Get Messy | Mindset Podcast for Ambitious Creatives

What if the thing you’re really afraid of isn’t failure or rejection or never reaching your potential? What if it’s you? In this episode, I’m unpacking a line from my past guest Corinne Evans that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about: “What keeps me up at night is often me being afraid of myself.” Underneath so many of our creative fears is one quiet belief: “I can’t trust my own judgment.”

I get into why this fear hits creatives especially hard in an industry that almost never gives you clear feedback, and how our brains fill in the gaps with fear-based stories. I talk about learning to filter feedback (Amy Austin’s window screen visual), why you’re always allowed to choose again, and how self-trust gets built the same way trust gets built with anyone: through consistency. I also bring in a metaphor from my grad school counseling classes about a bucket of water, and what it looks like to keep making small deposits into your own self-trust, even on the days when it’s only a teaspoon.

This one’s for anyone lying awake second-guessing a decision they’ve already made, or wondering why their gut feels so shaky right now.

In This Episode:

• A line from Corinne Evans that stuck with me: the fear underneath the fear
• Why failure, rejection, and fear of not reaching your potential can all lead back to “can I trust myself?”
• Why creatives rarely get clear feedback, and how our brains fill in the blanks
• Why you can book a job and still wonder why, or not book and have no idea why either
• Amy Austin’s window screen metaphor for filtering feedback
• “Your talent is in your choices,” a quote from an old acting teacher
• Why you’re always allowed to make a new choice
• Building self-trust through kept promises, one deposit at a time
• What I’m learning in grad school about trust and rapport in the therapeutic relationship
• The bucket metaphor for self-trust, and what to do on the days you have to take a scoop out
• A new question to ask when anxiety shows up: what’s the fear underneath this fear?

RESOURCES:

• Get Messy episode with Corrin Evans
• Get Messy episode with Sam Valentine
• My mindset coach, Amy Austin

✨Connect with Maddie✨

@maddiemcguirecoaching | @maddiemcguire4

Mallory Gonyea is an actor and producer based in Nashville, and this conversation is full of the kind of golden nuggets that only come from someone who has done real inner work. A former elite athlete who majored in theater and graduated straight into the pandemic and the writers’ strike, Mallory shares what it took to start pursuing acting professionally in the last three years, and why she’d tell her younger self that the healing isn’t a detour: it’s the gateway.

We get into the realities of a long stretch without reps (three years without agents, then three more to find the right ones), how she’s working through comparison in a culture that makes everyone feel behind, and why constant rejection is the part of this career that’s hardest to separate from your worth. Mallory also shares how the online community around her helped her think bigger than her market, how creating her own work, including her production company Eden Pictures and her award-winning short film Had I Found You, took away the desperation to be chosen, and how she’s learning to allow good things to come in. She closes by naming her current chapter, and it’s a mic drop.

This episode is for anyone who’s felt behind, overlooked, or unsure whether it’s okay for things to finally get easier.

Key Topics Discussed:

• From Elite Athlete to Actor: Finding Joy and Purpose in Acting
• Why Healing Is Part of the Path, Not a Pause on It
• Letting Yourself Live Life Instead of Rushing the Timeline
• Battling Comparison, Age Anxiety, and Body Culture in the Industry
• Years Without Reps and Not Attaching Your Worth to Rejection
• Thinking Bigger Than Your Market: Building Connections Through Online Community
• The Power of Creating Your Own Work and Choosing Yourself
• Winning Best Actress and Learning to Celebrate Without Feeling Like You’re Bragging
• Reframing Pursuing Acting as Service Instead of Selfishness
• Learning to Trust Your Own Voice Instead of Outsourcing Decisions
• Allowing Good Things to Come In and Breaking Generational Patterns

RESOURCES:

• Listen to Get Messy: The Art of Persistence: Jim Meskimen on Acting, Creation, and The Role of Curiosity
• Eden Pictures, Mallory’s production company
• Had I Found You, Mallory’s short film
• The Spark, Amy Austin’s membership community

✨Connect with Mallory Gonyea ✨

Instagram: @mallorygonyea | Mallory’s IMDB

✨Connect with Maddie ✨

Explore Maddie's Website | @messywithmaddie

Have you ever noticed that when one good thing happens in your day, everything else starts flowing in that direction too? That’s not a coincidence, and there’s actual science behind it. In this episode, I’m breaking down the broaden-and-build theory, a framework from positive psychologist Dr. Barbara Fredrickson that I came across in a Bustle article, and what it means for navigating the emotional rollercoaster of a creative career.

I get into how positive emotions widen your thinking and build resilience over time, while stress and spiraling shrink your perspective into tunnel vision. I talk about what contracted thinking looks like for creatives in slow booking seasons or when your content isn’t getting traction, and why the way out isn’t pushing harder, it’s one small, intentional shift toward something good. I share the micro moments I use to shift my own state (including walking into an audition as if I’ve already booked the job), and why recovery has to be built into your week for any of this to work.

This one’s for anyone in a hard season who feels like they’re working harder than ever and seeing no results.

In This Episode:

• A quick story about my $6 Paris sweater (and the coincidence that came with it)
• Why one good thing in your day can make everything else start flowing
• The broaden-and-build theory, explained
• What contracted thinking looks like for creatives in slow seasons
• Why a small positive shift, not forced positivity, is what widens your perspective
• My go-to micro moments, from movement to the Activations app to going into an audition like I’ve already booked the job
• Micro shifts to try before a self-tape, audition, or creative session
• Why recovery is the prerequisite for creativity, not a reward for working hard enough
• Why the way through a hard season isn’t more pressure

RESOURCES:

• Bustle article on the broaden-and-build theory by Carolyn Steber
• Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, creator of the broaden-and-build theory
• Lisa Chen, licensed psychotherapist referenced in the article
• The Activations app

✨Connect with Maddie✨

@maddiemcguirecoaching | @maddiemcguire4

Welcome to The Grind — a new series here on Get Messy. Nobody tells you what the middle looks like: the slow seasons, the unglamorous work, and the years it actually takes to build something that lasts. This series is for that middle, told by the people who are actually living it.

Andrew Klasnic started acting at five, moved to LA right after high school in 2011, and has since built a career across LA, Atlanta, and now Charleston, South Carolina, all while working a full-time job in hospitality, running a business, and raising two daughters. In this conversation, he talks about why leaving a national market made him a bigger fish in a smaller pond, how he landed a new TV and film agent out of hundreds of submissions, and what it looks like to get put on hold for shows like Outer Banks from a regional market.

We get into the realities of working Fi-Core (and the heated opinions that come with it), the financial and logistical juggling act of an acting career with a family, and what he’d tell his 19-year-old self about creating his own work instead of waiting to be picked. Andrew also opens up about finally climbing cringe mountain on social media, how fatherhood has become his anchor for staying present, and the story behind his mobile headshot studio, The Studio Trailer, and his children’s book, Why Not Me?

This episode is for anyone balancing a creative career with real-life responsibilities and wondering whether it’s still possible to go after it all.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Building a Career Across LA, Atlanta, and Charleston
• Why a Regional Market Can Make You a Bigger Fish in a Smaller Pond
• Working Fi-Core: What It Is and Why It’s Polarizing
• Landing New Reps Out of Hundreds of Submissions
• Getting Put on Hold for Big Shows From a Regional Market
• Running Your Own Race and Letting Go of Comparison
• Getting Out of Your Own Way on Social Media
• Staying Present Across Fatherhood, a Full-Time Job, and an Acting Career
• Why Taking Care of Yourself Is How You Show Up Prepared
• Starting The Studio Trailer: A Mobile Headshot Studio on Wheels
• Writing the Children’s Book Why Not Me? and Believing You’re Capable

RESOURCES:

• Listen to Get Messy episode with Corey Clifford
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

✨ Connect with Andrew✨

Instagram: @klazzact

Andrew’s Children's Book: Why Not Me? — children’s book written by Andrew and illustrated by his wife

Andrew’s Business: The Studio Trailer — mobile headshot and portrait studio

VOTE for Andrew in his Super Dad Competition

✨Connect with Maddie ✨

Explore Maddie's Website | @messywithmaddie

Someone out there is half as talented as you, living a version of your dream just because they had the audacity to put themselves out there. When I heard that, I didn't get angry, I got lit up, because it means the thing standing between you and everything you want might have nothing to do with talent. In this episode, I'm talking about audacity: the word that has been following me around all year, and what it actually takes to cultivate it.

I get into why audacity is the new confidence (but louder, grittier, and a little bit delusional in the best way), why I believe it matters as much as talent, and why our nervous systems are hardwired to protect us instead of promote us. I talk about the people I took acting class with years ago who were profoundly talented, and why the biggest differentiator in who went on to build a career was their level of self-belief. I also get real about why self-belief has to come before the evidence, and why audacity isn't just talk: it's built in action, one kept commitment at a time. I'm recording this on a day that doesn't feel great, and I share why that's exactly the point.

This one's for anyone who's waiting to feel ready, confident, or validated before they go after what they want.

In This Episode:

• The quote that lit me up: someone half as talented as you is living your dream because they had the audacity to go for it
• Why the word "audacity" has been following me around all year
• Audacity as the new confidence, and what makes it different
• Why audacity matters as much as talent (and what I've seen in people from my old acting classes)
• Why our nervous systems are wired to protect us instead of promote us
• Why self-belief has to come before the evidence
• How the brain can read the absence of evidence as proof of failure, and how people quietly kiss their dreams goodbye
• Why audacity isn't just talk: it's built through action and kept commitments
• Showing up on a hard day, and why the gap between where you are and where you want to be is smaller than it looks
• Thought replacement, signing your own permission slip, and taking action before the evidence arrives

✨ Resouces in this episode✨

• "You Have the Talent, What You Need is the Audacity" via the Crystal Clear Substack
• "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron
• Jessi Jean, online content creator

✨Connect with Maddie✨

@maddiemcguirecoaching | @maddiemcguire4

Welcome to The Grind — a new series here on Get Messy. Nobody tells you what the middle looks like: the slow seasons, the unglamorous work, and the years it actually takes to build something that lasts. This series is for that middle, told by the people who are actually living it.

Ruchi Loomba is an actor, writer, producer, and director based in Seattle, and this conversation covers a lot of ground: juggling acting with another full-time career in healthcare, pursuing outside representation in markets like Chicago, and the two short films she's written, produced, and self-funded — including one deeply personal story about mental illness in the South Asian community. She also opens up about becoming a new mom just 11 weeks before this conversation, and what it's looked like to figure out how to make space for creativity in a completely new season of life.

We get into the damaging "this has to be your Plan A" rhetoric so many actors are raised on, why most actors don't make most of their money from acting (and why that's nothing to be ashamed of), learning to discern good feedback from bad, and the power of community — including the serendipitous referral that landed her outside representation in Chicago. Ruchi also shares what it's been like to navigate this industry as a person of color, and how that's shaped the kind of work she's chosen to create herself.

This episode is for anyone balancing a creative career with another job, another identity, or a completely new season of life, and wondering if that makes them any less of an artist.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Balancing Acting with a Full-Time Career in Healthcare
• Pursuing Outside Representation and the Realities of Being a "Local Hire"
• Why "This Has to Be Your Plan A" Is Damaging, Limiting Advice
• Learning to Discern Good Feedback from Bad
• Writing, Producing, and Crowdfunding Her First Short Film
• Stepping Back from Acting to Direct Her Second Film
• Navigating the Industry as a Person of Color
• Becoming a New Mom and Making Space for Creativity
• The Power of Community and Serendipitous Connections

✨Connect with Ruchi Loomba ✨

Instagram: @ruchiloomba

Website: ruchiloomba.com

✨Connect with Maddie ✨

Explore Maddie's Website | @messywithmaddie

I got nominated to give a speech in front of 150 people at my grad school residency, and what came out of that week — the stories I heard, the things I haven't been able to stop thinking about since — is something I knew I had to bring here.

In this episode, I share what unfolded during my grad school's yearly residency, including getting nominated as my cohort's group leader and having to give a speech in front of the entire program. I get into the three biggest things that came out of that week: why your purpose and your calling will always find you on the right timeline, why the people in your inner circle are keys that unlock the next door you're meant to walk through, and why zooming in on the next step (instead of the whole mountain) is often the only antidote to future tripping. I also share my own winding path to grad school — including a conversation with a past guest, Sasha Feldman, that planted the seed years ago, and a strange, chills-inducing moment involving Tim Tebow's Instagram bio that pushed me to finally act on it.

This one's for anyone who feels like their calling has been trying to get their attention for a while now.

In This Episode:

• Getting nominated as group leader and giving a speech to 150 people at grad school residency
• My own winding path to grad school, including the conversation that planted the seed
• The Tim Tebow story that gave me chills and pushed me to finally commit
• "Your purpose and your calling will always find you on the right timeline"
• Why the people in your inner circle are keys that unlock your next door
• Why clarity often comes from moving forward together, not figuring it out alone
• Future tripping, and why the antidote is zooming in, not out
• The bravery of saying yes to something that scares you

RESOURCES:

• Get Messy episode with Sasha Feldman

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Schedule a Call with Maddie | Explore Maddie’s Website

@maddiemcguirecoaching | @maddiemcguire4

Corey Clifford is a SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, director, and acting coach based in LA, and this conversation is a masterclass in staying in the game for the long haul — with humor, humility, and a whole lot of reality TV references along the way. We get into what it actually takes to balance the craft and the business side of acting, why the old "ladder" of co-star to guest star to series regular doesn't really exist anymore, and why creating your own work has become less optional and more essential.

Corey opens up about becoming a mom nearly two years ago and figuring out what it means to stay an artist while raising a toddler, the terrifying-but-necessary decision to end a manager relationship that wasn't serving her, and the years-long journey of writing a feature film with her husband that they're now determined to actually get made. We also talk about coaching actors through self-doubt regardless of how much they've booked, the "actor's rejection muscle," and why climbing cringe mountain — reaching out, self-promoting, putting yourself out there — is nonnegotiable in this version of the industry.

This episode is funny, honest, and full of real, practical wisdom for anyone building a long-term creative career in an industry that keeps rewriting its own rules.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Balancing the Craft and the Business Side of Acting
• Why the Old "Ladder" of Career Progression No Longer Exists
• Creating Your Own Work as a Non-Negotiable Career Strategy
• Becoming a Mom and Staying an Artist at the Same Time
• Ending a Manager Relationship and Learning to Advocate for Herself
• Coaching Actors Through Self-Doubt at Every Level
• Climbing Cringe Mountain: Self-Promotion, Reaching Out, and the Actor's Rejection Muscle
• Writing and Pursuing Funding for a Feature Film with Her Husband
• The Importance of Community and Accountability Groups

✨Connect with Corey✨

Corey’s Instagram

Corey’s Website

Corey’s Podcast: Cinema Possessed

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Schedule a Call with Maddie | Explore Maddie’s Website

@maddiemcguirecoaching | @maddiemcguire4

Authenticity has become such a buzzword that some people are starting to reject it entirely — but what if we've been thinking about it all wrong? In this episode, I'm reframing authenticity as something that isn't a fixed destination you arrive at, but something that shifts depending on the day, the season, and the version of you that showed up this morning.

I revisit something my past guest Sasha Feldman (actor-turned-therapist) said that I haven't been able to stop thinking about: that authenticity isn't a general idea, because he's constantly different — sometimes confident, sometimes not. I get real about how I'm actually feeling on the day I'm recording this (not great, if I'm honest), and why showing up in that state is just as authentic as the confident, put-together version of me from last week. I also share a reframe my therapist gave me about anxiety — how a part of me I've resented has actually been helping me all along — and why staying near yourself, even the messy or scared parts, matters more than performing a fixed identity.

This one's for anyone who's tired of performing a version of themselves that doesn't leave room for the full range of who they actually are.

In This Episode:

• Why authenticity isn't a fixed destination — it shifts day by day
• A reframe from Sasha Feldman: "I can't be authentic as a general idea because I'm constantly different"
• Getting honest about how I'm actually feeling today, and why that counts as authentic too
• A therapy reframe on anxiety — how a part of me I resented has actually been helping me
• Staying near yourself instead of abandoning yourself when things aren't going perfectly
• Why vulnerability, contradiction, and mess are the material for creative work, not liabilities
• A conversation with Amy Austin on unraveling yourself from what other people expect
• Authenticity as a practice of telling the truth about where you are right now, not a state you achieve

RESOURCES:

• Get Messy episode with Sasha Feldman
• My mindset coach, Amy Austin

✨Connect with Maddie✨

⁠Explore Maddie's Website⁠ | ⁠@messywithmaddie

Welcome to The Grind — a new series here on Get Messy. Nobody tells you what the middle looks like: the slow seasons, the unglamorous work, and the years it actually takes to build something that lasts. This series is for that middle, told by the people who are actually living it.

Tatiana Pavela has been in the industry for two decades — from experimental theater in New York, to grad school in Seattle, to finding her creative home in Chicago's storefront theater scene. In this episode, she opens up about the darkest, most burnt-out period of her career (a deep depression that forced her into real mindset work out of necessity), and the profound reset that came out of COVID: learning to build space into her life instead of constantly pushing.

We get into what it actually means to "do it" in this industry, why the fearless artist is a myth, and how Tatiana has learned to hold fear as a sign of doing meaningful work rather than something to avoid. She shares the wild, years-long journey of developing and touring her solo show Brandy Alexander — from a grant, to a double-header show in Minneapolis, to an invitation from Juilliard, to a full run in Edinburgh that was, in her words, one of the hardest and proudest things she's ever done. We also talk about the stigma around staying non-union, redefining success beyond bookings, and why she's stopped believing in goals altogether.

This episode is for anyone who's ever felt like the industry's "shoulds" were pulling them further away from what they actually want.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Two Decades in the Industry: New York, Seattle, and Finding Home in Chicago Theater
• Redefining What It Means to "Do It" as an Artist
• Burnout, Depression, and the Mindset Work Born Out of Necessity
• How COVID Forced a Profound Reset and the Gift of Space
• The Stigma Around Staying Non-Union, and Why Talent Isn't the Distinction
• The Fearless Artist Is a Myth: Learning to Use Fear as a Signal, Not a Stop Sign
• Creating Her Own Work: The Years-Long Journey of Brandy Alexander
• Success and Failure Existing in the Same Moment
• Letting Go of Goals and Making Room for What Actually Feels Aligned

✨Connect with Tatiana Pavela ✨

Instagram: @tatianapavella

Website: https://www.tatianapavela.com/

✨Connect with Maddie ✨

Explore Maddie's Website | @messywithmaddie