The Confidence Shortcut with Niki Sterner
The Confidence Shortcut is your permission slip to start before you’re ready. Hosted by actor, comedian & producer Niki Sterner, each episode is packed with honest conversations, mindset tools, and practical shortcuts to help you silence your inner critic, develop a growth mindset, and get unstuck.
Designed for high-achieving creatives, performers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs, this podcast helps you build the habit of courage in the face of fear—so you can finally share your voice with the world.
If you’ve ever wondered how to build confidence, overcome self-doubt, or stop overthinking and start taking action, this show is your weekly boost of momentum. Whether you’re battling imposter syndrome, stuck in perfectionism, or simply afraid to take the next step, you’ll leave each episode with real-life tools and the confidence to move forward—one bold (and sometimes messy) step at a time.
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show wherever you’re listening, and grab your free “Confidence Kickstart” in the show notes.
The Confidence Shortcut with Niki Sterner
#17: Cathy Reinking | Emmy-Winning Casting Director Turned Actor Coach | Unlocking Charisma & Creating Your Own Spotlight
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Emmy-winning casting director Cathy Reinking pulls back the curtain on what really happens in the audition room and reveals the unexpected career path that took her from NBC's casting offices to coaching actors on creating their own breakthrough opportunities.
Drawing from her decades casting iconic shows like "Frasier," "The Office," and "Arrested Development," Cathy shares the intimate details of how actors were discovered in the pre-self-tape era. She vividly describes the electric atmosphere of in-person auditions at Paramount Studios, where she would personally direct actors before bringing the most promising candidates to face network executives. Her insights illuminate why authenticity consistently trumps technique, explaining that casting directors aren't looking for "characters" but for real people comfortable bringing their full humanity—flaws included—to every role.
The conversation takes unexpected turns as Cathy reveals the personal and professional pivots that shaped her journey, including a battle with cancer that transformed her perspective on life and career. After navigating the highest echelons of network television, Cathy now channels her expertise into helping actors take control of their careers through storytelling and live performance. She makes a compelling case for why actors should create their own content, noting that industry icons from Whoopi Goldberg to Phoebe Waller-Bridge launched their careers through self-created one-person shows.
With warmth and candor, Cathy defines confidence not as fearlessness but as moving forward despite fear—a philosophy that's guided her through countless bold moves. Her story reminds us that the entertainment industry rewards those brave enough to show up authentically, both on stage and in life. Whether you're an aspiring actor or someone navigating your own career transitions, Cathy's journey offers wisdom on embracing vulnerability, silencing your inner critic, and finding the courage to create your own spotlight.
Ready to take charge of your creative journey? Follow Cathy @cathycasting on Instagram to learn about her workshops and upcoming "In My Shoes" storytelling show, where performers share their authentic stories on stage.
For more information on Cathy Reinking:
Pick up Cathy's book on Amazon: How To Book Acting Jobs 3.0
Tickets to see In My Shoes on September 18, 2025 at 8 PM in ATL
New episodes every week — packed with honest conversations, mindset tools, and real-life shortcuts to help you silence your inner critic, build true confidence, and take bold action.
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Meet Cathy Reinking: Emmy-Winning Casting Director
Speaker 1Welcome to the Confidence Shortcut, the podcast for ambitious creatives and entrepreneurs who are ready to stop overthinking, take bold action and finally step into the life they've been dreaming about. I'm your host, nikki Sterner. Mom, actor, comedian and producer. After years of playing small and waiting to feel ready, I went on a courage quest and found a shortcut to confidence. Each week, I'll bring you real stories, simple steps and conversations with experts in mindset courage and confidence, plus heart-to-hearts with fellow creatives who are turning their dreams into reality. It's time to get unstuck and start showing up. Let's dive in. Welcome to the Confidence Shortcut. I'm your host, nikki Sterner. Today's guest is Kathy Reinking.
Speaker 1Kathy is a casting director, writer and coach who has spent three decades helping actors shine on network television, including NBC, cbs, the CW, fox, abc and Netflix. She was the manager of casting at NBC, where she oversaw the casting of the pilot of the Office and worked on several Emmy-winning comedy shows like Frasier, arrested Development and the Office. Kathy is also the author of how to Book Acting Jobs 3.0, an inside look at what it's really like to book network television shows from the casting perspective. With insider tips from an Emmy-winning casting director, Kathy shares how actors can make a living at acting. The book looks at how to do that, what it takes, what actors should be doing and what they should avoid. Since the first edition in 2006, Kathy has updated the book three times, reflecting the ever-evolving industry. These days, she's all about storytelling, teaching and championing actors who dare to be real. Please welcome to the show, kathy Reinking.
Speaker 2Hello, wow, wow. Who's that? Who did you just talk about Was?
Speaker 1that me. You are amazing. I just have to tell everybody, kathy and I met in stand-up comedy class about three years ago yeah, wow, wow. Up comedy class about three years ago yeah, wow, wow. And when I sat down, I had just found you online and I was blown away by your videos. Back then, just oh my gosh, this woman has so much information that she so willingly shares, so generous, and if you're not following her on Instagram, please go follow her right now. It's what is your Instagram handle? Oh, kathy casting. So it's C.
Speaker 2A T H Y-H-Y casting.
Speaker 1Yes, kathy casting and a lot of followers because she just is so generous with her information, and so we did comedy class together and then, I think it was like a year later, I went and made my short film and then I came to you when I was ready to get on stage and we put together a pitch, for the Alliance Theater has a program. It's like a year long program and I think they had like over 30 projects that pitched that year. Yeah, yeah, you helped me to like start telling my stories, which I was scared to do. I was just really scared to share and but it was something that I knew that I wanted to do. But it was like my desire and my fear were just like butting heads instead of them both to flow through. And you like really pulled it out of me and got me to where I started speaking on stage and doing comedy and storytelling.
Speaker 1And you have your events in my shoes that I got to perform at a couple different times, and you've helped so many people do this in a way that just feels I don't want to say easy, but I just it just feels doable, whereas if you don't know where to start, I would send anyone your direction because you have so much knowledge, you're so kindhearted and you're, but you're just so good at knowing what actually lands on stage versus. You would tell me, like I don't really need to know that, but yes, this and how can we make it better, and enough about that. But I just wanted to recognize, like, how you and I met and how you've helped me on my journey and the reason why I wanted to bring you on the podcast. So let's start now, though, with a quick snapshot Kathy, tell us who you are, what you do and, especially, what you're passionate about right now.
Speaker 2Okay, yes, my name is Kathy at Kathy Casting on.
Speaker 1Instagram.
Speaker 2And I'm not on TikTok, so I've done so many things in my life. In fact, I was a theater major and people think, what do you do with a theater degree? But I made a list of all the jobs I've had with that theater degree. So it's actually a really good major, especially if you love theater, film and TV, performing. I think it's an incredibly good major and also it's very humanistic and you learn about people and you're good at working with others. What's wrong with a theater degree? So, anyway, so I've been able to parlay that into a lot of different jobs in entertainment and, like you said, I worked decades in network television, but there were things that happened in my life where I transitioned from doing that and now I'm coaching actors and my forte now is helping them create their own content so they don't have to wait for opportunities. They create their own opportunities.
Speaker 1Now you used to do the casting at all of the big networks and you were in the room with the actors back then.
Speaker 2Yes, yes, I really am sad there's no more in-person auditions, because my favorite part of the job was not only scouting for talent which I did a lot by going to see theater and watching a lot of movies and TV but also bringing actors in for auditions and directing them so they would better understand the style of the show and I would tweak them a little bit so that they would have the best audition. That was in the pre-read session. So there was a pre-read session where actors would come in and I would work with them and then I would take the top choices then to a producer session. So we would literally and this was at Paramount Studios we would literally take this group of actors and bring them to the next building, which was where Frasier was, for instance. So we would go to producer session and then we'd have the producer session with the executive producer of the sitcom.
Speaker 2What was that like? Oh, it was insane. I still can't believe. My life was that I'd go and take this group of actors and then each actor would come individually and and take this group of actors and then each actor would come into individually and I would read with the actor and then they would all go. The actors would go back into the waiting room and then the executive producer would choose the actor they liked best.
Speaker 1So you would read the dialogue with them. Oh yeah, oh my gosh, yeah, so I would.
Speaker 2Yeah, I was definitely performing. It was funny because I would usually have to do, because usually, like the co-star roles, especially on Frasier, they were like the waiter or the bellhop or the restaurant owner, because they went and had dinner a lot oh yeah, fancy places. So I would usually be doing Frasier and Giles lines.
Speaker 1Oh wow Wild.
Speaker 2That's so wild. Yeah, just explaining that to you makes me realize, dang, that was very unique, that's right, wow.
Speaker 1Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2So I miss the days of being able to audition people in person. That was really the best way of getting a job. But now it's all self-tapes, and how are actors supposed to know how to make a good self-tape?
Speaker 1So how many years did you do that in the room with them?
Speaker 2Like 20 years. Oh my gosh, at least 20 years, no wonder you're so good at working with actors.
Speaker 1You did that so long?
From Theater Major to TV Casting
Speaker 2Yeah, I did. And every the roles it wasn't just Frasier I worked on. I worked on, like I said, arrested Development. I also worked on an hour drama called Nothing Sacred. So I have worked on dramas I worked on, According to Jim, I worked on a sitcom called Baby Bob, which you can look it up. I really had a fun time working on that show, but I worked on and, oh, and also a sitcom with Harry Yamlin that was called Movie Stars. Oh my gosh, I forget about most of the stuff I worked on because there was a lot going on. We used to in the casting office I worked in with Jeff Greenberg. We always worked on more than one show. So it was crazy. What were your hours like? Terrible, it was terrible. We wouldn't need to get into the office until 10, but we would usually stay. I don't even remember it was. If I knew the hourly rate, if I calculated the hourly rate I got, I would probably be disgusted. It was probably like a dollar an hour because we worked really long hours.
Speaker 1Wow, did you have your daughter at that point?
Speaker 2Yes, I did, yes, I did. And that's when I had to give so much to that job that I felt I wasn't being the best mother to her, because I just wasn't home very much. She was in daycare a lot, my mom would stay with her during the day and finally she decided to go live with her dad and stepmom Because it was just, it was not a good situation.
Speaker 1Yeah, for a mother and daughter.
Speaker 2Yeah, that was really tough, Although now my daughter convinces me because I did feel guilty for many years. She convinces me it made her really independent. Also, she has such a love of theater and she's become a big influencer in that theater container now on TikTok.
Speaker 1What is the TikTok handle? It is theater is life Theater is life Okay.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Write that down. Got to check it out. Wait, how do you spell theater?
Speaker 2With it. It's the British version, so it's the.
Speaker 1R-E.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Okay, awesome. If you've been living with chronic symptoms like pain, brain fog, sensitivity to smells, light or sound, it might not just be your body, it could be your brain, stuck in a survival loop. Dnrs stands for Dynamic Neural Retraining System. It's a science-backed program that helps rewire the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for fear, fight or flight and overreaction to everyday things. It changed everything for me, helping me heal and return to the creative life I love. If this speaks to you, click the link in the caption. It might be the answer you're looking for. Okay, so take me back to. Did you ever have a low point in your journey that you had to, like make a shift? Because I don't know if it was with your daughter when you said I had to shift there, or was it before you actually got into the entertainment industry, into the casting part of it? How did you actually get into those big offices?
Speaker 2Yeah, I've had to.
Speaker 1it feels like I've had to shift a lot in my life, so tell me, after you graduate from college with your theater degree, what did you do?
Speaker 2I was a waitress first and then I got a job at a regional theater. So I worked as a assistant stage manager at South Coast Repertory in Southern California and that was a dream job. I love that job. I had studied theater direction and stage management at college, at UCLA, and I dream job was to get an assistant stage manager job at a regional theater and I loved working with those actors and so many of those actors went on to be big stars and it was. I love theater and I love to be working at a regional theater and I wanted to have that job probably for the rest of my life as a stage manager and I think that really I wanted to eventually be a stage manager on Broadway but that never happened because I got married and had Kate and my husband at the time did not like to live in California, so we moved to Kansas what?
Speaker 1yeah, so I had to really I had to pivot big time.
Speaker 2What did?
Speaker 1you do in Kansas.
Speaker 2I was directing plays, really. Yeah, I was a stay-at-home mom, kate was a baby and I started directing plays at the local theater there oh what was that? And then I wrote. I started writing scripts too. I started writing during that period as well.
Speaker 1Do you still have those scripts? I do, I do. Have you produced any of them?
Speaker 2I thought about it. My favorite play would demand a lot of money to produce. There's a lot going on in it, so really so how long were you in Kansas? For three years. And then something bad happened and so I moved back to Los Angeles with Kate, my daughter, and that's when I was getting whatever job I could. And so I worked at a real estate office as a manager at a real estate office in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2And then I went to work for Kia Motors when they launched in America. So it was at the ground floor of Kia Motors and at the time people made fun of those cars because they were like cheap Korean cars. Little did we know how that car would become like top leader in car manufacturing. But I was in the marketing department and I helped them produce their dealer shows. So I felt like I was doing theater with no art. So that's when I decided to quit that job. I just quit it. It was a great job, very good benefits, 401k, but instead I gave all of that up and I went to. I changed and started casting for TV and film and I had to start as an intern. So I went from making a lot of money to getting paid like $100 a week as an intern. Yeah, I had to take out a loan. I had to take out a loan, a bank loan that I figured. I didn't go to grad school, so this was my grad school, so I yeah.
Speaker 1True, it was like on the job training, right? Yeah, definitely yeah.
Speaker 2So I went and did it that way.
Speaker 1Where was that at Paramount?
Speaker 2At Paramount. Yeah, that's when I got into the, into Jeff Greenberg's office at Paramount and got into top TV shows right from the start, wow, yeah, I started as a casting assistant on big TV shows Like Frasier was the main one at the time. Also, we were working on Wings as well. I don't know if too many people remember that show, but it was a real fun show to be around.
Speaker 1So how did you go from casting in LA to coaching actors in Atlanta? Give me the abbreviated like I did this and then I did that. And what did you learn along the way?
The Audition Room Experience
Speaker 2So between working for years on network television. To how did I get where I am now is a long journey that involved getting really bad breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer and I didn't have any insurance at the time. So it was a very arduous process to go through the LA County hospital system to survive that.
Speaker 1Wow Was that when you were a casting director, you went through all that?
Speaker 2No, this was after, because I also moved to Denver.
Speaker 1It was in Denver.
Speaker 2Denver was because my daughter had gone to live with her dad and stepmom and so she was living in Denver. So I decided to go live in Denver.
Speaker 1Tell me why you stopped working at Paramount so my last job at Paramount NBC.
Speaker 2I was working in the offices of NBC and that year I worked on a pilot for them called Hawaii, which was a cop show set in Honolulu and it's a lot like Hawaii Five-0. But this was many years before the remake of Hawaii Five-0. But it was a cop show in Honolulu and they decided when they picked it up for series they decided to send me to Hawaii and I was going to do the casting for basically the day player roles in Hawaii because it would save them money if I could find people that were local. So I ended up living in Hawaii for about seven months. The show was not great and it got canceled. It wasn't even a full season and it premiered the same year that Lost premiered and that was also shooting in Honolulu.
Speaker 2So there were these two huge shows and the cast used to mingle with each other and it was quite a scene. It was quite a scene. And to live in Honolulu like they put us up at the Ili Kai Hotel for months and then they gave us a stipend to live there and I lived like in this penthouse oh my gosh, overlooking Waikiki Crazy. So you did that and you loved it. It was a very special experience, but then it got canceled. So that's when I decided you know what? I'm not going back to LA, I'm going to go directly to Denver and I'm going to live there for a while to be closer to Kate.
Speaker 1Okay. Did you have to cut ties with the company?
Speaker 2then I became an agent in Denver, so I was a talent agent, okay, in.
Speaker 1Denver.
Speaker 2Yes, okay, in Denver, interesting yes, so instead of buying actors, I would have to sell actors, is how I put it. I loved being a casting director because I could bring people in and help them get jobs, but now I had to sell actors and I'm not good at selling, so it wasn't a great job, but I did that for a few years and that was that was interesting, and that's when I got cancer, was after I was living in Denver and that's when I got cancer. And then that journey, just it was very long and arduous, and I actually have a book on Amazon. Not only do I have an acting book on Amazon, but I have a book about going through cancer treatment with no health insurance, and so that's on Amazon as well.
Speaker 1A true Hollywood cancer story is what it's called oh my goodness, yeah, how long was the cancer journey?
Speaker 2Oh my gosh, it was probably 10, 15 years. It was like I should not be alive right now. Wow, it was really bad. It was really bad.
Speaker 1So how old was Kate when you went through that?
Speaker 2She had just started college when I got first diagnosed. So that was. It was a very volatile time for us, yeah. And then we decided to move back to LA because Kate failed college because she was there as an engineer to follow in her dad's footsteps but she hated it. She didn't go to classes and she's finally said she wanted to be an actress. So when your mom's a casting director and your daughter says they want to be an actress, all I could say was great. It's not like I was going to go. Like you crazy person. Yeah. What makes you think you can be an actress? I was say was great. It's not like I was going to go like you crazy person. Yeah. What makes you think you can be an actress? I was like great. Then we need to move back to LA because you can't be an actress in Denver. You got to be where it's at right.
Speaker 2Yeah where it's at. So we moved back to LA and then a bunch of stuff happened and then eventually I decided to go into casting and I realized I had a really good contact, a really close friend of mine that I met at Southwest Rep. She went to college with Jeff Greenberg, who was the casting director of Cheers, and then went on to do Frasier. So that's how I got into the Frasier casting office.
Speaker 1Why did you leave LA and why did you come to?
Speaker 2Portland. How I got to Atlanta was I was hired to cast a film in Atlanta. It was an independent film and I'd been working with the writer producer to help him with a script and he just said why don't you come to Atlanta so you can cast the film? And I didn't have a casting job at the time and I just said okay. So I came to Atlanta and I basically just stayed because I loved it so much. From the start. I was having in-person auditions for the film here in Atlanta and it was unheard of and it still is unheard of, because I wanted to meet the actors in person Because Atlanta had started the self-taping trend much before LA had.
Speaker 2It was already doing self-taping trend because a lot of stuff was being shot in South Carolina and North Carolina and so actors were complaining because they would have to drive into Atlanta for auditions. So that's how self-taping basically started in the South. But when I came to Atlanta I wanted to do in-person auditions and I tell you, the actors were so happy to have in-person auditions so I met. It was a crash course in discovering all the great talent here in Atlanta and so I just I met every actor and brought them in for auditions and it was a really beautiful experience and decided again I wasn't going to go back to LA. I liked the quality of life here. I loved all the actors. I thought there was a great acting pool here in Atlanta and, like I said, just stayed and will probably never move from the city. I love it a lot.
Cancer Journey and Career Transitions
Speaker 1Confidence doesn't come first. Action and habits do. That's why I created the Confidence Kickstart Morning Routine a 15-minute free guide to help you build habits that actually work. You'll get powerful journal prompts, a guided audio meditation and my three-part confidence shortcut system, mindset Path and Action. Three-part confident shortcut system, mindset path and action. It's the exact routine I use to get up on stage and speak up. No more shrinking or second guessing the link's in the caption. Grab it now and build the confidence to move forward every single day. Tell me about what you do with actors now.
Speaker 2So what I do now? So I stopped casting because when you're working as a local casting director here, the pay is not good at all, like when I worked on a Netflix series called Insatiable. I was the casting assistant on Insatiable. I was making $250 a week and I just thought, yeah, and it was also long hours. So I just decided I'm going to go on my own and have an acting studio, which is what I did, and I decided I wanted to just work with advanced actors. And that's when I came up with the writing program for actors to help them take control of their career and to create content so that they can be found on a stage. Because if you think about all the actors you really admire, they were found on a stage. They weren't found by self-submitting on Actors Access. The primary reason for my writing program is to help actors book more jobs that pay. And when you realize all the actors that you really admire, they were all found on a stage.
Speaker 2And when you think of somebody like Whoopi Goldberg she wrote her own one-person show and that's how she got famous. John Laguizamo his one-person show that's how he got famous. And then we have the more recent people like Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Baby Reindeer was a one person show that was performing at the Fringe in Edinburgh. So people don't realize that it's easier to perform live with your story than making a film about it, because films cost a lot of money to make. But if you're writing a one-person show, it's just you writing the show and then. So I guess that's when I started creating In my Shoes stories. So I created a platform so actors could perform their one-person show, so it wouldn't cost them any money except, of course, taking the class, but so it would allow folks to write their one person show and then give them a stage to perform it on.
Speaker 1It's like when we took our stand up comedy class. It was like we had an instructor to help us create our content, that we were going to share our stories, our comedy. You do the same thing in your classes, like you help ask us questions that make us think about things and what stories we want to tell, and then you help us shape it.
Speaker 1And then you give us a place to actually perform it, because, like, you can write all day long, but until you actually get on stage and perform it, that really puts you to the next level. And so you have people fly in from all over the country to perform it in my shoes and you have a show, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's at the supermarket, atlanta, and folks are coming from Chicago, new York, and then I have a lot of local talent, including you. You will be in that show. I'm very excited. So much good local talent here. Very excited about that still.
Speaker 1Yeah, and that's September 18th. Yeah, 8 PM.
Speaker 2Yes, yes, yes, yeah, it's going to be amazing. All the in my shoes stories. It's always an amazing show because the audience just loves hearing from real people about their real stories and that's how we can end such divisiveness in our communities is, once you hear other people's stories, you realize, oh, I'm not so different from them. It brings people together in kind of an organic, beautiful way.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, it really is. I love attending and performing in the In my Shoes stories. The shows are just. You just really get to the heart of people Like you, just open them up in a magical way that they feel safe to share, Because I think a lot of people want to share but don't know how to start or don't know if it's safe or not but to share their true stories so yeah, provide that space, yeah, thanks, yeah, I feel really good about that and it creates this closeness among artists.
Speaker 1It's just like a really tight-knit community that you've created yeah, yeah, I'm very grateful.
Speaker 2I also find that actors who perform live all the time become better performers, so it even helps with their self taping, because they're more in tune with who they really are and they're more able to show both their dark and light qualities, which is a good segue into my whole idea of charisma that casting directors are looking for charismatic actors that can show both dark and light, because that's how human beings are. They're not. One note Having a fully fleshed character on a self tape is really hard to do, but I find that actors that perform live a lot, they pretty much drop in a lot easier.
Speaker 1That's so true. Ever since I started working with you back in January a year and a half ago, I've progressed into more and more in-person stuff on stage with the comedy, and now I do the improv and sketch at the alley stage and then the funny bus really is like a 90 minute show which is really dropping in. There's no hiding, and once you stop hiding and start showing up in bigger and more different ways, you're right, you get tired of putting up the mask to be perfect and you're like I don't have the energy to do that anymore, I'm just going to be me.
Speaker 1Yeah, and you're doing incredible things.
Speaker 2I love what you're doing. You just take life by the horns, I guess you would say, and you're just doing it. That's why you're the perfect person to do this kind of podcast thing, because you have overcome confidence issues and a lot of things to just hey, man, I'm here, I'm doing this, I'm doing it.
Speaker 1Yeah, I think the only way to get through the barrier of having confidence is through action. And sure, preparation is great, but at some point it becomes paralyzing, where you're like I'll never feel ready for this. Just at the same time, you have these dreams because they're meant for you. So you have to realize that, yeah, it's big, but so are you and your actions can be bigger. Like you can take those actions and as long as you don't have to be perfect and you can be real, like you're saying, with stepping on stage over and over again and not being afraid to fail and not being afraid for it to be messy, you can really grow fast.
Speaker 2Yeah, you're living proof of that. And talk about being courageous. Artists have to be courageous. So your program about being more courageous is really needed, because you need an incredible amount of courage to be vulnerable and because the more vulnerable you are, the better performer you are.
Speaker 1the more you're going to speak to other people, the more you're going to move other people and you've probably seen that as a casting director as well Just the people who are ready. Just come in and they're fully themselves.
Speaker 2I imagine yeah, they're fully themselves, but they're not being, because there's no character in film and TV. It's really you in that situation, and so people want to play a character. But the people that are the most comfortable in their own skin know who they are and put themselves in the situation of what the script is asking for. Those are the actors that book those jobs.
Speaker 1I bet you can just see it right away, like those people versus yeah, yeah. Is that hard to see the people that aren't quite there yet? Yeah, or do you just see potential?
Speaker 2Some people really shouldn't be in the acting container. They're just, they're not comfortable in their own skin, and I wanted to be a performer when I was young but I was never comfortable in my own skin as a child, and so some people really shouldn't be an actor and that's why, yeah, they should be doing something else in entertainment if they love it so much. But not everybody is really a good candidate to be an actor.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, there's a role for everybody right Within the entertainment industry.
Speaker 2There's so many different roles so many different jobs you can do in entertainment. You've tried a number of them. I've tried everything really and standup too, like I stopped doing standup because I just feel like I was going up a lot because I am 65 and I just felt I was too nervous. So, even though I have done a lot of performing and I am in front of people a lot, but I still have high anxiety. Being in entertainment in general is probably not great for people with high anxiety, but most people in entertainment have high anxieties.
Helping Actors Create Their Own Content
Speaker 1Yeah, isn't it funny. It's like what I was saying with the desire and the fear. It's like-. I feel like if that dream is there, it really is meant for you.
Speaker 1But it takes a lot of courage to feel the fear and sit in that feeling that you're talking about that discomfort we call it the daily discomfort and just get like in it and know that when you feel that you actually take action, instead of stopping, it's like retraining your brain. Oh, it's telling yourself a different story instead of I'm so scared, it's okay. Yeah, there it is. I'm so scared, it's okay, yeah, there it is. I'm ready. I move before I feel ready.
Speaker 2You can train yourself to know that this is just energy.
Speaker 1It's like you can do anything with it because it's very powerful, as, like, that nervous feeling is very powerful and what you do with it and what you say about it is really life-changing. You can go this direction or you can go this direction, and it's up to you. It really truly is the story that you tell yourself. But, like you're saying, you got to put yourself on stage and you got to do it, and that's exposing yourself to that feeling over and over again, and some people may decide to go a different way, but for the people who really truly want that path, that is the way exposing yourself over and over again. Repetition, yeah.
Speaker 2Well, just like you say about being courageous, even if you're scared, you have to do it anyway. And I think that's how I've maneuvered from this very shy introvert kid to just busting through whatever was in my way I introvert kid to just busting through whatever was in my way. But it was all self motivated. It wasn't like my parents were saying, hey, Kathy, you can do whatever you want. No, it was nothing like that.
Speaker 1It was just like I busted. I wanted to bust through it and I have been able to do that. Yeah, you're a very powerful director. Like that is your role for sure. Like you study so much theater, so many movies, so many TV shows and you've been around the industry for so long and good acting, charisma and you know what the executive producers want to see. So you're like the perfect as a director and know how to work with actors. You've been an actor, you've been in every role. So you really are the perfect director to say this is what we want to see and this is how you do it. And I think that's why you're so good at that.
Speaker 2Thank you. Yeah, yeah, it's been a long journey and I am good at that.
Speaker 1Yeah, and it's good to know.
Speaker 2I will say that, not humbly, I am really good at directing actors.
Speaker 1You are excellent, and if anyone is wanting to step on stage more, you are the person to help them. Excellent, and if anyone is wanting to step on stage more.
Speaker 2You are the person to help them. Thank you, yeah, yeah, and I love people growing by being on stage. It's the most beautiful thing like for you how far you've come. That's how.
Speaker 1I started really telling my story on stage. Yeah, yeah, and people can work with you on zoom right, and then they just fly in for the performance.
Speaker 2Yeah, I offer zooms. Is it a monthly thing? Yes, I offer a package of four one hour sessions and it can be done on Zoom or it can be done in person if you live in Atlanta.
Speaker 1Thank you so much, Kathy. I want to move into the confidence quickfire round. Are you ready for? That, yeah, I have questions to everybody who comes on as a guest. Yes, so here we go, okay, first question is how do you define confidence?
Speaker 2Being comfortable in your own skin and not having insecurities take you down.
Speaker 1Yeah, Embracing the insecurities as an actor, even as a performer, right.
Speaker 2Yeah. Or maybe accepting that you're going to be scared, accepting your faults and just doing it, because it's actually your faults that make you really interesting.
Speaker 1It's so true your fault, your flaws, all the quirks about you make you unique, and the reason why they would book you right Is because you're different.
Speaker 2Yeah, you're comfortable in your own skin, even though you're scared.
Speaker 1The second question is what's one bold move you made before you felt ready?
Speaker 2Oh, everything I've done.
Speaker 1Everything.
Speaker 2I've done in my life has been a bunch of bold moves from just an unexpected source.
Speaker 1You were trained for this life. Yeah, it's like no.
Speaker 2I'm going to do that. I can't do that. I'm doing that.
Speaker 1Oh so people told you you probably shouldn to do that. I can't do that. I'm doing that, oh so people told you you probably shouldn't do that or you can't do that. Is that something that the way you were raised.
Speaker 2Yeah, like my mom was horrified that I wanted to be a theater major. She wanted me to do computer science, but I have no aptitude for computers. That was not my thing. I'm an artist. I wanted to be doing theater and she really fought me on that. But she didn't pay for college because I got a free ride to UCLA because we were so poor I had to fill out my own financial aid papers. But I got a free ride to UCLA and graduated summa cum laude in four years. So I was like yeah, I'm doing this.
Speaker 1I'm doing this, wow, congrats, that's amazing.
Speaker 2Yeah, I still can't believe that.
Speaker 1Yeah, I had that much confidence to do that, because I never felt confident but I guess I you totally are Cause you do things that people tell you can't. You're like, just go ahead and tell me I can't do something, I'll do it, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2And I love. I always loved theater and performers, so that's the only thing I loved. So I'll just do that.
Speaker 1Okay. So the third question is how do you quiet, or?
Speaker 2how do you face your inner critic? What do you do when you hear the inner critic? I feel like I'm finally getting a handle on how to handle my inner critic is. It's like the saboteur.
Speaker 2We have that saboteur play is an exercise and how to have a better relationship with your saboteur, your negative chatter, your evil twin, like, first of all. So in in writing class, one of the first exercises is to write a scene where you battle your, your saboteur it's called the saboteur play. Where you battle your saboteur it's called the saboteur play, and it's a way of managing your negative chatter. So you have to have a better relationship with your saboteur, and how you do that is you've got to talk them down off the ledge, basically, and like you've got to be able to quiet your saboteur. And how do you do that? You talk nicely to it.
Speaker 1Usually that's a beautiful exercise. I remember that and it was full of enlightenment. I was like, wow, this is what I'm saying and this is, yeah, how I can talk to it, right?
Vulnerability and Courage on Stage
Speaker 2Why would you talk like your saboteur is talking to you? You would never talk to anybody like that, like your saboteur is angry about something and they don't want you to go out on a limb. They want to protect you, keep you safe, but instead you're like no, we're doing this and you're going to listen to me, saboteur.
Speaker 1Yeah, you almost have to parent them. Listen here, I'm in charge. Yes, I'm in charge. Yeah, you just sit in the back seat and be quiet, simmer down, I'm in charge. Yeah, you just sit in the back seat and be quiet, simmer down, simmer down, simmer down. Yeah, okay, my fourth question for you what's one habit that's helped you?
Speaker 2build real confidence Just to do something, even if you're scared. Just keep barreling through, don't stop. And I'm self-motivated, and I've always been self-motivated and I think that's been really helpful. I'm not lazy. I'm constantly thinking of new things to do with my teaching for actors, what shows to create. I'm constantly growing, all the time.
Speaker 1You're excited, you're passionate about it.
Speaker 2Yeah, I am, I can see it when you talk about it.
Speaker 1And you have a lot of inspiration too. Like you are always watching other stuff, which probably do. You feel like that is a huge thing, for creating your own work is being inspired by others around you.
Speaker 2Yeah, If you want to be in entertainment, you better be watching as much TV, film and theater as you can.
Speaker 1Where are you?
Speaker 2watching. Where am I watching?
Speaker 1Yeah, when do you watch which show on streaming services or networks? And then where in Atlanta, where in New York, LA? Where do you like to watch?
Speaker 2Yeah, so my favorite thing is to go to live theater. I love the Alliance Theater here in Atlanta. I love Theatrical Outfit, actors Express there's a lot of really good theater going on in Atlanta and then I will fly up to New York and get discount tickets to their shows, whether Off-Broadway or Broadway, and I will go see theater in New York. It feels like I take the money that I make from actors and I put it right back into actors by going to see theater, because there's nothing else I really want to spend my money on. I don't have a car, I don't own a house, but my money's going to supporting artists.
Speaker 1What shows do you like to watch right now on TV?
Speaker 2I love Severance and I love the Gilded Age because it uses a lot of Broadway talent. It's on HBO. It's an incredible show about the turn of the 18th century into the 19th century in New York, so it's the history of this country. It's an incredible show.
Speaker 1The fifth and final question what is your favorite book or resource that changed how you think? I?
Speaker 2think just being a theater major and reading all of those plays and reading all of those plays. Also, I also took a lot of English classes at UCLA and read a lot all those novels and a bunch of all those books. And, yeah, like being a theater major makes you do a lot of different disciplines.
Speaker 1So the education, the whole theater background. I'm sure a lot of different training within that just exposed you to so many different things.
Speaker 2Plus, remember, if you're studying theater, you're studying design, you're studying storytelling, you're studying acting, you're studying all the disciplines.
Speaker 1Really, and at UCLA. Yeah Well, that's amazing, kathy, thank you so much. I was wondering if you could share where people can follow you, what social media handles you have, and I know you're on Instagram. Are you on Facebook, youtube, any other places? Do you have a website? I am on YouTube.
Speaker 2So it's how to book acting jobs for real. Is my YouTube account for Kathy ranking? So that's C-A-T-H-Y-R-E-I-N-K-I-N-G, r-e-i-n-k-i-n-g. So I am on YouTube, I am on Instagram a lot and my moniker is at Kathy C-A-T-H-Y casting, c-a-s-t-i-n-g, and you'll find me at a local theater nearby. You'll find me at the AMC Madison Yards.
Speaker 1Is that your favorite one?
Speaker 2Yeah, because it's really close to where I live and I go see movies a lot too. I just, I love all entertainment.
Speaker 1All right. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me, kathy. I am so excited to perform in your show next month, september 18th, at 8 pm at the supermarket. Which room is it in? It's in the black box. Black box, ok, fantastic yeah, beautiful room, beautiful room. And you can go to your link tree on Instagram to get the tickets correct the tickets.
Speaker 2They're $20 tickets and the supermarket Atlanta is this kind of newish complex of places to perform. That's on Highland, near Ponce.
Speaker 1It's a beautiful facility. I went there during the Fringe Festival, saw some incredible shows. Yeah, one person show. That was absolutely amazing.
Speaker 2I'll have to tell you about it.
Speaker 1But yeah, I was really inspired by it Got my brain thinking.
Speaker 2I can use that space anytime now. So you know I'd be doing a lot of shows there, that's so cool I have a lot of props.
Speaker 1When my mom was here in May I got three dolls because I have a part of it as a mom, like where I had two kids and then like holding one's hand Part of my show will be as the mom and I have those dolls.
Speaker 2Yes, I have them, Kathy. It's crazy.
Speaker 1And then I got a bunch of different outfits my mom helped to put together like feathers on stuff and sequins.
Speaker 2And we're working on it. We're working on it, but, yeah, I am so excited to do it with you. Yeah, you need to do the full length show the hour one person show yes, yeah.
Speaker 1My goal is to do it at the fringe. I don't know if I'll be able to get it together by this year, but I don't know how long it takes. Kath, how long does it take to put together a one hour show? You already have done some of it.
Speaker 2It's not like you're starting from scratch right, that's true.
Speaker 1Yeah, we have the two sessions that we already did some stuff, yeah, and I want to write some songs for that too, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, and you have the house, you have a show already. You just you're too busy being an entrepreneur.
Speaker 1Yeah, yes, it'll happen though.
Speaker 2I know it's going to, oh yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's going to be great, so, looking forward to it, I'm so happy to have you in my life. Thank you so much, kathy.
Speaker 2Thank you so much for doing this and letting me share my story.
Speaker 1Your wonderful gift. I'm very grateful for this journey. You're an incredible director, so I'm so looking forward to hearing more people's shows come through your workshop and be performed on stage. Thanks, kathy. Thank you, thanks so much for listening to the Confidence Shortcut. I hope today's episode woke something up in you, reminding you that your dream matters and you can start now. If this sparked something, share it with a friend who needs it too. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram, at Nikki Sterner, and join our Facebook community at the Confidence Shortcut. Ready to take the next step? Check out my free guide, the Confidence Kickstart, linked in the show notes. Keep showing up, keep taking action and remember the shortcut to confidence is courage.