Dare to Be Human

Meet Koppett's new VP of Leadership and Culture, Chris Esparza. Chris shares his dare to be human story on transition and the humanity of change and we discuss yes, and-ing with joy, the multidimensional power of play, and seeing the opportunities (or treasures) everywhere around us. Find Chris on LinkedIN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/unscriptedchris/) 

Educator, social worker, writer, and President/CEO of the McLean Group, Kathleen McLean, joins us to discuss the power of noticing and asking “why” in the context of equity, power, and purpose.  Kathleen’s work has been recognized as one of the top 50 influential people in the Capital Region and as a leader/ champion in DEI. Join us as she shares her dare to be human story about a transformational trip to Haiti, and leaves listeners with her rituals for self-care.
Find out more about the McLean Group here
Follow Kathleen on Twitter @mcleanconsult
Follow the McLean Group on Facebook
Find Kathleen on LinkedIN – Kathleen McLean -MBA, CSW

We welcome back Theresa Robbins Dudeck and Caitlin McClure to discuss their new book The Applied Improvisation Mindset: Tools for Transforming Organizations and Communities. Theresa and Caitlin share their dare to be human stories on risk, safety, and leaning into discomfort to do the right thing. We explore the power of being average, doing the next thing, and how the applied improvisation community rose to the occasion at the onset of the pandemic and beyond.

Check out the new book here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/applied-improvisation-mindset-9781350143609/

Get the first book,

Applied Improvisation:Leading, Collaborating, and Creating Beyond the Theatre here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/applied-improvisation-9781350014350/

World-renowned actor, teacher, improviser, director, author, and playwright Patti Stiles joins us to talk about her new book Improvise Freely: Throw Away the Rulebook and Unleash Your Creativity. Patti shares her dare to be human story as we discuss courage and fear, creating spaces for creativity to thrive, the great "yes, and" debate, unlearning what we've learned, and "that impro moment."Check out Improvise Freely and learn more about Patti here. 

Authors of Life Unscripted: Using Improv Principles to Get Unstuck, Boost Confidence, and Transform Your Life and DTBH veterans, Jeff Katzman M.D. and Dan O'Connor join us to discuss their new book Ensemble!: Using the Power of Improv and Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World. Jeff and Dan share their dare to be human stories of leadership through letting go and being humbled by a mistake while avoiding the all too familiar shame spiral. We discuss ensemble as a verb, how trust and communication save lives, the impact of systems on ensemble, the dangers of being overly curious, how to ensemble in virtual space, the myth of "Zoom-fatigue," and how to become unlonely.

Check out the books!
Ensemble!
Using the Power of Improv and Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World

Life Unscripted
Using Improv Principles to Get Unstuck, Boost Confidence, and Transform Your Life

What do two classic improv performance games (Sit, Stand, Kneel and Family Dinner) and the world-famous Story Spine have in common? Kenn Adams! Our guest this week is the Artistic Director of Synergy Theater, the author of the book How to Improvise a Full-Length Play; The Art of Spontaneous Theater, and longtime pal, Kenn Adams.

We explore Kenn's career so far, spanning 30-years of performing, directing, and teaching- its rocky start, his lucky break, and his inspiring navigation of live theatre in virtual space. You'll want to hear the whole story!

Check out Synergy Theater and follow them on Facebook

Write a story using The Story Spine below!

Once upon a time...
Everyday...
But one day...
Because of that...
Because of that...
Because of that...(repeat as needed)
Until finally...
And ever since then...
(Optional: And the moral of the story is...)

(pssst...send your story to [email protected])

Corey Rosen, author of Your Story, Well Told joins Kat and Livia.  

As much of the USA transitions out of pandemic mode, life becomes all about adapting to the "new normal."  From his unique perspective as an improviser and story coach, Corey supplies some valuable techniques for those times when we need some fresh new ideas--now. 

Corey coaches  people to find the essence of  their personal stories, sometimes with radical edits. This bold approach often yields unexpected learning, surprising strategies,  and valuable insights.  

If that weren't enough, here's a bonus: perhaps you've been thinking about (dreading?)  resuming your dating life. Corey has some thoughts on reducing that awkwardness, as well. Give it a listen! 

If the words "positive psychology" make you think of a mashup of canned affirmations and shallow optimism, you aren't alone. But in this episode, Shannon Polly, coach,  theatre person, trainer, facilitator, and one of the first 100 people to get a Masters in Positive Psychology, sets the record straight.

From a tale of a taping with Paula Poundstone to one about the death of a beloved hamster, Shannon offers stories and highly useful insights about finding opportunity in failure, recognizing our own real strengths, and maximizing success.

After you listen, you'll probably want to order Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life, edited by Shannon. Proceeds from sales go to The Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship, a partnership between the MAPP Alumni Association, Penn's School of Arts and Sciences and the Positive Psychology Center,  The Fellowship provides tuition remission of up to $30,000 to one or more new MAPP students annually.

Michael Burns is Kat's husband and the Artistic Director of our improvisational theatre company, The Mop & Bucket Co (mopco.org). Michael joins Kat and Livia to celebrate our 50th episode AND the 25th anniversary season of the Mop & Bucket Company. (but is it really?  All is revealed  in the podcast!)  

Among other things, we talk about what cargo cults have to do with artistic development and human learning. We also talk about the last 14 months in hiatus from in-person performance, the Zoomprov shows (live.mopco.org ) that have happened during that time,  and the cautious reopening of The Mopco Improv Theatre. Oh, and why Michael believes that everyone can sing. Enjoy!

If you want to learn more about using improvisation and story to help human leaders and organizations grow, check out koppett.com.   Drop us a line at [email protected] or  [email protected].  We love to hear from you! 

Self-described improv nerd (and renowned improv performer and teacher) Joe Bill talks shop with Kat and Livia.

Be forewarned, there's a fair amount of inside baseball in this one--if you aren't an improviser you may scratch your head at some of the references to names or exercises, but these few improv-specific moments  keep company with an abundance of stories, revelations, laughter, and a celebration of tears. An hour solidly packed with insight about our favorite topic: daring to be human.

You can learn more about Joe on facebook at his page Joe Bill teaches