Dramas Over Musicals for Me

I trained as an actor for five years. At a young age, I enjoyed the idea of performing but didn’t have a lot of opportunities to do so. In middle school I was on the television productions team and in high school I took drama. Unfortunately there was no support at home to pursue this and it was actively discouraged! I internalized this but the passion never died. I eagerly joined a public speaking group at work one day and a few years later began courageously speaking to co-workers about my desire to act. One such co-worker said to me ‘Next time I talk to you, I don’t want you to tell me about how you want to take an acting class, I want you to tell me how your first class went.’ It jolted me into action and I made a call to a local studio – opening up a whole new world that I thought was previously inaccessible to me. 

I got motivated to see other actors in action, and because I live so close to Broadway in New York City, I went to see a little play that sounded interesting but wasn’t a big budget musical (I had seen musicals in the past because I thought that was the thing everyone likes to do, but nothing was really memorable and I found myself bored!). I was so stunned by the end of it I couldn’t clap or move from my seat for a few minutes. That’s when I learned it wasn’t musicals I loved – but dramas.

Early Riser at Heart

I love waking up early, I’m talking 5am, 6am. In the summer the outside is cool and the house is always quiet at this time. First thing in the morning I’m at my most energetic and also most creative. This is also my preferred time to work out – less people in the gym at that time also or go for a walk.

Waking up early means I also sleep early. By 9pm I’m usually unavailable and probably in bed! Sleep is a priority for me, because I know how much my body and mind needs 7-8 hours of good sleep to function optimally. If anything is going wrong health-wise with me, I first check in with myself to see if my sleeping habits have changed.

Firm Boundaries: No Third Chances Granted

It’s taken me many, years of experiences with people, hours of therapy and coaching to understand that I have to put myself first. I grew up internalizing that the needs of people around me were more important than my own comfort or security. Which meant I was a great friend, but also meant I would be unhappy or get taken advantage of.

I learned about boundaries and am still doing the uncomfortable work of defining them and holding them. I try my very best to assume positive intent and also to give second chances, but if I’ve made it clear that something made me uncomfortable or is unacceptable and it happens again I tell myself that this person is showing me who they are, and I need to listen.