IT’S BREAKTHROUGH SEASON

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The moment everything shifted for me… and how to find the breakthroughs hiding in plain sight in your own year.

🧠 TL;DR : THIS WEEK IN LEAD ACTOR WEEKLY

• The wild story behind my Breakthrough of the Year finalist moment

• Why you absolutely DID have breakthroughs this year

• Weekly Win: Gary Dunlop vs Technology (spoiler: Gary wins)

• Monologue of the Month Club Spotlight

• Free Tools (leveled up and actually useful)

• Free Rehearsal Zoom Wednesday 7pm ET

🌟 FEATURE STORY: BREAKTHROUGH SEASON

Let me start with something big.

I was just named a finalist in the BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR contest at Business By Design Live. Hundreds of digital entrepreneurs submitted their stories. Only nine of us were chosen.

On December 9th, I get five minutes on stage in Phoenix in front of more than a thousand digital business owners to tell the story of my biggest transformation this year.

And let me tell you something…

My breakthrough was NOT a booked gig.

NOT a big payday.

NOT a secret strategy.

It was identity.

There was a time when I was doing everything myself.

Trying to be the director, the editor, the coach, the marketer, the accountant, the cleaner, the everything.

And I told myself it was “normal.”

It wasn’t normal.

It was survival mode with a smile.

Then I walked into Business By Desing Live in Phoenix in Dec 2023.

Something cracked open.

I invested. I joined Next Level, a 12 month business coaching program with a $12K investment...more than I had ever invested in myself since attending a $25K acting conservatory program.

In short, stopped being the intern of my own business (and life) and started acting like the CEO.

I stopped shrinking.

I stopped hiding.

And I stopped telling the story that I had to do it all on my own.

In 2024, I hired a virtual assistant to manage my podcast.

I hired a virtual assistant to help creat, post and schedule my social media

I hired a virtual assistant to update my websites.

I stepped into the identity that actually matched the vision I keep talking about.

On top of that, I feel more connected to the universe, source, god, "the all" than ever before.

Now, more than ever, that connection to source (everything) brings me more peace, ease, flow, joy, happiness, laughter, love and abundance.

That was the breakthrough.

In 2025, I expanded our coaching team at Actors Audition Club, helping actors go from unseen to unforgettable, stand out in auditions and book your next lead role.

I hired a financial coach to help me build my money machine.

I hired a voice coach to help me find my authentic voice.

I hired a storytelling coach to help me create my one man show.

I did more live theatre shows than ever before.

I got paid the most I've ever been paid to do a private standup show.

And I got paid the most I've ever been paid to emcee a large event.

And here’s the truth.

When I land on that stage on December 9th…

I have already won.

Because the REAL breakthrough is becoming the person who BELONGS on that stage.

Actors forget this.

You think the breakthrough is the booking.

No.

The breakthrough is finally becoming the lead role in your own life.

🔎 YOUR TURN: FIND YOUR BREAKTHROUGHS

Let’s get real for a second.

Actors are Olympic-level experts at ignoring their wins.

You downplay the good.

You dramatize the struggle.

You say things like “I didn’t really have any breakthroughs this year.”

Let me say this with love:

That is a lie.

Your ego is protecting the comfort zone.

Growth feels risky.

Breakthroughs feel threatening.

So your brain hides them.

But if I told you that you absolutely had multiple breakthroughs this year…

and you just needed to sit in silence long enough to NOTICE them… you would find them.

So take 30 minutes today and go mining for your breakthroughs.

Ask yourself:

• Did you learn something new.

• Get more auditions than usual.

• Take better care of your body.

• Get your first booking.

• Book a lead.

• Get your first residual check.

• Meet someone who shifted your path.

• Improve your relationship with your agent.

• Fix your schedule.

• Experience more joy, ease, flow, or love.

• Drop an old identity.

• Let go of something that was draining you.

• Make a bold choice you’ve been avoiding for years.

Breakthroughs are not always fireworks.

Sometimes the breakthrough is the moment you finally stop lying to yourself.

Write down everything.

Celebrate it.

And hit reply to share ONE breakthrough with me.

I want to hear yours!

🌟 WEEKLY CLIENT WINS: Gary Dunlop

GARY DUNLOP VS TECHNOLOGY.

And guess who won.

This week, Gary took on something he has been avoiding for years…
TECH

He had been holding onto the identity of “I am not techy. I am just an actor.”
We all know people who say this.

It feels cute.

It feels harmless.

It is neither cute nor harmless.

It is a self-imposed limitation.

When someone calls themselves a “technophobe,” what they really mean is:

“I don’t want to be responsible for learning something new.”

But the industry is moving.

Fast.

And the actors who refuse to adapt… get left behind.

This week, Gary faced the dragon.

Coach Brandon Knox spent extra time helping him with downloads and uploads for casting sites.

On the outside, it looks tiny.

On the inside, it is a seismic identity shift.

Because when you drop the identity that keeps you stuck… EVERYTHING opens up.

Huge congrats to Gary.

Massive thanks to Brandon.

Now your turn:

What is the ONE tech skill you have been avoiding that you already know you need to learn.

Write it down. Then tackle it. HIT REPLY and let me know what you are finally deciding to overcome.

🎬 SPOTLIGHT: MONOLOGUE OF THE MONTH CLUB

Let’s keep this simple.

Breakthroughs don’t magically appear.

They come from reps, consistency, accountability, and identity work.

Monologue of the Month Club gives you all four.

Big shoutout to Zabrina Douglas, who won a FREE audition coaching session for submitting her monologue in the monthly monologue challenge!

Inside MMC you get:

• A curated monologue every month

• A step by step rehearsal plan

• Free weekly coaching sessions

• A private community

• A growing training library

• Consistency built into your routine

But the REAL transformation:

You become the actor who sharpens their craft weekly… not the actor who dusts off their skills only when an audition hits.

You become consistent.

You become confident.

You become undeniable.

Just like Zabrina Douglas did this month.

And December… the month most actors lose momentum… becomes YOUR advantage.

👉 Click here to join Monologue of the Month Club and get started on your next lead role!

🎧 INSIDE THE AUDITION PODCAST SPOTLIGHT: EP197: FROM OPEN MIC DABBLER TO PAID PRO

If you have ever wondered how to turn open mics and bar shows into real paid work, this episode will save you years.

In Episode 197 of Inside the Audition, I answer six honest questions from a client who wants to go full time in comedy. The lessons apply to comedians, actors, and any performer who wants to make money doing what they love.

In this episode you will learn:
• How I went from unpaid open mics to higher paying gigs

• Why craft and cash are two different games

• How to handle the money roller coaster without burning out

• How to balance writing new material with finding gigs

• Why mentors matter and how lone wolf mode slows your growth

• How to network with working performers without being awkward

• What to know about performing in the States and visas

• How to stay positive when your calendar is light

• How to think long term while being ready for magic today

If you are stuck between “I love performing” and “how do I get paid for this,” listen to this one.

👉 Listen to Episode 197: From Open Mic Dabbler To Paid Pro