Serena gets in the booth for cocktails with speaker, author, kindness advocate, and owner of maybe the world’s best brows Houston Kraft to discuss why being kind isn’t as easy as it seems, ways to mitigate our record levels of anxiety, how to give - and receive - a killer compliment, and what happens when the kindness guy has a bad day in this intimate, insight-filled interview.
On the Table is shot live from a banquette at Zinqué restaurant in sunny Venice, California and features conversations about the messiness of being human.
0:00 | Serena Intro: Releasing Self Doubt and Pursuing Dreams
2:37 | Houston Intro
4:07 | Houston Interview
57:35 | Am I Doing it Right Segment
Books, quotes, and other things referenced in this interview:
Deep Kindness, by Houston Kraft | amzn.to/3HSl9ri
Ram Dass, “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” | www.ramdass.org/ram-dass-quotes/
+ a Ram audiobook I love | amzn.to/48WES4P
Brene Brown on compassion and boundaries - From Atlas of the Heart book | amzn.to/48HEfff
+ article | brenebrown.com/art/atlas-of-t...
John Addison, “We’re not human beings, we’re human becomings” | johnaddisonleadership.com/abo...
Will Durant, “We are what we repeatedly do” - From The Story of Philosophy book | amzn.to/3vpcTfC
Brene Brown, “Clear is kind” - From Dare to Lead book | amzn.to/3NOww7b
+ article | brenebrown.com/articles/2018/...
Amanda Nguyen | www.amanda.website/
+ Redefining Feminism MasterClass | • Redefining Feminism wi...
Martin Luther King Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable web of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny” - from multiple sermons and letters and “Why We Can’t Wait” book | amzn.to/47kWgPd
*Note: The Amazon links are affiliate. If you use them to make a purchase, I get a tiny commission at no cost to you, and you're essentially a patron of the show. Win-win.
Houston Kraft
Instagram: @houstonkraft
Website: characterstrong.com
Serena Smith
Instagram: @serenasmith__ + @onthetablewithserena
Website: serenasmith.co
Our killer crew
Director/DP/host husband: Ian Smith
Cam op/gaffer/grip/BTS photog: Luke Dejoras
Producer: Max Ostrove
Audio: Thomas Snodgrass
PA: Thomas Robinett
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About the host
Serena Smith is a host, producer, writer, and dancer who has interviewed GOATs like Gloria Steinem, Pharrell Williams, Misty Copeland, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Gabriela Cámara, alongside too many friends and strangers to count. A four-time Emmy nominee, she was formerly Supervising Creative Producer at MasterClass - where she directed series spanning from food to feminism and won a James Beard Award - and Senior Producer at Larry King Now, which included writing the host’s questions and interviewing guests. She got her start in the industry working for Oprah Winfrey, was a restaurant critic in Chicago, and during one college winter break played a fairy princess who granted children wishes. It was magnificent.
Raised in Montreal, Vancouver, and Chicago, Serena graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism with a minor in psychology and an incorrigible curiosity about the human condition. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, ‘On the Table’ director Ian Smith, and their remarkable community of friends. If you need her, chances are she’s onstage at Stud Country.
#onthetablewithserena #houstonkraft #kindness #compliments #expertadvice #venicebeach