Mamas Talkin' Loud

Following her journey thru COVID at the beginning of the Broadway shutdown, Katie Webber, like many in our industry, made a Pandemic Pivot. Using her knowledge as a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and her love for simple, healthy and delicious food, she turned lemons into lemon water ;) and wrote a cookbook, Fall For You. From inception of the idea to holding herself accountable on social media, w...

Balancing your child’s needs with your own is one of the hardest parts of motherhood - add separation, divorce and co-parenting to the mix and it only magnifies this challenge. Sara Jean Ford and Ellyn Marie Marsh join us to share their journeys through it all: the power of priority, the necessity of negotiation, and learning to compromise for the good of your child, but not at the expense of your...

Broadway veteran, and first time mama, Afra Hines joins us to share her journey through pregnancy, childbirth, and having a newborn during Covid-19. We also delve into her career as a bi-racial woman on Broadway; covering everything from navigating the physical demands of the Tony Awarding Winning musical Hadestown while pregnant, to experiencing colorism in our industry. We discuss how it affects...

Our chat with Canadian actress and frequent Broadway star Chilina Kennedy is the perfect balm for our current times. With a focus on generosity, kindness and the ability to say “I’m sorry”, she is raising her son, Henry, with the betterment of the world in mind. Along with Jenn Colella (who makes a special guest appearance and considers herself one of Henry’s caregivers), they’ve bubbled with a fe...

Using your voice doesn't always come easy, but it's more important than ever to take a stand for justice, kindness and the future. Co-hosts Cara Cooper and Jessica Rush are keeping you company, and getting you fired up while you wait to VOTE, with an intimate and personal conversation in this special Election Day episode. Find more info about the podcast via BPN.fm/mamas.  Produced by Dori Berinst...

Drama Desk and Tony Nominee, most well known for bringing the iconic Elle Woods to life on Broadway in Legally Blonde the musical, Laura Bell Bundy is an actress, singer, songwriter, director and producer who is leading the charge as a voice for women’s rights. With the release of her new podcast Women of Tomorrow, based on the album of the same name, she can give you a women’s history lesson, wri...

Drama Desk and Tony Nominee, most well known for bringing the iconic Elle Woods to life on Broadway in Legally Blonde the musical, Laura Bell Bundy, is an actress, singer, songwriter, director and producer who is leading the charge as a voice for women’s rights. With the release of her new podcast Women of Tomorrow, based on the album of the same name, she can give you a women’s history lesson, wr...

Having appeared in 18 Broadway Shows and received the Legacy Robe 6 times, an honor most ensemble members never receive even once, this weeks guest, Lisa Gajda, is a legend in our industry. She joined us both before Covid-19 and after to share not only her incredible journey to motherhood, but how she transitioned out of the business to become a therapist. Not surprisingly, our conversations turne...

Having appeared in 18 Broadway Shows and received the Legacy Robe 6 times, an honor most ensemble members never receive even once, this weeks guest, Lisa Gajda, is a legend in our industry. She joined us both before Covid-19 and after to share not only her incredible journey to motherhood, but how she transitioned out of the business to become a therapist. Not surprisingly, our conversations turne...

With four kids under 6, Meghann Finn and Danielle King were already rockstar #workingartistmothers as artistic director and managing producer resepectively of the Tank NYC, home to emerging artists from a wide variety of disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry and storytelling. Since COVID hit they have taken their superpowers to a whole new level. With theater shut do...

When you are a gay man who wants to be a father, you are faced with challenges and choices. Broadway veteran (Aladdin, Anything Goes, Groundhog Day) Raymond J. Lee shares how his desire to be a dad led him and and his partner to seek out adoption, specifically ‘open’ adoption, and in doing so created a unique family dynamic with Ella's birth mother. Through heartbreak and disappointment, they neve...

Launching our new series of bonus ‘mini-sodes’ is Drama Desk Award winner, singer/songwriter, activist and expecting mommy Margo Seibert. Like so many, Margo’s plans changed post-lockdown, and the result of that is the release of two brand new singles, ‘Influence’ & ‘Searcher’ streaming now and available for purchase with all proceeds being donated to The Actors Fund for Covid Relief and The Lovel...

We often say that the conversations we have with our guests should feel just like we are girlfriends chatting in the dressing room. That has never been more true than our season finale with Broadway and West End star Rachel Tucker. Rachel joined us to talk ‘Defying Gravity’ with a toddler at home, what it’s truly like to juggle a career in two different countries, the balance she and her director...

Haven Burton joins us again to share her experience as a mother of special needs children, particularly what it has been like during quarantine. We discuss the specific struggles of remote learning and tele therapy, what’s it’s like to be not only a teacher, but a physical, occupational, speech and social skills therapist. The good news is, despite the trials of this time, our children are growing...

Nili Bassman joins us again to talk about the lighter side of loving a child with special needs. Yes, there are struggles, extra hurdles, therapies etc, but there is incredibly immense joy in seeing your child grow and develop in his or her own time and way. We give a special shout out to the amazing therapists, doctors and friends who have come into our lives to help our children thrive, and in d...

Tony Award Winner, Tonya Pinkins joins us to share her profound wisdom gleaned from being a single mother of four, a pioneer in the world of labor and delivery in New York City, and a voice for the underrepresented. By always making her children a priority, she has never wavered in her quest for getting what she, a mother, deserves in our industry. Join us, as we learn from the powerhouse that is...

Wrapping up our Pride Month series, Stephanie Klemons and Colleen Quinn join us to chat about their journey to Motherhood. We dig deep with these incredible women, discussing everything from how they chose who would carry their first child, to battling an internal guilt for not adopting. The couple are also both giving back to the community in their own ways, Stephanie through her non-profit Katie...

Broadway and television star Cheyenne Jackson and actor turned entrepreneur Jason Landau share their incredible journey to becoming fathers to twins, Ethan and Willow. From their search for an egg donor and a surrogate, to the moment their babies entered the world, they have led with a conscious love and desire to be the best parents to their children and spouses to one another. Join us as we dive...

Continuing Pride Month, Daisy Eagan, the youngest female to ever win a Tony award for her portrayal of Annie Lennox in The Secret Garden, shares her motherhood/life journey with us. Coming out to her liberal parents at 12 years old, she continued to explore her sexuality and gender identity all while battling the pressures of show business that has for so long only accepted womxn who look and act...

"What are you having?“ Something we hear over and over when expecting a child. Many of us gear up for their arrival with preparations specific to their gender, right? So what happens when, a few years later, they tell you they are not comfortable expressing their gender in the way for which you, their parent, prepared? Join us as speak with Gavin Lodge and Christina Rouner about how they have and...

Tony and Grammy Award winner, Heather Headley was doing it all before COVID-19, filming the new Netflix series (streaming May 19th), 'Sweet Magnolias', the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic 'Respect', traveling worldwide for concerts, and being a mother to three children. Forced to stop, she is finding “beauty in the ashes” of this time as she relishes her family in a way that wouldn’t have previous...

Actress, writer, and co-host of the award winning podcast “What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood” Amy Wilson joins us to share her experience self-isolating with older children, trying to keep them fed, and protecting them from the fear of this pandemic. We also revisit the “pause” that becoming a mother forces us to take and how much it has in common with this global experience we a...

Actor turned baby guru, Jamie Grayson, joins us as the first male guest on our show! Formerly known as The BabyGuyNYC, he shares with us how a dreaded stall of a subway ride led to a job interview that forever changed his life’s journey. His spunky, sensitive spirit and southern charm made him the go-to for all things “baby” in New York City and now he shares his expertise online and at trade show...

With 17 Broadway shows between them, leading ladies, Jenn Gambatese and Nikki Renee Daniels were about to add two more to the list, Mrs. Doubtfire and Company. COVID-19 has put an extended pause on the opening of their shows, and much like the postponed Olympic Games, the incredible hard work and passion that goes into mounting a Broadway show has come to screeching halt. As a result they are both...

Before the extended “intermission” that Broadway is experiencing, Robyn Hurder was lighting up the stage every night as Nini in Moulin Rouge. Now she is with her rambunctious, creative, and loving kindergartner all day every day.. and well, she has a lot to say about it. We talk everything from surviving remote learning, coming back to the biz after having a baby, and the moment of rebirth when sh...