At My Kitchen Table

Teabags, I love making a guest connection kind of in the wild!  Steve Malcolm reached out to me after he heard his friend, Jonathan Slade, in Season 1.  We struck up an email conversation that led to me asking if he was interested in chatting with me for the pod, and here we are! Steve joins me at my kitchen table today to talk about his non-traditional path to becoming a TV producer, and how is r...

It’s Wednesday, Teabags, so pour a cup and settle in as Laura Schreiber joins me at my kitchen table.  I met Laura through work, and she quickly earned my respect (plus, I was intimidated by her!) because she was extremely good at her job.  As I got to know her better over time, I also discovered that she's a gem of a human. Laura discusses her journey to doing improv at Chicago’s own Second...

Teabags, do you know what a Mummer is?  Well, neither do we!  This week my sister-in-law, Sam, sits at my kitchen table to talk about how & why after years of pursuing an education and career in dance, she shifted gears in a completely different direction. She also spills dance tea about her family, illustrates why it’s sometimes necessary to distinguish between “coke” and “Coca-Cola,” points...

Welcome to a September Wednesday where the weather is starting to show hints of cooler days ahead!  I am so honored to have one of my bonus kids, Tyler Hendzel, join me at my kitchen table this week to talk about his ability to maintain a healthy outlook on life despite the childhood chaos that propelled him into adult responsibilities at a really young age.  Tyler basically lost two foundational...

It’s good to be back, Teabags!  Sean Patrick Sears is his government name, but you can call him Shaggy.  He pulls up a seat at my kitchen table to kick off season 2 by regaling me with stories.  Shaggy is an incredible storyteller whom I’d originally asked to chat about all things theater.  But during background, I quickly realized that you can wind him up and point him in any direction, and you’l...

Hey Teabags!  As you may know, I’m taking a little time off to steep!  I’m on a short break for some relaxation and to prep new episodes for the Season 2 launch in September. While you wait to meet new guests and hear their stories, enjoy this re-release of Season 1 Episode 32 with Veronica Molitor. Friend of the pod, Veronica is the Owner & Chief Executive Chocolatier of Umber Chocolates.  We...

Hey Teabags!  As you may know, I’m taking a little time off to steep!  I’m on a short break for some relaxation and to prep new episodes for the Season 2 launch in September. But I’ll be honest, I’d planned a different episode for this week’s re-release. I made a last-minute pivot in light of recent news.  Postpartum depression with psychosis has been front and center lately, and it feels like a g...

Hey Teabags!  As you may know, I’m taking a little time off to steep!  I’m on a short break for some relaxation and to prep new episodes for the Season 2 launch in September. While you wait to meet new guests and hear their stories, enjoy this re-release of Season 1 Episode 16 from Adam Wright. Get cozy! This week's small business spotlight is on Game On, Girls! Search Game On, Girls! on Face...

Hey Teabags!  As you may know, I’m taking a little time off to steep!  I’m on a short break for some relaxation and to prep new episodes for the Season 2 launch in September. While you wait to meet new guests and hear their stories, enjoy this re-release of Season 1 Episode 9 from November 5, 2025 with guest Victoria Ribeiro.  Victoria talks about what it was like to be on the receiving end of onl...

Hey, Teabags!  Welcome to my kitchen table for a season 1 wrap-up in which I switch roles and answer questions on all things related to At My Kitchen Table.  My sister and first pod guest, Angela Myers, flips the script and asks me both fun and poignant questions about my experiences over the last year with the podcast, with questions about what I’ve learned, what’s made me laugh, whether I cry wi...

Teabags, I love it when I meet people who are "doers" in life - the people who see a need and figure out creative ways to fill it.  Erica Cochran pulls up a seat at my kitchen table today to talk about how she’s intentionally modeling action over acceptance for her kids when they see something that isn’t fair, and how in one recent instance, that action resulted in co-founding a business...

It’s Wednesday, Teabags, and it’s time to welcome Jaclyn Haines to my kitchen table.  I have the pleasure of knowing Jaclyn because she’s married one of my bonus kids – her husband is one of my son’s closest friends.  She gets into some personal medical history as she speaks candidly about her lupus diagnosis and what likely triggered it. She also talks about the strength of her competitive dance...

Teabags, I am so excited for today’s conversation with my dear friend, former co-worker, fellow avid reader, and COVID show-watching buddy, Chris Distler.  Not only is Chris all of these things, but he’s also one of the earliest Teabags, making today’s conversation even more special to me. Chris pulls up a seat at my kitchen table to tell stories of how he and his friend, Laurel, through-hiked the...

Welcome to Wednesday, Teabags!  Today, I’m joined at my kitchen table by Olivia Zortman, who dives into what it's like for her to work through reconciling her religion with her identity. Growing up as a queer kid in an inclusive Christian denomination, only to have her own church separate because it believes homosexuality to be a sin impacted both family relationships and the community she&ap...

Teabags, buckle up!  Jason Hill, CJ McDermott, and Robbie Meixner return to my kitchen table today to talk about the importance of male friendships.  Bonding over ninja turtles, a complicated neighbor, and the CoGos on Virginia Avenue, these three love each other deeply even if no one remembers exactly how Jason & CJ met.  They chat about how they show up for each other, why it's easy to...

You know we love a deep dive into the things that drive people to serve, particularly in government.  This week, Dylan Altemara joins me at my kitchen table to discuss how is own personal experiences led him to get involved.  Dylan gets candid about how his own health, two major medical events in his family, navigating insurance claims, filing for medical bankruptcy, and living with housing insecu...

Happy Wednesday, Teabags!  For those of you who have followed me on socials for a long time or who have read my blog, you’ll know my guest as Kid 1.  My oldest, Braeden, joins me at my kitchen table this week to have a yap about what life is like with “Irish twins.” Plenty of people experience having kids close in age, but Braeden talks about the challenges and joys that come with parenting kids w...

Taking a seat at my kitchen table this week is Jonathan Slade, a college professor, documentarian, and the creator / reporter / photographer of the hyperlocal newspaper, The Mason-Dixon Surveyor. I was really excited to sit down with Jonathan and dive into the impetus for him to start the paper and the logistics of what it takes to bring good writing and news to his small community.  Jonathan also...

Teabags, it’s time to post up with the guest who quite possibly has the coolest name on the planet! Blaze LaBoon pulls up a chair at my kitchen table today to talk about how sports has been so foundational in her life.  She also chats about the origin of her name, wtf it means to be a stoop kid, her jobs with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins, and her hopes to one day transition to playing pickl...

Every once in a while, I’ll have a topic idea that I’ll float by a potential guest because it’s something I’m curious about and want new perspectives.  And sometimes the lesson I learn is that the universe doesn’t care what I want, and instead it gives me a gift. Today I welcome my niece, Melia Myers, to my kitchen table.  My goal was to have a yap about the changes in how we market colleges and t...

Teabags, pull up a seat and join me in welcoming Ali Collier back to my kitchen table!  A few of you reached out after Ali’s episode early in the year to let me know that you’d like to hear more about Mini Baja, a topic that came up randomly during our first episode.  Today, Ali obliges us and dives into the life lessons she learned from her time on RIT’s Mini Baja team.  In addition to Mini Baja,...

Welcome to Wednesday, teabags!  The absolutely delightful Monica Cwynar pulls up a seat at my kitchen table to talk about her path to becoming a social worker and clinical therapist.  But that’s only the tip of the iceberg, as she highlights some of the many things she’s done in her life that make her call herself the “Forrest Gump of Pittsburgh.” Monica chats about the orgy that is this allergy s...

Teabags, this episode has me locked in on all things music as I welcome Robbie Meixner to my kitchen table to shoot the shit about music and art being the throughline of life.  Robbie also talks about cool cobra drum pedals, why making art for money sucks, friendships rooted in a mutual love of ninja turtles, and how concerts are a connection of souls. During our yap, Robbie and I go back to our M...

Welcome to Wednesday, Teabags!  The At My Kitchen Table team finally met the demands of Andrew Mandzy’s team (green M&Ms only) to make podcast magic happen.  Andrew joins me today to talk about what it took for a risk averse Jersey boy to leave his corporate job this year and pursue something new, and to explore his Ukrainian roots and bicultural upbringing. He also chats about other stuff – l...

She's back at the kitchen table (which is also technically her kitchen table, too)!  This week, Kenzie Shaak returns for what started out as a yap about over-the-top parent behaviors, but unraveled into topics like the impact of social media on player image, how parents probably do way too much for their kids, the many referees called Jerry, instituting a hell week, and four good things about...