Saturday, March 6, 2021

On the Beat With Laura Schein of What the Func?!

A few months ago when I was researching Zooming the Movies, a story I wrote for Global Traveler, their Seinfeld episode really caught my attention. While I enjoyed the work of Kevin Pollack and all the others, I felt Laura Schein stole the show as Elaine. Laura's performance stayed true to the Elaine character, while still making it her own. She was also kind enough to give a quote for that story.

When I finished that story, I started researching Laura and I learned she had quite a resume. A Chicago native, Laura has appeared on several television shows on Showtime, ABC, CBS, Amazon and SyFy. She co-created an improvised series for Funny Or Die, receiving an LA WebFest "Outstanding Lead Actress" nomination. She has also appeared in indie films.

Laura also co-created and starred in the musical Emojiland. The musical features characters based on emojis as they live life within a phone. As whimsical as that sounds, Emojiland deals with gender identity, depression, xenophobia and other issues with intelligence, compassion and humor. This really caught my attention.

Further delving into Laura's world, I discovered What the Func?!, a podcast she co-hosts with Clayton Farris. The pair focus on functional medicine through conversations with experts and each other. The podcast is definitely taken seriously, but they also sprinkle in plenty of light-hearted banter. You'll laugh and learn from What the Fun?! I have become a regular listener.

Earlier this week, I wrote More Podcast Pleasures for Global Traveler, a story a sequel to my first listing of podcasts I enjoy. I knew I would include What the Func?!, but I also knew I wanted to interview Laura about the podcast (and whatever else I could squeeze in without taking up too much of her time.

Laura was gracious enough to give me an interview and I had an absolute blast doing it. I found Laura to be delightful. She talked about her career path, Emojiland, functional medicine in general and What the Func?!

I really enjoyed learning about Laura and her projects. I sincerely hope to see Emojiland when things return to normal. Until then, I will be following Laura and Clayton as they continue to delve into the world of functional medicine.

I thank Laura for her time and consideration. I hope to interview Laura and Clayton sometime in the future. and I will be first in line when their What the Func?! merchandise is produced.

For more info on Laura, go to TheLilLaura.com. Also, check out Emojiland.com. Look for What the Func?! on all major podcast platforms.

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