When I started talking to Abby, I went into the conversation with the idea that I would be talking to someone who was funny. And for sure, she is. Funny, warm and able to talk candidly about herself. So candidly, that I knew this is exactly the conversation needed for so many. With much humor and humility, Abby speaks about her own struggles. Her struggles with an eating disorder, her intimidation of those who are supposed to be in the know and how improv and comedy helped her hide. And how she finally took control. Control that she is not letting go of.
“Anything I should know before I go home?” I asked the chief cardiologist, trying not to sound terrified.
“Just don’t lift stuff over 10 pounds for a few weeks.”
“My baby is over 10 pounds.”
Abby refers to herself as a performer, obsessive compulsive comedian, writer and mom. She wrote and performed with The Second City, The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, HBO, Nick Jr., and NPR. And the first all-female improv group found Abby among its performers.
Abby’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, Self, Jane, and Elle. One was adapted for the television series Modern Love. Abby currently co-hosts the Chucklepath Comedy Show with Molly Reisner. She is the author of five books including Miss You Love You Hate You Bye, named a 2020 Buzzfeed Best Book for Mental Health Awareness Month. And Abby most recently co-authored Sanctuary, a YA (Young Adult) dystopian novel.
A candid conversation with Abby:
The start of being funny
Why improv – putting it out there
Not being ‘precious’ about it
1st improv female group
Performer, comedian and mom – how about SpongeBob
Mental health issues
A reckoning and getting help
Finding solace in writing
Personal essays
Young adults, rock bottom and friendship
Miss You Love You Hate You Bye – friendship and mental health
Finding confidence to speak up – knowing your own body
A former actress (you may have spotted Judith in one of the original Star Trek series episodes), Judith Sherven coined the phrase The Fear of Being Fabulous. A clinical psychologist with more than 35 years’ experience as a psychotherapist, transformational executive coach and business consultant, Judith practices alongside her husband Jim Sniechowski, also a PhD Clinical Psychologist. Judith is an executive coach for a number of tech companies. She helps leaders overcome any insecurities they have about maximizing their leadership: Their Fear of Being Fabulous.
Both Judith and Jim are on retainer at both LinkedIn and Credit Karma. Judith writes for LinkedIn as an influencer. She inspires managers to engage their team members with their trademarked program: Overcoming the Fear of Being Fabulous. It’s been called “the missing link in personal and professional development.”
Judith has been on over 3,000 radio and TV shows including Oprah, The View, 48 Hours and Canada AM as a guest expert. Together, Judith and Jim have written 7 LA Times bestselling books.
Both had been professional actors for a long time before they met in 1987. And both discovered that their Fear of Being Fabulous had prevented them from moving forward with their acting careers. This brought them on a 6 year journey of creating their program.
A conversation with Judith:
Self-sabotaging a successful acting career
The Fear of Being Fabulous incubation
The Barbizon connection
Patterns identified and their connections
Meeting Jim and their journey
Owning your own excellence
Asking for more with confidence
Relationships of all kinds – personal and professional, family and friends
Owning your uniqueness
‘You are a miracle’
Making yourself stronger
The debut of our special Thursday’s segment ‘Sylvia & Me – My Reading Corner’ with author and portrait photographer, Jona Frank. Known for her portraits surrounding youth culture, Jona made a slight detour and wrote a memoir. Not one for doing what is expected, Jona’s memoir is done not with words, but with photographs. But if you’re thinking, great, a book of old photos…you’re wrong. ‘Cherry Hill: A Childhood Reimagined´ stars Laura Dern as her mother.
Jona grew up in the 60’s in suburban Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Her mother lived the life that a suburban housewife was supposed to live. The men went into the City, a grey background while the women stayed at home, tending to their house and family. The stereotypical suburban woman, Jona’s mother never deviated from the standards that had been set for her. She did what was expected of her, not what she may have wanted to do. But Jona rejected this way of life and went on to construct her life from within herself. The result – Jona is living her life freely, rejecting the standards that others have set.
Meet Jona Frank:
Meet Jona Frank, whose high school passion for photography led her to study at the University of California on a scholarship. Jona did go home after graduating, but returned to Los Angeles pursuing her personal dreams, not other’s expectations and standards.
Her works have been exhibited at such venues as the Smithsonian’s National Gallery in Washington, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, and the Kimbal Art Center.
Our conversation:
A photo shoot in a small town in England and a connection with Cherry Hill
Suburbia and the stereotypical woman
Art class, a blank piece of paper, a phone call and tulips
Doing it her own way
Societal norms and individual desires
Casting Laura Dern
Staged pictures and the strain of maintaining an image
Recreating the non-Kodak moments
Creating images between reality and cinematic fantasy
What’s next
‘Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.’ – Oprah Winfrey So Many Women and Announcing… As we roll out Season 8, I’m delighted to tell you that our podcast series Sylvia & Me has been...
Bunmi Laditan, is an award winning, Webby nominated writer. Most of you may know her by her moniker ‘Honest Toddler.’ Her debut novel, Confessions of a Domestic Failure, is a satirical, realistic look at motherhood. Bunmi has outdone herself with her latest book, : Honest Prayers to a God who Listens.
She had originally written this collection of poetry and prayers as a way of following her own spiritual journey. With candor, self-aware humor, and a profound insight, Bunmi saw that so many were struggling with similar journeys. And so with much humility, she agreed to publish Dear God. The book is for anyone seeking to reconnect as well as for those looking for a good word. Bunmi shares her journey, a journey of emotions that we all experience at different points in our lives – doubt, anger, love, desperation, gratefulness and more.
Dear God was featured on the Today Show and Bunmi is a contributor to Parenting.com, Mothering.com, iVillage.com, the New York Times and the Huffington Post. Bunmi lives outside of Montreal with her family. Her social media following is large. But more impressive is that there is communication between her and her followers, not just emoji’s. Bunmi relates and is not afraid of having a conversation, even with someone who disagrees with her.
A candid conversation with Bunmi:
Childhood and faking it
Marrying at 16 and converting to Judaism
Culture not religion
Identity as a Jewish wife and mother
Divorce and becoming a seeker
Struggles with depression and anxiety
Journey to reconnect with God
Raising her three children
