To celebrate hitting 100K on Instagram and 10K on YouTube, I’m doing something I’ve never done on this podcast: talking about myself. Not dance stories. Just… me.
In this very personal (and sometimes silly) episode, I’m sharing 10+ personal things about me you don’t know, like:
- the breakfast I’ve eaten every day for 15+ years
- why I trained myself to sleep like a mummy
- what happened when I booked a guest spot on the #1 show on TV… and then didn’t
- the time I was robbed at gunpoint
- how I cured my IBS
- and so much more!
Some of it’s deep. Some of it’s trivial. Some of it’s just plain human.
It’s awkward, honest, and a little all over the place — but so is life. And that’s the point.
Check out my Return to Dance docuseries!
Support my Instagram — where I post daily dance inspo, insights and fun! @backtogreat
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I was robbed at gunpoint at a 24 hour tanning salon.
(00:06):
Was the first acting job I booked on the number one show on TV, but the night before I was
supposed to film, something happened, and I didn't make it to set.
Have I been eating the same breakfast for literally 20 years that I never get tired of?
Wait, so I was diagnosed with IBS over 10 years ago, but cured myself?
(00:29):
All of those non-dance things on today's podcast, which is a dance podcast.
And I'm flipping the script.
Why?
Because I've hit a couple of milestones lately.
100k followers on Instagram and 10,000, well now I think it's past 11,000 subscribers
(00:50):
on YouTube.
These are huge milestones for me and I'm just so grateful for the support.
I am just so touched by the fact that whatever I am doing with regard to dance and sharing,
you know, about my own dance journey, about how dance has evolved and all the stories I
have shared about dance legends, whatever it is, it is making some kind of impact.
(01:12):
So I just kind of figured, you know, if you are connecting to all the dance stuff, maybe
it's time to let you in a little bit on me, you know, the person behind it.
I'm thinking of sharing things today.
I wasn't, you know, thinking I would share this, but I have to admit, like in my real regular
life for the most part, I feel like I am the listener.
(01:34):
I am the question asker.
I have felt this way since I was at least a teenager.
I rarely talk about myself.
I rarely volunteer things about myself.
I find that most people are really happy to talk about themselves only.
And so maybe having, you know, a podcast is my way of getting in some time to talk.
But again, I keep it all about dance, not about me personally.
(01:58):
And so today I'm going to do that.
I'm going to open up.
I'm going to be self conscious about it.
No, no, no, I'm not.
I'm going to be out and proud about just sharing different things about my life because
yeah, I mean, I want to know you all better and I want you to know me a little bit better
too.
I put up a poll on my Instagram and I said, "Hey, if I do a podcast like this, I'm like moving
(02:18):
a lot in my chair today, which is also unlike me, which just proves I feel awkward."
The vast majority voted that, yeah, they would listen to a podcast where I talk about non-dance
things.
So let's just get to it.
Okay.
So first up, I have had the same breakfast.
I don't know how many years, at least 15 years.
It was something that I came up with and I invented it and I love it and the ingredients
(02:45):
have changed over the years and I have perfected it so much so that my husband, it's his
favorite breakfast in the world and every single morning with out exaggeration, he mentions
how excited he is to have the same breakfast we have now had together for over five years
and every time we travel, the first thing he says, the morning of our trip, you know, like
(03:08):
the first morning of a trip is like, "Ah, I miss your breakfast."
I'm like, "Oh, come on.
Give a man a break.
Let's go get some eggs and bacon somewhere.
Okay, I don't want to cook today."
Okay, so here is me making the sandwich.
If you're watching this on YouTube or Spotify, you will obviously see this.
So I begin with the base, which is the bread.
(03:29):
Now I use Udi's gluten-free, use sourdough, whatever you like.
I like gluten-free in the morning because that means I can have another bread with gluten
product later in the day.
It's just kind of to my stomach that just how my body works.
And then I get turkey from the deli, have them, you know, hand-carved, what is the term,
(03:50):
slice it?
I have them slice it fresh.
I do the oven gold, honey maple works, lo-sodium, whatever you like.
So that's right over the bread.
And as you can see in this video here, I do a little side of walnuts also and I use walnuts
very specifically because they have a rich content of healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids,
anti-oxidants and fiber and they're just more gentle on the gut than other nuts like almonds.
(04:17):
Now I keep my walnuts in the freezer because nuts can grow mold easily, especially in warm
or humid kitchens.
And freezing just helps prevent that and just keeps them fresher way, way longer and it does
not affect the texture.
They don't get frozen.
It's just perfect.
So before I go on, I just want to note as you may have been able to tell that every
(04:39):
ingredient has been well thought out and it's there for a reason and probably none more
than the next one.
So as you can see, romaine lettuce.
I love just having lettuce on the breakfast sandwich.
I love the crunch but I didn't use to use romaine.
I used to use other ones that I like more in taste to be honest, like just stronger ones,
(05:01):
like baby spinach or arugula.
But when I was having gut issues, I had all these tests done on myself and it came back that
I had methane in my body, which just sounds crazy and they can totally test for that stuff.
And I learned that some leafy greens like spinach can actually lead to more gas production
(05:23):
in the gut.
And that is because they contain certain types of fiber or fermentable carbs often called
Faut maps and your gut bacteria is going to break down, you know, those fibers or fermentable
carbs releasing gas like methane or hydrogen in the process.
Now if you're sensitive to that, which I am especially first thing in the morning, not
(05:47):
so much for me later in the day, but yeah, first thing in the morning, it can feel really
uncomfortable and romaine lettuce.
I got to tell you on the other hand is way easier for me and a lot of people to digest in general
because it's low in fiber, low in Faut maps and doesn't ferment in the gut the way spinach
(06:08):
or kale can.
So yeah, it's way less likely to cause gas or bloating.
And when I discovered all this about my, you know, my gut bacteria and my test results,
I swapped out, you know, baby spinach, kale, whatever for romaine and I don't know if it's
part of the reason, but I've been feeling amazing ever since and it's just these baby steps
(06:30):
along the way.
You know where you find out what works for you and I love romaine.
It's delicious.
It's still nutritious and yet it adds that crunch and another pro tip who knew I'd have
all these pro tips as well.
My God, I should be a freaking food blogger or something, but I keep the romaine in a
ziplock bag wrapped in paper towels inside the ziplock bag in the fridge and it keeps it
(06:54):
way fresher, way crisper for way longer.
Then I use chia and flax seeds that I sprinkle on top of the romaine.
Why do I do this?
Because they're an amazing source of fiber, especially first thing in the morning and
they are also prebiotics.
Now it's funny because I remember hearing and I'll play it for you, Cindy Crawford on
(07:18):
a podcast where she talked about how she heard that flax seeds were no longer good for
you.
Hey, what's the Cindy Crawford shape?
Well, currently it does change.
Like someone just told me flax seeds are not great now.
I thought they were good for blood pressure.
And her fiber.
But then I heard it's also bad for testosterone too.
I don't know what to do anymore.
Yeah, I know.
That's a thing.
(07:39):
So my current one.
I'm excited by that.
That I left a comment which I don't normally do.
I said in the comment, I refuse to believe flax seeds are not good for you.
I have them every morning and because they're good for you, I swear the rules change like
a fart in the wind.
And I just went back to find that video.
(07:59):
It was on TikTok and that comment has more likes than all the comments by far on that particular
video.
I'm just saying it because yeah, people agree and they're tired of the science always changing.
And then I use extra virgin olive oil which I drizzle over the romaine with the seeds.
(08:21):
And I massage it all in there.
Now if you're watching, I'm using just one hand here.
It was clumsy while I was filming, but I pick it all up with two hands and I really do
massage it in there.
I love olive oil.
It is just pure.
It is clean.
It is so good for you.
It adds earthiness to it and it adds a little bit of that kind of liquid slash sauce texture
(08:43):
for a sandwich without having it be maybe an Ioli or something that personally I don't want
to do first thing in the morning.
And then I sprinkle on crumbled goat cheese and for me, this is the best cheese option.
One, the texture.
It's got creaminess.
It has firmness.
It is tangy.
It is salty and this particular brand private selection for me is just the best I get it
(09:08):
at Ralph's.
That is also called crogr's in other states in the US.
But hey, use whatever crumbled goat cheese or any cheese you like.
Also for me, goat cheese is way easier on my gut than cow's milk cheese.
It's lower in lactose has different proteins that are easier to digest and the fat molecules
(09:29):
are smaller, which means it's generally gentler for people who may have, you know, a sensitive
gut.
So as you can see, I got this fancy egg fryer pan that has four holes, I guess you might
say, for four individual eggs.
And I cook this for me in my partner every single morning and I make the eggs so that
it comes out about over easy over medium.
(09:53):
And then of course for balance, you got to throw in some salt.
I use Himalayan pink salt that I sprinkle on top and I finish it off with olive oil spray
just a little drizzle of it.
I happen to use Trader Joe's olive oil spray because guess what?
It's the only ingredient olive oil in the whole freaking can.
I can't tell you how many times you get something organic and it's like olive oil spray and
(10:17):
they will throw in.
You know, they'll have propellants like butane or propane or emulsifiers like soy, less
of tin or whatever that thing is and even sometimes other oils like canola and I'm mortified.
So I love the Trader Joe's very simple olive oil spray because it is only olive oil.
(10:38):
Thank you very much.
And that's my breakfast sandwich.
Yippee!
Okay, number two.
So I sleep on my back and I pretty much stay on my back throughout the night.
I look like a mummy.
I'm very still when I'm sleeping and I trained myself years ago to sleep on my back because
something I read years ago, some science maybe it's not true, maybe it's changed.
(11:01):
I'm just saying what I do, you know, you do you, but I had heard it's the best ultimately
for your spine to just sleep on your back and to get some decent next support.
And so that's what I do.
And also a sort of youthful looking tip if that's important to you.
Then you sleep on your side or even like on your stomach of course.
(11:24):
That's just not good for the skin on your face.
It kind of weighs your face down and there's just something about waking up, never having
sleep lines on your face and the skin is just allowed to be free and untouched through
the night.
Gravity is pulling it back and it could only be a youthful thing.
(11:47):
So that is the only thing I do by the way that may be considered, I don't know, for the
face.
I have never done the Botox and the fillers and the things that people do and if they do,
it's amazing.
It's great to do whatever you want to do.
My trick is sleeping on my back.
Speaking of the face and your skin and sleep, I'm going to bring up something else that
(12:11):
isn't even on my list here.
And here we are, I change my pillowcase every single night and this is something I began
doing literally decades ago because I don't know if I'm a germaphobe but when it comes
to my face and skin and having clear skin, I've just picked up different, I don't know,
tips, tricks, hacks over the years and this one, I don't know anyone else who does this
(12:35):
and I don't even know if it really works but maybe it's a placebo thing.
I think it works.
I change my pillowcase every single night because in my hair, I got product and I just sometimes
I don't wash my hair at night and it freaks me out to have that product on the pillowcase
and then maybe touching my skin or my face even though I sleep on my back.
(12:56):
Sometimes your face will touch the pillow accidentally.
Oh my gosh, you all think I'm crazy at this point and we all know that when we sleep, we
sweat a lot.
It's just how it works.
And so if my head, you know, is like sweating, it's on the pillowcase, I just want something
fresh.
And even when I travel, no joke, I bring as many pillowcases as the amount of nights I'm
(13:19):
going to be sleeping wherever I go because yeah, I will not trust the hotels and their pillowcases.
I don't know how grubby their hands are, the housekeeping when they're changing pillowcases.
I don't know if they plop things on the floor and do some crazy stuff, only I trust my own
pillowcases.
Now I've gotten better over the years with sheets and towels of my own and when I travel,
(13:43):
but pillowcases, nope, it is the same.
I bring my own and there we are.
So let's see onto a new one.
I was a huge baseball fan growing up.
I was a die hard met's fan, but I was raised in LA.
So why was I a met's fan?
That's a New York team.
That's because my mom is from New York and she was and is still a crazy met's fan.
(14:07):
We actually went to the Dodgers Met's game just the other day.
My husband and I took her for Mother's Day and it was a great time.
One of the greatest moments of my life and I don't say this hyperbolicly, it is the truth.
I will never forget it was when the Met's won the 1986 World Series.
I have, it was just a moment of just sheer just, there's no words.
(14:29):
It was just unbelievable and if you are or were a Boston Red Sox fan, my greatest moment
was your most tragic moment.
I mean, if you don't know the story, just google it, build Buckner.
Really, really sad for the Boston fans, but the best day in the world for us met's fans.
Gotta tell you.
Speaking of baseball, my childhood hero was Lou Garrag.
(14:52):
When I was eight years old, I had to do a biography on, I don't know, a celebrity, a sports
figure, a politician and I got to choose and I chose Lou Garrag.
And it was Sarah and Dippadis because I even get the chills right now.
He's everything to me.
I can't even look at pictures of Lou Garrag, a footage of him seeing his name.
(15:16):
I get emotional.
I feel like I have a connection to him from another lifetime.
His legacy, the man, his athleticism, his dignity, his heroism in the face of the
this terminal, you know, disease, which now bears his name.
He's my number one hero since I was a child and it's never, ever waned to this minute
(15:39):
from eight until 50 years old.
I can still say that he's my guy, Lou Garrag.
So moving on, I'm very anti-favorites.
I don't like when people say what is your favorite, when people ask, hey, what's your favorite
TV show?
What's your favorite food?
(16:00):
Who's your favorite singer?
Because I don't have favorites.
I love too much of too many things.
How do people really narrow it down to one in any category when they're a color?
I mean, some days I love blue.
I love green.
I love red.
I love they're all amazing for different reasons.
You know, it depends on your mood.
It depends on how is the color being used right now as I am filming this.
(16:23):
I have got natural lighting.
I don't have any lights.
I have natural lighting.
And before me is a blue sky and I have green and trees and there are these pink flowers.
Each of the colors are so beautiful.
And they each serve their role.
Do you know that said just for fun.
I'll mention my what comes to mind right now.
(16:45):
See, this could change tomorrow.
But my three favorite sitcoms of all time shows that whenever I watch, I'm going to
I'm hysterically laughing.
They are timeless to me.
And I will watch them like once every five years.
I'm not like a lot of people in the sense that I don't repeat watch.
I don't watch things in syndication.
I watch a show and then I move on.
(17:07):
But some shows I will go back to.
And those are the golden girls.
I mean, come on.
Maybe the best of all time.
I mean, it's certainly I think one of the best of all time.
And for sure in my top three favorite sitcoms, the Cosby Show.
Oh my God.
I love that show so much and it's just really frustrating because now what has come to light
(17:30):
on the man and can you watch it's like it's not just differing with a celebrity on it.
Maybe some ideological thing issue.
It's actually he did evil.
So how do you watch the show?
And so I'm trying to reconcile that somehow because I missed the show.
And you know, I was going to say my top three.
(17:51):
But those are two that are coming to mind.
We just watched so my partner and I, we watch a sitcom every single morning and we've watched
so many since we've been together.
You know, it can take six months to get through nine seasons of a show.
You know, if you're watching it only in the morning for 20 minutes, which is what we do
with breakfast.
(18:12):
Well, I had to introduce him to the golden girls.
So we watched that and we've watched friends and the big bang theory and Will and
Grace, Roseanne, we just watched that and that has always been in a hadn't seen it in
decades and it is still one of my favorites.
Top three.
I'm not sure easily.
(18:32):
Top 10 one of the best of all time, just brilliant writing, just such a great show.
We've probably watched more and I'm forgetting right now.
I grew up on TV.
I was a TV junkie.
I watched all the sitcoms from the 70s and onward and even probably those in syndication
at the time from like the 50s, 60s.
When I was a kid, I remember an elementary school.
(18:54):
Some friends called me the human TV guide.
I don't watch a lot these days.
I kind of have pulled back from a lot of that stuff because for me right now in my life,
it doesn't feel purposeful.
I want to utilize my time in a way that I think furthers me in my soul along, but it doesn't
mean that I don't have my days where I just sit back and watch, you know, a good TV show
(19:16):
or a good movie.
My first real job was at 16 years old and it was at Mrs. Fields Cookies at the Sherman Oaks
Gallery.
Now this is or was an iconic mall here in the San Fernando Valley where I still live,
although I wasn't living here for probably 20 years and I've recently returned and a lot
of that has to do with my return to dance journey because dance is very much right here.
(19:40):
But this mall was famously featured and played a huge part in many movies, especially fast
times at Ridgemont High and back to the future part two.
It was a great mall and they've since like completely, nothing is the same anymore.
I don't want to sound like that guy, but it's the mall is technically there, but it's
not.
(20:01):
It's been overhauled.
It is now like an outside mall that magical 80s vibe.
Yeah, long gone.
The first job I ever booked as an actor was on the number one TV show at the time.
It was taking like TV by storm, bottom line, I booked a great guest spot.
My character was like his backstory was that he had burned his butt on hot coils at a college
(20:28):
frat party.
And by the way, side note, I was like 18, 19 years old and the fact that I booked maybe
I was like 1920 and the fact that I booked a college aged kid technically was shocking
because I had only at that point been reading for and getting callbacks on like 14 years old.
So somehow I got this and it's even more crazy when you think about it because as the years
(20:52):
went on like my middle eight twenties, I was playing like 1920, but somehow I booked this
part playing my actual age which was and still is kind of crazy for me.
I even remember what I wore.
It's not crazy, but I do.
I wore a blue denim button down shirt.
It was very, very big on me in baggy.
And I kind of had it open like as a layer to make me look and appear bigger with probably
(21:16):
a white shirt underneath.
And then I had I think jeans that were very wide at the ankle because I was wearing boots.
And I would try to camouflage hide the fact that I was wearing boots that had literal heels
to them because I'm not a tall guy.
And the jeans would like flow to the ground and kind of cover up the fact that I was adding
(21:37):
like three inches to my height with these boots and these heels.
So that of course in my brain was like that's why I got the part of a character who's actually
my own age.
It's crazy what we tell ourselves when of course as artists we have no idea why we get whatever
job we get.
It could be our best audition ever and we never hear anything.
(21:58):
It could be our worst audition at least in our heads and we book that job.
All I can tell you is that for years I wore boots and jeans because of that audition.
It was a great part.
It was a guest spot.
I had like three different scenes with Noah Wiley who played Dr. Carter.
I never forgot that.
I remember going in for it and they said something like are you okay to show your butt on television?
(22:23):
Because again my character like burned his butt like sitting on a hot coil stove or something
and I was like yeah I guess this might have been at the time NYPD Blue which was a huge show
at the time and that TV show in America was the first time that a bare butt was shown on TV
and maybe ER was like trying to follow suit.
I don't freaking know but when I booked the job my agent called me and they were like you
(22:47):
must have a good butt.
You got the job.
And I was like oh my gosh.
So the night before I was supposed to film meanwhile I had gone to like wardrobe and you
know all the contracts all the things I got the call that my entire storyline the character
the whole story was taken out of the script they wrote this script if memory serves they
(23:11):
made it into a George Clooney centered episode while he had worked over the years a whole bunch
and was very much known in the industry ER like catapulted him to like fame you know that overnight
success story but he'd been around probably for 20 years or something like a long time knowing
that seeing that ER to cater to that they rewrote this episode made it I think was like a
(23:34):
flood episode his character was caught in a flood or something and I was taken out and my
agent was so apologetic and they were so sorry and they said the good news is is because
you booked it they have to bring you back before the end of the season so I did go back and
the casting director whose name I remember I'm pretty sure still was John Jonathan Levy
(23:56):
and he brought me back in like three more times and he would introduce me to whomever was
directing that episode and he was like yeah we brought him back he did such a great job
he booked this one role it was so great it was so funny but you know it was taken away
and so and then every time I got brought back the role got smaller and smaller and smaller and it
(24:16):
was really sad and I remember thinking I'm going from a guest spot with three scenes to nothing
and basically the job I wound up booking on the show was nothing so much so that I remember my
agent had called me about something else and then they said we can't wait to watch your ER next week
and I was like it was on last night and I remember she was like it was I watched it and I thought oh
(24:41):
my god my own agent watched me on ER and didn't even recognize me that is so sad because my character
was like bloodied he was bandaged up I was on a gurney and I remember the audition and I remember
the director Felix Alcala who went on to win a director's guild award for ER but I don't know if
it was from my episode but I remember the audition with him I won't do his accent he had an accent
(25:07):
but I remember my character was like on a gurney and he was yelling and I was just sitting in the chair
like doing it right and like feeling it and I had one word I had one word as my line oh my god
I mean still amazing and a blessing but you know to go from a guest spot to that what are you going to do
and I remember I did the audition and he gets up and he's like you are an actor this is the career
(25:29):
you've chosen I want to see you get on the floor I want to see you writhing around in pain and I was
like okay and I did and I believed it and I was writhing in whatever and he was like yes that's it
and so I booked it and I wound up shooting it with George Clooney no Wiley and CCH Pounder and at the time
(25:50):
I remember this well I was working at a tanning salon oh that's another story okay how's this
for another story so I'll get into that in a minute but I remember working at this tanning salon I kept
this journal of a struggling actor I probably have it in a box somewhere and I would write in this thing
at this 24 hour tanning salon that I worked at one of the many many many crazy jobs I had over the years
(26:13):
just so that I could afford to like be an actor auditioning and you know have the hours and flexibility
and whatever and I remember writing in it that I can't believe I worked with the guy it was just
announced was the new Batman because it was yeah at the time that is another supportive example as to
how big he was getting from ER you know like boom overnight craziness he had booked Batman and I remember
(26:37):
he came up to me and I'm on the gurney like half naked and he puts that as hand and he was like hi I'm
George and I remember thinking oh my god this is the new Batman and I shook his hand and no Wiley
and he was very sweet and they were and George Clooney is known for his like pranks and being
funny and he was making everybody laugh and then CCH Pounder oh my god just god bless her she was so
amazing if you don't know her name you know her face she's been in a million TV shows and I remember
(27:02):
like I was on the gurney and I was like cold and I was barefoot and she was like massaging my feet
for a lot of it like taking care of me what I was like I love this woman and I will never forget her
and do you know do you know that years and years later maybe 20 plus years later I waited on her
(27:24):
at the soho house oh that is a story I worked at the soho house one of the premier membership clubs
in the world and she was one of the guests one day in my section and I told her that she was amazing
and that I remembered her massaging my feet and she made the experience so just lovely and she was
(27:45):
so touched by it and she even gave me her card and said keep in touch and it was all very sweet
that ER story interestingly was a huge wake up call immediately into this crazy entertainment
business that it taught me a huge lesson to not ever tell anybody that you booked a job you're up
(28:06):
for a job or anything until you're on set and you've actually filmed so it was a really good learning
experience for me in a lot of ways another way being to you know just take everything with a grain of
salt like if it happens great and if I'm told I got a job I just to this day I take everything with
a grain of salt I'm like yeah okay very good I don't really believe anything is true until I'm
(28:31):
really experiencing it you know a contract a verbal agreement isn't enough for me I need to
actually know that it's happening to experience in happening and then I believe it and so you know
that's an actually that's a good lesson for life I worked at this tending salon it was 24 hours again
because it allowed me to have my days open and whatnot this guy walked in it was like 11 pm he
(28:54):
clearly had been staking is that the right word you know the the premises and watching maybe
that's what at least later on the detectives told me he had been doing he just kind of knowing
when I was alone when there would be less customers notice how bound away for a restaurant I say
guests when people come in versus like at a retail job you say customers because I learned a million
(29:18):
years ago you want to say guests when you're actually taking care of people in a restaurant setting they
they are your guests like they're in your home versus you know if you got a job at a clothing store
which I've had a million of those two anyway so this 24 hour tending salon I didn't go in the beds
myself because I was too afraid I mean I did that for a very very short time but honestly I was probably
(29:41):
not the best spokesperson or whatever working at this place because I was white white white boy
and I didn't I was too afraid to go in those tending beds after I think the first few weeks oh the
things we do for commission I wonder if this is bad by the way for me to talk about because this
could be some kind of trauma I haven't thought about this in years but yeah this guy came in and he
(30:02):
said I want you to open up your register and give me all your cash it's this immediate moment where
you know it's real but also you're taken out of it and it's like is this really happening to me
and I just kind of stood there looking at him and then he lifted up his shirt and he showed me his
gun sitting in his holster or his belt area but I could see it when he lifted up his shirt looking
(30:28):
back on this this was really stupid I kind of pretended that I couldn't open up the register unless I
had a transaction unless I had a sale and I was ringing something up like I was protecting you know
the tending salon and and their money over my life or something because it was not true he said I
don't care how the f you do it but make sure you open up that register or something like that and I was
(30:49):
like okay so I opened it up I gave him all the cash and then he said now okay so like the front had
a counter and that was where I worked and then there was a back office that had like a swinging door
and that's where I wrote in my you know journal of a struggling actor I really remember this it's
crazy he goes I want you to go into the back and count to a hundred and if I see your little head
(31:13):
pop back out I'm gonna come back and take care of you that's what he said and I was like okay
and so I gave him all the cash he left I go into the back and I remember I was
leaning up against the wall and I was literally counting like he told me to do and I remember having
the thought first and the thought was I should be shaking right now I should be shaking but it's
(31:36):
crazy that I don't feel like I am and then I looked at my hands and they weren't just shaking it was
like convulsing like massively vibrating shaking but I didn't feel them but I had the awareness
and the thought that I should be shaking and I was I counted to a hundred I came out I called the cops
they came by and then I think I don't know what it was weeks or months later they came to my home
(32:01):
so these detectives came to the house and I was really afraid I'm like if I have to testify is this guy
gonna come to get me or whatever but they showed me this book of all these potential suspects who
may have been the guy who robbed me and as soon as I saw his face out of the many faces I knew
exactly who he was I'm like that is him and they go great that is all we need and I'm like
(32:24):
you know and I think I asked something to the effective has he done this before and yes he had and
very thankfully I did not have to go to court to testify because yeah I was afraid to do that
so over 10 years ago I was diagnosed with IBS which I had massive stomach issues and at the time
I couldn't understand why this happened to me because I had just come out of the closet which I
(32:48):
did very late in life 37 years old then I moved to Vegas that's another story because I didn't feel
like I wanted to be in Los Angeles and be out of the closet I felt like I just wasn't ready I felt
like I knew too many people I I needed to be somewhere else I got a Vegas and that turned into a
crazy experience because my god tried to meet somebody in Vegas but all of a sudden you know I think
(33:12):
I'm free I'm out I'm proud and my stomach my body just shuts down and after doing a lot of research
on it I think I know why that happened and that is because when you are suppressing something so
huge like that you know who you are your your body is like almost protecting you and then now you're
(33:33):
come out and you're free and then all of a sudden it's like all that crap you've been bottling up
inside is also free to come out and just tear you down and that is exactly what happened I think
and my body shut down for almost a whole year I was surviving on steamed rice and chicken only it
was the only thing my body would allow me to eat I was in so much pain at all times I've always been
(33:56):
I don't want to say underweight but definitely certainly had a hard time gaining weight and I probably
lost like 15 pounds and on my body frame was really scary I looked very emaciated and then I had you
know you hear you have IBS which I personally think this is just my own opinion if you differ that's
(34:17):
great and my opinion on this is that it's like when the doctors can't find what's wrong with you they
just say this is what you have because they don't know what else to say and it is a life sentence it
is a permanent thing if you google it it's forever and I wouldn't accept that as my I guess prognosis
diagnosis so I worked and fought my tail off to fix it and I was finding the newest science at the time
(34:45):
like something called the low fodmap diet which I think came out of monish or monash or something
university in australia I have not looked this up in decades or like yeah over 10 years or something
now the low fodmap plan is very much known it was not then like when I have spoken to
integrative nutrition specialist health people they're shocked to know that I knew about the low fodmap
(35:09):
thing back in 2014 it was like brand new science but it is a way of eating like a far more intense
version of what I brought up earlier with baby spinach versus romaine and this was you know
way earlier in my trying to figure out my body so I had done this full low fodmap diet which is
(35:29):
basically an elimination plan designed to help people with gut issues ibs whatever just kind of
figure out which fermentable carbs trigger their symptoms so you might cut out common culprits
like certain fruits and veggies and dairy and grains and then slowly add them back in to see
(35:49):
what your gut can actually handle I remember having a fodmap app at the time which was really helpful
when I was at the grocery store you know which foods can I eat can I not eat are in the green or
yellow or red and I started taking certain probiotics and slowly but surely I resolved everything
(36:10):
I'm sure also working on my spiritual self my spiritual life getting my mind right also play
the role bottom line is after a couple of years ish of like fighting and trying to remedy myself
I did and I have had no problems since I've had to be frank moments over the years I feel like
(36:30):
were stressed me rise up a little bit where my stomach does react but those have been few and far
between and knock on wood I'm doing that now I would argue that my stomach is strong and solid
and amazing and even though it's been over 10 years now where my stomach functions beautifully
(36:53):
and it is my normal I still wake up daily with utter and total gratitude for this reality
and I think that is because when something is taken away from you and you're in so much pain
and then you fight fight fight and you get it back and you feel good again there is a depth of
(37:15):
gratitude and thankfulness there that can truly only be understood and appreciated when you know
what it's like not to have that theme that's my theory at least and now can I be frank I eat
everything God bless me dude I eat everything I mean I have my thing it's like a toad you earlier
like gluten at most once a day I don't do cream sauces you know like I have my stuff
(37:40):
but in general if I want like a burger and fries I do it if I want a grilled cheese I do it and I feel
freaking great everything in a moderation and it's a beautiful thing I'm gonna end it there I hope
that this was in some way I don't know entertaining informative personal you got to know me a little
bit better did you what did you think could you relate to any of my stuff I don't know tell me in the
(38:01):
comments down below if you're watching a youtuber Spotify or send me a DM on Instagram and by the way if I
didn't mention yet I really appreciate you being here I would just be so honored if you on Apple gave
my podcast a rating a review that would be amazing I always say share the podcast you know because I
feel like again I'm always trying to serve dancers in some way but because I am a fan of full on
(38:27):
you know transparency I don't know why you would want to share this because I don't know unless
you're like oh my god this guy beat ibs like so inspiring and I know that you're struggling with your
tummy you gotta hear him I mean that I mean hopefully still in my stories I try to be fun but also
in some way inspiring with some of them I don't know we're back to regular dance content in the next
(38:51):
episode as always I appreciate you being here your support oh my god it just means the world I'm just
when when I look at the numbers and I'm like oh my gosh and there's still so much more that I want
to do and now that I'm back in class it's like I can taste it I can taste how close I am to like sharing
not just all the things I am sharing oh you know that's the last thing I'm going to say
(39:12):
when life throws you like a crazy ass curveball like it did meet you know my whole brand is supposed to
be about dance you know I'm returning to dance after three decades and all of a sudden I'm posting
online when I'm not dancing take that in for a second that's huge but it got me being strategic
(39:33):
in thinking of okay how can I serve dancers while I'm not dancing yes I have a lot of you know
experience back in dance after three decades but now it's six months it's a year it's two years it's
two and a half years of healing from injury and chronic pain but I'm still serving the dance world
in some way it pushed me to go in directions with my content that I never would have the trajectory
(39:58):
has just gone all over the place and only because I'm not dance or I wasn't in class dancing and look
I mean my stuff has resonated it has reached people and that is a great lesson for everybody
you know you might have a certain plan to go one way and then you know there's some hurdle that
(40:18):
you were not expecting and it seems like some steps back but it need not be you just keep your mind
positive you keep going you keep looking forward you create stuff around it you can make it work
and I have and you have been so much a part of that you have helped me understand that I have a voice
in dance that isn't just about dancing like being a dancer dancer in class in booking jobs and
(40:43):
everything that there is more to my voice in dance than the actual physical art form of dancing do you
know and I don't know that just means the world to me and now how exciting is it that I'm actually
back in class and I'm inching my way to having actual dance footage and I feel like oh my god there's
so much more to come and I can't wait for you to go on this ride with me as so much new is about to unfold
(41:09):
okay until next time
I was robbed at gunpoint at a 24 hour tanning salon.
(00:06):
Was the first acting job I booked on the number one show on TV, but the night before I was
supposed to film, something happened, and I didn't make it to set.
Have I been eating the same breakfast for literally 20 years that I never get tired of?
Wait, so I was diagnosed with IBS over 10 years ago, but cured myself?
(00:29):
All of those non-dance things on today's podcast, which is a dance podcast.
And I'm flipping the script.
Why?
Because I've hit a couple of milestones lately.
100k followers on Instagram and 10,000, well now I think it's past 11,000 subscribers
(00:50):
on YouTube.
These are huge milestones for me and I'm just so grateful for the support.
I am just so touched by the fact that whatever I am doing with regard to dance and sharing,
you know, about my own dance journey, about how dance has evolved and all the stories I
have shared about dance legends, whatever it is, it is making some kind of impact.
(01:12):
So I just kind of figured, you know, if you are connecting to all the dance stuff, maybe
it's time to let you in a little bit on me, you know, the person behind it.
I'm thinking of sharing things today.
I wasn't, you know, thinking I would share this, but I have to admit, like in my real regular
life for the most part, I feel like I am the listener.
(01:34):
I am the question asker.
I have felt this way since I was at least a teenager.
I rarely talk about myself.
I rarely volunteer things about myself.
I find that most people are really happy to talk about themselves only.
And so maybe having, you know, a podcast is my way of getting in some time to talk.
But again, I keep it all about dance, not about me personally.
(01:58):
And so today I'm going to do that.
I'm going to open up.
I'm going to be self conscious about it.
No, no, no, I'm not.
I'm going to be out and proud about just sharing different things about my life because
yeah, I mean, I want to know you all better and I want you to know me a little bit better
too.
I put up a poll on my Instagram and I said, "Hey, if I do a podcast like this, I'm like moving
(02:18):
a lot in my chair today, which is also unlike me, which just proves I feel awkward."
The vast majority voted that, yeah, they would listen to a podcast where I talk about non-dance
things.
So let's just get to it.
Okay.
So first up, I have had the same breakfast.
I don't know how many years, at least 15 years.
It was something that I came up with and I invented it and I love it and the ingredients
(02:45):
have changed over the years and I have perfected it so much so that my husband, it's his
favorite breakfast in the world and every single morning with out exaggeration, he mentions
how excited he is to have the same breakfast we have now had together for over five years
and every time we travel, the first thing he says, the morning of our trip, you know, like
(03:08):
the first morning of a trip is like, "Ah, I miss your breakfast."
I'm like, "Oh, come on.
Give a man a break.
Let's go get some eggs and bacon somewhere.
Okay, I don't want to cook today."
Okay, so here is me making the sandwich.
If you're watching this on YouTube or Spotify, you will obviously see this.
So I begin with the base, which is the bread.
(03:29):
Now I use Udi's gluten-free, use sourdough, whatever you like.
I like gluten-free in the morning because that means I can have another bread with gluten
product later in the day.
It's just kind of to my stomach that just how my body works.
And then I get turkey from the deli, have them, you know, hand-carved, what is the term,
(03:50):
slice it?
I have them slice it fresh.
I do the oven gold, honey maple works, lo-sodium, whatever you like.
So that's right over the bread.
And as you can see in this video here, I do a little side of walnuts also and I use walnuts
very specifically because they have a rich content of healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids,
anti-oxidants and fiber and they're just more gentle on the gut than other nuts like almonds.
(04:17):
Now I keep my walnuts in the freezer because nuts can grow mold easily, especially in warm
or humid kitchens.
And freezing just helps prevent that and just keeps them fresher way, way longer and it does
not affect the texture.
They don't get frozen.
It's just perfect.
So before I go on, I just want to note as you may have been able to tell that every
(04:39):
ingredient has been well thought out and it's there for a reason and probably none more
than the next one.
So as you can see, romaine lettuce.
I love just having lettuce on the breakfast sandwich.
I love the crunch but I didn't use to use romaine.
I used to use other ones that I like more in taste to be honest, like just stronger ones,
(05:01):
like baby spinach or arugula.
But when I was having gut issues, I had all these tests done on myself and it came back that
I had methane in my body, which just sounds crazy and they can totally test for that stuff.
And I learned that some leafy greens like spinach can actually lead to more gas production
(05:23):
in the gut.
And that is because they contain certain types of fiber or fermentable carbs often called
Faut maps and your gut bacteria is going to break down, you know, those fibers or fermentable
carbs releasing gas like methane or hydrogen in the process.
Now if you're sensitive to that, which I am especially first thing in the morning, not
(05:47):
so much for me later in the day, but yeah, first thing in the morning, it can feel really
uncomfortable and romaine lettuce.
I got to tell you on the other hand is way easier for me and a lot of people to digest in general
because it's low in fiber, low in Faut maps and doesn't ferment in the gut the way spinach
(06:08):
or kale can.
So yeah, it's way less likely to cause gas or bloating.
And when I discovered all this about my, you know, my gut bacteria and my test results,
I swapped out, you know, baby spinach, kale, whatever for romaine and I don't know if it's
part of the reason, but I've been feeling amazing ever since and it's just these baby steps
(06:30):
along the way.
You know where you find out what works for you and I love romaine.
It's delicious.
It's still nutritious and yet it adds that crunch and another pro tip who knew I'd have
all these pro tips as well.
My God, I should be a freaking food blogger or something, but I keep the romaine in a
ziplock bag wrapped in paper towels inside the ziplock bag in the fridge and it keeps it
(06:54):
way fresher, way crisper for way longer.
Then I use chia and flax seeds that I sprinkle on top of the romaine.
Why do I do this?
Because they're an amazing source of fiber, especially first thing in the morning and
they are also prebiotics.
Now it's funny because I remember hearing and I'll play it for you, Cindy Crawford on
(07:18):
a podcast where she talked about how she heard that flax seeds were no longer good for
you.
Hey, what's the Cindy Crawford shape?
Well, currently it does change.
Like someone just told me flax seeds are not great now.
I thought they were good for blood pressure.
And her fiber.
But then I heard it's also bad for testosterone too.
I don't know what to do anymore.
Yeah, I know.
That's a thing.
(07:39):
So my current one.
I'm excited by that.
That I left a comment which I don't normally do.
I said in the comment, I refuse to believe flax seeds are not good for you.
I have them every morning and because they're good for you, I swear the rules change like
a fart in the wind.
And I just went back to find that video.
(07:59):
It was on TikTok and that comment has more likes than all the comments by far on that particular
video.
I'm just saying it because yeah, people agree and they're tired of the science always changing.
And then I use extra virgin olive oil which I drizzle over the romaine with the seeds.
(08:21):
And I massage it all in there.
Now if you're watching, I'm using just one hand here.
It was clumsy while I was filming, but I pick it all up with two hands and I really do
massage it in there.
I love olive oil.
It is just pure.
It is clean.
It is so good for you.
It adds earthiness to it and it adds a little bit of that kind of liquid slash sauce texture
(08:43):
for a sandwich without having it be maybe an Ioli or something that personally I don't want
to do first thing in the morning.
And then I sprinkle on crumbled goat cheese and for me, this is the best cheese option.
One, the texture.
It's got creaminess.
It has firmness.
It is tangy.
It is salty and this particular brand private selection for me is just the best I get it
(09:08):
at Ralph's.
That is also called crogr's in other states in the US.
But hey, use whatever crumbled goat cheese or any cheese you like.
Also for me, goat cheese is way easier on my gut than cow's milk cheese.
It's lower in lactose has different proteins that are easier to digest and the fat molecules
(09:29):
are smaller, which means it's generally gentler for people who may have, you know, a sensitive
gut.
So as you can see, I got this fancy egg fryer pan that has four holes, I guess you might
say, for four individual eggs.
And I cook this for me in my partner every single morning and I make the eggs so that
it comes out about over easy over medium.
(09:53):
And then of course for balance, you got to throw in some salt.
I use Himalayan pink salt that I sprinkle on top and I finish it off with olive oil spray
just a little drizzle of it.
I happen to use Trader Joe's olive oil spray because guess what?
It's the only ingredient olive oil in the whole freaking can.
I can't tell you how many times you get something organic and it's like olive oil spray and
(10:17):
they will throw in.
You know, they'll have propellants like butane or propane or emulsifiers like soy, less
of tin or whatever that thing is and even sometimes other oils like canola and I'm mortified.
So I love the Trader Joe's very simple olive oil spray because it is only olive oil.
(10:38):
Thank you very much.
And that's my breakfast sandwich.
Yippee!
Okay, number two.
So I sleep on my back and I pretty much stay on my back throughout the night.
I look like a mummy.
I'm very still when I'm sleeping and I trained myself years ago to sleep on my back because
something I read years ago, some science maybe it's not true, maybe it's changed.
(11:01):
I'm just saying what I do, you know, you do you, but I had heard it's the best ultimately
for your spine to just sleep on your back and to get some decent next support.
And so that's what I do.
And also a sort of youthful looking tip if that's important to you.
Then you sleep on your side or even like on your stomach of course.
(11:24):
That's just not good for the skin on your face.
It kind of weighs your face down and there's just something about waking up, never having
sleep lines on your face and the skin is just allowed to be free and untouched through
the night.
Gravity is pulling it back and it could only be a youthful thing.
(11:47):
So that is the only thing I do by the way that may be considered, I don't know, for the
face.
I have never done the Botox and the fillers and the things that people do and if they do,
it's amazing.
It's great to do whatever you want to do.
My trick is sleeping on my back.
Speaking of the face and your skin and sleep, I'm going to bring up something else that
(12:11):
isn't even on my list here.
And here we are, I change my pillowcase every single night and this is something I began
doing literally decades ago because I don't know if I'm a germaphobe but when it comes
to my face and skin and having clear skin, I've just picked up different, I don't know,
tips, tricks, hacks over the years and this one, I don't know anyone else who does this
(12:35):
and I don't even know if it really works but maybe it's a placebo thing.
I think it works.
I change my pillowcase every single night because in my hair, I got product and I just sometimes
I don't wash my hair at night and it freaks me out to have that product on the pillowcase
and then maybe touching my skin or my face even though I sleep on my back.
(12:56):
Sometimes your face will touch the pillow accidentally.
Oh my gosh, you all think I'm crazy at this point and we all know that when we sleep, we
sweat a lot.
It's just how it works.
And so if my head, you know, is like sweating, it's on the pillowcase, I just want something
fresh.
And even when I travel, no joke, I bring as many pillowcases as the amount of nights I'm
(13:19):
going to be sleeping wherever I go because yeah, I will not trust the hotels and their pillowcases.
I don't know how grubby their hands are, the housekeeping when they're changing pillowcases.
I don't know if they plop things on the floor and do some crazy stuff, only I trust my own
pillowcases.
Now I've gotten better over the years with sheets and towels of my own and when I travel,
(13:43):
but pillowcases, nope, it is the same.
I bring my own and there we are.
So let's see onto a new one.
I was a huge baseball fan growing up.
I was a die hard met's fan, but I was raised in LA.
So why was I a met's fan?
That's a New York team.
That's because my mom is from New York and she was and is still a crazy met's fan.
(14:07):
We actually went to the Dodgers Met's game just the other day.
My husband and I took her for Mother's Day and it was a great time.
One of the greatest moments of my life and I don't say this hyperbolicly, it is the truth.
I will never forget it was when the Met's won the 1986 World Series.
I have, it was just a moment of just sheer just, there's no words.
(14:29):
It was just unbelievable and if you are or were a Boston Red Sox fan, my greatest moment
was your most tragic moment.
I mean, if you don't know the story, just google it, build Buckner.
Really, really sad for the Boston fans, but the best day in the world for us met's fans.
Gotta tell you.
Speaking of baseball, my childhood hero was Lou Garrag.
(14:52):
When I was eight years old, I had to do a biography on, I don't know, a celebrity, a sports
figure, a politician and I got to choose and I chose Lou Garrag.
And it was Sarah and Dippadis because I even get the chills right now.
He's everything to me.
I can't even look at pictures of Lou Garrag, a footage of him seeing his name.
(15:16):
I get emotional.
I feel like I have a connection to him from another lifetime.
His legacy, the man, his athleticism, his dignity, his heroism in the face of the
this terminal, you know, disease, which now bears his name.
He's my number one hero since I was a child and it's never, ever waned to this minute
(15:39):
from eight until 50 years old.
I can still say that he's my guy, Lou Garrag.
So moving on, I'm very anti-favorites.
I don't like when people say what is your favorite, when people ask, hey, what's your favorite
TV show?
What's your favorite food?
(16:00):
Who's your favorite singer?
Because I don't have favorites.
I love too much of too many things.
How do people really narrow it down to one in any category when they're a color?
I mean, some days I love blue.
I love green.
I love red.
I love they're all amazing for different reasons.
You know, it depends on your mood.
It depends on how is the color being used right now as I am filming this.
(16:23):
I have got natural lighting.
I don't have any lights.
I have natural lighting.
And before me is a blue sky and I have green and trees and there are these pink flowers.
Each of the colors are so beautiful.
And they each serve their role.
Do you know that said just for fun.
I'll mention my what comes to mind right now.
(16:45):
See, this could change tomorrow.
But my three favorite sitcoms of all time shows that whenever I watch, I'm going to
I'm hysterically laughing.
They are timeless to me.
And I will watch them like once every five years.
I'm not like a lot of people in the sense that I don't repeat watch.
I don't watch things in syndication.
I watch a show and then I move on.
(17:07):
But some shows I will go back to.
And those are the golden girls.
I mean, come on.
Maybe the best of all time.
I mean, it's certainly I think one of the best of all time.
And for sure in my top three favorite sitcoms, the Cosby Show.
Oh my God.
I love that show so much and it's just really frustrating because now what has come to light
(17:30):
on the man and can you watch it's like it's not just differing with a celebrity on it.
Maybe some ideological thing issue.
It's actually he did evil.
So how do you watch the show?
And so I'm trying to reconcile that somehow because I missed the show.
And you know, I was going to say my top three.
(17:51):
But those are two that are coming to mind.
We just watched so my partner and I, we watch a sitcom every single morning and we've watched
so many since we've been together.
You know, it can take six months to get through nine seasons of a show.
You know, if you're watching it only in the morning for 20 minutes, which is what we do
with breakfast.
(18:12):
Well, I had to introduce him to the golden girls.
So we watched that and we've watched friends and the big bang theory and Will and
Grace, Roseanne, we just watched that and that has always been in a hadn't seen it in
decades and it is still one of my favorites.
Top three.
I'm not sure easily.
(18:32):
Top 10 one of the best of all time, just brilliant writing, just such a great show.
We've probably watched more and I'm forgetting right now.
I grew up on TV.
I was a TV junkie.
I watched all the sitcoms from the 70s and onward and even probably those in syndication
at the time from like the 50s, 60s.
When I was a kid, I remember an elementary school.
(18:54):
Some friends called me the human TV guide.
I don't watch a lot these days.
I kind of have pulled back from a lot of that stuff because for me right now in my life,
it doesn't feel purposeful.
I want to utilize my time in a way that I think furthers me in my soul along, but it doesn't
mean that I don't have my days where I just sit back and watch, you know, a good TV show
(19:16):
or a good movie.
My first real job was at 16 years old and it was at Mrs. Fields Cookies at the Sherman Oaks
Gallery.
Now this is or was an iconic mall here in the San Fernando Valley where I still live,
although I wasn't living here for probably 20 years and I've recently returned and a lot
of that has to do with my return to dance journey because dance is very much right here.
(19:40):
But this mall was famously featured and played a huge part in many movies, especially fast
times at Ridgemont High and back to the future part two.
It was a great mall and they've since like completely, nothing is the same anymore.
I don't want to sound like that guy, but it's the mall is technically there, but it's
not.
(20:01):
It's been overhauled.
It is now like an outside mall that magical 80s vibe.
Yeah, long gone.
The first job I ever booked as an actor was on the number one TV show at the time.
It was taking like TV by storm, bottom line, I booked a great guest spot.
My character was like his backstory was that he had burned his butt on hot coils at a college
(20:28):
frat party.
And by the way, side note, I was like 18, 19 years old and the fact that I booked maybe
I was like 1920 and the fact that I booked a college aged kid technically was shocking
because I had only at that point been reading for and getting callbacks on like 14 years old.
So somehow I got this and it's even more crazy when you think about it because as the years
(20:52):
went on like my middle eight twenties, I was playing like 1920, but somehow I booked this
part playing my actual age which was and still is kind of crazy for me.
I even remember what I wore.
It's not crazy, but I do.
I wore a blue denim button down shirt.
It was very, very big on me in baggy.
And I kind of had it open like as a layer to make me look and appear bigger with probably
(21:16):
a white shirt underneath.
And then I had I think jeans that were very wide at the ankle because I was wearing boots.
And I would try to camouflage hide the fact that I was wearing boots that had literal heels
to them because I'm not a tall guy.
And the jeans would like flow to the ground and kind of cover up the fact that I was adding
(21:37):
like three inches to my height with these boots and these heels.
So that of course in my brain was like that's why I got the part of a character who's actually
my own age.
It's crazy what we tell ourselves when of course as artists we have no idea why we get whatever
job we get.
It could be our best audition ever and we never hear anything.
(21:58):
It could be our worst audition at least in our heads and we book that job.
All I can tell you is that for years I wore boots and jeans because of that audition.
It was a great part.
It was a guest spot.
I had like three different scenes with Noah Wiley who played Dr. Carter.
I never forgot that.
I remember going in for it and they said something like are you okay to show your butt on television?
(22:23):
Because again my character like burned his butt like sitting on a hot coil stove or something
and I was like yeah I guess this might have been at the time NYPD Blue which was a huge show
at the time and that TV show in America was the first time that a bare butt was shown on TV
and maybe ER was like trying to follow suit.
I don't freaking know but when I booked the job my agent called me and they were like you
(22:47):
must have a good butt.
You got the job.
And I was like oh my gosh.
So the night before I was supposed to film meanwhile I had gone to like wardrobe and you
know all the contracts all the things I got the call that my entire storyline the character
the whole story was taken out of the script they wrote this script if memory serves they
(23:11):
made it into a George Clooney centered episode while he had worked over the years a whole bunch
and was very much known in the industry ER like catapulted him to like fame you know that overnight
success story but he'd been around probably for 20 years or something like a long time knowing
that seeing that ER to cater to that they rewrote this episode made it I think was like a
(23:34):
flood episode his character was caught in a flood or something and I was taken out and my
agent was so apologetic and they were so sorry and they said the good news is is because
you booked it they have to bring you back before the end of the season so I did go back and
the casting director whose name I remember I'm pretty sure still was John Jonathan Levy
(23:56):
and he brought me back in like three more times and he would introduce me to whomever was
directing that episode and he was like yeah we brought him back he did such a great job
he booked this one role it was so great it was so funny but you know it was taken away
and so and then every time I got brought back the role got smaller and smaller and smaller and it
(24:16):
was really sad and I remember thinking I'm going from a guest spot with three scenes to nothing
and basically the job I wound up booking on the show was nothing so much so that I remember my
agent had called me about something else and then they said we can't wait to watch your ER next week
and I was like it was on last night and I remember she was like it was I watched it and I thought oh
(24:41):
my god my own agent watched me on ER and didn't even recognize me that is so sad because my character
was like bloodied he was bandaged up I was on a gurney and I remember the audition and I remember
the director Felix Alcala who went on to win a director's guild award for ER but I don't know if
it was from my episode but I remember the audition with him I won't do his accent he had an accent
(25:07):
but I remember my character was like on a gurney and he was yelling and I was just sitting in the chair
like doing it right and like feeling it and I had one word I had one word as my line oh my god
I mean still amazing and a blessing but you know to go from a guest spot to that what are you going to do
and I remember I did the audition and he gets up and he's like you are an actor this is the career
(25:29):
you've chosen I want to see you get on the floor I want to see you writhing around in pain and I was
like okay and I did and I believed it and I was writhing in whatever and he was like yes that's it
and so I booked it and I wound up shooting it with George Clooney no Wiley and CCH Pounder and at the time
(25:50):
I remember this well I was working at a tanning salon oh that's another story okay how's this
for another story so I'll get into that in a minute but I remember working at this tanning salon I kept
this journal of a struggling actor I probably have it in a box somewhere and I would write in this thing
at this 24 hour tanning salon that I worked at one of the many many many crazy jobs I had over the years
(26:13):
just so that I could afford to like be an actor auditioning and you know have the hours and flexibility
and whatever and I remember writing in it that I can't believe I worked with the guy it was just
announced was the new Batman because it was yeah at the time that is another supportive example as to
how big he was getting from ER you know like boom overnight craziness he had booked Batman and I remember
(26:37):
he came up to me and I'm on the gurney like half naked and he puts that as hand and he was like hi I'm
George and I remember thinking oh my god this is the new Batman and I shook his hand and no Wiley
and he was very sweet and they were and George Clooney is known for his like pranks and being
funny and he was making everybody laugh and then CCH Pounder oh my god just god bless her she was so
amazing if you don't know her name you know her face she's been in a million TV shows and I remember
(27:02):
like I was on the gurney and I was like cold and I was barefoot and she was like massaging my feet
for a lot of it like taking care of me what I was like I love this woman and I will never forget her
and do you know do you know that years and years later maybe 20 plus years later I waited on her
(27:24):
at the soho house oh that is a story I worked at the soho house one of the premier membership clubs
in the world and she was one of the guests one day in my section and I told her that she was amazing
and that I remembered her massaging my feet and she made the experience so just lovely and she was
(27:45):
so touched by it and she even gave me her card and said keep in touch and it was all very sweet
that ER story interestingly was a huge wake up call immediately into this crazy entertainment
business that it taught me a huge lesson to not ever tell anybody that you booked a job you're up
(28:06):
for a job or anything until you're on set and you've actually filmed so it was a really good learning
experience for me in a lot of ways another way being to you know just take everything with a grain of
salt like if it happens great and if I'm told I got a job I just to this day I take everything with
a grain of salt I'm like yeah okay very good I don't really believe anything is true until I'm
(28:31):
really experiencing it you know a contract a verbal agreement isn't enough for me I need to
actually know that it's happening to experience in happening and then I believe it and so you know
that's an actually that's a good lesson for life I worked at this tending salon it was 24 hours again
because it allowed me to have my days open and whatnot this guy walked in it was like 11 pm he
(28:54):
clearly had been staking is that the right word you know the the premises and watching maybe
that's what at least later on the detectives told me he had been doing he just kind of knowing
when I was alone when there would be less customers notice how bound away for a restaurant I say
guests when people come in versus like at a retail job you say customers because I learned a million
(29:18):
years ago you want to say guests when you're actually taking care of people in a restaurant setting they
they are your guests like they're in your home versus you know if you got a job at a clothing store
which I've had a million of those two anyway so this 24 hour tending salon I didn't go in the beds
myself because I was too afraid I mean I did that for a very very short time but honestly I was probably
(29:41):
not the best spokesperson or whatever working at this place because I was white white white boy
and I didn't I was too afraid to go in those tending beds after I think the first few weeks oh the
things we do for commission I wonder if this is bad by the way for me to talk about because this
could be some kind of trauma I haven't thought about this in years but yeah this guy came in and he
(30:02):
said I want you to open up your register and give me all your cash it's this immediate moment where
you know it's real but also you're taken out of it and it's like is this really happening to me
and I just kind of stood there looking at him and then he lifted up his shirt and he showed me his
gun sitting in his holster or his belt area but I could see it when he lifted up his shirt looking
(30:28):
back on this this was really stupid I kind of pretended that I couldn't open up the register unless I
had a transaction unless I had a sale and I was ringing something up like I was protecting you know
the tending salon and and their money over my life or something because it was not true he said I
don't care how the f you do it but make sure you open up that register or something like that and I was
(30:49):
like okay so I opened it up I gave him all the cash and then he said now okay so like the front had
a counter and that was where I worked and then there was a back office that had like a swinging door
and that's where I wrote in my you know journal of a struggling actor I really remember this it's
crazy he goes I want you to go into the back and count to a hundred and if I see your little head
(31:13):
pop back out I'm gonna come back and take care of you that's what he said and I was like okay
and so I gave him all the cash he left I go into the back and I remember I was
leaning up against the wall and I was literally counting like he told me to do and I remember having
the thought first and the thought was I should be shaking right now I should be shaking but it's
(31:36):
crazy that I don't feel like I am and then I looked at my hands and they weren't just shaking it was
like convulsing like massively vibrating shaking but I didn't feel them but I had the awareness
and the thought that I should be shaking and I was I counted to a hundred I came out I called the cops
they came by and then I think I don't know what it was weeks or months later they came to my home
(32:01):
so these detectives came to the house and I was really afraid I'm like if I have to testify is this guy
gonna come to get me or whatever but they showed me this book of all these potential suspects who
may have been the guy who robbed me and as soon as I saw his face out of the many faces I knew
exactly who he was I'm like that is him and they go great that is all we need and I'm like
(32:24):
you know and I think I asked something to the effective has he done this before and yes he had and
very thankfully I did not have to go to court to testify because yeah I was afraid to do that
so over 10 years ago I was diagnosed with IBS which I had massive stomach issues and at the time
I couldn't understand why this happened to me because I had just come out of the closet which I
(32:48):
did very late in life 37 years old then I moved to Vegas that's another story because I didn't feel
like I wanted to be in Los Angeles and be out of the closet I felt like I just wasn't ready I felt
like I knew too many people I I needed to be somewhere else I got a Vegas and that turned into a
crazy experience because my god tried to meet somebody in Vegas but all of a sudden you know I think
(33:12):
I'm free I'm out I'm proud and my stomach my body just shuts down and after doing a lot of research
on it I think I know why that happened and that is because when you are suppressing something so
huge like that you know who you are your your body is like almost protecting you and then now you're
(33:33):
come out and you're free and then all of a sudden it's like all that crap you've been bottling up
inside is also free to come out and just tear you down and that is exactly what happened I think
and my body shut down for almost a whole year I was surviving on steamed rice and chicken only it
was the only thing my body would allow me to eat I was in so much pain at all times I've always been
(33:56):
I don't want to say underweight but definitely certainly had a hard time gaining weight and I probably
lost like 15 pounds and on my body frame was really scary I looked very emaciated and then I had you
know you hear you have IBS which I personally think this is just my own opinion if you differ that's
(34:17):
great and my opinion on this is that it's like when the doctors can't find what's wrong with you they
just say this is what you have because they don't know what else to say and it is a life sentence it
is a permanent thing if you google it it's forever and I wouldn't accept that as my I guess prognosis
diagnosis so I worked and fought my tail off to fix it and I was finding the newest science at the time
(34:45):
like something called the low fodmap diet which I think came out of monish or monash or something
university in australia I have not looked this up in decades or like yeah over 10 years or something
now the low fodmap plan is very much known it was not then like when I have spoken to
integrative nutrition specialist health people they're shocked to know that I knew about the low fodmap
(35:09):
thing back in 2014 it was like brand new science but it is a way of eating like a far more intense
version of what I brought up earlier with baby spinach versus romaine and this was you know
way earlier in my trying to figure out my body so I had done this full low fodmap diet which is
(35:29):
basically an elimination plan designed to help people with gut issues ibs whatever just kind of
figure out which fermentable carbs trigger their symptoms so you might cut out common culprits
like certain fruits and veggies and dairy and grains and then slowly add them back in to see
(35:49):
what your gut can actually handle I remember having a fodmap app at the time which was really helpful
when I was at the grocery store you know which foods can I eat can I not eat are in the green or
yellow or red and I started taking certain probiotics and slowly but surely I resolved everything
(36:10):
I'm sure also working on my spiritual self my spiritual life getting my mind right also play
the role bottom line is after a couple of years ish of like fighting and trying to remedy myself
I did and I have had no problems since I've had to be frank moments over the years I feel like
(36:30):
were stressed me rise up a little bit where my stomach does react but those have been few and far
between and knock on wood I'm doing that now I would argue that my stomach is strong and solid
and amazing and even though it's been over 10 years now where my stomach functions beautifully
(36:53):
and it is my normal I still wake up daily with utter and total gratitude for this reality
and I think that is because when something is taken away from you and you're in so much pain
and then you fight fight fight and you get it back and you feel good again there is a depth of
(37:15):
gratitude and thankfulness there that can truly only be understood and appreciated when you know
what it's like not to have that theme that's my theory at least and now can I be frank I eat
everything God bless me dude I eat everything I mean I have my thing it's like a toad you earlier
like gluten at most once a day I don't do cream sauces you know like I have my stuff
(37:40):
but in general if I want like a burger and fries I do it if I want a grilled cheese I do it and I feel
freaking great everything in a moderation and it's a beautiful thing I'm gonna end it there I hope
that this was in some way I don't know entertaining informative personal you got to know me a little
bit better did you what did you think could you relate to any of my stuff I don't know tell me in the
(38:01):
comments down below if you're watching a youtuber Spotify or send me a DM on Instagram and by the way if I
didn't mention yet I really appreciate you being here I would just be so honored if you on Apple gave
my podcast a rating a review that would be amazing I always say share the podcast you know because I
feel like again I'm always trying to serve dancers in some way but because I am a fan of full on
(38:27):
you know transparency I don't know why you would want to share this because I don't know unless
you're like oh my god this guy beat ibs like so inspiring and I know that you're struggling with your
tummy you gotta hear him I mean that I mean hopefully still in my stories I try to be fun but also
in some way inspiring with some of them I don't know we're back to regular dance content in the next
(38:51):
episode as always I appreciate you being here your support oh my god it just means the world I'm just
when when I look at the numbers and I'm like oh my gosh and there's still so much more that I want
to do and now that I'm back in class it's like I can taste it I can taste how close I am to like sharing
not just all the things I am sharing oh you know that's the last thing I'm going to say
(39:12):
when life throws you like a crazy ass curveball like it did meet you know my whole brand is supposed to
be about dance you know I'm returning to dance after three decades and all of a sudden I'm posting
online when I'm not dancing take that in for a second that's huge but it got me being strategic
(39:33):
in thinking of okay how can I serve dancers while I'm not dancing yes I have a lot of you know
experience back in dance after three decades but now it's six months it's a year it's two years it's
two and a half years of healing from injury and chronic pain but I'm still serving the dance world
in some way it pushed me to go in directions with my content that I never would have the trajectory
(39:58):
has just gone all over the place and only because I'm not dance or I wasn't in class dancing and look
I mean my stuff has resonated it has reached people and that is a great lesson for everybody
you know you might have a certain plan to go one way and then you know there's some hurdle that
(40:18):
you were not expecting and it seems like some steps back but it need not be you just keep your mind
positive you keep going you keep looking forward you create stuff around it you can make it work
and I have and you have been so much a part of that you have helped me understand that I have a voice
in dance that isn't just about dancing like being a dancer dancer in class in booking jobs and
(40:43):
everything that there is more to my voice in dance than the actual physical art form of dancing do you
know and I don't know that just means the world to me and now how exciting is it that I'm actually
back in class and I'm inching my way to having actual dance footage and I feel like oh my god there's
so much more to come and I can't wait for you to go on this ride with me as so much new is about to unfold
(41:09):
okay until next time
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