January 18, 2025 • 21 mins
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In this episode, we explore the vital importance of work-life balance in Hollywood and provide actionable strategies to help you thrive in a demanding industry. We discuss setting strong boundaries, prioritizing health, learning to say no, and incorporating wellness practices to sustain your career and well-being.
• Emphasizing the significance of work-life balance amid Hollywood's demands
• Discussing the challenges of long hours and high expectations
• Importance of setting non-negotiable boundaries for well-being
• Strategies for prioritizing health and rest while on set
• Tips for maintaining proper nutrition to support energy levels
• Recognizing the value of scheduling downtime for personal recharge
• Understanding when to say no to opportunities that don’t align
• Advising against the habit of jumping from job to job
• Exploring the benefits of Ayurvedic practices for holistic health
• Encouragement to take a long-term approach to career sustainability
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, welcome back.
Today, we're tackling animportant topic that doesn't get
discussed enough in thisindustry, and that is work-life
balance.
Hollywood is known for itsintense pace, long hours and
high expectations, which canmake it challenging to find time
for yourself, but maintainingbalance is essential for your
(00:20):
well-being and career longevityfor your well-being and career
longevity.
In this episode, I'll sharestrategies for staying grounded,
setting boundaries and creatinga work-life balance that
supports both your personal lifeand career growth.
And this is something that Ihad.
Mentors tell me some reallygreat insight when I first
(00:43):
started the business, but one ofthe things that I didn't focus
on was that work-life balance.
I really just went all in allwork and no play.
And so but not only just aboutno play I literally was eating,
craft service and staying up atnight after I got home from work
(01:09):
and zoning in on a televisionshow, and the next thing you
know, I'm getting like fourhours of sleep.
So what I've learned from thatis that you really have to be
intentional about your health tokeep yourself sane and to keep
(01:30):
yourself healthy mentally,physically and emotionally.
Okay, so let's go into the keypoints.
Hollywood is exciting, but itcan also be all-consuming If you
don't set boundaries andprioritize your well-being, it's
easy to burn out.
Balance allows you to performat your best and enjoy the
(01:50):
journey.
Obviously, at the beginning ofyour career, when you're
hustling and you're trying tobuild your reputation, you're
going to have to do it all.
Obviously, don't do things thatgo against your values and your
integrity.
But you're going to have towork hard and you are going to
have to have sleepless nightsand you are going to have to
(02:11):
like I think I don't know whatepisode I said it in but I was
working seven day weeks and youknow I was.
I was young, I was able to doit.
Nowadays, I don't know if Icould do it.
I mean, I know I could do ittemporarily, but it just it
would be too much.
I've become very sensitive andI've become very aware of my
(02:34):
body and what my body needs areand what it's trying to tell me
before it breaks down.
So, anyways, here's somepractical strategies to find
balance, or to create thatbalance.
Finding balance doesn't happenby accident.
It takes intention, which Isaid a while ago.
Here are some strategies tohelp you create a balance that
(02:56):
works for you One you have toset clear boundaries, decide
what's non-negotiable for yourwell-being, whether it's time
with your family, self-careroutines or taking breaks.
Setting boundaries doesn't meanyou're less dedicated.
It means you value yourlongevity.
And before I keep going, youknow I've worked with some
(03:18):
people where obviously, theyhave their reputation built,
they have their career built,they're known in the industry,
but they literally will.
Before they take a job or theyget asked to take a job, they'll
be like okay, I have to leaveearly on these days because my
kids have, you know, whateverdance recital, whatever, I want
(03:40):
to put my kids first.
This is a non-negotiable for me.
I have to take certain nightsoff.
That's great.
You should be able to do that,especially if you already built
your reputation and you havepeople you work with constantly.
You need to stay true to that.
Also, if there's a moment intime where you're exhausted and
(04:03):
you need to take an early nightoff or late morning in usually
in the mornings it's harder todo that, but so an early night
off you need to let your teamknow and your department head
know.
Like, hey, I need a break, likeI'm unraveling here okay, and
that comes to the next one.
(04:23):
Prioritize health and rest.
Okay, and that comes to thenext one prioritize health and
rest.
So in that moment, like I said,you have to let them know,
because Hollywood demands a lot,but rest is essential.
I know that I do not functionwell without rest, especially
when I'm department heading andhaving to remember all these
things.
I have to get my rest.
(04:44):
Everything else is turned off.
I don't watch TV at night.
I have my routines, myself-care routines and my mental
to reset for the next day.
But make time for sleep,exercise and healthy meals.
These habits will keep youresilient and focused.
These habits will keep youresilient and focused.
(05:11):
And while we're here, I'm goingto say one of the best tips I
can give you, once you get to aplace where you can afford it,
is food delivery service.
They feed you on set, but a lotof times they really got cheap
with food.
Now it depends on theproduction you're on Like I'm
even on some really bigproductions and sometimes the
catering is really awful.
(05:32):
It depends on who they hire andif they actually care about
what they're doing.
But you could start out theshow testing the waters and
everything, but if it's not goodfood and if they're not feeding
you, well and craft service isjust a bunch of crap.
You need to take care ofyourself with food.
(05:52):
I don't care who you are.
I'm going to tell you right nowthe best thing that I've
learned in life is food is whatruns the machine, it's your
medicine, it's what keeps youstrong and healthy.
So if you're eating a bunch ofsugar and food that's not
actually real food every day, ontop of not getting sleep and on
top of doing these long hoursand then the stress of taking
(06:15):
care of actors and running theshow and production and
everything, you're going to drop.
When I was in that show inDetroit, I wasn't taking care of
myself and I was ran ragged andI was doing almost everything
and I I did.
I dropped several times.
I had to go to the hospitaltwice.
One time they couldn't figureout what was wrong with me.
(06:38):
I wasn't dehydrated.
That I was just.
I was ran ragged.
I wasn't dehydrated, but mybody was like no more, you're
not eating right, you're havingbeers on the weekends, you're
staying up late, like I just wastrying to cope with the crazy,
and then it wasn't helping inthe long run and I dropped.
(06:58):
So you have to prioritize allof these things and and then
schedule downtime.
Create space in your schedulefor activities that recharge you
, whether it's a hobby, spendingtime with loved ones or simply
relaxing.
Downtime is essential tomaintaining a healthy work-life
balance.
And again, instead of going outon the weekends, every Saturday
(07:25):
night, me and some friends fromwork we would go and have a
dinner together.
I could have stopped there, Ishould have stopped there, but
the rest of the crew was goingout and they were having a good
time, sometimes dancing,whatever and I wanted to be a
part of that.
I had something going on in mylife.
(07:45):
I had just broken out of arelationship, a long term
relationship.
I was also going through thestress of having to run the
department and I wasn't preparedfor I didn't have the skill for
it yet, like I didn't have thetraining, I didn't have that
experience yet.
I didn't know what I wasgetting myself into, and so it
(08:07):
was all of these stressors andthen I'll tell you more on this
later.
But I also had a spiritualthing going on and it was a lot.
Looking back at it now, it wasa lot.
I can't believe I made itthrough that alive.
And then I got a concussionbecause someone goosed me and I
hit my head on this metal frame,had to go to hospital for that,
(08:31):
like I had a lot of thingsgoing on that it was
transitioning me.
I really feel like it was ahuge growth spurt in my life, in
my personal life, my career butit was just again.
It was teaching me all of thisthat I'm teaching you now about
work-life balance.
You gotta really be intentionalabout this, especially if you
(08:55):
want to make it in this industry.
Okay, all right, let's move on.
Learn to say no and when to sayyes.
In hollywood, it's tempting tosay yes to every opportunity
because it feels like there'salways more to gain or you're
afraid of missing out.
(09:15):
But sometimes saying no is justas powerful.
It's about knowing what alignswith your goals and what doesn't
.
Learning to say no whensomething doesn't serve your
well-being or your long-termvision will help you conserve
energy for the opportunitiesthat matter most.
And when you do say yes, makesure it's a choice that excites
you and contributes to yourgrowth.
(09:37):
This I cannot stress to youenough.
It's another thing in life thatI've learned that is super
important.
Again, at the beginning of yourcareer, you're going to have to
say yes to everything.
But when you get to a pointwhere you're established, you
need to learn to say no, even toyour friends or your family
(10:00):
members, whatever it is.
If you're feeling uneasy aboutit or it's going like everything
inside of you is screaming no,say no.
The more I have honored myselfby doing that, the more peace
I've had.
Once you start doing it, you'regoing to see your energy shift
(10:21):
and you're going to be just muchmore content and happy.
Also, I said no to jobs Whilewe're here.
I wasn't going to bring this upyet, but so I don't forget it.
The other thing, that the bestadvice that I can give you.
It's a little off topic, but donot be a ship jumper, and I'm
(10:44):
sure I'll say this again but donot be a ship jumper, and what I
mean by that is the best adviceI've ever gotten.
Do not start a show and thenjump to another show just
because it's better, justbecause it's better.
I have personally stuck to thismy entire career and I can say
(11:04):
that it really has helped me alot.
I've worked and I've known alot of people.
They'll start a show andthey'll jump and they'll go to
another show, and sometimes it'sa hard decision because maybe
you department headed a show andthen you got asked to do
another show.
But the show that youdepartment headed a show.
And then you got asked to doanother show.
But the show that youdepartment headed is starting
(11:26):
back up.
In my opinion, I would not havetaken the show if I knew that I
was going to have to jump.
I would have said you know what?
Personally, I know that my showis starting back up in two
months.
So if I could just day play,that would be great, or if I
(11:47):
could be a heavy day player,that would be great.
But I would never say yes to acore position and when I say
core I mean a person that's inthe main trailer every day
permanently.
I would never do that Becausefor one integrity, two, it
really messes up the team and ifI was a department head I
(12:12):
actually wouldn't take onsomebody that says, hey, I could
do the show but I have to leavein two months.
I wouldn't do it because thedynamic of the team and the
actors, and then you're havingto take that person out and then
replace it with someone elsebecause there's a lot of trust
that's built and then there's alot of um, moving parts and then
(12:35):
matching and the continuity andall of that like it's just too
much.
It's too much so I know I kindof said wait on that, but I just
want you to.
It kind of goes with this butwhen to say yes and when to say
no, like you also need to be aprofessional and you need to be
honest and you need topersonally take a step back from
(12:56):
things and not be selfish.
To that's selfish.
And I know some people have todo it because they have families
or they have people that theyhave to take care of or whatnot.
But again make a deal with thatdepartment head and say I mean,
if I could be a heavy dayplayer, that would be great and
(13:16):
then you can hire somebody elsefor that position.
But that's just me.
I know everybody's different.
I just want to share that withyou because in my opinion it is
frustrating when things likethat happen, especially if
you're part of the team, thathappens to you and you have no
control over it.
But anyways, as a departmenthead's mindset, I'm just letting
(13:38):
you know that's the kind ofthings that I personally look at
and I know a lot of otherdepartment heads look at.
And if you get the reputation asa show jumper, people will hire
you.
They're reluctant to hire youbecause they know that they
could potentially lose you andthen that's going to cause
stress on the job, on them andthe other teammates.
(13:59):
So try to stay true to that.
Um, I've had shows where it'slike not a little show, it's
still a big show, but it wasstill not like a major movie.
And I've turned down a majormovie for it Because, again, I
wanted to stay true to mypromise to myself and to that
(14:21):
integrity.
I can tell you right now, ifyou say my name to anyone that
knows me, they will tell you I'mreliable and I'll be there for
you.
Like I'm not, I won't goanywhere, I will stay the entire
time.
Oh, and then there's also beentimes where I've been department
heading.
I got offered a major, majorfeature film.
(14:42):
It was out of state andeverything and we were having a
really tough time.
My whole team, we were thinkingabout it.
There's things that are goingon that, um, you know we were
just.
It was the first time where Iwas like it sounds very enticing
, but I didn't do it because Iam loyal and I don't want to
(15:05):
cause any rifts like that.
I am loyal and I don't want tocause any rifts like that.
So let's see where we're at.
Oh, the other thing that I dowant to.
I do want to add one of thethings that I personally have
found that makes my work lifebalance or keeps my health on a
(15:26):
show not only the food delivery,but staying away from sugar as
much as possible to sleep,exercising if I can, and then,
um, ayurvedic medicine.
For those that don't know,ayurveda is one of the oldest
(15:47):
ways of healing in the world.
It's six, seven thousand yearsold, something around there, and
it basically is the first knownway of understanding the body
and the healing.
And I can go into more of thislater, but I went to school for
a year and learned everythingabout it.
Obviously I'm not a doctor, butI learned the foundation of it.
(16:10):
It's so beautiful.
Chinese medicine took what theydo and what they know from
Ayurvedic medicine, so I thinkChinese is 5000 years old and
they just made it their own.
So, like they made it their ownherbs from their region.
Ayurveda does acupressuremassage, which is, oh, it feels
(16:31):
so good.
And then Chinese medicine didacupuncture.
They turned it into acupuncture, which is the needle and so
just different things.
They tweaked and changed.
But personally I started withChinese and then I went to
Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is so much morepowerful.
I started with Chinese and thenI went to Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is so much morepowerful.
And you can even ask myboyfriend.
(16:54):
He also did the Chinese with mefirst and then we went to the
Ayurveda and man oh man, such adifference.
So I remember, on impeachment,my third, it was chaos, guys.
I cannot wait to tell you aboutthis show.
But towards the end it went onfor a year and we had all the
COVID gear on, so it was verydraining towards the end.
Um, my third was like how inthe world have you stayed strong
(17:20):
and healthy like this?
Like I don't understand it.
It and I was like my Ayurvedicherbs, but I also spiritually.
I would every night reset and Ido bible studies and stuff like
that and pray and just meditate.
So it really helped reset mespiritually.
And but she was just like howhave you stayed so positive and
(17:44):
so strong and healthy?
You haven't been sick once, youare still so calm and kind and
all this stuff, like I had mymoments, but overall I didn't
let the stress like there wouldbe tornadoes going on all around
us or me, and I wouldn't let it.
It was like I was in a bubbleand it was because I did these
(18:06):
specific things to keep thatwork-life balance.
But anyways, the Ayurvedic herbsoh my gosh, there's one that I
take.
Anyone could take this.
But um, it is.
It's got 53 herbs and you justtake a little shot.
I usually I take it twice a day, but oh my gosh, the vitality
(18:28):
you get just, oh, it just makesyou feel so good.
But again, one of the otherthings I do want to say about
Ayurvedic herbs the thing that Ilove about it it's customized
to each individual person.
So I can't tell you to take aspecific herb because it might
wreck you, like it might messthings all up and, like me and
(18:49):
my boyfriend, we'd never takenany herbs that are the same.
Everything's always beendifferent.
But he used to have somestomach problems and it just
felt like this little pit, likethis void in a stomach.
It's hard to, but he triedeverything before we did
Ayurveda and about three monthsinto taking the herbs he's like,
(19:10):
oh my gosh, my stomach isfinally better.
So it took a while, like causehe'd get off of them and they
would kind of come back.
Then he would do it again.
But over time like I think ayear it hasn't come back.
So he hasn't been on the herbsand it still hasn't come back.
So that's the thing withAyurveda it takes time to heal
but in the long run it actuallydoes its job.
(19:33):
It actually heals you insteadof band-aiding it.
So I know I got off on a tangent.
I actually want to do like apodcast on health and teaching
people all the things that Iknow about Ayurveda and maybe
I'll have some episodes in herefor those.
Like I'll do a separate littlesection for those that are
(19:54):
interested in it and the healingand everything that I've
learned my healing journey overthe last eight years.
But yeah, so again, I cannotstress to you enough about the
balance.
Keep the balance.
I was going to tell you anAmerican Horror Story.
When I was first starting, Iwas eating up all the craft
(20:15):
service and I think I gainedlike 20, 30 pounds.
I had that.
It was like I didn't go tocollege so I didn't do the
freshman 30 or whatever theycall it, but now I got my
freshman 20, my freshman 30 inthe industry.
So anyways, okay, we're gonnawrap it up here.
(20:35):
Thanks for joining me today.
Again, balance is essential inthis industry.
As demanding as it is, don'tforget to set boundaries,
prioritize your health andchoose opportunities that align
with your vision.
If you do this, you can staygrounded and thrive for the long
haul.
Remember your career is amarathon, sometimes it's a
(20:59):
sprint, but you really need tofocus on the long-term game.
Make time for yourself andyou'll be in a better place to
enjoy the journey and show upfully on set.
If you're looking for moresupport in navigating Hollywood,
check out my other episodes,but also my Hollywood Elite
(21:20):
membership, where we dive intothe strategies to help you build
a sustainable career.
If this episode resonated withyou, don't forget to subscribe,
share it with a friend and leavea review.
It would mean the world to me.
Alright, I'll see you in thenext one.
Okay, welcome back.
Today, we're tackling animportant topic that doesn't get
discussed enough in thisindustry, and that is work-life
balance.
Hollywood is known for itsintense pace, long hours and
high expectations, which canmake it challenging to find time
for yourself, but maintainingbalance is essential for your
(00:20):
well-being and career longevityfor your well-being and career
longevity.
In this episode, I'll sharestrategies for staying grounded,
setting boundaries and creatinga work-life balance that
supports both your personal lifeand career growth.
And this is something that Ihad.
Mentors tell me some reallygreat insight when I first
(00:43):
started the business, but one ofthe things that I didn't focus
on was that work-life balance.
I really just went all in allwork and no play.
And so but not only just aboutno play I literally was eating,
craft service and staying up atnight after I got home from work
(01:09):
and zoning in on a televisionshow, and the next thing you
know, I'm getting like fourhours of sleep.
So what I've learned from thatis that you really have to be
intentional about your health tokeep yourself sane and to keep
(01:30):
yourself healthy mentally,physically and emotionally.
Okay, so let's go into the keypoints.
Hollywood is exciting, but itcan also be all-consuming If you
don't set boundaries andprioritize your well-being, it's
easy to burn out.
Balance allows you to performat your best and enjoy the
(01:50):
journey.
Obviously, at the beginning ofyour career, when you're
hustling and you're trying tobuild your reputation, you're
going to have to do it all.
Obviously, don't do things thatgo against your values and your
integrity.
But you're going to have towork hard and you are going to
have to have sleepless nightsand you are going to have to
(02:11):
like I think I don't know whatepisode I said it in but I was
working seven day weeks and youknow I was.
I was young, I was able to doit.
Nowadays, I don't know if Icould do it.
I mean, I know I could do ittemporarily, but it just it
would be too much.
I've become very sensitive andI've become very aware of my
(02:34):
body and what my body needs areand what it's trying to tell me
before it breaks down.
So, anyways, here's somepractical strategies to find
balance, or to create thatbalance.
Finding balance doesn't happenby accident.
It takes intention, which Isaid a while ago.
Here are some strategies tohelp you create a balance that
(02:56):
works for you One you have toset clear boundaries, decide
what's non-negotiable for yourwell-being, whether it's time
with your family, self-careroutines or taking breaks.
Setting boundaries doesn't meanyou're less dedicated.
It means you value yourlongevity.
And before I keep going, youknow I've worked with some
(03:18):
people where obviously, theyhave their reputation built,
they have their career built,they're known in the industry,
but they literally will.
Before they take a job or theyget asked to take a job, they'll
be like okay, I have to leaveearly on these days because my
kids have, you know, whateverdance recital, whatever, I want
(03:40):
to put my kids first.
This is a non-negotiable for me.
I have to take certain nightsoff.
That's great.
You should be able to do that,especially if you already built
your reputation and you havepeople you work with constantly.
You need to stay true to that.
Also, if there's a moment intime where you're exhausted and
(04:03):
you need to take an early nightoff or late morning in usually
in the mornings it's harder todo that, but so an early night
off you need to let your teamknow and your department head
know.
Like, hey, I need a break, likeI'm unraveling here okay, and
that comes to the next one.
(04:23):
Prioritize health and rest.
Okay, and that comes to thenext one prioritize health and
rest.
So in that moment, like I said,you have to let them know,
because Hollywood demands a lot,but rest is essential.
I know that I do not functionwell without rest, especially
when I'm department heading andhaving to remember all these
things.
I have to get my rest.
(04:44):
Everything else is turned off.
I don't watch TV at night.
I have my routines, myself-care routines and my mental
to reset for the next day.
But make time for sleep,exercise and healthy meals.
These habits will keep youresilient and focused.
These habits will keep youresilient and focused.
(05:11):
And while we're here, I'm goingto say one of the best tips I
can give you, once you get to aplace where you can afford it,
is food delivery service.
They feed you on set, but a lotof times they really got cheap
with food.
Now it depends on theproduction you're on Like I'm
even on some really bigproductions and sometimes the
catering is really awful.
(05:32):
It depends on who they hire andif they actually care about
what they're doing.
But you could start out theshow testing the waters and
everything, but if it's not goodfood and if they're not feeding
you, well and craft service isjust a bunch of crap.
You need to take care ofyourself with food.
(05:52):
I don't care who you are.
I'm going to tell you right nowthe best thing that I've
learned in life is food is whatruns the machine, it's your
medicine, it's what keeps youstrong and healthy.
So if you're eating a bunch ofsugar and food that's not
actually real food every day, ontop of not getting sleep and on
top of doing these long hoursand then the stress of taking
(06:15):
care of actors and running theshow and production and
everything, you're going to drop.
When I was in that show inDetroit, I wasn't taking care of
myself and I was ran ragged andI was doing almost everything
and I I did.
I dropped several times.
I had to go to the hospitaltwice.
One time they couldn't figureout what was wrong with me.
(06:38):
I wasn't dehydrated.
That I was just.
I was ran ragged.
I wasn't dehydrated, but mybody was like no more, you're
not eating right, you're havingbeers on the weekends, you're
staying up late, like I just wastrying to cope with the crazy,
and then it wasn't helping inthe long run and I dropped.
(06:58):
So you have to prioritize allof these things and and then
schedule downtime.
Create space in your schedulefor activities that recharge you
, whether it's a hobby, spendingtime with loved ones or simply
relaxing.
Downtime is essential tomaintaining a healthy work-life
balance.
And again, instead of going outon the weekends, every Saturday
(07:25):
night, me and some friends fromwork we would go and have a
dinner together.
I could have stopped there, Ishould have stopped there, but
the rest of the crew was goingout and they were having a good
time, sometimes dancing,whatever and I wanted to be a
part of that.
I had something going on in mylife.
(07:45):
I had just broken out of arelationship, a long term
relationship.
I was also going through thestress of having to run the
department and I wasn't preparedfor I didn't have the skill for
it yet, like I didn't have thetraining, I didn't have that
experience yet.
I didn't know what I wasgetting myself into, and so it
(08:07):
was all of these stressors andthen I'll tell you more on this
later.
But I also had a spiritualthing going on and it was a lot.
Looking back at it now, it wasa lot.
I can't believe I made itthrough that alive.
And then I got a concussionbecause someone goosed me and I
hit my head on this metal frame,had to go to hospital for that,
(08:31):
like I had a lot of thingsgoing on that it was
transitioning me.
I really feel like it was ahuge growth spurt in my life, in
my personal life, my career butit was just again.
It was teaching me all of thisthat I'm teaching you now about
work-life balance.
You gotta really be intentionalabout this, especially if you
(08:55):
want to make it in this industry.
Okay, all right, let's move on.
Learn to say no and when to sayyes.
In hollywood, it's tempting tosay yes to every opportunity
because it feels like there'salways more to gain or you're
afraid of missing out.
(09:15):
But sometimes saying no is justas powerful.
It's about knowing what alignswith your goals and what doesn't
.
Learning to say no whensomething doesn't serve your
well-being or your long-termvision will help you conserve
energy for the opportunitiesthat matter most.
And when you do say yes, makesure it's a choice that excites
you and contributes to yourgrowth.
(09:37):
This I cannot stress to youenough.
It's another thing in life thatI've learned that is super
important.
Again, at the beginning of yourcareer, you're going to have to
say yes to everything.
But when you get to a pointwhere you're established, you
need to learn to say no, even toyour friends or your family
(10:00):
members, whatever it is.
If you're feeling uneasy aboutit or it's going like everything
inside of you is screaming no,say no.
The more I have honored myselfby doing that, the more peace
I've had.
Once you start doing it, you'regoing to see your energy shift
(10:21):
and you're going to be just muchmore content and happy.
Also, I said no to jobs Whilewe're here.
I wasn't going to bring this upyet, but so I don't forget it.
The other thing, that the bestadvice that I can give you.
It's a little off topic, but donot be a ship jumper, and I'm
(10:44):
sure I'll say this again but donot be a ship jumper, and what I
mean by that is the best adviceI've ever gotten.
Do not start a show and thenjump to another show just
because it's better, justbecause it's better.
I have personally stuck to thismy entire career and I can say
(11:04):
that it really has helped me alot.
I've worked and I've known alot of people.
They'll start a show andthey'll jump and they'll go to
another show, and sometimes it'sa hard decision because maybe
you department headed a show andthen you got asked to do
another show.
But the show that youdepartment headed a show.
And then you got asked to doanother show.
But the show that youdepartment headed is starting
(11:26):
back up.
In my opinion, I would not havetaken the show if I knew that I
was going to have to jump.
I would have said you know what?
Personally, I know that my showis starting back up in two
months.
So if I could just day play,that would be great, or if I
(11:47):
could be a heavy day player,that would be great.
But I would never say yes to acore position and when I say
core I mean a person that's inthe main trailer every day
permanently.
I would never do that Becausefor one integrity, two, it
really messes up the team and ifI was a department head I
(12:12):
actually wouldn't take onsomebody that says, hey, I could
do the show but I have to leavein two months.
I wouldn't do it because thedynamic of the team and the
actors, and then you're havingto take that person out and then
replace it with someone elsebecause there's a lot of trust
that's built and then there's alot of um, moving parts and then
(12:35):
matching and the continuity andall of that like it's just too
much.
It's too much so I know I kindof said wait on that, but I just
want you to.
It kind of goes with this butwhen to say yes and when to say
no, like you also need to be aprofessional and you need to be
honest and you need topersonally take a step back from
(12:56):
things and not be selfish.
To that's selfish.
And I know some people have todo it because they have families
or they have people that theyhave to take care of or whatnot.
But again make a deal with thatdepartment head and say I mean,
if I could be a heavy dayplayer, that would be great and
(13:16):
then you can hire somebody elsefor that position.
But that's just me.
I know everybody's different.
I just want to share that withyou because in my opinion it is
frustrating when things likethat happen, especially if
you're part of the team, thathappens to you and you have no
control over it.
But anyways, as a departmenthead's mindset, I'm just letting
(13:38):
you know that's the kind ofthings that I personally look at
and I know a lot of otherdepartment heads look at.
And if you get the reputation asa show jumper, people will hire
you.
They're reluctant to hire youbecause they know that they
could potentially lose you andthen that's going to cause
stress on the job, on them andthe other teammates.
(13:59):
So try to stay true to that.
Um, I've had shows where it'slike not a little show, it's
still a big show, but it wasstill not like a major movie.
And I've turned down a majormovie for it Because, again, I
wanted to stay true to mypromise to myself and to that
(14:21):
integrity.
I can tell you right now, ifyou say my name to anyone that
knows me, they will tell you I'mreliable and I'll be there for
you.
Like I'm not, I won't goanywhere, I will stay the entire
time.
Oh, and then there's also beentimes where I've been department
heading.
I got offered a major, majorfeature film.
(14:42):
It was out of state andeverything and we were having a
really tough time.
My whole team, we were thinkingabout it.
There's things that are goingon that, um, you know we were
just.
It was the first time where Iwas like it sounds very enticing
, but I didn't do it because Iam loyal and I don't want to
(15:05):
cause any rifts like that.
I am loyal and I don't want tocause any rifts like that.
So let's see where we're at.
Oh, the other thing that I dowant to.
I do want to add one of thethings that I personally have
found that makes my work lifebalance or keeps my health on a
(15:26):
show not only the food delivery,but staying away from sugar as
much as possible to sleep,exercising if I can, and then,
um, ayurvedic medicine.
For those that don't know,ayurveda is one of the oldest
(15:47):
ways of healing in the world.
It's six, seven thousand yearsold, something around there, and
it basically is the first knownway of understanding the body
and the healing.
And I can go into more of thislater, but I went to school for
a year and learned everythingabout it.
Obviously I'm not a doctor, butI learned the foundation of it.
(16:10):
It's so beautiful.
Chinese medicine took what theydo and what they know from
Ayurvedic medicine, so I thinkChinese is 5000 years old and
they just made it their own.
So, like they made it their ownherbs from their region.
Ayurveda does acupressuremassage, which is, oh, it feels
(16:31):
so good.
And then Chinese medicine didacupuncture.
They turned it into acupuncture, which is the needle and so
just different things.
They tweaked and changed.
But personally I started withChinese and then I went to
Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is so much morepowerful.
I started with Chinese and thenI went to Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is so much morepowerful.
And you can even ask myboyfriend.
(16:54):
He also did the Chinese with mefirst and then we went to the
Ayurveda and man oh man, such adifference.
So I remember, on impeachment,my third, it was chaos, guys.
I cannot wait to tell you aboutthis show.
But towards the end it went onfor a year and we had all the
COVID gear on, so it was verydraining towards the end.
Um, my third was like how inthe world have you stayed strong
(17:20):
and healthy like this?
Like I don't understand it.
It and I was like my Ayurvedicherbs, but I also spiritually.
I would every night reset and Ido bible studies and stuff like
that and pray and just meditate.
So it really helped reset mespiritually.
And but she was just like howhave you stayed so positive and
(17:44):
so strong and healthy?
You haven't been sick once, youare still so calm and kind and
all this stuff, like I had mymoments, but overall I didn't
let the stress like there wouldbe tornadoes going on all around
us or me, and I wouldn't let it.
It was like I was in a bubbleand it was because I did these
(18:06):
specific things to keep thatwork-life balance.
But anyways, the Ayurvedic herbsoh my gosh, there's one that I
take.
Anyone could take this.
But um, it is.
It's got 53 herbs and you justtake a little shot.
I usually I take it twice a day, but oh my gosh, the vitality
(18:28):
you get just, oh, it just makesyou feel so good.
But again, one of the otherthings I do want to say about
Ayurvedic herbs the thing that Ilove about it it's customized
to each individual person.
So I can't tell you to take aspecific herb because it might
wreck you, like it might messthings all up and, like me and
(18:49):
my boyfriend, we'd never takenany herbs that are the same.
Everything's always beendifferent.
But he used to have somestomach problems and it just
felt like this little pit, likethis void in a stomach.
It's hard to, but he triedeverything before we did
Ayurveda and about three monthsinto taking the herbs he's like,
(19:10):
oh my gosh, my stomach isfinally better.
So it took a while, like causehe'd get off of them and they
would kind of come back.
Then he would do it again.
But over time like I think ayear it hasn't come back.
So he hasn't been on the herbsand it still hasn't come back.
So that's the thing withAyurveda it takes time to heal
but in the long run it actuallydoes its job.
(19:33):
It actually heals you insteadof band-aiding it.
So I know I got off on a tangent.
I actually want to do like apodcast on health and teaching
people all the things that Iknow about Ayurveda and maybe
I'll have some episodes in herefor those.
Like I'll do a separate littlesection for those that are
(19:54):
interested in it and the healingand everything that I've
learned my healing journey overthe last eight years.
But yeah, so again, I cannotstress to you enough about the
balance.
Keep the balance.
I was going to tell you anAmerican Horror Story.
When I was first starting, Iwas eating up all the craft
(20:15):
service and I think I gainedlike 20, 30 pounds.
I had that.
It was like I didn't go tocollege so I didn't do the
freshman 30 or whatever theycall it, but now I got my
freshman 20, my freshman 30 inthe industry.
So anyways, okay, we're gonnawrap it up here.
(20:35):
Thanks for joining me today.
Again, balance is essential inthis industry.
As demanding as it is, don'tforget to set boundaries,
prioritize your health andchoose opportunities that align
with your vision.
If you do this, you can staygrounded and thrive for the long
haul.
Remember your career is amarathon, sometimes it's a
(20:59):
sprint, but you really need tofocus on the long-term game.
Make time for yourself andyou'll be in a better place to
enjoy the journey and show upfully on set.
If you're looking for moresupport in navigating Hollywood,
check out my other episodes,but also my Hollywood Elite
(21:20):
membership, where we dive intothe strategies to help you build
a sustainable career.
If this episode resonated withyou, don't forget to subscribe,
share it with a friend and leavea review.
It would mean the world to me.
Alright, I'll see you in thenext one.
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