Working Actor Life

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Side Hustle Bootcamp

(that's all, this is a mini ep, tks bb)

Gab gets called to set in the middle of our Nashville membership retreat, and we talk through what it really looks like to hold a business, a booking, and auditions all at once.
We're recording from the car on the drive home from Nashville, where we just wrapped our in-person membership retreat. The week before, Gab was taken off the shooting schedule, so we headed out believing she was free. Then Monday night, deep into catered Italian food with our members, she got a call time for 10:18 the next morning.
We also get into booking out for in-person only while staying available by tape, and why you can't give 100% to two things that both need all of you.
Meanwhile, the retreat kept going, and so did the auditions. Oh and we close with a series regular role we both auditioned for three weeks apart, and why you should double down on who you are when casting doesn't know what they want yet.

Links
The Membership: https://themembership.co/

https://the-membership.kit.com/waitlist2026
Sam's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/
Gab's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/

Chapters
00:00 Recording from the road after our Nashville retreat
01:30 Running the business, auditioning, and Gab's big booking
02:50 Booking out for in-person but staying available by tape
04:00 Off the schedule, then back on it
06:50 The 9 PM call time and the 6 AM flight
09:40 Two big feelings at once and not our best day on set
13:00 Letting it go and moving forward
14:00 Member auditions and Sam's live Zoom from the Airbnb
19:55 Letting our members see us figure it out
21:50 Auditioning while on a show and doubling down on you for series regs
24:40 Tired takes, simple choices, and the TM waitlist

what happens when your career starts moving but your brain hasn't caught up yet?
sam walks through a rough stretch that stacked a big series regular audition and the general uncertainty that comes with bigger opportunities landing without the "data" to back them up. we talk through the difference between skipping your feelings and actually moving through them, why finding your baseline matters more than forcing positivity, and how differently we each process hard emotions.
then we shift into what it's actually been like for gab to be booked on a show for seven out of eight episodes, including the real costs (financial, emotional, and logistical) of prepping for a character before filming even starts, and why the chaos of production schedules can mess with your head even when things are going well.

linksthe membership: https://themembership.co/sam's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/gab's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/
chapters00:00 - intro and this episode's theme: new levels, new devils00:02 - sam's breakdown week: the series regular audition and feeling like you skipped a step00:13 - sam's process for actually moving through hard emotions00:16 - gab's different emotional wiring and the idea of finding your baseline00:24 - gab's guest star booking: prep costs and the corey gamestop story00:27 - unpredictable shooting schedules and the social side of being on set00:29 - finding relief and joy in the middle of the chaos00:30 - playing the game you're in, plus tm wait list info

Gab is officially booked and busy, and this episode kicks off with it! We reflect on what it felt like to sit in that uncertainty before the news came through.
We also discuss why it is so hard for Sam to celebrate her own wins the way she celebrates everyone else's. Gab pushes back on the instinct to shrink big moments and makes the case for taking up space, even when it feels uncomfortable or undeserved.

Links:TM — https://themembership.co/Sam IG — https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/Gab IG — https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/
Chapters:00:00 Intro and celebrating Gab's booking02:00 Podcast moving to an every other week format04:00 Supporting each other through busy seasons09:00 Sam's short film premiere and red carpet13:00 Why celebrating yourself is so hard19:00 The real financial cost of making a short film23:00 Sam's history of self promotion, from camp bracelets to audition business cards31:00 Comparing their two red carpet experiences33:00 Wrap up and what's next

stevon lewis, a licensed therapist who specializes in imposter syndrome is HERE! he works with a lot of high achieving people, including actors, who feel like frauds no matter how much success they rack up.
we get into:
why hitting a new level in your career resets the clock instead of curing the imposter feelings
how to build confidence off data instead of feelings
gab's flip side of imposter syndrome, being told to shrink herself so she doesn't come off as cocky.
how actors can tell the difference between nerves and a real lack of confidence in a room.

Links:

Southern California Counseling Center www.sccc-la.org
Therapy for Black Girls https://therapyforblackgirls.com/

Timecodes:
01:00 — how stevon found his way into imposter syndrome work
04:00 — why success doesn't cure imposter syndrome, it resets the clock
07:00 — imposter syndrome disguised as motivation and hustle
09:00 — where to start when you've had success but still feel stuck
12:00 — SCCC and finding a therapist wherever you live
17:00 — gab's flip side, being told to shrink so she's not seen as cocky
23:00 — building confidence with zero credits yet, plus the shaq free throw analogy
28:00 — stevon's own story, wonderland ave and choosing to be himself
37:00 — taking up space while still reading the room, plus wrap up