Improv in Real Life

Episode 23: Safe to Speak with Melissa Dinwiddie

What happens when people don't feel safe enough to speak up? In this episode, Jude speaks with Melissa Dinwiddie, author of Innovation at Work [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997962623], about psychological safety, perfectionism, and the hidden costs of staying silent in collaborative spaces. Together, they explore how creating improv-inspired microexperiments can help teams build trust, encourage honest feedback, and create the conditions for innovation to thrive. *Connect with Melissa - Website [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C37sTLPPD0jF2hMrQwgg4gcU/https%3A%2F%2Fmelissadinwiddie.com%2F], LinkedIn [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C37sTLLRUaw7v2DtKwY1Igpy/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fmelissadinwiddie%2F], Book: Innovation at Work [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C37sTLLPT0t9CJC1uw9dmHKP/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GMPVYNVL] This podcast is brought to you by Lifestage [https://www.lifestage.me/]. Lifestage designs and facilitates experiential workshops, classes, and presentations for professional and personal development. For more information, visit lifestage.me [https://lifestage.me/]. *Connect with Jude - Substack [https://judetrederwolff.substack.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lifestage_inc/?hl=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-treder-wolff-294436221/]

Episode 22: Ready for Anything with Mary Tyszkiewicz

How do you respond when everything changes in an instant? In this episode, Jude speaks with Mary Tyszkiewicz about her model called Heroic Improv. Together, the explore how improvisational skills can help people think clearly, adapt quickly, and work together during crises and disasters. *Connect with Mary - Heroic Improv [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C25I5jLiIowsCCuHqQaO9MB5/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heroic-improv.com%2F] (booking workshops, in-person and virtual), LinkedIn [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C25I5jHHxy0_WRquqANX7WFE/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fmarytyszkiewicz%2F] This podcast is brought to you by Lifestage [https://www.lifestage.me/]. Lifestage designs and facilitates experiential workshops, classes, and presentations for professional and personal development. For more information, visit lifestage.me [https://lifestage.me/]. *Connect with Jude - Substack [https://judetrederwolff.substack.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lifestage_inc/?hl=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-treder-wolff-294436221/]

Episode 21: Right Here, Right Now with Joel Veenstra

How do you stay grounded when things feel uncertain? In this episode, Jude speaks with Joel Veenstra, Department of Drama Chair at UC Irvine, about how improv helps us navigate tension, embrace discomfort, and let go of needing to control outcomes. Together, they explore how building tolerance for uncertainty can deepen presence, collaboration, and connection in all walks of life. *Connect with Joel - LinkedIn [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C1vS6V1Q0MLrb6bltgJQSwQq/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjoelveenstra1%2F], UC Irvine [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C1vS6V1391oEChHuSw4xRPFs/https%3A%2F%2Fdrama.arts.uci.edu%2Ffaculty%2Fjoel-veenstra], Global Improvisation Initiative [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C1vS6V5n5w4h67WCYA_0Dcmc/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalimprovisation.com%2F], BOOK: Working Together in Theatre: Collaboration and Leadership by Robert Cohen and Joel Veenstra [https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/working-together-in-theatre-9781350333598/] This podcast is brought to you by Lifestage [https://www.lifestage.me/]. Lifestage designs and facilitates experiential workshops, classes, and presentations for professional and personal development. For more information, visit lifestage.me [https://lifestage.me/]. *Connect with Jude - Substack [https://judetrederwolff.substack.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lifestage_inc/?hl=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-treder-wolff-294436221/]

Episode 20: The Regulation Game with Justin Drogos & Jonathan Webb

How do you stay emotionally grounded in high stress moments? In this episode, Jude speaks with Justin Drogos and Jonathan Webb from Northwestern University. Together, they explore how improv builds emotional regulation, teaching clinicians not just what they feel, but how to express it with the right intensity in complex, real-world situations. *Connect with Jonathan - LinkedIn [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C0oCJ_TYmKWOSdEHBw5WwoBu/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjonathan-w-b34b7a10%2F], The Laughing Academy [https://thelaughingacademy.com/] House Team, Cutthroat Improv (FB) [https://www.facebook.com/cutthroatimprovslice/] / Cutthroat Improv (IG) [https://www.instagram.com/cutthroat_improv/] *Connect with Justin - LinkedIn [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C0oCJ_TnZ0SBGEe1CQ9XdxKD/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjustindrogos%2F] * Northwestern Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences - Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nupthms/], Facebook [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C0oCJ_TxcabSiQxmlgVMmrkU/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNUPTHMS], website [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/C0oCJ_PCAsKLT4TIvA520e76/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feinberg.northwestern.edu%2Fsites%2Fpthms%2F] This podcast is brought to you by Lifestage [https://www.lifestage.me/]. Lifestage designs and facilitates experiential workshops, classes, and presentations for professional and personal development. For more information, visit lifestage.me [https://lifestage.me/]. *Connect with Jude - Substack [https://judetrederwolff.substack.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lifestage_inc/?hl=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-treder-wolff-294436221/]

Episode 19: The Story Spine with Kenn Adams

How do stories help us process change? In this episode, Jude speaks with Kenn Adams, creator of the Story Spine, about how stories can reveal deeper truths about ourselves. Together, they explore how storytelling and improv aren't just tools for communication, but ways to reflect, connect, and move forward. *Connect with Kenn - Synergy Theater [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/Czz43TnhoVAOkowVHQQriOC0/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.synergytheater.com%2F], LinkedIn [https://76aabf8d.streak-link.com/Czz43Tr1tQCARy7CygU-LvcC/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fkenn-adams-34900b2%2F], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/SynergyTheater], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/synergy_theater/]. Upcoming shows: 1. Improvised Noir: Unscripted Theater, So Funny it's a Crime! At Feinstein's at the Nikko in San Francisco [https://www.feinsteinssf.com/tm-event/synergy-theaters-improvised-noir/] 2. Improvised Clue: An Unscripted Murder Mystery based on the Cult-Classic Film! At the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek [https://www.lesherartscenter.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/19318/3204] Study about morbid curosity: Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID 10 pandemic, Personality and Individual Differences, January 2021 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886920305882] This podcast is brought to you by Lifestage [https://www.lifestage.me/]. Lifestage designs and facilitates experiential workshops, classes, and presentations for professional and personal development. For more information, visit lifestage.me [https://lifestage.me/]. *Connect with Jude - Substack [https://judetrederwolff.substack.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lifestage_inc/?hl=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jude-treder-wolff-294436221/]