Do It Today

Kara talks to actor, audiobook narrator, and director Carlotta Brentan about her day. Big moments include prep work and book analysis, why she's devoted to 10-minute breaks, co-directing the new play Vatican Falls, and how she uses Airtable to organize her life.

More about Carlotta: carlottabrentan.com
Follow her on Twitter: @CarlottaBrentan

Listen to Carlotta's award-winning audiobook narration for New York Times and Audible bestsellers: http://carlottabrentan.com/audiobooks

Learn about Fabler, Carlotta's audiobook publishing company for Italian-speaking audiences.

Mentions in the episode:

• Goodreads
• Annotating books via iPad (mentioned in Do It Today episode one with Katie Horwitch)
• Vatican Falls, the play Carlotta is co-directing with its playwright Frank J. Avella. See it at The Tank from Oct. 27 to Nov. 20. Tickets here.
• Airtable (it's free!)
• Ice packs, ice vests, icy sports towels — anything to stay cool in the recording booth

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Buy Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Buy Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

Subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/
Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Artwork by Tyler Spangler and music by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to writer, editor, and freelance guru Tim Herrera about his day. Big moments include encouraging writers and self-employed folks to take time off, overcoming scarcity mindset, and leaving the New York Times to build his own business Freelancing with Tim.

• Follow Tim on Twitter @TimHerrera
• Subscribe to Freelancing with Tim on Substack: https://freelancingwithtim.substack.com/
• Register for Freelancing with Tim workshops on improving your pitches, upping your personal essay game, learning how to build a longform narrative, improving your overall freelance business.

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Buy Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Buy Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/
Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler
Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to actor and singer Ann Harada about her day. Big moments include one last vacation on Cape Cod, preparing for her Into the Woods return, how she says no to certain gigs, the anniversary of Avenue Q, working with Milky White, and more.

Follow Ann
Instagram: @iamannharada
Twitter: @annharada

Mentions in the episode:

• Into the Woods on Broadway
• Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+
• Encores! at City Center
• Avenue Q
• The Muny in St. Louis
• Milky White and Kennedy Kanagawa
• Falsettoland produced by National Asian American Theatre Co. in 1998
• Cole Thompson singing "Giants in the Sky" (cast album available soon!)

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to musical theater composer/lyricist Adam Gwon about his day. Big moments include building the foundation for a sequence song, becoming a morning person while on the road, writing advice he received from Lynn Ahrens, and more.

More about Adam: adamgwon.com

Instagram: @gwonster

Twitter: @adamgwon

Mentions in the episode:

• Adam's lyric writing classes at Primary Stages
• Adam's class at the Dramatists Guild Institute
• Witnesses, the musical produced in California
• Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows program founded by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to speaker and flow state expert Diane Allen about her day. Big moments include how to find your own state of flow, vanquishing your inner critic, setting email power hours, tuning out distractions, and more.

More about Diane: dianeallen.com

Contact Diane at diane [at] dianeallen [dot] com for a free 15-minute flow strategy session!

Mentions in the episode:

• Kara's TED Ideas interview with Diane: "The key to productivity is tapping into your flow state. Here’s how"
• ​​Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 
• Adam Grant's New York Times article, "There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing"

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to Vanity Fair correspondent and Central Places author Delia Cai about her day. Big moments include her first public literary reading, how she wrote her book in two hours a week, and her middle school glory days writing Harry Potter fan fiction.

More about Delia Cai: deliacai.com 

Twitter: @delia_cai

Instagram: @deeeliacai

Preorder her book Central Places

Read Delia's work for Vanity Fair

Subscribe to Delia's newsletter Deez Links

Mentions in the episode:

• Rax King literary series at No Aloha
• Torrey Peters' book Detransition, Baby
• Quizilla (RIP)
• Delia's short story, "Big Fan" on Catapult
• Elaine Hsieh Chou 

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to writer and email genius Laura Belgray about her day. Big moments include keeping open space on her calendar, her EFAB email method, procrastination, writing habits, her upcoming essay collection, and more.

More about Laura: https://www.talkingshrimp.com/ 

Instagram: @talkingshrimpnyc 

Laura's mastermind group Shrimp Club

Laura's book Tough Titties is coming out June 13, 2023 from Hachette!

Mentions in the episode:

• Laura's NextAdvisor story 11 Reasons I Wasn't Meant to Have a Business — But Did It Anyway
• Laura's Money story Here's a Genius Method for Writing Emails That People Always Open
• 750words.com
• O Cafe in the West Village
• Grady's cold brew coffee
• Suzanne Kingsbury, Laura's friend and editor-for-hire
• Terri Trespicio, author of Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life that Matters to You 
• Susie Moore, author of Let It Be Easy: Simple Ways to Stop Stressing & Start Living
• Author Samantha Irby

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to actor, writer, director, and composer Tyrone L. Robinson about his day. Big moments include strategies for hitting a major deadline, making theater more inclusive, connecting with people you admire, and the importance of your first draft.

More about Tyrone: tyronelrobinson.com

Mentions in the episode:

• Soul Train
• Letters From May at the 2022 Sound Bites Musical Festival
• Wordle
• Colored notecards!
• NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to journalist and Let's Get Physical author Danielle Friedman about her day. Big moments include conducting rapid-fire interviews, discussing how to write pitches that editors want to read, and three types of story scoops she learned about from our former boss.

More about Danielle: danielle-friedman.com

Twitter: @dfriedmanwrites

Instagram: @daniellefriedmanwrites

Purchase her book Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World

Mentions in the episode:

• Danielle's New York Times story about Pilates (published shortly after we recorded this interview!)
• Danielle's New York Times story about the healing power of strength training
• Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time by Laura Khoudari
• Trint transcription service
• Shoutout to our former Daily Beast boss, Edward Felsenthal, editor-in-chief of TIME @efelsenthal

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke

Kara talks to Caveday cofounder, designer, and entrepreneur Jake Kahana about his day. Big moments include developing a killer morning routine, writing better emails, monotasking, and going into the cave to do your most important work.

More about Jake: jakekahana.com

Subscribe to Jake's Email Refrigerator, a wonderful monthly publication he sends to help readers think about their lives, relationships, and work more deeply.

Resources mentioned:

• Caveday
• Recent New York Times article on Caveday's popularity
• The five sentences email habit
• Inbox When Ready
• Freedom website blocker
• Apple's Focus modes
• Notion

Do It Today is a podcast created by Kara Cutruzzula. She's the author of two motivational journals and a musical theater writer, playwright, and editor.

Preorder Do It Today: An Encouragement Journal

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3A3PKz1

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3vHt5pJ 

Purchase Do It For Yourself: A Motivational Journal

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QnvDRN 

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3vIYYyg 

For more daily encouragement, subscribe to Kara's daily newsletter: https://brassringdaily.substack.com/

Visit www.karacutruzzula.com, or follow her on Instagram @karacut

Original artwork design by Tyler Spangler

Original music composed by Kristoffer Bjarke