Episode 258: Handle this Family Filled Holiday Season with a Plan!
Release Date: 11/15/2023
Episode 374: Stop Lying To Yourself
Acting Business Boot Camp
Self-Perception and the Stories We Call “Logic” Most actors don’t think they’re afraid. They think they’re being responsible. They say things like: It’s not the right time I need to be more prepared I don’t want to do it halfway I’ll reach out once things settle down Those sentences sound calm. Thoughtful. Adult. They also quietly keep you from moving. Fear doesn’t usually sound dramatic. It sounds reasonable. And that’s why it’s so effective. Why This Matters So Much Creative entrepreneurs live in nuance. Actors are trained to consider context, timing,...
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Episode 373: Interview with James Robbins
Acting Business Boot Camp
In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I sit down with James Robbins to talk about listening to your inner voice, building resilience, and what happens when you stop ignoring the signals that something needs to change. James shares stories from his life as a climber and leadership coach, including what he’s learned from climbing mountains, facing fear, and doing hard things repeatedly. We talk about burnout, discernment, anxiety, and how these lessons apply directly to actors navigating uncertainty in their careers. This episode is about courage, self-trust, and...
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Episode 372: Underestimation, Overestimation, and Grounded Confidence
Acting Business Boot Camp
Self-Perception and Where We Decide We Belong I want to talk about something we reference a lot in acting, but usually only vaguely. Self-perception. It sits at the center of almost every actor’s journey. It shapes how you talk about yourself, who you reach out to, what rooms you think you belong in, and how far you let yourself go. Most of the time, we don’t even notice it happening. Why This Matters So Much I was thinking about 10 Things I Hate About You and that line about being overwhelmed and underwhelmed, and asking if you can ever just be whelmed. It made me think about actors. We...
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Episode 371: "There is Nothing Going on in My Career"
Acting Business Boot Camp
I hear actors say this phrase all the time: “There’s nothing going on in my career.” And I want to be very clear, that idea is almost never true. In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I talk about why that belief shows up, how it distorts your perception, and what you should be measuring instead when things feel quiet. I also share why I reshaped my Weekly Accountability Group to focus just as much on time management as accountability. This episode is about structure, consistency, and staying engaged in your acting career even when results aren’t obvious yet....
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Episode 370: You Can’t Call Yourself a Professional Actor If Your Business Is Running Like a Hobby
Acting Business Boot Camp
The Part of the Business We Avoid I don’t know many actors who got into this work because they love paperwork. Money. Invoices. Contracts. Admin. I avoid this side of the business not because I think it’s beneath me, but because it makes me uncomfortable. It forces me to look closely. At numbers. At patterns. At choices I’ve postponed. And lately, I’ve been reminded how common that is. Why Admin Creates So Much Anxiety I’ve had several conversations recently with actors who are genuinely scared of the financial side of their career. Taxes coming up. Receipts scattered. Invoices...
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Episode 369: How Actors Actually Change Their Year
Acting Business Boot Camp
Actors often think a new year will change things. New calendar, new energy, new motivation. But real change doesn’t come from dates. It comes from how you structure your choices, your habits, and your expectations. In this episode of the Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast, Peter Pamela Rose breaks down the five shifts that actually help actors change their year, not in a dramatic, overnight way, but in a grounded, sustainable way that builds real momentum. This conversation is about business, nervous system regulation, consistency, and self leadership. It’s about how actors move out of...
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Episode 368: Two Tabs, One Artist- Keeping Your Spicy Work Separate (and Safe)
Acting Business Boot Camp
The Art of Keeping Things Separate This topic comes up more than people admit. Usually in a whisper. Or an email that starts with, “This might be a weird question…” It’s not weird. It’s just complicated. A lot of actors are working in NSFW or spicy spaces. Erotica audiobooks. Adult games. ASMR. OnlyFans. Patreon. Sensual storytelling. And at the same time, they’re booking e-learning, commercials, family-friendly narration, children’s content. The work itself isn’t the problem. The overlap is. So I want to talk about how to keep those worlds separate in a way that’s...
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Episode 367: Utilize Invisible Guidance
Acting Business Boot Camp
Listening to Invisible Guidance I’ve been thinking a lot about how guidance shows up. Not in big dramatic flashes, but in the tiny whispers. The quiet nudges you feel before anything becomes a full blown lesson. And honestly, the more I look back on my own life, the more I see how often I missed the first whisper. When the Whisper Becomes a Shove I cannot tell you how many times I’ve thought, oh, I already learned this. Except I didn’t. Because the message comes back. And when I still don’t listen, it comes back again, a little louder each time. It’s not punishment. It’s just the...
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Episode 366: The Power of Yes
Acting Business Boot Camp
The Word That Changes Everything I’ve been rereading Larry Moss’s The Intent to Live, and there’s a line that stopped me. He calls “yes” the most important word in acting. It sounds simple, but the more I sat with it, the more true it felt. Why We Default to No I notice how quickly I say no in my own mind. No, I’m not ready. No, someone else deserves that more. No, they’d never want me. It feels responsible. Really, it’s fear. Fear of being seen trying. Fear of messing up. Fear of stepping into something bigger than I’m used to. What “Yes” Actually Means I’m not...
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Episode 365: How to Handle Difficult Family Members Over the Holidays
Acting Business Boot Camp
Family gatherings can be beautiful. They can also feel like emotional landmines, especially when you’re an actor. One minute you’re passing the mashed potatoes. The next you’re answering a pointed question about your career from someone who hasn’t watched a show since 1998. In this week’s episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I talk about how to stay calm, centered, and grounded as you navigate family dynamics. These tools help you protect your energy so you can enjoy the holiday instead of getting swept up in other people’s anxieties. The Question Doesn’t Require a...
info_outlineToday, I am going to talk about what is honestly sometimes a very painful thing to talk about, which is going home for the holidays.
Because actually going home for the holidays for me is a joyous thing now.
But when I was younger, it was harder. And it wasn't necessarily because of my parents, but it was things that triggered me, like the cold, like it being darker. And those kinds of things would bring up a lot of anxiety with me.
One of the things I will be talking about is triggers and how to take care of yourself around triggers.
So, what do I mean by a trigger?
A trigger for me is it gets darker earlier.
If you listen to my podcast episode 102, you'll hear that when it started to get dark when I was a child, that's when my anxiety would kick up.
Guess what happens now? It gets darker earlier.
Now, I will be honest with you: it still reminds me every year, but I also have come so far that it doesn't bother me anymore.
But I'm not going to tell you that if I get emotionally ruffled, it's not going to get kicked up again, and that's what I want you to look out for this holiday season.
Exercise:
Either on your phone, while you're listening to this or pen and paper, I want you to think of three to five things that could potentially trigger you this holiday season.
So for me, it's that it gets dark earlier. The other thing is that my family lives on the East Coast. And guess what? It's cold on the East Coast. It's freezing. That's why I live part of the year in Los Angeles because it's nice and toasty here.
Those are things that immediately crop up for me.
My parents also live in the country. And for some reason, even though in L. A. I'm in the middle of nowhere in the middle of L.A., and I, for some reason, get very triggered by the cold and the night and being isolated.
So those are the three things that trigger me. And I want to ask yourself what your things are.
Is it a family member who says, “Oh, wow, that strike? Hey, are you even going to still have a career?”
Whatever Uncle, whoever Aunt, your mom, your dad, that older brother.
I recently heard from a dear friend of mine that his older brother used to put him down a bit. And although time has passed, it's still a trigger.
So, write down your three to five triggers. If you have more, that's fine.
Then, what I want you to do is I want you to think of a contrary thought or an alternate thought that you can say to yourself if you start to get triggered.
One of them, which is the ultimate Truth, is this too shall pass.
Or reminding yourself, is there something soothing you can do for yourself?
One of the things I like to do is have these special peppermints. My mom gave me them. They're Dutch peppermints. I like to have them in my pocket. It's just a little thing that comforts me.
Also, sometimes, putting my hand on a particular area of my shoulder comforts me.
So it's things that I can think of and things that I can do.
You want to think of an alternate thought and an alternate action.
With an alternate thought, as I said, “This too shall pass,” but also, a good thought would be, “It's going to be okay. I got you. It's going to be okay.”
Reminding yourself that the Universe is on your side.
One of the things that I do is light a candle that makes me feel safe because it reminds me of the presence of the Universe and that I'm not alone, that this too shall pass, that I'm going to be okay and that I love myself.
I approve of myself and that I've got myself emotionally during that time.
The thing is, and Melody Beattie talks about it in Language of Letting Go, for some people, it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate; it's that time of year.
And for some people, it's like the worst trifecta in the world, which is Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, or Thanksgiving, winter holidays, and New Year's, and they're like, “Oh God, I just want to get through.”
How can you take care of yourself this holiday season?
One of the ways you can is to write down those potential triggers and create a plan.
Create a plan of positive thoughts. Create a plan of positive actions that are going to help you.
What are you going to do if you get triggered?
Are you bringing a pet with you? Is there a pet where you're going that you can go to?
Is there a relative who you know you're safe with?
What can you do to take care of yourself?
Remember, you also have this podcast. There are so many core messages. In this podcast, I've done over a hundred of them.
Bring it with you. Bring me with you on your holidays.
I'm more than happy to be your companion.
Write to me if you get scared. I'm here. peter@actingbusinessbootcamp.com
The thing is, have your own back. Have a plan. If you need to, go a little late and leave a little early.
And also remember, you can just listen.
That's one of the best things somebody told me about triggering situations. When you're in a triggering situation, start asking the person about how they're doing. What's going on in their life? You don't have to prove anything to anybody.
Do you know what you need to do this holiday season?
You need to love yourself and take care of yourself.
And how do you do that? Write down those potential pitfalls, those potential triggers, and then write out your thought plan and write out your action plan of how you are going to get yourself through.
Because you know what? You can do it. You are capable.
You can manage this holiday season.