At My Kitchen Table

Welcome back and thanks for joining me, Teabags!  Mike Holden pulls up a seat at my kitchen table today to talk about his local media outlet, Westminster Wire, and the importance of filling an information gap for the people in his community.

Mike also talks about his early entrepreneurial tendencies - how as a kid he started a newspaper that served the people in his house, he had a bank, he ran a music station over his household intercom, and he ran a lottery - go ahead and make the math math!

He chats about how he wouldn’t have married his wife without his music career, to AI or not to AI, and Westminster’s Coffee District.

An update since recording - I had the opportunity to meet Mike IRL along with two S1 pod guests, John Slade and Ali Collier at Ali's Main Street Market.  It was such a surreal opportunity to bring these worlds together like that and just chat for a couple of hours over Ali's homemade bagels.  I look forward to making my way to Westminster to check out the Secret Citgo, the Coffee District, and the place that has the best donuts sometime soon...

Get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

It’s time for some talk at the table! Seth Holmes joins me for a candid conversation about living his life by the question, “how far can I take this?”

In addition to this all-in mentality, Seth chats about his love of Muay Thai, masking his addiction, how he learned he wasn’t a cigarette guy, and what it’s like to have a voiceover translator.

And, oh yeah – he talks about tattoos.  Something about a televised competition his was on…

Seth's a real one.

Just a heads up, Teabags – for the first time in AMKT history, I didn’t ask a guest for 3 good things about their week.  Because in the moment, I asked Seth to indulge me in a fun top 5.  I promise we’ll get back to 3 good things next week…

Get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

It’s teatime, Teabags, and you know how I love to nerd out!  Lindsay Schmittle pulls up a chair at my kitchen table to talk about how she fell in love with letterpress and the artistic niche she has created for herself at the intersection of art and science.  She gives the most amazing history lesson that reminds us how old technologies can be repurposed for creating and really reminds us that this particular technology isn't that old at all.

She also chats about thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail solo for her art, being asked to do an artist residency in the Amazon, what it’s like when your dad is your high school chemistry teacher, and the importance of fireflies.

Lindsay & I covered a lot in our conversation and I unfortunately had to cut a really cool story, so I’m putting it here. When she traveled back to the Amazon for a second trip working with the Maijuna Community, she found that one of the community members she’d been paired with during her first trip had a baby girl.  Though he couldn’t remember exactly how to pronounce “Lindsay,” he named his daughter a variation because he wanted her to be a strong woman like Lindsay.  I’m sorry you won’t hear it in her own words, but just know that I put it here because I think it speaks a lot about a person that someone holds them up as a kind of aspiration for their child.

Get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

It’s hump day, Teabags, and that means it’s podcast time! Let's give a round of applause for Matt Berry as he joins me at my kitchen table today. I'm not talking to the Matt Berry with the BAFTA (though he’s happy to have you think he is), but THE Matt Berry nevertheless.  Matt settles in to talk about all things theater and balancing that passion with his adult day job.  Spoiler alert: the key for him is boundary-setting, which is something I'm more and more convinced that GenZ does better than most other generations.

Matt also chats with me about the Disney renaissance, all things Paris, how he loves Sondheim but doesn’t care for Gilbert & Sullivan, and why we need more shows that take an artistic risk.  And he indulges me by geeking out over Leslie Odom, Jr., Daveed Diggs, and Chris Jackson.

Get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

Settle in, Teabags, because Victoria Ribeiro is back at my kitchen table, exactly one year to the day from her first recording with me, to defend herself against my accusations that she’s a curious person who seeks experiences!

Vic returns to talk about how the combination of desperation, boredom, and being ballsy led to some of the craziest jobs and experiences in her life, but particularly during her time living in Las Vegas.

She also chats about taking her 80-year-old mobster friend to the Olive Garden, how she got to go the AVN awards, and the why the fuck not method of decision-making.

Where else can you hear stories that feature a Walkman, classified ads from a newspaper, and the early halcyon days of Craigslist?

Get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

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 religious upbringing influenced his love / hate relationship with TV.

Did you know that you can use cows as collateral to buy a guitar amp? Steve explains how as he also chats about how a TV producing job is good for a squirrel brain, why the thesaurus was his friend, what a crank telephone is, how boredom is good for creativity, and some of the many slippery slopes to hell.

As you listen today, be aware that sometimes airpods and Zoom recordings don’t always pair well, and that fixing the sound variations is currently above my pay grade.  You can still hear Steve clearly, so get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

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 City, and it starts us on a meandering but connected course of topics that includes taking care of her mental health and how our choices impact the evolution of our friendships.

She also chats about Star Wars art, how her dog is her best friend, the fact that everything is a scene, and how details are gift.

Get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

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 out that while confetti is great for TV, it’s bad for dancing in 3-inch heels, and the ways she has surprised herself on her newest journey.

Get cozy!

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

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 family units by the time he was 13 and taught himself how to "leave home at home" while seeking stability in sports and leaning on his close friends.

Ty also chats about being the class clown, how he chooses to identify as a husband and dad, closet kegs, and how not being broke can change the family dynamic.

Get cozy!

Karen's note: Kennywood Park gets a mention during the pod, and I did look it up to confirm that Kennywood is one of the oldest amusement parks in the U.S. as we suspected.  It's in the top 10 oldest amusement parks and is one of only two amusement parks to be given a National Historic Landmark designation!

This week's Small Business Spotlight shines on Umber Chocolates:

Find Umber Chocolates on Instagram / Threads: @umberchocolatespgh

Find Umber Chocolates on Facebook: \umberchocolatespgh

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.

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’ll get story time gold.

In addition to speaking candidly about the difference between theater in the American south versus other places, Shaggy talks about the time he discovered he was working for an MLM cult, how theater hooked him, his experience hiking Kilimanjaro, and the theory that the Twilight movie craze led to Trump’s first presidency.

Get cozy!

This week's Small Business Spotlight shines on Umber Chocolates:

Find Umber Chocolates on Instagram / Threads: @umberchocolatespgh

Find Umber Chocolates on Facebook: \umberchocolatespgh

Intro riff by Dale Lytle (concert husband).

All content edited (I use that term very loosely) by Karen Shaak.