Creative Mamas Unplugged

Fabric (0:00). Cheryl chats navigating the emotional challenge of traveling for work (7:17), pets, family and unexpected emotional bonds (10:22), moving to Los Angeles and building a sense of belonging (13:02), Building community in Los Angeles, why connection matters (16:30), Cheryl’s love of people, collaboration and photography (23:49). 
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/hzvDZJAjm-E
 
Hosts: Cherice Barton, Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Cheryl Mann
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Cheryl:
 
Website https://cherylmannphoto.com/
Instagram @cherylmannphoto
Documentary Film: Focused on Dance: Master Class Conversation with Photographer Cheryl Mann
Dance Filmmaking Festival https://www.dancefilmmaking.com
Cal Arts https://calarts.edu/members/cheryl-mann
 
 
Follow Us: 
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Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
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iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
 
Cheryl’s Bio:
Cheryl Mann came to Los Angeles after two decades of dancing and photographing in Chicago.Mann began her professional career at the age of 17, dancing at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and received a BA in dance from Point Park College, in Pittsburgh. She performed with the Civic Light Opera in South Pacific as “Liat” under the direction of Robby Marshall in Pittsburgh. Upon moving to Chicago, she danced with River North Chicago Dance Company before joining Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.Fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a Hubbard Street dancer in May of 1997, Cheryl has been fortunate in her career to travel to and perform in 17 countries, as well as countless cities in the U.S. Cheryl danced with Hubbard Street for over a decade and retired in October 2007. She served as the Artistic Associate of Visceral Dance Chicago until she moved to LA to become the Executive Director of Ate9 Dance Company.She is the owner of Cheryl Mann Productions, where she has traveled the world setting dance works for world renown choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Toru Shimazaki, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Danny Ezralow. She is also the official photographer for Joffrey Ballet Chicago and Los Angeles Ballet, and has shot for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispanico, Chicago Dancing Festival, LA Dance Festival, Visceral Dance Chicago, Ate9, amongst many more.In LA, Cheryl was on the creative team for NBCUniversal’s Little Big Shots featuring Steve Harvey, and was the Associate Choreographer of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Live at the Hollywood Bowl. She also had the pleasure of casting and choreographing Moby’s latest music video “Motherless Child”. She is currently Assistant Dean of the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance as well as special faculty teaching ballet technique at CalArts.
 

No drama (0:00), Cheryl on balancing home life, career, and creativity (3:00), Cheryl’s role at CalArts, working with graduating dancers, preparing them for the real world through performance, discipline, and professional tools (5:00), Cheryl on the balance between encouragement and allowing children to find their path (11:14), how everything Cheryl does is an outlet to another thing and is refreshing, keeps us grateful and happy (15:20).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/Pw_LhcmDZfA
Hosts: Cherice Barton, Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Cheryl Mann
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Cheryl:
 
Website https://cherylmannphoto.com/
Instagram @cherylmannphoto
Documentary Film: Focused on Dance: Master Class Conversation with Photographer Cheryl Mann
Dance Filmmaking Festival https://www.dancefilmmaking.com
Cal Arts https://calarts.edu/members/cheryl-mann
 
 
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
 
Cheryl’s Bio:
Cheryl Mann came to Los Angeles after two decades of dancing and photographing in Chicago.Mann began her professional career at the age of 17, dancing at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and received a BA in dance from Point Park College, in Pittsburgh. She performed with the Civic Light Opera in South Pacific as “Liat” under the direction of Robby Marshall in Pittsburgh. Upon moving to Chicago, she danced with River North Chicago Dance Company before joining Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.Fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a Hubbard Street dancer in May of 1997, Cheryl has been fortunate in her career to travel to and perform in 17 countries, as well as countless cities in the U.S. Cheryl danced with Hubbard Street for over a decade and retired in October 2007. She served as the Artistic Associate of Visceral Dance Chicago until she moved to LA to become the Executive Director of Ate9 Dance Company.She is the owner of Cheryl Mann Productions, where she has traveled the world setting dance works for world renown choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, Toru Shimazaki, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Danny Ezralow. She is also the official photographer for Joffrey Ballet Chicago and Los Angeles Ballet, and has shot for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispanico, Chicago Dancing Festival, LA Dance Festival, Visceral Dance Chicago, Ate9, amongst many more.In LA, Cheryl was on the creative team for NBCUniversal’s Little Big Shots featuring Steve Harvey, and was the Associate Choreographer of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Live at the Hollywood Bowl. She also had the pleasure of casting and choreographing Moby’s latest music video “Motherless Child”. She is currently Assistant Dean of the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance as well as special faculty teaching ballet technique at CalArts.

Hilarity of modern dating horrors (0:00), Tanya on her commitment to living truthfully, @unhingedundone, the power of vulnerability, authenticity, and embracing imperfection as a creative force (4:30),  Tanya opens up about the more profound themes behind her work, including her relationship with her body, trauma, and womanhood (7:10), Tanya shares her journey into motherhood—speaks candidly about IVF, birth trauma, and letting go of expectations, offering a raw and powerful perspective on resilience and redefining what motherhood can look like (10:15). 
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/qN8xUUtvc8g
Support Us via Patreon @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Tanya Burne
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Tanya:
Instagram @unhingedundone
IMDb @ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0122289/
Support UnhingedUndone @ buymeacoffee.com/unhingedundone
 
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
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Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Tanya Burne – Biography
Tanya has worked as a professional actor, director and writer for over 20 years across film, television and theatre. In 2002, Tanya received the highest scholarship ever awarded to the Actors Studio Drama School in New York, where she completed a year of a Master of Fine Arts. Her numerous acting credits for theatre include The Ballad of Reading Gaol for Devil’s Own Theatre, When Dad Married Fury for Hit Productions, A Single Act for Melbourne Theatre Company, Lady Grey (In Ever-Lower Light) for Inscription in association with Griffin Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company, Twelfth Night and Triple Acorn for Essential Theatre, The Big Knife and The Male Animal for Actors Studio Drama School, New York and A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Australian Shakespeare Company.
Directing credits include the Australian premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke – which she also produced for White Horse Collective, and a Directorial Attachment on Thom Pain (based on nothing) for Melbourne Theatre Company. 
Tanya’s TV and feature film acting credits include The Doctor Blake Mysteries, House Husbands, Offspring, Underbelly, Conspiracy 365, Australia on Trial, Rush, Satisfaction, Waiting at the Royal, Some Happy Day and Good Guys Bad Guys. 
In addition to her career in the arts, Tanya is also a highly experienced Family Violence practitioner and a skilled Social Worker with over 15 years’ experience in service delivery in government and non-government organisations. She has worked with clients experiencing extreme crisis including homelessness, mental health, alcohol and other drugs and family violence. Her work experience includes front line work with victims and perpetrators of family violence and complex policy development. Her most recent role was Senior Policy Officer for the Victorian Governments’ portfolio for Engaging Men and Boys in Prevention of Family Violence – Family Safety Victoria.
Unhinged – a one woman play (soon to be web series)
Unhinged transforms the theatre/screen into a modern-day confessional. Coming to terms with a lifetime of objectification, our protagonist, She, confronts the audience with the realities of online dating to seek understanding and salvation. Unhinged pushes audiences to interrogate and question what they think they know about women, sex, online dating, and violence. 
The stakes at the heart of the piece relate directly to the fear of seeking connection within a hostile environment. An environment where women fear for their safety, where women over 40 are viewed as grumpy, frumpy, unfuckable, senile - or merely ignored. The themes in Unhinged reflect my sometimes-volatile relationship with my body and sex, which is complex. I’ve always had a deep fascination with what drives desire, and what in essence makes love and lust such powerful, universal motivators of behaviour. As I entered middle age, I was forced to recalibrate my relationship to my body and find ways to celebrate its sometimes-traumatic history. My own personal experience of embarking into the online dating world in my late 40’s was both revelatory and frightening, hilarious and saddening in equal measure. The interactions that followed were sometimes incredibly dull – and other times highly dramatic – so I began to take note of them. 
Unhinged was born out of my own desire to create a daring piece to perform. As a 50-year-old arts’ professional, I have spent many years languishing in a string of creatively barren workplaces, longing for a project or an opportunity to flex and invigorate my artistic muscle. The current climate of theatre/screen in Australia (and worldwide) lacks representation of women my age. It is well understood that women are rarely the protagonists and women over 50 even less so. However, I am motivated by the belief that there is a strong appetite for the voices of older women, specifically unconventional and disruptive portrayals of women. 

Riding (0:00). Kira on creativity beyond genre (3:10), the creative toolbox (6:05), Kira discusses the power of truth in performance (8:30), encouraging independence in children, the courage it takes to let go and trust the process and yourself (12:00).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/-Xr-upxDIvk
Support Us via Patreon @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Kira Powell
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Kira:
Website: https://www.kirapowell.com/
Instagram @itskirapowell
IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2451581/
AWD https://www.allianceofwomendirectors.org/find-a-director/director/kira-powell/
Kira’s Linktr.ee @ https://linktr.ee/KiraPowell
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
BIO:
Kira Powell is an award-winning, NAACP Image Award-nominated writer-director and SAG-AFTRA actor of African American and Ecuadorian descent. She holds an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Whether in coming-of-age drama or psychological horror, her films explore identity and inheritance, often through multiracial and immigrant experiences, examining the consequences of love under pressure — how devotion, protection, and survival shape people, for better and for worse. 
Kira received a Directors Guild of America Jury Award at the 2024 DGA Student Awards for Outstanding Directing for her AFI thesis coming-of-age short BEST EYES, which premiered at the Academy Award®–qualifying Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) and has been nominated for Outstanding Short Form (Live Action) at the 57th NAACP Image Awards. BEST EYES also won First Place in the Afro-Latino Short Film Competition sponsored by Lexus and presented by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA). 
Kira’s short films have screened at festivals including Urbanworld, Screamfest, Tallgrass, and Black Harvest Film Festival. Her award-winning one-woman show CAUGHT IN THE MIX, about Black–Latinx identity, was staged at multiple venues across Los Angeles and recognized for its social impact, laying the groundwork for the themes she continues to explore on screen.
As an actor, Kira has appeared in film, television, and numerous national commercials. Her credits include the indie cult hit THE ENDLESS, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Moon Knight, Loki), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival; Jif’s “That Jif’ing Good” campaign—named one of Adweek’s Top Commercials of the Year; and collaborations with directors Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and John Hillcoat (The Road).
She is currently developing a slate of film and television projects.
Outside of filmmaking, she’s traveled to over 40 countries and has a deep love for the theater. You’ll usually find her discovering a new restaurant, in the audience at a live show, or onstage. 
GRANTS & ACCOLADES
2026 57th NAACP Image Awards nominee - Outstanding Short Form (Live Action), Best Eyes.
2025 AAFCA/LEJA Afro-Latino Short Film Competition, sponsored by Lexus — 1st Place, Best Eyes. 
2025 Grand Jury Award, Narrative Short— Awareness Film Festival, Borders. 
2025 Georgia Latino International Film Festival — Best Student Short, Best Eyes
2024 DGA Student Jury Award, Student Film Awards — Best Eyes (national honor from the Directors Guild of America for outstanding directing)
2024 Perenchio Family Endowed Scholarship – AFI Conservatory (awarded for artistic excellence)
2023 Gary Winick Scholarship – AFI Conservatory (recognizing directing talent and creative promise.)
2023 Scott Patterson Scholarship – AFI Conservatory (honors talent and creative vision)
2022 SAG Foundation Dales Scholarship — awarded to long-standing SAG members to support continued studies and career transition.
2021 Hollywood Fringe Festival — Soaring Solo Social Impact Award, Best of Broadwater, and Diversity Scholarship for Caught in the Mix (award-winning solo show written, directed, and performed by Kira Powell)
LABS, FELLOWSHIPS & PROGRAMS
Sundance Institute – Feature Film Program (Development Track) – Second-Round Contender, Best Eyes (feature screenplay), 2025.
Sundance Institute – Cultural Impact Residency – Finalist, Best Eyes (feature screenplay), 2025.
Athena Film Festival Writers Lab – Shortlisted, Best Eyes (feature screenplay), 2025.
The Gotham Film & Media Institute — Accountability Sprint: Artist Statements — Selected Participant (2025)
Walmart x mítu Filmmaker Program – Shortlisted, Hi Mija (short screenplay), 2025.
Cherokee Film & Amazon MGM Studios Directors Elevation Program- shortlisted. (inaugural directing apprenticeship), 2025.

“Rewardment” (0:00), Kira shares her story from acting to directing, and the work and exploration that led her along this journey (7:30), Kira’s perspective on storytelling 15:00), Kira on pursuing a master’s degree in film, continuing to grow creatively, and what it means to follow your artistic calling (22:30).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/3EGm49tZ5QU
Support Us via Patreon @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Kira Powell
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
Follow Kira:
Website: https://www.kirapowell.com/
Instagram @itskirapowell
IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2451581/
Alliance of Women Directors https://www.allianceofwomendirectors.org/find-a-director/director/kira-powell/
Kira’s Linktr.ee @ https://linktr.ee/KiraPowell
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
BIO:
Kira Powell is an award-winning, NAACP Image Award-nominated writer-director and SAG-AFTRA actor of African American and Ecuadorian descent. She holds an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Whether in coming-of-age drama or psychological horror, her films explore identity and inheritance, often through multiracial and immigrant experiences, examining the consequences of love under pressure — how devotion, protection, and survival shape people, for better and for worse. 
Kira received a Directors Guild of America Jury Award at the 2024 DGA Student Awards for Outstanding Directing for her AFI thesis coming-of-age short BEST EYES, which premiered at the Academy Award®–qualifying Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) and has been nominated for Outstanding Short Form (Live Action) at the 57th NAACP Image Awards. BEST EYES also won First Place in the Afro-Latino Short Film Competition sponsored by Lexus and presented by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA). 
Kira’s short films have screened at festivals including Urbanworld, Screamfest, Tallgrass, and Black Harvest Film Festival. Her award-winning one-woman show CAUGHT IN THE MIX, about Black–Latinx identity, was staged at multiple venues across Los Angeles and recognized for its social impact, laying the groundwork for the themes she continues to explore on screen.
As an actor, Kira has appeared in film, television, and numerous national commercials. Her credits include the indie cult hit THE ENDLESS, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Moon Knight, Loki), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival; Jif’s “That Jif’ing Good” campaign—named one of Adweek’s Top Commercials of the Year; and collaborations with directors Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and John Hillcoat (The Road).
She is currently developing a slate of film and television projects.
Outside of filmmaking, she’s traveled to over 40 countries and has a deep love for the theater. You’ll usually find her discovering a new restaurant, in the audience at a live show, or onstage. 
GRANTS & ACCOLADES
2026 57th NAACP Image Awards nominee - Outstanding Short Form (Live Action), Best Eyes.
2025 AAFCA/LEJA Afro-Latino Short Film Competition, sponsored by Lexus — 1st Place, Best Eyes. 
2025 Grand Jury Award, Narrative Short— Awareness Film Festival, Borders. 
2025 Georgia Latino International Film Festival — Best Student Short, Best Eyes
2024 DGA Student Jury Award, Student Film Awards — Best Eyes (national honor from the Directors Guild of America for outstanding directing)
2024 Perenchio Family Endowed Scholarship – AFI Conservatory (awarded for artistic excellence)
2023 Gary Winick Scholarship – AFI Conservatory (recognizing directing talent and creative promise.)
2023 Scott Patterson Scholarship – AFI Conservatory (honors talent and creative vision)
2022 SAG Foundation Dales Scholarship — awarded to long-standing SAG members to support continued studies and career transition.
2021 Hollywood Fringe Festival — Soaring Solo Social Impact Award, Best of Broadwater, and Diversity Scholarship for Caught in the Mix (award-winning solo show written, directed, and performed by Kira Powell)
LABS, FELLOWSHIPS & PROGRAMS
Sundance Institute – Feature Film Program (Development Track) – Second-Round Contender, Best Eyes (feature screenplay), 2025.
Sundance Institute – Cultural Impact Residency – Finalist, Best Eyes (feature screenplay), 2025.
Athena Film Festival Writers Lab – Shortlisted, Best Eyes (feature screenplay), 2025.
The Gotham Film & Media Institute — Accountability Sprint: Artist Statements — Selected Participant (2025)
Walmart x mítu Filmmaker Program – Shortlisted, Hi Mija (short screenplay), 2025.
Cherokee Film & Amazon MGM Studios Directors Elevation Program- shortlisted. (inaugural directing apprenticeship), 2025.
 

Going into labor during Grandpa’s wild, yet helpful night (0:00), invisible expectations, and the quiet pressure to look like you’re handling everything just fine (4:12), losing and rediscovering yourself in motherhood (12:47), burnout and boundaries (20:18), you’re crazy amazing and so powerful (27:36).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/cxHrH_HXYvc
Support Us via Patreon @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Lauren Cox
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Lauren:
Website: laurencox.org
Instagram @humanlauren
UMass Instagram @umassdance
MAMA DANCERS film @ https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0QOGUV70EII1808UEY01MW8I6L/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
BIO
Lauren Cox is a storyteller of many mediums, originally from the SF Bay Area. As Associate Director and Assistant Professor of Jazz Dance and Pedagogy at UMass Amherst, she is deeply interested in studying and creating spaces for communal sanctuary and recognizes these practices as a blueprint for radical reclamation and transcendence. 
She has performed, researched and taught in over ten countries, seeing the world as a classroom. Using New York as a base, Lauren developed curriculum and traveled internationally for Joffrey Ballet School while also teaching at The Ailey School, Limón Company II, Broadway Dance Center and Peridance. Her immersive and site-specific work on “Spaces” with Kaimera Productions highlights themes of storytelling, dance and collaborative justice. With the company she has erected the show in Harlem, New York; Saint-Denis, France; Oakland, California; Albany Park, Chicago (2027); and has done adjacent work with Kaimera in Queens, New York with “Make Justice Normal”, on The Island of Jean Charles, Louisiana with the Biloxi -Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe and on the Island of Mozambique with the Slave Ship Wrecks Project for the Smithsonian of African American History.
Notable works and performances include: TedX Asbury Park and the consequential film, “Edelweiss” (2026/27); featured dancer in the documentary “Mama Dancers” streaming on Amazon Prime; Principal Performer in Randy Weiner and Ryan Heffington’s immersive off-broadway experience “Seeing You”; Associate Choreographer/Dance Captain and Swing for John Leguizamo’s “Kiss My Aztec” at Berkeley Rep, several performances on Saturday Night Live; and with Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, Pharrell, Joey Yung plus many more commercials, music videos and live shows, including resident host of Stories from The Basement and Brinda Guha’s “Wise Fruit: Celebrating the Feminine Divine”.

The wrong applesauce (0:00), Life with a toddler and a newborn, gratitude for support, and showing up as a mom, artist, and human (3:15), radical honesty (5:45), support and finding a new dance every single time (11:10), not having it together as strength, asking for help and our mom tribes (16:20).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/rmkqhbFZCn0
Support Us via Patreon @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Lauren Cox
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Lauren:
Website: laurencox.org
Instagram @humanlauren
UMass Instagram @umassdance
MAMA DANCERS film @ https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0QOGUV70EII1808UEY01MW8I6L/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
BIO
Lauren Cox is a storyteller of many mediums, originally from the SF Bay Area. As Associate Director and Assistant Professor of Jazz Dance and Pedagogy at UMass Amherst, she is deeply interested in studying and creating spaces for communal sanctuary and recognizes these practices as a blueprint for radical reclamation and transcendence. 
She has performed, researched and taught in over ten countries, seeing the world as a classroom. Using New York as a base, Lauren developed curriculum and traveled internationally for Joffrey Ballet School while also teaching at The Ailey School, Limón Company II, Broadway Dance Center and Peridance. Her immersive and site-specific work on “Spaces” with Kaimera Productions highlights themes of storytelling, dance and collaborative justice. With the company she has erected the show in Harlem, New York; Saint-Denis, France; Oakland, California; Albany Park, Chicago (2027); and has done adjacent work with Kaimera in Queens, New York with “Make Justice Normal”, on The Island of Jean Charles, Louisiana with the Biloxi -Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe and on the Island of Mozambique with the Slave Ship Wrecks Project for the Smithsonian of African American History.
Notable works and performances include: TedX Asbury Park and the consequential film, “Edelweiss” (2026/27); featured dancer in the documentary “Mama Dancers” streaming on Amazon Prime; Principal Performer in Randy Weiner and Ryan Heffington’s immersive off-broadway experience “Seeing You”; Associate Choreographer/Dance Captain and Swing for John Leguizamo’s “Kiss My Aztec” at Berkeley Rep, several performances on Saturday Night Live; and with Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, Pharrell, Joey Yung plus many more commercials, music videos and live shows, including resident host of Stories from The Basement and Brinda Guha’s “Wise Fruit: Celebrating the Feminine Divine”.

Erika Shannon Hathaway, Part 4: We Were Way Worse at 13 (There’s Just No Proof)
Talk to text, watch out! (0:00), candid discussion about letting kids swear at home (2:17), how wild, curious, and unsupervised we actually were at 12 and 13 (3:56), parenting in the digital age: phone contracts, Instagram vs Snapchat and those disappearing messages (5:12), The Olympics, Snoop Dogg and Lindsey Vonn (15:59).
WATCH PART 4 ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/fDbLWMVRXa8
And watch Parts 1-3 on YOUTUBE too! 
- Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiaucEYStfo&t=298s
- Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2kkZk299I&t=477s
- Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0WIgMvqn5M
Support Us via Patreon @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Erika Shannon Hathaway
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Erika:
All of Erika’s fab work can be found here at www.erikashannon.com
Instagram: @erikashannonmovement 
Erika’s News: I start a new cohort of MenoPoise on February 9th: https://www.erikashannon.com/menopoise
Socials everywhere (Insta, FB, TikTok: erikashannonmovement
 
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
Erilka’s Bio: 
I’m a seasoned fitness industry expert, coach, and producer with 20 years experience. A former professional dancer turned theatrical General Manager, I found my way to fitness in New York City, where I taught for fitness brands including Equinox, Reebok, SoulCycle, and Daily Burn.
As a Producer and Content Strategist, I’ve produced thousands of workouts, programs, and related content. I also consult with startup brands in the fitness and wellness space, helping them build and scale. 
As a Certified Menopause Coach Specialist, I’m passionate about helping women navigate the menopause journey with confidence and strength, so they can and make a powerful entrance into their next chapter.
No matter what side of the table I'm on, I remain driven by a passion for instilling connection and confidence through the power of movement.
 

Dance teachers, whaaat?! (0:00), perimenopause and menopause as the flip side of what our girls are going through (3:43), breaking from taboo while raising and protecting our kiddos (5:43), things our children are reading and watching from romance novels to Dexter, Breaking Bad and Stranger Things (11:58).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/q0WIgMvqn5M
Support Us via Patreon @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Erika Shannon Hathaway
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Erika:
All of Erika’s fab work can be found here at www.erikashannon.com
Instagram: @erikashannonmovement 
Erika’s News: I start a new cohort of MenoPoise on February 9th: https://www.erikashannon.com/menopoise
Socials everywhere (Insta, FB, TikTok: erikashannonmovement
 
Follow Us: 
Instagram @creativemamasunplugged
Facebook @creativemamasunplugged
Apple Podcasts  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Spotify  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Amazon Music  @CreativeMamasUnplugged  
YouTube  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
iHeart Radio  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
Erilka’s Bio: 
I’m a seasoned fitness industry expert, coach, and producer with 20 years experience. A former professional dancer turned theatrical General Manager, I found my way to fitness in New York City, where I taught for fitness brands including Equinox, Reebok, SoulCycle, and Daily Burn.
As a Producer and Content Strategist, I’ve produced thousands of workouts, programs, and related content. I also consult with startup brands in the fitness and wellness space, helping them build and scale. 
As a Certified Menopause Coach Specialist, I’m passionate about helping women navigate the menopause journey with confidence and strength, so they can and make a powerful entrance into their next chapter.
No matter what side of the table I'm on, I remain driven by a passion for instilling connection and confidence through the power of movement.

Facials (0:00), we unpack auditions, casting heartbreak, and how teaching our kids to handle rejection with perspective builds long-term confidence and grit (3:44), teachers reframe rejection into purpose (9:35), mentorship and embracing the teacher within us all to give back (11:40).
WATCH ON YOUTUBE @ https://youtu.be/4A2kkZk299I
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Hosts: Cherice Barton and Shelly Hutchinson
Guest: Erika Shannon Hathaway
Producer: Jessica O’Keefe, Breatheasy Productions
 
Follow Erika:
All of Erika’s fab work can be found here at www.erikashannon.com
Instagram: @erikashannonmovement 
Erika’s News: I start a new cohort of MenoPoise on February 9th: https://www.erikashannon.com/menopoise
Socials everywhere (Insta, FB, TikTok: erikashannonmovement
 
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Podbean  @CreativeMamasUnplugged
 
Erilka’s Bio: 
I’m a seasoned fitness industry expert, coach, and producer with 20 years experience. A former professional dancer turned theatrical General Manager, I found my way to fitness in New York City, where I taught for fitness brands including Equinox, Reebok, SoulCycle, and Daily Burn.
As a Producer and Content Strategist, I’ve produced thousands of workouts, programs, and related content. I also consult with startup brands in the fitness and wellness space, helping them build and scale. 
As a Certified Menopause Coach Specialist, I’m passionate about helping women navigate the menopause journey with confidence and strength, so they can and make a powerful entrance into their next chapter.
No matter what side of the table I'm on, I remain driven by a passion for instilling connection and confidence through the power of movement.