Inclusive STAGES: Building Healthy Arts Spaces
Inclusive STAGES™ is the podcast for theater makers, creatives, and arts leaders who believe we can build a better industry—one brave, emotionally intelligent, and trauma-informed space at a time. Hosted by Kira Troilo, founder of Art & Soul Consulting, each episode explores what it really takes to create inclusive, healthy creative environments in today’s rapidly changing performing arts landscape.
Whether you're a theater artist, an arts administrator, an educator, a creative leader, or a producer, this show will help you answer big questions like:
What is inclusive leadership in the arts, and how do I practice it?
How can performing arts organizations promote diversity and inclusion?
What does “representation matters” mean in theater and beyond?
How can venues make performances more accessible?
What tools do I need to lead with care—and still make bold, brilliant work?
Through honest conversations, industry insights, and practical tools, Inclusive STAGES™ empowers you to reduce burnout, dismantle harmful norms, and build the kinds of creative spaces where everyone can thrive.
New episodes every week. Follow now and join the movement toward healthier, more sustainable arts spaces.
Inclusive STAGES: Building Healthy Arts Spaces
What Are Emotionally Intelligent Creative Spaces? with Zena Collins
Most artists are experts at expressing emotions, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been taught how to navigate them offstage.
What does it really mean to build emotionally intelligent spaces in the arts?
Zena Collins, one-third of the Inclusive STAGES team, joins me to unpack emotional intelligence as a powerful tool for creative leaders. We discuss how emotions function as data, why most of us aren’t as self-aware as we think, and how assessments like the MSCEIT can reveal surprising insights into how we present ourselves in our work.
From navigating hypervigilance and burnout to rewriting the stories we tell ourselves, this episode is full of practical takeaways and powerful reflections on what it takes to lead with empathy, clarity, and courage.
Enjoy the conversation, friends!
Check out the show notes and resources mentioned at
Connect with Kira:
@kiratroilo
@artandsoulconsulting
@inclusivestages
"'Black Hair'" Is Hair: An Entertainment Industry Guide
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Thanks to our music composer, Zachary McConnell, and our producer, Leah Bryant.