Dare to Be Human

Kat and Alex talk with John Register about how to stay present rather than "chippy", how to keep evolving into the next steps into your journey, meeting President Obama, listening for "echoes" in your life and so, so much more.

BIO
 
Athletics have been Register’s passion since he began swimming competitively at the Oak Park, Ill., YMCA. He then moved on to baseball and football. He eventually started competing in track and field, the sport that earned him a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. There he became a four-time All-American – once in the NCAA long jump, once in the 55-meter hurdles and twice on the 4×400 meter relay teams. He was part of four national championship track teams under coach John McDonnell.

The All-American Razorback qualified for the Olympic trials twice, once in the 110-meter hurdles in 1988 and again in 400-meter hurdles in 1992. He was on his way to competing as a member of the 1996 Olympic team when a misstep over a hurdle caused a serious injury leading to the amputation of his leg. After 18 months of rehabilitation and training, he competed on the 1996 Paralympic team as a swimmer. He was soon fitted with a running prosthesis and earned a silver medal in the long jump at the 2000 Paralympic Games, setting the American long jump record. He also placed fifth in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

Register completed his bachelor’s degree in communications in 1988 and then enlisted in the U.S. Army. As a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran, Register continued to pursue athletics in the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, winning nine gold medals in the Armed Services Competition and two World Military Championships.

In 2003, he accepted a position with the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado and created the Paralympic Military Program, which uses sports to assist wounded service members. He also works as an inspirational speaker.

Join John every Saturday morning and hear guest share their stories on the inspirational podcast, "Life's New Normal" and empower each listener to overcome the adversity in their lives.

Inspired Communications International

John on Facebook

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected], join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!

We record at The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, NY where you can come visit us sometime!

Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker

In this episode of Dare to be Human we talk with Morgan Heyward who created Illuminate Theater, a monthly event that spotlights performers of color in the Capital District. After writing and performing her senior show at Russel Sage, DEAR LIL. Exploring the personal challenges she had faced being a black student, Morgan has set her post-graduation sights on becoming a trailblazer in the Capital community, creating a platform where other people of color can share their stories. We discuss the creation of Morgan's senior show, the importance of and the lasting impact of a good talkback, daring to share when your opinions change, and how to build a community.

You can see Morgan in The Most Spectacular Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington
Directed by Patrick White, Sage College, Meader Little Theatre
For tickets call 518-833-2621 or pay at the door

You can also catch Illuminate Theatre at Youth FX in Albany on June 25th at 7 pm!

STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS ON OUR LIVE SHOW!

Dare to be Human: LIVE! at the Mopco Improv Theatre July 12th!

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected], join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!

We record at The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, NY where you can come visit us sometime!

Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker

In this marvelous episode with Micaela "The Other Baby" Blei, Ph.D. we explore what it means to fail early and to build frameworks to manage anxiety and risk. We discuss the power that stories have to heal and give the opportunity to heal as we discover why it is a particular story from our lives seems to be taking up space in our minds. From potential TED talk topics to the paradox of social connection producing and reducing anxiety for us to the way and how our stories change over time.


About Micaela Blei

As a two-time Moth GrandSLAM champion storyteller and former Director of Education at The Moth, Micaela Blei, Ph.D., has been working for years with individuals, organizations, and communities to shape and share the important stories of their lives. In 2016, Micaela wrote The Moth’s storytelling curriculum, now used by over 1500 educators across the globe. Her acclaimed workshops are invitations to reflection, spaces for discovery, and most of all— fun. Her own stories have been called “heartbreaking and hilarious;” she's appeared on The Moth Radio Hour and live on sold-out storytelling stages nationwide. She’s currently adapting her solo storytelling show, “The Secret Life of Your Third Grade Teacher,” into a book of essays about storytelling, education, and life. Learn more about Micaela at micaelablei.com.

Micaela will be at The Mopco Improv Theatre for a masterclass in storytelling on June 29th 12:00 - 3:00pm! 

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected], join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!

We record at The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, NY where you can come visit us sometime!

Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker

As we all become more tangled by technology in the now, we discuss practicing mindfulness with an expert on the subject, Ted Des Maisons. From the difference between presence and mindfulness, eastern philosophy and the stories that pigs tell, we explore the benefits of practicing mindfulness and the assumptions that might be keeping you from giving it a try.

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected], join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!

Check out Ted's book PLAYFUL MINDFULNESS™: a joyful journey to everyday confidence, calm, and connection

Check out the Monster Baby podcast and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Ted DesMaisons has been synthesizing innovative approaches to collaborative learning and personal development for over 30 years.

After earning degrees from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Harvard Divinity School, Ted taught religious studies and philosophy for twelve years at Northfield Mount Hermon, a private boarding school in western Massachusetts.

He has studied, taught and performed improvisation internationally, including at the Loose Moose Theater in Calgary, Alberta and BATS Improv in San Francisco where he serves as Board Vice President. He has also trained intensively with renowned UK acting, voice and presence coach Patsy Rodenburg.

Currently, Ted teaches Playful Mindfulness and voice and presence courses through Stanford University’s Continuing Studies program. He also works with companies and organizations (Genentech, Facebook, Cisco, Dartmouth College, etc.) who want to help their leaders and teams work with greater collaboration and creativity. Lastly, Ted co-hosts the Monster Baby Podcast (“A Curious Romp through the Worlds of Mindfulness and Improvisation”) which reaches listeners in more than 63 countries. www.monsterbabypodcast.com

He lives a 10-minute walk from the stunning coastline of Daly City, California, and shares his home with Luna and Marley, two quirky and charismatic spotted Ocicats.

We record at The Mopco Improv Theatre in Schenectady, NY where you can come visit us sometime!

Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker

Amy Veltman shares life lessons in being human from her budding stand-up comedy career. A veteran of the improv world, we also discuss what it really means (and what our goals are) when we "celebrate failure" and how speeding up can slow us down. We also discuss the importance of listening for the unheard voices in the room and making visible the barriers that keep them from the spotlight.

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected], join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!

Amy Veltman began her career as a professional screenwriter in NY and LA. To put her husband through medical school, Amy made a pivot to marketing in Portland, Oregon, where she started working with international improv consultancy On Your Feet, in which she became a partner. Currently, she produces and co-hosts the podcast 2 Moms on the Couch and is a stand-up comic in New York City. She lives with her husband, now a psychiatrist, and 2 teen daughters.

Two Mom on the Couch
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! 

Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker

Kat and Alex are joined by Jeff Katzman, M.D. and Dan O'Connor the authors of the book Life Unscripted: Using Improv Principles to Get Unstuck, Boost Confidence, and Transform Your Life. They discuss why it is we can find ourselves stuck in performances that can feel scripted and limiting and how we can break out of them. Dan offers us some advice on turning our inner critics into internal cheerleaders. Jeff offers some insight into why improv can be a powerful tool for the medical profession and in what ways therapy and improv sessions reflect one another. 

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected], join the conversation on our facebook or leave us a message at 518-212-7886!


JEFF KATZMAN, M.D.  studied at Stanford University where he received his BA, UC San Diego for medical school, and then UCLA for his psychiatry residency where he was on faculty for four years before moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine where he is Vice Chair in charge of all clinical services. Before this, he ran Behavioral Health Care at the New Mexico VA Medical Center specializing in treating veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He has been voted a TopDoc by Albuquerque: The Magazine every year since 2002. He has been awarded numerous teaching awards in New Mexico where he lectures widely. He has been awarded every possible faculty award in his Department, including recent recognition by a new award as the Department of Psychiatry’s most outstanding faculty mentor. He is currently the Chair of the Education Committee of the American Association of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry (AAPDP). He lectures regularly at approximately four national psychiatric conferences a year on the topics of psychodynamic psychotherapy, attachment, applied improvisation, and educational techniques and this year will be presenting ideas about improvisation and psychotherapy training to the national meetings of the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting.

Jeff has extensive experience as a writer. He is widely published in academic journals of high regard, with a very high profile on ResearchGate demonstrating his current contact with readers. At the moment, he has published 20 journal articles, cited by other authors 245  times. He has been recognized internationally for his work in human attachment following his group’s hallmark study involving Vietnam Combat Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most recently, he was invited to write a summary article on the concepts of human attachment and the importance of this field to students of depth psychotherapy t in the journal Psychodynamic Psychiatry. He has also written the chapter on Adjustment Disorders in the last three editions of Sadock and Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, the most influential text in the field, and the chapter on Impulse Disorders the edition prior. Jeff published a novel, The Storymaker, a semifinalist in the Amazon breakthrough novel competition with an extremely positive response from readers. Jeff has also developed a national reputation in the application of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. He has presented this work at the most prestigious psychiatric conferences including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the Association for Academic Psychiatry (AAP), and the American Association of Directors of Residency Training Programs (AAPDP).

Additionally, Jeff has been trained extensively in improvisational theater through Second City in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Theater Sports, and Gorilla Tango T

Kat and Alex discuss the art and power of storytelling with a master of the craft, Matthew Dicks. A voice you may recognize from The Moth Radio, he's a 39-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 6-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. We discuss what he's discovered about how to tell a winning story, the homework you should be giving yourself everyday, and how everyone has compelling stories to tell. 

• Matthew's Podcast - SpeakUp Storytelling Podcast
• Matthew's Book - Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Matthew Dicks Bio

Matthew Dicks is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing, Unexpectedly, Milo, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs,  Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling, and the upcoming 21 Truths About Love, The Other Mother and Cardboard Knight. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide. 

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was the 2014 Dolly Gray Award winner and was a finalist for the 2017 Nutmeg Award in Connecticut. 

He is also the author of the rock opera The Clowns and the musicals Caught in the Middle, Sticks & Stones, and Summertime. He has written comic books for Double Take comics. He is the humor columnist for Seasons magazine and a columnist for Slate magazine. He has also published for Reader's Digest, The Hartford Courant, Parents magazine, The Huffington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor. 

The Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists awarded him first prize in opinion/humor writing in 2015, 2016, and 2017. 

Kat and Livia talk with our friend Janey Tanguay! Janet has been a fixture in the Capital Region's business community for years and has helped many people turn their business ideas into business reality. Her current two businesses, Hammock Way of Life and Business Idea Shower exemplify her commitment to helping entrepreneurs both get their businesses off the ground but to also have the foundation of vision beneath them.

In this episode we discuss the process of invention and discovery and how it can be messy and painful. The importance of finding play in your life and unplugging from the daily grind. We also discuss representation and wearing your labels. Finally, Janet shares a story of Ellen Degeneres and coming out in the happiest place on earth and getting the grade you deserve.


Biz Idea Shower
Hammock Way of Life
Get in touch at [email protected]

Janet on Twitter
Hammock Way of Life on Facebook
Hammock Way of Life on Instagram

Janet Tanguay
Throughout her career, Janet has helped over 1000 entrepreneurs in launching their dream businesses, and has guided hundreds of people toward living the life of their dreams through her Vision Board Workshops, Business Team Building and Strategic Planning and Entrepreneur Workshops and Focus Groups.

Janet's first business, Studio J, opened in 1993 to assist companies in developing marketing strategies for growth and development.  As the founder of Art n Soul, Inc. from 2006 – 2017, she represented over 150 artists, coaching and teaching them the business of art.  Janet is also a mixed media artist; author of two children’s books, Be Bee and Dustbunnies Don’t Eat Carrots; and a former featured writer on the Times Union Blog on micro businesses called Startup and Grow and on Womeninbiz.com.  Her art work, which uses broken musical instrument parts, has been included in exhibits locally and nationally.   Janet has appeared on the television shows The Hip Entrepreneur, The Growth Mindset, Inspiring Wellness Solutions, and Schenectady Today.  In print, she has been featured on the cover of Women@Work Magazine in the 2018 Business Finance issue.  Janet has also received the 50 Over 50 Making a Difference honor from Channel 10 (WTEN), the Fierce Advocate of Entrepreneurs Award from SheSpeaks2Me.com, and is a five time winner of the NYS Award of Excellence for Program Performance, Achievement and Dedication to the Entrepreneurs of New York State. 

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected] or join the conversation on our facebook! 

Original music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker 

Kat is joined by one of our newest members and favorite humans, Mary Darcy! Mary shares a Dare to Be Human Story about celebrating failure and discovering that there can be gifts in our mistakes if we remain present enough to see them.

Send us your questions, comments, episode ideas or your very own Dare to be Human stories to [email protected] or join the conversation on our facebook!

Mary Darcy moved to Saratoga Springs from Brooklyn in elementary school and has recently made the migration back to the land of pizza and bagels with her husband, Peter. She graduated from The College of Saint Rose and spent most of her career in radio news. Before starting local news site and blog All Over Albany with partner Greg Dahlmann, she spent eight years producing nationally syndicated radio programs and creating National Science Foundation programs about women in STEM careers. Mary has been a regular presence in a number of area theaters, acting, producing and mentoring young artists.

Original Music by Mark S. Meritt
Logo by Derek Walker 

Alex is joined by Livia Armstrong as she shares a Dare to be Human Story about speaking up on public transportation. We discuss stepping out of your comfort zone, group dynamics, and creating the world you want to live in.

Send us your questions, episode ideas and DTBH stories to [email protected] and follow us on Facebook! 

Livia Armstrong, a senior facilitator at Koppett and program coordinator for the Mopco Improv Theatre, studied theater and psychology at SUNY Fredonia. As a Koppett facilitator, Livia has delivered programs for diverse clients including the New York State Governor’s Office for Employee Relations, Russell Sage College, Greene County Women in Business, GreenTech High School, and multiple clients in the SUNY system. Livia is a co-author of the TD at Work issue “Listen Up!” (ATD 2017) with Kat Koppett and Michael Burns. She is a member of the Mopco Main Stage company, the Mop & Bucket Co..