Donald Chang is an actor, an improvisor, and a voice-over actor based in New York City.

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(00:00) Born in Queens, Raised Across the East Coast

(01:55) Drawn Back to New York’s Energy

(04:50) Why New York Beats Los Angeles

(07:40) Calvin and Hobbes Sparks a Comedy Path

(11:42) The Gifted Program Improv Class

(14:35) Childhood Attention and Love of Performing

(18:04) From Business and Psychology to Acting Dreams

(22:46) Supportive Parents and Serious Training

(27:12) Balancing Improv and Theater Discipline

(32:58) Choosing Creative Lanes and Avoiding Burnout

(36:15) Finding a Manager and Representation

(40:06) College Stand-Up and the Loneliness Factor

(43:40) The Power of Comedic Collaboration at UCB

(47:32) Unique Superpowers in a Comedy Ensemble

(51:03) Creativity, Suppression, and the Shadow

(54:25) Why Everyone Has the Urge to Create

(56:47) Cultural Pressures and Latent Artistic Talent

(58:12) Defining Success on Intrinsic Terms

Shaina Garfield is a death doula, grief guide, ceremonialist, and the founder of Leaves With You. With her devotion to the sacred continuum of life and death, she extends compassionate support to all beings navigating the dying and grieving processes. Her mission is to cultivate a profound connection with the Earth and the Divine, fostering harmony within the web of life.

Shaina’s approach is deeply rooted in ritual, which she believes is essential for transforming grief, reclaiming spirit, and honoring the profound mystery of death. She offers group and individual grief sessions, hand crafts natural macrame coffins, plans and facilitates pre and post death funerary rituals, and more. Her services are not only for the dying but also for those who experience losses of all kinds throughout life.

Beyond these services, Shaina provides an array of nurturing offerings including Blue Lotus Ceremonies, Rose Healings, and Sound Healing. Through her heartfelt work, Shaina Garfield is reshaping the way we honor and embrace the cycles of life and death.

Shaina is facilitating a grief retreat in Woodstock, NY at the end of September. If you resonate with her words in this podcast and feel the call to honor and release your grief, check out the retreat here.

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(00:00) Arriving in NYC for Art School

(02:45) Moving from City to Forest and Back

(04:10) Choosing Design to Reconnect with Nature

(06:12) Creating the Biodegradable Coffin

(08:26) Chronic Lyme Disease Diagnosis

(11:20) Physical Symptoms and Walking with a Cane

(14:03) Navigating the Diagnosis Process

(15:52) Holistic and Indigenous Healing Approaches

(19:18) Vision Quest: A Four-Year Ceremony

(22:40) Surrender and Healing Through Acceptance

(26:35) Living with Pain, Living with Joy

(29:40) Advice for Others on Healing Paths

(32:50) The Coffin That Traveled the World

(36:28) Death Practices Across Cultures

(39:55) What a Death Doula Does

(43:16) Collaborative Coffin-Making with Families

(47:20) The Baby’s Death and Forest Burial

(51:04) Offering the Body Back to the Earth

(55:32) Letting Death Deepen the Love of Life

(61:07) Relationships Over Productivity

(65:28) What Comes After Death

(69:50) Knowing You’ve Found Your Soul’s Purpose

Rosalie Smith is a found objects artist based in New York City.

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(00:00) Moving to New York for an MFA at Hunter

(01:30) Choosing New Orleans over New York after college

(04:10) The turning point: leaving an office job after a cancer diagnosis in the family

(06:30) Building a career in New Orleans and hitting a ceiling

(08:10) Why New York offers the challenge and energy she craves

(10:20) A family history steeped in art and performance

(13:00) Creating DIY art spaces in New Orleans, including Lucky Art Fair

(16:00) The contrast between New Orleans’ DIY art scene and New York

(17:50) Deciding on a lifelong path as an artist

(20:10) Found object sculpture: origins and inspirations

(23:20) Influence of grief and preservation on her early sculptures

(26:40) How collecting objects changed how she sees the city

(30:10) Why found objects and the act of looking keeps her present

(32:50) How this niche form of art became her calling

(36:00) Strategies for surviving as an artist in New York City

(40:20) The importance of networks, DIY projects, and saying yes

(43:10) Is the struggle worth it? Reflections on fulfillment vs. hardship

(45:10) Numbing yourself to rejection and the freedom it brings

Kyle Lux is a musician based in New York City.

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(00:00) First impressions of New York City

(03:10) The pull of diversity and culture

(06:05) Boarding arts high school changes everything

(09:15) Dreaming of engineering before music

(13:25) SoundCloud releases and the Amine connection

(16:45) First LA studio sessions open new doors

(19:10) Deciding to pursue music over engineering

(22:40) The church roots of singing and harmony

(26:20) Writing the first original song “Memories”

(30:30) Vulnerability and learning to perform on stage

(34:40) Life at USC: collaboration, growth, and goals

(40:00) Breakout success with a debut song

(45:15) Pandemic solitude, self-discovery, and coming out

(52:30) Leaving LA and choosing New York for inspiration

(57:10) Finding growth, creativity, and community in NYC

(60:10) Inside the creative process and finding flow

(62:35) Musical influences and the feeling behind sound

(64:50) Defining success, privacy, and the future

Kayla Marcus is a filmmaker based in New York City.

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(00:00) Moved to NYC for Love

(02:15) First Impressions of New York

(04:10) Growing Up in the Bay Area

(05:22) Father’s Influence and Film Obsession

(07:34) Childhood Comedy and Sci-Fi Favorites

(10:45) The Simpsons, South Park, and Pushing Boundaries

(14:30) Realizing Film Could Be a Career

(17:05) Lessons from American Apparel Pilot

(20:20) Why Comedy Came First

(23:02) Self-Taught Filmmaking and Learning by Doing

(26:40) Life as a Writer/Director with Limited Resources

(29:35) Moving from SF to LA and Finding Creative Community

(34:12) Freelance Hustle: From Food Shows to Script Work

(37:40) Eliminating Distractions to Stay Focused

(41:05) Habits That Sustain Creative Productivity

(45:32) Making Her Second Feature in Two Days

(50:12) Comedy as Healing and Creative Freedom

(54:11) Redefining Success and Advice to Younger Self

Matty Litwack is a comedian based in Brooklyn, NY.

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(00:00) Growing Up and First Moves

(03:12) Delusional Early Comedy Ambitions

(06:28) Reality Check in New York

(09:15) Moving Back, LA Detour, and Return to NYC

(12:36) First Lessons in Humility

(16:04) Expectations, Conan, and Industry Dreams

(19:45) Avoiding the Club Grind

(22:58) The LA Comedy Scene and Open Mics

(27:20) Surviving Bombing at Uptown Comedy Corner

(30:05) Childhood, Family Dynamics, and Humor

(35:28) Leaving Orthodox Judaism and How It Shaped Him

(40:04) Building an Internet Career During the Pandemic

(44:19) Quitting Grad School and Career Risk

(49:15) What Makes Great Stand-Up

(53:08) Comedy Process, Influences, and Philosophy

(58:02) Physics, Science, and Stand-Up

(63:45) The Flophouse Comedy Club and Community

(67:50) Advice on Success, Purpose, and Resilience

Eli Coyote Mandel is a writer and a comedian based in New York City.

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(00:00) Moving to New York for SNL

(04:12) Packing in a rush and arriving

(07:45) Adjusting to NYC apartment life

(10:03) Early Chicago improv and SNL showcases

(14:38) Writing discipline and preparing characters

(18:27) The big showcase and drinks with Lorne

(22:50) Screen testing at SNL and first impressions

(26:40) Audition mindset and navigating nerves

(31:22) Getting hired as an SNL writer

(35:40) Writers as producers and adapting to TV

(40:05) The pressures of the SNL machine

(45:02) Not getting renewed and life after SNL

(48:10) Staying in New York versus moving to LA

(50:24) Rebuilding a creative life post-SNL

(52:38) Balancing survival jobs and creative energy

(54:41) Reconnecting with improv and live comedy

(56:23) Defining success in comedy and life

(58:10) The joy of art and performing

Liz Miele is a stand-up comedian based in New York City

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(00:00) Growing Up Near Princeton and Discovering Stand-Up

(04:12) Sneaking Into NYC for Comedy as a Teen

(08:17) Falling in Love With Stand-Up’s Freedom

(11:03) The Early Obsession With Writing and Performing

(14:29) Quoting Comedy as a Sad, Quiet Kid

(17:04) A Funny but Dark Family Dynamic

(20:11) Dyslexia and Its Creative Superpower

(24:42) Learning to Embrace Voice-to-Text and Tools

(29:06) Processing Shame and Trauma Into Comedy

(33:30) Starting Stand-Up at 16 and Building Material

(37:15) College Years: Balancing Classes and Comedy Clubs

(41:20) Post-College Hustle: Babysitting, Temp Jobs, and Stage Time

(46:36) Resilience Through Rejection and DIY Specials

(50:23) The Pandemic Boom and Adapting to Change

(54:07) Bitterness, Therapy, and Finding Self-Worth

(58:09) Comedy’s New World: Immediacy vs. Polishing Material

(61:42) Financial Stability as a Touring Comic

(64:35) Lessons in Persistence and Building a Career