Pratfalls of Parenting

“Making this show has changed my life.” Pratfalls of Parenting podcast producer and host Levi Weinhagen flips the tables and is interviewed by special guest host Laura Zabel. Levi talks about how the show has evolved since he started it in 2012, what he’s learned as an artist and a parent and where the podcast […]

“Maybe there’s a way to do something that’s well established, but maybe I’m going to build my own path.” Aric McKeown is an improviser, a podcaster, and a serial creator of interesting internet projects like; Regret Labs, Mustache Rangers, Blank It, NoisePicnic, Better Strangers, Least Dangerous Game, Make Me Watch TV, Your Notness, and Feeding Objects. […]

“We’re looking at building a movement, not a program.” Andrew Simonet is a writer, artist, producer, documentary filmmaker, co-founder of Philadelphia’s Headlong Dance Theater, and founder and Director of Artists U. In this episode of the podcast, Andrew talks about the assumption people make about others and how those assumptions inform how we think about […]

“Grief is boring and isolating and exhausting.” Writer, community builder and internet lover Nora McInerny Purmort talks about constantly writing out stories when she was a child, often with story prompts from her father who was a copywriter who secretly wrote novels. She talks about writing a regular column for the Southwest Journal when she […]

“No one should hand you a bunch of cash after college and say give the world yourself.” Laura Zimmermann is a writer, a philanthropic leader and an all-around fantastic human being. Laura spent 18 years working for the McKnight Foundation, with a large portion of that time serving as the director of their artist fellowship program. […]

“I think we both knew that we liked each other, but I was a pretty damaged person.” Laura Holway is a choreographer, theater maker, writer, producer, and creative maker of unstuckness. Ben McGinley is a video maker, producer, podcaster, and teller of stories. In their personal partnership Laura and Ben have collaborated on many projects from […]

Arnie Niekamp is the director of the video game Drawful, writer and director for You Don’t Know Jack and Fibbage. He’s also the host of the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern and a founding member of the improv group Whirled News Tonight in Chicago. In this episode of the podcast, Arnie talks about having a […]

“The timing was ridiculous.” Art Allen, through his company called Modern Antics, plans fun, experiential events like a pun slam competition called Pundamonium, a beard competition called Beard-Off, and a live interactive puzzle game called Riddle Room. He’s also in the 2nd year of putting on a fundraising concert called GOOFDA that features Minnesota musicians performing […]

“Your job is to constantly throw out ideas and 99% of them fail.” Brian Wecht is a musician, comedian, and theoretical physicist. He’s held research positions at Harvard University, the Center for Theoretical Physics at MIT, the Institute for Advanced Study and was a faculty member at Queen Mary, University of London. He’s also half […]

“I don’t think it was weird just for the sake of being weird.” Alexei Moon Casselle is a parent, an artist, and an educator. In this episode, he talks about starting to take music seriously at age 15 and how that led to bands, record deals and tours. He shares the story of going from […]

“You sing what you are made to sing; physiologically, physically, and temperamentally.” Adriana Zabala is a mezzo soprano opera singer but she’s also so much more. In this episode of the show, Adriana shares her very dramatic opera origin story. She also talks about her obsession with classical music as a young person and how […]

Dr. Robert Zeitlin is an author, speaker, psychologist, and perhaps most importantly a father. On this episode of the podcast, Dr. Zeitlin talks about his book, Laugh More, Yell Less. He also talks about his work with adolescents, balance a busy schedule as a psychologist with raising two children, and he shares stories of trying […]

“Once we start to share our stories, everybody feels less alone.” Episode 139 features writer and educator Kate Hopper. Kate talks about the shifting understandings of motherhood and moms that comes from parenthood and adulthood. Kate talks about getting burned out as a writer and how she’s trying to deal with that. Kate shares stories […]

“I have found ways to exploit all the things I am good at and the things I’m okay at.” Dan Kois is co-host of Slate’s Mom & Dad Are Fighting podcast and Slate’s culture editor. On this episode of the podcast Dan talks about the idea that parents and the adults in children’s lives tell us […]

Composer and educator Philip Sheppard has been making music for a very long time. In this episode of the podcast, Philip talks about growing up in a musical home, how he thinks about collaboration, and the difference between writing music and playing music. Philip also talks about raising creative children, how hard it can be […]

“Storytelling is a pretty good way to tell art history, science, you name it.” Tim Gihring is the Brand Narrator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and a former editor of Minnesota Monthly magazine. His reporting and essays have appeared in Best Food Writing, Fodor’s, Salon, and newspapers around the world. In this episode, Tim […]

“Not everybody’s a parent and not everybody wants to be around kids.” Meghan Wilker is Chief Operating Officer at Clockwork. She’s also the Author of Interactive Project Management: People, Pixels, and Process, Founder of Geek Girls Guide and Twin Cities Interactive Project Management Meetup and a Board Member, Bollywood Dance Scene. In the show, Meghan talks about being a mother to […]

“It’s impossible to be 100 percent in the moment with your children all the time.” Visual artist and educator Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl is the latest guest. She talks about reclaiming her family name, creating potluck meals and making art in a shared space, and raising a 4 and 1 year old and how that results […]

“One informed guest or one informed caller can just but us on a different rail.” Producer and broadcast director for MPR News Sam Choo talks about working with on air personalities Kerri Miller and Tom Weber on weekday talk and call-in shows. Sam shares what it’s like to work in the high intensity space of […]

“My blog distracted me so much from getting my novel out, that I didn’t actually get my novel published.” Producer of the Anxious Machine podcast Rob McGinley Myers talks about discovering an early interest in writing and ultimately going to graduate school for fiction. Rob talks about what it was like to work for Garrison […]

“I don’t think any of us thought we were going to do kids music. It was one of those rare opportunities.” Dave Olson talks about writing and producing a rap song to help a young girl with autism and how that led spending a year in Madison writing a rap record for kids. He shares […]

“I didn’t want to have children. I fought like hell against it.” Trent Gilliss, Chief Content Officer and Executive Editor of On Being, talks about transitioning the show from an American Public Media produced radio program to an independent radio show, podcast, and Webby Award-winning website. Trent also shares stories of times his scientist wife […]

“I feel cracked open and vulnerable in a way that I’m not comfortable with and did not know actually existed.” Guthrie actor and Torch Theater Artistic Director Stacia Rice shares stories of growing up the youngest of 7 kids. Stacia talks about aspiring to be the kind of mother to her kids that he mother was […]

“Whoever is dealing with stress, that has to be their stress. You can’t take it with you.” Courtney Gerber is a museum professional, doula, and human connection maker. In this episode, Courtney talks about working with organizations to develop ideas and connect with people to help make them stronger. She talks about her nearly 13 […]

“You wouldn’t have a plumber come to your house and tell them you only want to pay them half.” Camille Scheel talks about coming home as a young person to discover her mother had purchased a Harp and how that led to a college Harp scholarship. She talks about selling ads for commercial and non-profit […]

“I have wanted to be a parent since I knew that was a thing you could be.” Dawn Mikkelson is an independent filmmaker, a television producer, an educator, and a mother to two young girls. In this episode of the podcast, Dawn talks about the art of interviewing people for both clients and for her […]

“It is nice to write a story and actually write something that’s more than seven words.” Novelist, comic, and head monologue writer for the late night show Conan, Brian Kiley tells us how a joke writer ended up writing a novel. Brian talks about his path from writing jokes as a teenager to becoming a […]

“I’m not very commercially motivated.” Photographer, musician and all around creative person Hannah Lynch chats with Levi about where she first developed her interest in taking photos. Hannah also talks about songwriting and her love of performing music but also very physical stage fright. Hannah talks abouut her struggles with addiction and how that informs […]

“Anytime you can have someone that’s in front of you making fun of themselves, it takes the attention off the person getting their pictures taken.” Photographer Dennis Zerwas joins us to talk about his start at a young age taking family portraits for a very high volume studio. He talks about working in photo development […]

“Right now it’s a struggle to make art and parent.” Potter and visual artist Wade Scheel talks about making work for himself and making work for others. Wade talks about running his own art gallery with his wife, Camille, and having to recover after losing the gallery. He also talks very openly about being a […]

“When I’m afraid of something it means something big. It means I find something fascinating.” Kenny Blumenfeld’s bio starts “There once was a boy who was terrified of thunderstorms…” Kenny is a weather expert, a weather researcher, a science communicator, a documentarian, storyteller, and writer. Kenny talks about unschooling, parenting after divorce, and sharing his […]

“Ever since I was young I wanted to be a mom and I sort of knew whatever else I would do would probably come later.” Writer of the Sister Serendip blog and performer Gina Sampaio talks about being a stay-at-home mother of five. She talks about how she and her husband started out adopting one […]

“I would hate for people to think of it as a ‘mommy’ podcast.” The Longest, Shortest Time podcast creator and host Hillary Frank joins via the magic of Skype to chat about how she first recorded audio pieces into a cassette recorder with the help of Radio Shack and how that led to her producing work for […]

This is a special rerelease of the very first episode! Shanan Custer talks about being a comedy writer, actor, director and mom. Childhood adventures are revisited, confessions are made, and creative parenting secrets are revealed. Like the Pratfalls of Parenting on Facebook!   Special thanks to Anna Weggel for Pratfalls of Parenting theme music

“There is the parent that I want to be and there is the parent that I am.” Musician Elizabeth McQueen talks about taking new babies on the road as a touring musician and what it’s like to transition to staying in one place. She shares great stories about trying to entertain young children while traveling […]

“I don’t think parenting get’s in the way of being an artist at all. It’s the having to earn a living that becomes challenging.”  Musician Chris Lynch of the band the Shiny Lights talks about playing strange accordion gigs and how they can pay off in surprising ways. He shares why he always keeps a […]

“Having kids has really forced me to be thoughtful about what I want to do and where I want to go.” Writer and comedy maker Diana Saez talks about never really feeling like an official, professional grown up and the strange feeling of actually reaching grown-up status and finding it actually gratifying. She talks about […]

“I don’t turn down a gig unless I’m already booked on another show.” Matt Allex is a comedy writer and performer, a podcast co-host and producer, and a founding member of Fearless Comedy productions. In this episode Matt talks about figuring out that performing comedy was a thing that a person could do as a […]

“I don’t think either of us thought about what it meant to start an ice cream business in our mid-30s with kids.” Benny Solberg of FrozBroz craft ice cream sits down to chat about trying to decide whether or not to turn a fun project into a new, full-on career. He also talks about the […]

Comic and writer Jon Stark talks about not inviting co-workers to come watch his early years at stand-up comedy and about trying to separate his comedy life from his professional corporate life. He also talks about the open and supportiveness of the Twin Cities comedy community. Plus, Jon talks about his journey from playwright to […]

 “My work may be visually all over the place, but conceptually it all looks the same.” Public Art St Paul‘s City Artist in Residence Amanda Lovelee talks about allowing for social justice to inform her work without making that overtly what it’s about. She shares how she went from being a photographer to creating participatory, […]

“Knowing when to do a real deep dive is a skill. You can’t share an anecdote for every song you play.”  Mac Wilson talks about working a full time day job at Hamline University while maintaining a second job as an on-air host for MPR’s The Current. Mac talks about trying to get six hours […]

“What I really want to teach my kids is less focus on whether you’re best in the world at something and more on sticktoitiveness.”  American Public Media Managing Director of National Content, Arts & Ideas programming Peter Clowney talks about his struggle with perfectionism and how different his son’s temperament is from the way he […]

“Business owners, they’re kind of like kids.”  Attorney Davis Senseman talks about how her decision to study law was heavily influenced by how much shorter law school would be over pursuing a phD. She talks about how stage fright kept her from performing but how presenting in front of groups as an attorney has become […]

“You spend a lot of money on babysitters and go do shit that doesn’t pay you because you love it and it feeds your soul.”  Samantha Baker Harris is an actor, improviser, and academic advisor. On this episode of the show, she talks about creating and directing shows as early as 2nd grade. Samantha also […]

“They already have this weird perception of what an artist is that’s way different than I had when I was a kid.” Musician and photographer talks about being a working mother while chasing her own ambition. Sarah talks about performing on Broadway with Donny Osmond. She talks about moving to New York to grow her […]

“When you preserve something, it’s stuck.” Jason Noer aka B-Boy J-Sun talks about the history of Hip-Hop dance and why capturing and sharing that history is so important to him. He also talks about building community as an artist and as a parent. And Jason has a lot to say about the struggle to get […]

 “It’s true, I do love talking about puberty!” Sex communicator Lindsey Hoskins talks about teaching teens and parents about sex. She shares how motherhood has influenced her relationship to education and how it informs the way she connects with parents in her workshops. Lindsey talks about not wanting to be a performing but loving speaking […]

“I don’t have anyone in my peer group that’s a single mother, that has 60 exhibitions and supports a household.” Visual Artist Beth Loraine Bowman hangs out to talk about making large scale work at a relatively slow pace. She shares how formal art school created a foundation for her work even if it didn’t […]

“Who knows when I really got interested in music, it was always there.” Musician Anthony Newes talks about working on his collaboration with BK One under the name Bones and Beeker. He talks about how collaboration with other musicians is about building a relationship. He also talks about being the father of a one year […]

“I feel about working motherhood the way Churchill talked about Democracy; it’s the worst possible system, except for all the others.” Writer Christin Croll Carlson talks about writing a book while maintaining a full-time travel-heavy job as a medical sales representative and still being a present parent. Christin talks about the relationships with other working […]