La Befana's Table with Dina & Friends

  Welcome back to another episode of La Befana’s Table. Today Musician, Storyteller, Peacemaker, and Radical Creative, Gabriel Meyer joins me at La Befana’s Table for a conversation on bridging our longing for (w)holiness with playfulness. Born in Cordoba, Argentina. Son of human rights champion Rabbi Marshall Meyer. Gabriel opens hearts and builds cross-cultural bridges through music, humor, and...

Welcome back to another episode of La Befana’s Table!  Today, we have here our special guest, Author, Raylene Abbott. Raylene describes herself as a listener of the wind. A singer of green psalms written on the forest floor. A student of heart softening. Finder of Wayside Shrines, Collector of Medieval Recipes. And somehow with the Grace of God, she became an Author of Books.  And in this episode,...

Welcome folks to another episode of La Befana’s Table. Today Matt Mitler joins me in a conversation about searching for the sacred through the medium of theater. Matt is an American actor who is also the founding director of Dzieci Theatre (the polish word for "children").  Integrating techniques garnered from such theatre masters as Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba and Peter Brook, ritual forms der...

Welcome back to another episode of La Befana’s Table. Today’s episode is an honest heart to heart. I talk about showing up as we are and reflecting on the ways in which our goals accurately represent our implicit interests and values in life. More of what we talked about: * 1:07 Showing up as I am * 2:30 Commitment to what you love the most * 4:08 The beauty of Launching a Podcast * 5:24 Nobility...

Welcome back to La Befana’s Table.  Today, I have my very good friend here, Jen Violi.  Jen Violi is a writer, mentor, and facilitator of Elemental Writing courses. Elemental Writing means remembering writing as a wholly embodied act of a wholly embodied being, and that we humans belong to and are in a relationship with the animate world.  Jen’s spiral of identities includes but is not limited to:...

Happy International Women’s Day!  Welcome back to La Befana’s Table.  Today, I am so excited to share with you my conversation with my dear friend, Michela Musolino. Michela Musolino, American-born and raised, known for her fiery and passionate interpretations of both traditional and contemporary Sicilian Folk and Roots Music,  enchants with a voice that seems to float between the ages. She grew u...

In last week’s episode with Tam Orlando of Reclaiming Your Space we explored how de-cluttering our homes can help us to declutter our inner world and on on today’s episode Genevieve Anderson and I explore how the apparel we wear can help us become our most bold and confident selves and the gifts that we find in the deserts of life. Genevieve Anderson is a multi-hyphenated powerhouse of a woman, fi...

Welcome folks to another episode of La Befana’s Table.  Today, I have a really special guest to introduce to you. Her name is Tam Orlando and she is the creator of reclaim your space, a shame-free, judgment-free community, supporting clutter clearing to open up to flow in your home and in your life.  Tam is an interior designer with a BFA from Parsons' new School of Design and a certified Cosmic s...

What comes to your mind when you think about Valentine’s Day? Often, we associate this holiday with “celebrating love” with all the heart decorations, chocolates, flowers, and gifts. But is Valentine’s really all about celebrating love? Or is it a day of longing? In this conversation today, I’m gonna be sharing with you my thoughts about Valentine’s Day and what this day elicits within me.  I’m al...

Welcome folks to another episode of La Befana’s Table.  Today, we will be joined by our dear friend, Jess Grippo, who’s a dancer, a creative coach, and the founder of Dance Again. As you all know, dancing is more than just moving the body. It’s a vehicle of expression.  In fact, dance has been part of our traditions throughout history. Our ancestors used it to celebrate a new life, mourn, and heal...

Thanks for pulling up a seat to another episode of La Befana’s Table. Today, we have an incredible friend joining us here on La Befana’s table, Sharon Leggio Falchuk, a functional medicine health coach and founder of Intended Holistic Wellness. Have you or someone you know ever got sick yet doctors couldn’t pinpoint their illnesses? The thing is health doesn't only mean physical, it is also mental...

Welcome back to La Befana’s Table.  Today, I wanted to share with you a story of a friend who recently & unexpectedly passed. So, I wanted to use this episode as a tribute to Ms. Geraldine by sharing a story of our brief but impactful friendship. While I am sad that she is gone, I’m happy I get to introduce her to all of you. ****** Thanks so much for pulling up a seat at La Befana’s Table!  If yo...

Have you ever felt like there’s something more to life? That there’s something more you can do, that you can offer to this world but kind of feeling lost as to how to do it?  Do you ever feel free to express all of yourself? To bring your whole self to the table? Or do you box yourself into different categories depending on what you think the world wants to see?  What if it’s all connected to our...

In today’s episode Dina sits down at La Befana’s Table with Dr. Gina Miele, Professor of Italian, Literature & Folklore, former director of the Coccia Institute of the Italian American Experience and the creator of the Italian Mystics, Saints, & Visionaries Oracle Deck. Join them for a spirited discussion that spans ancestral roots, the stories that make & shape us, what it means to bring the wisd...

In today’s episode Dina explores what it means to bring our “whole” selves to the table and how in order to truly thrive, no part of you can be left out, no matter how ugly it is. ****** Thanks so much for filling up a seat at La Befana’s Table!  If you want episodes sent directly to your inbox and access to our monthly community and connection hours. Be sure to subscribe to my substack dinagregor...

In today’s episode Dina shares a little snippet of her search for belonging and how she was eventually able to find her place in this wild world. ****** Thanks so much for filling up a seat at La Befana’s Table!  If you want episodes sent directly to your inbox and access to our monthly community and connection hours. Be sure to subscribe to my substack dinagregory.substack.com If you found value...

In today’s episode Dina shares how the memories of her childhood table influenced her desire to create a podcast community dedicated to La Befana & the art of Sacred Hospitality. ****** Thanks so much for pulling up a seat to La Befana’s Table with Dina & Friends!  If you want episodes sent directly to your inbox and access to our monthly community and connection hours. Be sure to subscribe to my...

Welcome to Episode 1 of La Befana's Table with Dina & Friends. In this episode, Dina recounts the legendary tale of old La Befana, a figure from ancient Italian folklore that has for centuries been delivering children gifts (and sometimes coal) every Epiphany Eve.  The following sources have been utilized in the recounting of this tale:  https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/trends/news/la-befana-celeb...

In today’s episode Dina shares a whimsical story of bringing a one-toothed puppet of Italy’s legendary La Befana in the streets of Harlem and the lessons learned from loving and letting go. ****** Thanks so much for pulling up a seat at La Befana’s Table!  If you want episodes sent directly to your inbox and access to our inaugural Befana Extravaganza and monthly community and connection hours, be...

A pre-launch episode to kick off #12daysofBefana where Michela Musolino, who is known for her fiery and passionate interpretations of both traditional and contemporary Sicilian Folk and Roots Music, sit down to share memories of La Befana as well as her new album La Notti Triunfanti . https://dinagregory.substack.com/about This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscrib...

Teacher and reluctant puppeteer turned podcast host Dina Gregory invites all those seeking refuge from the absurdities of modern times to pull up a seat to La Befana’s Table– a podcast community dedicated to the art of sacred hospitality where each week listeners are invited to feast on real life stories of hope & healing as well as conversations with folks from all walks of life who are utilizing...