Episode 345: Shifting Your Momentum with Stephen Ridley
Release Date: 07/16/2025
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...
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Episode 364: Choice, Habit, Love: How Actors Build Real Momentum
Acting Business Boot Camp
Actors often wait for motivation. We hope a burst of inspiration will get us moving, keep us consistent, or push us to the next level. But real growth rarely starts with motivation. It starts with one small choice. In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I talk about the simple cycle that has changed my life many times over. Choice. Habit. Love. It’s a framework you can use in your acting career, your training, and your personal development to build strength and momentum in a way that actually lasts. The Moment I Realized Something Needed to Change A few years ago, I was...
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Episode 363: The Power of Slow as an Actor
Acting Business Boot Camp
Why Slow Is the New Secret Weapon for Actors The entertainment industry glorifies hustle. Fast auditions, faster turnarounds, constant pressure to keep up. But what if slowing down is the real secret to booking more roles and building a lasting career? In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I talk about the power of slow and why being intentional, grounded, and patient can make you not only a stronger performer but also a more fulfilled human being. The Myth of Hustle: Why Speed Doesn’t Equal Success We’ve been conditioned to think that “busy” means...
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Episode 362: Paywalls, Performances, and the Price of Transparency
Acting Business Boot Camp
The Irony of Paid Transparency I saw a post the other day that made me stop mid-scroll. An actor—let’s call him Workshop Guy—was going viral for saying he was “tired of gatekeeping in the industry.” He wanted to break down the walls, create transparency, build community… all that good stuff. And then, at the end of his video, came the link. A $200 workshop. I laughed out loud. Because, honestly, that’s not transparency. That’s marketing. Let’s talk about why. The Anti-Gatekeeping Paywall Here’s the thing: if your solution to exclusivity is to sell tickets to your...
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Episode 361: Self Tapes That Book Part II
Acting Business Boot Camp
The Heart Behind a Great Self-Tape I’ll be honest—I couldn’t even remember how I start my podcast today. “Hello, I hope you had a great week?” That sounds right. Anyway, welcome back to Self-Tapes That Book, Part Two. Last week we talked about tech and mindset, about creating a space that supports your confidence instead of draining it. The kind of space that makes you feel like you just slipped into your favorite outfit—the one that makes you feel unstoppable. That’s exactly how I want your self-tape setup to feel: effortless, energizing, and completely you. Four Keys...
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Episode 360: Self Tapes that Book Part 1
Acting Business Boot Camp
In this episode, I’m diving into one of the most important topics for any working actor today: self-tapes. They’re no longer an occasional request or a pandemic workaround. Self-tapes are the audition room now. That means your setup, your mindset, and your energy have to communicate professionalism and confidence before you ever say a line. After losing my voice for a few weeks (and getting some incredible help from Mandy Fisher, Rose Marie, and Taylor), I wanted to come back with something that felt useful and practical. Because here’s the truth: the actors who treat...
info_outlineHow to Change Your Momentum When You’re Stuck as a Creative
If you’re an artist or creative who feels stalled—like you’ve hit a wall in your motivation, progress, or passion—you’re not alone.
Whether it’s burnout, fear, comparison, or just plain fatigue, creative momentum can vanish without warning. And getting it back? That can feel impossible.
But here’s the good news: momentum is a choice. Not something that magically returns when the conditions are perfect—but something you can actively create, even in the mess of real life.
In this week’s Acting Business Boot Camp podcast episode, I spoke with Stephen Ridley, musician, speaker, and founder of Ridley Academy, about exactly that.
What unfolded was a deeply personal and practical roadmap for any artist who wants to stop stalling and start moving forward again.
What Does It Mean to “Change Your Momentum”?
Momentum isn’t about working harder. It’s about shifting the energy underneath your decisions. According to Stephen, the way we talk to ourselves—our internal attitude—shapes what happens next.
He calls it the self-fulfilling nature of mindset.
“Both negativity and positivity become self-fulfilling prophecies,” he says. “And both are equally available.”
In other words, what you expect tends to be what you get. So if you’re expecting things to be hard, slow, or pointless… they probably will be.
But here’s where this conversation gets interesting. Stephen doesn’t suggest “faking” positivity. He actually recommends the opposite.
Step 1: Stop Resisting Your Mood
When you’re stuck in a low state—feeling anxious, apathetic, overwhelmed—the worst thing you can do is pretend you’re not. Instead, lean in.
“I’ll play piano in apathy,” Stephen says. “I’ll let myself feel lazy. I’ll turn up the volume on the feeling until I get bored of it. That’s when the momentum shifts.”
When you stop resisting how you feel and start actively creating it, you take back control. It’s no longer happening to you. You’re the one creating it.
That awareness is where movement begins.
Step 2: Ask the Question That Changes Everything
Once you’ve moved through the feeling—not skipped over it—there’s a simple question Stephen recommends to create forward momentum:
“What can I do for you?”
Not just you, the person in front of you. But you in the broadest sense: the audience, the community, the world.
This question flips your attention from inward to outward. It connects you to purpose. It anchors you in service.
And for artists, that’s everything.
Because the role of the artist, as Stephen beautifully puts it, is not to collapse into the emptiness of life—but to provide the antidote.
The Trap of Creative Victimhood
So many creatives are unconsciously stuck in a victim mindset. Waiting for permission. Hoping to be chosen. Scared to make the wrong move.
But as Stephen says, the longer you wait, the more you stall. And stalling, while it may feel passive, often comes with a payoff: you don’t have to take responsibility.
That’s the truth most people don’t want to hear.
But the moment you reclaim that responsibility—without shame or blame—you begin to unlock the creative momentum you’ve been craving.
Final Thought: You Don’t Have to Wait
The most successful creatives aren’t necessarily the most talented. They’re the ones who know how to take action even when things aren’t perfect. They’ve learned to choose positivity without needing to feel it first. They know how to get out of their heads and back into service.
Stephen’s message is simple, but profound:
“You don’t have to find momentum. You can create it. And it starts with one decision.”
Want to Practice This Work?
If you’re ready to rebuild your creative momentum in a grounded, supportive space, I invite you to try a free class of The Weekly Adjustment—my coaching group for actors and artists working on confidence, mindset, and meaningful progress.
🔗 Click here to join us for free
And if you’ve ever dreamed of learning piano—or reconnecting to passion through creative play—check out RidleyAcademy.com. Stephen’s method is changing lives.