Creative & Sparkly AF: Turning Life Into Story | with Guest, Storyteller Stephanie Rogers (PT1)

PART 1: Story Jam, Parallel Lives & the Plot Twist That Changes Everything

Some people follow a creative path. Others wander down it with curiosity and a guitar and somehow end up building an entire storytelling universe. That’s more or less what happened to my guest, storyteller, Stephanie Rogers.

Stephanie is the founder and creative force behind Story Jam, the Chicago-based storytelling and live music show that transforms true personal stories into vibrant, collaborative performances. Think rock concert meets Ted talk.

Stephanie’s creative life has taken many forms. She holds a B.A. in acting from Northwestern University and an M.A. in written communication, and she has worked as an actor, musician, bandleader, writer, teacher, and producer throughout Chicago’s creative scene. She now teaches popular storytelling and writing classes online and in Chicago through Story Jam Studio, helping people find their voices, shape their narratives, and occasionally discover that their childhood trauma is actually excellent material.

In this first part of our conversation, we dive into Story Jam, Stephanie’s artistic journey, spirituality, how our creative journeys feel wildly parallel, and the unexpected turning point that reshaped Stephanie’s path.

This conversation is deep, amazing and hilar.

To learn more about Stepahanie's work and Story Jam, go to: storyjamshow.com

Thank you for listening! Learn more at suzannsole.com

Check out Suzanne's spiritual and sassy t-shirts at personallyspiritual.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Somebody gets up and they tell their true personal story. It's been crafted, sort of like the moth, but we have a musical component. So we have a 10-piece band on stage responding to each story with an original song that we've written.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

You're listening to the Spiritual Shit Show Podcast with Suzanne Soul, episode 73. Hey you gorgeous starlets, and welcome to the Spiritual Shit Show Podcast, where we get into the total shit show. The healing and spiritual awakening journey can be. I'm your host, Suzanne Soul, comedian, lifelong spiritual student, and I'm sharing some of the amazing stuff I've learned along my journey that has helped me, and that I hope helps you too. We have an incredible, delicious, amazeballs three-parter. As I am joined by someone whose creative life makes me feel like we were separated at birth and possibly reunited at a storytelling open mic run by the universe. My guest is Stephanie Rogers, founder and creative director of Story Jam, Chicago's beloved storytelling and live music extravaganza that turns true stories into full-blown artistic experiences. She's an actor, a musician, a storyteller, writing coach, educator, producer, and basically the person you call when you want to turn your life into art without setting anything on fire. Stephanie has a BA in acting from Northwestern University, an MA in written communication, and a whole lot of lifetime creative exploration across theater, film, music, songwriting, and storytelling. She teaches wildly popular writing and storytelling classes both online and in Chicago, helping people find their voices, shape their narratives, and occasionally discover that their childhood trauma is actually excellent material. She's also someone who has lived many creative lives as a performer, band leader, writer, teacher, and producer. In this first part of our conversation, we talk about what Story Jam is, about her life, her spirituality, and the uncanny parallels between our paths. And how her journey took a profound turn, a turn that reshaped her artistic trajectory. And as you'll hear, it cracked her open spiritually, creatively, humanly. So let's go talk to the fabulous Stephanie Rogers. Hey Steph, ready to chitty chat? Stephanie Rogers! Welcome to the Spiritual Shit Show Interview Shit Show. It is my profound pleasure to be here, Suzanne. Thank you. It's my profound pleasure to have you here. I why are we talking like this? I don't know, but I love it. Darling, it's wonderful to see you. And we're off. So you have a really, really cool, cool thing. It's a show, it's an event, and it's classes too, but I want to get into the event part called Story Jam.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Yes. Thank you. Tell us. Well, I do appreciate your saying that. And um, Story Jam is a live lit storytelling show where people come on and tell their true personal stories. In fact, this is my perfect moment to invite you to be on my show.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

I would love to. Yes, of course you would.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Oh my god, I totally would love to. I would love you to. Oh my god, amazing. You would knock their socks off.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Somebody gets up and they tell their true personal story. It's been crafted, sort of like the moth, but we have a musical component. So we have a 10-piece band on stage responding to each story with an original song. Oh my god. That we've written. Wow. It's really cool. And so the band plays. I mean, I get fantastic musicians. As you know, Chicago is loaded. Rife with yes. We are loaded with fabulous talent. People who would be playing with um, who would they be playing with? Beyonce? Yes. Or is that right? Yes. People actually, I played with a drummer who used to tour with Beyonce, but Chicago is full of those kinds of people who who tour but who want now to be home, who have families, yeah. High-level players. So that's who I bring with me to Story Jam. Amazing. Now, how it works is because I was I was looking on your website.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Doing your research. That's right. I was doing my research. I'm Stephanie. And um, it it says that like the person presents that gives sends you their story, and then they actually tell their story.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Is that right? That is exactly right. Well, they well, what happens now is now it's a new twist. Oh, okay. So we've evolved. It's been going on for about 11 years now. It used to be some they I'd I'd collect I'd gather up storytellers from the storytelling community in Chicago, which by the way, there are about 50 to 70 storytelling shows in the city of Chicago every month. You could go like any night of the tonight. We could go right now.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Right now.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

We could like literally leave these microphones and find a storytelling show. Or we could bring them here. I tell you, we announced it on social media that there's a storytelling show. 80 people will be in this room right now with us. Oh my god. So there are storytelling shows all over Chicagoland. And am I droopy? No, I'm I'm adjusting my. I think I put it too high. But anyway, back to you, Bob. This is great because we're becoming friends and recording a podcast at the same time. It's very usual. So the this is great because the show, I used to just gather up, find my favorite, some find people who were excellent at storytelling. Because as you and I, theater kids, we know we want we want to be entertained. Yes, we want the magic, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:49

That's correct.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

So I used to go and handpick people and say, would you be so kind as to come to first the suburbs?

SPEAKER_02 5:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

We'll met. So I was bringing lots of diversity to a town that is not known for diversity. Okay. And we would have these fantastic stories, these eye-opening experiences. And it is not PG, it is maybe PG 13 on a good day, but pretty R. It's my kind of motherfucking show.

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Exactly. People like you and your potty mouth are welcome at Story Jam. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

So, you know, so it's a pretty it's it can be a little edgy. Um, but anyway, yeah. So we were doing that, and then I'd get the stories ahead of time. I would write a song, and I used to write all the songs for Story Jam, and that would be seven stories, seven songs per show, and it was almost monthly. That was too much, as you can well imagine. Yes. So then I started realizing, well, I can't do that this very that often, otherwise, I'll do nothing else. Like, yes, you know, I have to take a shower from time to time, Suzanne. For God's sake.

SPEAKER_02 6:53

I know how it is. I do know how it is.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

You do struggle, I know. We struggle when we are in our creative mode. We that's right, we can get so myopic. Yes. So, right. So then I decided, well, I can't have that many shows. I'll do maybe four or five a year. Then, wait a minute, there are a lot of store of songwriters in Chicago. I'm not the only one. Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

I don't think write a song every time.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

Exactly. How about I call somebody else to do one or two of them? Oh my gosh. And then I was like, wait, I'll pick Sarah Marie Young is a good example. She's so gifted and brilliant. Very gifted. And so why not call people who are far more talented than I am to do this, and I'll be the producer, and then I'll write a little something here and there, and I'll do a little song and dance here and there. But mostly let's spotlight the people who need to be spotless. Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:41

So the the system was the person would you would choose someone who's actually a performer. Yes. So that you would know for sure. Well, basically. Yeah. Yeah. And a comic or storyteller. And then you they would get, they would, you would give get their story, and you would write a song out of their story. Yeah. And then you would perform or any one vocal different vocalists you have. Yes, different vocalists. Several several vocalists, several musicians. Pick one. Somebody would sing the song. Yeah. And then you were like, wait, why do I have to write all the songs? Exactly. Understood. Okay. See? And yes, there See how smart I am?

SPEAKER_00 8:21

You're really smart. It took me a little longer than it would take the average person to figure it out, but I would I got there.

SPEAKER_02 8:27

I get it. I 100% get it. Get it. Yeah, because we're hyper-independent women. Yeah, you know, you think you're sometimes it's true. It's sometimes a little bit of a problem. Yeah, it is, because you're like, oh, wait a minute. I can call other people to help. Yeah. And plus I bet they love it. It's like a really like to have that kind of a prompt to write a song is really, really cool.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Well, I got lucky because talent talented people started showing up and saying, hey, this is cool. I want to do this because, you know, those of us who are who sing in the event bit in the vent music or private events. Private events. Uh, that can be not as creative sometimes as being able to do produce something that you've created. So that those people started showing up and saying, I want to, I want a part of this. Then I found Zoe. Zoe. Zoe. Who's Zoe? She is a 30-something-year-old Marvel. She makes up songs on the fly. So at Story Jam, we'll have a story and a song and a story song that's that's all been pre-created, pre-prepared. Pre-pared. Prepared.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

I just understood the entomology of that word. What did you prepare previously? Do you know that song Preparied, the Way of the Lord from Godspell?

SPEAKER_02 9:47

Oh my god, no. Oh, you never did Godspell? No, I never did Godspell. I know day by day, though, that's a fade. Day by day. Day by day.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

Day by day. Oh dear things I say. Pray. Or say. Hey, no, it was pray. Or today, whatever, rhyme it with anything you want. So, yeah, so um that uh that when I found Zoe Wise, her name is Zoe Wise. Zoe Wise. When I found Zoe Wise, Story Jam became a whole different thing. Oh my gosh, tell me how. Well, we did still did story, song, story, song, but now I have a story that we have not prepared anything for. We have Zoe up on stage with her guitar and we say, Zoe, how about you write something right here now in front of a room of 240 people? Oh my god. It's so exciting because is she gonna what's what's she gonna make or is she going to freeze? What's gonna happen? That's the it's like, is this gonna be a train wreck? It never is. But so how does that work?

SPEAKER_02 10:47

So so someone presents a story to her on the spot, or how does she, what is her prompt for, okay, write a story, uh, write a song right now?

SPEAKER_01 10:55

Well, I've already picked the storytellers, right? She, but Zoe doesn't know who they are, she knows nothing. So she can just sit there and we say all of the songs are made up on the spot. No, no. So some are still prepared. Okay. Some are still, we still get our songwriters, we still prepare a few of them. But now a couple of the stories are just with Zoe making. And I might even say to Zoe, hey Zoe, what do you think of the room tonight? What kind of audience do you think this is? And she'll just make up a song about the audience, right? On the fly. And it she's one of those. One of those. Yeah. Those, those are so cool.

SPEAKER_02 11:28

Those people are magical. I mean, they really are. Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

So now you're one of those people, Suzanne. Oh my gosh! This is why I want you on my show.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

That's right, that's right. Just compliment me. I love how we keep referring to. I know it'd be like camera A, Camera B.

unknown 11:47

This is so fun!

SPEAKER_02 11:52

So, and now how many times uh a year do you do the show? It's like whenever we feel like it.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

I love it. We have no schedule whatsoever. Uh, you know, I would say it's a few times a year. And sometimes we do a little smaller version of Story Jam. It's called Story Serenade. Oh, and that's just improvised songs. Oh my god, how cool is that? Yeah, so I'm mixing it, I'm shaking it up. And then I with my students, I teach at this beautiful theater in Glenview, Illinois, called the Oil Lamp Theater. I teach storytelling. How lovely. Sometimes we do showcases uh with the students from the class. So that's and then I bring in an improvising musician. That may or may not be Zoe, it may be someone else, like Chris Walls, someone from Old Town School of Folk Music. I have a couple other people in my back pocket.

SPEAKER_02 12:35

Amazing. Yeah. Now, story serenade. Now, when they're just improvising, does are they getting prompts on the spot or have storytellers sent in stuff and you're like, okay, here's the story.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

No, the storyteller literally stands on stage and tells their story with the improvising musician on stage behind them taking notes. So trying to create chord progressions, melodies, and rhymes from a story that's happening in front of you with the audience right there seeing this whole thing play out.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

It's just so fun. That is so unique and so amazing. It's and how did you like come up with this idea to pair music and writing unique a song for a story and the storytelling? Like, how did that come to you?

SPEAKER_01 13:26

You know what?

SPEAKER_02 13:27

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

I mean, I'm I I grew up at I know this, I know I can tell you this.

SPEAKER_02 13:32

She said it was dropped from above. That's she for those who can't see. She pointed up.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

I did that. You're right. You can't you can't hear this. Yeah, you can't hear the pointing.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

There's no hearing. Now I can narrate. I can be your storyteller.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

I wish I had a personal narrator throughout my entire life. And now she will be turning left. She didn't mean that. And now she will stop swearing in the car as she's driving in traffic in Chicago. The um the idea for Story Jam, honestly, I do feel like a lot of my life has been led. And it's just, I'm following, I'm sort of following, following the road.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Someone's pushing the cart and I'm just sitting there enjoying the ride. And what does that look like for you?

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Like what does that feel like when you feel like you're being led to something? What is the is it a like you're feeling urged on or an inspiration? Or yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Do you know this guy named Bashar? He's a channeler.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Okay, Bashar. Of course I do. I listen to all that stuff. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

This dude, Bashar, he is an entity who's channeled through uh what's his name? Daryl Anka. Oh, that's his name. Right. I think that's his real name. And I think he's like related to Paul Anka, which dates us dates us a little bit if we know who that is. Don't take your love.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Is that him?

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Keep going.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Away from me. Oh, yes, that's what's up. Breaking up a ton of to-do. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

So that's our music break. Now we're back. So this guy, Bashar.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

Yeah, Bashar.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

And at first I was like, sure you're channeling an entity, Daryl Anka. Yeah. But then, and I I'm just, I can go as woo-woo as you can go. Like, I know we've read all the books, we've done all the things. But there's one thing that he says repeatedly, which is follow your, kind of it's follow your heart, but what what is your most, what gives you the most excitement? You know, what is what is the passionate thing, what is the thing that's sparking that interest in you? And so I know that that's that's real. That is for real. Because I, for example, being here with you right now, you know, I was at a brunch and um I know that this is this, I'm being pulled this way or that way. And the more you kind of go go with the flow, the easier life becomes, right? The better life becomes, right? And I knew that when my mother said, you know, you you should be a lawyer, you love to argue, and you're difficult.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

I think a lot of our parents say that about us the exact same way.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

I knew when my mother said that, it was like, you should have been a lawyer. That's but that's not true because that was like I because for five minutes, as as you have said on the podcast, you know, you listen to what people tell you. Sometimes you believe what people tell you falsely. About yourself. Well, about yourself. And I was told I I I could be a lawyer as an option, and I actually gave it some reflection, like, maybe I should be a lawyer. I do like to argue with everyone. I know. But that was the old me. Now it's the new me, and I'm into Bashar, the channeled entity from the heavens. And so, yeah, that's it. That's it, like following your heart. And lucky us that we have the privilege to be able to do that. Oh, amen.

SPEAKER_02 16:51

And so, how did you even get into listening and checking out that kind of stuff? Because, you know, we growing up, we're Gen X. Yeah. And we grew up in more of a homogenized version of spirituality where we have a religion, or not everybody does, but you know, if you're from the Chicago suburbs, you probably did. Yes. And uh we went to church, yes, we did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And um, you know, uh for me, I moved to Los Angeles and lived there for a while, and I was always kind of a seeker. And did you feel that as well for yourself?

SPEAKER_01 17:26

Yes, I sure did. I think you and I have parallel lives, actually. Yes. Totally. Yeah, yeah. So I was always a seeker, and in fact, in in uh in college, well, so I had a friend in my freshman year, I went to a boarding school in Connecticut. I I know I'm fancy very well. You could see how fancy I am so obvious.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

But did you know it was gonna be filmed?

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Did she even brush her hair today? Not really. It's raining in Chicago. Give her a break. Give me a break. I've been standing in the rain.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

But uh no, I I I at at this boarding school was great, it was a great opportunity. Kind of didn't have the best experience there, but I also had a great experience because I became a deadhead theater person. Uh, you know, I learned about things that were way beyond my suburban little corner of the world. And then in college, I met Julie Marino, and she was pretty much a witch, and she had a Ouija board. Did you ever have the friend with the Ouija board?

SPEAKER_02 18:26

Of course, we all did the Ouija board. Come on. In the 80s. In the 80s. I mean, who were you if you didn't have a friend? Who were you? Were you even a teenager if you were playing on a Ouija board in the 80s?

SPEAKER_01 18:40

So then, but Julie was actually legit psychic. And and she was she so everybody kind of wanted to hang with Julie because she was really like she was like the Buddha, she was so unique. And then that opened me up. Then I read messages from Michael and the Seth books. I don't know if you're from the. Oh, yeah, I know that.

SPEAKER_02 18:59

The Seth. I know about Seth.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

And then then it became more, more, more, more, more, more. And then by the time I transferred college and came back to Chicago, it was like I'm full, I'm full in the weird stuff. And then I did move to LA as well, but that was early 90s. Okay. Got weirder there, came back, became even weirder, stopped being weird for a little while because I married a normal guy. I married an Ormy. But thank God I married an Ormy and I'm still married to him because like the balance. It'd be weird. It would be too much.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

It was too much if it's flying everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Yeah, all over the place.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

There would be no one, you know, to like bring food into the home or something. Like, no one would no one would have you eaten in this month.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Oh shit, I forgot I was making this painting.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Nobody would pay a bill. In fact, it's like okay, quick. All the lights out. Well, it happens. It happened, I assure you.

SPEAKER_01 19:56

Yeah, yeah. I assure you. Because as much as he is a normie, he doesn't like to pay bills. So when we were when we were first married, he's like, here, you're gonna do the bills and you'll do you'll like handle this, and we'll get a checkbook and it'll be perfect. And I'm just like, dude, theater major, I I mean I can't care. I am not helpful in this area. So I tried, I tried really hard. I tried to like be a balancing, I tried, and then um, but that failed miserably. And so I handed it back to him in a fury, like, you've got to do it, you've got to do this. You're good at math. Come on. And he did it, and then lights out, you know, you know, no heat. So that failed also miserably. So for the net last you know couple decades, I've been handling that, which is sort of hilarious. You know, we do our best.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

We're trying. That's right. Thank God we don't have to use a ledger anymore, the the checkbook thing. They just do it for us digitally now.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

You know, I'll be honest with you, I never used any of those fucking ledgers.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

I never did, I never did. And they were like, you know, write it in your thing, and I'd be like, Yeah, I'm gonna, I will. I do it like three lines, and then I that was it. Exactly. Start off the new year. January 1st, January 2nd, January 3rd, and then that was it for the rest of the year. I know it will, darling.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

I know it will.

SPEAKER_02 21:13

So you started off as a theater major and in the acting world. So tell me a little bit about that journey for you.

SPEAKER_01 21:22

Well, it's a harrowing journey. Um, I started out, you know, as I as I've told you before, my dad was in the arts and he was a film, an independent film guy. He was an filmmaker, documentary and mostly docudramas. Oh, wow. And so I worked on his films and I was all into that. Wow. That was yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Would we know any of them? Would anyone be able to see?

SPEAKER_01 21:42

No, but they've been on PBS. He's won a lot of awards, and it's small Chicago stuff, and sometimes he even delved into like a little bit of industrial filmmaking. So he was a full on filmmaker.

SPEAKER_02 21:54

What was his name?

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Jerry Rogers. Is he still with us? Yes, he is. Oh how to look at it. He's eighty nine years old.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Oh God.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

But you know, back in the day, uh running through like 70s, 80s, even early 90s, he was really, really active in filmmaking. And so that's where I that's what sparked the interest in me because I saw him. He started out at Leo Burnett doing directing commercials. Oh my gosh. And then he moved into more of the indie stuff. And Leo Burnett, very famous Chicago ad agency. Indeed.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Forever.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

You may have heard of it.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

I have heard.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

I'm sure you've worked for them probably, right?

SPEAKER_02 22:27

Uh when I was doing a little bit of, you know, commercial stuff. Give us a tune. Give us a tune. No, I never sang. I did uh some voiceover. Oh, oh, okay. Yeah, you didn't say sing jingles.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

I didn't ever sing jingles. I think I had a couple jingles, maybe. Oh, I used to sing pinball pinball games. Oh. And video games. And I am like, I still get fan mail from that. Oh my god, that's amazing. Isn't that crazy? Amazing. Um, I can't remember any of the songs now, but I will eventually.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

So you were in Chicago, like that's where you were started pursuing acting. Yes, yes. And you got the agent and and what was that?

SPEAKER_01 23:05

And I got TV shows. I got some small parts in, I got some small film stuff. I got some small, I had a good chunk of work for a little while.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

What TV shows, if we want to look for you.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Well, let's see. I am on IMDB. Um, okay, so one show that I still get residuals for is a Chuck Norris TV show. Yes! Called The Hitman. Oh my god. Or maybe it's called Logan's War. I think they changed the name, can't remember. But that still runs on TV. Amazing. Talking mid-90s. Like Me the Me TV channel and things like that. Something classic. Something like that. I really I always I always say that I want to go back to acting just so I can redeem myself for having that credit. Because Chuck Norris and you know, his he's kind of a loony-toonie, but I mean, no offense to Chuck Norris. He was actually very nice to all of us. Oh, that's good. But uh yeah, but you know, I don't agree with so yes, but then I I did a um I did another Stephen King TV show. Um I did a I did mostly I I had part small parts in big things and big thing big parts in small things. That's the way of the the actor. Yeah, yeah, and it was fun. And you did that too. I know you you were in that in that scene as well. Yeah, and did you do theater in Chicago as well? Or mostly okay. I did mostly on camera, but I did do some theater. Okay. I was involved with Interplay theater for a while, which is now long gone, unfortunately, but they were in Pilsen and I loved working with them. I did several shows with them. Um, and then you know, and then I went to LA in 1992. Okay. Uh, and tried to go hit the big time, which was a struggle and shocking. Please tell us. You know the there were two, um, I had two spots running that were national commercials. Oh, so I had money coming. That's great. Oh my god, that is huge. You need some cash.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

And plus, that's like I have that going, and it's great for you know, getting in the door with agents.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

Yeah. So I had a little reel and I had I had I had I SAG and Aftra. I was already kind of getting getting in the door a little bit, but um, but there, you know, I was one of many, and it was depressing, it was hard, it was a struggle, and uh, you know, I c it took me about a year and a half to get an agent, but everything fell apart because I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 26, I think it was.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Maybe I was, yeah, I think it was 26. And then I had to change everything. And so um I had to come back to Chicago, do surgeries, have some radiation treatments, have do um, and then I met um my husband, and I realized like what really is important is is it this chasing this dream of stardom, or is it um, you know, being with where my family is and being with people I love? Yeah. Now, of course, it's years later, and I'm like, gosh, I wonder if I should go back out. You know, I there's a little niggling part of you always when you're a performer. Isn't there always is little niggling part that's that's like, hey, what if I what if I did a play again? Or what if I went stepped, right? But I do love doing what I do because it is where I was meant to be. Like I like I said, uh, you know, we were talking about being led to a certain place. I think that that whole dream of Los Angeles and movie stardom and everything was uh that the doors just closing, like not one, not really one door ever opened for me there. Right, okay. And and I I did get an agent finally, but I there my first audition was when I was in Evanston, Illinois, an Evanston hospital getting surgery for the cancer.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

Isn't that always the way? As soon as you like step away from Los Angeles, they're like, Oh, we have an audition for you. I know it's weird, it's wild. So you so first let me get to this part. You you got to Los Angeles, and were you like, you know, you you had you were like seen in a little apartment, or did you come, did you go all by yourself? Did you not know anyone, or did you did you have people?

SPEAKER_01 27:09

Oh my god, I didn't have people. I was so lonely and desperate. And I had no money, of course. I mean, you know, it was like it was the sad, it was a sad little tale. But um, but I learned so much, and all my good stories are from the Lost Angeles.

SPEAKER_02 27:22

Like, what do you think that you learned the most about yourself from that time of struggle and in and solitude, sounds like a lot of it was meaningful.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

It was meaningful. I I learned who I am, I learned who I was. I I learned that I I had principles that I wasn't gonna compromise myself for a part or for um for a career in the business. I saw that other people around me had to really sacrifice a lot to get to where they needed to go. Yeah. And I just I didn't have it in me. Didn't have that in fight in me. I didn't have that. I really had the strong desire. I've always been actually a shy person, strangely, which you're not, but surprise!

SPEAKER_00 28:07

Surprise, Susan!

SPEAKER_01 28:09

Um, yeah, yeah. So I but I'm I'm the opposite of you. You know, you had this burning desire to to perform. I also had a burning desire to perform, which over which superseded my desire to just be home and be quiet and be alone. Yes. So like that, that it's so funny because it's like, here's here's your little divine c contradiction. Right. You're gonna be, you're gonna really want to do this shit, yes, but you're not gonna have the personality for it. So figure it out, sister. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

Okay. So that was part one with the amazing Miss Stephanie Rogers. What an amazing conversation. I mean, am I right? She's just effervescent. Next week, we'll go deep, bold, and raw and funny, and also uplifting. Because that's what happens when you talk to someone who has stared down life's biggest plot twists and said, actually, I'm gonna use this as fuel for my creative journey. So, how do you like them apples? If you want to learn more about Stephanie and Story Jam, go to storyjamshow.com. Stay tuned for part two. It's phenom. Anyways, as always, this has been the Spiritual Shit Show Podcast. My name is Sans Soul. Thank you so much for listening. And I will see you on the next one. Roll it, you fucking superstar you.