Dare to Be Human

Alex is joined by Michael Burns (The Artistic Director and Co-Owner of Mopco Improv Theatre) as he shares a Dare to be Human Story about sailing in Maine. We discuss the power of daring to name the obvious thing and finding where it takes you.

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


Michael Burns is the Co-Director and founder of The Mop & Bucket Company .

Before settling in the area, Michael studied theatre at SUNY Purchase, and then improv with David Shepherd in New York, where he directed for the American Modern Dance Theatre and the American Folk Theatre.  He was a member of The Big Apple Experience, a short-lived but cleverly named improv troupe. He has since worked for several upstate theaters including Home Made Theater, The Theatre Barn and Steamer 10 Theatre.

Michael developed (with David Shepherd) the Compass Institution, an improv troupe touring senior centers and hospitals. He directed inmate-written plays for Very Special Arts at Greene Correctional facility, and has created youth theater troupes for several human services agencies. He is the author of First You Sit on the Floor: A Guide to Developing a Youth Theatre Troupe. 

We're starting our second season of Dare to Be Human! We've got some fantastic guests to tell you about and some amazing new members of our team to introduce you to!  Look for more bonus episodes coming out in the next two weeks featuring Dare to be Human stories by Michael, Livia and Mary as we approached the launch of our first official episode of Season 2 on March 25th!

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 and Alex have a wonderful conversation with Melissa on a range of topics. We discuss the class Acting with Power, the impact it has on her students and the first time she taught it. Melissa shares some interesting insights into people's relationship to power and the difference between power, status, and authority. We talk about chasing those moments where everything just seems to click and things just seems to flow. Kat and I also delve into the role of status and status behaviors around gender with our guest and talks about what we can be more aware of in helping to shift those dynamics. We also discuss improv as a vehicle for personal experimentation and transformation before Melissa shares an awesome, insightful and somewhat heartbreaking Dare to Be Human story

 On Faculty at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) Melissa Jones Briggs works as a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior teaching Acting with Power. This popular second-year MBA and executive education elective uses performance technique to help students address their issues around power, authority and status. Melissa works as an Executive Coach and Consultant at People Rocket, a management design firm. She also serves on the Board of Directors at Youth in Arts, an arts education non-profit with a focus on social justice. She is an Advisor at Women’s Startup Lab in Silicon Valley. Melissa worked as an actor in professional theater and film in New York City and San Francisco. She has two small girls with her filmmaker husband in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

 Check out the links below to follow Melissa on social media and for the books and people we reference! 

 'Melissa on LinkedIn' 

 'Melissa on Facebook' 

 'Melissa on Twitter' 

 'Jennifer Palmieri's Book' 

 'Getting (More of) What Your Want by Margaret A. Neale and Thomas Z. Lys' 

Logo by Derek Walker

Theme Music: Blue Dot Sessions - Planting Flags

 Kat and Alex speak with Theresa Robbins Dudeck and Caitlin McClure the co-editors of the new book Applied Improvisation: Leading, Collaborating, and Creating Beyond the Theatre. This is an incredible new development in the field of Applied Improvisation that draws back the curtain on an exciting, innovative, growing field of practice and research that is changing the way people lead, create, and collaborate

 Despite some technical difficulties, we persevered in our quest to speak with Theresa and Caitlin and talked to them about how they first began collaborating on this book. We also discuss how they both began improvising, their experience keeping the magic of improv alive in the working world, Keith Johnstone, and of course, get them to share some Dre to Be Human Stories. 

 Check out the links below to check out the book as well as some of their other works and where you can find them on social media! 

 'Applied Improvisation: Leading, Collaborating, and Creating Beyond the Theatre' 

 'Keith Johnstone: A Critical Biography' 

 'Theresa's Website' 

 'Impact International' 

Logo by Derek Walker

Theme Music: Blue Dot Sessions - Planting Flags

 Kat and Alex explore improv's therapeutic properties and why we're hearing more and more about improv's ability to help treat social anxiety, depression and more. We explore what therapy is, what's the difference between therapy and coaching and where improv may fit in. 

 Dr. Koppett stops by to answer some questions in the Expert Game. This episode's exercise is all about trusting the connections you're inspired to make are legitimate and interesting. It's also about using your "smart person" voice. 

 So Funny, It Doesn't Hurt

 'Improv saved my life' 

 'Improv for Personal Growth ' 

Logo by Derek Walker

Theme Music: Blue Dot Sessions - Planting Flags

In this episode Kat sits down for an interview with Carmen Duncan. Carmen is the founder, head coach and CEO of Mission Accomplished, an organization that helps aspiring young professionals prepare for the global economy by providing access to coaching, job training and professional development. They believe everyone should have access to the help and support so they can reach their fullest potential. 

Kat and Carmen discuss finding your team of cheerleaders to keep you spreading your truth in the face of naysayers. The role of mentors and coaching in helping people to develop and achieve their goals. The importance and power of bragging rights. “Learning to Adult” and the spaces where you are allowed to prepare, learn and make mistakes. They also explore sharing power and realizing your own power in your performance, whether you’re a millennial or an interviewee. Finally they talk about bringing your full self into whatever spaces you enter is the strong step toward achieving your goals. 

 Carmen's Linked In 

 Mission Accomplished

 Mission Accomplished on Twitter

 Millennial to Watch: Carmen Duncan

In this episode we learn more about our intrepid hosts as they share personal stories inspired by their mantra: Dare to be Human. From their first experiences with improv, to framing siblings, defying parents, and tearful cover ups,  Kat and Alex explore why these stories stuck with them and discuss their greater implications to what it means to be human. 

At the end of the episode there's an improv exercise about exploring our innate ability to craft stories and a short tale of a determined Hawaiian detective. Check out daretobehumanpodcast.com for instructions on how to play along at home and stretch your storytelling muscles. 

Logo by Derek Walker

Theme Music: Blue Dot Sessions - Planting Flags

Tobey Fitch is a longtime pal, colleague and mentor to our very own Kat Koppett. He is the president and founder of Fitch Associates, a leadership and strategy consultancy, which works with all the coolest companies. He helped lead the establishment of Apple University and has prepped speakers for their Worldwide Developers Conference. Fitch's resume also includes working for Prezi, a dynamic presenting software company, which he helped guide through a rapid period of growth as its Head of Strategy and People.

We discuss how Kat and Tobey first met in Portland and how improv principles have seeped into his personal life. There is also discussion of Tobey's spirit animal and his related personal mission of spreading friendship and connectedness. At the end of the episode Tobey shares an incredibly touching story about daring to be human in the most devastating times.

Tobey Fitch Bio

Logo by Derek Walker Theme Music: Blue Dot Sessions - Planting Flags

Welcome to the first episode of Dare to Be Human!

In this first episode you'll meet your hosts Kat and Alex as they discuss the performance of you! How and why do we inhibit our choices of how we show up and present ourselves? What can we do to be more aware of our performances choice and, with that knowledge, how can we stretch ourselves to better achieve our goals? We explore personality tests and the lessons to take away from an infamous experiment with marshmallows.

There's also an exercise at the end of the episode about expanding your range of performance options. It's a whole lot of fun and you can find instructions to play along at home at daretobehumanpodcast.com. Reference Links: 

•  When the Kids Crash Your BBC Interview 
•  Prof Robert Kelly and Family 
•  Invisibilia: The Personality Myth 

Logo by Derek Walker 

Theme Music: Blue Dot Sessions - Planting Flags