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What if storytelling isn’t about performance—but about helping meaning emerge? Monster Baby co-hosts Ted and Lisa welcome back dear friend, storyteller, and teacher Corey Rosen to discuss his new book, A Story for Everything. The trio starts the conversation by taking a brief review look at his first book, Your Story Well Told (1:24), before  [more…] The post Monster Baby Episode #109 A...

What do we gain, and what do we lose, when we say yes? After a long Monster Baby stretch apart, Ted and Lisa begin by catching up and acknowledging the recent loss of two dear Podcats (2:46). Ted then shares the story of his move to Shanghai (6:09), describing how an improvisor’s mindset helps him  [more…] The post Monster Baby #108 Saying Yes to Shanghai — Saying Maybe to AI appe...

What does it mean to be engaged? Big news from Monster Baby land: Lisa got engaged! For Episode, #107 she and Ted take the opportunity to explore just what that means—both in a marital sense and in an improv and mindfulness sense. They start by playfully acknowledging some technical difficulties (2:03) before Lisa tells the  [more…] The post Monster Baby #107 Getting Engaged appeared fi...

How often do YOU hold eye contact? Why or why not? If you’re like Ted and Lisa of the Monster Baby Podcast, there’s a lot there—for both mindfulness and improv—within the world and practice of eye contact. After a short improvisational riff on raccoons (1:32), Ted introduces his reasons for wanting to explore the topic  [more…] The post Monster Baby #106 The Eyes Have It appeared first...

What’s been cooking in Ted and Lisa’s improv and mindfulness kitchen over this last while? It’s been a few months since the Monster Baby crew gathered for an episode so it’s time to get caught up! Ted starts the conversation off by sharing “Wordle Haiku,” a new creative delight that he and a loyal Monster  [more…] The post Monster Baby #105 Kickin’ It Back Up! appeared first on An...

How does a “silly verbal tennis match” become a profound spiritual practice?  Inspired by the intro “Clanging” game they played on the immediately previous Monster Baby episode #103, Ted and Lisa invited the game’s creators, Dion Flynn and Josh Radnor, to come on the podcast themselves—and they accepted! For context: Dion Flynn is a writer,  [more…] The post Monster Baby #104 Clanging!...

Who are you? Answering that question well may require more angles than we usually think of. After starting with a delightful new game (“Clanging”, introduced by Dion Flynn and Josh Radnor) (2:25), Ted and Lisa consider some of the primary lessons about identity from the world of mindfulness, including the Buddhist notion of non-self (14:06).  [more…] The post Monster Baby #103 You Conta...

It’s so fun to make stuff up together! That’s one of the truths that Ted and Lisa uncover in conversation with their dear friend, Dan Klein, master teacher of improvisation in the drama, Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Platner Institute for Design (“d.school”) at Stanford University. (He’s also the same Dan perilously mentioned  [more…] The post Monster Baby #102 The Joy of Co...

What if we put relaxation first? Inspired by mindfulness practitioner Bill Morgan’s book, “The Meditator’s Dilemma,” Ted and Lisa explore the value of putting relaxation in front of other forms of meditation, improv included. They start by musing about Lisa’s recent time in Paris and the value of French croissants (2:06), after which Lisa acknowledges that  [more…] The post Monster Baby...

Time for a celebration and retrospective—Monster Baby reaches 1oo episodes! Welcome to the party, people—Monster Baby has reached a milestone! In honor of this, the 100th episode of Ted and Lisa’s “curious romp through the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation,” the pair takes a look back to remember and to give thanks for the good  [more…] The post Monster Baby #100 Celebrating the 1...

Rhythm and improvised poetry can lift the highs and heal the lows. For Monster Baby Podcast episode #99, Ted and Lisa link up with San Francisco freestyler, improvisor, music-maker, comedian, actor, Larry martial artist, activist, spiritual practitioner, and all-around good guy, Larry Dorsey, Jr. Larry starts the conversation explaining the history behind the “Junior” in  [more…] The po...

What makes a home “home”? Sparked by Lisa’s move into a new apartment, she and Ted consider the many elements that go into feeling at home. The two warm up with a playful new spontaneity game called “A or B” that you can play right along with (1:35) and then explore what’s making Lisa’s new  [more…] The post Monster Baby #98 Coming Home appeared first on Anima Learning .

Making friends with inner voices can be fun—and healing. For Monster Baby episode #97, Ted and Lisa are joined by fellow Applied Improvisor Kat Koppett to discuss (and play!) her mindfulness-and-improv-blending exercise, “Inside Out.” Lisa starts by asking about Kat’s inspiration for exploring mindfulness (2:12) and about how mindfulness has affected her life so far  [more…] The post Mo...

Good ensemble members make great humans. Continuing a conversation from the previous Monster Baby episode, Ted and Lisa chat more with improvisor and author Dan O’Connor, discussing his new book (co-authored by Dr. Jeff Katzman), Ensemble! Using the Power of Improvisation and Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World. This episode starts with a  [more…] The post Monster Baby #96 Ensem...

A good ensemble can cure the loneliness blues. For Monster Baby episode #95, come join Ted and Lisa for Part 1 of their conversation with improvisor and author Dan O’Connor, celebrating the release of his new book, Ensemble! Using the Power of Improvisation and Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World. Dan starts with  [more…] The post Monster Baby #95 Ensemble! A Conversation with D...

You’ve got great stories to tell—want some tips for sharing ‘em? In part two of his conversation with Lisa and Ted, improvisor, storyteller and author Corey Rosen dives deeper into the craft and skill of telling great stories. Corey starts by noting how stories change over time (1:37) which leads into Ted’s sharing a story  [more…] The post Monster Baby #94 Your Story, Well Told: A Conv...

What’s more compelling than a well-told story? For Monster Baby episode, #93, Ted and Lisa join improvisor, storyteller, and recently published author Corey Rosen for Part One of a super-fun conversation exploring the many facets of his new book, Your Story, Well-Told. The episode kicks off with some musings on the old camp favorite “rest  [more…] The post Monster Baby #93 Your Story, W...

Things are different now. It’s been a while since the last Monster Baby Podcast episode but we had good reason for the delay: Lisa had a baby! In Episode #92, Ted and Lisa take stock of the mindfulness and improvisation ramifications of Lisa’s new life as a (gulp!) mom. Ted cheekily starts the episode by  [more…] The post Monster Baby #92 Lisa Had a Baby! appeared first on Anima Learnin...

Good things come in small packages. That’s especially true if we pay attention to their beauty and impact. In Monster Baby Episode #91, Ted and Lisa explore the many delights of tiny choices. Lisa starts the episode with a check-in on the imminent birth of her first child (3:11) and Ted reports the great fun  [more…] The post Monster Baby #91 The Joy of Little Things appeared first on A...

What to do with discomfort? We all feel stress sometimes. A little noodge. A joint out of whack. A bump in the wheel. In Monster Baby episode #90, Ted and Lisa explore what mindfulness and improvisation have to teach us about gettin’ (at least a bit more) comfortable with that discomfort. The pair kick off  [more…] The post Monster Baby #90 Gettin’ Comfortable with Discomfort appe...

  What does it mean to make a resolution? Happy New Year Monster Baby fans! Maybe you’re a person who makes resolutions, maybe you’re not. But we bet you’ll think about ‘em differently if you listen in. Ted starts the podcast thinking about change in the air (note: when we recorded, we had just gotten  [more…] The post Monster Baby #89 Talkin’ ‘Bout a Resolution appeare...

If you’re looking for a holiday dessert, how about a taste of humble pie? It’s Episode #88, and Ted and Lisa are thinking about all the ways they just don’t know. After a fun prompt from Ted and a few rounds of syllable-at-a-time-three-things (2:36), Ted shares what led him to this episode’s topic (9:12). Lisa  [more…] The post Monster Baby #88 Hello Humility appeared first on Anima Lea...

A few tasty chestnuts for a warm November—plus some exciting news! In Episode #87, Ted and Lisa consider a little bit of this and a little bit of that. They start in the not-knowing between Election Day and when results got announced (1:45) before getting to Lisa’s big news (10:11). They discuss the dynamics of  [more…] The post Monster Baby #87 November 2020 Grab Bag: Election Day, Lis...

  Simple stories can give a sweet taste of wisdom. Cued by a compact wisdom tale passed on by friend and colleague William Hall, co-hosts Ted and Lisa wonder about purpose, sweetness, and gratitude in the midst of certain danger. The episode starts with a game that Ted created a while back but hasn’t gotten  [more…] The post Monster Baby #86 What’s Your Strawberry? appeared f...

When is the right time to act or to speak? So much of being skillful with life is getting in rhythm with one’s self and one’s surroundings. In Monster Baby #85, Ted and Lisa explore bunches of angles on timing. The episode starts with a game Lisa recently learned (3:06) and a recap of the  [more…] The post Monster Baby #85 All in the Timing appeared first on Anima Learning .