Monster Baby: A Curious Romp Through The Worlds Of Mindfulness And Improvisation

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 [more…] The post Monster Baby #87 November 2020 Grab Bag: Election Day, Lisa’s Big News, and Memory Issues appeared first on Anima Learning.

  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 gratitude in the midst of certain danger. The episode starts with a game that Ted created a while back but hasn’t gotten [more…] The post Monster Baby #86 What’s Your Strawberry? appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 [more…] The post Monster Baby #85 All in the Timing appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 transform their feeling a bit down…by acknowledging that they feel down. Ted starts things off with [more…] The post Monster Baby #84 Oh, Those COVID Doldrums! appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 the new game “D’jever?” (1:54) before Ted kicks off the topic by mentioning the simultaneous different focus tracks in his brain [more…] The post Monster Baby #83 Find Your Focus appeared first on Anima Learning.

 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 “Improvisationally Speaking” course) dive into what makes for joyful collaboration. Matt and Adam talk about what works well for them (1:24) before Adam playfully reveals [more…] The post Monster Baby #82 Elements of Effective Collaboration (Part 2 of a Conversation with Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin) appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 details of “Improvisationally Speaking.” We get to meet Matt and Adam (2:32) and then hear Matt’s stress-filled public speaking [more…] The post Monster Baby #81 Improvisationally Speaking (Part 1 of a Conversation with Matt Abrahams and Adam Tobin) appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 mentor, Patricia Ryan Madson. They start with the obligatory COVID check-in—we are going through a world-changing pandemic after all (2:10). Lisa makes reference [more…] The post Monster Baby #80 Let go. Appreciate more. Use everything. (And happy birthday, Monster Baby!) appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 a few half-baked ideas for coronavirus-inspired potential new products. Ted kicks off the episode with a couple rants and Lisa gives [more…] The post Monster Baby #79 Half-Baked Ideas appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 noticeable differences. They start the episode by acknowledging the challenging circumstances of the time (1:49) and then begin by introducing the [more…] The post Monster Baby #78 Extroversion Introversion appeared first on Anima Learning.

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. Recorded over Zoom, they start this episode by considering their usual tolerance for germs (2:01) and then check in about [more…] The post Monster Baby #77 Living Under Lockdown appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 rapid change and uncertainty. Well, actually, they start by reviewing Ted’s mouse-in-the-house scenario and setting up a Table of Contents for the [more…] The post Monster Baby #76 Coronavirus Takes Hold appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 feelings and leanings. The episode begins with Lisa’s excitement about her new position as the Artistic Director for BATS improv (3:12), including some musings [more…] The post Monster Baby #75 Sorting Through Super Tuesday appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 retreat’s co-facilitators, Angelo John Lewis and Cindy Franklin, on to the Monster Baby Podcast. Lisa starts by coordinating an introduction of each guest, starting with [more…] The post Monster Baby #74 Yes to Life! A Conversation on Improvisation and Spirituality with Cindy Franklin and Angelo John Lewis appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 long experience in the worlds of mindfulness and improvisation. The episode starts with Ted recalling a recent “prince and the pauper” travel experience (3:09) and Lisa sharing [more…] The post Monster Baby #73 Thunderbolt Moments appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 episode with an invitation for responses and then take a few moments for a warm-up game of “Three Things.” (4:11) The pair introduces [more…] The post Monster Baby #72 Waking Up to the Gifts appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 moment of tension from the last podcast episode (1:48) before drawing on some wisdom from the worlds of astrology [more…] The post Monster Baby #71 Attention to Tension appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 long time coming (2:14), Ted and Lisa dive into how foundational stories are, starting with the example of the stories we tell in [more…] The post Monster Baby #70 What’s Your Story? appeared first on Anima Learning.

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 alumni magazine that quotes each of them. Ted starts the episode with some thoughts on his recent trip to [more…] The post Monster Baby #69 The Dish–Insights from Improv at Stanford (and other goodies)! appeared first on Anima Learning.

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. After opening up with a rousing game of Convergence (2:19), Lisa starts the conversation off by wondering about discipline in her life [more…] The post Monster Baby #68: Best Day Ever (A Monster Baby Grab Bag) appeared first on Anima Learning.