Mothering Heights

This week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome producer, documentarian, and filmmaker Puloma Basu! Named one of Variety's Ten Documentary Filmmakers to Watch, she has carved out an incredible career working with some of your favorite musicians, like The New Pornographers and Aimee Mann, and runs The Production Company, a… production company started by Puloma, her husband Rob Hatch-Miller, and the Tom S...

This week, Leonora's bacon gets saved by actress and writer Aubrey Dollar, who came onto the pod with about ten minutes' notice - because that's what moms do for each other! In this episode, we dig into how to create a space (virtual or not) that fosters support, even among people in (literal) direct competition with each other, how to bounce back after career disappointments, and the endless foll...

This week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome not one but TWO incredible multi-hyphenate artists and creators, Christina Moore and Missi Pyle, who also happen to be best friends and collaborators. Christina is an actor and writer whom you remember from Mad TV and That 70's Show… and a million other things, and who is now emerging as a powerhouse producer of films such as Lady Driver, Running Wild, and...

This week, Leonora welcomes graphic novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter, television writer, and Twitter phenomenon Amanda Diebert. Amanda has written DC titles such as Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, and Wonder Woman '77, and she's written on shows such as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. She has a brand new book currently available for pre-order, based on her beautiful introspecti...

This week, Leonora welcomes Eirene Donohue to Mothering Heights. Eirene is a screenwriter and mama with two - yes TWO - Christmas films dropping on Lifetime this Thanksgiving weekend. They discuss how to persevere even if your family has staged a career intervention out of worry, how Eirene got started and how she KEEPS GOING, how one of Eirene's films made history as the first Asian-centered Life...

This week, Leonora welcomes TV writer and producer, podcaster, and legitimately one of her best friends, Elizabeth Laime. Elizabeth is presently writing and co-executive producing A Million Little Things (and just won the enormously important 2022 Sentinel Award for her and Lucile Masson's episode about abortion) and has also written on shows like I'm Sorry and The Village. She built one of the fi...

This week, Leonora is joined by Jules Blaine Davis : Kitchen Healer, TED speaker, and the author of The Kitchen Healer. She and Leonora have a deep, REALLY FUNNY, and inspiring conversation about big-time healing, turning on the fire, dancing at the kitchen sink, and finding our creative way despite major obstacles. To read more about Jules, visit https://www.julesblainedavis.com/ To pre-order The...

This week, Leonora is honored to be joined by California Assembly candidate Mia Livas Porter! Mia is an activist and mama (and creatively inclined as a designer!) who found her voice working for gun safety legislation through Moms Demand Action. Mia and Leonora discuss how to get started as an activist, what it means to find your voice, and why mothers make great leaders. This conversation is fun...

This week, Leonora welcomes writer, filmmaker, and graphic novelist Jessica Maison to the pod. Jessi is so smart and cool that Leonora thinks it's weird they're friends - but she's grateful nonetheless! Jessi is a mother of two rad girls and is the author of the YA climate-dystopia series Plastic Girl and the upcoming Mary Shelley's School for Monsters. Continuing with last week's theme of marryin...

This week, Leonora is joined by writer and activist Emily Barth Isler. Emily is the author of the acclaimed YA novel, Aftermath, which Amy Schumer called "a gift to the culture." We agree, and so does Leonora's daughter, who devoured this book over one weekend. In this episode, we talk about the nuts and bolts of finding TIME to create when your children are little, marrying activism and art, and...

This week, Leonora talks to her dear friend and one of her biggest career-supporters, Maggie Mackay. Maggie is a vital part of the film industry, and is the head of the Vidiots Foundation - which may be the key to saving the industry entirely! In this episode, we talk about equity and accessibility in the arts, why film is essential to being a human being, the joy of watching our kids gain autonom...

This week, Leonora welcomes writer, producer, showrunner, and mama, Christina Lee. Christina has produced and written some of the best and funniest and darkest stuff on television, including Wet Hot American Summer, Search Party, and Made for Love. Listen as Leonora absolutely loses her mind upon hearing how the divine hand of Liza Minelli guided Christina early on in her career, how they've trave...

This week Leonora talks to her much-beloved friend and chosen family, Ilana Cohn-Sullivan. Lani is an actor, stand-up, improviser, director, producer, writer, and mama. She and her husband Liam Sullivan of "Shoes" fame have been at the forefront of viral content creation long before it was even something one could monetize. LeeLee and Lani talk about moving to LA from New York right after 9/11, wh...

This week, Leonora is joined by her friend, colleague, and mentor, Maggie Kiley. Maggie started as an actor, became one of the best acting teachers around, and now directs shows like Keep Breathing, Dirty John, Dr. Death, and Pretty Little Liars. She and Leonora discuss how they apply their Atlantic Theater Company Acting School training in their filmmaking, the nature of mentorship, learning on t...

This week Leonora talks to director, producer, and editor Sylvia Ray. Sylvia and Leonora are in mom AND film groups together and are peer mentors and friends. In this episode we talk about starting a film career from essentially scratch, learning on the job, how to find time to be creative when you're raising small kids, navigating neurodiversity in our kids, and being a solid collaborator. It's a...

This week, Leonora welcomes Monica Corcoran Harel of Pretty Ripe. Monica is a writer, mama, good daughter, and recently had her New York Magazine essay "My Mom Has No Friends" go ultra-viral. She is also wise and funny, and in this conversation we explore self-care, creating a village out of thin air, peri-menopause and menopause, being members of the "sandwich" generation, the benefits of walking...

This week, Leonora welcomes Jennifer Lafleur, an extraordinary actress, director, and producer, and Leonora's chosen family. They discuss indie film, the necessary hustle of being an actor, caretaking BEFORE motherhood, the difference between jealousy and *holy* jealousy, and what it was like for Jen to have a pandemic baby. You can catch Jen in this summer's smash hit, NOPE, and you can watch Leo...

You may know Katie Aselton from her varied and terrific acting work on shows and films such as The League, Book Club, and The Morning Show. You may also know her from the three features she's directed, The Freebie, Black Rock, and Mack & Rita. But did you ALSO know that she is responsible for some of the most important relationships and professional work in Leonora's life? Tune in this week for th...

This week, Leonora is joined by one of her long-time partners in film and community building, Mylissa Fitzsimmons. Mylissa is an incredible filmmaker and photographer and mother of two. She and Leonora discuss film festivals, launching your indie  filmmaking career, how they built the Los Angeles Women's Film Collective, and whether or not Mylissa is mad at Leonora. To watch some of Mylissa's work...

Today Leonora is thrilled to be joined by one of her dearest and longest Los Angeles friends, actress, artist, and activist Ever Carradine. Leonora and Ever met way back in 2004 before Leonora had even met her husband Scott - but Ever was present the first time they ever saw each other. You know Ever from her roles on Handmaid's Tale, Marvel's Runaways, Goliath, and films like All My Life and Jay...

Leonora welcomes her partner in moms' group leadership, Lauren Branco. Lauren is an early childhood educator, and they discuss the ins and outs of leading a group of diverse women, how to build community, our philosophy of having difficult conversations and creating learning opportunities by calling people in instead of calling people out, FOOD, and whether or not Lauren is mad at Leonora.

Leonora welcomes absolute powerhouse Fri Forjindam to Mothering Heights. Fri discusses how she took her theater nerd heart through almost becoming a doctor and into her current career as the Chief Development Officer of her company, Mycotoo, where she designs immersive experiences like Paisley Park for the Prince Estate and the recent (incredible) Mandalorian Experience for Jon Favreau and Lucas F...

Leonora opens her podcast ADVENTURE! with her best friend and soul sister, actress/writer/producer/artist/creative Mary Elizabeth Ellis. They discuss how they met, how Mary Elizabeth first realized she was actually a mother, how she and her family carve out time and space to be creative, and whether or not M.E. is mad at Leonora.

Leonora Pitts is an actor, filmmaker, dancer, community organizer, acting and dialect coach, and now, apparently, podcaster! In this intro episode, Leonora introduces herself and talks a bit about what you all can look forward to as the loyal, fervant Mothering Heights fans you're sure to be. She also hopes you're not mad at her.