What does it mean to be engaged? Big news from Monster Baby land: Lisa got engaged! For Episode, #107 she and Ted take the opportunity to explore just what that means—both in a marital sense and in an improv and mindfulness sense. They start by playfully acknowledging some technical difficulties (2:03) before Lisa tells the fun story of her partner’s proposal (3:24). The two dive into the meaning of “engagement” (13:55) and Ted wonders if getting engaged feels like being engaged with life...

How often do YOU hold eye contact? Why or why not? If you’re like Ted and Lisa of the Monster Baby Podcast, there’s a lot there—for both mindfulness and improv—within the world and practice of eye contact. After a short improvisational riff on raccoons (1:32), Ted introduces his reasons for wanting to explore the topic (3:08). In that, he mentions the awkwardness of following the no-eye-contact rule on silent retreat (4:36) and what differendes show up when meditating with eyes closed or...

What’s been cooking in Ted and Lisa’s improv and mindfulness kitchen over this last while? It’s been a few months since the Monster Baby crew gathered for an episode so it’s time to get caught up! Ted starts the conversation off by sharing “Wordle Haiku,” a new creative delight that he and a loyal Monster Baby listener recently came up with (1:44). Lisa then shares a worldview story from her new improv class at Stanford (11:26) and Ted describes how he’s making life choices by following the...

How does a “silly verbal tennis match” become a profound spiritual practice?  Inspired by the intro “Clanging” game they played on the immediately previous Monster Baby episode #103, Ted and Lisa invited the game’s creators, Dion Flynn and Josh Radnor, to come on the podcast themselves—and they accepted! For context: Dion Flynn is a writer, keynote speaker, improvisor, stand-up comedian, actor and US Army veteran. He’s best known for playing Barack Obama and other characters with over 100...

Who are you? Answering that question well may require more angles than we usually think of. After starting with a delightful new game (“Clanging”, introduced by Dion Flynn and Josh Radnor) (2:25), Ted and Lisa consider some of the primary lessons about identity from the world of mindfulness, including the Buddhist notion of non-self (14:06). The pair mention how identities can change from time to time (22:49) and Ted shares a potent image from meditation teacher Gregory Kramer (26:34). Lisa...

It’s so fun to make stuff up together! That’s one of the truths that Ted and Lisa uncover in conversation with their dear friend, Dan Klein, master teacher of improvisation in the drama, Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Platner Institute for Design (“d.school”) at Stanford University. (He’s also the same Dan perilously mentioned in Monster Baby episode #58, “Ted’s Harrowing Tale”!) Ted and Dan start the episode by playfully getting Lisa up to date on her Star Wars references (2:06)...

What if we put relaxation first? Inspired by mindfulness practitioner Bill Morgan’s book, “The Meditator’s Dilemma,” Ted and Lisa explore the value of putting relaxation in front of other forms of meditation, improv included. They start by musing about Lisa’s recent time in Paris and the value of French croissants (2:06), after which Lisa acknowledges that her days of jetsetting may be drawing to a close (6:33). She questions the value of “culmination experiences” (12:02) and then Ted...

Time for a celebration and retrospective—Monster Baby reaches 1oo episodes! Welcome to the party, people—Monster Baby has reached a milestone! In honor of this, the 100th episode of Ted and Lisa’s “curious romp through the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation,” the pair takes a look back to remember and to give thanks for the good times. They start with the fun of realizing that the episodes could cover a round-trip cross-country drive (2:35) and then cover a few up-to-date Monster baby...

Rhythm and improvised poetry can lift the highs and heal the lows. For Monster Baby Podcast episode #99, Ted and Lisa link up with San Francisco freestyler, improvisor, music-maker, comedian, actor, Larry martial artist, activist, spiritual practitioner, and all-around good guy, Larry Dorsey, Jr. Larry starts the conversation explaining the history behind the “Junior” in his name (2:10) and then muses on his path to “fame,” noting the importance of intention behind attention (8:43). The trio...

What makes a home “home”? Sparked by Lisa’s move into a new apartment, she and Ted consider the many elements that go into feeling at home. The two warm up with a playful new spontaneity game called “A or B” that you can play right along with (1:35) and then explore what’s making Lisa’s new flat as homey as it is—and so quickly (9:07). Lisa wonders to what extent people make up the feeling of home (19:45) and Ted describes home as a safe place to launch from…and return to (23:22). After a...

Making friends with inner voices can be fun—and healing. For Monster Baby episode #97, Ted and Lisa are joined by fellow Applied Improvisor Kat Koppett to discuss (and play!) her mindfulness-and-improv-blending exercise, “Inside Out.” Lisa starts by asking about Kat’s inspiration for exploring mindfulness (2:12) and about how mindfulness has affected her life so far (8:01). Kat then describes the Inside Out exercise, a tool for increasing awareness of what’s happening with our inner voices...

Good ensemble members make great humans. Continuing a conversation from the previous Monster Baby episode, Ted and Lisa chat more with improvisor and author Dan O’Connor, discussing his new book (co-authored by Dr. Jeff Katzman), Ensemble! Using the Power of Improvisation and Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World. This episode starts with a new game from Dan, giving Ted a new perspective on an earlier time in his life (1:24). From there, Dan describes the power of special experiences...

A good ensemble can cure the loneliness blues. For Monster Baby episode #95, come join Ted and Lisa for Part 1 of their conversation with improvisor and author Dan O’Connor, celebrating the release of his new book, Ensemble! Using the Power of Improvisation and Play to Forge Connections in a Lonely World. Dan starts with a nod to his co-author, Dr. Jeffrey Katzmann (“one of the nicest human beings on the planet”) (1:37) and then shares the basic lowdown on Ensemble! (4:48). Ted wonders...

You’ve got great stories to tell—want some tips for sharing ‘em? In part two of his conversation with Lisa and Ted, improvisor, storyteller and author Corey Rosen dives deeper into the craft and skill of telling great stories. Corey starts by noting how stories change over time (1:37) which leads into Ted’s sharing a story that has recently become both cringe-inducing and meaningful (5:58). Corey articulates the tension between improvisation and careful craft in storytelling (14:33)...

What’s more compelling than a well-told story? For Monster Baby episode, #93, Ted and Lisa join improvisor, storyteller, and recently published author Corey Rosen for Part One of a super-fun conversation exploring the many facets of his new book, Your Story, Well-Told. The episode kicks off with some musings on the old camp favorite “rest hour” and who Corey is (1:48) before the trio considers whether you need to have cool experiences to tell great stories (10:53). Ted wonders how you...

Things are different now. It’s been a while since the last Monster Baby Podcast episode but we had good reason for the delay: Lisa had a baby! In Episode #92, Ted and Lisa take stock of the mindfulness and improvisation ramifications of Lisa’s new life as a (gulp!) mom. Ted cheekily starts the episode by noting that things have really changed for him after getting vaccinated (1:20) before Lisa introduces Ramona Mackenzie Rowland (3:42). Ted asks about Lisa’s pre-birth tale of getting...

Good things come in small packages. That’s especially true if we pay attention to the beauty and impact of those little things. In Monster Baby Episode #91, Ted and Lisa explore the many delights of tiny choices. Lisa starts the episode with a check-in on the imminent birth of her first child (3:11) and Ted reports the great fun he’s having taking a new improv class in Magical Realism (8:57). Lisa kicks the topic off (13:00) and Ted mentions the power of a small shift carried out over...

What to do with discomfort? We all feel stress sometimes. A little noodge. A joint out of whack. A bump in the wheel. In Monster Baby episode #90, Ted and Lisa explore what mindfulness and improvisation have to teach us about gettin’ (at least a bit more) comfortable with that discomfort. The pair kick off by discussing the “elephant in the room” of Lisa’s upcoming birth (2:14). Lisa shares what brought her to the topic of discomfort (7:46) and then explores whether there’s a sweet spot...

What does it mean to make a resolution? Happy New Year Monster Baby fans! Maybe you’re a person who makes resolutions, maybe you’re not. But we bet you’ll think about ‘em differently if you listen in. Ted starts the podcast thinking about change in the air (note: when we recorded, we had just gotten first word of the uprising/insurrection/coup attempt in Washington, DC so we weren’t responding so much to that) (2:06). Ted then introduces a new game, “If I Googled You,” in which Lisa...

If you’re looking for a holiday dessert, how about a taste of humble pie? It’s Episode #88, and Ted and Lisa are thinking about all the ways they just don’t know. After a fun prompt from Ted and a few rounds of syllable-at-a-time-three-things (2:36), Ted shares what led him to this episode’s topic (9:12). Lisa recognizes the way she’s been feeling humbled by social justice issues and Ted acknowledges the same in the face of wise young people (12:19). Lisa (re-)considers what makes for good...

A few tasty chestnuts for a warm November—plus some exciting news! In Episode #87, Ted and Lisa consider a little bit of this and a little bit of that. They start in the not-knowing between Election Day and when results got announced (1:45) before getting to Lisa’s big news (10:11). They discuss the dynamics of being on the brink of big changes and seeing new roads ahead (14:32) and consider a batch of new names (21:28). The pair considers how to make sense of changes coming from inside...

Simple stories can give a sweet taste of wisdom. Cued by a little wisdom tale passed on by friend and colleague William Hall, Ted and Lisa wonder about purpose, sweetness, and gratitude in the midst of certain danger. The episode starts with a game that Ted created a while back but hasn’t gotten to play much and a Monster Baby milestone (2:51) before moving on to co-host life updates. Ted recounts his tale of vaccination and shares that he might be heading out of the country for a bit...

When is the right time to act or to speak? So much of being skillful with life is getting in rhythm with one’s self and one’s surroundings. In Monster Baby #85, Ted and Lisa explore bunches of angles on timing. The episode starts with a game Lisa recently learned (3:06) and a recap of the recent apocalyptic day in the San Francisco Bay Area (8:04). Lisa wonders about the timing of all these grand large-scale happenings (13:33) and Ted notices that they all have to do with being able to...

How do you deal with your doldrums? Yup. We’re still in a pandemic and it looks like we will be for quite a bit longer. In this episode, Ted and Lisa take stock of that fact and look to transform their feeling a bit down…by acknowledging that they feel down. Ted starts things off with a check-in about some health-related news and rumination (2:57). Lisa wonders if coronavirus times are real life—or are they just fantasy? (8:04) Lisa shares what she’s thinking about most these days (hint:...