Pratfalls of Parenting

“Making this show has changed my life.” Pratfalls of Parenting podcast producer and host Levi Weinhagen flips the tables and is interviewed by special guest host Laura Zabel. Levi talks about how the show has evolved since he started it in 2012, what he’s learned as an artist and a parent and where the podcast […]

“Maybe there’s a way to do something that’s well established, but maybe I’m going to build my own path.” Aric McKeown is an improviser, a podcaster, and a serial creator of interesting internet projects like; Regret Labs, Mustache Rangers, Blank It, NoisePicnic, Better Strangers, Least Dangerous Game, Make Me Watch TV, Your Notness, and Feeding Objects. […]

“We’re looking at building a movement, not a program.” Andrew Simonet is a writer, artist, producer, documentary filmmaker, co-founder of Philadelphia’s Headlong Dance Theater, and founder and Director of Artists U. In this episode of the podcast, Andrew talks about the assumption people make about others and how those assumptions inform how we think about […]

“Grief is boring and isolating and exhausting.” Writer, community builder and internet lover Nora McInerny Purmort talks about constantly writing out stories when she was a child, often with story prompts from her father who was a copywriter who secretly wrote novels. She talks about writing a regular column for the Southwest Journal when she […]

“No one should hand you a bunch of cash after college and say give the world yourself.” Laura Zimmermann is a writer, a philanthropic leader and an all-around fantastic human being. Laura spent 18 years working for the McKnight Foundation, with a large portion of that time serving as the director of their artist fellowship program. […]

“I think we both knew that we liked each other, but I was a pretty damaged person.” Laura Holway is a choreographer, theater maker, writer, producer, and creative maker of unstuckness. Ben McGinley is a video maker, producer, podcaster, and teller of stories. In their personal partnership Laura and Ben have collaborated on many projects from […]

Arnie Niekamp is the director of the video game Drawful, writer and director for You Don’t Know Jack and Fibbage. He’s also the host of the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern and a founding member of the improv group Whirled News Tonight in Chicago. In this episode of the podcast, Arnie talks about having a […]

“The timing was ridiculous.” Art Allen, through his company called Modern Antics, plans fun, experiential events like a pun slam competition called Pundamonium, a beard competition called Beard-Off, and a live interactive puzzle game called Riddle Room. He’s also in the 2nd year of putting on a fundraising concert called GOOFDA that features Minnesota musicians performing […]

“Your job is to constantly throw out ideas and 99% of them fail.” Brian Wecht is a musician, comedian, and theoretical physicist. He’s held research positions at Harvard University, the Center for Theoretical Physics at MIT, the Institute for Advanced Study and was a faculty member at Queen Mary, University of London. He’s also half […]

“I don’t think it was weird just for the sake of being weird.” Alexei Moon Casselle is a parent, an artist, and an educator. In this episode, he talks about starting to take music seriously at age 15 and how that led to bands, record deals and tours. He shares the story of going from […]

“You sing what you are made to sing; physiologically, physically, and temperamentally.” Adriana Zabala is a mezzo soprano opera singer but she’s also so much more. In this episode of the show, Adriana shares her very dramatic opera origin story. She also talks about her obsession with classical music as a young person and how […]

Dr. Robert Zeitlin is an author, speaker, psychologist, and perhaps most importantly a father. On this episode of the podcast, Dr. Zeitlin talks about his book, Laugh More, Yell Less. He also talks about his work with adolescents, balance a busy schedule as a psychologist with raising two children, and he shares stories of trying […]

“Once we start to share our stories, everybody feels less alone.” Episode 139 features writer and educator Kate Hopper. Kate talks about the shifting understandings of motherhood and moms that comes from parenthood and adulthood. Kate talks about getting burned out as a writer and how she’s trying to deal with that. Kate shares stories […]

“I have found ways to exploit all the things I am good at and the things I’m okay at.” Dan Kois is co-host of Slate’s Mom & Dad Are Fighting podcast and Slate’s culture editor. On this episode of the podcast Dan talks about the idea that parents and the adults in children’s lives tell us […]

Composer and educator Philip Sheppard has been making music for a very long time. In this episode of the podcast, Philip talks about growing up in a musical home, how he thinks about collaboration, and the difference between writing music and playing music. Philip also talks about raising creative children, how hard it can be […]