Shows
Beauty in the BreakHow to Spot a Gatekeeper (Even If It's You)Foster and Cesar dive into the topic of gatekeepers—those visible and invisible forces that control access to success, opportunity, healing, and recognition. They explore how gatekeeping shows up in creative industries, media, friendships, and even family dynamics. With vulnerable storytelling, they unpack moments where they’ve felt on the outside looking in and how they've reclaimed power by creating their own doors—or walking away entirely.This episode is a call to self-trust and liberation. Through honest and sometimes embarrassing revelations, Foster and Cesar invite you to consider where you might be waiting for permission instead of gra...
2025-04-0836 min
That's So MentalLive Notes App Poetry With Leonora PittsThis week's guest is mega dream boat- actress, producer, writer, community organizer and filmmaker- Leonora Pitts. Together, everyone agreed that ADHD + Anxiety makes you productive AF! Or is it that Leonora can actually bend time? Cristina and Ilana get back into the slow leak of Ilana's plant medicine adventure at Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica while aspiring to live in a Tibetan cave. In the meantime: more rage dancing, family dance parties, and new on the scene - soup parties!Leonora will share poetic...
2025-01-291h 05
That's So MentalAngry Feminist Mothers & Accidental Pregnancies with Nthenya DundaCristina & Ilana talk to Nthenya Dunda- self defined performer. But first, listen as they solve the great mystery of how the F*ck Cristina is on 600 mgs of Wellbutrin and how Ilana overcame diabetes in one week! During the interview they’ll talk comedy college tours, fulfilling your parent’s dreams, why your sink doesn’t work (Hint: it’s your kid), and Cristina shares her daily mantra “Next step, Next step!” Also F*ck therapy - just go see a show! (JK - don’t actually ditch your therapist). Nthenya talks about her script, “Domesticate Me,” meanwhile he...
2024-12-0451 min
Filmmaker MixerWorld Premiere, 'I Hate Myself and Want to Die': Mike Castle, Leonora Pitts, and Andre Hyland on Dark Comedy, World Premiere and More!In this episode, we chat with actors Mike Castle, Leonora Pitts, and Andre Hyland about their new film I Hate Myself and Want to Die, making its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival. The trio dives deep into the dark comedy's themes, their unique characters, and what drew them to this daring project. Don't miss this conversation as we explore the intersection of humor and despair in a film that promises to challenge audiences in unexpected ways.
2024-10-2429 min
Mothering HeightsEve SturgesThis week, it's a true delight and honor to welcome writer, therapist, and host of the Everything's Relative podcast, Eve Sturges, to Mothering Heights! Eve's writing has been called "incisive, funny, and deeply sensitive" by no less than the great Jill Filopovic, and her podcast explores what happens after the discovery of surprising DNA results. She also discusses her own experience of a surprise DNA test, with her patented mix of deep wisdom, compassion, and humor. Please listen to Everything's Relative wherever you get your podcasts, and please check out all of Eve's amazingness here: h...
2024-05-2451 minMothering HeightsMarta CunninghamThis week, we are thrilled to welcome filmmaker Marta Cunningham to Mothering Heights! Nominated for two News and Documentary Emmy Awards, Marta Cunningham is a queer filmmaker of color. A native of Northern California, she was so moved by the story of Lawrence King's tragic murder in 2008 that she embedded herself in the beachside city of Oxnard, CA, and soon began filming those whose lives were touched by the tragedy. The result was "Valentine Road", a feature length documentary that competed in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and sold to HBO for an October 2013 release. "Valentine Road" has traveled to...
2024-05-1050 minMothering HeightsAlison BennettWe are so lucky and so thrilled to welcome Alison Bennett to Mothering Heights! Alison is a writer and producer and has written on shows like (Leonora's fave) You're the Worst and the Emmy-nominated Doogie Kamealoha, MD. We dive into the real nitty gritty of launching a successful writing career here, as well as how to navigate ooky situations with friends, how we raise siblings - one of us is an only child and one is not and we discuss how different our experiences are, and so much more. This is a hilarious episode full of lots of laughs a...
2024-04-191h 03Mothering HeightsNicole RiviereWhat a genuine thrill to welcome dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, and educator Nicole Riviere to Mothering Heights! Nicole has danced on shows like America's Got Talent and for artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Peaches, and Elvis Costello. She has a combined 30 years of experience teaching yoga and dance, and she is a filmmaker who directs music videos and her own piece - Woman, Mother, Sister, Friend, currently in post-production. This episode is so special - Leonora and Nicole discuss coming back to your great love after a spell away (in our cases: dance), grief and mourning, a...
2024-04-0559 minMothering HeightsBusy PhilippsWhat an absolute thrill to welcome actress, writer, ceramicist, and podcast queen Busy Philipps to Mothering Heights! Busy and Leonora are old old friends (youthful YOUTHFUL old friends) and we are so happy to be celebrating Busy's many wins this springtime. We talk about this season of Girls 5Eva dropping on Netflix, the re-boot of her wonderful late night talk show (with producer and episode 57 guest) Caissie St. Onge, Busy This Week, coming in May to QVC+, how we raise daughters, how we reset when things are tough, and so much more. This episode is a joy, just like...
2024-03-221h 03Mothering HeightsEmily AlprenThis week, we are so grateful to welcome actor, writer, director, filmmaker, and Fitzmaurice Voicework professor, Emily Alpren to Mothering Heights! Emily is a super-smarty-pants and creator, and we discuss experimental theater, remaining creative when motherhood is overwhelming, and how her work as a voice professor at USC informs her work as a director. Incredible stuff. Please read more about Emily here, and don't forget to share and leave us a review! You're doing a great job! https://dramaticarts.usc.edu/emily-alpren/
2024-03-1549 minMothering HeightsAnne GregoryThis week, we are thrilled to welcome actress, writer, improviser, and all-around hilarious and silly person Anne Gregory to the podcast! Anne has had a really interesting career, from her and Rebekka Johnson's triumphant run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to owning the Lyric Hyperion Theater, doing about a thousand commercials, being a cast member of Punk'd (!!) and even teaching host Leonora Pitts's son Murphy improv! This is a wonderful episode if you love to laugh. And bonus for long-time listeners: Leonora cries!
2024-03-081h 06Mothering HeightsBeatriz SequeiraThis week, we thrillingly welcome big shot movie producer Beatriz Sequeira to Mothering Heights! Calling in from the pre-production set of her next film with Blumhouse Productions, Wolfman, Bea gives us the skinny on producing films like Get Out, Us, Five Nights at Freddy's, and The Invisible Man, how she and her DP husband, Lyn Moncrief, balance their careers with parenthood, and why women and especially mothers make such incredible producers. Bea is a true powerhouse, and this episode is as dynamic and wise as she is. Please visit Blumhouse to see all the goodies coming o...
2024-03-0157 minMothering HeightsTerryn WestbrookThis week we are honored and excited to welcome actress and writer and educator Terryn Westbrook to Mothering Heights! Terryn has been working in the biz for twenty-five years, and in our conversation we discuss what it was like to work with David Lynch (again and again) and how she got the gig (great story), what it was like to work with Christopher Guest (again and again), and I bet you can't even hear the envy in Leonora's heart. Truly, this episode is rife with great anecdotes and advice and wisdom, and Terryn's humor and warmth shine through.
2024-02-231h 06Mothering HeightsRebekka JohnsonWhat a true treat and honor to have the hilarious actor, improvisor, director, and writer Rebekka Johnson on Mothering Heights! On this episode, we talk about how she came to direct her first feature, Step Aside, starring Arden Myrin and Tara Copeland, her brilliant new podcast with the equally funny and warm Anne Gregory, Non Drinking Buddies, her important and long-standing collaborative friendships, and how much Advil it really took to get through those wrestling scenes on G.L.O.W. Plus: Leonora promises a return to weekly episodes as soon as she can get her act t...
2024-02-161h 06Mothering HeightsLeonora on small joys and systemsThis week, Leonora hosts herself for a quick discussion on small joys and systems that make life a little easier. Thank you for tuning in and sharing and leaving a review: you're doing a great job.
2024-02-0216 minMothering HeightsKate Anthony returns!In our first ever return-engagement, we welcome Kate Anthony back to Mothering Heights. Kate is celebrating the release of her highly anticipated book, The D Word: Making the Ultimate Decision About Your Marriage. Kate is so many things to so many people: a divorce coach, a community builder and leader, an advocate, a sage. We dive right into the hard and fun and complicated world of marriage and divorce, narcissists, toxic masculinity, and sisterhood. We also invent a word that we really hope catches on! Kate is incredible, and this conversation is unsurprisingly fantastic. To order Kate's b...
2024-01-191h 04Mothering HeightsRachel ColeThis week we are so thrilled and honor to welcome the Executive Producer and Chief Creative Officer of the Try Guys and 2nd Try Productions, Rachel Cole, to Mothering Heights! Rachel is a true example of a powerhouse creative, and is a real survivor to boot. In this episode we discuss her pageant life (Miss Vermont!!), her journey through a difficult cancer diagnosis in her 20s to being a mother of twins, and the path that led her to this incredible career with the wonderful Try Guys! Rachel is a director and creative, best known for her...
2023-12-2252 minMothering HeightsJasmine AlbuquerqueThis week, we are deeply honored to chat with dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, and artist, Jasmine Albuquerque. Jasmine has worked with towering figures such as Joey Solloway, Ryan Heffington, Mike Mills, and Beck, and in spaces like the Hammer, the MOCA, and the LACMA. In 2022, Jasmine and her mother, the legendary and iconic artist Lita Albuquerque, exhibited their collaborative film, Liquid Light, at the Venice Biennale. This is an extraordinary conversation with an extraordinary artist, in which Leonora and Jasmine discuss their relationship to dance and their own bodies, Jasmine's unique and freedom-filled childhood in the mountains...
2023-12-1550 minMothering HeightsSydney Cutler AbichThis week, we are truly honored to be joined by Yoga Nidra guide and healer, Sydney Cutler Abich! Sydney and Leonora have been in mom-community for eons, and we are so grateful she's here to share her deep and hard-won wisdom. Sydney has a masters degree in social work and worked for years as a medical social worker. After her own health took a turn, she discovered the layered and deep benefits of Yoga Nidra meditation, and became certified, completing a 200-hour certification with Yogala and and further 100-hour certification in the Bihar Tradition with Hilary Jackendoff. I...
2023-12-0859 minMothering HeightsKate SpencerIt's a real honor to welcome writer, novelist, memoirist, and the host of the Forever 35 podcast, Kate Spencer to Mothering Heights! Kate and Leonora discuss being ADHD moms, what it's like raising teenagers and being the elder stateswomen/crones/RBGs of their mom community, Leonora tells a WILD story of going to the opening of Kate's husband's Broadway show Gutenberg, grief, and of course: SKINCARE. Kate and Doree Shafrir's podcast Forever 35 is an essential listen. Check it out anywhere you get your podcasts. Her memoir, The Dead Moms Club, and her novel In a New York Minute...
2023-12-011h 08Mothering HeightsCaissie St. OngeWhat a true honor to have writer, comedy legend, and the co-host of the Busy Philipps is Doing Her Best Podcast, Caissie St. Onge, to the show! Leonora followed Caissie for years online, learning how to be funny and compassionate all at once, and it still feels amazing that they've become IRL friends. In this episode, we get the dirt on how Caissie and her husband managed to raise two truly exceptional young men, how she got her start with David Letterman, what it was like to work for Rosie O'Donnell, and much much more. Thank you f...
2023-11-171h 31Mothering HeightsTerrie SamundraThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome writer-director-creative Terrie Samundra to Mothering Heights! Terrie's debut feature, Kaali Khuhi, a Netflix Orginal Film, premiered in 2020, and she has participated in just about every Sundance Lab that's out there. In this episode, we discuss how she's paying forward all her experiences in the various filmmaking labs, her daily creative routine, how GenX is raising our kids, and what it's like to have been a mama for 28 years (she was a very very young mother!). To find out much, much more about this incredible filmmaker, please visit http://terriesamundra.com a...
2023-11-1052 minMothering HeightsJennifer SeifertFinally, after about two dozen loving mentions on this podcast, we are joined by actress, storyteller, and MFT Jennifer Seifert! Jen has weathered chronic illness and pain and come out the other side, and now utilizes her own healing experiences with creativity as a licensed marriage and family therapist. We discuss her and my different grad school experiences, how we've both benefited from her world-famous Artist's Way workshops, and what she's planning next with her vast community. Thank you for listening! Please be sure to share with everyone you know, follow us, give us a rating and a...
2023-11-0351 minMothering HeightsSamara Bay RevisitedThis week, we are revisiting a classic episode with author and coach Samara Bay. Samara's book, Permission to Speak, has been redefining what power sounds like since its release in February 2023. This conversation with Samara sparked so many messages of WOW when we first aired it, and I'm excited for you all to listen again - or for the first time - now that Samara has been featured on NBC News, CBS News, the New York Times Magazine, Slate, Town&Country, Vulture, and in conversation with Deepak Chopra! You can (and should) get Samara's book anywhere you...
2023-10-201h 09Mothering HeightsPamela Clare Wylie SamuelsonThis week, Leonora is honored to host educator, sexual health and wellness expert, somatic bodyworker, healer, and coach Pamela Clare Wylie Samuelson (she/they) to Mothering Heights. Pamela found her way into this incredibly rich and rewarding career space through her earlier life as a dancer and aerialist, through injury, into healing. She now brings her deep and intuitive understanding of physiology and consciousness into her work, while inviting everyone with a body to find agency and a clear path to healing. We get into it! Sexy stuff! You can find out more about all of Pamela's...
2023-10-1356 minMothering HeightsLisa RodriguezThis week we are thrilled to welcome actor, voice artist, and host of the Making it After 40 podcast, Lisa Rodriguez! The two of us reference each other's podcast all the time, so it only makes sense that we'd share this great interview, which we did for Lisa's one year anniversary. In this inspiring episode, we talk about how to trust that you are enough, trusting our intuition, navigating and healing from co-dependecy, and embracing our goofiness! Be sure to follow Lisa's podcast Making After 40, and then leave us BOTH a review, and then never forget: you're doing...
2023-09-151h 04Mothering HeightsLauren AboulafiaThis week, what a treat to have actress, writer, filmmaker, all around creative Lauren Aboulafia to Mothering Heights! Lauren and Leonora discuss meeting and creating in an Artist's Way workshop years ago, transcending the natural tendency toward guilt in motherhood, maternal mental health, and how to turn trauma into art (CW brief mention of traumatic birth). Lauren is so smart, and so inspiring. And hey: you're doing a great job!
2023-09-0855 minMothering HeightsGhosts, Neurodiversity, and Trauma, oh my! With Emily from the Residuals PodcastThank you for your patience as we took a little summer hiatus! This week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome Emily from the Residuals Podcast to Mothering Heights. Emily is a producer, a mama, an advocate, and a lover of all things spooky. Our conversation is wide-ranging, compassionate, inspiring, and really, really fun. Be sure to listen to Emily and Joy's spoooooky podcast The Residuals (look for Leonora's ep for some great true ghost stories), and don't forget: you're doing a great job.
2023-09-011h 19
Mothering HeightsGhosts, Neurodiversity, and Trauma, oh my! With Emily from the Residuals PodcastThank you for your patience as we took a little summer hiatus! This week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome Emily from the Residuals Podcast to Mothering Heights. Emily is a producer, a mama, an advocate, and a lover of all things spooky. Our conversation is wide-ranging, compassionate, inspiring, and really, really fun. Be sure to listen to Emily and Joy’s spoooooky podcast The Residuals (look for Leonora’s ep for some great true ghost stories), and don’t forget: you’re doing a great job.
2023-08-251h 35Mothering HeightsKate AnthonyThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome Kate (the Great) Anthony to the podcast. Kate is the host of the wildly popular The Divorce Survival Guide podcast, and has carved out a thriving career as a coach, podcaster, and the leader of a thriving online community of women. In this conversation, we talk about her extraordinary upbringing in NYC in the 1970's (SHE WAS ON SESAME STREET YOU GUYS), being the daughter of theater folk, moving away from a successful acting career, and finding her way out of abuse and into peace. Fantastic conversation. Please visit https://k...
2023-07-141h 01Mothering HeightsAja VolkmanThis week, Leonora is absolutely honored to welcome Aja Volkman to Mothering Heights. Aja is a singer, songwriter, mama of FOUR children, a survivor, and artist in all senses. We discuss walking through a fire (in Aja's case, a very public fire) and using those experiences as fuel for our creativity, how we connect to the muse, and where she finds inspiration. Aja is a treasure and a pure heart and has weathered so much, all with grace. A great conversation. You can follow Aja's adventures on her Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ajavolkman/ and f...
2023-07-0757 minMothering HeightsIke BarinholtzWhat a treat to have actor, writer, director, and big funny guy Ike Barinholtz on this week's Mothering Heights. Our last week of Dad's Month! You all know Ike from The Mindy Project, Blockers, Neighbors, White House Plumbers, History of the World Part II, and his new film, Maximum Truth, written by Ike and Dave Stassen, and directed by Dave. These two old friends discuss how his passion for politics influences his work, their mutual love of cooking, and Ike's terrifying prognostications of the future. Mostly though, there's lots of laughing. Check out Maximum Fun in...
2023-07-011h 24
Making it After 40Lisa Rodriguez - Making it After 40Send us a textIn this one year anniversary show, Lisa makes herself the guest and invites her dear friend and host of the Mothering Heights Podcast, Leonora Pitts, to be her guest host. Lisa and Leonora chat about the catalyst for starting the podcast, commonalities between Lisa's guest, mothering and creativity and Lisa's biggest take away from a year of interviewing middle aged artists. As only two friends can do, Leonora and Lisa get vulnerable and honest about some of life's challenges and their own personal growth points. This episode is a wonderful way to commemorate...
2023-06-271h 04Mothering HeightsJay DuplassIt's a true honor and treat to have filmmaker, actor, and true mensch Jay Duplass on this week's Mothering Heights. As an actor, you've seen Jay in the iconic series Transparent, The Chair, and Industry. As a filmmaker, he and his brother Mark redefined independent cinema with films like Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Cyrus, and The Puffy Chair and have fostered beautiful series like HBO's Togetherness and Somebody, Somewhere. Jay and Leonora talk about Jay's prolific writing and how anxious he is to get back to directing, his generous and generative advice-giving, getting old, and what...
2023-06-231h 01Mothering HeightsCharlie DayThis week, Leonora is totally thrilled to welcome actor, writer, director, and her children's beloved godfather, Charlie Day to Mothering Heights! Charlie (along with co-creators Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton) created the longest-running live action comedy TV show of all time, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, was the voice of the iconic Luigi in the animated The Super Mario Brothers Movie, and most recently starred in and directed the star-studded Hollywood takedown, Fool's Paradise. This entire podcast was Charlie's idea! Leonora and Charlie discuss his writing process, dealing with disappointment and what lessons he's learned, and what's i...
2023-06-161h 02Mothering HeightsMatthew LillardDad's Month continues on Mothering Heights with actor, writer, director, icon, and DAD, Matthew Lillard. In this joyful conversation, we discuss the ups and downs and backs and forths of his career, how he re-aligned himself during a challenging time, his writing process, and how he got his first feature made. Matthew is a treasure of a human being, and that shines through in this conversation. And yes, we talk about his upcoming role as William Afton - the Purple Guy - in the VERY anticipated Emma Tammi-directed Five Nights at Freddy's film! As far as Leonora's c...
2023-06-091h 10Mothering HeightsJohn Ross BowieWelcome to Dads' Month on Mothering Heights! First up, Leonora is totally thrilled to welcome actor, author, improviser, podcaster, punk rocker, AND DAD John Ross Bowie to the podcast. You all know John from his many years playing Barry Kripke on Big Bang Theory, his wonderful work on the ABC series Speechless, a thousand other roles and guest spots, and from his incredible memoir No Job For a Man. John and Leonora discuss his writing process, their mutual love of the film Heathers (John ALSO wrote a book about Heathers), and how ridiculous Leonora looked walking around her neighborhood...
2023-06-021h 05Mothering HeightsSaudia RashedThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome dancer, actress, writer, and the host of the podcast That One [Blank] Friend Saudia Rashed to the podcast! They discuss finding our first love of performing through dance, dedicating one's life to creative pursuits, finding love in a sketch comedy troupe, and the audacious act of moving from being an interpretive artist to being a generative artist. Please visit Saudia Rashed on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/saudiarashed/, and listen to her terrific podcast at https://pod.link/1507264375! And thank you for leaving a review (please leave a review...
2023-05-261h 19Mothering HeightsMiry WhitehillThis week, it's a true honor to welcome the founder and executive director of Miry's List, Miry Whitehill, to Mothering Heights. She's Miry, from the List! Miry's List is a nonprofit organization made up of neighbors and friends dedicated to welcoming new arrival refugee families into our community through inspired crowdsourcing solutions. And Miry is an unendingly inspiring leader and creator and friend. Miry and Leonora discuss the origins of Miry's List, how to find joy when your job requires engagement with tough stories, how food connects us, and how soon Miry expects to finally be mad...
2023-05-191h 10Mothering HeightsMelissa ChalsmaThis week, Leonora is totally thrilled to welcome actress, director, producer, and the Artistic Director of the Independent Shakespeare Company, Melissa Chalsma! Melissa is a true leader in the Los Angeles theater community and is a true genius in theater-making. The ISC brings FREE Shakespeare in the Park to tens of thousands Angelenos every summer, their world-class productions are engaging, hilarious, moving, and beautiful. Leonora and Melissa discuss why theater and storytelling matter, how we need to be intentional and consistent when incorporating diversity, inclusion, and access, and why we still want to watch plays by a...
2023-05-121h 06
The Residuals: A Paranormal PodcastThis is Our House Now; You Have to Go - An Interview with Leonora PittsLeonora Pitts (co-founder of LA Women’s Film Collective/actor/dancer/writer/mom/host of podcast Mothering Heights) sits down with Emily & Joy to share scary stories. A haunted Victorian home in North Dakota, a trip to Versailles, & Emily gets frustrated with the French language. If you have a scary story to share, email us at TheResidualsPodcast@gmail.com and please like, follow, subscribe to all our social media. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Between the present & past there are memories held in the walls & earth. Join Emily & Joy as they explore the spaces between the living & the dead. Hauntings, ex...
2023-05-031h 18Mothering HeightsKristin FairweatherThis week, Leonora is so thrilled to be joined by filmmaker, documentarian, and activist Kristin Fairweather. Kristin has directed five features after pivoting from a successful career in politics, and we discuss how Kristin uses her feminist bona fides to navigate the film industry, how she was able to kickstart her career and maintain it, and how small our margins of error are as women filmmakers. Kristin's latest feature, Breaking Girl Code, premiered on Lifetime this week and is now streaming! For more info on Kristin, please visit https://www.fairweatherpictures.com/ Kristin Fairweather is...
2023-04-281h 01Mothering HeightsRakefet AbergelIn our very first mini-sode, Leonora is thrilled to be joined by actress, writer, filmmaker, and connector Rakefet Abergel. Rakefet is a truly dynamic person, and she is presently crowd-funding to make her next film, Still. This film grew out of her own experience of having a miscarriage, and has been integral to her healing. This episode contains discussion of pregnancy and miscarriage, so please take care in listening. Please visit the links below to support Rakefet, and let's all throw a little coin in to help bring this film to the screen! STILL TEASER:
2023-04-2423 minMothering HeightsSunny DrakeThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome playwright, artist, and activist Sunny Drake to Mothering Heights. Sunny is about to launch the podcast Climate Change and Other Small Talk, a theatrical podcast that is here to hold your hand through the scary stuff and entertain you at the same time. Leonora and Sunny discuss how to use your inherent power to find hope when things are at their scariest, how bravery has manifested itself for Sunny as both an artist and as a Trans Activist, and how to build community via shared values and ART! Throughout their talk, Sunny...
2023-04-211h 02Mothering HeightsLeonora's story of the weekThis week, Leonora is joined by… herself. Feeling very, deeply vulnerable, she shares a story of losing out on a gig that she allowed herself to hope was hers. Get ready to either cry or laugh at Leonora crying! Mothering Heights is taking a couple of weeks off for Spring Break, but we will be back soon with a new theme song (!!!) and more fabulously brave, funny, and wise guests. Until then, remember: you're doing a great job.
2023-03-3115 min
Le Podcast Sans NomCédric DjedjeREFERENCES“Bordeline Love”Laurène Marx”Atlanta”Donald Glover“Gomora"Oblamo“Deux secondes d’air qui brûle”Diaty Diallo“No Thank You”Little Simz***BONUS***“Afropea”Léonora Miano“Afropean”Johny Pitts“Suisse : histoire d’un déni”, épisode #96Rokhaya Diallo, Grace Lyhttps://www.binge.audio/podcast/kiffetarace/suisse-histoire-dun-deni-racialwww.lepodcastsansnom.ch Hébergé pa...
2023-03-301h 08Mothering HeightsFoster WilsonThis week, Leonora is totally thrilled to be joined by the wonderful filmmaker Foster Wilson! Foster is an award-winning director, filmmaker, and Emergence Award Recipient. She earned her BFA at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied for 3 years with the Atlantic Theater Company under the tutelage of David Mamet, Chris Bauer, Scott Zigler, and Mary McCann, among others. These two Atlantic alums discuss the ways their acting school and their technique continues to inform their work ethic and creative lives, the shadowing programs (AWD Short Film Initiative and Ryan Murphy Half Initiative...
2023-03-2453 minMothering HeightsEmily Ziff GriffinThis week, Leonora is so thrilled that Emily Ziff Griffin has joined her for a wonderful chat. Emily is a writer and producer and an all-around totally amazing human. Emily's critically-acclaimed novel, Light Years, was developed for television by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and she is currently adapting her beloved New Yorker essay, "Last Dance With My Father," for Endeavor Content. As the co-founder of Cooper's Town Productions with her long-time collaborator and producing partner, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Emily produced the Oscar-winning feature Capote and PSH's directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating. Emily and Leonora discuss...
2023-03-171h 00Mothering HeightsMo PerkinsThis week, Leonora is so honored and happy to welcome the prolific filmmaker and writer, Mo Perkins. Mo has directed two features, A Quiet Little Marriage, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Fest, and The Last Time You Had Fun, which premiered at LA Film Fest and won awards all over the dang place. She and Leonora discuss the various shadowing programs, Mo's extremely unique upbringing on a real, off-the-grid commune, motherhood, film school, storytelling, and feminism - Mo cannot help but be endlessly wise and inspiring. Please check out Mo's films on...
2023-03-101h 25Mothering HeightsAlisha GaddisThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome actress, musician, producer, author, Emmy, and Grammy award-winning dynamo Alisha Gaddis to the podcast! Alisha and her husband lead Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, which you've certainly heard on your radio if you are raising young children. She is the author of seven best-selling books and has recently landed on the pages of Vogue as one of the Grammy Awards best-dressed, topping herself year after year as a walking work of art. Alisha and Leonora talk about the hard work behind being a multi-hyphenate, how she shepherded her b...
2023-03-0356 minMothering HeightsGrace ChonWhat a true honor to welcome the inimitable Grace Chon to Mothering Heights. Grace is a world-renowned photographer, published author, the host of the Creativity School podcast, Akashic Records reader, creativity coach, and all-around creative badass. In this episode, we track Grace's trajectory from marketing wiz to digging into her creative soul, how she cultivated that creativity for a *living*, and how to get specific and clear in your creative goals - and doing what you LIKE - so you can make a career in any artistic field. And dogs. We talk about dogs. This is a g...
2023-02-241h 10
Making it After 40Ilana Cohn - The Best is Yet to ComeSend us a textThis episode features writer, director, producer and actress Ilana Cohn. Ilana found success early in her career writing sketch comedy for Youtube. These Youtube project lead to writing jobs with various networks and outlets and have paved the way for a solid career writing for television. Lisa and Ilana talk about the challenges of the uncertainty with the entertainment industry, feeling like an imposter at every stage of your career and knowing that the best is yet to come. Ilana is funny and insightful and a real treat to have on the show.
2023-02-2150 minMothering HeightsSamara BayLeonora is so thrilled and honored to welcome author and dialect and vocal coach Samara Bay to Mothering Heights. Samara travels the world dialect coaching some of the biggest stars in the world, and in her brand new book, Permission to Speak, Samara lays out how each of us can change the world - and our place in it - by harnessing the power of our voices. Samara's book is profound and joyful and invites us all to change who has all the power, by redefining what power sounds like. We discuss the process Samara took to g...
2023-02-171h 07Mothering HeightsHeidi Rose RobbinsThis week, Leonora is honored to welcome astrologer, poet, leader, speaker, podcaster, and author Heidi Rose Robbins to the podcast. Heidi is a generous beacon of wisdom every single day on Instagram with her Moon Notes and has guided thousands of people with her insightful and powerful understanding of the cosmos. She and Leonora discuss astrology, of course, but also what self-renewal means to us as Gen X women, how we-charge and avoid burnout as busy creative moms (hint: Ojai), Leonardo da Vinci, poetry, backyard drama camp… look: we go places! You can listen to Heidi's two exc...
2023-02-1052 minMothering HeightsLily VonnegutThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome actress, producer, writer, funny person, and self-proclaimed Cancer Mom Lily Vonnegut to Mothering Heights. They discuss how to find humor through the worst of times and finding ourselves through to the other side, how her two famously creative parents shaped her own creativity, crying in sweatpants and corsets at acting school, the creation of her hit animated show The Most Popular Girls in School, and how she channeled her dad Kurt Vonnegut to give Leonora some excellent artistic advice.
2023-02-0350 minMothering HeightsAyesha OrangeThis week, Leonora is thrilled to be joined by dancer, choreographer, and movement director, Ayesha Orange. Ayesha assisted Ryan Heffington on his Emmy-award-winning choreography for HBO's hit series Euphoria, has worked extensively with the legendary Nina McNeely and has danced onstage at the Emmys, the Oscars, with artists like Mariah Carey, Bette Midler, Pink, and Usher, and in over twenty films and over sixty television shows. She and Leonora discuss how important Ayesha's village is as she raises her son as a single mother, how they are trying to raise resilient kids, being GenX parents, and the real ins...
2023-01-271h 00Mothering HeightsClementine FordThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome actress, writer, and reader Clementine Ford. These two moms' group comrades discuss Clementine's experience as an immunocompromised MS patient living through lockdown, how her unique upbringing as the daughter of a Hollywood legend informs her parenting choices today, book shopping as a kid with Larry McMurtry, and what it was like being Miss Golden Globes the year of Titanic. And books! Books and books. You can follow Clementine on Instagram for more of her excellent insights into literature at instagram.com/clementineford!
2023-01-201h 07Mothering HeightsMackenzie MeehanWelcome back to Mothering Heights! This week, Leonora welcomes actress and acting coach Mackenzie Meehan. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be directed by Martin Scorsese, Mackenzie has got the lowdown. Mackenzie has starred in projects like Wolf of Wall Street and Bull, and she and Leonora discuss grad school, forgiving yourself for being a mean girl in your 20s, getting notes from a fellow actor on set (!!), and navigating male-dominated spaces. This is a great one. To book Mackenzie for acting coaching (as you should), please visit calendly.com/mackenziemeehancoaching and take...
2023-01-131h 14Mothering HeightsAmber SealeyThis week, Leonora heartily welcomes prolific filmmaker Amber Sealey to the podcast. Amber has directed five features, including the tense psychodrama No Man of God starring Elijah Wood and Luke Kirby, and Disney's upcoming Out of My Mind. Amber is unfiltered in all the best ways: full of vulnerability and hard-won wisdom about how to be brave and focused creative. The two friends discuss working in the UK vs the US, what it's like being married to a legitimate rocket scientist and how his scientific mind and her artistic mind come through in their two kids, moving from acting...
2022-12-221h 15Mothering HeightsPuloma BasuThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome producer, documentarian, and filmmaker Puloma Basu! Named one of Variety's Ten Documentary Filmmakers to Watch, she has carved out an incredible career working with some of your favorite musicians, like The New Pornographers and Aimee Mann, and runs The Production Company, a… production company started by Puloma, her husband Rob Hatch-Miller, and the Tom Scharpling. Leonora and Puloma discuss a couple of amazing moments of magical creative serendipity they've shared, the nuts and bolts of how Puloma became a producer, and what it's like to work with a creative partner to whom yo...
2022-12-151h 01Mothering HeightsAubrey DollarThis week, Leonora's bacon gets saved by actress and writer Aubrey Dollar, who came onto the pod with about ten minutes' notice - because that's what moms do for each other! In this episode, we dig into how to create a space (virtual or not) that fosters support, even among people in (literal) direct competition with each other, how to bounce back after career disappointments, and the endless follies of letting our kids watch YouTube. Also, Leonora shares one of her favorite December traditions!
2022-12-0850 minMothering HeightsChristina Moore and Missi PyleThis week, Leonora is thrilled to welcome not one but TWO incredible multi-hyphenate artists and creators, Christina Moore and Missi Pyle, who also happen to be best friends and collaborators. Christina is an actor and writer whom you remember from Mad TV and That 70's Show… and a million other things, and who is now emerging as a powerhouse producer of films such as Lady Driver, Running Wild, and this year's A Hollywood Christmas. Missi is an actor, writer, and musician; you'll recognize her from Galaxy Quest, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dirty John… and a million other things. These thre...
2022-12-011h 02Mothering HeightsAmanda DiebertThis week, Leonora welcomes graphic novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter, television writer, and Twitter phenomenon Amanda Diebert. Amanda has written DC titles such as Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, and Wonder Woman '77, and she's written on shows such as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. She has a brand new book currently available for pre-order, based on her beautiful introspective and community-building prompts on Twitter, called You Already Have the Answers. Despite construction sounds around both of them, Amanda and Leonora discuss why superheroes matter, surviving trauma while learning to mother ourselves, building community with strangers...
2022-11-2457 minMothering HeightsEirene DonohueThis week, Leonora welcomes Eirene Donohue to Mothering Heights. Eirene is a screenwriter and mama with two - yes TWO - Christmas films dropping on Lifetime this Thanksgiving weekend. They discuss how to persevere even if your family has staged a career intervention out of worry, how Eirene got started and how she KEEPS GOING, how one of Eirene's films made history as the first Asian-centered Lifetime Christmas movie ever, pitching pregnant, and making friends in the drop-off line. This episode is rife with warmth, wisdom, and laughs!
2022-11-171h 06Mothering HeightsElizabeth LaimeThis week, Leonora welcomes TV writer and producer, podcaster, and legitimately one of her best friends, Elizabeth Laime. Elizabeth is presently writing and co-executive producing A Million Little Things (and just won the enormously important 2022 Sentinel Award for her and Lucile Masson's episode about abortion) and has also written on shows like I'm Sorry and The Village. She built one of the first podcast empires (before that was a thing) with her shows Totally Laime, Totally Married, Totally Mommy, and Totally Beverages and Sometimes Hot Sauce. She and her husband Andy Rosen are back with a hilarious and wonderful...
2022-11-1058 minMothering HeightsJules Blaine DavisThis week, Leonora is joined by Jules Blaine Davis: Kitchen Healer, TED speaker, and the author of The Kitchen Healer. She and Leonora have a deep, REALLY FUNNY, and inspiring conversation about big-time healing, turning on the fire, dancing at the kitchen sink, and finding our creative way despite major obstacles. To read more about Jules, visit https://www.julesblainedavis.com/ To pre-order The Kitchen Healer, please visit https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-kitchen-healer-the-journey-to-becoming-you-jules-blaine-davis/18057965?ean=9781683649205
2022-11-031h 14Mothering HeightsMia Livas PorterThis week, Leonora is honored to be joined by California Assembly candidate Mia Livas Porter! Mia is an activist and mama (and creatively inclined as a designer!) who found her voice working for gun safety legislation through Moms Demand Action. Mia and Leonora discuss how to get started as an activist, what it means to find your voice, and why mothers make great leaders. This conversation is fun and warm and inspiring and smart - just like Mia. To learn more about Mia Livas Porter and support her campaign to represent AD52, please visit http://miaforassembly.com. A...
2022-10-2755 minMothering HeightsJessica MaisonThis week, Leonora welcomes writer, filmmaker, and graphic novelist Jessica Maison to the pod. Jessi is so smart and cool that Leonora thinks it's weird they're friends - but she's grateful nonetheless! Jessi is a mother of two rad girls and is the author of the YA climate-dystopia series Plastic Girl and the upcoming Mary Shelley's School for Monsters. Continuing with last week's theme of marrying activism with art, we discuss how Plastic Girl grew out of her fears over Climate Collapse and how we are raising our kids within those fears (it's hopeful, we promise!). We also discuss...
2022-10-201h 14Mothering HeightsEmily Barth IslerThis week, Leonora is joined by writer and activist Emily Barth Isler. Emily is the author of the acclaimed YA novel, Aftermath, which Amy Schumer called "a gift to the culture." We agree, and so does Leonora's daughter, who devoured this book over one weekend. In this episode, we talk about the nuts and bolts of finding TIME to create when your children are little, marrying activism and art, and how small mitzvahs can save the world. Emily's work can be found here: https://emilybarthisler.com/ and Aftermath are available wherever you buy books!
2022-10-131h 22Mothering HeightsMaggie MackayThis week, Leonora talks to her dear friend and one of her biggest career-supporters, Maggie Mackay. Maggie is a vital part of the film industry, and is the head of the Vidiots Foundation - which may be the key to saving the industry entirely! In this episode, we talk about equity and accessibility in the arts, why film is essential to being a human being, the joy of watching our kids gain autonomy over their personal taste, and why physical media matters. And: is Maggie mad at Leonora??
2022-10-061h 24Mothering HeightsChristina LeeThis week, Leonora welcomes writer, producer, showrunner, and mama, Christina Lee. Christina has produced and written some of the best and funniest and darkest stuff on television, including Wet Hot American Summer, Search Party, and Made for Love. Listen as Leonora absolutely loses her mind upon hearing how the divine hand of Liza Minelli guided Christina early on in her career, how they've traversed some tricky mom-group waters, and how she makes GREAT television happen. PS You're doing a great job!
2022-09-291h 18Mothering HeightsIlana Cohn-SullivanThis week Leonora talks to her much-beloved friend and chosen family, Ilana Cohn-Sullivan. Lani is an actor, stand-up, improviser, director, producer, writer, and mama. She and her husband Liam Sullivan of "Shoes" fame have been at the forefront of viral content creation long before it was even something one could monetize. LeeLee and Lani talk about moving to LA from New York right after 9/11, why Lani was at the doctor's office that morning, nurturing the mentor-mentee relationship, and why Larry David maybe wasn't the best choice to be Lani's mentor, missing out on $500 million, and whether or not Ilana...
2022-09-221h 19Mothering HeightsMaggie KileyThis week, Leonora is joined by her friend, colleague, and mentor, Maggie Kiley. Maggie started as an actor, became one of the best acting teachers around, and now directs shows like Keep Breathing, Dirty John, Dr. Death, and Pretty Little Liars. She and Leonora discuss how they apply their Atlantic Theater Company Acting School training in their filmmaking, the nature of mentorship, learning on the job as a director, breastfeeding on set, and raising really creative kids. Also, Leonora wonders - for the first time ever - if Maggie is mad at her.
2022-09-151h 08Mothering HeightsSylvia RayThis week Leonora talks to director, producer, and editor Sylvia Ray. Sylvia and Leonora are in mom AND film groups together and are peer mentors and friends. In this episode we talk about starting a film career from essentially scratch, learning on the job, how to find time to be creative when you're raising small kids, navigating neurodiversity in our kids, and being a solid collaborator. It's a good one! To see more of Sylvia's work, please visit https://www.sylviaraydirects.com/, see her beautiful work, and give her more!
2022-09-081h 13Mothering HeightsMonica Corcoran HarelThis week, Leonora welcomes Monica Corcoran Harel of Pretty Ripe. Monica is a writer, mama, good daughter, and recently had her New York Magazine essay "My Mom Has No Friends" go ultra-viral. She is also wise and funny, and in this conversation we explore self-care, creating a village out of thin air, peri-menopause and menopause, being members of the "sandwich" generation, the benefits of walking, BEING DAUGHTERS TO MOTHERS, and whether or not Monica is mad at Leonora. Also, Leonora gets embarrassingly emotional in the intro, please don't be mad at her for that. Visit http://prettyripe.c...
2022-09-011h 08Mothering HeightsJennifer LafleurThis week, Leonora welcomes Jennifer Lafleur, an extraordinary actress, director, and producer, and Leonora's chosen family. They discuss indie film, the necessary hustle of being an actor, caretaking BEFORE motherhood, the difference between jealousy and *holy* jealousy, and what it was like for Jen to have a pandemic baby. You can catch Jen in this summer's smash hit, NOPE, and you can watch Leonora and Jen together in the indie film Back at the Staircase on Amazon Prime. Also, Leonora talks about her favorite way to simultaneously soothe AND activate her anxiety: a little game called Mortality Math.
2022-08-251h 18Mothering HeightsKatie AseltonYou may know Katie Aselton from her varied and terrific acting work on shows and films such as The League, Book Club, and The Morning Show. You may also know her from the three features she's directed, The Freebie, Black Rock, and Mack & Rita. But did you ALSO know that she is responsible for some of the most important relationships and professional work in Leonora's life? Tune in this week for that story, as well as an inside view on building community in the indie film world, what the Duplasses watch as a family, and what it was like...
2022-08-181h 15
Mothering HeightsMylissa FitzsimmonsThis week, Leonora is joined by one of her long-time partners in film and community building, Mylissa Fitzsimmons. Mylissa is an incredible filmmaker and photographer and mother of two. She and Leonora discuss film festivals, launching your indie filmmaking career, how they built the Los Angeles Women's Film Collective, and whether or not Mylissa is mad at Leonora.To watch some of Mylissa's work, please visit https://vimeo.com/mylissafitzsimmons. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @mylissafitz. If you're a film financier looking to invest in an amazing project, Mylissa and I have one for you! I...
2022-08-111h 28
Mothering HeightsEver CarradineToday Leonora is thrilled to be joined by one of her dearest and longest Los Angeles friends, actress, artist, and activist Ever Carradine. Leonora and Ever met way back in 2004 before Leonora had even met her husband Scott - but Ever was present the first time they ever saw each other. You know Ever from her roles on Handmaid's Tale, Marvel's Runaways, Goliath, and films like All My Life and Jay and Silent Bob. She and Leonora have been in the mama trenches together since basically day one, and this conversation is full of laughs and warmth and a...
2022-08-041h 19
The Divorce Survival Guide PodcastEpisode 179: Solo Episode! The Power of Community, Grit, and GraceToday, I have a solo episode for you! I am talking about community, specifically why it is important for women to be in a community with one another. My Facebook group has grown to over 10,000 members and on any given day you can see the magic that happens when women support one another. When you are surrounded by other women in similar situations it opens up space to share our experiences, struggles and wins. Ultimately, when women join together in a community we begin to own our collective power. In this episode I talk about: The im...
2022-08-0428 minMothering HeightsLauren BrancoLeonora welcomes her partner in moms' group leadership, Lauren Branco. Lauren is an early childhood educator, and they discuss the ins and outs of leading a group of diverse women, how to build community, our philosophy of having difficult conversations and creating learning opportunities by calling people in instead of calling people out, FOOD, and whether or not Lauren is mad at Leonora.
2022-07-281h 09
Mothering HeightsFri ForjindamLeonora welcomes absolute powerhouse Fri Forjindam to Mothering Heights. Fri discusses how she took her theater nerd heart through almost becoming a doctor and into her current career as the Chief Development Officer of her company, Mycotoo, where she designs immersive experiences like Paisley Park for the Prince Estate and the recent (incredible) Mandalorian Experience for Jon Favreau and Lucas Film at Star Wars Celebration. Fri and Leonora also discuss the magic of lithium baths in the desert, what Leonora tells her kids every single day, how Fri broke open and lit up their moms' group with her first...
2022-07-221h 33
Mothering HeightsMary Elizabeth EllisLeonora opens her podcast ADVENTURE! with her best friend and soul sister, actress/writer/producer/artist/creative Mary Elizabeth Ellis. They discuss how they met, how Mary Elizabeth first realized she was actually a mother, how she and her family carve out time and space to be creative, and whether or not M.E. is mad at Leonora.
2022-07-2246 minMothering HeightsWelcome to Mothering HeightsLeonora Pitts is an actor, filmmaker, dancer, community organizer, acting and dialect coach, and now, apparently, podcaster! In this intro episode, Leonora introduces herself and talks a bit about what you all can look forward to as the loyal, fervant Mothering Heights fans you're sure to be. She also hopes you're not mad at her.
2022-07-1815 min
Making it After 40Leonora Pitts - Words of Advice and a Warm EmbraceSend us a textIn this episode, Lisa sits down with Leonora Pitts, an actress, writer, director and so much more. They discuss her career journey, the differences between envy and jealousy as we watch our friends and colleagues achieve big wins in their own careers and the importance of creating your own opportunities and making your own content.Links:Follow the show on Instagram at @makingitafter40Follow Lisa Rodriguez on Instagram at @lisaroiriguezFollow Leonora Pitts on Instagram at @leeleepitts Check out Leonora's amazing shorts films God, I Hope I...
2022-07-0553 min
Da President's Podcast with the Black Nurses Association of Greater St. LouisSession 2.1 - Mono, what ?On this session, Dr. Leonora Muhammad and co host Mia Glover speak with Dr. Anniece Spencer (BNASTL Member and Medical Science Liaison at Abbott Diabetes Care) and Arnita Pitts (Research Nurse Coordinator) about the use of monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of COVID 19 and the need for research in the black community. Tune in to this episode, you don't want to miss this critical information on helping us combat COVID 19.--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
2022-01-1330 min
Europe et SentimentFaut-il être blanc pour être européen ?Il arrive parfois dans la vie que le hasard favorise de belles rencontres et de grandes discussions. Ce nouvel épisode est le fruit de cette synchronicité. Parce que c'est finalement Marseille où je vis actuellement, qui a été le lieu de rendez-vous de cet épisode. Johny Pitts que vous allez entendre, auteur du livre Afropean - Notes from Black Europe, originaire du Nord de l'Angleterre, est tombé amoureux de cette ville et a décidé de s'y installer. Coup de chance ou joli coup de pouce du destin, sûrement un peu des deux. Par...
2020-07-0631 min
Human Kind Podcast - Allegory Media FoundationEpisode 5- "Raising Race"
Leonora Gershman Pitts, Mrs. Louise Marsh and producers Vidal Marsh and Katherine Brown
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2016-12-2951 min