July 7, 2024 • 34 mins
Have you ever been propelled into a new chapter of life by a single phone call?
Join us as we chat with the incredible Mel, who shares her transformative journey from Adelaide to Melbourne, sparked by a pivotal call from Todd Patrick.
Mel opens up about her intensive year of training at PSA, the guidance of exceptional teachers, and the joy of being part of a tight-knit, dedicated group. Her story underscores the importance of following your heart, staying true to yourself, and the constant reinvention needed to thrive in the performing arts.
Reflecting on our own career paths, we explore the rollercoaster of success and rejection in the performing arts industry. From the fortune of early career breaks to the emotional toll of more frequent rejections, we share personal anecdotes on how these experiences pushed us to reinvent ourselves continually.
We discuss the lessons learned from every role and gig, expected or not, and how expanding our skills to include singing and acting has shaped our artistic journey.
This episode is a heartfelt exploration of embracing versatility and stepping out of comfort zones. We highlight the importance of perseverance, the support of mentors and peers, and maintaining a sense of joy and reinvention through music and movement.
Imagine dancing through the streets with headphones on, capturing that dreamlike essence in your everyday life. Whether you're a seasoned performer or just starting out, this conversation is filled with inspiration and the magic of following your heart in the performing arts.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello Mel.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Hello, I'm good.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Oh, my god, of course I was just saying we recently
were chatting about Todd Patrick, who we can't not mention, as
that's kind of how we both areconnecting today.
We both went to the school andhe messaged me not that long ago
and said you have to get Mel onthe show.
I think she'd be great and I'mjust so grateful that we've
found a time and that we're hereand chatting.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm so glad.
I'm so glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I'm a big like podcast girly as well, so it's
like kind of fun too.
I think this might be my firstpodcast.
Yeah, I feel very lucky to haveyou on as your first time.
Well, today we're going to bechatting a lot about listening
to your heart.
We've chatted a lot about onthis podcast about you know,
trusting your gut but going abit further into you know,
really listening to what yourheart's wanting and learning how
(00:57):
to constantly be in thatreinventing stage and not being
ashamed or scared to beconstantly reinventing and
reigniting yourself.
But before we get into thatawesome topic, I'd love for you
to just chat a little bit aboutyou know, your journey from PSA,
where we both went through notat the same time, but, yeah, had
(01:18):
a very similar experience, I'msure.
What was that experience likefor you in terms of the training
that you had when you'restarting out?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Oh, I wouldn't have changed going there for the
world.
Honestly, I was just mentioningto you before, like I'm from
Adelaide and I had no knowledgeof well, the school didn't
actually exist.
So I was in the first year ofit and I was like considering
coming to Melbourne but I wasn'tsure.
And I got this random phonecall from this guy, todd patrick
(01:47):
, and he kind of just was likeI've heard about you, I've heard
that you're a great dancer, Iwould love for you to come over.
And for some reason, somethingin that phone call, something in
his voice and this kind of goeson to what we're going to talk
about, but something in thatlike I just knew that it was the
right decision to follow thatand it's just that energy and I
(02:08):
just in my heart I was like, yep, this is the right thing.
So I don't even know, likewithout knowing him or anything
you know, packed my car up anddrove over here to Melbourne
with zero dollars to my name and, um, yeah, did just one year of
full-time training there.
But in that year I learned so,so much.
I had the most incredibleteachers.
(02:29):
Like we were so, so luckyAndrew Hawesworth, yvette Lee,
you know, we had amazing,amazing teachers.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
And how many people were in the school at that time,
Because I mean, that was likethe start of it.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I know I actually gosh, I mean a few dropped out
along the year, which isobviously, which is funny, you
know, like that's gonna happen.
But, um, I think we started.
Not many, hey, like I want tosay 30 yeah I think from memory
there was the air, because itwas only the one group and
(03:01):
because it wasn't divided intomusical theatre and yeah, that's
.
At that point we were just kindof doing everything like we
were singing and doing a bit ofacting and things like that, but
yeah, it was mostly dance stuffand, um, yeah, I feel very
lucky because, because thenumbers were so low, you got a
lot of attention from theseteachers and I think that was a
(03:23):
gift you know, I mean nowadayslike I'm sure there's like over
a hundred students.
Yeah, and not saying they don't.
You know, I'm sure they accountfor that and work it all out as
we're scheduling, but there wassomething kind of special about
there just being the smallgroup of us and you know you
couldn't get away with anythingat all, you know from anyone.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yes, and you said that you went there for a year.
What was your training likebefore that?
Were you training much as adancer in Adelaide?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, I danced from when I could walk, basically Two
and a half years I think, Istarted ballet at this really,
really amazing ballet academy inAdelaide and, yeah, focused
mostly on ballet, then movedinto jazz and tap and all that.
Tap's really big in Adelaidetoo, so really did a lot of that
.
And then contemporary acro.
(04:13):
You know, you add all theextras in hip-hop whatever comes
up.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I feel like the best talent comes from Adelaide.
I know so many, so muchtalented people from Adelaide.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
You know what?
I think it's similar to theidea of, like Australians in
America or UK.
It's like the Adelaide or evenI wouldn't even just say
Adelaide, I would say any kindof smaller, smaller cities,
because you kind of have to.
If you're going to make it, youhave to really want to, because
, like, you're not going to goand travel and move to Sydney or
(04:44):
Melbourne if you're not totallyin love with it, you know,
because it's just not worth it.
So I think that is part of it.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I don't know absolutely, when you were
originally saying about howyou're on the phone to Todd and
you kind of just had this momentwhere you were saying, like
listening to your heart, yourheart saying this is where I'm
meant to go.
Has that been the same forauditions you've gone through or
particular shows that haveresonated with you?
Do you find that it's yourheart that you listen to the
(05:15):
most?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I think, yes, I mean, firstly, I'm a classic Leo um.
We love Leo's through andthrough um and just like.
Everything is there, you knowlike my heart on my sleeve
tattoo.
I'm just like and I try,obviously, like we all combat it
too.
Like sometimes it's like you,you forget to and you have to
(05:40):
remind yourself to.
So it's not.
It's not that I'm likeconstantly nailing that, but um,
it, um, it is a constant themein my life and that's why, you
know, when you were, uh, whenyou asked me to come on the
podcast, I was thinking aboutwhat to talk about.
It's one of the things that'slike a constant theme in my life
that I realized from the start.
Um, that's, that was somethingthat came up, like you said,
(06:03):
when I got that phone call.
It's like it was just a feelingand I had said to you like
before it wasn't necessarilylike trusting your gut, like I
feel like there's a differencebetween trusting your gut and
following your heart.
Like trusting your gut isdefinitely super important and
it's a whole other thing.
But for me, I feel like thefollowing your heart part of it
(06:26):
has just come constantly in likewhat shows I auditioned for, um
, what people I wanted to workwith, you know, like the
chemistry between you andanother creative or another, um,
all of those things.
And I think, yeah, following,just following your really
listening into your heart andwhat it's telling you, and I
(06:48):
think, as performers, we're verywe should be and we are very
connected to that, because thereason why we started dancing is
because we love it, Like welove, love, love, love, love it.
Or we started singing becausewe love it.
So I really think it's soimportant and I think I've tried
to do this is like keep stayingconnected to that feeling
(07:10):
because, it's a feeling thatlike lives within you, right, so
it's like, I don't know.
It's just like.
It's almost like nostalgic.
I think it's something that Ijust always come back to.
Like you can probably relate tothis.
Like you know, those days whenyou get like maybe it's your
first show that you ever got.
Come back to like you canprobably relate to this.
Like you know, those days whenyou get like maybe it's your
first show that you ever got, orlike, even if it's something
smaller, like this gig that youbooked or asked to do a cool
(07:35):
photo shoot, or I don't knowsomething that just like gave
you this, like, like, you justlike want to explode.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
You know like I have the most vivid memories of when
I booked certain shows, likeWicked is one of them.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
And I remember exactly where I was.
Like I was standing in themiddle of a street and I was
like on my phone and I wasjumping like up and down, I was
like staring at the sky and Iwas like thank you, thank you,
like crying like I love you, Ilove you.
And then I was like thank you,like crying like I love you, I
love you.
And then I was like thankingthe universe and you know like
that feeling should keep livingwithin you.
(08:14):
You know, and over the years,like I've gotten older and I've
done, you know, different things, but it's something that I've.
I really keep trying to likekeep within me, because that's
the whole point right yeah, well, it's why we started a lot of
the time as well, you know whenyou first get on stage, when
you're or even I remember justlike doing classes and just
(08:38):
having that right, like all timegoes away.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
You're just like fully immersed in it.
You're there, you know, and Ithink that's really important
that we're bringing this uptoday, because I feel like in a
new generation that's coming up,a lot of people that listen to
the show are emerging performers.
You know, there's so muchinformation, there's so many
things online to compareyourself to, like this.
There's so much going on that Ithink we we forget the
(09:04):
fundamentals of what makes usartists and why we're doing it
in the first place.
So I'm really happy that we'retalking about that today.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yeah, and I think like it's an interesting one
because I think it leads intoalso like dreaming and almost
like I like to like romanticizemy life a little bit, like on
purpose, you know, likeintentionally, because I think
(09:32):
that no one else is going to dothat for you.
And yes, I've had many successstories and I'm so grateful for
them and I don't want to likestand here and be like it's easy
for me to say, like dream yourdreams and like follow your
heart.
Easy for me to say, like dreamyour dreams and like follow your
heart when things are not goingyour way.
Right.
But I still think that it'smaybe even more important then,
(09:52):
you know, because I was thinkingabout this and I was like it's
almost like the same as love,like romantically or
friendships-wise, right.
It's like you say, you know,like keep opening your heart and
keep like risking falling inlove at the risk of getting hurt
.
Well, I feel like that's whatit's like as a performer risking
your heart.
(10:12):
Like go into an audition whenyou just think like in your head
you're going, I, I would ratherdie than not book this show,
right?
yeah like it feels like thatsometimes, like you're like if
you loved, say, if it was likeyour dream show, you know, and
you were like I would literallyjust rather not die, obviously,
(10:34):
but I would that was a joke, butlike I would rather just like
bury myself in my cinema andlike not see the like a whole
year than not get this show, youknow.
And so there's such a riskthere sometimes because we're
just putting our heart on theline and.
I think that you just have to doit.
(10:55):
That's all I can say about thatis like if you don't, you're
still going to get hurt.
It's still going to hurtbecause you're pretending to
yourself.
You know like it's not real.
You're just faking it becauseinside you really know that it's
what you love and it's what youwant.
And so I just think likefeeling okay to really go there
(11:16):
and really like dream thosedreams, and you don't have to
like say it out to the world,you don't have to put an
Instagram post being like I wantthis, this, this, but inside
yourself, have those like littleprivate conversations with
yourself where you're it's.
I think it's okay to just belike I really want this.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
It's really.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
It's really what I love, it's really a dream of
mine, and then it kind of allowsyou emotionally to like go the
whole way there and then, if ithappens, wow, how amazing, right
.
And then if it doesn't, I thinkthen it's that process of like
really feeling those feelingstoo, like feeling the heartbreak
of it, going through that,moving through that and then
(11:59):
falling in love with withsomething else, which you will
and you always do, and it alwaysmakes sense in the end, you
know.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Well, I mean, with all the things that you've done,
I'm sure there's been countless, if not probably even more,
auditions that you've not gotthrough and not done.
You know, and you've probablyhad to go through those stages
and wanting to bury yourself inthe sand.
And was it your heart thatguided you through those periods
or how did you kind of pickyourself up?
(12:26):
You know, I know that youmentioned to make sure that you
have space to feel thosefeelings.
It's not about just likepushing to the side, but was
there any points in your careerso far that you had moments that
you wanted to bury yourself,and how long did you stay there?
What did you do to get out ofit?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
You know, I have to be honest with you, I was very,
very lucky for a very long timeand I didn't really not get
anything I went for and I'lltell you why.
A lot of that had to do withtiming, because I did a bunch of
like long running shows andthings, so I wasn't doing a lot
a bunch of like long-runningshows and things, so I wasn't
doing a lot of auditions.
I would like audition for ashow, do it for, like you know,
two years or something, and thendo another audition, and that
was just kind of how it playedout for me.
(13:13):
So that's just me being honestabout that.
However, as time went on, yes,I did have auditions that I did
and I didn't get them.
Yes, 100%, just not so much atthe start.
Yes, and when that happened forme, I think that I really, yeah,
I definitely felt super downand I let myself feel that way
(13:37):
and I also just like, gavemyself the time to think about,
maybe the reasons why it wasokay that I wasn't doing that
show, maybe the reasons why itwas okay that I wasn't doing
that show, um and um and whatelse could come up for me next,
and just like and this kind ofgoes into.
The other kind of topic that Iwas talking about is where I
(13:58):
feel like, around that time,that was when I started to
reinvent myself a little bit.
So I think that's where Istarted to think outside the box
, because I think it's likethese things come up and you're
kind of you're come, you've comeup to like a door closing on
you and you have to look to thesides and be like, okay, where
(14:23):
am I going to go?
yeah, um, that's not to say itdidn't hurt me and all of that,
but yeah, I think I really feltit went through it.
And then I kind of lookedaround and I was like, okay,
what kind of other things do Iwant to do in my career?
Um, that I could do instead ofjust like kind of auditioning
for the same kinds of thingsagain and again, and maybe I
(14:44):
want to try something different.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
So, yeah, that was kind of where that came up for
me, if I'm honest yeah yeah andI feel like I mean every person
that I've had on here has agreedwith this that you know what
you're going for and what youget is exactly what is meant for
you in that moment.
And a lot of the time we can'tswallow that pill in the time
(15:07):
when we do really want it.
But anything that I've notgotten and or I have gotten like
, there's been.
I won't say wish, but there'sbeen some shows that I've gotten
being like, you know, I didn'tthink I would have loved it or I
didn't know what theopportunity was there.
But every time I've done a show,there's been, you know, so much
learning and after the uhcontracts finished I'm like, oh,
(15:30):
I get it, I get why.
I got this?
Because I was meant to learnthis lesson, um, which is a
beautiful thing that youactually don't understand until
you do a show, because a lot ofthe time we just think, oh,
we're just, we're so focusedwhen we're starting out on just
like getting the gig, gettingthe show, whatever, but there's
so many beautiful miracles thathappen from doing it and it
(15:51):
could be one lesson, but itcould be the exact lesson that
you need, um, in that moment Iso agree with that and I think,
you know, and I feel like theolder I've gotten, the more I'm
able to see that before thebefore the fact more, which has
been a really cool like learningthing for me, because I think I
wouldn't have seen that yearsand years ago, especially at the
(16:14):
start, in that time that I saidthat I felt like I was like
really booking a lot of shows.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
You know, it's like I think now, um, that I'm a bit
older, I really look at eachkind of gig, each show, and I go
what is what might be thereason that this show might be
good for me, or this role, orsomething different, as opposed
to just feeling uncomfortable,being like this is very
different for me, or this islike I'm not sure, or like, you
(16:39):
know, maybe I don't get to belike hot and sexy in this show,
or maybe I don't.
You know, like there's allthese little things that we tell
ourselves or like maybe I'm notdoing it, singing a solo line
or whatever.
You know it's like yeah, andthen you do it and I
wholeheartedly agree with that.
I really, you know, I feel likesometimes you even learn more
from those ones and you come outand go.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Oh my gosh, I'm so much of a better performer
because of that yes, oh my goshbecause if you were doing those
ones that you knew you weregoing to smash all the time yeah
maybe there's not as muchgrowth there no, yes, I mean I
feel like I could talk aboutjust that topic for hours, but
just circling back on, whenwe're talking about, you know,
(17:19):
re reinventing yourself and notbeing scared to do that, I feel
like, as a performer, we'reconstantly in that reinventing,
with the industry ever changing,and not just in mt but in
performing arts even, you know,corporate, whatever it is.
I feel like, as an artist, weare in inherently is that the
right word like inherentlyalways changing and having to
(17:43):
reinvent ourselves.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
But I would love to, yeah, talk a bit more on that
and how that's kind of playedout in your life too yeah, well,
for me, like obviously comingfrom mainly a dance background
and then having to really addsinging and acting to the mix.
You know that was a part ofreinvention, I guess, and kept
and I kept improving that and,um, adding that in as I went
(18:07):
along and working on thosethings.
Um, but then more recently in mylife, and during that time that
I was telling you where I wasauditioning and not getting as
many things as I hoped I wouldget in the musical theatre realm
(18:28):
, I had this opportunity givento me to be in a circus cabaret
and that was like very differentfor me and something you know
I'd just been doing musicaltheatre for a long, long time,
like 10 plus years.
At this point and, yeah, onceagain following my heart, I felt
in my heart, like when I hadthis discussion with the
(18:49):
director who approached me andasked me to be a part of the
show, and I was feeling into itand it was super different.
It was quite scary actually,like some of the things I had to
do.
I had to be naked on stage andall of this stuff that I'd like
never done before, oh my God.
And I just felt into thatfeeling and I went with it and
gosh, it was one of the biggestblessings of my life because I
(19:10):
basically ran away with thecircus for three years.
Cool, and that's what I've beendoing mostly the last few years
actually.
Wow, yeah, mostly the last fewyears actually, and, yeah, it
was such an amazing experienceto go into cabaret, as you
probably know these amazingcabaret performers that
sometimes they cross over withmusical theater a lot as well,
but the level of talent andability to like connect with
(19:34):
these smaller audiences yeah,things like that is just
something different that Ihadn't done as much like a whole
another world.
Yeah, and it requires so muchlike, so much connection, like
direct connection, like I'vebeen doing.
You know, 2000 seat theaterswhich are amazing and the best,
(19:55):
obviously, um, so this wasreally different and uh, yeah,
wow, like that was.
That was something where Ireally I changed, you know,
changed my path and then Ireally saw my kind of level of
growth just go uphill likereally fast yeah yeah that was
(20:17):
really interesting to watch.
I was like, wow, I'm so muchmore comfortable than I was, you
know, two months ago.
And then again, and again, andagain.
Having now done this show thatI did for so long and I've just
finished it for a while, I'vecome out of it and I'm like my
gosh, yeah, I don't know, it wasreally cool and I think
performers shouldn't be afraidto do things that are a little
(20:40):
bit different like that.
It might be scary, but I think,yeah, the growth is great.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Well that's it, I feel like any time we're in
growth we have the most likehappiness.
I know that might sound a bitcliche, but I mean we as humans
are going to be scientific nowwe're actually designed to grow
Like.
Whenever we are learning andgrowing, we always feel better
off, we feel like we're movingforward, that we're progressing,
(21:09):
so for sure.
And I mean there's absolutely noharm in doing the same class
and if that's like bringing youa bit of fun.
But I think as performers, weneed to be constantly
challenging ourselves andchoosing growth over comfort,
because definitely that's alwaysa place where you're going to
(21:30):
find those little nuggets ofsuccess that you didn't know
were there and how good theyjust, you know, listened to your
heart and you went away withthe circus and I'm such a big
believer in that, no matter what, whether it's cabaret, circus,
musical theatre, gigs at Crown,like you know what I mean I feel
like there is alwaysopportunities for growth, and
even in class, if you're notperforming yet, I've always told
(21:54):
my students that in everysingle class there is a place to
learn and to learn somethingfrom the teacher, no matter who
it is or what you're learningfrom, and I think having that
mindset has helped me personallyas well, but I love how that's
played out into your life too.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, and I think it's important not to make
assumptions about yourself, youknow.
I think, that's a big one,especially in this day and age,
with everyone really expressingtheir identity a bit more in
their personal identity a bitmore, you know, being more open
to that.
I think don't put yourself in abox.
Let other people do that foryou.
Don't assume like, oh, I lookthis certain way.
(22:35):
They won't want me to do thatlike old school, like gig, or
I'm more commercial, so likethey're not going to really want
me for like a musical.
It's like.
Don't like do that for them.
Just, you know, I think I knoweveryone says it's like it's one
(22:55):
of those things that we say alot like being a jack of all
trades, but I really like for meit's served me so, so well.
Just like really committing toeverything you know, yeah, like
being in that hip-hop class andbeing like whoa, I'm definitely
not one of these guys but likeit's going to serve me.
Then, when I do this gig whereI have to do like a bit of
(23:16):
hip-hop in it and like I'mpretty good at it, you know, so
it's like it's not my thing.
But, um, yeah, don't.
Yeah, don't cut, don't sellyourself short.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Let the industry will do that for you anyway, but you
don't need to and I think thatplays in a lot of longevity and,
um, I've had a uh, a similarcareer in you in the sense that
when I was starting out for thefirst five or six years, like I
had kind of back-to-back shows,but I think that came down to my
willingness to just constantlywant to grow and pick things
(23:47):
that were forcing me out of mycomfort zone.
And I think if you arelistening in and you're in
full-time, you're alreadygrowing so much because you're
getting so many things thrown atyou.
So if you've just finished oryou're in a period where you
need to, um, you know, I have asaying that says sort it out,
which is a bit of tough love.
I have days where I have sortedout days.
So if I'm feeling a bit low andstuff, I'm like, right, taylor,
(24:08):
you need to sort it out.
You know, just go to that class,get to that singing lesson,
whatever it is.
That's just gonna push you alittle bit out of where you are.
It's the fastest way, I think,to going back into that growth.
Um, and also on that, I'm a bigbeliever as well in, uh, just
sourcing things, that because wealready know right, we already
(24:30):
know what we need to do.
We already know, inherently,like the things that we need to
do that make us feel good thatwill push us, us out.
So I think, again, it goes backto listening to your heart,
listening back to yourself andtrusting that you actually know
what you need to do.
We just need to give us alittle bit of courage and a
little bit of strength to justgo and actually do it.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Yeah, yeah, and I think, you know, just while you
were talking then it was makingme think of, of, like I really
rode the highs, like I've had alot of highs in my career thus
far and I'm, you know, like,when I think about them, like I
could cry thinking about them,because I really, like, I'm so
in love with, like the journeyI've had so far.
(25:14):
I couldn't have been, I neverwould have dreamed that all of
this would have happened.
Honestly, if you told me when Iwas 17, I would not have
believed you.
Yes, but you know, when you weretalking then I was thinking of,
like myself, when I wentthrough like harder times or
(25:35):
other people out there that arenot having those highs all the
time, and I think it's like, um,I think just remembering as
well that this is a communitythat we're, we're part of, like
it's, it is a community yeah andso you know, reaching out and
connecting and um and findingthose people around you that you
(25:58):
connect with, whether it belike your favorite choreographer
or your friend that you love todance next to, or someone that
you love like just singing with,like on the guitar, with Thank
you, thank you, you, mom or dad,to like take you to class, or
(27:41):
you know that it comes fromsomewhere or you'd rock up early
and you'd just be like jumpingaround and stay late and then
you get home and dance more likecrazy.
Yeah, yeah, so yeah, I don'tknow, I did that just when you
were talking before it.
Just I was thinking like thegood moments are great as well,
but really, like you know,thinking about when it's hard as
(28:05):
well, like tapping into thatfeeling again, I think is a good
thing to do.
Yeah, it's crucial.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Absolutely yeah.
Has there been any?
As we're kind of coming near tothe end of the show, I feel
like I could talk to you forever, but has there been any?
As we're kind of coming near tothe end of the show, I feel
like I could talk to you forever, but has there been any advice
and it could have been from Toddor anyone in your career that's
like helped you in some sort ofway, like what's the best form
(28:34):
of advice you feel like you'vebeen given as a performer?
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I have a lot of like strong women in my life that
have been around me One, myagent, peter Webb, and one, my
dear, dear friend, who I workwith and for a lot, yvette Lee
and I think, like both of themover the years have really
helped guide me and give meamazing advice about myself and
(29:00):
my career and I think, yeah, Ithink both of them in different
ways, just kind of reminding melike who I am and why I'm
special, and I think it's noteven like so many words, but I
(29:22):
think, yeah, I think that's kindof the best.
It's.
It's not really advice, I guess, but it's like I think it's
like re guiding you back to youa little bit.
Um, that's not really theanswer to the question, but I
think it feels like advice to mebecause I think sometimes, when
you maybe feel like you'redoubting yourself or whatever
(29:43):
which I have in certain momentsover the years, and I think it's
just been really important tohave people that are outside of
you viewing your career from anoutsider perspective and just be
able to kind of see it clearly,because we get in our own stuff
, yes and um, yeah, I think Ithink one of one of the bits of
(30:07):
advice was kind of was kind ofwhat I said before, like don't,
don't um, yeah, don't judgeyourself before.
Like they got like before theaudition panel is basically
going to, because I think for me, coming from dance first and
then moving into singing andacting, I was like that classic
(30:29):
example of like I'm not a singer, I'm you know, like all of that
stuff which is just so common.
And yeah, I think it was reallygood, I think, to have these
women in my life, like remind me, like I remember my agent
actually saying to me before Iwent in for a final callback
which was for a specific singeractor role, and she was just
(30:52):
like you can you know like don't, don't like get ahead of
yourself like that, like you are, you are this, like you, you
just have to be it.
You know like, don't like getahead of yourself like that,
like you are this, like you justhave to be it.
You know, like don't, yeah,don't judge yourself in that way
, because it will happen anyway.
So you just need to.
Yeah, kind of like let thosethoughts go.
This kind of idea of who youthink you are.
(31:15):
It can be really toxic.
I think it's important to havesomeone from the outside check
you and be like no, you're thatLike you just do it and let them
make the decision you know.
So, yeah, that was a reallylong-winded way of kind of
getting to that, but I thinkthat's been really good advice
(31:38):
yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
I mean, I speak a lot on the show about having
mentors and I've been luckyenough to become a mentor for a
lot of the people in thecommunity that are emerging
performers.
And, just because you know, I'vealso known the benefits of
having people in your life thatcan check you, make sure that
you're staying grounded and thatyou also uh, you know staying
(32:00):
in in your lane.
I think we can just get pulledinto so many different
directions in this industry, butI think, at the end of the day,
if you have a good, you don'teven need many people.
But I think, like you have, youcan count all of them in one
hand, or even like half of ahand.
I think you're in a in a reallygood position to just move
forward in a way that is goingto be most supportive for you
(32:21):
and that may take a little whileto find those people, but if
you are lucky enough to be infull time, I'm sure many of your
teachers could be one of those.
I hope people have got a lotout of speaking with you.
I know I have and it's justbeen awesome having you on.
Yeah, I just can't thank youenough.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
I'm keen to go ahead with my day and continue
reinventing myself, yes, andromanticise your life and just
listen to music and walk aroundand walk down the street and
just be like I love to dance, Ilove dancing it reminds me of
Christina Aguilera in Burlesque,where she's like, got the
headphones on and she's down thestreet.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
That's the dream street.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
That's the, that's it .
That's the dream, all right,that's everyone's, that's
everyone's call to action todayget your headphones on, go down
the street.
If you're in melbourne, um well, if it's, if it's tuesday, and
well, it's probably not by thetime you hear this.
But if it's sunny, or even ifit's not sunny, get the
headphones on, go for a dance,either inside, outside put on
chapel roan's new album.
It's smashing oh, that's thevibe, all right.
(33:21):
Yeah, I'll have to add it inthe show notes so everyone can
listen to it straight after.
Yeah, thank you so much, mel.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
What a joy.
Thank you so much for having meyou're welcome.
Hello Mel.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Hello, I'm good.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Oh, my god, of course I was just saying we recently
were chatting about Todd Patrick, who we can't not mention, as
that's kind of how we both areconnecting today.
We both went to the school andhe messaged me not that long ago
and said you have to get Mel onthe show.
I think she'd be great and I'mjust so grateful that we've
found a time and that we're hereand chatting.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm so glad.
I'm so glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I'm a big like podcast girly as well, so it's
like kind of fun too.
I think this might be my firstpodcast.
Yeah, I feel very lucky to haveyou on as your first time.
Well, today we're going to bechatting a lot about listening
to your heart.
We've chatted a lot about onthis podcast about you know,
trusting your gut but going abit further into you know,
really listening to what yourheart's wanting and learning how
(00:57):
to constantly be in thatreinventing stage and not being
ashamed or scared to beconstantly reinventing and
reigniting yourself.
But before we get into thatawesome topic, I'd love for you
to just chat a little bit aboutyou know, your journey from PSA,
where we both went through notat the same time, but, yeah, had
(01:18):
a very similar experience, I'msure.
What was that experience likefor you in terms of the training
that you had when you'restarting out?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Oh, I wouldn't have changed going there for the
world.
Honestly, I was just mentioningto you before, like I'm from
Adelaide and I had no knowledgeof well, the school didn't
actually exist.
So I was in the first year ofit and I was like considering
coming to Melbourne but I wasn'tsure.
And I got this random phonecall from this guy, todd patrick
(01:47):
, and he kind of just was likeI've heard about you, I've heard
that you're a great dancer, Iwould love for you to come over.
And for some reason, somethingin that phone call, something in
his voice and this kind of goeson to what we're going to talk
about, but something in thatlike I just knew that it was the
right decision to follow thatand it's just that energy and I
(02:08):
just in my heart I was like, yep, this is the right thing.
So I don't even know, likewithout knowing him or anything
you know, packed my car up anddrove over here to Melbourne
with zero dollars to my name and, um, yeah, did just one year of
full-time training there.
But in that year I learned so,so much.
I had the most incredibleteachers.
(02:29):
Like we were so, so luckyAndrew Hawesworth, yvette Lee,
you know, we had amazing,amazing teachers.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
And how many people were in the school at that time,
Because I mean, that was likethe start of it.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I know I actually gosh, I mean a few dropped out
along the year, which isobviously, which is funny, you
know, like that's gonna happen.
But, um, I think we started.
Not many, hey, like I want tosay 30 yeah I think from memory
there was the air, because itwas only the one group and
(03:01):
because it wasn't divided intomusical theatre and yeah, that's
.
At that point we were just kindof doing everything like we
were singing and doing a bit ofacting and things like that, but
yeah, it was mostly dance stuffand, um, yeah, I feel very
lucky because, because thenumbers were so low, you got a
lot of attention from theseteachers and I think that was a
(03:23):
gift you know, I mean nowadayslike I'm sure there's like over
a hundred students.
Yeah, and not saying they don't.
You know, I'm sure they accountfor that and work it all out as
we're scheduling, but there wassomething kind of special about
there just being the smallgroup of us and you know you
couldn't get away with anythingat all, you know from anyone.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yes, and you said that you went there for a year.
What was your training likebefore that?
Were you training much as adancer in Adelaide?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, I danced from when I could walk, basically Two
and a half years I think, Istarted ballet at this really,
really amazing ballet academy inAdelaide and, yeah, focused
mostly on ballet, then movedinto jazz and tap and all that.
Tap's really big in Adelaidetoo, so really did a lot of that
.
And then contemporary acro.
(04:13):
You know, you add all theextras in hip-hop whatever comes
up.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I feel like the best talent comes from Adelaide.
I know so many, so muchtalented people from Adelaide.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
You know what?
I think it's similar to theidea of, like Australians in
America or UK.
It's like the Adelaide or evenI wouldn't even just say
Adelaide, I would say any kindof smaller, smaller cities,
because you kind of have to.
If you're going to make it, youhave to really want to, because
, like, you're not going to goand travel and move to Sydney or
(04:44):
Melbourne if you're not totallyin love with it, you know,
because it's just not worth it.
So I think that is part of it.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
I don't know absolutely, when you were
originally saying about howyou're on the phone to Todd and
you kind of just had this momentwhere you were saying, like
listening to your heart, yourheart saying this is where I'm
meant to go.
Has that been the same forauditions you've gone through or
particular shows that haveresonated with you?
Do you find that it's yourheart that you listen to the
(05:15):
most?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I think, yes, I mean, firstly, I'm a classic Leo um.
We love Leo's through andthrough um and just like.
Everything is there, you knowlike my heart on my sleeve
tattoo.
I'm just like and I try,obviously, like we all combat it
too.
Like sometimes it's like you,you forget to and you have to
(05:40):
remind yourself to.
So it's not.
It's not that I'm likeconstantly nailing that, but um,
it, um, it is a constant themein my life and that's why, you
know, when you were, uh, whenyou asked me to come on the
podcast, I was thinking aboutwhat to talk about.
It's one of the things that'slike a constant theme in my life
that I realized from the start.
Um, that's, that was somethingthat came up, like you said,
(06:03):
when I got that phone call.
It's like it was just a feelingand I had said to you like
before it wasn't necessarilylike trusting your gut, like I
feel like there's a differencebetween trusting your gut and
following your heart.
Like trusting your gut isdefinitely super important and
it's a whole other thing.
But for me, I feel like thefollowing your heart part of it
(06:26):
has just come constantly in likewhat shows I auditioned for, um
, what people I wanted to workwith, you know, like the
chemistry between you andanother creative or another, um,
all of those things.
And I think, yeah, following,just following your really
listening into your heart andwhat it's telling you, and I
(06:48):
think, as performers, we're verywe should be and we are very
connected to that, because thereason why we started dancing is
because we love it, Like welove, love, love, love, love it.
Or we started singing becausewe love it.
So I really think it's soimportant and I think I've tried
to do this is like keep stayingconnected to that feeling
(07:10):
because, it's a feeling thatlike lives within you, right, so
it's like, I don't know.
It's just like.
It's almost like nostalgic.
I think it's something that Ijust always come back to.
Like you can probably relate tothis.
Like you know, those days whenyou get like maybe it's your
first show that you ever got.
Come back to like you canprobably relate to this.
Like you know, those days whenyou get like maybe it's your
first show that you ever got, orlike, even if it's something
smaller, like this gig that youbooked or asked to do a cool
(07:35):
photo shoot, or I don't knowsomething that just like gave
you this, like, like, you justlike want to explode.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
You know like I have the most vivid memories of when
I booked certain shows, likeWicked is one of them.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
And I remember exactly where I was.
Like I was standing in themiddle of a street and I was
like on my phone and I wasjumping like up and down, I was
like staring at the sky and Iwas like thank you, thank you,
like crying like I love you, Ilove you.
And then I was like thank you,like crying like I love you, I
love you.
And then I was like thankingthe universe and you know like
that feeling should keep livingwithin you.
(08:14):
You know, and over the years,like I've gotten older and I've
done, you know, different things, but it's something that I've.
I really keep trying to likekeep within me, because that's
the whole point right yeah, well, it's why we started a lot of
the time as well, you know whenyou first get on stage, when
you're or even I remember justlike doing classes and just
(08:38):
having that right, like all timegoes away.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
You're just like fully immersed in it.
You're there, you know, and Ithink that's really important
that we're bringing this uptoday, because I feel like in a
new generation that's coming up,a lot of people that listen to
the show are emerging performers.
You know, there's so muchinformation, there's so many
things online to compareyourself to, like this.
There's so much going on that Ithink we we forget the
(09:04):
fundamentals of what makes usartists and why we're doing it
in the first place.
So I'm really happy that we'retalking about that today.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yeah, and I think like it's an interesting one
because I think it leads intoalso like dreaming and almost
like I like to like romanticizemy life a little bit, like on
purpose, you know, likeintentionally, because I think
(09:32):
that no one else is going to dothat for you.
And yes, I've had many successstories and I'm so grateful for
them and I don't want to likestand here and be like it's easy
for me to say, like dream yourdreams and like follow your
heart.
Easy for me to say, like dreamyour dreams and like follow your
heart when things are not goingyour way.
Right.
But I still think that it'smaybe even more important then,
(09:52):
you know, because I was thinkingabout this and I was like it's
almost like the same as love,like romantically or
friendships-wise, right.
It's like you say, you know,like keep opening your heart and
keep like risking falling inlove at the risk of getting hurt
.
Well, I feel like that's whatit's like as a performer risking
your heart.
(10:12):
Like go into an audition whenyou just think like in your head
you're going, I, I would ratherdie than not book this show,
right?
yeah like it feels like thatsometimes, like you're like if
you loved, say, if it was likeyour dream show, you know, and
you were like I would literallyjust rather not die, obviously,
(10:34):
but I would that was a joke, butlike I would rather just like
bury myself in my cinema andlike not see the like a whole
year than not get this show, youknow.
And so there's such a riskthere sometimes because we're
just putting our heart on theline and.
I think that you just have to doit.
(10:55):
That's all I can say about thatis like if you don't, you're
still going to get hurt.
It's still going to hurtbecause you're pretending to
yourself.
You know like it's not real.
You're just faking it becauseinside you really know that it's
what you love and it's what youwant.
And so I just think likefeeling okay to really go there
(11:16):
and really like dream thosedreams, and you don't have to
like say it out to the world,you don't have to put an
Instagram post being like I wantthis, this, this, but inside
yourself, have those like littleprivate conversations with
yourself where you're it's.
I think it's okay to just belike I really want this.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
It's really.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
It's really what I love, it's really a dream of
mine, and then it kind of allowsyou emotionally to like go the
whole way there and then, if ithappens, wow, how amazing, right
.
And then if it doesn't, I thinkthen it's that process of like
really feeling those feelingstoo, like feeling the heartbreak
of it, going through that,moving through that and then
(11:59):
falling in love with withsomething else, which you will
and you always do, and it alwaysmakes sense in the end, you
know.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Well, I mean, with all the things that you've done,
I'm sure there's been countless, if not probably even more,
auditions that you've not gotthrough and not done.
You know, and you've probablyhad to go through those stages
and wanting to bury yourself inthe sand.
And was it your heart thatguided you through those periods
or how did you kind of pickyourself up?
(12:26):
You know, I know that youmentioned to make sure that you
have space to feel thosefeelings.
It's not about just likepushing to the side, but was
there any points in your careerso far that you had moments that
you wanted to bury yourself,and how long did you stay there?
What did you do to get out ofit?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
You know, I have to be honest with you, I was very,
very lucky for a very long timeand I didn't really not get
anything I went for and I'lltell you why.
A lot of that had to do withtiming, because I did a bunch of
like long running shows andthings, so I wasn't doing a lot
a bunch of like long-runningshows and things, so I wasn't
doing a lot of auditions.
I would like audition for ashow, do it for, like you know,
two years or something, and thendo another audition, and that
was just kind of how it playedout for me.
(13:13):
So that's just me being honestabout that.
However, as time went on, yes,I did have auditions that I did
and I didn't get them.
Yes, 100%, just not so much atthe start.
Yes, and when that happened forme, I think that I really, yeah,
I definitely felt super downand I let myself feel that way
(13:37):
and I also just like, gavemyself the time to think about,
maybe the reasons why it wasokay that I wasn't doing that
show, maybe the reasons why itwas okay that I wasn't doing
that show, um and um and whatelse could come up for me next,
and just like and this kind ofgoes into.
The other kind of topic that Iwas talking about is where I
(13:58):
feel like, around that time,that was when I started to
reinvent myself a little bit.
So I think that's where Istarted to think outside the box
, because I think it's likethese things come up and you're
kind of you're come, you've comeup to like a door closing on
you and you have to look to thesides and be like, okay, where
(14:23):
am I going to go?
yeah, um, that's not to say itdidn't hurt me and all of that,
but yeah, I think I really feltit went through it.
And then I kind of lookedaround and I was like, okay,
what kind of other things do Iwant to do in my career?
Um, that I could do instead ofjust like kind of auditioning
for the same kinds of thingsagain and again, and maybe I
(14:44):
want to try something different.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
So, yeah, that was kind of where that came up for
me, if I'm honest yeah yeah andI feel like I mean every person
that I've had on here has agreedwith this that you know what
you're going for and what youget is exactly what is meant for
you in that moment.
And a lot of the time we can'tswallow that pill in the time
(15:07):
when we do really want it.
But anything that I've notgotten and or I have gotten like
, there's been.
I won't say wish, but there'sbeen some shows that I've gotten
being like, you know, I didn'tthink I would have loved it or I
didn't know what theopportunity was there.
But every time I've done a show,there's been, you know, so much
learning and after the uhcontracts finished I'm like, oh,
(15:30):
I get it, I get why.
I got this?
Because I was meant to learnthis lesson, um, which is a
beautiful thing that youactually don't understand until
you do a show, because a lot ofthe time we just think, oh,
we're just, we're so focusedwhen we're starting out on just
like getting the gig, gettingthe show, whatever, but there's
so many beautiful miracles thathappen from doing it and it
(15:51):
could be one lesson, but itcould be the exact lesson that
you need, um, in that moment Iso agree with that and I think,
you know, and I feel like theolder I've gotten, the more I'm
able to see that before thebefore the fact more, which has
been a really cool like learningthing for me, because I think I
wouldn't have seen that yearsand years ago, especially at the
(16:14):
start, in that time that I saidthat I felt like I was like
really booking a lot of shows.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
You know, it's like I think now, um, that I'm a bit
older, I really look at eachkind of gig, each show, and I go
what is what might be thereason that this show might be
good for me, or this role, orsomething different, as opposed
to just feeling uncomfortable,being like this is very
different for me, or this islike I'm not sure, or like, you
(16:39):
know, maybe I don't get to belike hot and sexy in this show,
or maybe I don't.
You know, like there's allthese little things that we tell
ourselves or like maybe I'm notdoing it, singing a solo line
or whatever.
You know it's like yeah, andthen you do it and I
wholeheartedly agree with that.
I really, you know, I feel likesometimes you even learn more
from those ones and you come outand go.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Oh my gosh, I'm so much of a better performer
because of that yes, oh my goshbecause if you were doing those
ones that you knew you weregoing to smash all the time yeah
maybe there's not as muchgrowth there no, yes, I mean I
feel like I could talk aboutjust that topic for hours, but
just circling back on, whenwe're talking about, you know,
(17:19):
re reinventing yourself and notbeing scared to do that, I feel
like, as a performer, we'reconstantly in that reinventing,
with the industry ever changing,and not just in mt but in
performing arts even, you know,corporate, whatever it is.
I feel like, as an artist, weare in inherently is that the
right word like inherentlyalways changing and having to
(17:43):
reinvent ourselves.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
But I would love to, yeah, talk a bit more on that
and how that's kind of playedout in your life too yeah, well,
for me, like obviously comingfrom mainly a dance background
and then having to really addsinging and acting to the mix.
You know that was a part ofreinvention, I guess, and kept
and I kept improving that and,um, adding that in as I went
(18:07):
along and working on thosethings.
Um, but then more recently in mylife, and during that time that
I was telling you where I wasauditioning and not getting as
many things as I hoped I wouldget in the musical theatre realm
(18:28):
, I had this opportunity givento me to be in a circus cabaret
and that was like very differentfor me and something you know
I'd just been doing musicaltheatre for a long, long time,
like 10 plus years.
At this point and, yeah, onceagain following my heart, I felt
in my heart, like when I hadthis discussion with the
(18:49):
director who approached me andasked me to be a part of the
show, and I was feeling into itand it was super different.
It was quite scary actually,like some of the things I had to
do.
I had to be naked on stage andall of this stuff that I'd like
never done before, oh my God.
And I just felt into thatfeeling and I went with it and
gosh, it was one of the biggestblessings of my life because I
(19:10):
basically ran away with thecircus for three years.
Cool, and that's what I've beendoing mostly the last few years
actually.
Wow, yeah, mostly the last fewyears actually, and, yeah, it
was such an amazing experienceto go into cabaret, as you
probably know these amazingcabaret performers that
sometimes they cross over withmusical theater a lot as well,
but the level of talent andability to like connect with
(19:34):
these smaller audiences yeah,things like that is just
something different that Ihadn't done as much like a whole
another world.
Yeah, and it requires so muchlike, so much connection, like
direct connection, like I'vebeen doing.
You know, 2000 seat theaterswhich are amazing and the best,
(19:55):
obviously, um, so this wasreally different and uh, yeah,
wow, like that was.
That was something where Ireally I changed, you know,
changed my path and then Ireally saw my kind of level of
growth just go uphill likereally fast yeah yeah that was
(20:17):
really interesting to watch.
I was like, wow, I'm so muchmore comfortable than I was, you
know, two months ago.
And then again, and again, andagain.
Having now done this show thatI did for so long and I've just
finished it for a while, I'vecome out of it and I'm like my
gosh, yeah, I don't know, it wasreally cool and I think
performers shouldn't be afraidto do things that are a little
(20:40):
bit different like that.
It might be scary, but I think,yeah, the growth is great.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Well that's it, I feel like any time we're in
growth we have the most likehappiness.
I know that might sound a bitcliche, but I mean we as humans
are going to be scientific nowwe're actually designed to grow
Like.
Whenever we are learning andgrowing, we always feel better
off, we feel like we're movingforward, that we're progressing,
(21:09):
so for sure.
And I mean there's absolutely noharm in doing the same class
and if that's like bringing youa bit of fun.
But I think as performers, weneed to be constantly
challenging ourselves andchoosing growth over comfort,
because definitely that's alwaysa place where you're going to
(21:30):
find those little nuggets ofsuccess that you didn't know
were there and how good theyjust, you know, listened to your
heart and you went away withthe circus and I'm such a big
believer in that, no matter what, whether it's cabaret, circus,
musical theatre, gigs at Crown,like you know what I mean I feel
like there is alwaysopportunities for growth, and
even in class, if you're notperforming yet, I've always told
(21:54):
my students that in everysingle class there is a place to
learn and to learn somethingfrom the teacher, no matter who
it is or what you're learningfrom, and I think having that
mindset has helped me personallyas well, but I love how that's
played out into your life too.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, and I think it's important not to make
assumptions about yourself, youknow.
I think, that's a big one,especially in this day and age,
with everyone really expressingtheir identity a bit more in
their personal identity a bitmore, you know, being more open
to that.
I think don't put yourself in abox.
Let other people do that foryou.
Don't assume like, oh, I lookthis certain way.
(22:35):
They won't want me to do thatlike old school, like gig, or
I'm more commercial, so likethey're not going to really want
me for like a musical.
It's like.
Don't like do that for them.
Just, you know, I think I knoweveryone says it's like it's one
(22:55):
of those things that we say alot like being a jack of all
trades, but I really like for meit's served me so, so well.
Just like really committing toeverything you know, yeah, like
being in that hip-hop class andbeing like whoa, I'm definitely
not one of these guys but likeit's going to serve me.
Then, when I do this gig whereI have to do like a bit of
(23:16):
hip-hop in it and like I'mpretty good at it, you know, so
it's like it's not my thing.
But, um, yeah, don't.
Yeah, don't cut, don't sellyourself short.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Let the industry will do that for you anyway, but you
don't need to and I think thatplays in a lot of longevity and,
um, I've had a uh, a similarcareer in you in the sense that
when I was starting out for thefirst five or six years, like I
had kind of back-to-back shows,but I think that came down to my
willingness to just constantlywant to grow and pick things
(23:47):
that were forcing me out of mycomfort zone.
And I think if you arelistening in and you're in
full-time, you're alreadygrowing so much because you're
getting so many things thrown atyou.
So if you've just finished oryou're in a period where you
need to, um, you know, I have asaying that says sort it out,
which is a bit of tough love.
I have days where I have sortedout days.
So if I'm feeling a bit low andstuff, I'm like, right, taylor,
(24:08):
you need to sort it out.
You know, just go to that class,get to that singing lesson,
whatever it is.
That's just gonna push you alittle bit out of where you are.
It's the fastest way, I think,to going back into that growth.
Um, and also on that, I'm a bigbeliever as well in, uh, just
sourcing things, that because wealready know right, we already
(24:30):
know what we need to do.
We already know, inherently,like the things that we need to
do that make us feel good thatwill push us, us out.
So I think, again, it goes backto listening to your heart,
listening back to yourself andtrusting that you actually know
what you need to do.
We just need to give us alittle bit of courage and a
little bit of strength to justgo and actually do it.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Yeah, yeah, and I think, you know, just while you
were talking then it was makingme think of, of, like I really
rode the highs, like I've had alot of highs in my career thus
far and I'm, you know, like,when I think about them, like I
could cry thinking about them,because I really, like, I'm so
in love with, like the journeyI've had so far.
(25:14):
I couldn't have been, I neverwould have dreamed that all of
this would have happened.
Honestly, if you told me when Iwas 17, I would not have
believed you.
Yes, but you know, when you weretalking then I was thinking of,
like myself, when I wentthrough like harder times or
(25:35):
other people out there that arenot having those highs all the
time, and I think it's like, um,I think just remembering as
well that this is a communitythat we're, we're part of, like
it's, it is a community yeah andso you know, reaching out and
connecting and um and findingthose people around you that you
(25:58):
connect with, whether it belike your favorite choreographer
or your friend that you love todance next to, or someone that
you love like just singing with,like on the guitar, with Thank
you, thank you, you, mom or dad,to like take you to class, or
(27:41):
you know that it comes fromsomewhere or you'd rock up early
and you'd just be like jumpingaround and stay late and then
you get home and dance more likecrazy.
Yeah, yeah, so yeah, I don'tknow, I did that just when you
were talking before it.
Just I was thinking like thegood moments are great as well,
but really, like you know,thinking about when it's hard as
(28:05):
well, like tapping into thatfeeling again, I think is a good
thing to do.
Yeah, it's crucial.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Absolutely yeah.
Has there been any?
As we're kind of coming near tothe end of the show, I feel
like I could talk to you forever, but has there been any?
As we're kind of coming near tothe end of the show, I feel
like I could talk to you forever, but has there been any advice
and it could have been from Toddor anyone in your career that's
like helped you in some sort ofway, like what's the best form
(28:34):
of advice you feel like you'vebeen given as a performer?
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I have a lot of like strong women in my life that
have been around me One, myagent, peter Webb, and one, my
dear, dear friend, who I workwith and for a lot, yvette Lee
and I think, like both of themover the years have really
helped guide me and give meamazing advice about myself and
(29:00):
my career and I think, yeah, Ithink both of them in different
ways, just kind of reminding melike who I am and why I'm
special, and I think it's noteven like so many words, but I
(29:22):
think, yeah, I think that's kindof the best.
It's.
It's not really advice, I guess, but it's like I think it's
like re guiding you back to youa little bit.
Um, that's not really theanswer to the question, but I
think it feels like advice to mebecause I think sometimes, when
you maybe feel like you'redoubting yourself or whatever
(29:43):
which I have in certain momentsover the years, and I think it's
just been really important tohave people that are outside of
you viewing your career from anoutsider perspective and just be
able to kind of see it clearly,because we get in our own stuff
, yes and um, yeah, I think Ithink one of one of the bits of
(30:07):
advice was kind of was kind ofwhat I said before, like don't,
don't um, yeah, don't judgeyourself before.
Like they got like before theaudition panel is basically
going to, because I think for me, coming from dance first and
then moving into singing andacting, I was like that classic
(30:29):
example of like I'm not a singer, I'm you know, like all of that
stuff which is just so common.
And yeah, I think it was reallygood, I think, to have these
women in my life, like remind me, like I remember my agent
actually saying to me before Iwent in for a final callback
which was for a specific singeractor role, and she was just
(30:52):
like you can you know like don't, don't like get ahead of
yourself like that, like you are, you are this, like you, you
just have to be it.
You know like, don't like getahead of yourself like that,
like you are this, like you justhave to be it.
You know, like don't, yeah,don't judge yourself in that way
, because it will happen anyway.
So you just need to.
Yeah, kind of like let thosethoughts go.
This kind of idea of who youthink you are.
(31:15):
It can be really toxic.
I think it's important to havesomeone from the outside check
you and be like no, you're thatLike you just do it and let them
make the decision you know.
So, yeah, that was a reallylong-winded way of kind of
getting to that, but I thinkthat's been really good advice
(31:38):
yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
I mean, I speak a lot on the show about having
mentors and I've been luckyenough to become a mentor for a
lot of the people in thecommunity that are emerging
performers.
And, just because you know, I'vealso known the benefits of
having people in your life thatcan check you, make sure that
you're staying grounded and thatyou also uh, you know staying
(32:00):
in in your lane.
I think we can just get pulledinto so many different
directions in this industry, butI think, at the end of the day,
if you have a good, you don'teven need many people.
But I think, like you have, youcan count all of them in one
hand, or even like half of ahand.
I think you're in a in a reallygood position to just move
forward in a way that is goingto be most supportive for you
(32:21):
and that may take a little whileto find those people, but if
you are lucky enough to be infull time, I'm sure many of your
teachers could be one of those.
I hope people have got a lotout of speaking with you.
I know I have and it's justbeen awesome having you on.
Yeah, I just can't thank youenough.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
I'm keen to go ahead with my day and continue
reinventing myself, yes, andromanticise your life and just
listen to music and walk aroundand walk down the street and
just be like I love to dance, Ilove dancing it reminds me of
Christina Aguilera in Burlesque,where she's like, got the
headphones on and she's down thestreet.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
That's the dream street.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
That's the, that's it .
That's the dream, all right,that's everyone's, that's
everyone's call to action todayget your headphones on, go down
the street.
If you're in melbourne, um well, if it's, if it's tuesday, and
well, it's probably not by thetime you hear this.
But if it's sunny, or even ifit's not sunny, get the
headphones on, go for a dance,either inside, outside put on
chapel roan's new album.
It's smashing oh, that's thevibe, all right.
(33:21):
Yeah, I'll have to add it inthe show notes so everyone can
listen to it straight after.
Yeah, thank you so much, mel.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
What a joy.
Thank you so much for having meyou're welcome.
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