The Aligned Actor

Last week, I presented the “What’s On Your Plate?” Exercise and you looked at everything you have going on in your life — all the stuff that requires energy from you and everything that’s stressing you out.

Likely, you have a lot on your plate and maybe that exercise even left you feeling a little overwhelmed.

Well, I have good news for you. There’s a tool we’ve been practicing here a lot and that we will practice again today, which will help you reduce your stress and restore your energy.

Of course, I’m talking about Mindfulness.

As a reminder, mindfulness is a special way of paying attention to the present moment with a curious, kind, and non-judgmental attitude.

Now, of course, mindfulness is not going to magically fix your life so that you have abundant energy and everything is sunshine and rainbows for the rest of time.

But, a regular practice of mindfulness meditation definitely can calm you physically and mentally, allowing your body and mind a chance to recharge.

Let’s practice now so that you can experience this for yourself.

Hopefully you feel calmer and more restored. Notice what positive effects that meditation had on your mind and body. Maybe you feel a bit more relaxed and energized for the rest of your day.

The effects of mindfulness are immediate and cumulative. You benefit during the session and continue to benefit even when not actively practicing. As an example, I bet you sleep a little better tonight after practicing today which will help you restore your energy even more.

Next week we’ll explore more ways for you to re-energize yourself, but for today, I want to leave you with some guided mindfulness recordings to support your practice this week.

Build Your Mindfulness Practice

I’ve built up quite a library of mindfulness recordings that can support your practice. Here are some tracks to get you started…

Mindful Moment (6:54)

Mindful Moment (6:56)

Mindful Moment (7:22)

Mindfulness Meditation (12:06)

Mindful Breathing (12:20)

Mindfulness Practice (12:53)

Paid subscribers get full access to The Aligned Actor Guided Audio Library which includes mindfulness meditations, focusing meditations, and NLP exercises.

If you found this article helpful or inspiring, I’d be honored if you’d leave a comment, share it with a pal, give a one-time donation, or consider becoming a paid subscriber.

I’m a professional actor, a mindfulness and mindset coach, and I’m ready to help you thrive in your actor life.

🎭 I’ve been a professional actress for almost 20 years. I’ve survived 3 industry shut downs - 2 strikes and 1 global pandemic. I’ve worked in TV, film, commercials, and produced my own award-winning web series.

🧠 I’ve been a life coach for 5 years, specializing in mindfulness and neurolinguistic programming and helping people become more aware and focused on making positive changes in their lives.

💖 I blend lived experience with powerful, proven coaching tools.

🎢 Let’s get you feeling resilient, empowered, focused, playful, relaxed, confident, and riding the acting career roller coaster without throwing up! 🤗

Community Zooms for Paid-Subscribers! 💻

I offer exclusive Zoom sessions for paid subscribers. Support my on-going work and enjoy “office hours” with yours truly! Drop into a Zoom session to experience guided mindfulness and supportive, community-based mindset coaching.

If you’re curious about mindset coaching, but saving for your next headshot session, this is a great way to get affordable access in a supportive, community environment.

Get my FREE Pre-Audition Focusing Meditation 🎧

I’ve created a free meditation to help you get out of your head and into your character so that you can rock your next audition.

It’s going to help you calm your nerves, let go of distracting thoughts — “How can I book this? What do they want?” — and focus in on what your character wants, what’s going on in the scene, so that you can present your best work every time.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

Acting is a unique career that requires A LOT of energy. Sure, it’s fun to play characters expressing all kinds of emotions, but it’s also exhausting. Not to mention the 4:30am call times and overnight shoots.

Additionally, many of us have full time jobs in addition to our full time career, and we all have general life stuff going on too.

That’s a lot to juggle!

We need energy for our FULL Actor Life. Otherwise, how will we turn in a kickass self-tape after a long day of work and parenting and all the other stuff we have going on?

This week I invite you to take some time to acknowledge everything going on in your life — everything that requires your physical and mental energy.

"What’s on Your Plate?"

This exercise will help you acknowledge everything you have going on in your life.

* What are you doing regularly? What are your responsibilities? What do you need energy for? Where is your energy going?

* What’s stressing you out? What are your sources of stress? What’s weighing on your heart and/or mind?

You can get a print out here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

We’re practicing mindfulness today because mindfulness is an incredibly important tool that can help us thrive physically, mentally, and emotional in all areas and aspects of our creative lives.

As a reminder, mindfulness is an incredibly simple practice — it’s a special way of paying attention to the present moment with kindness and curiosity.

In the past I’ve used the term, “non-judgmental curiosity” but I’ve been enjoying Mindfulness Daily with Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield — a free 40 day course I highly recommend — and they often use the word “kindness” to describe the quality of mind cultivated through mindfulness. I’m finding I prefer the term “kindness” over “non-judgmental” because it keeps the focus on what to do instead of what not to do.

Check out my website --> thealignedactor.com

Get my Pre-Audition Focusing Meditation (free!) --> https://pre-audition-focusing-meditation.teachery.co/get-it-now

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

Today I want to share with you a super simple starter mindfulness practice. It’s so simple that you can do it anytime, anywhere. It’s small enough that you will think “This couldn’t possibly be doing anything for me!” but I promise you, if you do it consistently, it will deliver big results.

What I like to call “10-count Mindfulness” is a great way to get started practicing mindfulness. All you do is count your inhales and exhales up to 10.

“One” on the inhale, “two” on the exhale, “three” on the inhale, “four” on the exhale, etc…all the way up to 10.

That’s it. Easy-breezy, lemon-squeezy.

Go to Substack post

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

Happy New Year! Happy 2026!

I thought it would be fun to spend some time together exploring how we want 2026 to look and feel for us. I wrote a creative, meditative visualization designed to relax you and allow your mind’s eye to just play and dream.

If you found this content helpful or inspiring, I’d be honored if you’d leave a comment, share it with a pal, give a one-time donation, or consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Go to post on Substack

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

‘Tis the season of Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward All, so in keeping with that theme, I thought it would be a good time for us to do a loving kindness meditation together.

Loving kindness meditation is a beautiful practice where we focus on and activate feelings of love, kindness, and compassion within us, and then flow those feelings energetically out to various people and creatures we envision in our mind.

Let’s practice together.

May you be safe…may you be healthy…may you be happy…may you live with ease.

I wish you all the best this season. Take care until next time.

If you found this article helpful or inspiring, I’d be honored if you’d leave a comment, share it with a pal, give a one-time donation, or consider becoming a paid subscriber.

NEW! Community Zooms for Paid Subscribers! 💻

I’m now offering exclusive Zoom sessions for paid subscribers. Support my on-going work and enjoy “office hours” with yours truly! Drop into a Zoom session to experience guided mindfulness and supportive, community-based mindset coaching.

If you’re curious about mindset coaching, but saving for your next headshot session, this is a great way to get affordable access in a supportive, community environment.

I’m a professional actor, a mindfulness and mindset coach, and I’m ready to help you thrive in your actor life.

🎭 I’ve been a professional actress for almost 20 years. I’ve survived 3 industry shut downs - 2 strikes and 1 global pandemic. I’ve worked in TV, film, commercials, and produced my own award-winning web series.

🧠 I’ve been a life coach for 5 years, specializing in mindfulness and neurolinguistic programming and helping people become more aware and focused on making positive changes in their lives.

💖 I blend lived experience with powerful, proven coaching tools.

🎢 Let’s get you feeling resilient, empowered, focused, playful, relaxed, confident, and riding the acting career roller coaster without throwing up! 🤗

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

If you’ve spent any time in my world at all, you know that one of my favorite mottos is ABC: Always Be Celebrating.

I celebrate EVERYTHING.

I celebrate every time I record a PodTubeStack.

I celebrate every time I complete a workout.

I celebrate every time I skip a glass of wine in the evening.

I celebrate every time I submit a self tape.

I celebrate every time I teach a workshop or coach a client.

Celebrating throughout my day is fun and makes both my body and brain feel good. It’s also a surefire way to boost my motivation and self-esteem, both of which are important elements of a strong and positive mindset.

Celebration Builds Motivation

Celebration activates the reward center of our brain. We get a little hit of dopamine which makes us feel good and then we associate that good feeling with whatever we are celebrating. As a result, we tend to seek out ways to do that thing again.

Celebrating after I record a PodTubeStack motivates me to record more PodTubeStacks. My brain associates creating content with good feelings, so of course it wants to create more content to get more good feelings.

Celebration Builds Self-Esteem

On a deeper level, celebration also makes us feel positive about ourselves because WE did that thing!

Celebrating after I submit a self tape makes me feel good about myself as an actor and boosts my self-esteem. Regardless of the outcome, I did my work and shared it with the industry. Good job, me!

Celebration Builds a Positive Mindset

Feeling motivated and confident in ourselves is a really healthy headspace to be in as an actor. This mindset keeps us focused and taking action on our goals in a kind and supportive way.

Instead of letting our inner critic bully and berate us using tactics that make us feel bad about ourselves — “You’re so lazy! It’s about time you got off your ass and recorded!” — celebration activates our inner super fan — “Woohoo! You’re awesome! You did it!!!” — who cheers us on and makes us feel good about ourselves.

Think back to your school days and your favorite teachers. I bet the ones you remember most fondly were the ones who encouraged you, celebrated your progress, and made you feel good about yourself. I bet you did better in their classes, too.

As an adult, you get to decide what kind of approach to take with yourself now. I know which I prefer. 😉

Exercise: “I’m proud of myself for…”

Now that I’ve sold you on celebration, let’s get you started with your intentional celebration practice by celebrating your 2025.

This is an exercise I use with my clients that can feel awkward at first, but when folks get going, it lights them up like nothing else. It’s a rampaging process that will help you acknowledge and celebrate yourself.

All you do is complete the phrase “I’m proud of myself for…” over and over and over again. You can do this out loud or in written form.

Important note: If you’re the type to downplay your accomplishments because you fear celebrating them would turn you into an insufferable braggart, please know that this exercise is entirely different. This process is meant for you and you alone. It will help you feeling good about yourself by acknowledging things you did and ways you showed up this year. That’s not bragging! It’s acknowledging and celebrating yourself. Like I said in the post, you’re just boosting your self-esteem and motivation.

Go wild with celebration for yourself!

If you found this article helpful or inspiring, I’d be honored if you’d leave a comment, share it with a pal, make a one-time donation, or consider becoming a paid subscriber.

NEW! Community Zooms for Paid-Subscribers! 💻

I’m now offering exclusive Zoom sessions for paid subscribers. Support my on-going work and enjoy “office hours” with yours truly! Drop into a Zoom session to experience guided mindfulness and supportive, community-based mindset coaching.

If you’re curious about mindset coaching, but saving for your next headshot session, this is a great way to get affordable access in a supportive, community environment.

I’m a professional actor, a mindfulness and mindset coach, and I’m ready to help you thrive in your actor life.

🎭 I’ve been a professional actress for almost 20 years. I’ve survived 3 industry shut downs - 2 strikes and 1 global pandemic. I’ve worked in TV, film, commercials, and produced my own award-winning web series.

🧠 I’ve been a life coach for 5 years, specializing in mindfulness and neurolinguistic programming and helping people become more aware and focused on making positive changes in their lives.

💖 I blend lived experience with powerful, proven coaching tools.

🎢 Let’s get you feeling resilient, empowered, focused, playful, relaxed, confident, and riding the acting career roller coaster without throwing up! 🤗

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

As we approach the end of 2025, there’s a natural inclination to reflect on the year and for actors that can mean looking at our numbers.

* How many auditions did I have?

* How many callbacks?

* How many avail checks?

* How many bookings?

Data holds value.

But data does not tell the whole story.

Personally, I had a slow year, so my 2025 numbers leave me feeling uninspired and a little down. Fortunately, I also recognize that there are some significant ways that I grew and up-leveled as an actor that just can’t be measured in the numbers, but are worth celebrating and acknowledging.

A Different Year-End Review For Actors

I decided to write some prompts to help us all reflect on our Actor Life beyond the numbers. These questions will get you exploring more of your inner actor world — how you’re feeling about things, how you’re growing, where things feel good, and where things feel not-so-good, etc — so that you can celebrate what’s working for you as an actor and also see if there are any shifts you want to make in how you approach your craft, your career, or your actor mindset.

Some of these prompts may feel really good to answer and others may feel challenging or confronting, so I encourage you to be gentle with yourself as you explore this work. You can answer them all, just some, or none at all. This is YOUR work.

I invite you to explore these questions mindfully, and with non-judgmental curiosity. If you have a strong reaction to a question, gently ask “Hmmm, I wonder why…?” you may discover a part of you that needs to voice something.

Again, play with this and “make it your own” as they say. Trust that you will get out of this exactly what you need.

Your Inner Actor World 2025 Reflection

How did you grow this year?

How did you challenge yourself this year?

What new things did you learn about yourself?

In what ways did you up-level your craft?

What did you love about this year?

What didn’t work for you in 2025?

What do you want to bring with you into 2026?

What will you leave behind in 2025?

How did you feed your creative soul this year?

How did you care for yourself this year?

Who inspired you this year?

What small wins can you celebrate?

What big wins can you celebrate?

Where could you offer yourself more grace, compassion, and forgiveness?

What felt good this year?

What didn’t feel good this year?

What challenges or struggles did you face this year?

How did you show up differently this year than in previous years?

Regardless of the results, which auditions did you have the most fun with?

Regardless of the results, how did your audition process feel in general this year?

Regardless of the results, is your audition process working for you?

How could you enjoy your audition process more?

What would make auditioning easier and more enjoyable for you?

Even if nothing external changed, what are some ways you could enjoy your career more?

What made you feel most alive as an actor?

What would you like more of in 2026?

What would you like less of in 2026?

How do you want to feel in 2026?

How will you show up for yourself in 2026?

And remember…

No matter your numbers or your answers to these questions…

YOU. ARE. AN. ACTOR.

If you found this article helpful or inspiring, I’d be honored if you’d leave a comment, share it with a pal, buy me a coffee, or consider becoming a paid subscriber.

NEW! Community Zooms for Paid-Subscribers! 💻

I’m now offering exclusive Zoom sessions for paid subscribers. Support my on-going work and enjoy “office hours” with yours truly! Drop into a Zoom session to experience guided mindfulness and supportive, community-based mindset coaching.

If you’re curious about mindset coaching, but saving for your next headshot session, this is a great way to get affordable access in a supportive, community environment.

I’m a professional actor, a mindfulness and mindset coach, and I’m ready to help you thrive in your actor life.

🎭 I’ve been a professional actress for almost 20 years. I’ve survived 3 industry shut downs - 2 strikes and 1 global pandemic. I’ve worked in TV, film, commercials, and produced my own award-winning web series.

🧠 I’ve been a life coach for 5 years, specializing in mindfulness and neurolinguistic programming and helping people become more aware and focused on making positive changes in their lives.

💖 I blend lived experience with powerful, proven coaching tools.

🎢 Let’s get you feeling resilient, empowered, focused, playful, relaxed, confident, and riding the acting career roller coaster without throwing up! 🤗

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

‘Tis the season of joy and magic and festive good cheer.

‘Tis also the season of…

…rushing to finish all the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of 2025 (or lamenting how you fell short)…

…shopping for all the gifts for all the folks, including that ONE THING your kid desperately wants that is sold out EVERYWHERE…

…attending all the work parties, and friend parties, and school recitals…

…traveling… or hosting…or dealing with disappointing the in-laws…yet again.

Basically, ‘tis the season of stress, which is why I want to help you PLAN.

PLAN: A Mindfulness-Based Self Care Practice

Hectic holidays aside, PLAN is one of the main way that I practice self care these days. It’s how I ensure my physical and mental needs are met, no matter how busy my life gets.

In the past, when life got busy, self care was the first thing I let slide.

My schedule is packed, I have no time for lunch today.

I have so much to do, I’ll catch up on sleep on the weekend.

I’m rushing everywhere, there’s no time to meditate!

Yet, when life is busy and hectic, that’s exactly when we need self care the most. If we’re not caring for our bodies, minds, and spirits, we feel exhausted, stressed, and start putting our physical and mental health at risk.

As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

Hence the need for a…

PLAN: Pause, Look, Acknowledge, Nurture

(see what I did there?)

Pause. Literally stop what you’re doing and take a moment to check with yourself.

Look (inward and outward). Notice your current mental and physical state, including your current circumstances.

* Inwardly —> What thoughts are running through your mind? What emotions do you notice within you? What physical sensations do you feel in your body?

* My thoughts are muddy and unfocused. My brain is fried.

* I’m feeling ‘meh’ emotionally. Not good or bad, just ‘meh.’

* Physically, I notice a headache and some shoulder tension.

* Outwardly —> What is happening in your world? What are your current (or recent past/future) circumstances?

* I had a long work day with a lot of Zooms that required a lot of energy from me.

* Up next, I have to figure out dinner and the rest of the evening with the family.

Acknowledge. Witness and validate yourself. Acknowledge what is happening for you in this moment, and where you are mentally, emotionally, and physically.

I’m feeling tired and drained after a long work day. Makes sense, given all the energy I had to put on on Zoom. I have a headache and my shoulders feel tense, also makes sense. Now, I have to figure out dinner and the rest of the evening with my family, which requires more mental and physical energy. I acknowledge all that’s happening within me and around me. I see myself with compassion this moment.

Nurture. Take action (big or small) to care for yourself. What can you do to nurture yourself in this moment?

I’m going to finish my child’s snack of cheese and crackers to get some fuel into my body and take some ibuprofen for the headache and shoulder tension.

Nurturing doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming. It can be as simple as taking a few deep breaths or making yourself a cup of tea to enjoy while you continue your day.

That’s it. PLAN. Short, simple, and ready to go any time you need it.

The Real Magic of PLAN

Of course, engaging in an intentional act of self care (nurture) is the end goal of PLAN. Noticing your needs and taking action to meet them is how you build a powerful, lasting habit of self care.

However, the true magic of this exercise starts when we acknowledge ourselves and our circumstances. If you watch the full video version of this post, you’ll notice that I started to feel better while I was acknowledging myself. Truly, it felt like a great relief to just notice and validate everything I was feeling and experiencing in that moment.

It’s like when I have something weighing on my mind, and just sharing it with a trusted loved one magically seems to cut the weight in half. That’s the power of self-acknowledgment.

Self-acknowledgment is when YOU show up as your own trusted loved one.

It’s a powerful act of self care, self love, and self compassion.

Now THAT’s a gift worth giving yourself this holiday season.

Give PLAN a try for yourself and let me know what you think!

If you found this article helpful or inspiring, I’d be honored if you’d leave a comment, share it with a pal, buy me a coffee, or consider becoming a paid subscriber.

NEW! Community Zooms for Paid-Subscribers! 💻

I’m now offering exclusive Zoom sessions for paid subscribers. Support my on-going work and enjoy “office hours” with yours truly! Drop into a Zoom session to experience guided mindfulness and supportive, community-based mindset coaching.

If you’re curious about mindset coaching, but saving for your next headshot session, this is a great way to get affordable access in a supportive, community environment.

I’m a professional actor, a mindfulness and mindset coach, and I’m ready to help you thrive in your actor life.

🎭 I’ve been a professional actress for almost 20 years. I’ve survived 3 industry shut downs - 2 strikes and 1 global pandemic. I’ve worked in TV, film, commercials, and produced my own award-winning web series.

🧠 I’ve been a life coach for 5 years, specializing in mindfulness and neurolinguistic programming and helping people become more aware and focused on making positive changes in their lives.

💖 I blend lived experience with powerful, proven coaching tools.

🎢 Let’s get you feeling resilient, empowered, focused, playful, relaxed, confident, and riding the acting career roller coaster without throwing up! 🤗

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com

An area of #ActorLife that is often overlooked, but crucially important when it comes to maintaining a strong, resilient mindset, is the interactions that we have with the people in our lives who are not actors and have no connection to the entertainment industry — “outsiders.”

“Outsider” Thinking Can Tank Our Mindset

Acting is a WEIRD profession that most people are exposed to every day, but that can really only be understood by people who actively engage in it — ACTORS!

Because they don’t get it, the outsiders in our lives will say and do things that irritate us and often trigger our insecurities.

It doesn’t have to be this way...

Fortunately, there is a way out of this mess through mindfulness and mindset work.

But HOW, Amy? HOW?!?!

To really get into this topic with the depth it deserves requires us to continue this party off the PodTubeStack in my two upcoming workshops.

Mindfulness 101: Empower Your Craft and Your Career with Your Presence. We’re gonna break down mindfulness so that it becomes so simple and accessible that you can start making it a way of life that supports you in all aspects of your acting career.

Dealing With Folks Who Don’t Get It: Stop Feeling Like Crap After Every Phone Call & Gathering. That’s where we’re gonna dive deep on this problem and set you up with a specific plan that leaves you feeling confident in yourself and your acting career no matter what banana pants thing the outsiders in your life say or ask.

These two workshops are bundled together in…

The December Double Feature!

It’s two AWESOME Zoom workshops in ONE bundled offer, so you can feel calm, resilient, empowered, focused, relaxed, and confident going into The New Year!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com