Dancing with Our Ancestors

October 17, 2018

How do you envision yourself aging as an artist? My guest today never imagined she’d be dancing and performing and teaching into her 70’s and yet she is! This fall we’ll skirt the edges of the spirit world as we talk with guests who channel the dead to write movies and allow their ancestors to play piano with them - starting with this guest, flamenco dancer, writer, avid spiritual practitioner, Marianna Mejia.

The Music and The Magic Beyond the "Mash Up"

October 10, 2018

Award winning composer, Steven Chesne, just released his latest album, “Sapient” which is being called a “landmark recording” by music reviewers. Listen as we talk creating fusion from sacred traditions, musical counterpoint (aka “mash ups”) and monks walking through the streets of Santa Monica.  For more than a year, Steven Chesne unearthed the ancient words of peace from Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mohammed, the Sikhs, the Hindu, the Jews, the Cheyenne, the Kikuyu, and the Baha’i. Chesne consciously focused on discovering the similarities of themes and shared beliefs, instead of the differences. This special episode includes moving musical selections from the culminating album, Sapient.  

Performing with Your Archetypes

September 26, 2018

Want ideas for how you can access different archetypes and use them to create dynamic and commanding performances, talks, or even pitches? Listen to this conversation with performance coach, Dr. Miluna Fausch where she also shares tips on body language and how to know who listen to and let into your “arena.” What is your default archetype? And what could you bring more into the forefront to help yourself get to the next level?  Listen and find out!

Showgirl Shaman Shares Her Secrets

July 11, 2018

You'll learn so much about revealing what’s hidden in this riveting conversation with showgirl shaman, Kellita Maloof. I loved hearing this award winning burlesque dancer talk about audience participation, consent, the medicine of certain movements, immanence v. transcendence, what is “de-animation,” of the body and how dance has healed her and brought her back into hers. Listen to her journey from ballet to Brazilian dance to finally burlesque as she explains how Revelling, Revealing and Receiving are the keys to making the best art. 

Your Sensitivity Is A Superpower

April 11, 2018

Have you ever been accused of being “too sensitive”?  Find out how your sensitivity is actually a superpower, not a hindrance, when it comes to being an artist in this episode with psychotherapist, Brett Rhodes, who specializes in HSP, or Highly Sensitive People.  You’ll learn about the D.O.E.S. characteristics of this trait, how to know if you are HSP or not, and how you can use it to benefit your work as an artist and use it as guidance instead of triggers. Holly & Brett play a fun game with listeners’ commentary - “Highly Sensitive or Not?” and you’ll get insights into how to deal with criticism as a Highly Sensitive Person as  Holly herself vocalizes how it is to work through the public criticism she’s recently received.

Shake It Off: How to Turn Stage Fright Into Magnetism

March 07, 2018

Have you ever been so nervous that you choked up during a performance or an audition?  Listen as Holly unpacks the surprising truth about stage fright and shares a revelation she discovered that no one else is talking about when it comes to this anxiety that plagues amateurs and experienced artists all the same.  You’ll learn a powerful method for transforming stage fright into magnetism that you can use right away in this week’s Initiation Exercise. You’ll also hear from dance professional, Hannah Romanowsky, and learn how the human body is designed to be a vehicle to move through trauma and fear.  You can find bonus video clips from this episode here.

Perform Like A Shaman

January 24, 2018

Artists are the shamans of today, leading the world on an emotional journey. Listen as Holly Shaw explains how performing artists in particular use entrainment, channeling and ecstasy in order to invoke the creative movement that the planet is calling for. Exploring examples from her own orgasmic experience on stage, to that of other artists like Tori Amos, Gabrielle Roth, Mickey Hart, Emily Dickinson, and Rainn Wilson, Shaw shares her vision for the Performers & Creators Lab Podcast. Actor, Jeffrey Weissman provides commentary about the origins of stage fright.