A Winter Solstice Thank You

Happy winter solstice!!
Today, in honor of the season, we are taking a brief pause on The Peace of Persistence to say thank you for a truly transformative Fall season. In case you're wondering, that's our season 2 guest Tommy Wazelle and his adorable daughter Blanche singing you into a new winter season.

First and foremost, thank you to our amazing guests: Camille, Charity, Samba, Shannon, Tommy, Wendy, Mukund, Rachel, Louis, Brian, George, and Craig. Thank you for inviting us to share your stories, yourselves, and so many insights about authenticity, creativity, intuition, mindfulness, parenthood, humor, struggles, consciousness raising, racism, accepting  ourselves and others, breaking through ceilings, addiction, healing,  community, happiness, success, and believe it or not, so much more! I'm just so grateful to know these wonderful and inspiring people and to have the opportunity to introduce them to this beautiful audience. 

To that beautiful audience, if you've missed any of these episodes, now's the perfect time to surround yourself with these uplifting people while you're packing, traveling, preparing your Christmas feast, relaxing after Hanukkah, or just enjoying a winter break. Click on any of the names above that you missed, or find all of our episodes right here on www.peaceofpersistence.com, ITunes, YouTube, or wherever you find your podcasts.

Secondly, a huge thank you for our Patreon subscribers (Did you know you can help support the show?)! I'm so grateful for all of you, most recently for our newest subscriber, Mark Coats. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart for believing in and supporting the show. Because of you all, I can start to replace some of our broken equipment, starting in January with a new tripod and then saving up to replace our mics. One step at a time, you're helping us to keep this great, positive content going and helping us to continue to provide high quality interviews. You're my heroes.

If you're still listening to or watching our LITE versions, consider supporting our show by going to www.patreon.com/peaceofpersistence and becoming a subscriber. You can always set a monthly limit, and we appreciate all the support no matter the contribution level.

Thanks again for all of you who've enjoyed The Peace of Persistence, no matter how you find the show. Next season is going to be amazing! So far, we have Snoopy, an incredible voice-over artist, a playwright, an insanely talented actor and coach, a wedding photographer, and the founder of the world's first virtual sexual health clinic. I cannot wait to see what else this winter season will bring. 

Happy holidays, and we'll see you back on Thursday, December 28, for a fantastic interview with Judy Sladky, former competitive ice dancer, and actress of Snoopy and Alice Snuffleupagus!

Love,
Abigail Wright, host and founder of The Peace of Persistence

Tommy Wazelle (LITE) - Tenor, Dad, & Voice of "Pig" (Peg + Cat)

Lite version - for full, un-cut, ad-free access, visit http://patreon.com/peaceofpersistence.

Host Abigail Wright talks with Tommy Wazelle, tenor, dad, and the voice of Pig on the popular PBS Kids Show Peg+Cat about staying active, gratitude, accepting each other + more.

Tommy is the voice of Pig on the Emmy award-winning PBS Kids show Peg+Cat. He also has performed around the world as a tenor, performed in shows such as The Who's Tommy, Phantom of the Opera, Showboat, the Rothschilds, Ragtime, and more, and he has appeared in television, radio, recordings, and on an Italian cruise ship. Dedicated to the development of new works, he most notably performed as Paul in Paul's Case with American Opera Projects, a role that was specifically designed for his voice. He and his wife and two children live on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Show notes!
Tommy discusses his family's musical background, including his own musical background in shows and also playing trumpet as a kid.

Tommy talks about his experience with Peg+Cat! He was referred to their creators by the director of American Opera Projects. He loves it, and is excited that he never knows what Pig is going to do next. He discusses the process of getting the material, the liveliness of the character, and how Pig and Tommy both like to quietly observe the room.

Tommy's incredibly active, with his wife and children and in his own life. It started as a young age, with his mom as his soccer coach, he and his dad played baseball. He ran track, played basketball. He wishes his kids could just run around the yard, but they scoot with them, fly kites, take them to Super Soccer Stars, and he tries to play tennis in the summer. He works hard to stay active so that he feels good and not low in energy.

Tommy's always been happy and sees the benefit of gratitude for life and all that he has. On the other hand, he attributes a certain amount of discontent to helping him want to achieve more, adding to his overall contentment.

Tommy discusses his childhood, difficulties with being accepted when moving from place to place, and how he wishes the world could accept one another as they are without judgment.

Closing advice: Be kind to one another. Show some love! 

See and hear more about Tommy's wishes for his children, his battles with his ego, the important balance between contentment and discontent and more by visiting http://www.patreon.com/peaceofpersistence.

Find Tommy on Peg + Cat at http://pbskids.org/peg/ and at http://www.wazelle.com.