Thoughtful Intentions

Kira Robbins (she/her) is an enthusiastic tv watcher, book reader, creative, learner, and someone trying to stop describing herself by job descriptions first. After graduating in 2019 with a BFA in stage management and a BA in political science, Kira steadily climbed the theatre work ladder until the pandemic. Since then she has worked in digital art, on a political campaign, in elementary school classrooms, and somehow landed in Prague studying film. Back from Europe she now lives in Los Angeles combining all her previous skills while also trying to find footing in her new career path: the film industry.

Courtney Parr got her undergrad degree from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and began her career in investment banking where she spent a couple of years doing mergers & acquisitions advisory (mostly healthcare), then moved over to a private equity fund doing large scale investments across the healthcare, financial services, and consumer industries. Recently she made the transition over to a company called Redesign Health, a mission-driven innovation platform that creates and launches healthcare companies.

Lauren Blitz is a Maryland native, new nursing student, and soon-to-be bride! She is currently working at a family-owned private home healthcare agency where she practices the fine art of client satisfaction management. Throughout her life, Lauren has been fascinated (and maybe a little obsessed) with all things medical and clinical. In her youngest years, playing doctor/nurse was the most frequent pastime. For her 13th birthday, she received a microscope and an Anatomy and Physiology textbook, which she used to fulfill her curiosities about the human body and life. Despite this passion, Lauren never felt as though she could handle the academic rigor in order to achieve her dream of becoming a clinician - until 2020. The pandemic brought newfound motivation, and existential crisis. What do I want to do with my life? Why would I be doing anything other than what I am most passionate about? These were some of the hard-hitting questions Lauren began asking herself. With the help of some trusted mentors and the blessing of her family, Lauren took one class at a time in order to qualify to apply for nursing school. One class led to another, and now she is an incoming nursing student in the Spring 2022 cohort. By day she may be hitting the books, but by night she is still a broadway show tunes connoisseur who loves to sing and dance around with her friends and family. 

Natalie Vero, or newly and legally now Natalie Brisson, is an actor, comedian, writer, editor, producer, podcaster, traveler, snowboarder, and other funky things. She was born and raised on Long Island, graduated from Penn State University with bachelor degrees in Theatre Performance and Broadcast Journalism, attended The Second City's Comedy Studies Program, and then moved to NYC to pursue acting. In September of 2018, she and her high school sweetheart, Ryan, got engaged in Croatia. What they thought would be less than a two-year blissful engagement turned into a three-year roller coaster ride as a result of the pandemic and so much more bad luck. With the world shut down, wedding plans crumbling before them and creative career opportunities halted, Natalie and her fiancé, Ryan, started a podcast called Just A Wedding. On the podcast Natalie and Ryan discuss their terrible luck with wedding planning, they feature guests who dive into the impact that the pandemic has had on them, and they always find a way to remind themselves to take life's sour lemons and make a kick ass vodka lemonade.

Marie MacTigue is a licensed occupational therapist (OT) who serves individuals of all ages in the greater Washington DC area. As a woman of faith, working in healthcare for the past year has taught her the importance of surrendering control and letting God take the lead. She spends most of her week seeking to increase the quality of life of older adults, and derives so much joy from the special friendships she's been able to develop. Outside of work, you can find Marie sucked into a deep TikTok hole, running on trails in DC, trying out new bars with her roomies, coaching pre-k soccer, or shopping at TJ Maxx with no actual purpose.

The third solo episode with reflections from me, your host, Fiona Winch.

Morgan V. Canham is an actress, fitness professional, and artist career coach with a passion for inspiring people to live more mindfully and speak their truth. With over a decade in the entertainment industry, a lifetime of practicing mindfulness, and her training as a dance and Pilates instructor, Morgan brings a unique blend of creative expression, discipline, and compassion to everything she does. She is the founder of Wakeup with SolRise and The Canham Collective where she offers group meditation and fitness classes and one on one career coaching for artists.

Shannon Wilson is a multi-hyphenate creative who is inspired by bringing the best out of everyone around her. By career, she's an art director who just made a switch to working at a leading home services company. By habit, she's a culture feen and loves to take steps toward creating a life where she can be her most authentic self. Her latest side gig is her new vintage brand, New Lover.

Emily Chertow, she/her, is the founder of @journalingclasses and community manager at The Washington Post. She is a Brooklyn-based creative often spending time in parks with friends and coffee shops with her journal. Emily is passionate about advocating for mental health, human connection, and the power of putting pen to paper. Emily created these spaces to hold space for others and to give people the opportunity to dig deeper into valuable conversations and thoughts. All the prompts instructed are hand-made with love and can be used on a regular basis or as needed!

Jonathan Savage is a New York based actor whose pandemic journey somehow led him to living in a van in Yellowstone National Park. Jonathan was last seen off-Broadway in Seesaw, as well as Footloose at both The Muny and The Kennedy Center. His concert Farewell to the West describes his quarantine journey from being a Professional Actor in New York City to living in a van in Yellowstone. A live performance is available on YouTube and once again in person at Feinstein's/54 Below this coming January.