The Pursuit of Perfectness

This episode we break down our second season, guest by guest and episode by episode, and try to see if we managed to take any lessons away. Join us (Ellen and Dennis, natch) as we wax nostalgic about a truly fun and rewarding sophomore season. We made friends. We influenced people. We talked about tightening […]

This week we talk to the wonderful Malcolm Pradia, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W. Malcolm is a licensed independent clinical social worker offering outpatient psychotherapy in Western Massachusetts. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member and clinical supervisor to graduate social work students. Malcolm’s clinical practice and teaching focuses on the importance of connection and the healing […]

This week we talk to Ian Chillag, creator and host of the hilarious and beautiful podcast Everything is Alive. Ian talks with us about some of the defense mechanisms we use to protect ourselves and seeing the kindness behind harsh criticism (aka the vanity of niceness). He also gives us a peek into an audio […]

Folks, we’re not going to lie to you — this week’s guest is a GET. We welcome the wonderful Geri Cole to the PoP Pod studios! Geri is a four-time Emmy award winner (!!!), podcast host, and writer on the beloved children’s series Sesame Street (um…ever heard of it??). We talk about writing for Cookie […]

We’re back, and boy have we got a corker for you this week! The Perfectionists sit down with Dennis’s old mentor — New York Times bestselling cartoonist and teacher at the School of Visual Arts, Nick Bertozzi! They talk about learning to stay true to yourself as a professional artist, unlearning the habit of people […]

This week the Perfectionists (Ellen and Dennis) talk to stand-up comedian, filmmaker, producer, podcaster, actor, director, and New Yorker cartoonist Victor Varnado (who, he assures us, also wrote all the good parts of the bible). Our friend Victor is not only a multitalented, cross-medium, cross-platform artist and comedian, he’s also a successful entrepreneur/businessman who empowers […]

Strap on your headphones and get ready for this “movie for your ears”—this week we’ve got Jonathan Mitchell, creator and producer of one of our favorite podcasts, The Truth, which just celebrated its tenth year. We get into Jonathan’s history in public radio and the early days of podcasting, experimental electronic music, the process of […]

This week we welcome our BFF Jamie Rivera to the pod! Jamie’s a performer and teacher at Magnet Theater, as well as an amateur toy photographer. What’s amateur toy photography? Give this episode a listen and find out! We discuss the challenge of embracing hobbies deemed “juvenile,” the perfect way to receive a compliment, and learning to love the burn of […]

This week improviser, storyteller, and writer Rob Penty talks perfectionism and how it’s really about minimizing risk. Then, Rob and the Perfectionists somehow do a “sober drunk history” on psychological experiments. If you’re looking for a fun convo about hypochondria, OCD, Catholicism, and mindfulness meditation, you’ve come to the right place. Folks, if this one […]

We’re back, baby!!! Join us as we kick off Season 2 with our friends Jessica and Richard, hosts of our sister podcast “Made Up Talk Show” (also on the Let’s Hear It Network). We discuss the journey of starting a podcast from scratch and how to deal with the successes and failures along the way. We also […]

Hold on to your hats, folks—it’s a crossover! This week, as a special BONUS, the PoP Pod crew is thrilled to present this episode of Made Up Talk Show, guest starring our very own Ellen Matthews and Dennis Pacheco! Made Up Talk Show is a comedy improv podcast on the Let’s Hear It Network (the […]

What was it all about? Dennis and Ellen take a fond look back at Season 1 episode by episode and prepare to come roaring back in just three little weeks for an even bigger Season 2. Join us, won’t you?

This week the wonderful Amanda Rothman joins Ellen and Dennis to talk drama therapy, our need to take care of others (including, sometimes, our therapists), and how shame is a driving force behind perfectionism. They also go off on a tangent about The Matrix for … way? … too long? Is this officially a kung […]

Actor, improviser, and founder of Rubbish Comedy Collective Xave Padin joins the Perfectionists (Ellen and Dennis) to talk about the gift (and curse) of word-perfect script memorization and what it took to create a new comedy collective founded on equity, representation, and integrity. All that, plus Xave gives Ellen and Dennis the gift of a […]

The Perfectionists (Ellen and Dennis) get their very first live-in-the-studio guest, and what a get she is! Robyn Chapman is the editor of American Cult, a comics anthology about religious cults in America. She talks with Dennis and Ellen about the importance of self-compassion and how Kristin Neff’s book Self-Compassion helped her get through a […]

Abby Russell is a content producer in the video game industry. The perfectionists (Ellen and Dennis, natch) have a delightful chat with Abby about Twitch streaming, comedy writing, and the high stakes (low stakes) world of improv. You can find Find Abby on Twitch, Twitter, and Instagram. Her handle is @ybbaaabby on all the things.

This week the Perfectionists (I’ve decided that’s what Ellen and Dennis are called–it’s canon now) welcome motion graphics designer and storyteller Jenny Bee to the studio to talk about mental health in art. We get into how school and work cultures wrongly glorify sacrificing our bodies to get ahead. Mentioned in this episode: Kelly McGonigal’s […]

Health writer and wonderful human Hannah Chase gabs with the perfectionists (aka Ellen and Dennis) about being a perfect patient, advocating for yourself, and people pleasing–and we learn what a mustache does for your resting neutral face. Check out our Instagram for more fun with mustaches and wigs! @pursuitofperfectness You can find Hannah’s writing at […]

Ellen and Dennis have their first guest, and it’s–spoiler alert–Ellen’s brother! Greg Matthews is a data scientist and visual artist, an improviser, a fledgling standup, and a father. He talks about which of these things fill him with anxiety and how he copes, plus he shares some cool data art. You can find Greg’s art […]

In this inaugural episode, Ellen and Dennis introduce the concept of perfectionism and the specific shapes it tends to take in their lives and in the broader culture. They also talk about what the show is, what the show isn’t, and what’s coming up in the first season.