MILK Podcast: The Loss Season, Episode 7: The Magic of The Moth, Storytelling about Life and Death, and an Office Filled with Moms with Artistic Director Catherine Burns

Catherine Burns is in the MILK Studio with Mallory. As The Moth's longtime Artistic Director, Catherine is a producer and frequent host of their Peabody Award ­winning "The Moth Radio Hour," and the editor of "Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible" (Crown Archetype); The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hachette) and All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown. Catherine has directed theater, produced television and independent films, interviewing such diverse talent as Ozzy Osbourne, Martha Stewart and Howard Stern. Born and raised in Alabama, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and young son.

Photo credit: Aly Nicklaus

A semi­-accomplished fire performer (!!!) she also directed the New York City portion of the Burning Man Festival's Fire Conclave for three years, coordinating a 70­-person fire show performed in front of 50,000 people. Catherine and Mallory talk about the magic of live storytelling, how to hold space for our loved ones through narrative, and how her job listening to stories is a gift.

Catherine shared some memorable stories about loss from The Moth:

The House of Mourning, by Kate Braestrup

Love and Loss on Valentine's Day, by Autumn Spencer

Forgiveness, by Hector Black

Inside Jokes, by Ophira Eisenberg

Stumbling in the Dark, by John Turturro

A Kind of Wisdom and Lost, by Ellie Lee

Episode 33: Don’t Keep Your Day Job, Radical Empathy and Authenticity with Podcast Host and Songwriter Cathy Heller

Songwriter and Podcast Host Cathy Heller joins Mallory in The MILK Studio. Cathy’s passion is helping others to realize their passions, and her podcast “Don’t Keep Your Day Job,” is hugely popular. Each week, Cathy interviews guests like Jonathan Adler, Bobbi Brown, Jenna Fischer and other creative powerhouses, who share their successes and how they arrived where they are, inspiring her listeners to make money doing what they love.

Cathy is a songwriter, and started out pitching her own music in the film and television world. She has licensed her songs over hundreds of times to to film, television and commercials, and has been featured in Billboard, LA Weekly, and Variety. She went on to start her own licensing company, Catch The Moon Music and helps represents other songwriters as well. With the “Don’t Keep Your Day Job” podcast and on-line community she has created,Cathy acts as mentor, coach, and friend to her listeners. We talk multi-tasking mamas, marriage, authenticity, guilt, expectations and making others feel valued. Cathy lives in Los Angeles with her family, where she gets to write songs outside on her guitar! Find her at www.CathyHeller.com