If you've ever been in an audition

onset or in rehearsal

and caught yourself thinking,

I'm not good enough,

I'm just not talented,

or

i'll never make it.

Guess what?

You're not alone.

But here's the thing, those little

voices in our heads

they're not the best critics of our

work.

So today we're going to talk about how

to turn down that mental noise and

reframe our mindset

for success.

Sound good.

Let's do this.

This is casting actor's gasp.

Well,

hello

and welcome.

Do today's episode of casting actors.

Cast I'm casting partner Jeffrey Dreisbach with a McCorkle Group group in New York.

How are you?

I hope you're doing well.

I'm having a good day.

And I thought it would be really about

time that we revisit some of the

subject matter that we've talked about

in past episodes.

But I think particularly, this is a

great time to do this right now, only

because we need to have those positive

affirmations reinforced with us.

It's not just a one and done kind of

self talk thing.

This is something that we need to

reinforce over time.

As creative people, we subject

ourselves to such incredible criticism

and hopefully we're going to be

addressing some of those today and

stick around to the end, because we've

got some really amazing tips that you

can actually put into practice.

I promise you it's going to be an

episode that you're going to want to

share with your friends and family.

At least that's my hope, and that's a

big hope, I know, but that's my hope.

Anyway, welcome to the podcast.

Hey, listen, I've got something to tell

you that I'm really

to say that I'm excited is just an

understatement,

and that is, amazingly the Broadway

podcast network, where this show

casting, actors cast is hosted,

and actors connection longtime friends

have decided to team up and sponsor a

live recording of my podcast with a

studio audience that would be you.

And guess what, you're invited.

No kidding.

This is really happening.

It's taking place on may third, it's a

Saturday, six p m, at pearl studios nyc.

It's going to be a great time, because

we're recording the entire podcast

live.

It's going to be on camera, and I'm

going to be posting it as part of my

regular scheduling of episodes.

But I think it's going to be an

opportunity for you to ask questions.

It would be so great for me to be able

to meet you, to say hello, to shake

your hand.

Also, because it's going to be

sponsored by the Broadway podcast

network and actor's connection.

They're going to be giving away some

free bees, and there's some merch.

I promise you.

I think I'm pretty confident that this

is just going to be a really good, kick

ass, good time.

And I would love to see you there.

You have to make a reservation already.

Seats are going fast.

This is a completely

free event.

Did I say free?

Yes, I said free.

That means this doesn't cost you a

darned thing.

Just get yourself there to pearl

studios on Saturday may third.

How do you make that reservation?

Because we need to have reservations in

order for this to take place.

Seating is definitely limited.

It's very simple.

All you need to do is actors

connection, dot com, that's actor's

connection, dot com, slash

seminars.

Then you can see the listing of all the

seminars that are happening through

actors connection.

But then you go down,

it's organized by date.

So you simply just go down to that

date, which is the third of may, 2025,

and you're going to see the live

podcast event.

That's where you can sign up again.

This is completely free.

I've got my book i'll be sharing with

you.

I've got question and answers

happening.

I've got a really fun subject to talk

about

again.

I've been promoting it on some social

stuff.

But this is going to give you first

crack to sign up.

Actor's connectiondot com, slash

seminars for a live broadcast of

casting.

Actress cast.

All right, it was that too much.

I apologize

speaking of that.

If you go to the websitecasting

actors cast all one word dot com, you

can also sign up through there.

You can also fill out that form that

says, dive into the talent pool.

And that's going to open up some

freebies, like a book that I wrote,

undoing voice over work.

Casting actor's cast.

You'll also see my new book book, tit

the actor's playbook for getting cast.

So it's all happening there, on the

website as well.

And finally, my email address, casting

actress cast a, Gmail dot com.

Thank you so much to those of you

who've been writing to me and thanking

me for taking the time to put this

podcast together.

Because our casting office is crazy

busy right now, with a lot of summer

theater.

We're doing three feature films.

We're working on a television series.

I mean, there's just a tremendous

amount going on.

But you know what?

I get excited by that.

And that's what makes me want to

continue to do these podcasts.

Thanks again for that.

Now, before we jump in, I need to make

a note about my new book.

So this is just a note before we start.

It's called booktit, the actor's

playbook for getting cast.

You know what?

It's actually the second edition of my

original book, jeff's jots, the actor's

career playbook.

Now, let me just tell you why you won't

find jeff's jots anywhere,

and why that's probably a good thing.

After poring countless hours into

writing and crafting what I thought was

the perfect resource for you, for

actors,

I made some.

Let's just say,

I made some very questionable choices.

First, I decided to edit the manuscript

myself.

And that's a task best left to

professionals, believe me,

as my eye for detail is.

Well, let's just say it's unreliable at

best.

Then in a spectacular

act of self sabotage,

I accidentally uploaded an early

working draft

instead of the polished final version.

The result,

a book riddled with awkward sentences

and mispelling

and terrible grammar mishaps and a

punctuation that seemed to, I don't

know, follow its own set of Rules.

The worst part, I didn't realize the

mistake until after several copies of

the book had already been sold,

mortified

doesn't even begin to cover it.

So what was I to do?

Well,

I do believe in making lemonade out of

levmin's, even if I initially spilled

all of the sugar.

So guess what?

I pulled the book from publication.

I then took a deep breath, and I did

what should have been done in the first place,

give it the care and attention it

deserved.

I rewrote,

I refined, I added fresh insights, and

I even rebranded the title.

And that brings us to

booked it

the actor's

playbook

for getting cast.

Now,

that is honestly the book that I meant

to publish all along.

My best effort finally realized.

So listen.

I hope that you maybe check it out.

I hope that you love it and use it, and

then soon maybe you'll be able to say

book did.

So please do check it out.

And I hope and thank you, that you

understand the situation.

I'm just being upfront with what

happened.

And hopefully your understanding will

bring us together even closer.

And maybe you'll check out the book.

If you feel so inclined.

You can find a link on the website,

and it's on amazondot com.

And wherever you get your books, you're

going to find it.

So thank you so very much for that

little mini explanation.

Ok, I'm ready to jump in.

I hope that wasn't too lengthy for you,

and I hope you understand why I needed

to do it.

So we're going to talk about the

negative voice in our heads.

Ok, first let's get real.

Every actor,

yes, even a listers

have those

defeating thoughts.

Now, maybe you've said some of these

thoughts to yourself.

Maybe you've said things like, i'll

never be as good as data inser,

whatever famous actor name you want.

Here

I bombed that audition.

I should just quit.

Have you ever said that?

I always get nervous, so I must not be

cut out for this.

How about that?

Hey, how about this?

Casting directors hate me.

I've actually heard this from an actor.

I can't cry on cues.

So I'm a terrible actor.

Does that sound familiar?

Well, here's the kicker.

Your brain is wired to keep you safe.

And sometimes safe

means convincing.

You are not to take risks like putting

yourself out there in an audition or

believing in your own talent.

But playing it's safe

doesn't get you the role.

It doesn't lead to growth.

It just keeps you stuck.

So let's talk about turning down the

volume.

So how do we turn down the volume?

This is a really unhelpful mental

chatter that we decide to pay attention

to.

So here are a few suggestions.

One is to acknowledge it, but don't

engage it.

See when negative thoughts pop into our

heads, which is simply a matter of

treating it like Spam email.

Really recognize it, but don't open it.

there's that I'm not good enough.

Thought

there's that I'm not good enough.

Thought again.

Moving on

that's all you need to say.

Replace it with a better script.

If your inner monologue says, I'm not

talented enough, counter it with, I'm

consistently improving and growing.

Make a habit out of flipping the script

here's another one.

Change your environment.

If you're spiraling in self doubt, get

up and physically move.

Shake it off, change location.

Sometimes just a literal shift helps

you shift your mindset.

You know what?

I was reminded of this very, very

succinctly, oo good word

when I was walking my dog, pixie,

pixie's just the cutest,

friendliest, little dog.

But what I noticed, and this is just

relatively recently, is that when we're

going for a walk and there's something

that she is not happy about, something

that she doesn't care about.

It could be another dog, it could be

the sound of a motorcycle.

Whatever it is,

she'll stop, she'll acknowledge it.

But then guess what she does, it's the

coolest, sweetest thing she shakes.

She shakes her head and her entire body

all the way from her head.

Then it goes down to her toes

and her tale.

And I realize that any time she has

something that she needs to shake off,

she literally

shakes it off.

So guess what?

I know, this is going to make me sound

like a crazy person.

I get it.

Go ahead.

You can laugh.

I give you permission.

But whenever she shakes, guess what?

I decide to shake to.

I do.

I do.

I know, um, that it's really weird to

do that on the street, when you're

walking your dog.

I get that.

But I can tell us to tell you that

people leave me alone.

It's just me and my dog.

People stay away.

And that's not a terrible thing.

When you want to have a quiet little

moment to yourself with your dog.

Let's move on from there.

When we have techniques

that we can put into place, whenever we

get that self talk,

it just becomes a way of shifting that

energy and shaking it off.

Here's another one.

Practice self compassion.

Now, you wouldn't tell a friend

you should quit acting because you are

bad.

So then why would you say that to

yourself?

Treat yourself with the same kindness

you'd give a fellow actor?

That's an amazing rule.

That's a good rule of thumb.

It's healthy.

It makes you feel better and makes the

person or people that you are working

around feel better as well.

Let's move on from there.

Focus on the work,

not the outcome you see.

Instead of obsessing over booking a

role,

focus on what you can control.

You see, you can control your

preparation.

You can control your creativity and

presence

make sense.

The best mindset for a creative person

is as

important as any talent that I had

experience in whether I'm auditioning

actors or whether I'm doing an epa or

an ec.

It just doesn't matter.

But I want you to know that acting is

very vulnerable.

It requires putting yourself out there

without any guarantees.

So the best mindset for an actor,

curiosity over judgment,

instead of asking,

was I good, ask,

what did I learn?

What can I explore?

Also,

adopt a growth mindset, the belief that

your abilities aren't fixed,

but can be developed.

Every audition,

every performance, is an opportunity to

learn,

not a test to pass or fail.

I tell this to students I teach all the

time.

I say, guess what?

School is over.

Why are you grading yourself?

Why are you reauditioning

in your head after the audition is over?

And I think part of this is also

overcoming the fear of failure,

a failure, that big, scary word, but

here's a secret.

Successful actors don't avoid failure.

They reframe it.

So Merrill street once said, acting is

about making mistakes in front of people.

Let that sink in

you.

You see, the best actors that I know

that I've worked with, they take risks.

They Embrace failure.

And they keep going.

The key is to see failure as feedback,

not a stop sign.

So every no brings you closer to a yes.

You've heard that before.

I know I have

what successful actors have in common

with their self.

Talk

is very, very interesting.

I think.

Have you ever noticed that successful

actors have a certain kind of energy?

They're confident, but not arrogant.

They're grounded, but open.

And most of all,

they trust themselves.

Their self talked hog tends to be, I am

enough.

I may not get every role, but I have

something unique to offer.

I am always learning and improving.

This audition is an opportunity,

not a verdict.

See if you start speaking to yourself

like a successful actor,

you're already halfway.

There

let's talk about how to realistically

evaluate your talent.

We're going to have that

right after this.

Welcome.

Let's talk about how to evaluate your

talent.

Now this part is important.

How do you assess your skills without

falling into self doubt?

Here's how

seek constructive feedback.

Work with coaches and teachers or peers,

that who will be honest and supportive.

Next,

watch your own work objectively,

instead of knit picking.

Ask

what's working.

What can I adjust

next?

It's important to track your growth.

My suggestion is that you keep a

journal of lessons, learned roles

you've played and skills you've

developed.

Remember that talent is only part of it.

Perseverance and mindset

Hard work.

are just,

if not more important

than raw talent.

Don't you think?

Doesn't that make sense?

So here are some closing thoughts.

What's the takeaway.

Your brain does matter.

What you tell yourself does matter.

And the best thing you can do for your

acting career

is to train your mindset

just as much as your craft.

Remember, thoughts or just thoughts,

they aren't facts.

You have the power to rewrite your

inner monologue, reframe failure

and build a mindset that supports your

creative journey.

I can't tell you how many times as an

actor I put myself through so much self torture,

every audition and wondering why I

didn't get the feedback.

I felt I deserved.

It was sort of like what I called his

majesty, the baby.

I felt like I had this huge ego that I

had talent, that I should be seeing,

that I should get cast.

But guess what?

What was holding me back was my own low

self esteem.

Part of me, not feeling that I was ever

going to be good enough.

And so that when I booked a job, the

highs were really, really high.

But that also means, conversely, that

the lows were really, really low.

It took me quite a bit of time to

figure out that an audition is not an event.

It took me quite a bit of time to

figure out that casting directors were

actually on my side and not against me,

looking for something that I was wrong about.

But that takes time, hopefully.

With this podcast today, you've been

given some insights that can help you

reframe your mindset, reframe the way

that you think.

Because I would never want anyone to

subject themselves to the kind of self

deprecating, oo, good word behavior

that I put myself through.

And now as a casting director, I'm

looking at actors performing, and I'm

seeing the same or similar behavior

that I put myself through.

So hopefully

with this podcast, I've saved you just

a little bit of time, maybe a little

bit of angst, and just hang in there.

I appreciate you hanging in there with

me to day.

If this episode resonated with you,

please share it.

Maybe a fellow actor who might need to

hear it.

And as always, I want you to keep

learning, keep growing and keep

shining.

You've got this.

We'll see you next time.

I'm Geoffrey driesback.

You've been listening and watching

casting

actors

cast hope to see you at the live event

on may third.

Thanks so much.