Emmy-winning casting director Cathy Reinking pulls back the curtain on what really happens in the audition room and reveals the unexpected career path that took her from NBC's casting offices to coaching actors on creating their own breakthrough opportunities.
Drawing from her decades casting iconic shows like "Frasier," "The Office," and "Arrested Development," Cathy shares the intimate details of how actors were discovered in the pre-self-tape era. She vividly describes the electric atmosphere of in-person auditions at Paramount Studios, where she would personally direct actors before bringing the most promising candidates to face network executives. Her insights illuminate why authenticity consistently trumps technique, explaining that casting directors aren't looking for "characters" but for real people comfortable bringing their full humanity—flaws included—to every role.
The conversation takes unexpected turns as Cathy reveals the personal and professional pivots that shaped her journey, including a battle with cancer that transformed her perspective on life and career. After navigating the highest echelons of network television, Cathy now channels her expertise into helping actors take control of their careers through storytelling and live performance. She makes a compelling case for why actors should create their own content, noting that industry icons from Whoopi Goldberg to Phoebe Waller-Bridge launched their careers through self-created one-person shows.
With warmth and candor, Cathy defines confidence not as fearlessness but as moving forward despite fear—a philosophy that's guided her through countless bold moves. Her story reminds us that the entertainment industry rewards those brave enough to show up authentically, both on stage and in life. Whether you're an aspiring actor or someone navigating your own career transitions, Cathy's journey offers wisdom on embracing vulnerability, silencing your inner critic, and finding the courage to create your own spotlight.
Ready to take charge of your creative journey? Follow Cathy @cathycasting on Instagram to learn about her workshops and upcoming "In My Shoes" storytelling show, where performers share their authentic stories on stage.
For more information on Cathy Reinking:
Pick up Cathy's book on Amazon: How To Book Acting Jobs 3.0
Tickets to see In My Shoes on September 18, 2025 at 8 PM in ATL
New episodes every week — packed with honest conversations, mindset tools, and real-life shortcuts to help you silence your inner critic, build true confidence, and take bold action.
📌 Subscribe + share if you're ready to stop overthinking and finally move forward.
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✨ Grab your free Confidence Kickstart Guide.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Confidence Shortcut, the podcast
for ambitious creatives andentrepreneurs who are ready to
stop overthinking, take boldaction and finally step into the
life they've been dreamingabout.
I'm your host, nikki Sterner.
Mom, actor, comedian andproducer.
After years of playing smalland waiting to feel ready, I
went on a courage quest andfound a shortcut to confidence.
(00:21):
Each week, I'll bring you realstories, simple steps and
conversations with experts inmindset courage and confidence,
plus heart-to-hearts with fellowcreatives who are turning their
dreams into reality.
It's time to get unstuck andstart showing up.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the ConfidenceShortcut.
I'm your host, nikki Sterner.
Today's guest is Kathy Reinking.
(00:44):
Kathy is a casting director,writer and coach who has spent
three decades helping actorsshine on network television,
including NBC, cbs, the CW, fox,abc and Netflix.
She was the manager of castingat NBC, where she oversaw the
casting of the pilot of theOffice and worked on several
(01:05):
Emmy-winning comedy shows likeFrasier, arrested Development
and the Office.
Kathy is also the author of howto Book Acting Jobs 3.0, an
inside look at what it's reallylike to book network television
shows from the castingperspective.
With insider tips from anEmmy-winning casting director,
Kathy shares how actors can makea living at acting.
(01:25):
The book looks at how to dothat, what it takes, what actors
should be doing and what theyshould avoid.
Since the first edition in 2006, Kathy has updated the book
three times, reflecting theever-evolving industry.
These days, she's all aboutstorytelling, teaching and
championing actors who dare tobe real.
(01:45):
Please welcome to the show,kathy Reinking.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Hello, wow, wow.
Who's that?
Who did you just talk about Was?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
that me.
You are amazing.
I just have to tell everybody,kathy and I met in stand-up
comedy class about three yearsago yeah, wow, wow.
Up comedy class about threeyears ago yeah, wow, wow.
And when I sat down, I had justfound you online and I was
blown away by your videos.
Back then, just oh my gosh,this woman has so much
information that she sowillingly shares, so generous,
(02:15):
and if you're not following heron Instagram, please go follow
her right now.
It's what is your Instagramhandle?
Oh, kathy casting.
So it's C.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
A T H Y-H-Y casting.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yes, kathy casting and a lot of followers because
she just is so generous with herinformation, and so we did
comedy class together and then,I think it was like a year later
, I went and made my short filmand then I came to you when I
was ready to get on stage and weput together a pitch, for the
Alliance Theater has a program.
It's like a year long programand I think they had like over
(02:51):
30 projects that pitched thatyear.
Yeah, yeah, you helped me tolike start telling my stories,
which I was scared to do.
I was just really scared toshare and but it was something
that I knew that I wanted to do.
But it was like my desire andmy fear were just like butting
heads instead of them both toflow through.
And you like really pulled itout of me and got me to where I
started speaking on stage anddoing comedy and storytelling.
(03:13):
And you have your events in myshoes that I got to perform at a
couple different times, andyou've helped so many people do
this in a way that just feels Idon't want to say easy, but I
just it just feels doable,whereas if you don't know where
to start, I would send anyoneyour direction because you have
so much knowledge, you're sokindhearted and you're, but
(03:34):
you're just so good at knowingwhat actually lands on stage
versus.
You would tell me, like I don'treally need to know that, but
yes, this and how can we make itbetter, and enough about that.
But I just wanted to recognize,like, how you and I met and how
you've helped me on my journeyand the reason why I wanted to
bring you on the podcast.
So let's start now, though,with a quick snapshot Kathy,
(03:54):
tell us who you are, what you doand, especially, what you're
passionate about right now.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Okay, yes, my name is Kathy at Kathy Casting on.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Instagram.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
And I'm not on TikTok , so I've done so many things in
my life.
In fact, I was a theater majorand people think, what do you do
with a theater degree?
But I made a list of all thejobs I've had with that theater
degree.
So it's actually a really goodmajor, especially if you love
(04:24):
theater, film and TV, performing.
I think it's an incredibly goodmajor and also it's very
humanistic and you learn aboutpeople and you're good at
working with others.
What's wrong with a theaterdegree?
So, anyway, so I've been ableto parlay that into a lot of
different jobs in entertainmentand, like you said, I worked
(04:48):
decades in network television,but there were things that
happened in my life where Itransitioned from doing that and
now I'm coaching actors and myforte now is helping them create
their own content so they don'thave to wait for opportunities.
They create their ownopportunities.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Now you used to do the casting at all of the big
networks and you were in theroom with the actors back then.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yes, yes, I really am sad there's no more in-person
auditions, because my favoritepart of the job was not only
scouting for talent which I dida lot by going to see theater
and watching a lot of movies andTV but also bringing actors in
for auditions and directing themso they would better understand
(05:36):
the style of the show and Iwould tweak them a little bit so
that they would have the bestaudition.
That was in the pre-readsession.
So there was a pre-read sessionwhere actors would come in and
I would work with them and thenI would take the top choices
then to a producer session.
So we would literally and thiswas at Paramount Studios we
(05:58):
would literally take this groupof actors and bring them to the
next building, which was whereFrasier was, for instance.
So we would go to producersession and then we'd have the
producer session with theexecutive producer of the sitcom
.
What was that like?
Oh, it was insane.
I still can't believe.
(06:20):
My life was that I'd go andtake this group of actors and
then each actor would comeindividually and and take this
group of actors and then eachactor would come into
individually and I would readwith the actor and then they
would all go.
The actors would go back intothe waiting room and then the
executive producer would choosethe actor they liked best.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
So you would read the dialogue with them.
Oh yeah, oh my gosh, yeah, so Iwould.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, I was definitely performing.
It was funny because I wouldusually have to do, because
usually, like the co-star roles,especially on Frasier, they
were like the waiter or thebellhop or the restaurant owner,
because they went and haddinner a lot oh yeah, fancy
places.
So I would usually be doingFrasier and Giles lines.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Oh wow Wild.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
That's so wild.
Yeah, just explaining that toyou makes me realize, dang, that
was very unique, that's right,wow.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
So I miss the days of being able to audition people
in person.
That was really the best way ofgetting a job.
But now it's all self-tapes,and how are actors supposed to
know how to make a goodself-tape?
Speaker 1 (07:31):
So how many years did you do that in the room with
them?
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Like 20 years.
Oh my gosh, at least 20 years,no wonder you're so good at
working with actors.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
You did that so long?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, I did.
And every the roles it wasn'tjust Frasier I worked on.
I worked on, like I said,arrested Development.
I also worked on an hour dramacalled Nothing Sacred.
So I have worked on dramas Iworked on, According to Jim, I
worked on a sitcom called BabyBob, which you can look it up.
I really had a fun time workingon that show, but I worked on
(08:03):
and, oh, and also a sitcom withHarry Yamlin that was called
Movie Stars.
Oh my gosh, I forget about mostof the stuff I worked on
because there was a lot going on.
We used to in the castingoffice I worked in with Jeff
Greenberg.
We always worked on more thanone show.
So it was crazy.
(08:23):
What were your hours like?
Terrible, it was terrible.
We wouldn't need to get intothe office until 10, but we
would usually stay.
I don't even remember it was.
If I knew the hourly rate, if Icalculated the hourly rate I
got, I would probably bedisgusted.
It was probably like a dollaran hour because we worked really
(08:45):
long hours.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Wow, did you have your daughter at that point?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yes, I did, yes, I did.
And that's when I had to giveso much to that job that I felt
I wasn't being the best motherto her, because I just wasn't
home very much.
She was in daycare a lot, mymom would stay with her during
the day and finally she decidedto go live with her dad and
stepmom Because it was just, itwas not a good situation.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, for a mother and daughter.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, that was really tough, Although now my daughter
convinces me because I did feelguilty for many years.
She convinces me it made herreally independent.
Also, she has such a love oftheater and she's become a big
influencer in that theatercontainer now on TikTok.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
What is the TikTok handle?
It is theater is life Theateris life Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Write that down.
Got to check it out.
Wait, how do you spell theater?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
With it.
It's the British version, soit's the.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
R-E.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Okay, awesome.
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(10:06):
flight and overreaction toeveryday things.
It changed everything for me,helping me heal and return to
the creative life I love.
If this speaks to you, clickthe link in the caption.
It might be the answer you'relooking for.
Okay, so take me back to.
Did you ever have a low pointin your journey that you had to,
like make a shift?
Because I don't know if it waswith your daughter when you said
(10:29):
I had to shift there, or was itbefore you actually got into
the entertainment industry, intothe casting part of it?
How did you actually get intothose big offices?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yeah, I've had to.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
it feels like I've had to shift a lot in my life,
so tell me, after you graduatefrom college with your theater
degree, what did you do?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I was a waitress first and then I got a job at a
regional theater.
So I worked as a assistantstage manager at South Coast
Repertory in Southern Californiaand that was a dream job.
I love that job.
I had studied theater directionand stage management at college
, at UCLA, and I dream job wasto get an assistant stage
(11:11):
manager job at a regionaltheater and I loved working with
those actors and so many ofthose actors went on to be big
stars and it was.
I love theater and I love to beworking at a regional theater
and I wanted to have that jobprobably for the rest of my life
as a stage manager and I thinkthat really I wanted to
(11:32):
eventually be a stage manager onBroadway but that never
happened because I got marriedand had Kate and my husband at
the time did not like to live inCalifornia, so we moved to
Kansas what?
Speaker 1 (11:49):
yeah, so I had to really I had to pivot big time.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
What did?
Speaker 1 (11:54):
you do in Kansas.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I was directing plays , really.
Yeah, I was a stay-at-home mom,kate was a baby and I started
directing plays at the localtheater there oh what was that?
And then I wrote.
I started writing scripts too.
I started writing during thatperiod as well.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Do you still have those scripts?
I do, I do.
Have you produced any of them?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
I thought about it.
My favorite play would demand alot of money to produce.
There's a lot going on in it,so really so how long were you
in Kansas?
For three years.
And then something bad happenedand so I moved back to Los
Angeles with Kate, my daughter,and that's when I was getting
(12:37):
whatever job I could.
And so I worked at a realestate office as a manager at a
real estate office in LosAngeles.
And then I went to work for KiaMotors when they launched in
America.
So it was at the ground floorof Kia Motors and at the time
people made fun of those carsbecause they were like cheap
(13:00):
Korean cars.
Little did we know how that carwould become like top leader in
car manufacturing.
But I was in the marketingdepartment and I helped them
produce their dealer shows.
So I felt like I was doingtheater with no art.
So that's when I decided toquit that job.
(13:22):
I just quit it.
It was a great job, very goodbenefits, 401k, but instead I
gave all of that up and I wentto.
I changed and started castingfor TV and film and I had to
start as an intern.
So I went from making a lot ofmoney to getting paid like $100
(13:45):
a week as an intern.
Yeah, I had to take out a loan.
I had to take out a loan, abank loan that I figured.
I didn't go to grad school, sothis was my grad school, so I
yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
True, it was like on the job training, right?
Yeah, definitely yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
So I went and did it that way.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Where was that at Paramount?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
At Paramount.
Yeah, that's when I got intothe, into Jeff Greenberg's
office at Paramount and got intotop TV shows right from the
start, wow, yeah, I started as acasting assistant on big TV
shows Like Frasier was the mainone at the time.
Also, we were working on Wingsas well.
(14:28):
I don't know if too many peopleremember that show, but it was
a real fun show to be around.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
So how did you go from casting in LA to coaching
actors in Atlanta?
Give me the abbreviated like Idid this and then I did that.
And what did you learn alongthe way?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So between working for years on network television.
To how did I get where I am nowis a long journey that involved
getting really bad breastcancer, inflammatory breast
cancer and I didn't have anyinsurance at the time.
So it was a very arduousprocess to go through the LA
(15:09):
County hospital system tosurvive that.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Wow Was that when you were a casting director, you
went through all that?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
No, this was after, because I also moved to Denver.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It was in Denver.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Denver was because my daughter had gone to live with
her dad and stepmom and so shewas living in Denver.
So I decided to go live inDenver.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Tell me why you stopped working at Paramount so
my last job at Paramount NBC.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I was working in the offices of NBC and that year I
worked on a pilot for themcalled Hawaii, which was a cop
show set in Honolulu and it's alot like Hawaii Five-0.
But this was many years beforethe remake of Hawaii Five-0.
But it was a cop show inHonolulu and they decided when
(15:58):
they picked it up for seriesthey decided to send me to
Hawaii and I was going to do thecasting for basically the day
player roles in Hawaii becauseit would save them money if I
could find people that werelocal.
So I ended up living in Hawaiifor about seven months.
The show was not great and itgot canceled.
(16:21):
It wasn't even a full seasonand it premiered the same year
that Lost premiered and that wasalso shooting in Honolulu.
So there were these two hugeshows and the cast used to
mingle with each other and itwas quite a scene.
It was quite a scene.
And to live in Honolulu likethey put us up at the Ili Kai
(16:42):
Hotel for months and then theygave us a stipend to live there
and I lived like in thispenthouse oh my gosh,
overlooking Waikiki Crazy.
So you did that and you lovedit.
It was a very specialexperience, but then it got
canceled.
So that's when I decided youknow what?
I'm not going back to LA, I'mgoing to go directly to Denver
(17:04):
and I'm going to live there fora while to be closer to Kate.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Okay.
Did you have to cut ties withthe company?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
then I became an agent in Denver, so I was a
talent agent, okay, in.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Denver.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yes, okay, in Denver, interesting yes, so instead of
buying actors, I would have tosell actors, is how I put it.
I loved being a castingdirector because I could bring
people in and help them get jobs, but now I had to sell actors
and I'm not good at selling, soit wasn't a great job, but I did
(17:37):
that for a few years and thatwas that was interesting, and
that's when I got cancer, wasafter I was living in Denver and
that's when I got cancer.
And then that journey, just itwas very long and arduous, and I
actually have a book on Amazon.
Not only do I have an actingbook on Amazon, but I have a
book about going through cancertreatment with no health
(17:58):
insurance, and so that's onAmazon as well.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
A true Hollywood cancer story is what it's called
oh my goodness, yeah, how longwas the cancer journey?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Oh my gosh, it was probably 10, 15 years.
It was like I should not bealive right now.
Wow, it was really bad.
It was really bad.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
So how old was Kate when you went through that?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
She had just started college when I got first
diagnosed.
So that was.
It was a very volatile time forus, yeah.
And then we decided to moveback to LA because Kate failed
college because she was there asan engineer to follow in her
dad's footsteps but she hated it.
She didn't go to classes andshe's finally said she wanted to
(18:46):
be an actress.
So when your mom's a castingdirector and your daughter says
they want to be an actress, allI could say was great.
It's not like I was going to go.
Like you crazy person.
Yeah.
What makes you think you can bean actress?
I was say was great.
It's not like I was going to golike you crazy person.
Yeah.
What makes you think you can bean actress?
I was like great.
(19:06):
Then we need to move back to LAbecause you can't be an actress
in Denver.
You got to be where it's atright.
Yeah where it's at.
So we moved back to LA and thena bunch of stuff happened and
then eventually I decided to gointo casting and I realized I
had a really good contact, areally close friend of mine that
(19:28):
I met at Southwest Rep.
She went to college with JeffGreenberg, who was the casting
director of Cheers, and thenwent on to do Frasier.
So that's how I got into theFrasier casting office.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Why did you leave LA and why did you come to?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Portland.
How I got to Atlanta was I washired to cast a film in Atlanta.
It was an independent film andI'd been working with the writer
producer to help him with ascript and he just said why
don't you come to Atlanta so youcan cast the film?
And I didn't have a casting jobat the time and I just said
(19:58):
okay.
So I came to Atlanta and Ibasically just stayed because I
loved it so much.
From the start.
I was having in-personauditions for the film here in
Atlanta and it was unheard ofand it still is unheard of,
because I wanted to meet theactors in person Because Atlanta
(20:19):
had started the self-tapingtrend much before LA had.
It was already doing self-tapingtrend because a lot of stuff
was being shot in South Carolinaand North Carolina and so
actors were complaining becausethey would have to drive into
Atlanta for auditions.
So that's how self-tapingbasically started in the South.
(20:42):
But when I came to Atlanta Iwanted to do in-person auditions
and I tell you, the actors wereso happy to have in-person
auditions so I met.
It was a crash course indiscovering all the great talent
here in Atlanta and so I just Imet every actor and brought
them in for auditions and it wasa really beautiful experience
(21:06):
and decided again I wasn't goingto go back to LA.
I liked the quality of lifehere.
I loved all the actors.
I thought there was a greatacting pool here in Atlanta and,
like I said, just stayed andwill probably never move from
the city.
I love it a lot.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Confidence doesn't come first.
Action and habits do.
That's why I created theConfidence Kickstart Morning
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You'll get powerful journalprompts, a guided audio
meditation and my three-partconfidence shortcut system,
mindset Path and Action.
Three-part confident shortcutsystem, mindset path and action.
It's the exact routine I use toget up on stage and speak up.
(21:45):
No more shrinking or secondguessing the link's in the
caption.
Grab it now and build theconfidence to move forward every
single day.
Tell me about what you do withactors now.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
So what I do now?
So I stopped casting becausewhen you're working as a local
casting director here, the payis not good at all, like when I
worked on a Netflix seriescalled Insatiable.
I was the casting assistant onInsatiable.
I was making $250 a week and Ijust thought, yeah, and it was
(22:18):
also long hours.
So I just decided I'm going togo on my own and have an acting
studio, which is what I did, andI decided I wanted to just work
with advanced actors.
And that's when I came up withthe writing program for actors
to help them take control oftheir career and to create
content so that they can befound on a stage.
(22:40):
Because if you think about allthe actors you really admire,
they were found on a stage.
They weren't found byself-submitting on Actors Access
.
The primary reason for mywriting program is to help
actors book more jobs that pay.
And when you realize all theactors that you really admire,
(23:02):
they were all found on a stage.
And when you think of somebodylike Whoopi Goldberg she wrote
her own one-person show andthat's how she got famous.
John Laguizamo his one-personshow that's how he got famous.
And then we have the morerecent people like Phoebe
Waller-Bridge and Baby Reindeerwas a one person show that was
(23:23):
performing at the Fringe inEdinburgh.
So people don't realize thatit's easier to perform live with
your story than making a filmabout it, because films cost a
lot of money to make.
But if you're writing aone-person show, it's just you
writing the show and then.
So I guess that's when Istarted creating In my Shoes
(23:47):
stories.
So I created a platform soactors could perform their
one-person show, so it wouldn'tcost them any money except, of
course, taking the class, but soit would allow folks to write
their one person show and thengive them a stage to perform it
on.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
It's like when we took our stand up comedy class.
It was like we had aninstructor to help us create our
content, that we were going toshare our stories, our comedy.
You do the same thing in yourclasses, like you help ask us
questions that make us thinkabout things and what stories we
want to tell, and then you helpus shape it.
And then you give us a place toactually perform it, because,
(24:25):
like, you can write all day long, but until you actually get on
stage and perform it, thatreally puts you to the next
level.
And so you have people fly infrom all over the country to
perform it in my shoes and youhave a show, yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yeah, it's at the supermarket, atlanta, and folks
are coming from Chicago, newYork, and then I have a lot of
local talent, including you.
You will be in that show.
I'm very excited.
So much good local talent here.
Very excited about that still.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Yeah, and that's September 18th.
Yeah, 8 PM.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Yes, yes, yes, yeah, it's going to be amazing.
All the in my shoes stories.
It's always an amazing showbecause the audience just loves
hearing from real people abouttheir real stories and that's
how we can end such divisivenessin our communities is, once you
hear other people's stories,you realize, oh, I'm not so
(25:18):
different from them.
It brings people together inkind of an organic, beautiful
way.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Yeah, yeah, it really is.
I love attending and performingin the In my Shoes stories.
The shows are just.
You just really get to theheart of people Like you, just
open them up in a magical waythat they feel safe to share,
Because I think a lot of peoplewant to share but don't know how
to start or don't know if it'ssafe or not but to share their
true stories so yeah, providethat space, yeah, thanks, yeah,
(25:47):
I feel really good about thatand it creates this closeness
among artists.
It's just like a reallytight-knit community that you've
created yeah, yeah, I'm verygrateful.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
I also find that actors who perform live all the
time become better performers,so it even helps with their self
taping, because they're more intune with who they really are
and they're more able to showboth their dark and light
qualities, which is a good segueinto my whole idea of charisma
that casting directors arelooking for charismatic actors
(26:21):
that can show both dark andlight, because that's how human
beings are.
They're not.
One note Having a fully fleshedcharacter on a self tape is
really hard to do, but I findthat actors that perform live a
lot, they pretty much drop in alot easier.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
That's so true.
Ever since I started workingwith you back in January a year
and a half ago, I've progressedinto more and more in-person
stuff on stage with the comedy,and now I do the improv and
sketch at the alley stage andthen the funny bus really is
like a 90 minute show which isreally dropping in.
There's no hiding, and once youstop hiding and start showing
(27:00):
up in bigger and more differentways, you're right, you get
tired of putting up the mask tobe perfect and you're like I
don't have the energy to do thatanymore, I'm just going to be
me.
Yeah, and you're doingincredible things.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
I love what you're doing.
You just take life by the horns, I guess you would say, and
you're just doing it.
That's why you're the perfectperson to do this kind of
podcast thing, because you haveovercome confidence issues and a
lot of things to just hey, man,I'm here, I'm doing this, I'm
doing it.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I think the only way to get through the
barrier of having confidence isthrough action.
And sure, preparation is great,but at some point it becomes
paralyzing, where you're likeI'll never feel ready for this.
Just at the same time, you havethese dreams because they're
meant for you.
So you have to realize that,yeah, it's big, but so are you
and your actions can be bigger.
Like you can take those actionsand as long as you don't have
(27:56):
to be perfect and you can bereal, like you're saying, with
stepping on stage over and overagain and not being afraid to
fail and not being afraid for itto be messy, you can really
grow fast.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Yeah, you're living proof of that.
And talk about being courageous.
Artists have to be courageous.
So your program about beingmore courageous is really needed
, because you need an incredibleamount of courage to be
vulnerable and because the morevulnerable you are, the better
performer you are.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
the more you're going to speak to other people, the
more you're going to move otherpeople and you've probably seen
that as a casting director aswell Just the people who are
ready.
Just come in and they're fullythemselves.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I imagine yeah, they're fully themselves, but
they're not being, becausethere's no character in film and
TV.
It's really you in thatsituation, and so people want to
play a character.
But the people that are themost comfortable in their own
skin know who they are and putthemselves in the situation of
what the script is asking for.
Those are the actors that bookthose jobs.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
I bet you can just see it right away, like those
people versus yeah, yeah.
Is that hard to see the peoplethat aren't quite there yet?
Yeah, or do you just seepotential?
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Some people really shouldn't be in the acting
container.
They're just, they're notcomfortable in their own skin,
and I wanted to be a performerwhen I was young but I was never
comfortable in my own skin as achild, and so some people
really shouldn't be an actor andthat's why, yeah, they should
(29:27):
be doing something else inentertainment if they love it so
much.
But not everybody is really agood candidate to be an actor.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Yeah, yeah, there's a role for everybody right Within
the entertainment industry.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
There's so many different roles so many
different jobs you can do inentertainment.
You've tried a number of them.
I've tried everything reallyand standup too, like I stopped
doing standup because I justfeel like I was going up a lot
because I am 65 and I just feltI was too nervous.
So, even though I have done alot of performing and I am in
(30:03):
front of people a lot, but Istill have high anxiety.
Being in entertainment ingeneral is probably not great
for people with high anxiety,but most people in entertainment
have high anxieties.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Yeah, isn't it funny.
It's like what I was sayingwith the desire and the fear.
It's like-.
I feel like if that dream isthere, it really is meant for
you.
But it takes a lot of courage tofeel the fear and sit in that
feeling that you're talkingabout that discomfort we call it
the daily discomfort and justget like in it and know that
(30:37):
when you feel that you actuallytake action, instead of stopping
, it's like retraining yourbrain.
Oh, it's telling yourself adifferent story instead of I'm
so scared, it's okay.
Yeah, there it is.
I'm so scared, it's okay, yeah,there it is.
I'm ready.
I move before I feel ready.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
You can train yourself to know that this is
just energy.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
It's like you can do anything with it because it's
very powerful, as, like, thatnervous feeling is very powerful
and what you do with it andwhat you say about it is really
life-changing.
You can go this direction oryou can go this direction, and
it's up to you.
It really truly is the storythat you tell yourself.
But, like you're saying, yougot to put yourself on stage and
(31:14):
you got to do it, and that'sexposing yourself to that
feeling over and over again, andsome people may decide to go a
different way, but for thepeople who really truly want
that path, that is the wayexposing yourself over and over
again.
Repetition, yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Well, just like you say about being courageous, even
if you're scared, you have todo it anyway.
And I think that's how I'vemaneuvered from this very shy
introvert kid to just bustingthrough whatever was in my way I
introvert kid to just bustingthrough whatever was in my way.
But it was all self motivated.
It wasn't like my parents weresaying, hey, Kathy, you can do
(31:54):
whatever you want.
No, it was nothing like that.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
It was just like I busted.
I wanted to bust through it andI have been able to do that.
Yeah, you're a very powerfuldirector.
Like that is your role for sure.
Like you study so much theater,so many movies, so many TV
shows and you've been around theindustry for so long and good
acting, charisma and you knowwhat the executive producers
want to see.
So you're like the perfect as adirector and know how to work
with actors.
You've been an actor, you'vebeen in every role.
(32:22):
So you really are the perfectdirector to say this is what we
want to see and this is how youdo it.
And I think that's why you'reso good at that.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Thank you.
Yeah, yeah, it's been a longjourney and I am good at that.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah, and it's good to know.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
I will say that, not humbly, I am really good at
directing actors.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
You are excellent, and if anyone is wanting to step
on stage more, you are theperson to help them.
Excellent, and if anyone iswanting to step on stage more.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
You are the person to help them.
Thank you, yeah, yeah, and Ilove people growing by being on
stage.
It's the most beautiful thinglike for you how far you've come
.
That's how.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
I started really telling my story on stage.
Yeah, yeah, and people can workwith you on zoom right, and
then they just fly in for theperformance.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Yeah, I offer zooms.
Is it a monthly thing?
Yes, I offer a package of fourone hour sessions and it can be
done on Zoom or it can be donein person if you live in Atlanta
.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Thank you so much, Kathy.
I want to move into theconfidence quickfire round.
Are you ready for?
That, yeah, I have questions toeverybody who comes on as a
guest.
Yes, so here we go, okay, firstquestion is how do you define
confidence?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Being comfortable in your own skin and not having
insecurities take you down.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Yeah, Embracing the insecurities as an actor, even
as a performer, right.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Yeah.
Or maybe accepting that you'regoing to be scared, accepting
your faults and just doing it,because it's actually your
faults that make you reallyinteresting.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
It's so true your fault, your flaws, all the
quirks about you make you unique, and the reason why they would
book you right Is because you'redifferent.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Yeah, you're comfortable in your own skin,
even though you're scared.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
The second question is what's one bold move you made
before you felt ready?
Speaker 2 (34:10):
Oh, everything I've done.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Everything.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
I've done in my life has been a bunch of bold moves
from just an unexpected source.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You were trained for this life.
Yeah, it's like no.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
I'm going to do that.
I can't do that.
I'm doing that.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Oh so people told you you probably shouldn to do that
.
I can't do that.
I'm doing that, oh so peopletold you you probably shouldn't
do that or you can't do that.
Is that something that the wayyou were raised.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Yeah, like my mom was horrified that I wanted to be a
theater major.
She wanted me to do computerscience, but I have no aptitude
for computers.
That was not my thing.
I'm an artist.
I wanted to be doing theaterand she really fought me on that
.
But she didn't pay for collegebecause I got a free ride to
(34:56):
UCLA because we were so poor Ihad to fill out my own financial
aid papers.
But I got a free ride to UCLAand graduated summa cum laude in
four years.
So I was like yeah, I'm doingthis.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I'm doing this, wow, congrats, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Yeah, I still can't believe that.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Yeah, I had that much confidence to do that, because
I never felt confident but Iguess I you totally are Cause
you do things that people tellyou can't.
You're like, just go ahead andtell me I can't do something,
I'll do it, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
And I love.
I always loved theater andperformers, so that's the only
thing I loved.
So I'll just do that.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
Okay.
So the third question is how doyou quiet, or?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
how do you face your inner critic?
What do you do when you hearthe inner critic?
I feel like I'm finally gettinga handle on how to handle my
inner critic is.
It's like the saboteur.
We have that saboteur play is anexercise and how to have a
better relationship with yoursaboteur, your negative chatter,
your evil twin, like, first ofall.
So in in writing class, one ofthe first exercises is to write
(36:01):
a scene where you battle your,your saboteur it's called the
saboteur play.
Where you battle your saboteurit's called the saboteur play,
and it's a way of managing yournegative chatter.
So you have to have a betterrelationship with your saboteur,
and how you do that is you'vegot to talk them down off the
ledge, basically, and likeyou've got to be able to quiet
(36:22):
your saboteur.
And how do you do that?
You talk nicely to it.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Usually that's a beautiful exercise.
I remember that and it was fullof enlightenment.
I was like, wow, this is whatI'm saying and this is, yeah,
how I can talk to it, right?
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Why would you talk like your saboteur is talking to
you?
You would never talk to anybodylike that, like your saboteur
is angry about something andthey don't want you to go out on
a limb.
They want to protect you, keepyou safe, but instead you're
like no, we're doing this andyou're going to listen to me,
saboteur.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Yeah, you almost have to parent them.
Listen here, I'm in charge.
Yes, I'm in charge.
Yeah, you just sit in the backseat and be quiet, simmer down,
I'm in charge.
Yeah, you just sit in the backseat and be quiet, simmer down,
simmer down, simmer down.
Yeah, okay, my fourth questionfor you what's one habit that's
helped you?
Speaker 2 (37:13):
build real confidence Just to do something, even if
you're scared.
Just keep barreling through,don't stop.
And I'm self-motivated, andI've always been self-motivated
and I think that's been reallyhelpful.
I'm not lazy.
I'm constantly thinking of newthings to do with my teaching
for actors, what shows to create.
(37:34):
I'm constantly growing, all thetime.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
You're excited, you're passionate about it.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Yeah, I am, I can see it when you talk about it.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
And you have a lot of inspiration too.
Like you are always watchingother stuff, which probably do.
You feel like that is a hugething, for creating your own
work is being inspired by othersaround you.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Yeah, If you want to be in entertainment, you better
be watching as much TV, film andtheater as you can.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Where are you?
Speaker 2 (38:01):
watching.
Where am I watching?
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Yeah, when do you watch which show on streaming
services or networks?
And then where in Atlanta,where in New York, LA?
Where do you like to watch?
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Yeah, so my favorite thing is to go to live theater.
I love the Alliance Theaterhere in Atlanta.
I love Theatrical Outfit,actors Express there's a lot of
really good theater going on inAtlanta and then I will fly up
to New York and get discounttickets to their shows, whether
Off-Broadway or Broadway, and Iwill go see theater in New York.
(38:34):
It feels like I take the moneythat I make from actors and I
put it right back into actors bygoing to see theater, because
there's nothing else I reallywant to spend my money on.
I don't have a car, I don't owna house, but my money's going
to supporting artists.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
What shows do you like to watch right now on TV?
Speaker 2 (38:55):
I love Severance and I love the Gilded Age because it
uses a lot of Broadway talent.
It's on HBO.
It's an incredible show aboutthe turn of the 18th century
into the 19th century in NewYork, so it's the history of
this country.
It's an incredible show.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
The fifth and final question what is your favorite
book or resource that changedhow you think?
I?
Speaker 2 (39:19):
think just being a theater major and reading all of
those plays and reading all ofthose plays.
Also, I also took a lot ofEnglish classes at UCLA and read
a lot all those novels and abunch of all those books.
And, yeah, like being a theatermajor makes you do a lot of
different disciplines.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
So the education, the whole theater background.
I'm sure a lot of differenttraining within that just
exposed you to so many differentthings.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Plus, remember, if you're studying theater, you're
studying design, you're studyingstorytelling, you're studying
acting, you're studying all thedisciplines.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Really, and at UCLA.
Yeah Well, that's amazing,kathy, thank you so much.
I was wondering if you couldshare where people can follow
you, what social media handlesyou have, and I know you're on
Instagram.
Are you on Facebook, youtube,any other places?
Do you have a website?
I am on YouTube.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So it's how to book acting jobs for real.
Is my YouTube account for Kathyranking?
So that'sC-A-T-H-Y-R-E-I-N-K-I-N-G,
r-e-i-n-k-i-n-g.
So I am on YouTube, I am onInstagram a lot and my moniker
is at Kathy C-A-T-H-Y casting,c-a-s-t-i-n-g, and you'll find
(40:35):
me at a local theater nearby.
You'll find me at the AMCMadison Yards.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Is that your favorite one?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Yeah, because it's really close to where I live and
I go see movies a lot too.
I just, I love allentertainment.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
All right.
Thank you so much foreverything you've done for me,
kathy.
I am so excited to perform inyour show next month, september
18th, at 8 pm at the supermarket.
Which room is it in?
It's in the black box.
Black box, ok, fantastic yeah,beautiful room, beautiful room.
And you can go to your linktree on Instagram to get the
tickets correct the tickets.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
They're $20 tickets and the supermarket Atlanta is
this kind of newish complex ofplaces to perform.
That's on Highland, near Ponce.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
It's a beautiful facility.
I went there during the FringeFestival, saw some incredible
shows.
Yeah, one person show.
That was absolutely amazing.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
I'll have to tell you about it.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
But yeah, I was really inspired by it Got my
brain thinking.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
I can use that space anytime now.
So you know I'd be doing a lotof shows there, that's so cool I
have a lot of props.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
When my mom was here in May I got three dolls because
I have a part of it as a mom,like where I had two kids and
then like holding one's handPart of my show will be as the
mom and I have those dolls.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
Yes, I have them, Kathy.
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
And then I got a bunch of different outfits my
mom helped to put together likefeathers on stuff and sequins.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
And we're working on it.
We're working on it, but, yeah,I am so excited to do it with
you.
Yeah, you need to do the fulllength show the hour one person
show yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
My goal is to do it at the fringe.
I don't know if I'll be able toget it together by this year,
but I don't know how long ittakes.
Kath, how long does it take toput together a one hour show?
You already have done some ofit.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
It's not like you're starting from scratch right,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
Yeah, we have the two sessions that we already did
some stuff, yeah, and I want towrite some songs for that too,
yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Yeah, and you have the house, you have a show
already.
You just you're too busy beingan entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
Yeah, yes, it'll happen though.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
I know it's going to, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
Yeah, it's going to be great, so, looking forward to
it, I'm so happy to have you inmy life.
Thank you so much, kathy.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
Thank you so much for doing this and letting me share
my story.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Your wonderful gift.
I'm very grateful for thisjourney.
You're an incredible director,so I'm so looking forward to
hearing more people's shows comethrough your workshop and be
performed on stage.
Thanks, kathy.
Thank you, thanks so much forlistening to the Confidence
Shortcut.
I hope today's episode wokesomething up in you, reminding
you that your dream matters andyou can start now.
If this sparked something,share it with a friend who needs
it too.
And don't forget to follow meon Instagram, at Nikki Sterner,
(43:20):
and join our Facebook communityat the Confidence Shortcut.
Ready to take the next step?
Check out my free guide, theConfidence Kickstart, linked in
the show notes.
Keep showing up, keep takingaction and remember the shortcut
to confidence is courage.
Welcome to the Confidence Shortcut, the podcast
for ambitious creatives andentrepreneurs who are ready to
stop overthinking, take boldaction and finally step into the
life they've been dreamingabout.
I'm your host, nikki Sterner.
Mom, actor, comedian andproducer.
After years of playing smalland waiting to feel ready, I
went on a courage quest andfound a shortcut to confidence.
(00:21):
Each week, I'll bring you realstories, simple steps and
conversations with experts inmindset courage and confidence,
plus heart-to-hearts with fellowcreatives who are turning their
dreams into reality.
It's time to get unstuck andstart showing up.
Let's dive in.
Welcome to the ConfidenceShortcut.
I'm your host, nikki Sterner.
Today's guest is Kathy Reinking.
(00:44):
Kathy is a casting director,writer and coach who has spent
three decades helping actorsshine on network television,
including NBC, cbs, the CW, fox,abc and Netflix.
She was the manager of castingat NBC, where she oversaw the
casting of the pilot of theOffice and worked on several
(01:05):
Emmy-winning comedy shows likeFrasier, arrested Development
and the Office.
Kathy is also the author of howto Book Acting Jobs 3.0, an
inside look at what it's reallylike to book network television
shows from the castingperspective.
With insider tips from anEmmy-winning casting director,
Kathy shares how actors can makea living at acting.
(01:25):
The book looks at how to dothat, what it takes, what actors
should be doing and what theyshould avoid.
Since the first edition in 2006, Kathy has updated the book
three times, reflecting theever-evolving industry.
These days, she's all aboutstorytelling, teaching and
championing actors who dare tobe real.
(01:45):
Please welcome to the show,kathy Reinking.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Hello, wow, wow.
Who's that?
Who did you just talk about Was?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
that me.
You are amazing.
I just have to tell everybody,kathy and I met in stand-up
comedy class about three yearsago yeah, wow, wow.
Up comedy class about threeyears ago yeah, wow, wow.
And when I sat down, I had justfound you online and I was
blown away by your videos.
Back then, just oh my gosh,this woman has so much
information that she sowillingly shares, so generous,
(02:15):
and if you're not following heron Instagram, please go follow
her right now.
It's what is your Instagramhandle?
Oh, kathy casting.
So it's C.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
A T H Y-H-Y casting.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yes, kathy casting and a lot of followers because
she just is so generous with herinformation, and so we did
comedy class together and then,I think it was like a year later
, I went and made my short filmand then I came to you when I
was ready to get on stage and weput together a pitch, for the
Alliance Theater has a program.
It's like a year long programand I think they had like over
(02:51):
30 projects that pitched thatyear.
Yeah, yeah, you helped me tolike start telling my stories,
which I was scared to do.
I was just really scared toshare and but it was something
that I knew that I wanted to do.
But it was like my desire andmy fear were just like butting
heads instead of them both toflow through.
And you like really pulled itout of me and got me to where I
started speaking on stage anddoing comedy and storytelling.
(03:13):
And you have your events in myshoes that I got to perform at a
couple different times, andyou've helped so many people do
this in a way that just feels Idon't want to say easy, but I
just it just feels doable,whereas if you don't know where
to start, I would send anyoneyour direction because you have
so much knowledge, you're sokindhearted and you're, but
(03:34):
you're just so good at knowingwhat actually lands on stage
versus.
You would tell me, like I don'treally need to know that, but
yes, this and how can we make itbetter, and enough about that.
But I just wanted to recognize,like, how you and I met and how
you've helped me on my journeyand the reason why I wanted to
bring you on the podcast.
So let's start now, though,with a quick snapshot Kathy,
(03:54):
tell us who you are, what you doand, especially, what you're
passionate about right now.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Okay, yes, my name is Kathy at Kathy Casting on.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Instagram.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
And I'm not on TikTok , so I've done so many things in
my life.
In fact, I was a theater majorand people think, what do you do
with a theater degree?
But I made a list of all thejobs I've had with that theater
degree.
So it's actually a really goodmajor, especially if you love
(04:24):
theater, film and TV, performing.
I think it's an incredibly goodmajor and also it's very
humanistic and you learn aboutpeople and you're good at
working with others.
What's wrong with a theaterdegree?
So, anyway, so I've been ableto parlay that into a lot of
different jobs in entertainmentand, like you said, I worked
(04:48):
decades in network television,but there were things that
happened in my life where Itransitioned from doing that and
now I'm coaching actors and myforte now is helping them create
their own content so they don'thave to wait for opportunities.
They create their ownopportunities.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Now you used to do the casting at all of the big
networks and you were in theroom with the actors back then.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yes, yes, I really am sad there's no more in-person
auditions, because my favoritepart of the job was not only
scouting for talent which I dida lot by going to see theater
and watching a lot of movies andTV but also bringing actors in
for auditions and directing themso they would better understand
(05:36):
the style of the show and Iwould tweak them a little bit so
that they would have the bestaudition.
That was in the pre-readsession.
So there was a pre-read sessionwhere actors would come in and
I would work with them and thenI would take the top choices
then to a producer session.
So we would literally and thiswas at Paramount Studios we
(05:58):
would literally take this groupof actors and bring them to the
next building, which was whereFrasier was, for instance.
So we would go to producersession and then we'd have the
producer session with theexecutive producer of the sitcom
.
What was that like?
Oh, it was insane.
I still can't believe.
(06:20):
My life was that I'd go andtake this group of actors and
then each actor would comeindividually and and take this
group of actors and then eachactor would come into
individually and I would readwith the actor and then they
would all go.
The actors would go back intothe waiting room and then the
executive producer would choosethe actor they liked best.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
So you would read the dialogue with them.
Oh yeah, oh my gosh, yeah, so Iwould.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, I was definitely performing.
It was funny because I wouldusually have to do, because
usually, like the co-star roles,especially on Frasier, they
were like the waiter or thebellhop or the restaurant owner,
because they went and haddinner a lot oh yeah, fancy
places.
So I would usually be doingFrasier and Giles lines.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Oh wow Wild.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
That's so wild.
Yeah, just explaining that toyou makes me realize, dang, that
was very unique, that's right,wow.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
So I miss the days of being able to audition people
in person.
That was really the best way ofgetting a job.
But now it's all self-tapes,and how are actors supposed to
know how to make a goodself-tape?
Speaker 1 (07:31):
So how many years did you do that in the room with
them?
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Like 20 years.
Oh my gosh, at least 20 years,no wonder you're so good at
working with actors.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
You did that so long?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, I did.
And every the roles it wasn'tjust Frasier I worked on.
I worked on, like I said,arrested Development.
I also worked on an hour dramacalled Nothing Sacred.
So I have worked on dramas Iworked on, According to Jim, I
worked on a sitcom called BabyBob, which you can look it up.
I really had a fun time workingon that show, but I worked on
(08:03):
and, oh, and also a sitcom withHarry Yamlin that was called
Movie Stars.
Oh my gosh, I forget about mostof the stuff I worked on
because there was a lot going on.
We used to in the castingoffice I worked in with Jeff
Greenberg.
We always worked on more thanone show.
So it was crazy.
(08:23):
What were your hours like?
Terrible, it was terrible.
We wouldn't need to get intothe office until 10, but we
would usually stay.
I don't even remember it was.
If I knew the hourly rate, if Icalculated the hourly rate I
got, I would probably bedisgusted.
It was probably like a dollaran hour because we worked really
(08:45):
long hours.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Wow, did you have your daughter at that point?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yes, I did, yes, I did.
And that's when I had to giveso much to that job that I felt
I wasn't being the best motherto her, because I just wasn't
home very much.
She was in daycare a lot, mymom would stay with her during
the day and finally she decidedto go live with her dad and
stepmom Because it was just, itwas not a good situation.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, for a mother and daughter.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah, that was really tough, Although now my daughter
convinces me because I did feelguilty for many years.
She convinces me it made herreally independent.
Also, she has such a love oftheater and she's become a big
influencer in that theatercontainer now on TikTok.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
What is the TikTok handle?
It is theater is life Theateris life Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Write that down.
Got to check it out.
Wait, how do you spell theater?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
With it.
It's the British version, soit's the.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
R-E.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Okay, awesome.
If you've been living withchronic symptoms like pain,
brain fog, sensitivity to smells, light or sound, it might not
just be your body, it could beyour brain, stuck in a survival
loop.
Dnrs stands for Dynamic NeuralRetraining System.
It's a science-backed programthat helps rewire the limbic
system, the part of the brainresponsible for fear, fight or
(10:06):
flight and overreaction toeveryday things.
It changed everything for me,helping me heal and return to
the creative life I love.
If this speaks to you, clickthe link in the caption.
It might be the answer you'relooking for.
Okay, so take me back to.
Did you ever have a low pointin your journey that you had to,
like make a shift?
Because I don't know if it waswith your daughter when you said
(10:29):
I had to shift there, or was itbefore you actually got into
the entertainment industry, intothe casting part of it?
How did you actually get intothose big offices?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yeah, I've had to.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
it feels like I've had to shift a lot in my life,
so tell me, after you graduatefrom college with your theater
degree, what did you do?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I was a waitress first and then I got a job at a
regional theater.
So I worked as a assistantstage manager at South Coast
Repertory in Southern Californiaand that was a dream job.
I love that job.
I had studied theater directionand stage management at college
, at UCLA, and I dream job wasto get an assistant stage
(11:11):
manager job at a regionaltheater and I loved working with
those actors and so many ofthose actors went on to be big
stars and it was.
I love theater and I love to beworking at a regional theater
and I wanted to have that jobprobably for the rest of my life
as a stage manager and I thinkthat really I wanted to
(11:32):
eventually be a stage manager onBroadway but that never
happened because I got marriedand had Kate and my husband at
the time did not like to live inCalifornia, so we moved to
Kansas what?
Speaker 1 (11:49):
yeah, so I had to really I had to pivot big time.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
What did?
Speaker 1 (11:54):
you do in Kansas.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I was directing plays , really.
Yeah, I was a stay-at-home mom,kate was a baby and I started
directing plays at the localtheater there oh what was that?
And then I wrote.
I started writing scripts too.
I started writing during thatperiod as well.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Do you still have those scripts?
I do, I do.
Have you produced any of them?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
I thought about it.
My favorite play would demand alot of money to produce.
There's a lot going on in it,so really so how long were you
in Kansas?
For three years.
And then something bad happenedand so I moved back to Los
Angeles with Kate, my daughter,and that's when I was getting
(12:37):
whatever job I could.
And so I worked at a realestate office as a manager at a
real estate office in LosAngeles.
And then I went to work for KiaMotors when they launched in
America.
So it was at the ground floorof Kia Motors and at the time
people made fun of those carsbecause they were like cheap
(13:00):
Korean cars.
Little did we know how that carwould become like top leader in
car manufacturing.
But I was in the marketingdepartment and I helped them
produce their dealer shows.
So I felt like I was doingtheater with no art.
So that's when I decided toquit that job.
(13:22):
I just quit it.
It was a great job, very goodbenefits, 401k, but instead I
gave all of that up and I wentto.
I changed and started castingfor TV and film and I had to
start as an intern.
So I went from making a lot ofmoney to getting paid like $100
(13:45):
a week as an intern.
Yeah, I had to take out a loan.
I had to take out a loan, abank loan that I figured.
I didn't go to grad school, sothis was my grad school, so I
yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
True, it was like on the job training, right?
Yeah, definitely yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
So I went and did it that way.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Where was that at Paramount?
Speaker 2 (14:07):
At Paramount.
Yeah, that's when I got intothe, into Jeff Greenberg's
office at Paramount and got intotop TV shows right from the
start, wow, yeah, I started as acasting assistant on big TV
shows Like Frasier was the mainone at the time.
Also, we were working on Wingsas well.
(14:28):
I don't know if too many peopleremember that show, but it was
a real fun show to be around.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
So how did you go from casting in LA to coaching
actors in Atlanta?
Give me the abbreviated like Idid this and then I did that.
And what did you learn alongthe way?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
So between working for years on network television.
To how did I get where I am nowis a long journey that involved
getting really bad breastcancer, inflammatory breast
cancer and I didn't have anyinsurance at the time.
So it was a very arduousprocess to go through the LA
(15:09):
County hospital system tosurvive that.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Wow Was that when you were a casting director, you
went through all that?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
No, this was after, because I also moved to Denver.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
It was in Denver.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Denver was because my daughter had gone to live with
her dad and stepmom and so shewas living in Denver.
So I decided to go live inDenver.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Tell me why you stopped working at Paramount so
my last job at Paramount NBC.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
I was working in the offices of NBC and that year I
worked on a pilot for themcalled Hawaii, which was a cop
show set in Honolulu and it's alot like Hawaii Five-0.
But this was many years beforethe remake of Hawaii Five-0.
But it was a cop show inHonolulu and they decided when
(15:58):
they picked it up for seriesthey decided to send me to
Hawaii and I was going to do thecasting for basically the day
player roles in Hawaii becauseit would save them money if I
could find people that werelocal.
So I ended up living in Hawaiifor about seven months.
The show was not great and itgot canceled.
(16:21):
It wasn't even a full seasonand it premiered the same year
that Lost premiered and that wasalso shooting in Honolulu.
So there were these two hugeshows and the cast used to
mingle with each other and itwas quite a scene.
It was quite a scene.
And to live in Honolulu likethey put us up at the Ili Kai
(16:42):
Hotel for months and then theygave us a stipend to live there
and I lived like in thispenthouse oh my gosh,
overlooking Waikiki Crazy.
So you did that and you lovedit.
It was a very specialexperience, but then it got
canceled.
So that's when I decided youknow what?
I'm not going back to LA, I'mgoing to go directly to Denver
(17:04):
and I'm going to live there fora while to be closer to Kate.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Okay.
Did you have to cut ties withthe company?
Speaker 2 (17:09):
then I became an agent in Denver, so I was a
talent agent, okay, in.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Denver.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Yes, okay, in Denver, interesting yes, so instead of
buying actors, I would have tosell actors, is how I put it.
I loved being a castingdirector because I could bring
people in and help them get jobs, but now I had to sell actors
and I'm not good at selling, soit wasn't a great job, but I did
(17:37):
that for a few years and thatwas that was interesting, and
that's when I got cancer, wasafter I was living in Denver and
that's when I got cancer.
And then that journey, just itwas very long and arduous, and I
actually have a book on Amazon.
Not only do I have an actingbook on Amazon, but I have a
book about going through cancertreatment with no health
(17:58):
insurance, and so that's onAmazon as well.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
A true Hollywood cancer story is what it's called
oh my goodness, yeah, how longwas the cancer journey?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Oh my gosh, it was probably 10, 15 years.
It was like I should not bealive right now.
Wow, it was really bad.
It was really bad.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
So how old was Kate when you went through that?
Speaker 2 (18:21):
She had just started college when I got first
diagnosed.
So that was.
It was a very volatile time forus, yeah.
And then we decided to moveback to LA because Kate failed
college because she was there asan engineer to follow in her
dad's footsteps but she hated it.
She didn't go to classes andshe's finally said she wanted to
(18:46):
be an actress.
So when your mom's a castingdirector and your daughter says
they want to be an actress, allI could say was great.
It's not like I was going to go.
Like you crazy person.
Yeah.
What makes you think you can bean actress?
I was say was great.
It's not like I was going to golike you crazy person.
Yeah.
What makes you think you can bean actress?
I was like great.
(19:06):
Then we need to move back to LAbecause you can't be an actress
in Denver.
You got to be where it's atright.
Yeah where it's at.
So we moved back to LA and thena bunch of stuff happened and
then eventually I decided to gointo casting and I realized I
had a really good contact, areally close friend of mine that
(19:28):
I met at Southwest Rep.
She went to college with JeffGreenberg, who was the casting
director of Cheers, and thenwent on to do Frasier.
So that's how I got into theFrasier casting office.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Why did you leave LA and why did you come to?
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Portland.
How I got to Atlanta was I washired to cast a film in Atlanta.
It was an independent film andI'd been working with the writer
producer to help him with ascript and he just said why
don't you come to Atlanta so youcan cast the film?
And I didn't have a casting jobat the time and I just said
(19:58):
okay.
So I came to Atlanta and Ibasically just stayed because I
loved it so much.
From the start.
I was having in-personauditions for the film here in
Atlanta and it was unheard ofand it still is unheard of,
because I wanted to meet theactors in person Because Atlanta
(20:19):
had started the self-tapingtrend much before LA had.
It was already doing self-tapingtrend because a lot of stuff
was being shot in South Carolinaand North Carolina and so
actors were complaining becausethey would have to drive into
Atlanta for auditions.
So that's how self-tapingbasically started in the South.
(20:42):
But when I came to Atlanta Iwanted to do in-person auditions
and I tell you, the actors wereso happy to have in-person
auditions so I met.
It was a crash course indiscovering all the great talent
here in Atlanta and so I just Imet every actor and brought
them in for auditions and it wasa really beautiful experience
(21:06):
and decided again I wasn't goingto go back to LA.
I liked the quality of lifehere.
I loved all the actors.
I thought there was a greatacting pool here in Atlanta and,
like I said, just stayed andwill probably never move from
the city.
I love it a lot.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
Confidence doesn't come first.
Action and habits do.
That's why I created theConfidence Kickstart Morning
Routine a 15-minute free guideto help you build habits that
actually work.
You'll get powerful journalprompts, a guided audio
meditation and my three-partconfidence shortcut system,
mindset Path and Action.
Three-part confident shortcutsystem, mindset path and action.
It's the exact routine I use toget up on stage and speak up.
(21:45):
No more shrinking or secondguessing the link's in the
caption.
Grab it now and build theconfidence to move forward every
single day.
Tell me about what you do withactors now.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
So what I do now?
So I stopped casting becausewhen you're working as a local
casting director here, the payis not good at all, like when I
worked on a Netflix seriescalled Insatiable.
I was the casting assistant onInsatiable.
I was making $250 a week and Ijust thought, yeah, and it was
(22:18):
also long hours.
So I just decided I'm going togo on my own and have an acting
studio, which is what I did, andI decided I wanted to just work
with advanced actors.
And that's when I came up withthe writing program for actors
to help them take control oftheir career and to create
content so that they can befound on a stage.
(22:40):
Because if you think about allthe actors you really admire,
they were found on a stage.
They weren't found byself-submitting on Actors Access
.
The primary reason for mywriting program is to help
actors book more jobs that pay.
And when you realize all theactors that you really admire,
(23:02):
they were all found on a stage.
And when you think of somebodylike Whoopi Goldberg she wrote
her own one-person show andthat's how she got famous.
John Laguizamo his one-personshow that's how he got famous.
And then we have the morerecent people like Phoebe
Waller-Bridge and Baby Reindeerwas a one person show that was
(23:23):
performing at the Fringe inEdinburgh.
So people don't realize thatit's easier to perform live with
your story than making a filmabout it, because films cost a
lot of money to make.
But if you're writing aone-person show, it's just you
writing the show and then.
So I guess that's when Istarted creating In my Shoes
(23:47):
stories.
So I created a platform soactors could perform their
one-person show, so it wouldn'tcost them any money except, of
course, taking the class, but soit would allow folks to write
their one person show and thengive them a stage to perform it
on.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
It's like when we took our stand up comedy class.
It was like we had aninstructor to help us create our
content, that we were going toshare our stories, our comedy.
You do the same thing in yourclasses, like you help ask us
questions that make us thinkabout things and what stories we
want to tell, and then you helpus shape it.
And then you give us a place toactually perform it, because,
(24:25):
like, you can write all day long, but until you actually get on
stage and perform it, thatreally puts you to the next
level.
And so you have people fly infrom all over the country to
perform it in my shoes and youhave a show, yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yeah, it's at the supermarket, atlanta, and folks
are coming from Chicago, newYork, and then I have a lot of
local talent, including you.
You will be in that show.
I'm very excited.
So much good local talent here.
Very excited about that still.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
Yeah, and that's September 18th.
Yeah, 8 PM.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Yes, yes, yes, yeah, it's going to be amazing.
All the in my shoes stories.
It's always an amazing showbecause the audience just loves
hearing from real people abouttheir real stories and that's
how we can end such divisivenessin our communities is, once you
hear other people's stories,you realize, oh, I'm not so
(25:18):
different from them.
It brings people together inkind of an organic, beautiful
way.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Yeah, yeah, it really is.
I love attending and performingin the In my Shoes stories.
The shows are just.
You just really get to theheart of people Like you, just
open them up in a magical waythat they feel safe to share,
Because I think a lot of peoplewant to share but don't know how
to start or don't know if it'ssafe or not but to share their
true stories so yeah, providethat space, yeah, thanks, yeah,
(25:47):
I feel really good about thatand it creates this closeness
among artists.
It's just like a reallytight-knit community that you've
created yeah, yeah, I'm verygrateful.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
I also find that actors who perform live all the
time become better performers,so it even helps with their self
taping, because they're more intune with who they really are
and they're more able to showboth their dark and light
qualities, which is a good segueinto my whole idea of charisma
that casting directors arelooking for charismatic actors
(26:21):
that can show both dark andlight, because that's how human
beings are.
They're not.
One note Having a fully fleshedcharacter on a self tape is
really hard to do, but I findthat actors that perform live a
lot, they pretty much drop in alot easier.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
That's so true.
Ever since I started workingwith you back in January a year
and a half ago, I've progressedinto more and more in-person
stuff on stage with the comedy,and now I do the improv and
sketch at the alley stage andthen the funny bus really is
like a 90 minute show which isreally dropping in.
There's no hiding, and once youstop hiding and start showing
(27:00):
up in bigger and more differentways, you're right, you get
tired of putting up the mask tobe perfect and you're like I
don't have the energy to do thatanymore, I'm just going to be
me.
Yeah, and you're doingincredible things.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
I love what you're doing.
You just take life by the horns, I guess you would say, and
you're just doing it.
That's why you're the perfectperson to do this kind of
podcast thing, because you haveovercome confidence issues and a
lot of things to just hey, man,I'm here, I'm doing this, I'm
doing it.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah, I think the only way to get through the
barrier of having confidence isthrough action.
And sure, preparation is great,but at some point it becomes
paralyzing, where you're likeI'll never feel ready for this.
Just at the same time, you havethese dreams because they're
meant for you.
So you have to realize that,yeah, it's big, but so are you
and your actions can be bigger.
Like you can take those actionsand as long as you don't have
(27:56):
to be perfect and you can bereal, like you're saying, with
stepping on stage over and overagain and not being afraid to
fail and not being afraid for itto be messy, you can really
grow fast.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Yeah, you're living proof of that.
And talk about being courageous.
Artists have to be courageous.
So your program about beingmore courageous is really needed
, because you need an incredibleamount of courage to be
vulnerable and because the morevulnerable you are, the better
performer you are.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
the more you're going to speak to other people, the
more you're going to move otherpeople and you've probably seen
that as a casting director aswell Just the people who are
ready.
Just come in and they're fullythemselves.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I imagine yeah, they're fully themselves, but
they're not being, becausethere's no character in film and
TV.
It's really you in thatsituation, and so people want to
play a character.
But the people that are themost comfortable in their own
skin know who they are and putthemselves in the situation of
what the script is asking for.
Those are the actors that bookthose jobs.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
I bet you can just see it right away, like those
people versus yeah, yeah.
Is that hard to see the peoplethat aren't quite there yet?
Yeah, or do you just seepotential?
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Some people really shouldn't be in the acting
container.
They're just, they're notcomfortable in their own skin,
and I wanted to be a performerwhen I was young but I was never
comfortable in my own skin as achild, and so some people
really shouldn't be an actor andthat's why, yeah, they should
(29:27):
be doing something else inentertainment if they love it so
much.
But not everybody is really agood candidate to be an actor.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Yeah, yeah, there's a role for everybody right Within
the entertainment industry.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
There's so many different roles so many
different jobs you can do inentertainment.
You've tried a number of them.
I've tried everything reallyand standup too, like I stopped
doing standup because I justfeel like I was going up a lot
because I am 65 and I just feltI was too nervous.
So, even though I have done alot of performing and I am in
(30:03):
front of people a lot, but Istill have high anxiety.
Being in entertainment ingeneral is probably not great
for people with high anxiety,but most people in entertainment
have high anxieties.
Speaker 1 (30:15):
Yeah, isn't it funny.
It's like what I was sayingwith the desire and the fear.
It's like-.
I feel like if that dream isthere, it really is meant for
you.
But it takes a lot of courage tofeel the fear and sit in that
feeling that you're talkingabout that discomfort we call it
the daily discomfort and justget like in it and know that
(30:37):
when you feel that you actuallytake action, instead of stopping
, it's like retraining yourbrain.
Oh, it's telling yourself adifferent story instead of I'm
so scared, it's okay.
Yeah, there it is.
I'm so scared, it's okay, yeah,there it is.
I'm ready.
I move before I feel ready.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
You can train yourself to know that this is
just energy.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
It's like you can do anything with it because it's
very powerful, as, like, thatnervous feeling is very powerful
and what you do with it andwhat you say about it is really
life-changing.
You can go this direction oryou can go this direction, and
it's up to you.
It really truly is the storythat you tell yourself.
But, like you're saying, yougot to put yourself on stage and
(31:14):
you got to do it, and that'sexposing yourself to that
feeling over and over again, andsome people may decide to go a
different way, but for thepeople who really truly want
that path, that is the wayexposing yourself over and over
again.
Repetition, yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Well, just like you say about being courageous, even
if you're scared, you have todo it anyway.
And I think that's how I'vemaneuvered from this very shy
introvert kid to just bustingthrough whatever was in my way I
introvert kid to just bustingthrough whatever was in my way.
But it was all self motivated.
It wasn't like my parents weresaying, hey, Kathy, you can do
(31:54):
whatever you want.
No, it was nothing like that.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
It was just like I busted.
I wanted to bust through it andI have been able to do that.
Yeah, you're a very powerfuldirector.
Like that is your role for sure.
Like you study so much theater,so many movies, so many TV
shows and you've been around theindustry for so long and good
acting, charisma and you knowwhat the executive producers
want to see.
So you're like the perfect as adirector and know how to work
with actors.
You've been an actor, you'vebeen in every role.
(32:22):
So you really are the perfectdirector to say this is what we
want to see and this is how youdo it.
And I think that's why you'reso good at that.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
Thank you.
Yeah, yeah, it's been a longjourney and I am good at that.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Yeah, and it's good to know.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
I will say that, not humbly, I am really good at
directing actors.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
You are excellent, and if anyone is wanting to step
on stage more, you are theperson to help them.
Excellent, and if anyone iswanting to step on stage more.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
You are the person to help them.
Thank you, yeah, yeah, and Ilove people growing by being on
stage.
It's the most beautiful thinglike for you how far you've come
.
That's how.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
I started really telling my story on stage.
Yeah, yeah, and people can workwith you on zoom right, and
then they just fly in for theperformance.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Yeah, I offer zooms.
Is it a monthly thing?
Yes, I offer a package of fourone hour sessions and it can be
done on Zoom or it can be donein person if you live in Atlanta
.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Thank you so much, Kathy.
I want to move into theconfidence quickfire round.
Are you ready for?
That, yeah, I have questions toeverybody who comes on as a
guest.
Yes, so here we go, okay, firstquestion is how do you define
confidence?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Being comfortable in your own skin and not having
insecurities take you down.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Yeah, Embracing the insecurities as an actor, even
as a performer, right.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Yeah.
Or maybe accepting that you'regoing to be scared, accepting
your faults and just doing it,because it's actually your
faults that make you reallyinteresting.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
It's so true your fault, your flaws, all the
quirks about you make you unique, and the reason why they would
book you right Is because you'redifferent.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Yeah, you're comfortable in your own skin,
even though you're scared.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
The second question is what's one bold move you made
before you felt ready?
Speaker 2 (34:10):
Oh, everything I've done.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Everything.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
I've done in my life has been a bunch of bold moves
from just an unexpected source.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You were trained for this life.
Yeah, it's like no.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
I'm going to do that.
I can't do that.
I'm doing that.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
Oh so people told you you probably shouldn to do that
.
I can't do that.
I'm doing that, oh so peopletold you you probably shouldn't
do that or you can't do that.
Is that something that the wayyou were raised.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Yeah, like my mom was horrified that I wanted to be a
theater major.
She wanted me to do computerscience, but I have no aptitude
for computers.
That was not my thing.
I'm an artist.
I wanted to be doing theaterand she really fought me on that
.
But she didn't pay for collegebecause I got a free ride to
(34:56):
UCLA because we were so poor Ihad to fill out my own financial
aid papers.
But I got a free ride to UCLAand graduated summa cum laude in
four years.
So I was like yeah, I'm doingthis.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I'm doing this, wow, congrats, that's amazing.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Yeah, I still can't believe that.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Yeah, I had that much confidence to do that, because
I never felt confident but Iguess I you totally are Cause
you do things that people tellyou can't.
You're like, just go ahead andtell me I can't do something,
I'll do it, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
And I love.
I always loved theater andperformers, so that's the only
thing I loved.
So I'll just do that.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
Okay.
So the third question is how doyou quiet, or?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
how do you face your inner critic?
What do you do when you hearthe inner critic?
I feel like I'm finally gettinga handle on how to handle my
inner critic is.
It's like the saboteur.
We have that saboteur play is anexercise and how to have a
better relationship with yoursaboteur, your negative chatter,
your evil twin, like, first ofall.
So in in writing class, one ofthe first exercises is to write
(36:01):
a scene where you battle your,your saboteur it's called the
saboteur play.
Where you battle your saboteurit's called the saboteur play,
and it's a way of managing yournegative chatter.
So you have to have a betterrelationship with your saboteur,
and how you do that is you'vegot to talk them down off the
ledge, basically, and likeyou've got to be able to quiet
(36:22):
your saboteur.
And how do you do that?
You talk nicely to it.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Usually that's a beautiful exercise.
I remember that and it was fullof enlightenment.
I was like, wow, this is whatI'm saying and this is, yeah,
how I can talk to it, right?
Speaker 2 (36:37):
Why would you talk like your saboteur is talking to
you?
You would never talk to anybodylike that, like your saboteur
is angry about something andthey don't want you to go out on
a limb.
They want to protect you, keepyou safe, but instead you're
like no, we're doing this andyou're going to listen to me,
saboteur.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
Yeah, you almost have to parent them.
Listen here, I'm in charge.
Yes, I'm in charge.
Yeah, you just sit in the backseat and be quiet, simmer down,
I'm in charge.
Yeah, you just sit in the backseat and be quiet, simmer down,
simmer down, simmer down.
Yeah, okay, my fourth questionfor you what's one habit that's
helped you?
Speaker 2 (37:13):
build real confidence Just to do something, even if
you're scared.
Just keep barreling through,don't stop.
And I'm self-motivated, andI've always been self-motivated
and I think that's been reallyhelpful.
I'm not lazy.
I'm constantly thinking of newthings to do with my teaching
for actors, what shows to create.
(37:34):
I'm constantly growing, all thetime.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
You're excited, you're passionate about it.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Yeah, I am, I can see it when you talk about it.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
And you have a lot of inspiration too.
Like you are always watchingother stuff, which probably do.
You feel like that is a hugething, for creating your own
work is being inspired by othersaround you.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Yeah, If you want to be in entertainment, you better
be watching as much TV, film andtheater as you can.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Where are you?
Speaker 2 (38:01):
watching.
Where am I watching?
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Yeah, when do you watch which show on streaming
services or networks?
And then where in Atlanta,where in New York, LA?
Where do you like to watch?
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Yeah, so my favorite thing is to go to live theater.
I love the Alliance Theaterhere in Atlanta.
I love Theatrical Outfit,actors Express there's a lot of
really good theater going on inAtlanta and then I will fly up
to New York and get discounttickets to their shows, whether
Off-Broadway or Broadway, and Iwill go see theater in New York.
(38:34):
It feels like I take the moneythat I make from actors and I
put it right back into actors bygoing to see theater, because
there's nothing else I reallywant to spend my money on.
I don't have a car, I don't owna house, but my money's going
to supporting artists.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
What shows do you like to watch right now on TV?
Speaker 2 (38:55):
I love Severance and I love the Gilded Age because it
uses a lot of Broadway talent.
It's on HBO.
It's an incredible show aboutthe turn of the 18th century
into the 19th century in NewYork, so it's the history of
this country.
It's an incredible show.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
The fifth and final question what is your favorite
book or resource that changedhow you think?
I?
Speaker 2 (39:19):
think just being a theater major and reading all of
those plays and reading all ofthose plays.
Also, I also took a lot ofEnglish classes at UCLA and read
a lot all those novels and abunch of all those books.
And, yeah, like being a theatermajor makes you do a lot of
different disciplines.
Speaker 1 (39:41):
So the education, the whole theater background.
I'm sure a lot of differenttraining within that just
exposed you to so many differentthings.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
Plus, remember, if you're studying theater, you're
studying design, you're studyingstorytelling, you're studying
acting, you're studying all thedisciplines.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Really, and at UCLA.
Yeah Well, that's amazing,kathy, thank you so much.
I was wondering if you couldshare where people can follow
you, what social media handlesyou have, and I know you're on
Instagram.
Are you on Facebook, youtube,any other places?
Do you have a website?
I am on YouTube.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So it's how to book acting jobs for real.
Is my YouTube account for Kathyranking?
So that'sC-A-T-H-Y-R-E-I-N-K-I-N-G,
r-e-i-n-k-i-n-g.
So I am on YouTube, I am onInstagram a lot and my moniker
is at Kathy C-A-T-H-Y casting,c-a-s-t-i-n-g, and you'll find
(40:35):
me at a local theater nearby.
You'll find me at the AMCMadison Yards.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Is that your favorite one?
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Yeah, because it's really close to where I live and
I go see movies a lot too.
I just, I love allentertainment.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
All right.
Thank you so much foreverything you've done for me,
kathy.
I am so excited to perform inyour show next month, september
18th, at 8 pm at the supermarket.
Which room is it in?
It's in the black box.
Black box, ok, fantastic yeah,beautiful room, beautiful room.
And you can go to your linktree on Instagram to get the
tickets correct the tickets.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
They're $20 tickets and the supermarket Atlanta is
this kind of newish complex ofplaces to perform.
That's on Highland, near Ponce.
Speaker 1 (41:20):
It's a beautiful facility.
I went there during the FringeFestival, saw some incredible
shows.
Yeah, one person show.
That was absolutely amazing.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
I'll have to tell you about it.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
But yeah, I was really inspired by it Got my
brain thinking.
Speaker 2 (41:34):
I can use that space anytime now.
So you know I'd be doing a lotof shows there, that's so cool I
have a lot of props.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
When my mom was here in May I got three dolls because
I have a part of it as a mom,like where I had two kids and
then like holding one's handPart of my show will be as the
mom and I have those dolls.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
Yes, I have them, Kathy.
It's crazy.
Speaker 1 (41:57):
And then I got a bunch of different outfits my
mom helped to put together likefeathers on stuff and sequins.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
And we're working on it.
We're working on it, but, yeah,I am so excited to do it with
you.
Yeah, you need to do the fulllength show the hour one person
show yes, yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
My goal is to do it at the fringe.
I don't know if I'll be able toget it together by this year,
but I don't know how long ittakes.
Kath, how long does it take toput together a one hour show?
You already have done some ofit.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
It's not like you're starting from scratch right,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
Yeah, we have the two sessions that we already did
some stuff, yeah, and I want towrite some songs for that too,
yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
Yeah, and you have the house, you have a show
already.
You just you're too busy beingan entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
Yeah, yes, it'll happen though.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
I know it's going to, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
Yeah, it's going to be great, so, looking forward to
it, I'm so happy to have you inmy life.
Thank you so much, kathy.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
Thank you so much for doing this and letting me share
my story.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Your wonderful gift.
I'm very grateful for thisjourney.
You're an incredible director,so I'm so looking forward to
hearing more people's shows comethrough your workshop and be
performed on stage.
Thanks, kathy.
Thank you, thanks so much forlistening to the Confidence
Shortcut.
I hope today's episode wokesomething up in you, reminding
you that your dream matters andyou can start now.
If this sparked something,share it with a friend who needs
it too.
And don't forget to follow meon Instagram, at Nikki Sterner,
(43:20):
and join our Facebook communityat the Confidence Shortcut.
Ready to take the next step?
Check out my free guide, theConfidence Kickstart, linked in
the show notes.
Keep showing up, keep takingaction and remember the shortcut
to confidence is courage.
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