This episode originally aired Sept 27th, 2023.
I had the pleasure of talking with actor and actor career coach Talia Thiesfield and these are some of my takeaways. Pivots are both internal and external and can be big or small but either way trust your own path. Next, once you’ve learned how to learn the lesson in a pivot you can then carry over lessons from pivot to pivot and set boundaries. You don’t have to go back to something that you pivoted to before just because you find yourself needing to change again. Set your boundaries. Last but not least, be in gratitude as much as you can. Pivoting is expanding and look at it this way you survived the last pivot you made and you're here for another pivot to happen.
Talia is a full-time actor, voiceover artist, and talent & career coach. She currently appears as recurring character NYPD Rep Maya on FBI (CBS), and has guest starred on various television shows including Succession & Veep (HBO), Limitless & Kevin Can Wait (CBS), and Suspscion (Apple TV+). I am also an alum of the NBC Diversity Showcase. She stars in the award-winning film Inez & Doug & Kira, wherein she played the title role of Kira opposite Michael Chernus and Tawny Cypress. Additionally, her voice can be heard in multiple vocal modalities for various commercials, video games, and animated projects including a three-season run as “B” in DreamWork’s Trollstopia.
A lover of new works, She has originated and helped develop a number of roles for Off Broadway and regional houses. These include the world premieres of Ring Twice For Miranda at NY City Center off-Broadway (Anouk), How To Break at Seattle's renowned Village Theater (Dr. Aden), Windfall at Bay Street Theater directed by Jason Alexander (Jaqueline Vanderbilt), and Cleopatra: The Pop Experience at Theater for the New City (Cleopatra). She is currently nominated for a Heilman & Haver Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (How To Break at Village Theater). Previously, she received a Broadway World Regional Award for my performance as Daniela in In The Heights (Dallas Theater Center) and I am a Connecticut Critics Circle nominee, having earned a nod for Best Actress in a Musical for my portrayal of Aldonza in Man of La Mancha (Ivoryton Theater).
As a coach, educator, and consultant she’s been a guest lecturer at Columbia University, Rutgers University (Mason Gross School of the Arts), Montclair State University, The University of Connecticut, The No Marking Society (founded by Kate Lumpkin, CSA), and The Broadway Collective. She is the founder of The Act of Style Coaching which has gained wide popularity and the respect and collaboration of industry professionals nationwide on Instagram. She uses her own trademarked method to provide acting, branding, and career coaching that combines business savvy with craft in empowering actors to feel more confidence, pride, and authenticity in their work.
Get in touch:
Talia Thiesfield
Website: https://www.taliathiesfield.com/
Instagram: @theactofstylecoaching
Ayana Major Bey
Website: www.ayanabey.com
Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot
Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast
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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey
Editor: Kieran Niemand
Theme Song: Lyrics co-written by Ayana Major Bey and Melissa Victor, with performance by Ayana Major Bey
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