ACT LIKE A MOTHER

Actor and entrepreneur Kali Rocha never envisioned herself being on a Disney show, but after a near-death medical emergency during the birth of her second child, her perspective on life and work radically shifted. Getting cast as the mom on Liv and Maddie turned out to be much more wonderful than she could have imagined. 

In this episode, Kali recounts her early years in NY pounding the pavement in punishing shoes, the moment the switch went off and she knew she wanted children, and the fortuitous film role (that she almost turned down!) which wrote her ticket to Hollywood. She tells how her passion for scavenging and reimagining old jewelry and ephemera has blossomed into a beautiful business that feeds her spirit, connects her to community, and keeps away any bitterness or regret about the hardships of the acting world.

Kali’s story is one of surviving - not only a life long medical condition but the ups and downs of a fickle business and the realities of raising kids in a two-artist household. She has an insatiable need to stay creative, and this, plus her indefatigable spirit and ever-present humor, has carried her through thick and thin. 

More on Kali:

@rochakalim

ilakdesigns.com

@ilak_designs

etsy.com/shop/ilakdesigns

Pizza: delpretes.com

Growing up in the Midwest, celebrated stage and voice actor Dana Green didn’t have a plan for how to become an actor. But as fate led her from Ohio to Iowa to Chicago to the prestigious Stratford Festival in Canada, an artistically fulfilling life began to come into view. Only one thing was missing: her real-life leading man. 

Known for her command of classical text and her portrayals of some of the great Shakespearean heroines, Dana’s real-life love story plays more like a Lifetime Movie: a trip home for the holidays…a Victorian farmhouse…a handsome man in advertising…

Dana tells Melanie and Katie about the decision making process to re-locate for love, how she built a new actor life in Portland, Oregon, and how her voice-over side hustle became her bread and butter job. 

The mom to a young daughter, Dana shares how parenting has opened her eyes to the world outside her actor bubble; and how it’s inspired her to let go of people pleasing behavior in favor of advocating for herself. After years of searching, Dana has found her partner, her home, her strength and her voice.

More about Dana:

www.danamorgangreen.com

@green5856

Portland Center Stage

www.pcs.org

If she’d had her druthers, award winning actor, director, writer, producer Jillian Armenante would have gotten started early and had a bunch of kids. But dumpster diving as a theatre rat in the Seattle grunge scene of the 90’s wasn’t exactly the ideal lifestyle to start a family. However, after a fortuitous game of spin-the-bottle led her to her future wife and a legendary Seattle theatre gig made her a breakout star, suddenly she was a series regular on a prime-time show, buying a house in LA and shopping for sperm.

With frankness and wicked humor, Jillian shares tales of her life as a journeyman actor willing to do whatever it takes to put up a show, shoot an indie film or make herself unforgettable to cast and crew. Ever curious and creatively driven, Jillian reflects on the changing business, the demise of the middle class actor, and her determination to generate new projects across multiple platforms.

Katie and Melanie hear from Jillian on how she’s raised two grounded daughters in the middle of the LA scene, how traveling together has been a touchstone for her family, what makes her laugh and why there’s no place better than her backyard jacuzzi to appreciate her place in the world and ponder the big questions.

More on Jillian:

www.jillianarmenante.com

Alex Hurt knew from a young age he wanted to be a parent, but not at the moment when it happened. When his partner got pregnant and the relationship broke down just as his career was taking off, he wasn’t sure he could meet the moment. His own father, legendary actor William Hurt, had cautioned him against becoming an actor because of the instability of the artist life.

But instead of backing away, Alex committed deeply to loving his child while nurturing his craft and ambition. When Alex became a father for the second time, he almost left the business, but a job came along that let him know that acting was, indeed, the suit he was meant to wear. 

 In this special Father’s Day episode, we hear how Alex and his co-parent work together to give their kids a stable life, how he soothes the ache when he’s away from the ones he loves, and the crucial role sobriety and service play in his life. He speaks of the lessons and traditions his father taught him and the joy of passing them on to his own children, even while he carves a unique path outside the shadow of such a famous dad. Alex brings the same honesty and openness to this interview that he does to his acting, and his commitment to meeting life as it presents itself is a beautiful reminder of the power of acceptance.

More on Alex:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3109337/?ref_=fn_t_1

bobkrakower.com

Betsy Aidem is fresh off a hugely successful Broadway run in the Pulitzer Prize -winning play Liberation  when she joins Katie and Melanie in this vibrant conversation. She tells of the windfall of work that’s come her way since turning 60, and the years that came before when she balanced a career on the stage while raising her son as a single mom, during which time she often felt everyone had an intact family except her.

 Betsy speaks openly about the challenge of parenting through a divorce, how she turned down jobs so she wouldn’t miss bedtime, and how her now-grown son became enamored of the world of artists—and is one himself. 

Fueled by an insatiable curiosity, Betsy thoroughly researches her roles through reading and traveling, and in between jobs, that same curiosity keeps her busy and inspired, whether she’s taking an art class, perfecting her chef skills or seeing the world.

Melanie and Katie also get to hear more about Liberation, the play that has taken the theatre world (and the world at large) by storm. Since this interview was recorded, Liberation has been nominated for 5 Tony awards, the script has been published, and productions are scheduled in multiple theatres. Betsy shares her experience playing the famous nude scene for 8000 people a week, the impact of performing this play during tense political times in the country, and the gifts this play offered both to the actors and the audiences. 

 Betsy Aidem is a testament to what happens when you choose positivity over bitterness, and a shining example of what tenacity, relentless commitment to craft, and a genuine love of the art form of acting can lead to.

More on Betsy

@liberationbway

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/11/03/betsy-aidem-working-woman

Season 4 opens with a pair of conversations very near and dear to our hosts’ hearts. In this episode, Melanie and Katie speak with their own mothers, Francie Lora and Loreen MacNichol, about what it’s like to recognize that your young child is destined to be an actor;  and the unwavering support both women continue to give to their girls as they remain committed to a sometimes fickle, sometimes fulfilling business.

Vibrant, creative and still happily devoted to their own work, Francie and Loreen tell stories of their own lives, their relationship to the arts and reflect on the challenges and joys of mothering for many years. Both share a curiosity and drive that keeps them open and engaged with the world. 

Katie and Melanie learned some things about each other as well, and discovered  commonalities in their stories they wouldn’t have known if their moms hadn’t spoken them.

This is a 2-part episode, with Melanie’s conversation first and Katie’s after that, and listeners should tune into both, as Francie and Loreen are warm, funny, astute women with tremendous wisdom to impart. They have been listening to Act Like a Mother since Day 1, and having them on the show is a true Mothers’ Day gift. 

Brand new mama Celeste Arias never could have imagined the expansion she would feel after giving birth to her son - universes of love and enchantment - keeping her afloat during swells of anxiety and extreme fatigue.

After her agent dropped her and a frigid NY winter loomed, a fortuitous audition led not only to an escape to warm weather for her young family, but to a juicy role and an opportunity to reclaim her artistic self after the birth of her baby boy.

Celeste shares in real time what it’s like to do an out of town gig with a 6 month old and spouse along for the ride: from sleep training an infant in artist housing, to summoning the creative spark in rehearsals, to pumping, pumping and more pumping. Celeste knew that when she stepped into rehearsals to play Thea Elvstead in Hedda Gabler at The Old Globe Theatre, she would meet the challenge from where she was: emotionally raw, deeply fatigued and with more love in her heart than ever before. 

More on Celeste:

@celestenarias

www.theoldglobe.org

www.theactorscenter.org

www.thealready.org

Award winning actor Cindy Cheung blames a hot pink flyer stuck to a UCLA campus wall for causing her 180-degree turn away from applied mathematics and towards an acting career.

From her days in LA discovering the power of theatre and the importance of representation on stage, to turning down a job helping to build B1 bombers so she could do an acting intensive, to struggling to feel authentic and inspired as a young actor in NY, to the time she quit the business altogether and what ultimately brought her back, Cindy's stories are laced with heart and humor.

 She shares the thrill of deciding to have a child with her novelist husband and how they are raising a well-adjusted son who can handle work- related separations and be thoroughly himself.

Cindy is a tireless advocate working for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and as a member of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition, she has created noticeable change in the industry and put her math skills to good use.

She tells Melanie and Katie about all the fun she’s having in rehearsals for the premier of MEAT SUIT at Second Stage and why Bouffon clowning may just be the absolute best way to express the literal “shit show of motherhood.”

More on Cindy:

2st.com

aapacnyc.org

edlinforpresident.com

After she was told by someone in the business that she could either have a career or a family, award winning actor April Matthis made it her mission to show the world that it was possible to do both. With intense dedication to her vocation (she went to an audition 2 days after giving birth) and to her child (she nursed him for 22 months), April has created her beautiful career and family with unwavering integrity.

April shares the frustrations of fighting for fair wages and the pleasures of being a longtime company member of the groundbreaking experimental theatre collective Elevator Repair Service, where she learned how esteemable it is to ask for what you need and be valued for who you are.

Passionately in love with New York, this Texarkana girl has no interest in suburbs or minivans, and she walks Melanie and Katie through what it’s been like raising her son in the city as her career grew from tiny downtown theatres to Broadway and from short films to her recent riveting guest spot on Netflix’s number one show and why these days, she tries to choose roles that allow her to hug her teenage son goodnight instead of checking in on FaceTime from afar.

April talks about her latest project, the world premiere of The Dinosaurs at Playwrights Horizons , the mystery and excitement of working on a new character with an incredible cast, and how sometimes holding something back as a performer makes the audience lean in all the more.

More on April:

@aprilmatthis

Elevator Repair Service

https://www.elevator.org/

Amadi Comes Home (short film)

https://filmshortage.com/dailyshortpicks/amadi-comes-home/

The Dinosaurs - Playwrights Horizons

https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/production-history/2020s/2526/dinosaurs?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23350765141&gbraid=0AAAAAoXIt7pV9ei1T82c8LXGDHxuVsyZA

Take Me Home - Sundance Film Festival 2026

https://festival.sundance.org/program/film/6932fa301a55353c2091ae2b

As an in-demand Twin Cities actor, singer, dancer and comedienne, Shinah Hey went from one job to the next with barely a break in between. When she was offered a role she’d played 10 years before, she knew she’d hit a creative ceiling. Ready to be seen not as the girl she was when she got started but as the woman she’d become—a seasoned performer, wife and mother of 2—Shinah did her research to find a new home base. She was looking for a place she could pursue fulfilling acting work and where her five-year-old daughter could have access to services that support her autism and Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome. That place turned out to be Southern California.

Shinah shares her journey to becoming a mom through both IVF and adoption, how her love for acting motivates all areas of her life and keeps her self-taping auditions after the kids go to bed, how she and her actor husband do the work/life juggle and why she’s a better mom when she’s working. 

More on Shinah:

@shinahhey

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37355440/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_1_unrel_cdt_t_1

Bryant-Li-Bhoj Syndrome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPHQc7oPdgc

Fertility Resources

https://resolve.org

https://www.fertilityclinicarizona.com

Adoption

https://adoptioncouncil.org