Episodes

Send us Fan Mail I had a blast getting to know musician and Children's music superstar, Laurie Berkner. With more than 1.7 billion total streams, an average of more than 22 million monthly streams, more than 595 million YouTube channel views, and millions of CDs and DVDs sold, Laurie’s songs are beloved by families worldwide, including household staples like “We Are The Dinosaurs,” “Victor Vito,” and “Pig On Her Head.” People magazine called Laurie “the queen of kids’ music,” and the Los Ange...

Send a text In the spirit of Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking comes Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving by Tony Stewart, a powerful story of love, loss, and recovery. When Stewart’s wife, Lynn, receives a sudden and devastating diagnosis, their scramble begins to find effective treatment, navigate life-threatening setbacks, learn to live fully in the shadow of death, and, ultimately, to sh...

Send a text Every so often, an interview comes along that leaves me stunned. Eleanor Lerman's episode was one such. NYC born and raised, this raw, fantastic poet delivers a fantastic interview, and I hope you enjoy! To learn more about Eleanor, visit https://www.eleanorlerman.com/ Creator/Host: Tammy Takaishi Audio Engineer: Tammy Takaishi Please consider joining the podcast Patreon and help keep this top-ranked, independently run podcast going! Info here Support the show Visit...

Send a text Joe Battaglia is a seasoned and award-winning journalist who spent years in The Olympics arena. With over two decades in sports media, Battaglia has led content creation across news, politics, and athletics, including a role on the NBCOlympics.com team that earned a Sports Emmy for the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Summer Olympics. Joe sat down to discuss his journalism career, his pivot to fiction, his fave authors, and more. More information about Joe and his novel, BENEATH THE R...

Send us a text A sheer delight to talk with Dr. Vasu Tolia about her medical career, and her new career as an abstract artist. We dig deep into the impact of the arts on health, as well as her creative process, and much more. A must listen for anyone in the creative arts therapy fields! To learn more about today's guest see below: www.vasutolia.art Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vasundhara.tolia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasundhara-tolia-79695a34/ Instagram: @toliavasu Supp...

Send us a text Absolutely delighted to host the creators behind the true crime parody podcast that's heating up the charts, The Murderer Killings. Jack Canfora and Michael Satow dish on faves, give a real glimpse into the work, and more. For fans of true crime, and The Murderer Killings, this episode is one not to miss! Tune in for the inside scoop, and stay for the laughs. To learn more about Jack Canfora, Michael Satow, and The Murderer Killings, follow the links below. https://www.jackca...

Send us a text Adriana Marchione is a creative arts therapist, and it was a delight to have her on the show to discuss her field, her award-winning documentaries, dig deep into the creative process, mental health, and more. To learn more about Adriana, go here https://art-cures.com/ Creator/Host: Tammy Takaishi Audio Engineer: Tammy Takaishi Support the show Visit www.creativepeacemeal.com to leave a review, fan voicemail, and more! Insta @creative_peacemeal_podcast FB @creativepeacemeal...

Send us a text It was a delight to chat with Walter about creativity, his latest book, The Meaning of Murder, and much more. This episode is one not to miss, especially for writers, or anyone interest in a good human interest story. A former crime reporter, Walter B. Levis’ work has appeared in The NY Daily News, The National Law Journal, The Chicago Reporter, The Chicago Lawyer, The New Republic, Show Business Magazine, and The New Yorker, among other publications. He is author of the novel...

Send us a text Incredibly grateful to sit down with actor and contortionist Samantha Rodes for this compelling and insightful interview. Samantha Rodes is a versatile actor with extensive experience in creature and prosthetic performance, contortion, yoga, and motion capture. She has worked alongside many acclaimed artists, both under layers of prosthetics and suited up for motion capture, including Academy Award-winning director Guillermo Del Toro in Nightmare Alley and visionary director Za...

Send us a text I am OVER the moon to have my favorite celeb chef, the fantastic Ellie Krieger on the show! She's kicking of the 2026 guest list in style as we talk about cooking, mental health and food, and more. From her website: Host and executive producer of the cooking series “Ellie’s Real Good Food” on Public Television and well known from her hit Food Network show “Healthy Appetite,” Ellie Krieger is the leading go-to nutritionist in the media today, helping people find the sweet spot ...

Send us a text Comedian, and founder of Gold Comedy, Lynn Harris joins to the show to discuss how anyone can be funny, inspiration, and more. End 2025 with this great episode! Lynn Harris, the founder of GOLD Comedy, the comedy school, professional network, and content studio where women and non-binary folks grow their comedy careers and creative side hustles, join a powerful community, and make funny stuff. Through our classes, celebrity speaker series, sketch teams, shows, and more, our mem...

Send us a text Sally and I sit down to discuss her memoir, REACHING FOR BEAUTIFUL, the loss of her son, and how creativity, and self-care helped her in her grief journey. We also dig deep into grief, her family's history with sobriety, and so much more. Content warning: Loss of a child, addiction. Sally McQuillen, LCSW, CADC, is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in addiction, grief, and trauma recovery. She provides ongoing support for addiction recovery, as well as sup...

Send us a text One of the episodes recorded in the summer of 2025, Dustin and I dig deep into his inspirations, songwriting process, and he shares a lot of wise words, in addition to chatting about their latest album. This episode is great for any musician/songwriter, or fan's of blues-rock! Fronted by ferocious guitarist/singer/songwriter Dustin Douglas, The Electric Gentlemen—rounded out by drummer Tommy Smallcomb and bassist Matt Gabriel—are known to deliver a heavy dose of swagger, groove...

Send us a text Absolutely delighted to be joined by T. Kingfisher aka Ursula Vernon, a NYT bestselling author of fantasy and horror novels. We discuss her latest book, writing inspo, creativity, and much more! We're also joined by my friend Rita, who is a HUGE fan of T. Kingfisher, so this episode is an extra special treat! T. Kingfisher is the New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award–winning author of fantasy, horror, and occasional oddities, including What Feasts at Night, Nettle & Bon...

Send us a text Delighted to have award-winning writer and journalist, Michele C. Hollow on to discuss stories that impacted her, and one of her latest books, Jurassic Girl: The Adventures of Mary Anning, Paleontologist and the First Female Fossil Hunter which is out now. To learn more about Michele, or to purchase her books, go here https://www.michelechollow.com/ Visit the Self-Care Institute at https://www.selfcareinstitute.com/ Support the show Visit www.creativepeacemeal.com to lea...

Send us a text Kerstin Schultz, most recently known for roles in The Rightous Gemstones sat down to discuss her start, balancing her busy lifestyle, struggles, and more. To find out more about Kerstin, visit her IMDB page here: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm7854901/ To learn more about her business go here: https://partyanddiet.com/ Creator/Host: Tammy Takaishi Audio Engineer: Tammy Takaishi Visit the Self-Care Institute at https://www.selfcareinstitute.com/ Visit www.creativepeaceme...

Send us a text Panel episodes are ones I enjoy doing on my show, and this one features returning guests, Playwright and Beatlephile, Jack Canfora, Elizabeth Macduffie of Meat For TeaCast podcast, and Meat For Tea: The Valley Review) as well as Dr. Amrita Sen, who's published several works and lectured on Shakespeare. This episode is also special because the fab hosts of Meat for Teacast podcast have edited this, and are featuring it as their season six finale! Fans of my show shou...

Send us a text USA Today bestselling author, Trilina Pucci is on the show to discuss all things writing, and her latest novel, Trilina Pucci, a #1 Amazon and USA TODAY Bestselling Author, is a connoisseur of pop culture and SANPELLEGRINO, but her true passion lies in crafting tantalizing romantic novels that delve into the depths of desire, emotion, and even hearty belly laughs. When she's not penning steamy love stories, you'll find her indulging in Netflix marathons with her husband, ...

Send us a text Fans of Maggie Rogers, Kacey Musgraves, and Suki Waterhouse will LOVE Pien! Dutch indie-Americana artist PIEN is gearing up for the release of her debut EP “According to Plan”, out May 23rd. Following the releases of some of the singles on the EP, "Not Yet" and "I Know," PIEN continues to explore her distinctive sound, blending catchy moments with relatable, reflective lyricism. "I Know," PIEN’s second single, is an enchanting track featuring dreamy melodies, driving percussion...

Send us a text J.T. Ellison, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, crafts domestic noir and psychological thrillers that hook readers deep into the night. She created the Taylor Jackson and Dr. Samantha Owens series, alongside standalone hits like A Very Bad Thing, It’s One of Us, and Lie to Me. With Catherine Coulter, she co-authored six of the "A Brit in the FBI" novels packed with international intrigue—because a good spy twist never gets old. Her books span 30 countries and 1...

Send us a text My colleague and good friend Michael Manzi (a Drama Therapy Masters student at time of recording) sits down to discuss his unique career, the power of the arts, and his personal journey and what drama therapy, music therapy, and music mean in his life, and so much more. Creator/Host: Tammy Takaishi Audio Engineer: Alex Repetti Visit the Self-Care Institute at https://www.selfcareinstitute.com/ Visit www.creativepeacemeal.com to leave a review, fan voicemail, and ...

Send us a text Thomas Cullen jumps on the show to discuss his venture into YA fiction writing, authors who've inspired him, how his career has shaped this new segment of his life, and more. Thomas Cullen is a federal trial judge and former U.S. attorney in Virginia. He is also an accomplished writer, regularly publishing op-eds and essays for national and regional media outlets over the past decade. Thomas graduated near the top of his class from William & Mary Law School and was re...

Send us a text Rita Lussier, an award-winning journalist and writer whose column “For the Moment” was a popular feature of The Providence Journal for a dozen years. Her writing has also been featured on National Public Radio, in The Boston Globe, The New York Daily News, and many more. Rita enjoys coaching writers, conducting workshops and has worked as a publicist and editor. She has taught at both the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College. Learn more about Rita, and order her...

Send us a text Roslyn Bernstein is the author of four books: Boardwalk Stories, a collection of 14 fictional tales set from 1950 to 1970; the co-author with the architect Shael Shapiro of Illegal Living: 80 Wooster Street and the Evolution of SoHo; Engaging Art: Essays and Interviews from Around the Globe, a collection of 60 of her online avant-garde art pieces; and most recently, a novel, The Girl Who Counted Numbers. Since the 1980s, she has been reporting from around the globe for such pri...