Thriving Artists: The Daily Joyride with Robyn Cohen

Top Hollywood Agent Belle Zwerdling On How To Handle Rejection & Take Command Of Your Career

• Robyn Cohen • Episode 3

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Have you ever struggled with rejection? Do you ever question your true purpose? Wonder how to balance professional challenges and set backs with a rich spiritual life? Host Robyn Cohen of the Daily Joyride podcast interviews Belle Zwerdling, a prominent Hollywood agent and spiritual counselor. They discuss staying authentic in the entertainment industry, blending spiritual insights with professional growth, and coping with rejection and personal challenges. Belle shares the gripping journey of mixing high-stakes representation with intuitive counseling. From the trials of show business to profound moments of enlightenment, Belle’s unique approach to guiding clients towards professional and personal growth is both surprising and inspiring. Listen in for heartwarming stories, key insights into Showbiz, and profound discussions on compassionate leadership and self-fulfillment. The episode emphasizes leading with love, owning one's worth, and navigating the complexities of show business while taking right minded action.

Connect with Belle for a consultation:
Email: Robyn@CohenActingStudio.com - to book a session with Belle
DM me on Instagram: @RobynCohenActingStudio. - I’ll connect you with Belle

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Time Stamps:

00:39 Introducing Belle Zwerdling: Hollywood Agent and Spiritual Sage

01:14 Upcoming Transformative Acting Workshops

02:04 Belle Zwerdling's Journey and Achievements

03:36 The Intersection of Acting and Spiritual Psychology

04:55 Belle's Approach to Talent Representation

08:10 Belle's Path to Becoming a Spiritual Psychologist

09:05 The Challenges and Rewards of Acting

10:49 Navigating the Entertainment Industry

13:33 The Importance of Spiritual Fulfillment

21:02 Belle's Decision to Stay Boutique

29:04 The Value of Personal Connections in Hollywood

37:39 The Universal Desire for Wholeness and Love

38:02 Balancing Work and Life

39:02 The Casting Director's Perspective

40:11 The Importance of Generosity in Acting

41:31 Seeing Beyond Titles

43:11 Embracing Multiple Identities

45:41 Owning Our Wholeness

47:54 Going Deep and Doing the Work

50:57 Daily Practices for Staying Grounded

01:02:42 Concluding Thoughts and Contact Info

Robyn Cohen:

Hello, hello, and welcome back to the Daily Joyride podcast. I am your host, Robyn Cohen, here to fuel your day with energy, infuse it with joy, and share powerful stories that will ignite your courage. Spark your spirit, awaken your perceptions, and inspire and encourage the once in a cosmos you to create a life that you actually love living. So if that's your jam, buckle up and let's ride. Here we go! Hello, wonderful ones, and welcome back to The Daily Joyride I'm Robyn Cohen, and today we're not just bringing you an interview. We are embarking on a remarkable creative adventure ride through the heart of Hollywood show business. Our guide, The illustrious Belle Zwerdling, my amazing Hollywood agent and spiritual sage for the past 23 years. Together, we are leaping behind the velvet curtains to unlock the mysteries of genuine success at the highest echelon of the entertainment industry. But first, I am so thrilled to invite you to our next transformative acting workshops beginning January 28th. Where we'll blend vibrant virtual sessions with magnificent in person experiences at our West LA Theatre. And please do catch our yummy early bird special by January 6th and save a hundred bucks on acting classes as you light up your 2025 path with creative fire. Connect with me to jump in at Robyn Robyn's with a Y at cohenactingstudio.com And let your journey towards success be as phenomenal as you are. And now, let's dive into the extraordinary insights that top level Hollywood agent Belle Zwerdling has to offer. Prepare to be awe inspired. Hello, hello, and welcome back to the Daily Joyride with my very special guest, the one and only, once in a cosmos, Belle Zwerdling, who is my agent in Hollywood for, I think, Belle, that it's actually 23

Belle:

and a half years. How beautiful, how fast, and how quickly time flies.

Robyn Cohen:

Couldn't have said it better And a little bit about Belle, for those who don't know her yet, or know her in one world or another, Belle is a A key figure in the entertainment industry, she is an incredible talent agent at Progressive Artists Agency, representing actors in theater and in film and in television, some just really brilliant artists from all walks of life who have achieved some extraordinary things. in this business and made some really significant and magnificent contributions in this industry. In addition to talent representation, Belle has explored creative avenues as an executive producer for the TV series, for example, Diva, Clown, Killer. and this is just, it's just going to get juicier. I'm just going to keep talking and it gets juicier. You, Belle, you also hold a master's degree. In spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Enriching your ability to offer intuitive counseling services that complement your role as an agent and enables you to guide clients not only in their professional aspirations, but also in achieving personal growth along the way. You offer intuitive counseling workshops and sessions designed to help individuals navigate life's challenges, cultivate self awareness, and take transformative steps toward achieving their goals. That's literally like the mission statement for this entire Joyride podcast. Yeah, I love it. I think that's absolutely, yeah, it's very, it's very beautifully said, actually. The alignment is incredible. Your workshops combine practical tools with spiritual insight, appealing to a wide range of participants who are seeking meaningful change. Here's a quote, from one of your platforms that I found a client shared. My life is stupendous since our sessions. Wow. That was, that's a quote from one of the people that you worked with and counseled. Wow. Belle continues to represent talent at Progressive Artists Agency while offering intuitive counseling services, combining spiritual insight and professional expertise to foster both personal and career growth. In your clients, your workshops and private sessions reflect your commitment to empowering individuals to achieve their highest potential. It's so like, I'm right now I'm just present to like, I feel like the luckiest lady in the universe. That I've been able to be intertwined and in your world in various ways and means throughout the last couple of decades and beyond. And, you know, I'm also present to, at the same time, the missing that along this joyride for the last two decades in Los Angeles, I didn't have the awareness. or perceptions or readiness to connect with you and receive all of this, like, wisdom during some, you know, really challenging times in the main, probably because our relationship was a professional working relationship. You know, you represent me, we're working in an industry, all that. But I do feel that Because I always, I talk about you to like my students and we talk about representation and they're like, how do I get an agent And I'm always like, I don't know how this miracle happened, but my agent actually has a master's degree in spiritual psychology, which is like my whole world. Like all I want to do is be in the world of spiritualism and the divine space and the authentic everything about everyone. And so even though We haven't been able to have, you know, I haven't been, I haven't come to you, let's say, to be counseled. In a traditional form, I do have the experience of that permeating of your wisdom of your generosity in these spiritual teachings. I do have the experience of that permeating through our entire, span of our time together. From the very beginning, which is an interesting story, how we even started working together. but we'll get into it. But and I am so appreciative that that has always already been there in the background, whether we've called it out, like we're kind of doing on this podcast, like what's, what's the really, really of what's going on with us, with you. It has been such a gift to, work with someone. of your conscious awareness. Someone that is like me. I feel, uh, seeking the best and highest in yourself and out of the people that you surround yourself with. so I just thank you for being here today. And I feel like this is like part one that we have a part two of the daily joy ride podcast interview coming, because there's so much to talk about, but let's let's dive in, like, I'd love to hear a little more about your journey. getting into the world of show business, Hollywood agenting, and then grafting on this whole world of, spiritualism and how that happened and what that journey was like. And wow.

Belle:

So I always wanted to be an actress. I mean, that was my goal. my passion, my earning, my love. And I got my BFA in theater at VCU, which is Virginia Commonwealth University. And it was really, and I love theater, love theater, love theater. And it was really a choice, you know, it was kind of like throwing up a coin and saying Hollywood. Cause I knew I wasn't Hollywood. Or Broadway, New York. I mean, theater, theater.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah.

Belle:

And for whatever reason, I chose Hollywood. I chose California. And I came to California and, you know, I was an actress. I went out there and I took classes and I auditioned and I got, um, a test option deal for a, to test, for a series. And I was shocked when I didn't get it actually. And I found it very isolating, and I found it, you know, once that was over, it was just, I felt like I needed a village, and I didn't have a village, which is good representation, and people that had my back, because out there, It really is lonely. You know, I mean, you're really kind of unaware of what's going on. And unless you have really beautiful and authentic communication with the people that you work with, you don't know what's going on. I mean, you can sit in coffee shops and talk to other actors and they may say this or that. But on the whole, you have no clue what's going on unless you have communication with your, with your tribe. And I felt like. I can't, I can't beat out there, you know, as much as I loved it, I didn't love it enough to want to say, yeah, I'm willing to kind of give it my all. So I thought, what else can I do? So I pivoted and in the process of pivoting, I always loved being kind of like the cheerleader. I always loved being, you know, somebody who's going to have your back and tell you it's okay. And, and be a part of, you know, hopefully stretching you into. greater and more riskier abilities that maybe you don't even know you have, but I, but for however I am doing it, I'm seeing it and I'm able to kind of gently nurture it. Um, you know, I know you, you'd like to have stories, but there is one story that I, that as I'm saying, this kind of came up that a long time actor who's, Very well known and he's lovely, lovely, lovely, and a beyond brilliant actor. Always played really bad guy roles. But every time he would come into the office, he was hysterically funny. And we would say to him, you know, you should be, you should be doing sitcoms. Oh, no, I can't do sitcoms. That's insane. I can't do sitcoms. I'm not that funny. And we're like, you're

Robyn Cohen:

funny.

Belle:

Um, and there was a sitcom that came up and, and, and, You know, he went out on it in the day when you actually went out on, on auditions and he got it and you know, his career kind of pivoted into then doing comedy and still doing, you know, the dramatic roles, but it really was able to like expand even what he thought he was capable of doing. So I love that. I love being able to be the facilitator and especially when I have a partner. In my clients that are willing to do it as well. Now, when you don't have that, it's very difficult because I'm not able to do, I can only do so much. We have to meet and be able to do it together, which means, you know, if I'm able to get you an opportunity, then you have to be prepared and you have to have your preparation down and you should go to a coach. And, you know, it is a competitive business, but it's also an opportunity. You said this a long time ago and I say this to everybody, but it really did move me because it was so true when you said every time I have an audition, I have a chance to activate what it is that I love so much. And you know what, Robyn, so many people don't have that consciousness. And I think that's so sad because It's not about getting the job as we know, it's about the journey. And, you know, if you get the job, how fabulous, but it's enjoying every step of the journey. And that's about auditioning, you know, it's an opportunity for you to put your stamp on something that hasn't been out there to put your heart into something that hasn't been out there. And you have the ability to do that. And I always tell. clients about that. It always comes up in conversations and I always give you the credit for saying that because it really was from a place of pure passion. So, so anyways, that's how it all started.

Robyn Cohen:

Thank you for sharing that piece. I on the daily have to remember to remember that truth that I spoke to you in a moment of consciousness because As you said, there is, there can be, and there certainly has been for me as well, a kind of go at it aloneness at times, which is pure suffering I mean, it's pure suffering. It's actually, it's painful. Physically, bodily, spiritually, emotionally, and the process of becoming an, of being an actor, no matter how much you enjoy it and love it and crave it, can be excruciating. And You know, I, like you, just I'm so, I get nowadays just so excited to get into those areas where I'm still caught in the lie of separation and scarcity, and like just get a bigger shovel and go digging. Because this is life. This is the, like you said, it's the day in day out 24 hour cycle journey that these days I'm much more interested in curating and, focused in, like the moment by moment rather than what am I going to get for do it like the in order to, which puts us in the future. Like this is all in order to something. And in that moment, it just. It just evaporates the joy in the process. And, so wonderful. So that's a, thank you for sharing that piece. You know, it's a learning that I still continue to get. Every day for myself and I, and I see how, how incredible it can be when you are, that's what being in the zone is. I think it's like when you're, you're doing the audition or you're on stage or you're in performance and some part of you, the identity, the, let's say the small self, the ego self, That you identify with actually disappears into, like, the greater pool, the greater consciousness. I mean, it's why theater is such a miraculous communion of an experience. You know, you were saying you loved it, too. What was your first love? Like, it is. It's that Holy, I mean, and speaks to a kind of almost religious yearning, you know, non denominational religious yearning. It satisfies upon that, like, I'm not, I'm forget about me for a moment. Let me walk a mile in somebody else's shoes and literally connect with the field. So I wonder. Does that have anything to do with your stepping into the path of becoming a spiritual psychologist and going back to school? And like, when did that start to become inevitable?

Belle:

Well, you know, I, needed to know more of what my clients went through, you know? So the compassion

Robyn Cohen:

of that, I just have to earmark, like that empathy and compassion of that just took my breath away.

Belle:

so I took an acting class. With at that time a friend of mine who was not allowed to say that I was an agent. So I came in. And I was actively a part of the class, you know, on days when we weren't in class, I was doing scenes with, you know, the actors and stuff. And I really, and, and again, I got my BFA in theater.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah.

Belle:

So, but I was reminded. You know, what really goes in to honing your craft and what one must do to kind of surrender to a greater expression. And it's difficult. You have to really be focused in doing it and you have to make a commitment. And every time that I was in that class, I was nervous and I was scared. But you know, I would get up on stage and I would do my scenes and I would really feel what it is to go through that process, and it really kind of expanded my, awareness as to have empathy for what my clients go through. And, you know, the. rejection, especially when one knocks it out of the park and it doesn't go your way. And, you know, being in that class made me realize that, you know, a number of people can do it beautifully. It's not about you. It's about, you know, the creator and the writer and the producers who are looking at it, who have somewhat of a vision. And if you're on the path of that vision, and if you're not, and if you're able to create a different vision that they're all in tune to, but it's never about you, especially if you perform well. And, and I think that has always been such a hard thing to really. understand when you're out there putting yourself on the line like that.

Robyn Cohen:

How did you handle that in class when the nerves, what would you tell yourself when the nerves and the sort of insecurity about it and the, I put it into

Belle:

the work. I just put it into the work. I just allowed the nerves to go into the work. You know, if, if at times, if I was really uncomfortable, you know, if somebody laughed when, They weren't supposed to, you know, I would just kind of laugh along with them, you know, trying not to get out into the fourth wall and maintaining what it is, but just going with how I was feeling, you know, I remember Dustin Hoffman said, I made one mistake. That turned into me getting nominated for an Oscar, you know, the mistakes are, what's the beauty, you know, what you think is the mistake is because you're, you're not holding on when you made a mistake, you're not gripping and all of a sudden you just go with the flow of whatever that kind of comes out and sometimes that's where the real beauty lies. So that's what I did. And I felt like, you know, I'm already up here. I can't. really how much more I'm not going to embarrass myself. I'm, I'm taking a risk. So I always felt really proud of myself for going up there. And it was, I was really enabled to see what a difficult thing that Actors put themselves through on a daily basis, whether in a job or not a job, you know, it's, very vulnerable, right, you know, it's, and it takes a lot of precision, because, you know, it's like when I have. Interviews. I'm always so dumbfounded that an actor who maybe hasn't seen the show that you have an interview for didn't watch the show so they can see the tone of the show or they can see how the show is, being, you know, seen. And I'm so, and I always make sure to say. if you haven't seen the show let me know so we can send you a link to the show Because how do you do something without seeing the show, you know? So yeah, it's it's just and that basically led into also I'll to be very vulnerable and to be very honest what really led into my seeking a spiritual balance was the fact that Uh, was very successful and the clients were very successful and I had reached kind of the top of the hill and it was empty and I really felt empty

Robyn Cohen:

and

Belle:

I felt like, wow, is this all there is? I mean, you know, I have the house, I have the Mercedes, I have all that and I feel awful. I don't feel fulfilled and I needed to seek out. a place that possibly could give me some sort of instruction or navigation into going deeper as to why I don't feel the joy, because this was everything that I was supposed to be in joy of, and I wasn't enjoy of it. And so When I found University of Santa Monica, it was between going to University of Santa Monica and going to a place that you and I both know very well, which was Agape. And I didn't want to go to Agape because of my close friendships with the people there. I really wanted to be, um, free of that. So I could really. be honest and deliberate in feeling that I needed to go deep. And so that's why I went to University of Santa Monica. And it turned out to be incredible.

Robyn Cohen:

Wow. I'm just, I'm right there with you. That's such a sort of revelation that you can only have when it's your time to have it. Like, you're working so hard, you're crushing it, you have the Academy Award winners, you're representing the, I mean, the affluence, all the things. And, and then you get to this point and you're like, oh my gosh, I forgot, we didn't come here. For a pile of things it takes off times collecting a pile of things to grasp that like on the level. I so relate to that in terms of, you know, 20 early 20s. being in the Disney film, a Wes Anderson film with Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett and Willem Dafoe and Jeff Goldblum and these are my, these are the people that I'm surrounded by for half a year in Italy and um, the disparity between the outside and what's going on on the inside is like this magnificent opportunity to go deeper. That you took, and that eventually I took. I started in with the Landmark Forum, and other groups, and people, and therapists. To try to, cause misery isn't overstating how it can sometimes feel when, as I was doing, I was, I had outsourced my value and my worth. I had decided that I wasn't valuable until somebody else said, you've got the job. Until somebody else. said, yep, you're the one, then I could, feel, I could feel good, but I never chose myself. I was, I did not know how to choose myself. And so the disease to please everybody because I'm after it like an addict, I am after it chasing it like I need a fix or I'm going to die. I'm going to die because you experienced. the being separated from tribe, you actually experience that as imminent death. It's dangerous on a primal level. And so here I am outsourcing my power, approval, joy, until someone says, you're the one, then I can go. Yeah. And it has been since my brother's passing, like a almost 15 year journey to figure out how to reconstitute myself so that they can do whatever they want out there. I, I, I'm okay. And you're okay. And by the way, there is no out there. As you said, anyway, I am the casting director. I'm the producer. I'm the show. I'm these pages that I'm holding in front, you know, the work of. Again, dismantling the lie of separation with self and other, and realizing we're all just one. We're, we're, there's the oneness that connects us all and, tapping into that field. And I'd love to hear what you discovered when you took that deep dive into the world

Belle:

that you did. so much is coming up in this conversation, but I, It's really coming to kind of removing the masks. You had your masks. I had my masks, you know, my tap dancing to get clients, you know, I'm the greatest as I'm thinking, you know, really, you know, it's, it's removing your masks to finally be in alignment with the greatness and the beauty of who you are. And it took me forever. You know, I mean, it's not like, I'm 100 percent there, but I'm certainly a whole lot more there than I was where I can now be in a group of people and not have to say anything and I'm comfortable. Whereas I used to have to say so much because I felt like, you know, I have to, I have to be a part of whatever's going on and I have to show you that I know and I have to show you that I am and I have to And now I don't care. You know, I'm really comfortable knowing that I know who I am. I know how successful I've been. I know how to do it. And I don't, I, I do like you to validate that. but the bigger truth is for the first time I'm validating it for myself. And it took me a long time, Robbie, to get to that point, you know, and it was like, when you say that we. You know, like we never had. The kind of overlap of spiritual and, business, I can remember so clearly that we had such an informative connection which would, which I think for me was always my connection. My deepest connection to you was at that time of your brother. And, and I saw how, how you facilitated that and how you went through it. I mean, it makes me very emotional, um, because it was beautiful and it, and it showed who you are as a human and as a sister and it really moved me and It always connected me.

Robyn Cohen:

Thank you for that. Thank you for that. And I have likewise always felt that connection and that kind and quality of connection with you and that support and love that you provide so uniquely in my life. And, um, especially so uniquely in my life as an actor in the industry.

Belle:

you know, it's never, but it's never ever about whether you're good enough. You know, I wouldn't be working with people who aren't good enough. You know, the people that I represent, including you, are wonderfully talented. Who knows? why it doesn't go your way, but it doesn't matter. That's it. That's, that's, that's almost another reason why I went to get my spiritual counseling because it doesn't matter. You know, nobody can take away your talent. Nobody can take away your talent. And if you don't get it, I guarantee you, it has nothing to do with what you did. It's, it's, visions, have to line up. And when you see what casting goes through in regards like Like they have like maybe four top players, they're very similar, very similar in, what they're looking at. And maybe one, you know, dip their hand in a certain way. It's something so a little nuance that people spark to. It's never about the talent, the talent. If you've got to that point, you're there, you're already there. So it's just a matter of. When that perfect job comes, and it will, it's when the alignment happens and everything, you know, it comes to you because you're supposed to have it.

Robyn Cohen:

It's such a gorgeous relief. Like, I just hear you speaking the truth of my heart, and my heart forgets. And, the deepest part of me and us, on some level we know that, but I don't think that information, that wisdom is out there. as readily for people. and that you provide that for your fellow human beings is so unique and special because it's like hearing you say that just now like blew my mind again about that conversation about parts and casting and being chosen for a part or not. Like, I heard that for the first time again and um, it's so, it like literally stitches my heart back together.

Belle:

Yeah.

Robyn Cohen:

I'm, so, it's such a miracle that you revolve in the world that you do when people like myself. are looking for love in the wrong places, that's what they say. And I know that I certainly have been doing that, looking for love and approval in all the wrong places. Because trying to get Hollywood to be my lover or re parent me, re parent me as my father and my mother, give me whatever love I didn't feel like, right? That's, that is dangerous. Trying to get Hollywood to re parent and, you know, and repair.

Belle:

but I did that too in my own way. You know, I would, I would, represent actors who I had for 10 years and 11 years and they would I put them in, you know, that thing that a director came to see it and it catapult them to being nominated for an academy award and they went to a bigger agency. And I was like, but you don't love me, you know, we were supposed to be in this together. You know, and it's, It's it's the same thing, you know, because I chose to say small, you know, when, all the big agencies came at that moment when we were representing so many people that are so brilliantly talented and successful. They wanted to merge with us, and my partner and I did not want it. We didn't want to go big. We wanted to. Yeah. And we knew that would probably be the result, that we would lose clients. But you can't tell me that every time it happened, it wasn't a moment of, oh, another, another abandonment. You know, it's, you had to really work on, I had to really work on, you know, all that unresolved stuff that would, But, but I, but we did this together, you know, how, what happened, you know, I'm part of you getting on that path. And you know, I actually saw one of them just the other day, literally two weeks ago at a party. Well, you know, it was very healing because I hadn't gone into the party yet, and he was, and he's a humongously big star, and he screamed Belle, and Robbie, he sobbed. He absolutely sobbed. He just started to cry, and I didn't, I didn't have to ask him anything. I didn't have to say anything. I just held him and you know, there was that part of me that really wanted to say, and then I knew that the greater part of me was like, thank you for the validation. because we did do it. Whether I'm with you or not, I was a part of your getting to that point. And you know what? I need you to cry on my shoulder. I need you to hold me so tight that I can't breathe. And it was very healing. I have to say it was very healing.

Robyn Cohen:

Wow. When you, and I love too that you had that moment and coming around the bend and it's sort of a full circle moment. And. Curious why just because, you know, the universe is an energetic field. It's not a logical field. it's it's energetics. It's vibe. It's all vibe and energy, you know, this way more than anyone, but at the time. You know, you have humongous stars, they're wanting a bigger thing you wanted to stay more boutique more. That was that was a choice for a particular energetic field that was vibrating inside more a smaller more boutique exclusive agency? What, where was that choice made? Was that you and your partner to say, you know, we always,

Belle:

always, because I felt like It was, it was very, I didn't want to just be, I wanted to be personal. I wanted to be a part of the process. I wanted to, you know, have these conversations. I wanted to be a part of how can I navigate you through the masses and help you to get to that place you really should be and not where you think you're not enough. You know, I wanted to spend time. In those conversations, and I knew being with a bigger agency, and I also wanted to represent people that I wanted to represent that I felt passion for. I didn't want to go to a bigger agency, even though that would have been incredibly monetarily and blah, blah, blah. But I didn't want to go to another agency where I had to work with people that maybe I didn't want to work with, you know, because that would that would have been a part of it. You know, and sometimes I look back and I think, Hmm, maybe I should have done it. But, you know, we've been together, my partner and I've been together 50 years and we're still doing it. And, you know, I think we made the right decision for us. Happy 50th. You know, so it turned out okay.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah. Bernie Carneol, an amazing, an amazing 50 year partnership with Jillana.

Belle:

He's a good, good human. And Jillana has been with me almost 20 years and a good, good human. And I, I want to be around good humans. Can I get a hell yeah, you know,

Robyn Cohen:

really when you like drill it down. I think that's what everybody wants. Like again, like we, go in for auditions, you know, as actors or try to get jobs or for you to try to work with you know, but really it's like, If we can just get present to literally what everyone in the world wants, which is just to feel love. People just want to feel their wholeness. They just want to feel their wholeness. They want to feel loved and they want to love something that they love. I like, like, that's kind of it. You know, they want to do what they love to do. They want to love like crazy and they want to be loved like crazy. And I think that's, I'm noticing that's kind of universal. You know? In in the human

Belle:

but they have to remember one thing. Yes. That is still vitally important. It is a job.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah. And

Belle:

it's so vitally important to have a life that you're able to balance that job. When you put everything into it, It can't feed you back in all the areas that you must be fed. So it's so vital that you have other outside interests and to to not put so much emphasis on getting that job because you still have a life. You still have a looming and fabulous and joy filled life that absolutely complements that, but doesn't, you know, command you to only prioritize that where you stop expanding in your own consciousness.

Robyn Cohen:

I love that so much. Two things about that. The idea, you know, when I think about what it must be like for a casting director. A thousand times a week, when they're casting a movie or a TV show, a thousand actors come in trying to get something off of them. Like, literally, like, A thousand people come in trying to get something off them so they can pay their mortgage and feed their children like, all the things. it is, it's almost hard to imagine, like, if I'm, I'm the, I'm the producer, I'm the writer of the show, I'm the casting director. Like, when the actor comes in that's actually just there to give. I don't know if that person's totally right for the part or what they had in mind, but they're going to be remembered as opposed to, you know, we go in as actors like I need to get something I'm trying to get, you know, people in life don't enjoy it when people are trying to get stuff off of them, and that desperation energy. it's, it's, it's traumatizing, you know, all, all day, every day, 52 weeks a year. So I keep that in mind, you know, I, for years now I've been baking that into my preparation the same way I would sort of like bake a cake. Like if I'm, if it's your, it's your 50th anniversary with Bernie as partners and I'm like, I'm going to bake them a cake. I'm going to just, I'm going to enjoy like. I'm thinking about how, you know, this gift of a beautiful cake and enjoying putting in the ingredients and tasting it and be like, mm, is this good? Ooh, you know what would be even better? Like the creative process. Like, you know what would be an even better choice for this character? What if I tried to, blah, or X, fill in the blank. And so I'm baking this kind of like, this is the word generosity, you know, is just sort of like, wants to lead. These days because all of that, when they taste it, when they see me, when I do the audition, when I show up for the interview, they see that, they smell that, they taste it in the way it was cooked up. And just on a very basic level, like what a relief. when someone isn't there in order to get something. The very nature of being in a place trying to get somewhere else removes the possibility of actually being present in the now of nows. So why did I bother? Yeah,

Belle:

But I think what also does too, which, I think we, we all have been somewhat guilty of is, you know, let's remove the title, you know, the titles of casting directors agent or actor or producer or director, because, at the end of the day, you know, We're all human and we all have unresolved issues and we all have things and you know who you're auditioning for was probably a nerd in high school who was not, you know, we're all just we have our stuff, and hiding behind. What it is that we do doesn't take away from the humanity that we are. And I think when we put, like, I can't talk to somebody because of their title. It's so silly because, you know, if we're thinking that they're thinking that, you know, we're reflective of what, yeah. So it's like when an actor goes in and thinks, They're people, you know, casting directors are people, producers are people, they, go home and, you know, binge on food or do you know, they, they're just like us. And I think when we're able to really see that it, it allows us to be free.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah. And people that just like us want to want to feel good, want energy in their day, want enthusiasm,

Belle:

want to be loved, want to be loved.

Robyn Cohen:

want to love something that they see, you know, that was cooked up with care. with that. I was thinking about when you said, you know, these labels. So back in May of this year of 2024, I was coming out of a workshop A summit actually it was, for women entrepreneurs and, you know, I have an acting school and most of the women there were not in the world of arts and crafts, but it was a fascinating and very powerful meeting of, of women from all over who, are forging ahead with their passions and their purpose. And I walked out of the summit And I said to the woman that had been sitting next to me, I said, you know, I realized, and don't take this literally because you are my theatrical agent, but I said, I realized I'm not, I'm not an actor. And she's like, what are you talking about? You're performing in five different plays right now, including the one that you just saw, and What the Constitution Means to Me, and I'm doing Tartuffe, and I'm doing Repertory, Peter Pan, you know, at the Will Geer Theatricum, and she's like, what do you mean? And I said, well, I think I'm a human being. That really loves to act and I think I'm a, I'm a human being that really loves to teach. And I think I'm a human being that really likes to fill in the blank. And there was such a freedom removing this. I love

Belle:

that. I, again, you're giving me another one. I love that. That's, that's beautiful.

Robyn Cohen:

The removal of the label, which I can see was diminishing to my spirit.

Belle:

In

Robyn Cohen:

a way, it's glorious and infinitely wonderful to be an actor, but to identify with that as like the thing you are kind of cuts off the more that you actually are as a human being You know, so I

Belle:

totally agree with you. I mean, it's why I always felt a little weird, because in the beginning of my day, I had a food issue, and I would go to, you know, overeaters anonymous, and we would always have to kind of at a 12 step program. And we'd always have to qualify. And I would get up and I would be like, Hi, I'm Belle I'm an overeater. And I thought, well, it doesn't define me. That's just doesn't feel right. I'm a whole lot more than that. That, that is for me in the moment, but it's not who I am, and I don't want to be identified just as that.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah.

Belle:

So I like being identified as a human.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah. How do we, when we start to own our wholeness, our infinite potential, when we start to like own the magnificence of our once in a cosmos selves. what's that balance of, for so many years, I could not appreciate anything that I was doing that was good for the world. And you know me for, over 20 years, and probably know me as a person that comes into the room and gives a, you know, I smile a lot, I'm, hi, hi. energy. Some people call it high strung, high vibe, whatever. And, there's a lot of, energetic exchange, you know, there have been in our interactions. I have never been able to be responsible for anything that's going on. I was never able to be responsible for anything good that I was putting out there, though there was feedback in the world, which was good, great, even getting jobs. Like, but I I never was like in touch with, ever, like, you done, you're good, you did, you're good. You did something like that was, I could not acknowledge the part of myself that was constantly, because it was trying to get people to love me. Because I, I didn't know how to love myself, it was a deeper problem, I could not, I couldn't even like myself. So here I am trying to get people to love me, so my, all of that energy, though it was curated and developed over time to be something that really did make people feel good and alive and happy and joyful and inspired, for so long I couldn't appreciate that I was doing any of that, because it was a compensation for feeling like nobody loved me, that I was going out there to try to get people to love me. And so And what a profession to choose, the world of acting, which is on the daily, trying to get people to say yes, and their yes is love. And without that yes, I'm an unlovable, disgusting thing that should be left on the side of the road to die. And I know that sounds dramatic, but there is a primal sense of that, that it is a life and death conversation with approval.

Belle:

I think at that point, you just weren't ready to go deep. So you deflect and you know, it's kind of like what we all do, you know, when we don't want to really lean into what it is that needs to be nurtured and resolved. And I think when you're capable of real, I'll give you an example. I had to do my thesis at university of Santa Monica for, my degree. So they said, if you get a federal expressed, um, package, Of your thesis, it means you didn't go deep enough and there was a part of me that said, damn, I bet you I'm going to get my thesis back because I know how to surface it and have you, you know, think that I'm all that, but I think they're good. If they're hip, they'll probably send me back my thesis. I'm going to have to go deeper. And I remember driving into my driveway, And damn, did that Federal Express was lying on my porch and I got out of the car and I and it was from USM and there was my thesis paper and I thought, okay, Belle it's time to go deep.

Robyn Cohen:

It's time now.

Belle:

And I did. And it was amazing because I wasn't, somebody called me out. Somebody said, you know, your tap dance didn't work this time, babe. You got a whole lot more to kind of like lean into, you know, why are you kind of deflecting and not owning and lots of sobs, lots of tears and lots of, regret. Because, you know, I felt a whole lot of stuff, but I went there and that's the only way we can do it. We have to do the work. You know, we have to feel the pain. We have to sit in it. We have to be uncomfortable. And the joy comes through that.

Robyn Cohen:

Yes, it does. Underneath the rage, underneath the grief, which is under the rage, is that Profundity of equanimity and peace and joy, but it takes going into the deepest dark. This is a classroom.

Belle:

This is not the real deal. It's the classroom, you know, and the universe is constantly throwing it back to us. If we didn't. up level our lesson. And you always see it. when you're back in the pattern, the universe saying, come on, babe, you got to up, level it. You didn't, you didn't go deep enough. And that's why we're here. We're here to release it. So when we go to that next stage, we don't have to come back. We don't have to do because this is very primal where we're at now. It's primal how we perceive things. It's primal how we, we give to our friends, everything is primal. And, you know, it's some days are better than others. And some days we're in the of it. And that's just fact. And it's okay.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah, it's

Belle:

always an opportunity to release and let go and let God release and let go and let God on a daily basis.

Robyn Cohen:

You answered my question, which was how do we, once we do start to own our gloriousness, our fullness, our wholeness, once we do actually come into regulation with our central nervous systems and do that processing, how do we not then. Become full of ourselves, but it's the answer you was sort of in the question that if it's to show people, look at the work I've done, look at how I look at me now, right? Because, there's a fine line, which might not be too fine between transformation of a human being and an ego trip.

Belle:

Totally. Yeah. I think transformation, you just are, you know, you become the example, not manipulating it. you're just comfortable in your skin.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah.

Belle:

And I think that, when you're feeling tone is in alignment, you get it. You know, you don't have to go out there and try to have you love me. You love yourself, you know, you're enough, and when you feel that way, it really shifts everything.

Robyn Cohen:

You have found that in your world, like it's a different, it's a technicolor universe. Yeah.

Belle:

I have more, I have more found it. It's not like every day I wake up and glory be, glory God. It's a work in progress on a daily basis, you know, it just is, It's it's constant prayer. It's constant focusing. It's constant meditating. It's constant making a choice to be a good human today. I mean, it's constant, you always have to stay on top of it because I do feel a little tapping all the time that says, Hey, you want to go down to the abyss today? Not today. Thanks. You know, because if I do that, the speed of how that is facilitated is amazing to me. How quick I can go down the rabbit hole. And I don't want to do that.

Robyn Cohen:

So vice versa, what do you share with the people that you help and facilitate? How do you, once you've made the choice, I'm not going down that pathway. What do you do? You mentioned meditation. You mentioned prayer. what does that look like? You know, when I

Belle:

counsel people, truly, I listen to what they're not saying. Because what they're saying usually is something that's keeping me at bay and I have to go deeper into what they're not saying to see what patterns are very prominent in their consciousness that they are playing with and they're testing me, you know, I mean, You know, like I got this together. Um, you don't, there's patterns that are still need to be kind of looked at. Well, I think, um, you don't, you know, so it's a very individual process of really listening to what is not being said. then I can go on an individual basis and kind of like offer and encourage. But I have to know what that is because other than that, it's just, it's all very unique to ourselves, you know, I never know what I'm getting into. I just know that I pray before I go into it and ask God. I just ask God, I say, God, you know, prepare me for whatever it is that I need to kind of unfold today and please bring light to the situation and to the person that I'm, I'm being able to communicate with.

Robyn Cohen:

Is that how you personally stand in the crossroads when to the left is that day that goes down the drain because I am, I'm defaulting. God, take this. How do you, how do you get yourself. You just say I

Belle:

surrender. I give this to you. I do not want to deal with this. I give this to you or I will do. This is one of my favorite ones. I always go to the universe. Halt. HALT! And I can feel a shift, you know, it's my favorite. I will go HALT!

Robyn Cohen:

What are you halting? What are you talking to? What are you saying?

Belle:

Whatever is coming forward that is not in alignment with where I am, I want it stopped. Stop.

Robyn Cohen:

I have chills everywhere. I'm vibrating with the truth of your revelatory superpower and the way that you literally activate that superpower.

Belle:

That's incredible. And it's so, and it's so simple, you know, the simplicity of owning that moment of saying, no, this is my journey. I am the architect of my destiny and I am halting this right now. And it works for me, you know, if I want to binge, if I want to overeat, if I want to, you know, call somebody that I shouldn't call, you know, anything I just halt. So it allows me for a moment to just take a breath because we forget to take a breath.

Robyn Cohen:

So that's your next moment you've, you deploy the halt and then the next moment to get back into right mindedness, you, you breathe and then,

Belle:

you know, it's, it's not, it's not unlike dog training. Seriously. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. if you watch Cesar Millan, he's so great but you know, when a dog is anxious, he literally has to tap them into getting out of that anxiety so then they can take direction but if you're dealing with a very anxious dog, he doesn't know what to do unless you stop it. It's the same kind of a concept. You snap your brain into getting out of that thought process that will eventually bring you into, you know, that rabbit hole that is very, destructive.

Robyn Cohen:

Yes. That is so useful to hear that. It's a methodology, which is, it sounds, I mean, it's simple, but it's like brilliant and profound in its simplicity. And also I've just never heard. it that way, like a command to universe, you know? Yeah. So, um, I would like this to go on for four and a half more hours, but I know, I know everyone has a life to live, but that was just such an amazing piece so for people listening. A lot of whom are creatively inclined, a lot of actors, artists, but also human beings from all walks of life. the people that maybe you have counseled and spoken to what would what in a world where there is a lot of divide currently and a lot of suffering globally and on the personal level what do you want to give to, what do you want to give to the world. what do you want to give to people What do you want people to know? What do you want them to hear that, could help a little bit?

Belle:

You know, it's a very hard question.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah.

Belle:

Especially when my heart is broken from the election. you know, it's just a very sad time for us. I don't know. I really don't know. My heart is broken that so many people voted for him and really think that he's for them. So I just. I just hold the space. That's all I can do because I'm hurting So from it too. Yeah. You know, so I'm trying to heal so I can be more of a light. So do, what do I do?

Robyn Cohen:

yeah. How do we hold the space? I,

Belle:

I go to Agape, you know, I lean towards hearing and getting and receiving from my spiritual, leaders and who I admire a lot to help me with. How to talk to people that voted differently than I did, you know, that, that feel very unsafe to me. How do I still stay in the loving and how do I not get really angry that I feel that all of a sudden now they are unsafe humans to be around. You know, it's a lot of work. It's just a lot of work. And yet I know from the deepest part of myself that, love is all we have. I know that. And, it's really hard to stay in the loving, but that's, that's the practice right now for me.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah.

Belle:

Is to want to daily stay in the loving.

Robyn Cohen:

Well, you are the loving, you are the love. That's such a, um, the wisdom of that. Like I hear you saying these words and I hear your 90 year old version of you coming through with this high octane, high level question. How do I stay? in the loving. And I love that you started with, you know, I don't know. I don't know which is why it makes a difference to actually ask. Like, that's the prayer. Like, I don't know. Please God help me how do I stay in the loving so that I can be the, the real me, ordained to be a light in a world where there is. a lot of darkness. How can I still be that light? And I love what you share that we don't do it alone. We go to our teachers, we go to our teammates, we go to our partners, we go to our friends, we go to the wise woman in ourselves. What would my 90 year old self say to me about this? and as you said, it is a practice. I want to make it a practice to have these kinds of conversations with you. Love it. I love it. And I love what you're doing. Thank you, Belle. It is, it's for this, it's for this, it's for you and can people find you that want to reach out or, or seeking counsel or, could use some love light in their world?

Belle:

Yeah. They can just call. You have the number. Okay. They can just call and, I, I just kind of do referrals.

Robyn Cohen:

Yeah, you know,

Belle:

so yeah, that's so if

Robyn Cohen:

so anyone listening that wants to work with Belle have a session with her. Get in touch with me. Yeah. And you can find me on social media, Facebook, and they could also, is there a platform where people might be able to direct message you,

Belle:

just, yeah, you can text me on my phone. Yeah. Yeah. And we'll go from there. Yeah.

Robyn Cohen:

That sounds great. I really appreciate modern telecommunications and these kinds of platforms when they connect hearts and souls. I really do. So get in touch with me, I'll get you in touch with Belle and we'll, um, and we'll party on from there. So I can't thank you enough. This is I love you. I love you. It's Sunday today when we're recording this and, this has been a. Godly. Unique.

Belle:

Lovely. I love it.

Robyn Cohen:

Experience. I loved it so much and I can't wait for more, more, more. And thank you. And always

Belle:

start out your podcast with dancing.

Robyn Cohen:

Will do, will do. Here's to it. here's to dancing in the conversation of life. Exactly. Okay. Thank you. God bless you, Belle. Thank you.

Belle:

Bye honey.

Robyn Cohen:

Bye. Bye. Well, wow, that was sensational Belle Zwerdling. Yes, if you're interested in having a one on one session with her meeting with her get in touch with me, and I'll put you in touch but wow some of the takeaways How do we lead with love? How do I remain loving and offering that up as a daily prayer, as a daily meditation, as a practice to get in touch with the wholeness of who we are and the oneness of the universe? We're also talking about taking responsibility and ownership of our worth and value and that it takes something. We might not wake up on the daily like, I'm good to go, whole perfect and complete, but rather we can stand in the crossroads and choose and choose again and again toward the path of. Peace and ease and equanimity and lovingness and, um, and so many more things, which I'll put in the show notes, but, uh, what a, what a gift to share this time in cyberspace with Belle and with you all who are listening in. I just, I feel these lies of separation and scarcity just melt away the more we connect like this and the more we talk about it, the really, really of what's going on. Life just starts to shimmer. So thank you all. God bless you and yours and have an amazing rest of your day. There it is. Wow. What an exhilarating exchange with Belle Zwerdling her wisdom. It's like a radiant tapestry. Weaving inspiration, authenticity, and practical insider insights and gems. Keep this marvelous journey up by joining our acting workshops To register and stay connected, reach out to me at robyn, R O B Y N,@cohenactingstudio.com. And if you enjoy the conversation, I podcast, share it with your friends and family and leave a review. It would mean the world and it helps us reach even more fabulous souls and creatives like yourselves. Also for more behind the scenes action, follow me on Instagram@RobynCohenActingStudio in appreciation for all of that, I made a special audio gift to elevate your days and bolster your sense of power and peace. It's called Five Proven Ways to Peace and Power, because this really is your moment to bask in creativity and fortify your soul with joy and with strength. Till next time, yours truly, Robyn C.