Anima Learning

How do you dance with your doldrums? Yup. We’re still in a pandemic and it looks like we will be for quite a bit longer. In this episode, Ted and Lisa take stock of that fact and look to transform their feeling a bit down…by acknowledging that they feel down. Ted starts things off with  [more…] The post Monster Baby #84 Oh, Those COVID Doldrums! appeared first on Anima Learning .

Where’s *your* focus? Where do you want it to be? Spurred by a suggestion from a Chicago-based listener, Ted and Lisa gallop into a conversation about focus. They start with a rousing round of the new game “D’jever?” (1:54) before Ted kicks off the topic by mentioning the simultaneous different focus tracks in his brain  [more…] The post Monster Baby #83 Find Your Focus appeared first o...

 Effective collaboration brings great joy. How the heck does it happen? In Part 2 of their two-episode conversation, Lisa, Ted, and Stanford colleagues Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin (of the “Improvisationally Speaking” course) dive into what makes for joyful collaboration. Matt and Adam talk about what works well for them (1:24) before Adam playfully reveals  [more…] The post Monster Bab...

Speaking on the spot can be tough. And you can get better at it! In the first part of a two-episode conversation with Stanford colleagues Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin, Lisa and Ted dive into the details of “Improvisationally Speaking.” We get to meet Matt and Adam (2:32) and then hear Matt’s stress-filled public speaking  [more…] The post Monster Baby #81 Improvisationally Speaking (Par...

It’s a Monster Baby birthday: time to consider some improv wisdom! On the 4thanniversary of Monster Baby’s first episode, Lisa and Ted celebrate by going through a recent blog post from their mentor, Patricia Ryan Madson. They start with the obligatory COVID check-in—we are going through a world-changing pandemic after all (2:10). Lisa makes reference  [more…] The post Monster Baby #80...

That’s the thing about half-baked ideas: they could be gems; they could be duds. In a bit of frivolous departure from their usual deliberations, Ted and Lisa take up the fun task of considering a few half-baked ideas for coronavirus-inspired potential new products. Ted kicks off the episode with a couple rants and Lisa gives  [more…] The post Monster Baby #79 Half-Baked Ideas appeared f...

Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Are you sure? In their continued adjustment to living with the reality of a world-sweeping pandemic, Ted and Lisa turn their attention to one of their most noticeable differences. They start the episode by acknowledging the challenging circumstances of the time (1:49) and then begin by introducing the  [more…] The post Monster Baby #78 Extroversion...

How do you make sense of living under lockdown? As citizens of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ted and Lisa have been holed up in their respective homes as the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold. Recorded over Zoom, they start this episode by considering their usual tolerance for germs (2:01) and then check in about  [more…] The post Monster Baby #77 Living Under Lockdown appeared first...

With good reason, everybody’s talking about the coronavirus. We are too. In the midst of the growing global coronavirus pandemic, Lisa and Ted take a few moments to reflect on the impacts of rapid change and uncertainty. Well, actually, they start by reviewing Ted’s mouse-in-the-house scenario and setting up a Table of Contents for the  [more…] The post Monster Baby #76 Coronavirus Take...

Presidential Primary season’s swirling into hurricane mode: how do we make sense of it all? Just before the big Super Tuesday Democratic Primary elections, Ted and Lisa take stock of their feelings and leanings. The episode begins with Lisa’s excitement about her new position as the Artistic Director for BATS improv (3:12), including some musings  [more…] The post Monster Baby #75 Sorti...

What if your spiritual practice meant simply saying “Yes!” to life itself? In anticipation of this March’s “Yes to Life! The Improvisation and Spirituality Weekend,” Ted and Lisa welcome the retreat’s co-facilitators, Angelo John Lewis and Cindy Franklin, on to the Monster Baby Podcast. Lisa starts by coordinating an introduction of each guest, starting with  [more…] The post Monster Ba...

What are your “thunderbolt” moments of insight from mindfulness and improvisation? Inspired by a listener’s question, Ted and Lisa consider particular moments of clarity and insight from their long experience in the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation. The episode starts with Ted recalling a recent “prince and the pauper” travel experience (3:09) and Lisa sharing  [more…] The post M...

What gifts do mindfulness and improv bring to your season of light? It’s the season of giving and Ted and Lisa are musing on the life-shifting gifts of their shared practice. They start the episode with an invitation for responses and then take a few moments for a warm-up game of “Three Things.” (4:11) The pair introduces  [more…] The post Monster Baby #72 Waking Up to the Gifts appeare...

How can you play if your string is too tight or too slack? Finding the right amount of tension matters hugely: in improv, in mindfulness, and in life. Along those lines, Ted and Lisa mine a moment of tension from the last podcast episode (1:48) before drawing on some wisdom from the worlds of astrology  [more…] The post Monster Baby #71 Attention to Tension appeared first on Anima Learn...

Should you tell your story—or step out of it? Storytelling: it’s a topic that lies at the center of both improvisation and mindfulness practices. After recognizing that this episode has been a long time coming (2:14), Ted and Lisa dive into how foundational stories are, starting with the example of the stories we tell in  [more…] The post Monster Baby #70 What’s Your Story? appear...

What can you learn from improv without ever taking an improv class? After catching up a bit after a long stretch away from the podcast, Lisa and Ted reflect on a recent article in the Stanford alumni magazine that quotes each of them. Ted starts the episode with some thoughts on his recent trip to  [more…] The post Monster Baby #69 The Dish–Insights from Improv at Stanford (and ot...

What if this (and every day) were the best day ever? Finding inspiration from their everyday interactions with others, Ted and Lisa offer up a Monster Baby grab bag of musings and insights. After opening up with a rousing game of Convergence (2:19), Lisa starts the conversation off by wondering about discipline in her life  [more…] The post Monster Baby #68: Best Day Ever (A Monster Bab...

“You don’t solve problems in life. You keep reconciling paradoxes.” –Thiagi Every now and then—if you’re lucky—you get to spend time “under a mango tree” in the presence of a true master. For Monster Baby Episode #67, Lisa and Ted had such a treat: chatting with experiential learning guru Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagaragan. Following few moments  [more…] The post Monster Baby #67 Under a M...

Who holds you accountable? Even just a little addition of accountability can make a huge difference in the behavioral choices we make. What the heck makes that work? Given an unexpected gift of time and inspired by an agreement Ted has recently made with a buddy of his, Ted and Lisa dive into Monster Baby  [more…] The post Monster Baby #66 Accountability Buddies appeared first on Anima...

What happens if you conspire for joy?   Joy’s a huge part of improv—and hopefully, a huge part of life. On Monster Baby #65, Ted and Lisa explore the ins and outs of this delicious emotion. They start with a laugh-worthy warm-up game of “Convergence” (2:03) and a recap of Lisa’s great day (7:55). Ted  [more…] The post Monster Baby #65 Joy Conspiracy appeared first on Anima Learning .

When to say yes and when to say no—how do we know?  Both improv and mindfulness teach us to say yes to the unfolding story of life. But is that the whole story? On this, Monster Baby podcast episode #64, co-hosts Lisa and Ted explore the tension between the poles of yes and no, starting  [more…] The post Monster Baby #64 Yes and No appeared first on Anima Learning .

Can you quiet your Inner Critic and nourish your Inner Coach? Few things block your creativity more than the nastiness of the voices inside your own head. And it’s true for all of us. On episode #63 of the Monster Baby podcast, Lisa and Ted sit down with creativity evangelist, Denise Jacobs, to explore insights  [more…] The post Monster Baby #63 Simmer Down, Inner Critic (A Conversation...

You are truly special. As is everyone else. Once more, the Monster Baby Podcast shows its affinity for paradox, this time diving into the topic of uniqueness. Ted and Lisa open with a check-in: Ted’s got lottery tickets for Hamilton and the pair struggles for Greek mythological references to describe their state of being (2:26)  [more…] The post Monster Baby #62 The Uniqueness Paradox a...

Some family stories are unconventional from the start. Stepping into a vulnerable arena, Lisa shares her consideration of having a child on her own. Ted and Lisa start with an insight about improv and love from Lisa’s recent class (1:59) and note the ways that our environments help shape who and how we are (8:07).  [more…] The post Monster Baby #61 Parenthood without Partnership? Lisa c...

Have you ever wanted to get a creative vision into the world? In Monster Baby episode #60, Lisa and Ted celebrate the release of Ted’s new book, Playful Mindfulness into the world! The conversation starts with some reflections on Ted’s current voice and presence class (2:14) before Ted describes the error-finding process of bringing the book  [more…] The post Monster Baby #60 “Con...