My podcast guest, Katharine Heller, is an actor, writer, voiceover artist and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She’s the host of two podcasts, Tell The Bartender and The Struggle Bus, and enjoys performing at various storytelling shows around the city. Katharine is a proud member of the New York Neo-Futurists.
Tune in to hear about:
- The art of being perfectly imperfect
- Embracing both your flaws and talents
- Giving yourself permission to experience every emotion
- Normalizing mental health challenges
- Creativity, thinking big…and so much more!
Listen to the Audio: The Art of Being Perfectly Imperfect
Watch the Video: The Art of Being Perfectly Imperfect
Read the Show Notes: The Art of Being Perfectly Imperfect
Owning Her Career
00:35 Katharine’s aha moment: When she finally called herself an actor, even though she had been acting for a long time.
3:46 Which doors have opened for her since she owned the ‘actor’ role?
5:37 How do you know you can trust your instinct about a decision for yourself?
Dealing With Rejection
8:19 How to deal with rejection. Behavioral therapy helps you acknowledge your thoughts and process them. Being rejected on the regular is great. It’s not really rejection. It’s getting to know you. It’s almost like dating. Also, rejection stings sometimes!
10:08: Every door that closes is another open door. Or is it a window?
The Art of Being Yourself
13:00 Being yourself is the hardest thing to do! She still gets nervous when speaking as herself, not as a character as an actor. I share a story of having laryngitis when I was 18, and it gave me permission to be myself around some sexy guys.
17:34 What Katharine is creating right now. Quite a lot!!
Accepting Help + Giving and Receiving Feedback
20:00 Katharine’s story of accepting help from others during a tough time.
22:40 Advice about giving and receiving feedback. What to do about unsolicited advice.
26:31 What she does and doesn’t like to hear when she’s going out for an audition.
The Importance of Expressing All Emotions
29:00 The importance of talking about feelings, especially when you’re going through a tough time. We’re allowed to be sad. We need to be honest with our friends. Katharine speaks about a friend with cancer, and how she learned to check in with her without it being awkward or imposing.
36:00 What would Katharine be doing if money was no object? Have a large family and many homes! Would distribute money to many people in her life. She loves theater and does something unusual when she gets on a new stage.
37:00 How she got into theater.
45:44 Her vision for the future for herself and others: She appreciates the life she curated for herself and is trying to acknowledge and be grateful. Looking forward to writing more full length plays with her theater company. Would like to buy a home. Travel more. Be easier on herself. Not feel like she has to work so hard. To help people, inspire, and fight climate change. Nothing big… 🙂
“Know that you have a bigger impact on others than you think.”
56:00 Favorite books: Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior, by Jeffrey M. Schwartz and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
1:02 How to be with someone who has any form of mental illness? Be open, less judgmental, ask questions, and “Hey, we’re just like you!”
If you’re going through something really bad…
1:06: The best advice from her friend and co-host of the Struggle Bus Podcast: If you’re going through something really bad, be kind to yourself. Imagine it’s a friend of yours going through it.
1:07: How would you like to be remembered?
“It’s okay to be flawed. It’s empowering to know “I’m not perfect”. It’s always unintentional if I’ve hurt anyone. I tried. Recognize that the world is hard, and be honest about the struggles. Be excellent to each other.”
Connect With Katharine
Website katharineheller.com
Twitter and Instagram: @spkheller
Podcasts: The Struggle Bus and Tell the Bartender
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