with a dynamic passion for Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).  Over the past 14 years, she has enriched the lives of K-12 and collegiate students while spearheading professional development for educators.  Her work emphasizes the importance of brain science, equipping teachers with the tools to cultivate resilience and positive outcomes in students.  A creative thinker, she often uses her own children as “guinea pigs” for new strategies.  However, don’t disturb her when she’s engrossed in a romance novel – it’s her escape from the educational hustle!

Social and Emotional Learning Educator, Instructional Coach, Author, Master of Science

Guest Snory godmothers

Sasha Compére

Sasha Compére
(she/her) 

Guest Snory godmother

We are thrilled to welcome our first guest snory godmother, Sasha Compére! We didn’t know she could sing so beautifully when we asked her to join our storytelling circle, and we are so enchanted with the life she breathed into our mermaid! NOW we truly understand the magic behind the “sirens song!” Sasha, thank you for your mesmerizing performance and lovely reading of The Mermaid and The Whale.

Sasha Compère is a native of Detroit, Michigan and the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Sasha moved to a small town right outside of Detroit at a young age and attended schools in the metro Detroit area where she began acting and learning about production. She began performing theater in high school and continued while studying at The University of Michigan, where she received a bachelor’s in Business Administration and a minor in Dramatic Arts. Known for her roles in the television shows Miracle Workers, Love Life, and Single Drunk Female, and in the film Uncorked. We congratulate her on the recent premiere of “Dreams in Nightmares” by @shataramichelleford which premiered at the Blackstar Film Festival!

Melanie

Melanie Chandra
(she/her)

Guest Snory godmother

The Magic Bed proved a magical experience for us as we had the huge honor of welcoming Melanie Chandra to our Snoriezzz guest-godmother’s fold!  She seamlessly entrances us while weaving our romantic Indian folktale through the Bengal jungle, the Himalayan Mountain range, and the forests of India.

Melanie is an actress and producer dedicated to fostering empathy through her work.  She leverages her platforms to highlight diverse stories about women and minorities, and is best known for her work as Malaya Pineda on CBS’s Code Black. Originally from Illinois, Melanie graduated from Stanford University with a Mechanical Engineering degree while also studying improv. After a corporate career, she pursued acting, landing roles in shows like Rules of Engagement and Netflix’s Brown Nation.  Additionally, she co-founded Hospital for Hope India, which provides health care to rural communities. She also holds a 2nd-degree black belt in Karate and is a trained pianist!

Tisha Campbell
(she/her) 

Guest Snory godmother

We are beyond excited to welcome the amazing Tisha Campbell as our next guest Snory godmother! Tisha dove into the world of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, giving an authentic voice to the characters in this magical tale. Voicing “to life” the sisters Nyasha and Manyara, along with a snake, a king, and a loving father, Tisha invites us to experience the land of Zimbabwe where John Steptoe’s story is set. Tisha Campbell was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but New Jersey is where she truly came up, and began her love of singing and performing. From Gospel to talent shows to musical theatre, Tisha has always been a star! She is best known for her work opposite Eddie Murphy in Another 48 Hours, the television show Martin, and her award-winning performance in the comedy series My Wife and Kids opposite Damon Wayans. A gifted comedian, a stellar actress, and a true friend, we are so grateful Tisha has joined us!

Cathy Ang
(she/her)

Guest Snory godmother

The fabulous CATHY ANG joins us as Snoriezzz finishes Season One… delighting audiences everywhere with her rich voice performance of Yeh-Shen, the Chinese Cinderella story.  When we first met Cathy, she said to us “Oh!  I wish I knew of stories like this when I was little!  I would have felt so … seen!”  Cathy is of Chinese and Filipina descent, and her performance ensures that representation matters… as she enchants us with one of the oldest versions of the Cinderella story – dating back almost 2000 years!   

And she is indeed seen!  Cathy is best  known for voicing Fei Fei in Netflix’s Academy Award Nominated animated feature film OVER THE MOON. She is currently filming season 2 of HBO Max’s SEX AND THE CITY reboot AND JUST LIKE THAT starring as Lily Goldenblatt opposite Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. Ang can currently be seen in Amazon’s MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM opposite Elsie Fisher.  She is a recent graduate of NYU Steinhardt’s Vocal Performance program where she excelled in the Musical Theatre Department,  and she is based in New York.

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