Improv in Real Life

What if getting comfortable with discomfort could actually make us braver? In this episode, Jude speaks with medical improv pioneer Katie Watson about brave spaces versus safe spaces. They discuss how improv can help us take risks, practice pausing, and trust ourselves to show up more fully, in healthcare and in life. *Connect with Katie - Northwestern ,  Medical Improv This podcast is brought to...

What happens when we stop performing and start showing up as we are? In this episode, Jude speaks with Improv Central founder Claire Slattery about using improv to rebuild the muscles of connection, play, and spontaneity. Together, they discuss why practicing in-person, unscripted interaction may be more important than ever in an increasingly digital world. *Connect with Claire:  Improv Central ,...

What if one of the best defenses against burnout is the people around us? In this episode, Jude speaks with Elizabeth Bojsza from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science about how improv can strengthen communication, connection, and trust, helping teams build the collective resilience to navigate stress together. *Connect with Elizabeth - LinkedIn ,  Stony Brook University ARTICLE: Burnout...

How does play change the way we connect with each other? In this episode, Jude speaks with Playfair founder Matt Weinstein about how games and improv can break down barriers, create belonging, and turn strangers into collaborators. Together, they explore what happens when we let go of our defenses and give ourselves permission to root for one another. *Connect with Matt - Playfair ,  LinkedIn ,  T...

What if the best leaders are really just skilled improvisers? In this episode, Jude speaks with Kirsten Henning about how the same skills that make a great scene partner - adaptability, empathy, and knowing when to step back - are exactly what it takes to lead a team. *Connect with Kirsten - Website , LinkedIn This podcast is brought to you by Lifestage . Lifestage designs and facilitates experien...

Improv IRL goes live! Jude takes the podcast to the stage at the Global Improvisation Initiative conference in Portland, OR. She is joined by applied improvisers Bobbi Block, Nicola Pauling, and Brad Robertson for a lively mix of improv games and real conversation about what it means to activate the possible. *Connect with the guests!  Bobbi Block - Website,   Yes and Nature Collaborative , Tongue...

How do we get better at feeling (and expressing) the full range of human emotion? In this episode, Jude speaks with psychiatrist Dr. Elaina DellaCava about using improv for personal development. They explore how improv lowers our defenses, strengthens emotional awareness, and helps us navigate big life transitions with more grace and joy.  *Connect with Elaina: Instagram ,  LinkedIn ,  Improvoluti...

How do we build trust with a room full of strangers? In this episode, Jude speaks with playwright Jack Canfora about what real creative collaboration requires, including the willingness to accept feedback and let go of being right. Together, they explore how truly listening to each other (and to the moment) can lead to transformative art.  *Connect with Jack -  LinkedIn ,  Instagram.  Listen to Th...

How do you find solidarity in a room full of strangers? In this episode, Jude speaks with Shari Hazlett, creator of the Social Justice Improv Project , about the surprising overlap between improv and activism. Together, they explore how sharing personal stories can move people from fear and apathy to empowerment and solution. *Connect with Shari - Instagram ,  LinkedIn ,  Living Radio This podcast...

What happens when the plan falls apart? In this episode, Jude speaks with Paul Z. Jackson about the complexity of life, and the psychological muscles we need when it refuses to cooperate. Together, they explore how improv can help us respond with more creativity and resilience when uncertainty throws everything off course. *Connect with Paul - Website , LinkedIn , Book:   Easy , Book: 58½ Ways to...

What happens when people don't feel safe enough to speak up? In this episode, Jude speaks with Melissa Dinwiddie, author of Innovation at Work , about psychological safety, perfectionism, and the hidden costs of staying silent in collaborative spaces. Together, they explore how creating improv-inspired microexperiments can help teams build trust, encourage honest feedback, and create the condition...

How do you respond when everything changes in an instant? In this episode, Jude speaks with Mary Tyszkiewicz about her model called Heroic Improv. Together, the explore how improvisational skills can help people think clearly, adapt quickly, and work together during crises and disasters. *Connect with Mary - Heroic Improv (booking workshops, in-person and virtual),  LinkedIn This podcast is brough...

How do you stay grounded when things feel uncertain? In this episode, Jude speaks with Joel Veenstra, Department of Drama Chair at UC Irvine, about how improv helps us navigate tension, embrace discomfort, and let go of needing to control outcomes. Together, they explore how building tolerance for uncertainty can deepen presence, collaboration, and connection in all walks of life.  *Connect with J...

How do you stay emotionally grounded in high stress moments? In this episode, Jude speaks with Justin Drogos and Jonathan Webb from Northwestern University. Together, they explore how improv builds emotional regulation, teaching clinicians not just what they feel, but how to express it with the right intensity in complex, real-world situations. *Connect with Jonathan - LinkedIn ,  The Laughing Aca...

How do stories help us process change? In this episode, Jude speaks with Kenn Adams, creator of the Story Spine, about how stories can reveal deeper truths about ourselves. Together, they explore how storytelling and improv aren't just tools for communication, but ways to reflect, connect, and move forward. *Connect with Kenn - Synergy Theater ,  LinkedIn , Facebook ,  Instagram . Upcoming shows: ...

Who holds the power in a room and what does that do to your voice? In this episode, Jude speaks with applied improv pioneer Kat Koppett about the subtle (and not so subtle) power dynamics that shape careers, relationships, and identity. They examine how power can silence, distort, or transform and how to wield it with the help of improv. *Connect with Kat - Website , Mopco Improv Theatre , Trainin...

Taking risks is uncomfortable, especially in environments where playing it safe feels smarter. In this episode, Jude speaks with applied improviser Ed Reggi about how practicing creative risk in low stakes games, especially in the classroom, helps us build confidence and resiliency. *Connect with Ed: Website ,  LinkedIn ,  Instagram This podcast is brought to you by  Lifestage . Lifestage designs...

Why do we shut down the people we love most? In this episode, Jude speaks with improv performer and educator Rachel Rosenthal about how improv teaches us to really listen in our relationships, fostering collaboration as opposed to critique. Together they explore how "yes, and" creates lasting connection with the people closest to us. *Connect with Rachel - Website , Love Shakespeare , Kickstand Co...

What if it's not failure we're afraid of, but what failure says about us? In this episode, Jude speaks with therapist and improviser Salma Soliman, who shares how playful risk-taking can loosen the grip of fear and open us up to real, lasting change. *Connect with Salma -  Brave You Therapy , Instagram , LinkedIn   This podcast is brought to you by  Lifestage . Lifestage designs and facilitates ex...

What do working artists know that the rest of us need to learn? In this episode, Jude speaks with Peter Michael Marino, creator of Show Up Kids, about the improvisational mindset that builds resilience, activates resourceful creativity, and leaves us open to receiving.  *Connect with Peter - Website ,  LinkedIn ,  Instagram , "Show Up, Kids!" Interactive Family Comedy for 3-10 year olds at ShapeSh...

In this special holiday episode, Jude shares a true story about her first December in New York, a season of struggle, heartbreak, and unexpected magic. What unfolds is a series of unpredictable moments that remind us: life can throw us curveballs, but if we accept what's offered, the surprises can be beautiful. This podcast is brought to you by  Lifestage . Lifestage designs and facilitates experi...

What do you do when staying silent protects the relationship, but speaking up protects your truth? In this episode, Jude speaks with Kathy Klotz-Guest of Keeping It Human to explore how improv helps us navigate the tension between authenticity and harmony. They unpack the practice of truth-telling without burning bridges, and how conflict leads to deeper understanding. *Connect with Kathy - Keepin...

Empathy thrives when we meet each other in our imperfections. In this episode, Jude speaks with Louis Kornfeld of Kornfeld and Andrews , about how improv comedy reveals the flaws in human behavior, which helps us see ourselves more clearly with humor and compassion. *Connect with Louis - Kornfeld & Andrews Show,   Kornfeld & Andrews Podcast ,  The Truth Podcast , LinkedIn   This podcast is brought...

What if the best way to prepare kids for an unpredictable future is to teach them how to improvise? In this episode, Jude speaks with Beth Hagenlocker, Executive Director of the  Detroit Creativity Project . By bringing improv into schools, their organization helps teens grow more imaginative and emotionally resilient, all while discovering themselves in a space built for creativity and connection...

We think we're listening, but are we really? In this episode, Jude speaks with Rick Andrews, Magnet Theater faculty and applied improv facilitator, to explore how listening is an active choice. They unpack how hearing another person's perspective is a powerful act of empathy, and how improv trains us not just to react, but to understand. *Connect with Rick - Website , LinkedIn, Kornfeld & Andrews...