Nicholas Hamlett on Acceptance and How Improvising Helped Him as an Introvert, at Work, and as a Manager

This week's episode features Nicholas Hamlett. In this episode…

• Nicholas shares why and where he took his first improv class
• Learn why warm up improv exercises are imperative to mentally preparing to improvise (for improv and life)
• Hear how improv helped Nicholas in his role at Twitter and how improv changed how he reacted to challenges and opportunities at work
• Get to know how adopting a “yes, and” mindset at work helped Nicholas grow in his career
• Find out what it means to say “yes, and” then “no” and why “yes, and” isn’t always a literal “yes” 
• Nicholas shares how improv improved his feelings of empowerment and his acceptance of himself and discusses what that meant for his career 
• Hear how improvising helped Nicholas as a manager 
• We talk about his favorite improv game
• Discover the surprising way he practices collective storytelling (in addition to practicing it with improv)
• We discuss kids as natural improvisers and learn about the game he made up as a kid 
• Learn how judgment changes when you start improvising 
• We talk about being an introvert, and why improv is a beneficial practice for introverts

Nicholas Hamlett is a marketing professional with a passion for digital/social media, advertising, branding, music and film. Though originally from Michigan he has lived in California for over 10 years. His career journey has been very tech heavy with experiences at Twitter, Snapchat, and now Twitch. Mainly working in Sales, Partner Management, and Creative Strategy throughout and recently transitioned into Program Management work. For fun, he loves playing board games and video games, watching the fun popular TV shows (Marvel, GoT, etc.), working out, and exploring new experiences (places and food too).

From Nicholas, “Improv has really given me the confidence to speak up more. Admittedly, I'm an over-thinker and because of the techniques I've learned through improv I'm able to get through that, especially at work. It also helps to open lines of communication and get over the shyness that I have.”

Connect with Nicholas on LinkedIn, Twitter @NickHam, and Instagram @NickHam_.

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