Episode 342: Is Fear Standing In the Way of Your Success?
Acting Business Boot Camp
Today I want to talk about something that comes up in almost every coaching session I have with actors. Fear. Not just nerves before a big audition. Not just that pit in your stomach when you hit “submit” on a self-tape. I mean the kind of fear that quietly shapes your entire career. The fear that keeps you playing small, second-guessing yourself, or holding back in moments when you need to be bold. The fear that convinces you maybe this dream isn’t really for you. If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “What if I’m not good enough?” or “What if I can’t handle...
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Episode 341: Shiny Object Syndrome
Acting Business Boot Camp
Episode Summary: In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on something I think we all struggle with at some point—especially if you’re a voice actor, on-camera actor, or creative trying to “make it”: shiny object syndrome. You know the feeling. You see someone post about a fancy new mic, a game-changing workshop, a big booking, and suddenly you're wondering… should I be doing that too? I’ve been there. I’ve spent the money. I’ve chased the dopamine hits. And I want to talk honestly about how jealousy, comparison, and impulse spending can quietly erode your confidence,...
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Episode 340: Interview with Aaron Marcus
Acting Business Boot Camp
How to Land Acting Work in Smaller Markets (And Why It’s More Accessible Than You Might Think) Have you ever thought that real acting work is only found in big cities? Like you have to be in New York or LA to make it? I used to think that too. But my conversation with actor Aaron Marcus on the Acting Business Boot Camp podcast really shifted that perspective. About Aaron Marcus Aaron Marcus has been a full-time actor for over 40 years, with nearly 1,300 bookings across film, TV, commercials, and more. You might have seen his scene with Tom Hanks in the film A Man Called Otto. Aaron...
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Episode 339: The Neuroscience of Decision-Making (And Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs)
Acting Business Boot Camp
It’s Mandy Fisher here, your Voiceover actor and creative coach. Today I want to dive into something that’s been on my mind a lot: how the neuroscience of decision-making can help us as actors and creative professionals. Because we’re not just making choices in auditions or on stage. We’re making decisions every single day that shape our careers, relationships, and—let’s be real—our self-worth. How the Brain Guides Our Creative Decisions Let’s talk brain science for a sec. The prefrontal cortex? It’s the part of the brain handling complex thoughts and decisions, like our...
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Episode 338: The Grammar Grumble
Acting Business Boot Camp
When we talk about acting tools, we usually mention headshots, reels, technique, or coaching. But punctuation? Not so much. And yet, punctuation—something you probably haven’t questioned since middle school—might be interfering with your most natural, honest performances. The Problem Most Actors Don’t Know They Have You get a script. Maybe it’s commercial copy, maybe it’s a scene. And without realizing it, your brain starts obeying the punctuation. Comma. Small pause. Period. Full stop, drop your pitch. Exclamation mark. Boost the energy, punch the line. Your body responds to those...
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Episode 337: Desperate Energy Is Hurting Your Career
Acting Business Boot Camp
Feeling behind in your acting or voiceover career? You’re not alone. But you might be burning through your creative energy in the wrong ways. In this blog, we’ll unpack something that rarely gets talked about in the entertainment industry: desperate energy. What it looks like, how it sneaks into your process, and why it might be the real reason you feel stuck. What Is Desperate Energy? Desperate energy is that anxious, frantic feeling that shows up when you think you're falling behind. It's applying to projects far below your rate just to stay busy ...
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Episode 336: The 3 P's of Procrastination
Acting Business Boot Camp
Episode Summary: Feeling stuck? You are so not alone. In this episode, I’m diving into one of the biggest roadblocks I see actors (and creatives of all kinds) face: procrastination. I’m breaking down my signature framework—the **3 P's: Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Paralysis—**and showing you how procrastination is often just fear wearing a clever disguise. I’ll help you reframe your stuck-ness, understand what’s really going on underneath the delay, and—most importantly—take messy, imperfect, courageous action. And yes, I’m also sharing how the energy behind...
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Episode 335: Dreams vs. Nightmares: What Are You Really Focused On?
Acting Business Boot Camp
Welcome back to the Acting Business Boot Camp podcast! 🎙️ I'm Peter Pamela Rose — casting director and certified life and career coach for actors. My mission? To help you break down the business of acting into clear, actionable steps that move your career forward. In today’s episode, I dive into a powerful concept from Energy Leadership by Bruce D. Schneider — the idea that we are constantly choosing between two mindsets: the dream and the nightmare. 💭 Are you focused on the dream of your acting career? Or are you unconsciously living in the...
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Episode 334: Burnout Isn’t Failure — It’s a Signal
Acting Business Boot Camp
Episode Summary: In today’s solo episode, Mandy Fisher gets real and raw about something that far too many actors and creatives are experiencing but not talking about enough: burnout. This isn’t your typical “self-care” pep talk. This is a grounded, honest conversation about the soul-deep exhaustion that can hit even the most passionate, high-achieving creatives. Mandy shares her personal experience with burnout — how it feels, why it happens, and what it actually means — and offers a compassionate, human-first way to start recovering. You’ll learn: Why burnout isn’t a...
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Episode 333: Trust, Consistency, and Risk: A Voiceover Reality Check
Acting Business Boot Camp
🔊 Episode Summary Hey hey! It's Mandy Fisher here, and in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on something I see way too often in the VO world—over-relying on email templates to do your marketing. Especially the kind that demo producers hand out like candy. If you’ve ever sent one of those plug-and-play emails and heard crickets, this episode is for you. I’m digging into why that approach might be sabotaging your chances—and what to do instead. Because while templates can save you time, they can also strip away the one thing that books the job: your voice. So...
info_outlineI hope you had A safe week. I am actually recording this podcast from New York. However, I do live in Los Angeles and I own a house there.
And, like so many, all of us Angelenos, it's been a terrifying week, and I'm saying it's been a terrifying week, and I haven't even been there.
But I've been watching the fire creep closer to my house, and at the moment I am recording this, thankfully, I am out of immediate danger.
My family is out of immediate danger. My house is out of immediate danger.
I want to talk today. Briefly, this will be a shorter podcast about stress. Because over the past two weeks, I have endured a lot of stress. My mom and dad came out to Los Angeles to celebrate the holidays with us.
And on Christmas night, my mom unfortunately had a stroke.
She spent the night in the hospital. And believe it or not, this is my mom's seventh. That once I got my parents settled, almost like I went upstairs and that's when I heard about the fires in L.A. and it was stressful with my mom because she didn't have all of her doctors around her.
And that was stressful.
And then I got her home and I was like, okay, because I kept saying to myself, okay just wait till Sunday, just get her settled on Sunday.
And then, I got her settled over the next couple of days and then this happened.
So stress has been something that I have personally been dealing with.
I also need to say I fully realized that my stress is my stress but the stress to those people who have lost houses is unimaginable.
What I want to talk about is just one thing, because sometimes when so much is happening, it's the only thing we can do is focus on just one thing.
And that is the tool of journaling.
One of the things that I've picked back up recently, because of the situation with my mom, but also because I've decided to, quite frankly, go deeper with my spiritual practice.
I'm doubling down. I'm raising the level. I am raising the frequency. Of what I am living, of how I am living.
And one of the things that has helped me to do that is stream of consciousness journaling.
I found it before everything happened with my mom, meditating, to be something, I wouldn't call meditation easy, but something that I enjoyed.
But while this has been going on, that has proven to be a bit too challenging for me.
Visions of the news, visions of maps, visions of, all the horrible things that all of us have seen circle in my head.
But what I can do is I can sit down, and I always talk about getting a nice cup of tea because I'm a big tea drinker, sitting down and journaling just stream of consciousness.
And, In situations like where we're in right now, especially for those of you who are so directly affected, I find that really forcing myself to do it for a good 20 minutes.
All this is really necessary as long as you can till your hand starts to hurt.
Now notice I say my hand because again when it comes to journaling I so strongly believe in writing it out.
So that is my tool.
Really, double down, raise the level, raise your frequency around your spiritual practice now.
And stay safe, stay super safe, and take care of yourself this week. I hope this helps.