Podcasts by Monster Baby: A Curious Romp Through the Worlds of Mindfulness and Improvisation
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Further podcasts by Ted DesMaisons and Lisa Rowland
Podcast on the topic Darstellende Kunst
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Monster Baby #106 The Eyes Have It from 2023-12-13T15:36:14
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 e...
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Monster Baby #105 Kickin’It Back Up! from 2023-11-14T21:37:30
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 u...
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Monster Baby #104 Clanging! (A Conversation with Dion Flynn and Josh Radnor) from 2023-02-08T05:23:07
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 Lis...
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Monster Baby #103 You Contain Multitudes (Considering Identity) from 2022-12-21T08:49:35
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...
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Monster Baby #102 The Joy of Collective Imagination: A Conversation with Dan Klein from 2022-11-01T02:25:53
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, Graduat...
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Monster Baby #101 RE: Relaxation from 2022-08-17T18:45:30
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 ...
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Monster Baby #100 Celebrating the 100th Episode! from 2022-05-18T22:17:31
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...
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Monster Baby #99 Freestyle Life Supreme (A Conversation with Larry Dorsey, Jr.) from 2022-03-06T07:14:08
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, ac...
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Monster Baby #98 Coming Home from 2021-12-22T20:02:33
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 ca...
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Monster Baby #97 Inner Voices (a conversation with Kat Koppett) from 2021-10-30T18:47:10
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...
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Monster Baby #96 Ensemble! A Conversation with Dan O’Connor, Part Two from 2021-08-24T20:02:28
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...
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Monster Baby #95 Ensemble! A Conversation with Dan O’Connor, Part One from 2021-08-24T01:25:46
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 rele...
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Monster Baby #94 Your Story, Well Told: A Conversation with Corey Rosen, Part Two from 2021-07-31T21:01:35
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...
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Monster Baby #93 Your Story, Well-Told: A Conversation with Corey Rosen, Part One from 2021-07-31T20:48:06
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 con...
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Monster Baby #92 Lisa Had a Baby! from 2021-06-16T19:04:29
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 mind...
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Monster Baby #91 The Joy of Little Things from 2021-03-13T07:05:07
Good things come in small packages. That’s especially true if we pay attention to their beauty and impact. In Monster Baby Episode #91, Ted and Lisa explore the many delights of tiny choices. Li...
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Monster Baby #90 Gettin’Comfortable with Discomfort from 2021-02-26T00:25:30
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 impro...
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Monster Baby #89 Talkin’‘Bout a Resolution from 2021-01-12T07:32:09
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 li...
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Monster Baby #88 Hello Humility from 2020-12-16T20:07:49
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...
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Monster Baby #87 November 2020 Grab Bag: Election Day, Lisa’s Big News, and Memory Issues from 2020-11-08T02:29:57
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 Elec...
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Monster Baby #86 What’s Your Strawberry? from 2020-09-29T03:57:38
Simple stories can give a sweet taste of wisdom. Cued by a compact wisdom tale passed on by friend and colleague William Hall, co-hosts Ted and Lisa wonder about purpose, sweetness, and gratit...
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Monster Baby #85 All in the Timing from 2020-09-12T06:40:59
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 a...
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Monster Baby #84 Oh, Those COVID Doldrums! from 2020-08-01T23:19:08
How do you dance 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 transfo...
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Monster Baby #83 Find Your Focus from 2020-06-03T12:00:56
Where’s *your* focus? Where do you want it to be? Spurred by a suggestion from a Chicago-based listener, Ted and Lisa gallop into a conversation about focus. They start with a rousing round of t...
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Monster Baby #82 Elements of Effective Collaboration (Part 2 of a Conversation with Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin) from 2020-05-11T23:22:48
Effective collaboration brings great joy. How the heck does it happen? In Part 2 of their two-episode conversation, Lisa, Ted, and Stanford colleagues Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin (of the “Impr...
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Monster Baby #81 Improvisationally Speaking (Part 1 of a Conversation with Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin) from 2020-05-11T01:49:36
Speaking on the spot can be tough. And you can get better at it! In the first part of a two-episode conversation with Stanford colleagues Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin, Lisa and Ted dive into the...
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Monster Baby #80 Let go. Appreciate more. Use everything. (And happy birthday, Monster Baby!) from 2020-04-19T07:30:37
It’s a Monster Baby birthday: time to consider some improv wisdom! On the 4thanniversary of Monster Baby’s first episode, Lisa and Ted celebrate by going through a recent blog post from their me...
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Monster Baby #79 Half-Baked Ideas from 2020-04-15T08:03:10
That’s the thing about half-baked ideas: they could be gems; they could be duds. In a bit of frivolous departure from their usual deliberations, Ted and Lisa take up the fun task of considering ...
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Monster Baby #78 Extroversion Introversion from 2020-04-05T18:37:25
Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Are you sure? In their continued adjustment to living with the reality of a world-sweeping pandemic, Ted and Lisa turn their attention to one of their most ...
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Monster Baby #77 Living Under Lockdown from 2020-03-25T00:09:55
How do you make sense of living under lockdown? As citizens of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ted and Lisa have been holed up in their respective homes as the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold...
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Monster Baby #76 Coronavirus Takes Hold from 2020-03-12T18:57:07
With good reason, everybody’s talking about the coronavirus. We are too. In the midst of the growing global coronavirus pandemic, Lisa and Ted take a few moments to reflect on the impacts of rap...
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Monster Baby #75 Sorting Through Super Tuesday from 2020-02-27T18:40:41
Presidential Primary season’s swirling into hurricane mode: how do we make sense of it all? Just before the big Super Tuesday Democratic Primary elections, Ted and Lisa take stock of their feeli...
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Monster Baby #74 Yes to Life! A Conversation on Improvisation and Spirituality with Cindy Franklin and Angelo John Lewis from 2020-02-02T04:42:51
What if your spiritual practice meant simply saying “Yes!” to life itself? In anticipation of this March’s “Yes to Life! The Improvisation and Spirituality Weekend,” Ted and Lisa welcome the ret...
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Monster Baby #73 Thunderbolt Moments from 2020-01-25T23:11
What are your “thunderbolt” moments of insight from mindfulness and improvisation? Inspired by a listener’s question, Ted and Lisa consider particular moments of clarity and insight from their l...
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Monster Baby #72 Waking Up to the Gifts from 2019-12-23T19:43:46
What gifts do mindfulness and improv bring to your season of light? It’s the season of giving and Ted and Lisa are musing on the life-shifting gifts of their shared practice. They start the epis...
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Monster Baby #71 Attention to Tension from 2019-12-14T00:03:50
How can you play if your string is too tight or too slack? Finding the right amount of tension matters hugely: in improv, in mindfulness, and in life. Along those lines, Ted and Lisa mine a mome...
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Monster Baby #70 What’s Your Story? from 2019-11-30T02:50:41
Should you tell your story—or step out of it? Storytelling: it’s a topic that lies at the center of both improvisation and mindfulness practices. After recognizing that this episode has been a l...
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Monster Baby #69 The Dish–Insights from Improv at Stanford (and other goodies)! from 2019-11-16T20:14:04
What can you learn from improv without ever taking an improv class? After catching up a bit after a long stretch away from the podcast, Lisa and Ted reflect on a recent article in the Stanford a...
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Monster Baby #68: Best Day Ever (A Monster Baby Grab Bag) from 2019-10-17T21:00:15
What if this (and every day) were the best day ever? Finding inspiration from their everyday interactions with others, Ted and Lisa offer up a Monster Baby grab bag of musings and insights. Afte...
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Monster Baby #67 Under a Mango Tree: A Conversation with Thiagi from 2019-09-11T23:56:41
“You don’t solve problems in life. You keep reconciling paradoxes.” –Thiagi Every now and then—if you’re lucky—you get to spend time “under a mango tree” in the presence of a true master. For Mo...
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Monster Baby #66 Accountability Buddies from 2019-09-06T20:00
Who holds you accountable? Even just a little addition of accountability can make a huge difference in the behavioral choices we make. What the heck makes that work? Given an unexpected gift of ...
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Monster Baby #65 Joy Conspiracy from 2019-07-25T21:19:05
What happens if you conspire for joy? Joy’s a huge part of improv—and hopefully, a huge part of life. On Monster Baby #65, Ted and Lisa explore the ins and outs of this delicious emotion. They...
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Monster Baby #64 Yes and No from 2019-06-29T19:08:35
When to say yes and when to say no—how do we know? Both improv and mindfulness teach us to say yes to the unfolding story of life. But is that the whole story? On this, Monster Baby podcast epi...
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Monster Baby #63 Simmer Down, Inner Critic (A Conversation with Denise Jacobs) from 2019-05-26T22:12:27
Can you quiet your Inner Critic and nourish your Inner Coach? Few things block your creativity more than the nastiness of the voices inside your own head. And it’s true for all of us. On episode...
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Monster Baby #62 The Uniqueness Paradox from 2019-05-10T23:12:26
You are truly special. As is everyone else. Once more, the Monster Baby Podcast shows its affinity for paradox, this time diving into the topic of uniqueness. Ted and Lisa open with a check-in: ...
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Monster Baby #61 Parenthood without Partnership? Lisa considers motherhood on her own from 2019-04-16T07:24:09
Some family stories are unconventional from the start. Stepping into a vulnerable arena, Lisa shares her consideration of having a child on her own. Ted and Lisa start with an insight about impr...
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Monster Baby #60“Congrats…it’s a BOOK!” from 2019-03-20T21:54:54
Have you ever wanted to get a creative vision into the world? In Monster Baby episode #60, Lisa and Ted celebrate the release of Ted’s new book, Playful Mindfulness into the world! The conversat...
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Monster Baby #59 Redefine the Ding: Playing with Positive Reinforcement from 2019-02-10T05:42:53
What behavior do you really want to encourage? Today’s episode starts with the mind-blowing wonder of Lisa’s recent night out at a magic show (1:41) before Lisa and Ted together jump into the re...
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Monster Baby #58 Ted’s Harrowing Tale from 2019-02-01T07:52:49
Nothing like a near-disaster experience to get you thinking. Lisa and Ted return to the ambient sounds of the Stanford University campus to share Ted’s frightening story of almost taking his fri...
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Monster Baby #57 Filter-ama from 2019-01-17T04:09:25
Want to know what you let in and what you let out? Time to check your filters! For the first episode of another new year, Ted and Lisa lean under the hood to check the topic of filters. Per usua...
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Monster Baby #56 V is for Vulnerability from 2018-12-08T20:59:27
Does our humanness lie within our tenderness? Let’s dive into the topic of vulnerability and see what we find! Lisa’s back from her month-long junket to Europe and Ted’s got a Thanksgiving tale ...
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Monster Baby #55 A Grand Experiment from 2018-11-01T21:15:56
Why not just try some s**t out? In Episode #55, Ted and Lisa extol the virtues of bringing a spirit of experimentation to all of life. The pair starts by catching up on Lisa’s improv exploits ov...
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Monster Baby #54 Life Unscripted: A Conversation with Dan O’Connor, Part 2 from 2018-09-29T00:16:26
Improvisation takes care of all of who we are. In this episode, Lisa and Ted continue their two-part conversation with longtime improv stalwart and new author, Dan O’Connor. (If you haven’t hear...
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Monster Baby #53 Life Unscripted: A Conversation with Dan O’Connor, Part 1 from 2018-09-29T00:09:54
How do we break free from the stale scripts we’ve been living by? Lisa and Ted have a two-part conversation with longtime improv stalwart and new author, Dan O’Connor, to find out. Ted and Lisa ...
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Monster Baby #52 Lisa Goes to Clown Camp from 2018-09-17T22:45:55
What did Lisa learn at clown camp? Still a bit hazy from her experience off in the woods of Northern Ontario, Lisa reports back in on her experiences training to clown. Ted and Lisa start by ack...
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Monster Baby #51 Insights On- and Off-Stage: A Conversation with Joe Bill, Part 2 from 2018-08-10T00:02:33
The conversation with Joe Bill goes wider and deeper. When legendary improvisor Joe Bill arrived in San Francisco to teach and perform, Ted and Lisa seized the opportunity and wrangled up a whir...
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Monster Baby #50 A Buddhist Atheist: A Conversation with Joe Bill, Part 1 from 2018-08-09T21:32:30
Joe Bill’s an improv luminary with a brilliant mind that careens joyfully between gutter-level explicitness and spiritual truth—oh wait, are they different? When Joe came to San Francisco to tea...
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Monster Baby #49 Speak Up! from 2018-07-28T14:00:49
Speaking up is one of the most natural—and most frightening—things we humans do. With Ted back from a month-long voice and speech training in Manhattan and Lisa back from a few weeks at summer c...
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Monster Baby #48: Be Specific! from 2018-07-03T14:00:01
The devil may live in the details—but’s that’s probably because he likes the magic there. In Monster Baby Episode, #48, Ted and Lisa discuss the challenges, joys, and benefits of getting specifi...
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Monster Baby #47 Why Are You So Emotional? from 2018-06-22T14:00:35
Pull out the pillows and the tissue paper—Monster Baby Episode #47 gets emotional. Or, more accurately, gets into emotions. Lisa and Ted start with some reflections on Lisa’s end of term teachin...
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Monster Baby #46 Playing with Creativity from 2018-05-26T23:45:11
What does it mean to be creative? Do you qualify? In Monster Baby #46, Lisa and Ted mix it up with the muses, exploring the boundaries and qualities of this thing called “creativity.” They start...
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Monster Baby #45 Gettin’Some Action from 2018-05-07T17:28:10
If you’re looking for some action, you’ve come to the right place! In Monster Baby Episode #45, Lisa and Ted consider the many ramifications of action in a life of mindfulness and improvisation....
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Monster Baby #44 What’s Your Status? from 2018-04-27T14:00:45
Ted and Lisa are working the levers of status: who’s got it, how it’s communicated, how we get good at playing with it—and more. On this, the Monster Baby Podcast’s 2nd birthday, our intrepid pa...
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Monster Baby #43 Let’s Get Physical from 2018-04-13T14:00:08
There’s wisdom in them thar’ bodies—so it’s time to get physical! Lisa and Ted open Episode #43 with an audacious shot at a free slot in their upcoming Mindful Play, Playful Mind retreat (3:37) ...
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Monster Baby #42 Beyond Beliefs from 2018-03-31T14:30:26
Limiting beliefs get into us from a young age—how the heck can we undo or at least disarm them? In this Monster Baby episode, Ted and Lisa play with some tools and generate some hacks from the w...
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Monster Baby #41 What’s Love Got to Do With It? from 2018-02-14T15:10:12
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Lisa and Ted dive into the topic of love in its many forms. They start by checking the legendary history of St. Valentine (1:45) and wonder if maybe St. Patrick is d...
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Monster Baby #40 Great Expectations from 2018-02-05T15:00:01
Responding to a listener question (thanks, Shannon!), Ted and Lisa start to explore the world of expectations. Some initial responses (1:56) give way to another question: if we don’t have expect...
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Monster Baby #39: Facebook Fasting Results from 2018-01-23T15:00:30
How did the Monster Baby Facebook fast go? Lisa starts with her results and notices the power of habit, voyeurism and what it means to think in status updates (5:03). Ted reports about noticing ...
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Monster Baby #38: What’s on Your Mind? from 2018-01-11T16:00:49
For this more free-form episode, Ted and Lisa share what’s been on their minds recently. Ted starts by considering how his relationship to technology has been affecting his sense of presence (2:...
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Monster Baby #37: A New Start from 2017-12-31T00:46:42
On the eve of a New Year, Lisa and Ted consider the value of fresh starts. They begin with some numerical musings (2:29) and warm up with a round of the classic improv game “New Choice.” (7:21) ...
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Monster Baby #36: Less is More from 2017-12-21T00:55:01
Just in time for a holiday season that so often leads to excess, Ted and Lisa return to extol the virtues of “Less is More.” They revisit an old standby version of Word-at-a-Time for a warm-up (...
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Monster Baby #35: On Aging from 2017-12-01T22:45
It’s Lisa’s birthday and Ted’s about to turn 50—time to talk about aging! Our Monster Baby duo starts with a challenging warm-up game of “Fifteen Things!” to keep their brains youthfully invigor...
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Monster Baby #34: Listen Up! from 2017-11-16T22:51:43
Listen up, people! In Monster Baby #34, Ted and Lisa dig in to the nitty gritty of the world of listening. They start by defining the word itself and noticing how listening is like receiving (2:...
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Monster Baby #33: 10 Days of Insight from 2017-11-05T17:47:35
What sorts of intriguing insights show up on a 10-day silent retreat? Ted and Lisa find out in Monster Baby Episode #33. They start by acknowledging that Ted’s in a period of adjustment (2:23) ...
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Monster Baby #32: Press Play from 2017-10-13T14:00:49
Regular Monster Baby listeners know that Ted and Lisa love to play. In their latest episode, you learn why. The intrepid pair discuss play as a connector (1:43), whether it makes sense to be pla...
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Monster Baby #31: Find the Flow from 2017-09-27T14:00:47
Glide down a river of insight as the Monster Baby podcast takes on the topic of flow. Despite her uncertainties, Lisa offers a great San Francisco-based analogy before Ted brings in the Buddhist...
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Monster Baby #30: Handling Heartbreak: A True Story from 2017-09-12T13:00:21
Coping with a wounded heart can be tough, but mindfulness and improvisation principles and practices can help. In this episode, Ted and Lisa process Ted’s meteoric rise-and-fall romantic connect...
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Monster Baby #29: It’s Not About You from 2017-08-30T22:20:16
How does yielding at the right times serve creativity and collaboration? Ted and Lisa start with a game of Sound Ball (1:49) and catch back up after a summer apart (3:47) before jumping into thi...
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Monster Baby #28: Dig Deeper from 2017-07-27T12:36:08
Lisa and Ted reach across the country to dig deeper into life’s offerings. Lisa shares some perspective from her time at Girl Scout camp and Ted relays a story or two from his trip across countr...
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Monster Baby #27 Speaking of Spirituality or Why Lisa Might Be Going to Hell from 2017-06-16T01:40:59
What’s spirituality got to do with it anyway? Ted and Lisa take on the thorny task of exploring the realms of spirit and what they have to do with mindfulness and improv. Lisa starts by explaini...
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Monster Baby #26 Isn’t That Curious? from 2017-06-05T18:05:14
Ted and Lisa get curious about curiosity in Monster Baby Episode #26! They laugh their way through the opening challenge of a few Line-at-a-Time Limericks (1:48) and then enter their topic in ea...
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Monster Baby #25 Be Average from 2017-05-16T11:50:20
In Episode #25, Ted and Lisa dive into the paradoxical wisdom in the Improv maxim “Be Average.” They start with a chat about the San Francisco production of Hamilton and time they each spent wit...
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Monster Baby #24: Get Presence from 2017-04-26T21:15:16
Time to get present, y’all! Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the first Monster Baby podcast, Ted and Lisa offer Episode #24, a deep dive into presence and its role in our lives. A new war...
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Monster Baby #23: Attitude of Gratitude from 2017-04-02T04:20:23
Episode #23 finds Ted and Lisa taking on an attitude of gratitude. A humorous warm-up (1:46) gets the ball rolling before the co-hosts start to clarify how gratitude differs from simply acknowle...
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Monster Baby #22: A Cup of Courage from 2017-03-09T23:24:24
In Episode #22, Ted and Lisa share a conversational cup of courage. A brief and playful check-in (1:59) leads to defining what they mean by courage (4:27) and together, they wonder if Lisa’s cou...
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Monster Baby #21: Puzzle Nuzzle from 2017-02-05T03:34:54
Ted and Lisa welcome special guest (and Jeopardy contestant-to-be) Troy Steinmetz for a conversation about the wisdom of puzzles. They enter a warm-up game midstream to consider different kinds ...
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Monster Baby #20: Adventure Time! from 2017-01-05T22:07:13
For their first podcast of 2017, Lisa and Ted venture into the world of adventure. They demonstrate an adventurous improv game of “What Comes Next?” (1:43), define what they mean by adventure (6...
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Monster Baby #19: The Monster Baby Mailbag! from 2016-12-15T21:05:05
In the inaugural Monster Baby Mailbag episode, Ted and Lisa (and Lisa’s cats) take questions from a few loyal listeners. They wonder whether Monster Baby friendships are different from other con...
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Monster Baby #18: Harmony from 2016-12-03T20:45:56
What is harmony and what the heck makes it so delicious, both literally and metaphorically? Ted and Lisa start with a modified round of “Three Things!” (2:34) and then explain what made them cho...
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Monster Baby #17: Post-Election Reflections from 2016-11-12T00:43:45
After a world-changing, head-spinning Election Day outcome, Lisa and Ted turn to each other to process their emotional turmoil. Lisa relays the experience of her first post-result class at Stanf...
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Monster Baby #16: A Conversation with Patricia Ryan Madson (Part 2) from 2016-11-10T20:46:41
Lisa and Ted continue their conversation with teacher and mentor, Patricia Ryan Madson, drama teacher and author of the acclaimed Improv Wisdom. In this segment, Patricia explained how she fir...
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Monster Baby #15: A Conversation with Patricia Ryan Madson (Part 1) from 2016-11-08T18:42:59
Lisa and Ted welcome their teacher and mentor, Patricia Ryan Madson, drama teacher and author of the acclaimed Improv Wisdom, for a two-part Monster Baby conversation. They explore how mindful...
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Monster Baby #14: Silence, Please from 2016-10-28T02:09:57
What happens when you talk about silence? In this episode, Lisa and Ted offer a short check-in (1:43) and get some questionable advice from their respective tea bags (5:21). They first focus on ...
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Monster Baby #13: Ch-ch-ch-changes from 2016-10-03T23:19:24
A recent loss gets Ted and Lisa reflecting on how best to relate to change. They start with a playful word-at-a-time school announcement (1:45) and some early reflections on change in general (3...
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Monster Baby #12: Meta-tation: This is a Subtitle from 2016-09-14T00:54:12
Lisa and Ted return from their most recent retreat to share a few meta-level insights. After a storytelling warm-up game (1:27) and a check-in about Ted’s trip to Europe (7:51), the duo introduc...
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Monster Baby #11: Passing the Bechdel Test: On Gender in Improv and Facing Old Demons from 2016-09-02T18:57:25
With Ted finally back from a month in Europe, he and Lisa explore the ramifications of her recently directed run of “Bechdel Test” improv shows.* After a playful warm-up game of Finish the Word ...
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Monster Baby #10: Chaos Theory from 2016-07-28T15:09
Finally back from a month-long hiatus, Lisa and Ted get into their different preferences around chaos and order. They open with a ribald riff on unicorns and rainbow prisms (really, see 2:34) an...
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Monster Baby #9: The Monster Baby Retreat–An Interview from 2016-06-30T19:15:06
Toward the end of their recently concluded Mindful Play, Playful Mind retreat, Ted and Lisa sit down for an interview with David Treadwell, a writer from Brunswick, Maine. Ted and Lisa get into ...
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Monster Baby #8: How About Healing? from 2016-06-20T21:47:04
Responding to their first ever Monster Baby listener letter, Ted and Lisa explore the healing powers of mindfulness and improvisation. They warm up with a rousing game of 3 Things! (1:38) and th...
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Monster Baby #7: Playing with Rules from 2016-06-02T21:24:58
Emboldened to try an outdoor “studio”, Ted and Lisa dive into a conversation about rules and who they’re meant for (7:02), whether there are rules in mindfulness (13:06), and how rules provide s...
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Monster Baby #6: The Power of Positivity from 2016-05-23T23:05:12
Inspired by a new workshop they led in western Massachusetts, Ted and Lisa explore why we should talk about positivity (1:25) in improv and mindfulness, how one of Lisa’s improv groups has learn...
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Monster Baby #5: Aspiration and Acceptance from 2016-05-11T22:42:22
In Episode #5, Ted and Lisa play with the tension between accepting what is and aspiring to excellence, starting with a game of Clover (3:19) and exploring whether mindfulness and improv are eas...
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Monster Baby #4: Shared Control from 2016-04-27T00:54:08
Fresh off a trip to Phillips Exeter Academy, Ted and Lisa hop on the ‘cast to explore the fun and reward of sharing control in improvisation (5:53), Line-at-a-Time Drawing and what it has to do ...
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Monster Baby #3: Do Mindfulness and Improv Breed Community? from 2016-04-20T16:48:16
In Monster Baby Episode #3, Ted and Lisa explore the ways that improv and mindfulness create community (2:25), whether mindfulness generates excessive self-focus (17:36), and the need for a bala...
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Monster Baby #2: Defining Mindfulness and Impulse vs. Pause from 2016-04-20T16:42:46
In this second episode, Ted and Lisa dive into defining (or at least describing) mindfulness (3:37), discuss what mindfulness is not (16:53) and then explore how improvisation amplifies or dif...
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Monster Baby Podcast #1: Intro and Relationship to Failure from 2016-04-19T07:44:32
A Monster Baby podcast is born! In this inaugural episode, Ted and Lisa introduce themselves and offer the Monster Baby origin story (1:10) and talk about how mindfulness and improvisation relat...
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