This week, I’m talking to Jennifer Nasta Zefutie, who has accomplished what many people think is impossible: she’s a working actress, and the co-founder and co-producing artistic director of the Pegasus Theatre Company in central New Jersey. Jennifer has one of the most interesting (and unlikely) creative journeys you’re likely to hear, and our wide-ranging […]
At the beginning of a new year, many of us think about new projects we want to pursue before the calendar flips 12 months later—so I wanted to talk to someone who can help us make those projects happen more efficiently than they might otherwise. Kate Hutcheson, project manager and virtual assistant, is here to […]
Anthony Wilson’s varied pursuits almost all came to him accidentally: he is a teacher, composer, and writer—in fact, he co-authored the Doctor Who-related book BOOKWYRM with previous guest Robert Smith?. In this conversation, he shares his accidental path to teaching and writing, how he dealt with the worst criticism he’s ever encountered as a musician, […]
Tracy Friedlander is a classical musician and host of the Crushing Classical podcast. Tracy and I talk about how she came to play the French horn, what it’s really like to audition for and perform in an orchestra, the largely untaught art of listening, and what happens when your musical dream turns out not to […]
My guest this week is Tara Sroka, a creative end of life planner who helps make this often taboo topic more welcoming and even fun. We talk about how her mother’s passing continues to inspire Tara, ways to remember and honor those who’ve gone before us, taking fear out of the process, and how to […]
My guest this week is Kristen Good, a graphic designer, branding expert, and life coach. We talk about perfectionism, self-worth, vulnerability, self-care, and the willingness to get out there and do what you love without getting hung up on the nit-picky, irrelevant details that often stop us from doing our creative work. What I’m doing […]
Michelle Ward, aka the When I Grow Up Coach, has literally made a career out of staying true to herself, and helping others do the same. Michelle’s dream from childhood was to be on Broadway, but after graduating from NYU’s Tisch School and going to audition after audition, she realized to her dismay that it […]
Cat Kessler wants to bring more ritual and reflection to your life, and she’s started a business called Opt Inward to help you do just that. She joins me this week to talk about how she discovered the importance of ritual in her own life, what modern ritual can look like and how we can […]
My guest today is a highly acclaimed mezzo-soprano who has sung a wide variety of music and operatic roles. She has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood, with conductors including Leonard Bernstein. I met D’Anna Fortunato when I was a junior at Bucknell, and she joined us to perform Aaron Copland’s “In the […]
Today’s guest has been an important part of my life, and a big influence. A composer of music for choir and handbells, a respected festival conductor, and a former professor of music and director of choral studies at Bucknell University, he’s my college choir director, Dr. William Payn. I spent four years singing for him […]