Minnesota Minds: Cultivating Creativity
by Rachel Lauer and Aleisha Theisen
Latest episode
Art as Resistance in Minneapolis 2026
Art as Resistance in Minneapolis 2026
About this podcast
Creatives Rachel Lauer & Aleisha Theisen bring you Minnesota’s coolest interdisciplinary artists with inspiring stories of their creative processes.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 21 episodes
- Art as Resistance in Minneapolis 2026 · 33 minRachel and Aleisha explore how artists in Minnesota are responding to the seismic social and political upheaval caused by Operation Metro Surge — the large-scale immigration…
- Season 2 wrap-up and a creative wellness challenge · 58 min · Season 2 Episode 8Minnesota Minds co-host Rachel Lauer interviews fellow co-host Aleisha Theisen about her wellness and creativity coaching for writers and other professionals. They also discuss…
- Ellie Palmer on processing her diagnosis through writing a cozy rom-com · 50 min · Season 2 Episode 7We sit down with Ellie Palmer, who wrote the romantic comedy novel she was looking for when she was diagnosed as a BRCA1 gene mutation carrier. As she recovered from a…
- Jewelry designer and entrepreneur Larissa Loden on taking the leap and following your creative passions · 59 min · Season 2 Episode 6Minnesota jewelry designer Larissa Loden seems to thrive when she has multiple creative endeavors going at once. Her self-titled business has stores in St. Paul and the Mall of…
- Victor Yepez on making art accessible for everyone · 55 min · Season 2 Episode 5Minneapolis-based artist Victor Yepez began his career in Quito, Ecuador, where he attended college and quickly found an eager audience for his found-art sculptures, vivid…
- Novelist and poet Patrick Hicks on finding literary inspiration at home and abroad · 1 h 2 min · Season 2 Episode 4Born in Stillwater, MN, novelist, poet, and professor Patrick Hicks' life and work have taken him across the globe. He has written more than 10 books, including three historical…
- Night sky and nature photographer Travis Novitsky on creating images that inspire · 1 h 1 min · Season 2 Episode 3A proud citizen and lifelong resident of the Grand Portage Anishinaabe Nation in northeast Minnesota, Travis Novitsky has been photographing the woods, waters, and night sky of…
- Maddy Siriouthay on spreading sex positivity one good vibe at a time · 1 h 4 min · Season 2 Episode 2Minnesota native Maddy Siriouthay is using her design and technology skills to spread sex positivity in a world that often pushes back against it. She takes us through her start…
- Ben Katzner on keeping it funny in multiple formats · 1 h 0 min · Season 2 Episode 1Welcome to season two of Minnesota Minds: Cultivating Creativity! Our first guest of the season is the hilarious Ben Katzner. Ben shares his story of starting his standup comedy…
- Season 1 finale: Reflections · 33 min · Season 1 Episode 11This season flew by! We're so grateful to our guests and listeners for making this a super fun and rewarding experience. In the season one wrap-up, we discuss what it was like to…
- Belen Rodriguez of Quebracho shares her family's story through business branding · 44 min · Season 1 Episode 11Belen Rodriguez has a rich community here in Minnesota, but when she first moved from Argentina to Minnesota, she found herself homesick and missing the long-standing tradition…
- Studio artist Anna Segner on humans' relationships with animals in art and life · 1 h 2 min · Season 1 Episode 10Minnesota native Anna Segner's art is at once whimsical, intriguing, and thought-provoking. She's a studio artist focused on painting, mixed media, and assemblage. Her work pulls…
- Certified sommelier Emily Anderson on the future of the wine industry · 54 min · Season 1 Episode 9From working with wine sellers in Minnesota to vineyards in Napa, certified sommelier Emily Anderson has seen the ins and outs of the wine industry from many angles. She loves…
- Marianne Manzler on the power of creating a personal record · 52 min · Season 1 Episode 8Through her journal entries and personal essays, Minneapolis writer, editor, and Loft Literary Center educator Marianne Manzler is building a body of work around her experience…
- Musician Dave Berg on seizing the moment in art and life · 1 h 5 min · Season 1 Episode 7If you've been to a major theater production, opera, or ballet in Minneapolis or St. Paul, chances are you've heard string bass and Hammond keyboard player Dave Berg in his…
- Meditation creator Kelly Smith on how her new book has helped her heal · 1 h 6 min · Season 1 Episode 6Kelly Smith is the founder of Yoga For You and the host of the chart-topping Mindful in Minutes podcast where she provides guided meditations in her soul-soothing voice. She also…
- Marbling artist Heather RJ Fletcher on color and trend forecasting, book arts, and more · 1 h 1 min · Season 1 Episode 5Heather RJ Fletcher always wanted to be an artist. She found her joy as a marbling artist and now shares her skills at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts as well as her book…
- Amy Thielen on her new cookbook, "Company," and the art of hosting dinner parties · 54 min · Season 1 Episode 4Amy Thielen is a Minnesota cook and a writer. She is the author of The New Midwestern Table, which won the James Beard Award for American Cooking, as well as a memoir, Give a…
- Ceramicist and printmaker Mariah Greenhoff on pushing boundaries and finding community in the visual arts · 1 h 6 min · Season 1 Episode 3Emerging Minnesota artist Mariah Greenhoff shares how she developed her distinct style as a printmaker and ceramic sculptor, and how her practice is influenced by both her love…
- YA author Nicole Kronzer on balancing her twin passions: teaching and writing · 1 h 1 min · Season 1 Episode 2Nicole Kronzer is a Minnesota author and high school English teacher and a former professional actor. She wrote the young adult novels Unscripted (Minnesota Book Award Finalist)…
