I had the pleasure of connecting with Felicia and Nancy when they asked me to be a guest on their brand new podcast “MT Nesters.” ( Listen here) Just like us, they are smart, with it, and most importantly they have a great collective sense of humor.
MT Nester’s goal is to be informative and helpful for those of us trying to navigate these later in life tumultuous seas . Make sure to listen to their podcast and show them some love.
Ok girls, the basics, how you are you and where do you live?
Felicia Madison Age not relevant, but I’m 54
Nancy Tepper, Age 53
We both live in Manhattan
Give us an overview of your respective career paths.
Felicia- I started doing comedy three and a half years ago through a class at Manhattan Comedy School. After finishing that boot camp comedy class, I created a lunch time comedy show, entitled “Laughercise—Come Laugh Your Ass Off.” From this, I launched my company Laughing Affairs which produces charity, corporate and private events. In addition, I am the new talent director at the West Side Comedy Club and curate and cultivate up and coming comedians and showcase their talent at my F Comedy shows twice a month. In addition, I wrote, directed and produced a one woman show called the Miserable Mrs. Madison which was featured at the New York Fringe Festival.
Nancy- I am a Life Coach and work with different individuals to help them find their goals, passion and purpose in their lives. In addition to coaching, I am also the Executive Director of a non-profit organization called Stand Up! Girls. This organization offers stand-up comedy classes to teen girls in underserved communities throughout the five boroughs of New York.
Tell us about what you are doing now.
We are launching a podcast called MT Nesters..M for Madison ,T for Tepper—#Meant to Be. Friends since college, we have navigated many life changes together successfully. We thought we would put our humor and empathy to use to help others ,who may be struggling or partying , through this next chapter. MT Nesters interviews entrepreneurs, influencers, experts and women just like us, providing interesting advice, suggestions and tips to guide our listeners through this exciting and crazy ride we call nesting.
You two have been friends since college. What’s your relationship like? What’s it like working together?
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, we moved to Manhattan together and have shared many, many life moments .We have been through thick and thin—celebrating marriages, births, birthdays and supporting each other through miscarriages, deaths and teenagers. We even ventured into comedy together at Manhattan Comedy School, and supported each other as we stepped onto stage for the first time.
After enjoying our time together in comedy, we were searching for a new project to work on together. After much brainstorming we decided on MT nesters… Nancy brings the empathy and I bring the comedy..It’s the perfect combination.
Like anything in life, working together has its challenges but nothing we can’t handle at this point in our lives. When you have a strong friendship, you learn how to move on very quickly because a disagreement is nothing in contrast to the foundation that has been built over the last 35 years.
Felicia, what’s it like being a women in comedy? How would you describe your comedic style?
I want to say this is the best time for a woman to be in comedy but I won’t..oops I did. Women now just want to be considered comedians and not be called out as a female comedian and I think we are pretty close. There are so many amazing strong female role models out there paving the way for all of us..Ali Wong, Amy Schumer, Whitney Cummings, to name just a few. My humor is very sarcastic and self-deprecating. I poke fun at marriage, kids and life in general in living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Nancy, how did you get into being a life coach? What does that mean exactly?
I decided to become a life coach because I wanted to offer insights, objective perspectives, and enthusiastic support to others in need. As a life coach, I work with clients to help them achieve their goals in order live a better, happier life. There is nothing more satisfying to me than helping others so this is a perfect career choice for me.
What do you guys hope to accomplish with MTNesters?
We hope to provide some relief to our listeners that they are not alone and offer them advice on how to live their best years as empty nesters. Our listeners, we hope, will feel like they are sitting down with a professional or expert and getting one on one advice, answers to questions and insight as if they were themselves sitting down to a cup of coffee with them.
How have you been able to focus on yourselves more as you venture into this Empty Nest phase?
We both have more time to put ourselves first and look inside to determine what makes us happy without worrying about what others think or need from us.
What has surprised you the most about being Empty Nesters?
We are surprised we still have to spend a lot of time dealing with our children. They have grown up and moved out of the house or are about to, but in many ways they need us and rely on us more than ever. The relationship has changed but in many ways the bond has become stronger. As Mark Twain’s famous quote tells us….When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.
Our kids now realize that we are actually smart so they actually rely on us now for our advice and wisdom.
What would you tell someone who is about to embark on this part of their lives?
Remember that this is the time to try new things. Don’t judge yourself. Learn from your mistakes but move forward. Have fun. Reinvent yourself if you want to and there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
What’s the best thing you’ve read lately?
What would Virginia Woolf do by Nina Lorez Collins – a fun, thoughtful and insightful journey into menopause and life. Most of the books I have read lately are comedy related so not so interesting for most I fear.
Nancy- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Who would play you in the movie of your life?
Felicia- Leslie Mann
Nancy-Katherine Heigl
What’s the last thing you bought online?
Felicia-Coconut oil..dont ask… seriously don’t get to shop much anymore so its usually just boring essentials like food and supplies.
Nancy-shoes, makeup, and hair products
What would you put on your menopause registry?
Felicia- sessions of Cool Sculpt
Nancy-Botox
Felicia- oh yes definitely Botox but that was pre-menopause also.
If you could have one superpower what would it be?
Felicia-To become young again.
Nancy- To stay in shape without ever exercising again.
If you had a warning label what would it say?
Felicia- This product contains a nut.
Nancy-Contains sugar but has some spice ,too
