In our third episode, co-hosts T.J. Dedeaux-Norris and Jason Šimánek finally turn the mic on themselves. Now that each of our individual episodes has dropped, we sit down together—wine in hand—for a one-of-a-kind, maybe once-in-a-lifetime Emergence Room session.

We share the story behind the podcast: how it began, what inspired it, and what we've learned along the way. Expect laughter, honesty, and a few unforgettable bloopers (including the moment T.J. accidentally introduced our esteemed colleague and fellow Rome Prize Fellow Sean Mooney as Paul Mooney).

In this behind-the-scenes conversation, we talk about balancing art, academia, and consciousness-based education through our respective MFA and EdD programs at Maharishi International University, and how those studies shape the way we listen, lead, and create.

We also reveal our first Rome Prize Fellow interview guest—the incredible Chuna McIntyre, founder and director of the Nunamta Yup'ik Eskimo Singers and Dancers—whose episode drops this Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.

Until then, enjoy this candid, wine-filled conversation as we build camaraderie, unpack our motivation for creating The Emergence Room, and invite you deeper into our world at the American Academy in Rome.

Available wherever you get your podcasts. Stay tuned for Chuna's episode next!

For our second episode, Jason Simanek turns inward to consider what it means to emerge through care and clarity. In conversation with T.J. Dedeaux-Norris, he explores the quiet strength of self-prioritization, the rhythm of restoration, and the creative tenderness that arises when we honor our own needs first.

In our first episode of The Emergence Room, artist and educator T.J. Dedeaux-Norris opens up about performing and shedding identity. In conversation with co-host Jason Simanek, T.J. explores how race, gender, and size shape leadership and self-expression, and what it means to strip away what no longer serves in order to lead from authenticity and vulnerability.