People at the Core

Marisa Cadena & Rita Puskas

From The Greenpoint Palace bar in Brooklyn, New York writers and bartenders, Rita and Marisa, have intimate conversations with an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life about their passions, paranoia and perspectives. Featured guests could be artists or authors, exterminators or private investigators, or the person sitting next to you at the bar.

  1. 1d ago

    You Don't Have to Be in the Same Room to Feel Love: Lauren Schell on Retiring in Florida, Bartending, and Practicing Reiki on Humans AND Animals

    Something weird happened during our Reiki sessions: our dogs got involved. Not “cute background nap” involved, but focused, locked-in, making-eye-contact, breaking-character involved and it made us ask better questions about what Reiki is and why it can feel so real even when you can’t “prove” it with your eyes. We’re joined by Lauren Schell, a respected New York City bartender who now practices Reiki for both humans and animals. We talk about what pulled her toward energy healing after years in hospitality, how bartending can turn into nervous system overload, and why Reiki feels different from the everyday energy exchange of service work. Lauren breaks down Reiki in plain English, including chair sessions, hands-on vs hands-above approaches, and why she describes herself as a conduit for universal energy rather than someone giving away her own. We also get into distance Reiki and Lauren’s best explanation for it: love. You don’t need to be in the same room to feel it, and sometimes you feel it even when someone is far away or no longer here. From there, we share what we noticed in our bodies after Reiki, why results can range from deep sleep to sudden motivation, and how animal Reiki centers consent, choice, and the bond between pets and their people. We close with rapid-fire questions about perfectionism, being “good enough,” and choosing a happy home life over a shiny career. If you’re curious about Reiki healing, animal Reiki, stress reduction, relaxation, and midlife career pivots, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review. What part are you most skeptical about, and what part do you secretly hope is true? Lauren Schell  Big Sigh Reiki Instagram Article: Impact of Distant Reiki on Owner Assessment of Health and Wellbeing of Adult Dogs: A Blinded, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Trial by Claudia Ruga Barbieri, DVM, MS, MBA Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    59 min

  2. 10/31/2025

    Not Shying Away From the Awful Edges: Tré Miller Rodriguez On Grief, Ghostwriting, Love and Loss

    The night can bend a life. Tré Miller Rodriguez walks us through the moment everything changed—waking to find her husband gone—and the choice to pick up a pen before the pieces even settled. What starts as an obituary and a eulogy turns into a grief memoir that refuses to look away, from the strange etiquette of wedding rings after widowhood to the first shaky attempts at desire and dating. Along the way, Tré names “grief brain,” the fog that shields you while it steals your year, and shows how writing, friends who take clear direction, and unlikely moments of comedy make the unlivable livable. The story widens with a reunion that feels cinematic: the daughter Tré placed for adoption finds her on Facebook at eighteen. Four years later, during a 21st-birthday bar crawl, Tré meets Jorge in a hidden speakeasy and the next chapter begins. We talk about what it takes to protect a true story when Hollywood tries to sand it down—why a network-friendly version can lose the texture that makes real lives matter—and how to say no until the right partner shows up. Tré also opens a window into ghostwriting and modern media: building thought leadership, drawing boundaries around your byline, and using AI as a tool without giving up your voice. We end where joy sneaks back in: travel hacks from Tokyo to Seoul, asking bartenders for the real map, negotiating onsens with tattoos, and letting trips serve as relationship stress tests that make love sturdier. It’s a conversation about craft, honesty, and the courage to hold your own narrative—through loss, reunion, and the odd belly laugh that arrives right on time. If this resonates, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. *** Listen to Tré read from her memoir Nov. 18th from 7-9pm as part of the Palace Reading Series (206 Nassau Ave., Brooklyn NY 11222) Tré Miller Rodriguez: Splitting the Difference: A Heart-Shaped Memoir "When Other's Day Became Mother's Day" - Huffpost "A Husband Lost, A Daughter Found" NYT ModernLoss.com Mentions: Dying For Sex - tv show Dead Like Me - tv show Rick and Morty - tv show Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    56 min

  3. 10/03/2025

    One Badass Babe: Julia Cuthbertson on How Teaching in Spain and Crashing a Wedding in Mexico Led to a Love Affair with Mezcal and the Birth of Las Chingonas Imports

    A wedding in Oaxaca. A chance meeting. A suitcase full of small-batch bottles that turned into an import company with a mission. We sit down with Julia Cuthbertson—founder of Las Chingonas Imports—to unpack how real mezcal is made, why labels can mislead, and what it takes to keep agave traditions alive without romanticizing them to extinction. Julia’s path winds from Connecticut and Spain to Brooklyn, where late nights at a mezcaleria and home tastings evolved into trusted relationships with families in Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Nuevo León. She explains the messy truth behind certification and denominations of origin, why many ethical producers choose the “agave spirits” label, and how corruption, cost, and geography shape what ends up on US shelves. We go deep on sustainability: thirty-year tepextate, deforestation, water scarcity, and viveros that replant seedlings back into the hills. The conversation gets candid about adulteration, lawsuits, and the “tequilaization” of mezcal—plus the quiet, practical steps small producers take to protect species, like semi-cultivating wild pups on rocky home plots. Along the way, we taste what makes this world so vivid: clay-pot distilled tepextate from Santa Catarina Minas made by Perla of Pasión Ancestral, and the pulque‑fermented profile of Pecho Tierra in the mountains of Nuevo León—spirits that bend your expectations and expand what mezcal can be. If you care about terroir, craft, and honest sourcing, this one’s for you. Come for the stories; leave with a buyer’s toolkit: ask who grows the agave, how it’s roasted and fermented, and whether the family owns the brand. Then choose bottles that keep the flame honest. Like what you heard? Follow the show, leave a quick review, and share this episode with a friend who geeks out on agave. Your support helps small producer families get the spotlight they deserve. Website:  Las Chingonas Imports Mentioned: Mis Mezcales Tienda Highlighted Spirits/Producers:  Pechotierra  Gozona  Pasión Ancestral  Rayo Seco Lopez Real Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    1h 7m

  4. 09/25/2025

    Panache, Persistence and Truth: Writer and Photographer Elyssa Maxx Goodman (a.k.a. Miss Manhattan) on Her Love of Drag, Unheard Stories, and NYC Culture

    Ever wondered how someone builds a life around what they love? Elyssa Maxx Goodman offers a masterclass in turning passion into purpose. Born to New York natives transplanted to Florida, Goodman always felt the magnetic pull of the city where "the weirdos" gathered. By sixteen, she was already saving for her inevitable migration. The path wasn't always smooth. After losing an office job just months after moving to New York at twenty-one, Goodman faced a pivotal moment. Rather than retreat, she began cold-emailing editors and professionals she admired. "I wanted my life to be my work," she explains, a philosophy that guided her through fifteen years of successful freelance writing for publications including Vogue, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair. Throughout our conversation, Goodman reveals how her approach to journalism—particularly when covering subcultures from drag performers to sex toy testers—stems from a deep belief that knowledge dispels fear. This perspective shaped her bestselling book "Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City," which chronicles 160 years of drag history with both scholarly precision and personal passion. What makes this episode particularly illuminating is Goodman's historical perspective on today's anti-LGBTQ+ backlash. Rather than seeing current challenges as unprecedented, she identifies them as part of a recurring cycle throughout history—one that, despite its difficulties, has seen the community gain more allies with each iteration. Whether discussing her long-running Miss Manhattan Non-Fiction Reading Series, her own performance work, or the writers who've influenced her, Goodman offers wisdom about creating authentic work and community. As she beautifully puts it, we're all "collages" who find tools in others' work but make them distinctly our own—"You go and get a hammer, but then you put rhinestones on it." Listen now for an inspiring conversation about persistence, storytelling as bridge-building, and finding your own rhinestone-covered tools. Elyssa Maxx Goodman:  Website Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City by Elyssa Maxx Goodman The Miss Manhattan Non-Fiction Reading Series Mentions: The Last Resort (2018) Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress: Tales of Growing Up Groovy and Clueless by Susan Jane Gilman Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    56 min

  5. 09/12/2025

    I'm Not Good Yet, But I'm Getting Better: Actor Melissa Parker Caron on Music, Motherhood and Following Fear

    What happens when you finally stop letting fear dictate your choices? In this heartfelt conversation with actress, improv coach, and former rock star Melissa Parker Caron, we explore the transformative power of facing what scares us most. Melissa shares her winding path from Orlando's vibrant music scene to New York City, where she's raising a Brooklyn-savvy daughter while rekindling creative passions she once thought unattainable. After years working in record stores and playing in bands, Melissa had almost convinced herself that her childhood dream of acting would remain just that—a dream. But a chance encounter with an agent and a recurring sandwich board advertising improv classes became the universe's not-so-subtle nudge toward her true calling. The conversation flows through rich territory: the housing crisis threatening Brooklyn's sense of community, the surprising diversity of Florida beyond its stereotypes, and the special magic that keeps New Yorkers anchored despite the challenges of urban living. We laugh about the lost pleasures of midnight album releases and liner notes in a streaming world, and reflect on how parenting in the city shapes remarkably independent children. But the heart of our talk centers on that pivotal moment in midlife when fear begins losing its grip. There's a liberation in no longer caring what others think, in saying no without explanation, and in finally pursuing passions without the self-judgment that characterized earlier decades. Whether you're contemplating a creative leap, navigating midlife transitions, or simply curious about reframing the negative self-talk that holds you back, Melissa's journey offers a blueprint for turning "I'm bad at this" into "I'm not good yet, but I'm getting better." Because as she reminds us, we don't fear things we don't care about—our fears might just be signposts pointing toward what matters most. Mentions: Redlight, Redlight Brewpub Tricia Alexandro Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    53 min

  6. 08/28/2025

    Ready With a Go Bag: Writer Tyler Wetherall on the Notion of Radical Possibilities, a Life of Travel and Finding Home Anywhere

    What does "home" mean when you've spent your childhood on the run? Tyler Weatherall, author of the memoir "No Way From Home," brings us into her fascinating journey from being the daughter of an international pot smuggler to becoming a respected journalist, author, and community builder in New York's literary scene. Tyler shares how growing up with a father evading the FBI shaped her relationship with stability—living in 13 houses across 5 countries by age 10. Rather than craving permanence, she found herself unconsciously replicating patterns of movement in adulthood, arriving in New York with just "one red suitcase, a bed in a bag, and books in my backpack." This nomadic spirit initially served her well as a travel and beverage writer, but eventually led to a deeper question: what happens when you finally stop trying to leave? The conversation explores the delicate balance between creative freedom and financial stability that most writers face. Tyler speaks candidly about how her relationship with New York transformed when she finally committed to staying, and how finding steady work actually created more mental space for creative pursuits. For anyone questioning traditional career paths or searching for community outside institutional structures, her journey offers valuable perspective. What emerges is a thoughtful meditation on creating your own definition of normal when society's roadmap doesn't apply. Through hosting Sunday dinners, building a newsletter that connects literary events throughout the city, and embracing what she calls "radical possibility," Tyler shows how the very adaptability that was once forced upon her became her greatest strength. Her story reminds us that sometimes our most unusual experiences become the foundation for our most authentic lives. Tyler Wetherall Website Reading the City Newsletter Amphibian by Tyler Wetherall  No Way Home: A Memoir of Life on the Run Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    56 min

  7. 08/15/2025

    From Bartender to MFA Student to Teacher: Krystal Marie Orwig on Rewriting Her Story Arc

    What drives someone to uproot their life and move across the country with no safety net? For Krystal Marie Orwig, it was a childhood dream that refused to die. "I was 12 years old when I said I was gonna live in New York," Krystal shares, reflecting on how she made that declaration long before understanding what it would mean. After moving from Southern California at 26, Krystal built a life in NYC starting as a bartender—a career that introduced her to friends, her fiancé, and a sense of community, but never felt like her final destination. Krystal takes us through her transformation from practical communications major to creative writing MFA graduate, and now teacher at City College of New York. With remarkable candor, she reveals the challenges of pursuing creative dreams when you've been self-supporting since your teens. "I worked full-time throughout college... I was never able to fully dedicate myself to school because I put myself through my undergraduate degree," she explains, making her later decision to commit to writing all the more significant. As founder of Must Love Memoir, a NYC reading series dedicated to non-fiction writers, Krystal has created the literary community she needed while elevating a genre often dismissed as mere "navel-gazing." Her insights into teaching today's college students—navigating attention spans, technology shifts, and the AI revolution—offer a fascinating glimpse into higher education's changing landscape. Through conversations about true crime obsessions, complicated parental relationships, and finding your voice as a writer, this episode explores how we build lives of meaning on our own terms. Whether you're contemplating a career change, struggling with imposter syndrome, or simply curious about the realities of pursuing creative work in your 30s, Krystal's journey reminds us it's never too late to follow your passion. MUST LOVE MEMOIR Reading Series Krystal Marie Orwig Substack Mentions:  Goodbye to All That by Joan Didion Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    1h 1m

  8. 07/24/2025

    Board Stiff: JD on Skateboarding and the Art of Falling Without Breaking

    "I had a f*****g panic attack because I was so excited," JD recalls of his first trip to a real skate shop as a child growing up in rural Pennsylvania. This moment marks the beginning of a lifelong love affair with skateboarding that would eventually bring him to Brooklyn, where he now tends bar at Greenpoint Palace. Far from the stereotype of skaters learning from communities in urban environments, JD's story begins in isolation—no sidewalks, no mentors, just VHS tapes he'd repeatedly pause and play to study techniques. There's something beautifully pure about his dedication, teaching himself with makeshift equipment his dad built from "f****d up trash shit." This self-reliance shaped not just his skating style but his entire philosophy around the activity. When hosts Rita and Marisa probe whether skateboarding should be considered a sport, art, or something else entirely, JD offers a more nuanced take: "It's more like a relationship with this wooden toy. Sometimes you're like 'this thing is—I'm so glad it's in my life,' and sometimes you're like 'God damn it, I hate my skateboard today.'" The conversation expands beyond skateboarding to explore how our passions evolve as our bodies age, the challenge of monetizing what we love without corrupting it, and the surprising observations JD made while teaching skateboarding to children. Throughout the episode, JD's authenticity shines—whether discussing his ambivalence about profit from skateboarding, his growing interest in surfing as a gentler alternative to concrete impacts, or his sincere approach to apologizing when he's wrong. His story reminds us that our most meaningful pursuits aren't just hobbies but complex relationships that shape who we become. Listen to discover how a kid with a VHS player and a dream built a life around his wooden toy, and what lessons his journey might hold for your own relationship with the things you love most.  Follow us on Instagram! People at the Core Podcast  Email us! peopleatthecorepodcast@gmail.com

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

From The Greenpoint Palace bar in Brooklyn, New York writers and bartenders, Rita and Marisa, have intimate conversations with an eclectic mix of people from all walks of life about their passions, paranoia and perspectives. Featured guests could be artists or authors, exterminators or private investigators, or the person sitting next to you at the bar.

Information

  • Creator
    Marisa Cadena & Rita Puskas
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 People at the Core
  • Show Website
    People at the Core