The Pillow Fort: Recent Episodes
Casey Abramson
Welcome to The Pillow Fort - a podcast where we tap into that raw, creative and explorative energy we all used to foster in our own pillow forts as kids. I’m Casey Abramson, and I’ve noticed adults often forget to dedicate time toward dreaming, creating, and human connection. But remember building pillow forts as kids? They were the perfect escape to fantasize about the future, make up stories, share secrets, and truly be anyone you wanted to be. With the help of some amazing guests, I hope this podcast can do just that.
In this episode I am remotely joined by Jocelyn Orante. Jocelyn is an artist, wellness expert (in my personal opinion), and she is also a dear friend of mine. I asked her a ton about her art and how creative outlets have helped her throughout quarantine, but we honestly talked about a whirlwind of other topics like living alone throughout quarantine, self care and healing, and even quarantine romances?! Gasp??! Jocelyn is fascinating and is just a really good person, I can’t hype her up enough, so I hope you enjoy!
JOCELYN'S COVID-19 & ART FUNDRAISING EFFORTS:
Jocelyn's art: https://society6.com/jocelynorante
For every dollar she makes per purchase, she will personally match it 100% and donate the proceeds to support the following orgs who are battling the COVID-19 crisis:
Heart to Heart International, a non-profit distributing urgently needed medical equipment and medication around the world.
World Central Kitchen, a non-profit delivering meals to children and families now that schools are closed. They are starting in NYC, and moving through DC, LA, and more to come.
GiveDirectly, a non-profit that will straight-up give cash to individuals who now no longer have an income due to the pandemic.
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In this episode I am remotely joined by Roger Romero. Roger is a musician and teacher in the Pittsburgh area, and we discuss the music industry, teaching, our mutual dislike of small talk, and much more. Roger is a super interesting and talented guy and he had a lot of unique takes to the questions I’ve been asking in these interviews, so I hope you learn something new or take something positive away from this. And overall, hope all of you that are listening are hanging in there and doing okay. These are unprecedented times, so please take care of yourselves if you can. And for any music industry folks listening, I’ve linked to some great resources below that are directly helping musicians during this time, so go check those out if you’re interested. Enjoy!
COVID-19 Emergency Funding and Artist Resources: https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2020/03/covid-19-emergency-funding-artist-resources/
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In this episode I am remotely joined by Dani Goldstein, who is a Marriage and Family therapist. She deals with couples, families, and individuals on a range of subjects, and we talked a lot about mental health and coping mechanisms during these unprecedented times. Just adding a disclaimer here that whatever Dani said in this interview is for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. But overall, I personally felt really grounded after this conversation and I hope you do too, and also Dani is just a really cool person and I’m glad I got to chat with her. Additionally, if you are in need of mental health services at this time, I hope you’ll check out the links below because Dani provided some great resources. Enjoy!
Follow The Pillow Fort on Instagram @thepillowfortpod
COVID-19 Stress and Coping:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprepare%2Fmanaging-stress-anxiety.html
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide:
https://www.nami.org/getattachment/About-NAMI/NAMI-News/2020/NAMI-Updates-on-the-Coronavirus/COVID-19-Updated-Guide-1.pdf
Getting Started With Mindfulness:
https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/
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In this episode I’m remotely joined by Abby Feldman. Abby is a standup comedian, actress, content creator, writer, and just an overall awesome human being. I brought her onto the podcast to learn more about how comedians are being affected right now by self isolation, but further than that Abby just has the most warming and calming presence that is consistently so comforting to me. We recorded this about 2 weeks ago so the world has definitely changed, but even while editing this I was just able to take a deep breath and benefit a lot from Abby’s deep connection to mindfulness and the world around her. Also, definitely make sure to check out Abby’s podcast, "hi babe", and her content on social @abbyfeldman. Hope you enjoy!
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In this episode I’m remotely joined by Tyler and Caitie, who are parents in the New York area. I brought the two of them onto the podcast to learn more about how parents are handling this crisis, and they were able to share a ton of thoughts and tips around, parenting, homeschooling, and overall just keeping sane and having fun while in self isolation. They also provided me with a ton of helpful resources that are linked below, so definitely make sure to check those out. They’re really wonderful people, and I hope they can put a smile on your face, SO, hope you enjoy!
Follow the podcast on Instagram @thepillowfortpod
Resources from Tyler and Caitie:
- This link is like a master link for all free educational websites from my Mom Group on FB
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fceqmG0nYAI8uGm5Uv_Ilv5PI72b8iTmGdKag3elrDY/edit?fbclid=IwAR0UCEqdh6ZCM-_-zuJBZUgJzmXisAUhNMeNgSkB-hioJh6Ro3561HnzIxE
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And education.com they have Independent Study Packets per week per grade as well as a ton of worksheets
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Wiggle breaks: https://family.gonoodle.com/
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Our creative science from this past break: https://onelittleproject.com/shaving-cream-rain-clouds/ and https://funlearningforkids.com/rainbow-walking-water-science-experiment-kids/
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Music: https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/
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Gym
Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga
Avengers Workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyWyBern6q4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR02FDjV1Xup9X7938O2y4cJeQjHD1kfl53JKu-agNuNhxLyAcHvb51_Qkc
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In this episode I’m remotely joined by Danielle Cornell. She’s a pre-k teacher, actress, and she’s 6 months pregnant! And, to top it off, she’s also my boyfriends sister (insert emoji). I brought Danielle onto the podcast to find out more about how pregnant women are coping during this very stressful time, and it was also great that she could shed light on how schools and the acting community are affected by this pandemic as well. Otherwise, we talked about anxiety, mindfulness, and other things that are grounding us during self isolation. This episode was recorded a little over a week ago so the world has definitely changed, but the way that we’re coping has pretty much stayed the same. Hope you’re all taking care of yourselves and I hope you enjoy!
Follow The Pillow Fort on Instagram @thepillowfortpod
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
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In this episode I’m remotely joined by Megan Foley. She’s a childhood friend of mine, and she’s a fifth grade teacher in the Philly area. We talk a lot about how her school district has been affected by this virus, how people can help students, teachers, and parents right now, and ways to personally cope with self isolation.
Music: Hansel Romero Artwork: Jocelyn Orante
Recommended resources from Megan for students, parents, and teachers: https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/ This is a link for the San Diego Zoo! Here you can watch live camera action of animals and read about animals at this zoo! https://www.highlightskids.com/ On Highlight Kids, there are games, science explorations, activities, jokes, and more! https://www.brainpop.com/ Brain Pop is now allowing free access due to school closures. You can explore a variety of subjects here, including health, science, math, social studies and more! https://www.nga.gov/education/kids.html On the National Gallery of Art page, entertaining art and art history explorations are provided! https://www.funbrain.com/ On Fun Brain, there are games, math practice, books to read and more! https://www.timeout.com/usa/news/tour-these-u-s-museums-from-the-comfort-of-your-couch-031620?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&cid=%7Enewyork%7Enatsoc%7Efacebook%7Eechobox&fbclid=IwAR1nLcSQIr6TAGzKN-ErFF6Fdu0kcF1y4FdQY7vQ15hzQ3JRSEOo72OcOqw#Echobox=1584393516 From this link, you have the opportunity to choose a variety of art museums around from the country to explore! https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html On Scholastic there is SO much to explore!!! https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ Explore geography and animals through National Geographic for Kids!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
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Hey everyone! It’s Casey, and I’m currently stuck in self isolation like many of you listening. So, I wanted to take a break from regular Pillow Fort recordings and do something a bit different. While there is a ton fear and chaos circling around right now, I really just wanted take a moment to acknowledge and share people’s unique stories and challenges from self isolation. So, with that, welcome to The Quarantine Forts, a limited series that will do just that.
Part 1 - In this episode I’m remotely joined by Rhys and Matt, who are celebrity personal fitness trainers at the famous New York and LA gym, Dogpound. We talked all things health and wellness, and how the fitness industry is adjusting to a digital world during this pandemic. Overall, these guys helped me realize just how important it is to take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health during this crazy time, and not just through fitness, but through hobbies, relationships, and more. Hope you enjoy these goofballs just as much as I do!
Follow Rhys and Matt on Instagram, @rjathayde and @matttralli5
Music: Hansel Romero
Artwork: Jocelyn Orante
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thepillowfortpod/message
In this episode I am joined by the wonderful and brilliant Emma Sherry. Emma is truly one of the most intelligent and well rounded individuals I’ve ever met, and I had such a great time getting to sit down with her and dive into her experiences with activism, social justice, law, creative endeavors, and much more. I’ve always learned a great deal from my friendship with Emma and I hope this episode teaches you a lot, and inspires you just as much as it inspired me. Enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
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In this episode I caught up with one of my oldest friends, Olivia Whitehouse. We go all the way back to pre-k days when her dad coached our soccer team, and this girl has truly been with me through thick and thin. We had a really interesting and open conversation in this episode where we reflected on growing up together, and we also discussed Olivia’s recent acting success as she actually just finished her first US tour with Nick Jr. live! She’s crazy talented, and overall just a wonderful human being, and I hope you enjoy hearing more about our drama filled pasts, how we made each other cry a ton in high school, and how Olivia found her confidence and is the gorgeous woman she is today, inside and out.
For behind the scenes content and fun childhood pics, follow the fort on Instagram @thepillowfortpod!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
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Welcome to the first episode of The Pillow Fort! In this episode I sit down with the amazing, wonderful, incredible (the list goes on) Leigh Abramson. She's a grad student studying speech pathology, she is wildly hilarious, and she happens to be my twin sister! We cover so many different topics in this episode like how it was to grow up as twins, unique college experiences, religious identities, and so much more. Growing up as a twin specifically was an amazing experience filled with wonderful memories, but also very interesting challenges, and it was really cool to actually dive into everything together and compare our experiences. We learned a ton, had some hard conversations, but overall I think this episode shows just how amazing Leigh is, and how lucky I feel to have a twin sister. I hope you love and enjoy Leigh and this episode just as much as I do!
Follow the show @thepillowfortpod on Instagram!
This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thepillowfortpod/message