This week at La Befana’s Table, Dina is joined by Mario the Maker Magician—a world-touring performer celebrated for his one-of-a-kind family theater show bursting with handmade robotics, art, invention, and a big dose of hilarity. Mario has appeared on The Tonight Show, Sesame Street, and recently returned from a sold-out run at the Sydney Opera House. This month, his show lights up New York City’s New Victory Theater.

In this episode:

* Mario shares his journey as a first-generation Italian American, reflecting on family traditions, the importance of roots, and how his heritage shapes his work and life.

* Heartfelt stories about growing up in New York, Sunday family meals, and the sacredness of food and togetherness.

* The influence of Mario’s grandfather—a tailor in Italy—on his creative, “maker” identity, and the magic of using what you have to create something special.

* Mario’s path from struggling student to artist, musician, and ultimately, magician, including the pivotal moments and mentors who inspired him.

* The evolution of his family business with his wife, Katie, and the leap of faith that led them to build a unique, joyful show for kids and families.

* Reflections on creativity, surrendering to the journey, and the importance of doing what you love, using what you have, and having fun.

* Insights into the creative process, the value of storytelling, and the power of focusing on the good in a noisy world.

Where to Catch Mario the Maker Magician

* Catch Mario at the New Victory Theater on 42nd Street, NYC. November 15th-30th

* London listeners: Mario will be performing at Underbelly Boulevard in December and January.

Upcoming Happenings

December 26th -January 6th

The 12 Days of Befana is a series of personal stories from guest contributors exploring the themes of kindness, welcome, tradition, belonging, and the sacred in everyday life. Inspired by the legend of Italy’s legendary La Befana—and by my own experience bringing this folkloric character to life in the streets of New York during the pandemic—the 12 Days of Befana is a celebration of a living legend, woven from the true stories of our lives.

The deadline to submit is December 10th.

This week at La Befana’s Table, Dina is joined by Mario the Maker Magician—a world-touring performer celebrated for his one-of-a-kind family theater show bursting with handmade robotics, art, invention, and a big dose of hilarity. Mario has appeared on The Tonight Show, Sesame Street, and recently returned from a sold-out run at the Sydney Opera House. This month, his show lights up New York City’s New Victory Theater.

In this episode:

* Mario shares his journey as a first-generation Italian American, reflecting on family traditions, the importance of roots, and how his heritage shapes his work and life.

* Heartfelt stories about growing up in New York, Sunday family meals, and the sacredness of food and togetherness.

* The influence of Mario’s grandfather—a tailor in Italy—on his creative, “maker” identity, and the magic of using what you have to create something special.

* Mario’s path from struggling student to artist, musician, and ultimately, magician, including the pivotal moments and mentors who inspired him.

* The evolution of his family business with his wife, Katie, and the leap of faith that led them to build a unique, joyful show for kids and families.

* Reflections on creativity, surrendering to the journey, and the importance of doing what you love, using what you have, and having fun.

* Insights into the creative process, the value of storytelling, and the power of focusing on the good in a noisy world.

Where to Catch Mario the Maker Magician

* Catch Mario at the New Victory Theater on 42nd Street, NYC. November 15th-30th

* London listeners: Mario will be performing at Underbelly Boulevard in December and January.

Upcoming Happenings

December 25-January 5th

The 12 Days of Befana is a series of women’s stories exploring kindness, welcome, tradition, longing, belonging, and the sacred in everyday life. Inspired by the legend of Italy’s legendary La Befana—and by my own experience bringing this folkloric character to life in the streets of New York during the pandemic—the 12 Days of Befana is a celebration of a living legend, woven from the true stories of our lives.

The deadline to submit is December 10th.

This week at La Befana’s Table, we’re joined by the brilliant Steve Cerulli—PhD student at Fordham University and Italian American diaspora specialist, and myth-buster extraordinaire.

In honor of Italian American Heritage Month, Steve takes us on a whirlwind tour through the history of Italian migration to the Americas, from the earliest explorers to the waves of Southern Italians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We talk about how “Italian-American” identity was forged abroad, the realities of assimilation (or lack thereof), and why so many of the stories we tell ourselves are, well, a little bit of fiction.

Key Themes:

* Who Counts as Italian-American?Steve explains how early migrants identified more with their regions (Sicilian, Neapolitan, etc.) than with a unified “Italy”—and how the diaspora itself helped create a new identity.

* The “We Came Here Legally” Myth:Spoiler: It was basically open borders for much of Italian migration history. Steve breaks down why this narrative is both inaccurate and often weaponized against today’s immigrants.

* Assimilation & Return Migration:Did Italian immigrants really “become American” overnight? Not so fast. Steve shares stats and stories about return migration, language barriers, and the complex reality of assimilation.

* Organized Crime, Radicalism, and Respectability:From bootleggers to labor organizers, Steve unpacks the real (and sometimes uncomfortable) history of Italian-American communities—beyond the sanitized “good immigrant” myth.

* Columbus Day & Its True Origins:Think Columbus Day was created to honor Italian-Americans after the New Orleans lynching? Think again. Steve traces the holiday’s roots

* Education & Breaking Stereotypes:Steve shares his latest research on Italian-American educators, busting the myth that Italian-Americans don’t value education.

Share this episode with anyone who loves history, heritage, and a good conversation over a strong espresso.

Comment below: What’s a myth about your heritage you wish more people would question?

Show Your Support: Become a monthly Gift Giver or buy us a virtual espresso to keep the conversations & stories flowing.

❤️ Much love and many blessings from La Befana’s Table to yours! ❤️

In this mini episode, I share the story of the Marigold Effect—a reminder that who we surround ourselves with shapes how we grow. When life feels full of “walnut trees,” the invitation is to dig into the soil of your own soul, do the hard inner work, and discover the grace that helps us become marigolds for others.

Greetings from La Befana’s Table and welcome to another edition of Espresso Yourself — Unfiltered musings meant to warm the heart and stir the Soul.

In today’s edition of Espresso Yourself I share some of what is coming up for me in light of the passing of Pope Francis, a little bit about my own spiritual journey, and what I’ve learned about showing up

🎙️Episode References

Revolution of Tenderness Clip from my Tedx “Heroines Show Up”

And what is tenderness? It is the love that comes close and becomes real. It is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands. Tenderness means to use our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, to listen to the children, the poor, those who are afraid of the future.To listen also to the silent cry of our common home, of our sick and polluted earth. Tenderness means to use our hands and our heart to comfort the other, to take care of those in need. Pope Francis 2017 Ted Talk

Pope Francis 2017 Ted Talk

My Books

📚Love at the Threshold

“This memoir, studded with poetry and insights, carries the reader through several tumultuous years of the author's life, the people she met and the groups she was in who helped her along the way, her setbacks and breakthroughs, and documents her incredible perseverance in the face of a series of obstacles” G. R. Elmendorf - Amazon Customer Review

📚A Little Book of Questions

In a world that demands immediate answers, sometimes the greatest joy in life is to linger in the questions and let the answers reveal themselves. In A Little Book of Questions Dina has gathered 40 of the questions that have transformed her heart and invites you to linger in them too.

Curious about the journey that inspired the creation of La Befana’s Table?

Check out my 2022 Speaker Salon performance where I first shared story of how a puppet from ancient Italian folklore transformed my story into a living legend.

Greetings from La Befana’s Table and welcome to another edition of Espresso Yourself Monday — Unfiltered musings meant to warm the heart and stir the Soul.

In today’s edition of Espresso Yourself I share the story of an ornament of a black sheep that I’ve been holding onto for years, an excerpt from Toka Pa Turner’s book Belong, and why I think now more than ever the so called “black sheep” of the family are being called to leads us into new ways of being, doing, and relating.

References

Excerpt from Toko Pa’s book Belong

My self published memoir Love at the Threshold

Greetings from La Befana’s Table and welcome to another edition of Espresso Yourself Monday — Unfiltered musings meant to warm the heart and stir the Soul.

What do a 2,000-year-old redwood, a fourth grader’s question, and a virtual Italian folk dance have in common?

This week, I share a story from my teaching days that’s been echoing lately—about a student who once asked, “What’s the difference between revolution and evolution?” and another who blurted out the phrase “innovative resistance.” I didn’t have an answer then, but I knew it mattered.

Now, years later, in a world on fire and a body in motion, I think I’m starting to understand.

Tune in for a reflection on what it means to bear witness, hold on to cultural traditions and practices, and keep dreaming of a future rooted in beauty, justice, and joy.

And if you’re craving movement and connection, join us this Friday, April 11th for a virtual Tarantella class with Anna Harsh (yes, from Episode 29!) followed by a free community gathering.

More details below For now—press play. 💫

www.labefanastable.com

#LaBefanasTable #InnovativeResistance #EnergyDemocracy #Tarantella #TheEverlivingTree #DanceAsMedicine

Greetings from La Befana’s Table and welcome to another edition of Espresso Yourself Monday — Unfiltered musings meant to warm the heart and stir the Soul.

What do a 2,000-year-old redwood, a fourth grader’s question, and a virtual Italian folk dance have in common?

This week, I share a story from my teaching days that’s been echoing lately—about a student who once asked, “What’s the difference between revolution and evolution?” and another who blurted out the phrase “innovative resistance.” I didn’t have an answer then, but I knew it mattered.

Now, years later, in a world on fire and a body in motion, I think I’m starting to understand.

Tune in for a reflection on what it means to bear witness, hold on to cultural traditions and practices, and keep dreaming of a future rooted in beauty, justice, and joy.

And if you’re craving movement and connection, join us this Friday, April 11th for a virtual Tarantella class with Anna Harsh (yes, from Episode 29!) followed by a free community gathering.

More details soon. For now—press play. 💫

www.labefanastable.com

#LaBefanasTable #InnovativeResistance #EnergyDemocracy #Tarantella #TheEverlivingTree #DanceAsMedicine

Greetings from La Befana’s Table and welcome to another edition of Espresso Yourself — your weekly shot of unfiltered musings meant to warm the heart and stir the Soul.

Greetings from La Befana's Table. Espresso Yourself Mondays are espresso fueled musings meant to warm the heart & stir the Soul.