Improved Mary of Improve

This week’s episode features Alice Lemmer (aka Mary’s Mom).



Alice Lemmer is a mom, dog whisperer, and volunteer who has brought a pretty awesome improviser into the world (that’s Mary in case that isn’t clear :)



Prior to retiring she worked at places including Edward Jones, the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, Iorio Gelato, Hotel Information Systems, Lansing Community College, and the American Red Cross. She has a Bachelors of Science in Child Development, Child Psychology, and Spanish from San Diego State University.



During this episode we discuss…




What inspired Alice to take an improv class
How taking improv classes has helped her in her life
Mary’s dog, Magi’s emergency vet visit and how Mary’s mom handled it
How Mary’s mom reminds Mary to improvise
Improvising as a mom and teaching kids how to accept versus fighting the reality around them
Embracing the “scenes we’re in”
Children are natural improvisers
How to foster more of the ability to improvise as we get older
Adapting to new environments, like living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan after San Diego
Embracing change
Alice’s “mom-ism” that inspires presence
Worrying
Balancing caring and concern with presence
How improvising has improved her relationship with her adult children 
How the world would be better if everyone took improv classes — spoiler: it involves listening!
The gift Mary’s mom always asks Mary to get her as a holiday/birthday gift



From Alice, when asked how improv has improved her life offstage, “Improv has improved my mental flexibility and ability to ‘pivot mentally. It has improved my outlook by helping me to ‘see the whole picture’ and choose the perspective that is positive and empowering.”



Connect with Alice on LinkedIn and Facebook.





If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 



Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com 

This week’s episode features Kimberly (Kim) Bryden.



Kim Bryden runs a small business called Cureate where they focus on shifting the dollar back into our local communities by building an empowered supply to meet a changing consumer demand. They do this through food & beverage entrepreneurship education and local procurement for institutional foodservice. 



During this episode we discuss…




Her business, Cureate, helping food and beverage entrepreneurs grow their businesses
Mary’s first business, a gelato business, and how as a food entrepreneur she benefitted from improvisation
The connection between starting and building a food business and improv
Kim’s 4th grade improv class and the outfit she wore to it
Reading the room
Improvising to improve listening
Shifting mindsets
Taking a “no” somewhere with more curiosity 
Meetings with food, really good food (shoutout Zingerman’s!)
How founders of food businesses could benefit from improvisational skills
Building self-awareness as an entrepreneur
How Kim adapted, as an entrepreneur, in her business
Growing teams
Her family’s holiday dance videos



From Kim, when asked how improv has improved her life offstage, “Stress relief, adding whimsy to my day, speaking confidence”



Connect with Kim on LinkedIn and Instagram @kimbryden. To learn more about Cureate visit cureate.co





If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 



Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com 

This week’s episode features Max Housner.



Max Housner works as an aerospace engineer focused in digital mission engineering, but creatively, he is also a musician, writer, and improvisor. Max has a passion for space exploration, discovery, and gets to work with a variety of exciting space programs, but also has a passion for the art of improv comedy and music. Max's experience in improv ranges from masterclasses at iO Chicago, Second City, to classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade in LA for both Harold and musical improv. He's taught improv workshops for long form, short form, and musical improv and previously performed all through college at the University of Michigan, with ComCo, Michigan's oldest improv troupe. Max is now currently performing long form, short form, and musical improv in Los Angeles at UCB, The Clubhouse, and other small theaters with a variety of teams. Outside of work and comedy, Max loves breweries, a good cup of joe, live music, hikes, movies, traveling, doing the crossword, and having a good laugh with good friends.



During this episode we discuss…




When and why he started practicing improv 
Being a band kid and theatre kid
The University of Michigan marching band and engineers in marching band
What about improv surprised him
Skills he gained onstage that he took offstage
How he uses improv skills as an engineer
Improv, aerospace engineering, and music — what they all require and have in common 
Improvising in space
Coffee in Los Angeles 
Simple joys



From Max, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Improv has allowed me to express myself creatively in the best ways, has immensely improved my listening, communication, and creative skills, and has allowed me to be a more honest and open version of myself.”



Connect with Max on LinkedIn and Instagram @maxhousner



If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 



Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com 

This week's episode features Gayaneh Davoodian.



Gayaneh took improv classes in high school, college, and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Currently she works as a venture capital (VC) Scout for an accelerator and a couple of seed stage funds. 



Previously she was Chief of Staff at Sequel.io, Head of Enablement at a Stealth Startup, and Program Manager of People Operations and Talent Acquisition at Curated, where she developed the company’s Talent and People Operations department at the start of Series B, through Series C, oversaw headcount growth of nearly 3x employees, built processes from scratch as well as identified and implemented necessary tools to maintain this rapid growth.



She has a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from USC, and an Associates degree in Fashion from the Parsons School of Design.



During this episode we discuss…




When and why she first took an improv class
Improvising as a media buyer
Overthinking 
Improvising as a recruiter at a Series B startup
Her ‘aha’ moment
Career paths outside of being an engineer, doctor, or lawyer
The unknown of startups and the need to improvise
The Chief of Staff role
Working with different kinds of people
Reacting in improv and what it teaches us about reacting in the workplace
Using improv as a venue to practice expressing yourself differently
The toppling over of suppressed emotions
Creating 2 creative t-shirts



From Gayaneh, when asked how improv has improved her life offstage, 



“In a work setting, it helped me stay dynamic. You end up working with all different kinds of people (especially in startups). The improv skills I learned allowed me to listen and react to a person/situation as opposed to assuming/staying rigid in my thoughts and expressions. It helped me connect with people more.”



Connect with Gayaneh on LinkedIn and Instagram @gaya_dav



If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 



Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com

This week's episode features Matthew Goodman, Ph.D.



Matthew Goodman, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY32423), consultant, speaker, and mindfulness teacher. He is Founder of The Middle Way Consulting, where he supports organizations with wellness, team-building, and communication skills through purposeful play (including improv!), awareness-based practices (e.g., deep listening), and behavioral science principles. Dr. Goodman was previously Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, where he provided clinical care, teaching, and supervision within the psychiatry residency program. He has expertise in mindfulness-based interventions and has taught mindfulness to children and adults in hospitals, clinics, schools, and to the general public for 10+ years, in addition to authoring several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on mindfulness and creating a documentary film on “the dark night of the soul” phenomenon in the context of meditation. His Zen-prov! classes create a nonjudgmental space for people to practice mindfulness, self-compassion, and other Zen principles such as “not knowing” through fun and interactive improv exercises.



During this episode we discuss…




His improv origin story
When he noticed the shift in himself after starting an improv practice
Internal changes versus external changes
Parallel life pursuing psychology studies and improv comedy
Why he lived in Alaska
Psychology, improv, and mindfulness
What’s going on in the mind when improvising
Control - wanting it and relinquishing control
Improv showing how much we rely on control and better enabling us to let go of it
What improv has enabled him to do because of improv
His year at a Zen Buddhist monastery
The documentary he made
Improv as an outward mindfulness practice
The struggle to be present
How he brings improv into his work as a psychologist
Mary’s good questions
The importance of learning to listen and be present with people
The opportunity for hospital settings to benefit from improvisational principles
What the world might be like if everyone practiced improv
Improv exercises that help us practice letting go
The future of leadership



From Matt, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Creating more present-moment awareness. Confidence in taking risks and speaking what's on my mind/heart. More joy, spontaneity, and flexibility. Taking myself less seriously. Connection to others ”



Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn Instagram @matthewgoodmanphd





If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 



Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com

This week's episode features Ali Farahnakian. 



Ali is an American actor, writer, and improvisational comedian. He is the founder of The Peoples Improv Theater in NYC. Ali studied improv in the 1990s at the ImprovOlympic and was a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade. He was a writer on Saturday Night Live during its 25th anniversary season and received a Writers Guild Award Nomination. Ali’s television credits include “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Special Victims Unit,” “All My Children,” “Third Watch,” “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” “30 Rock,” and numerous national commercials. He is an alum of SNL, The iO Theater, and Second City.



During this episode we discuss…




Ali’s improv origin story 
His original career pursuit 
The feeling he had during his first improv class in Chicago
The star studded fellow improvisers he performed with
Improv isn’t public speaking
How improvising impacted his life 
Yes, and no thank you
Where saying “yes, and” has led him in life
Ballet dancers in NYC
How he keeps strengthening his improv muscle
“What would you do if money didn’t matter?”
Improvising with intention — having goals
The most surprising thing improv has brought into his life
Craft, community, career
Happiness, gratitude
A magic trick in the English language
Improv, sports, walking as forms of meditation



From Ali, when asked how improv has improved his life offstage, “Improv has been a part of my life for over 33 years. It’s my way of life.”



Connect with Ali on Instagram @alialinyc and check out The People's Improv Theater in NYC.





If you liked what you heard, Subscribe, write a review, tell a friend. If you didn’t like what you heard, well, try again next time. Each episode is different and we’re always improving (see what I did there?!) 



Visit www.chooseimprove.com for resources and ways to improve in your life and work. 

Join us for at chooseimprove.substack.com for weekly improvisations and monthly virtual sessions to practice improvising in your life.

Connect with us on Instagram @chooseimprove and linkedin.chooseimprove.com