Episode 373: Interview with James Robbins

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 staying engaged in your acting career even when the path forward feels uncomfortable or unclear.

About James

James Robbins is an international keynote speaker, leadership advisor, and author of Nine Minutes on Monday and The Call to Climb. He helps people uncover purpose, build resilience, and lead with clarity and heart. His work has inspired leaders and teams around the world, blending storytelling with practical strategies for growth.

Don’t Ignore Your Appointment With Your Soul

James shared a phrase in this conversation that stayed with me: most of us ignore our appointment with our soul.

He talked about how this often shows up when everything looks fine on the outside, but internally something feels off. You might have stability, validation, or a life that makes sense to other people, yet still feel restless or disengaged.

Ignoring that inner voice does not make it disappear. Over time, it usually leads to exhaustion or burnout. That deadness is often the signal, not the problem.

Doing Hard Things Repeatedly Makes You Wiser

A major theme of this episode is the value of doing hard things on purpose.

James described climbing at high altitude and how mountains wear you down mentally before they wear you down physically. Your mind wants to quit long before your body actually needs to.

The more experience you have doing hard things, the better your judgment becomes. You develop discernment. You learn when to keep going and when turning back is actually the wiser choice.

This applies directly to acting. Staying in the work long enough builds perspective. You stop reacting to fear and start responding from experience.

The Mind Quits Before the Body

One of the most powerful lessons James shared is that the mind gives up before the body does.

On the mountain, this is obvious. In acting careers, it’s quieter. It shows up as procrastination, self-doubt, or the story that nothing is happening.

Learning to recognize when fear is mental rather than physical allows you to keep moving forward without forcing yourself into burnout.

Creating Your Own Weather

James talked about the idea of creating your own weather, choosing an elevated emotional state instead of reacting to circumstances.

Rather than letting fear, stress, or frustration dictate your day, you learn to orient toward peace, purpose, confidence, and clarity. That internal state changes how you make decisions and how you show up to your work.

For actors, this means grounding yourself internally before auditions, self-tapes, and long stretches of waiting.

Facing What You Really Want

A recurring theme in this episode is how difficult it is for people to answer the question, what do you really want?

Often, it’s not confusion. It’s fear. Wanting something fully means risking judgment, failure, or change.

Ignoring that question keeps you stuck in noise. Slowing down enough to listen gives you direction.

James Robbins and Call to Climb

James’s experiences inspired his book Call to Climb, a fable about answering the deeper call in your life when you’ve been avoiding it.

We’ve included links in the show notes if you want to learn more about his work or pick up a copy of the book.

Time Management and Alignment

This episode connects closely with the work I do in my time management workshop.

We talk about how burnout often comes from misalignment. When your days don’t reflect what you actually want, frustration builds.