Working Actor Life

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

gab is on network test for a series (yes there's a nudity rider, yes there's a lawyer, yes we break down a lot of it, and YES spoiler alert she booked RIGHT after we finished this pod)

sam just spent four days on avail hold for two commercials shooting in two different states at the same time.

so let's talk about the in between. what do you actually do with your body and your brain when you don't know if you booked.
Links:
TM https://themembership.co/
Sam IG https://www.instagram.com/samvalentine/
Gab IG https://www.instagram.com/gabriellebyndloss/

Timecodes:
00:00 — cold open, gab doesn't subscribe to her own podcast 04:00 — why sam can't live share the way gab does 05:00 — gab's elevator pitch, callback to network test to lawyer to nudity rider 12:00 — sam's story, two commercials on hold in two different states 17:00 — "booking the room" 22:00 — protecting your peace vs letting yourself feel it 26:00 — how to strengthen the waiting muscle, sam's booking song and gab's workouts 29:00 — why a co-star hold deserves the same respect as a series hold 32:00 — nudity riders, intimacy riders, and wikifeet 35:00 — wrap up

back from our little podcast break (which, tbh we recorded right before we left, so nothing actually changed). this week we're catching up:
from rewatching old audition tapes to see who booked the roles we didn't, noticing how often "open ethnicity" breakdowns still end up going to white actresses, the pitt's wild filming schedule, the ick we sometimes feel around actors overselling their credits in their bios, and whether that reaction says more about us than about them.

links:themembership.co@samvalentine@gabriellebyndloss

chapters:01:00 – what's actually filming right now (rj decker, will trent, the pit, criminal minds)04:00 – rewatching old audition tapes and who booked instead06:00 – open ethnicity breakdowns and the industry backslide since 202014:00 – the pitt's unusual filming schedule and self-submitting for emmys16:00 – the dunkin' commercial that got away19:00 – how the podcast became a trust-building tool for their brand22:00 – why talking about acting off the clock feels different in LA vs elsewhere29:00 – bosch, legacy roles, and feeling defined by your biggest credit32:00 – picking up cues, feedback for future episodes36:00 – the instagram bio debate: overselling credits vs owning your wins44:00 – the dm pet peeve: asking for a full career plan for a five day trip