Authenticated

Kate McLeod

The podcast for diverse, in-depth discussions around the creative conscious™ of creative thinkers. Join creative entrepreneur Kate McLeod as she examples in conversation, the path for authentically optimized creative patterns of thinking with other innovative creative thinkers. The result: an array of tools for listeners who want to habitualize their creative conscious™ or just take their creative thinking to the brain gym for about an hour. Get ready to get introspective, creative and expansive with the latest episode of Authenticated.  

  1. 5d ago

    An Episode For the Soul on Fear w/ L Morgan Lee

    Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of "Authenticated," Kate invites on Tony Award®-nominated Broadway actress, director, playwright and artist L Morgan Lee for a creative conversation on fear, and what lives on the journey to getting to the other side of it.  L Morgan spent two decades of her artist's journey proving that a role is never the whole story. She made Tony history as the first openly transgender actor nominated for the award, for a performance in A Strange Loop that also carried her an Obie, a Lucille Lortel nod, and a Drama League nomination. This heartfelt conversation is about the life lived years before the artist resume and awards, the life lived outside of it even now, the rooms that prescribe what you're allowed to be, and the courage it takes to stop believing them.  L Morgan talks about what the recent friction of stepping into a new teaching role illuminated in retrospect for her younger student self, the trap of always feeling the need to do things "right", and the artistic practice of intentionally leaving room for your version of mess. Kate and L Morgan share their perspectives of rejecting the industry's dated narrative of typecasting, the differences between sharing softness and perceiving it as weakness, and why the industry's default of primary focus on one dramatic arc leaves so many rich supporting characters stories unexamined. Kate and L Morgan question the industry standard practices of today, in a thought-provoking manner to uncover what iterations of standard practice could be next.  The warm, experience driven and vulnerable conversation offered by Kate and L Morgan moves through academia past, present and future; Broadway auditions, the particular fear of "what then?" that sets in after getting exactly what you asked for, and gorgeously closes on L Morgan Lee's definition of authenticity: daring to be. Show Notes: L Morgan Lee Website: https://www.lmorganlee.com L Morgan Lee Instagram: @lmorganlee Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

  2. Jul 14

    The Distance Between Identity and Opinion w/ S. Asher Gelman

    Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of "Authenticated," Kate asks director, choreographer, playwright, producer, and Artistic Director of Midnight Theatricals, S. Asher Gelman what happens when a playwright refuses to give audiences a clear singular opinion on a multidimensional debate topic? Together, in conversation, they get into the details of his process to develop works that present audiences with different facets of a topic to form an opinion for themselves, not as a collective audience, but as individual witnesses to the same presented work.  Asher, the writer and director of Afterglow, Scarlet Dreams, and The Zionist: A Family Storm, offers insight behind the co-building of his theatre company Midnight Theatricals with his partner Stefano Milici, how he's designed his playwriting process around self delegated deadlines that turn into creative midnight writing sessions, and how a decade living in Tel Aviv gave him what he calls a "superpower" for separating the American experience from the human one.  Through this episode, the topic of polyamory peppers examples of hyper commitment and the dimensions of relationships the physical world doesn't always showcase, thoughts of why discomfort is a muscle we're losing are shared, the particular grief that comes with having to barter for empathy and what ignites the creative impetus to make art that generates conversation.  It is a wonderful discussion, devoid of judgement, meant for listeners desiring an hour to reflect on and re-examine what it means to listen, to hear and to have conversations with people holding opposing opinions.  Show Notes: S. Asher Gelman Website: https://www.sashergelman.com S. Asher Gelman Insta: @dancingasher Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

  3. Jul 7

    More Than Society Wants From You w/ Corey Hayes

    Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of Authenticated, Kate spends a Saturday morning down with Corey Hayes, photographer and creative director at a nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness, to explore what it actually means to see someone. Corey's work exists in two worlds: behind the lens capturing people whose stories not often offered the space to be told, and on the streets meeting people society has written off. But these worlds are the same world. They're both about witnessing. About creating space for someone to be seen, fully, without condition. They lean into the why's of society not wanting the entirety of our human dimensionality, why men are typically raised to keep their emotions down but bring their force, while women are asked for softness without strength. The themes of living with half of one self, the difference between focusing on what makes us different (fear-based, disqualifying patterns) versus what makes us similar (expansive, requiring opting into growth) laces the whole captured conversation. Their line of exploration examine their shared desire to meet someone exactly where they are, and not where you want them to be. Corey shares stories from his nonprofit work that will break your heart and restore your faith in the same breath. He talks about accepting people while they're actively struggling, the power of believing in someone when they can't believe in themselves, and why curiosity and creative thinking might be the most generous things you can offer another human.   Show Notes Corey Hayes Website Corey Hayes Instagram Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

  4. Jun 30

    Thoughts On Opinion Today w/ Calley N. Anderson

    Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of "Authenticated," Kate is joined by playwright Calley N. Anderson to explore what it means to hold an opinion in an age that has made having one seemingly easier and simultaneously more dangerous than ever before. Their mutual investment in the internal "why's" of life is the tool they share to dig into the architecture of an opinion: why it can never be separated from lived experience, why ego is the thing standing between a good opinion and a great one, and what it costs us when we confuse fact with the illusion of objectivity.  Kate and Calley lead with their curiosities in the space between the globe and the spin of it, the panopticon and the performance of self, the "hit dog that hollers" and the person who sits quietly in the resounding of what just landed. Their conversation asks what is getting lost as we develop ourselves in public, whether the digital age has made us more seen or just more surveilled, and why the most honest creative act today might be the one you choose not to share. Show Notes: Calley N. Anderson Website Calley N. Anderson Instagram Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

  5. Jun 23

    Authentic Community Building in New York w/ Maggie Wilt

    Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of Authenticated, Kate welcomes Maggie Wilt, community builder and creative entrepreneur, to talk about what it means to constantly be defining the landscape of belonging. The representation of Maggie's work looks simple on the surface: she photographs beautiful cafes, films moments of intentionally designed welcoming ambiance and defines community by the connection between residents to their local businesses. The underneath of it all, scales a more profound nature - a practice in witnessing, celebrating, and creating space for people to show up (and stay) as themselves. From her initial impulse of seeking beauty to survive trauma, to building community during times when connection felt impossible, to developing a business model focused on integrating new residents into neighborhoods they don't yet know, Maggie reveals how authenticity becomes a beacon amidst the landscape of community. How being yourself doesn't just attract your people; it gives permission for everyone around you to mirror that permission. Maggie and Kate sift through perspectives of what community actually requires in a city designed for isolation, why presence can matter more than you think, how neurodivergence changed their approaches their work, and how the smallest acts of connection can ripple out in ways you'll never fully realize. The conversation of this episode is for anyone who's moved somewhere new and felt lost looking for their starting point. Anyone with a desire to build, but hindered by fear of failure. Someone in the midst of learning that showing up fully, authentically, without performing is your most daring and generous offering to the world. Listen to Maggie discoveries from the gift of witnessing entrepreneurship fail, why a beautiful space nearly always brings tears to her eyes, and how community is a practice you have to keep choosing.   Show Notes to add for Maggie Wilt: website: www.abetterwaycreative.com AbetterwaycreativeA Better Way Creative | For The Love of Local Business instagram: @Maggie_onthemove Instagraminstagram.com/maggie_onthemove/?hl=en Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

  6. 12/10/2025

    Measuring Backwards w/ David Mattar Merten

    Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of Authenticated, Kate is joined by Broadway actor David Mattar Merten to workshop what it means to measure backwards in his career.  David's always been a "look ahead" person, great at getting the job and currently in the practice of staying present in it. He reflects on the threads that have woven together to get him from his 11-year-old poster dream to now: showing up, following the artists that light his passion on fire, sending the email and making the ask when intuition says the moment calls for it, and trusting that work begets work. They explore what it means to actually see the evidence around you—the proof of what you've already done—rather than only chasing the dream ahead.  Kate and David dig into the difference between gripping goals tightly and holding them with trust, how personal and professional growth are inseparable, and why the way you treat people in rooms matters more than any single audition. Their conversation moves through the simultaneous weight of imposter syndrome and belief, the gift of being exhausted from work you once begged for, and the quiet revolution of simply believing what the world is already telling you about who you are.  They explore the mirrored evolution from smoothing yourself out to fit any mold to embracing the intersectionalities that make you a unique asset, the power of practicing being in the spaces you say you want to inhabit, and how sometimes the most generous thing you can do for your future self is look back and finally believe what you see. David Mattar Merten: Insta: https://www.instagram.com/david_merten_/?hl=en Website: https://david-merten.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGngl2oO-Y-FAEJ44kfSMyXQKKW3VHI9Cr6fpekwldV9Ovg7-y91tp6pCkxgaw_aem_HMC7t1UnIvkSllOSgWGdAg Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

  7. 12/02/2025

    The Rise of Solo Entrepreneurship w/ Kara Brothers

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of "Authenticated," Kate invites on entrepreneur, creative, and former Starface President Kara Brothers for a grounded exploration of intuition, leadership, and building a life system that actually reflects you. They unpack Kara's lifelong relationship with her intuition, the moments her internal voice showed up, how she learned to trust without external proof, and why patience arrives once control drops away.  Kate and Kara examine the shift toward individual creativity and solo entrepreneurship, what it means to lead from internal alignment rather than systems designed to flatten everyone the same, and how "empty space" becomes a functional tool for creative clarity. Mirrors are meant for reflection, not direction. Their conversation moves through ego as an advantageous tool, listening as a creative discipline, and holding both teacher and student energy simultaneously. A direct, thought-provoking listen for anyone rethinking how they create, lead, or define their own path. Kara Brothers: Website: https://www.karabrothers.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karabrothersp/ Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/_sayitoutloud__/?hl=en Insta: https://www.instagram.com/karabrothers/?hl=en Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

  8. 11/24/2025

    Powered By Perception w/ LadyDi MegaDiva

    Send us Fan Mail On the latest episode of Authenticated, Kate sits opposite the LadyDi MegaDiva, a star on her ascent who is powered by perception. She's a real-life, adult, her-version Tinkerbell—she needs the applause and laughter or she dies. Give her an audience and she comes alive. Her songs are her scrapbook because she's terrible at journaling. Silly, cliche and real all at once. She sings them over and over, carrying past versions of herself into who she is now. LadyDi told me she just wants to have fun. So I asked her the obvious question: if fun is your native language, your superpower, why isn't it everywhere? Why the social media anxiety? Why the overthinking? Why not sprinkle fun on all of it? The conversation of artistic stretching through dialogue delivered LadyDi MegaDiva to the following: "I'm literally just trying to sing and be a showgirl for a living. Why wouldn't it be sprinkled with fun?" This episode is about the gap between knowing what you're good at and taking confident action to delivering it everywhere. LadyDi has the talent and drive to make it to a massive platform. Kate sees it. Everyone who knows her sees it. But every artist can get in their own way. They know their superpower but don't trust it enough yet to let it loose consistently, and that informative journey along the way, is a story of solidarity every up and coming creative could stand to bear witness to. Kate and LadyDi MegaDiva talk about vulnerability in singing, being powered by perception, authenticity as allowing yourself to be who you will in a moment without preemptive planning, and what it means to assume your audience will love you before you even start performing. If you're an artist who knows what makes you special and wants to practice leaning all the way in, this conversation will surface some questions and answers that you need to hear yourself. LadyDI MegaDiva https://www.instagram.com/ladydi.megadiva/?hl=en https://www.youtube.com/@ladydi.megadiva/videos https://open.spotify.com/artist/6vMcINv5A40cYWlilPx1mZ https://www.tiktok.com/@ladydi.megadiva Kate McLeod Website Authenticated All Access

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4.7
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

The podcast for diverse, in-depth discussions around the creative conscious™ of creative thinkers. Join creative entrepreneur Kate McLeod as she examples in conversation, the path for authentically optimized creative patterns of thinking with other innovative creative thinkers. The result: an array of tools for listeners who want to habitualize their creative conscious™ or just take their creative thinking to the brain gym for about an hour. Get ready to get introspective, creative and expansive with the latest episode of Authenticated.  

Information

  • Creator
    Kate McLeod
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Authenticated
  • Show Website
    Authenticated

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