The Evolving Artist Podcast

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about-the-work.com

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Episode description

What if you could access any emotion on command — without dredging up your own trauma to get there?

That's exactly what Marisa Harba has spent over a decade developing.

She's an award-winning actress, director, founder of About The Work Actor's Studio in LA, and author of Acting with Energy — and her approach to acting is unlike anything I'd heard before.

When people say "your body is your instrument," Marisa took that literally.

She wondered, “Where are the notes?”

That question sent her on a journey that converged with her own PTSD healing, and led her to a complete acting methodology built around the chakra system.

What I love most about this conversation is how her method isn't just about getting a better performance. It's about not harming yourself to get there.

No emotional recall. No sitting in the corner listening to sad music until they call your name on set. No using your real child as emotional fodder for a devastating scene.

Instead, Marisa teaches actors to play their body like an instrument — starting with single notes (individual chakras), then building chords (layering two or three energy centers at once) to craft the exact emotional texture a scene requires.

We also talk about how this work quietly became her own healing process — and how grown men were walking out of her classes having released 20 years of guilt and shame without even knowing that was going to happen.

If you've ever felt like you get there emotionally about 82% of the time and want 100%, this episode is for you.

Explore ways to work with me: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this episode, I’m in the hot seat myself, being coached by my best friend, Jana, where she’s using her methods (which are very similar to mine) to help me identify what’s getting in the way of putting my work more broadly out into the world, which we found was rooted in my dad's trauma from fighting in the Vietnam War.

Explore ways to work with me: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this episode, you'll hear me work with musician Nathaniel Reason who, at the time of this recording, had recorded over 300 songs without sharing a single one.

You'll hear what was holding him back and what allowed the dam to break, which allowed him to not only start sharing his music, but record an album and tour the world.

I created this meditation/guided visualization to help you calm your nervous system in the wake of this devastating hurricane and to help you redirect feelings of guilt and overwhelm to feelings of love and hope for the recovery of yourself and our entire region <3

Explore ways to work with me: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this episode, you'll hear me facilitate a Mindset Repatterning session with actor Sol Castillo, who was feeling down and hopeless about the loss of acting jobs, due to Covid.

You'll hear how he regained his sense of optimism and confidence by the end of this session. And if you're struggling with the same thing, you'll feel the same shift, right along with him just by listening.

Explore ways to work together: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this episode, you'll hear me (Teri Wade) facilitate a Mindset Repatterning session for actor Stevie Johnson, who’s been in the business for decades.

You'll hear us get to the heart of what Stevie REALLY wants for his career, which is to break out of the utility actor trap.

And you'll hear us discover and resolve the unconscious blocks that were preventing him from stepping into lead character energy.

Explore ways to work together: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this episode, you'll hear me (Teri Wade) facilitate a Mindset Repatterning session with actor McKay Stewart who was feeling held back by factors in the entertainment industry that were out of his control.

You'll hear the powerful shift that allowed him to believe that nothing could get in the way of his dreams as an actor.

Explore ways to work together: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this episode you'll hear me (Teri Wade) facilitate a Mindset Repatterning session for writer Aisha Adams who was struggling with writer's block and judging her creative process.

We uncovered the real reason she was stuck, which was a fear of being attacked for her writing, and dissolved the block with a powerful message that made her feel safe to share her story.

Explore ways to work together: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this podcast, you'll hear me (Teri Wade) lead musician Jimmi Ruckalski through a Mindset Repatterning™ where he goes from feeling lonely and disconnected from the passion he used to feel to playing music like he hasn't in years.

He is a very talented and driven musician, but had been feeling like he lost his identity and confidence because of outside influences from his family, his intimate relationship, and his experiences at music school.

By the end of the session (where you’ll hear him play guitar), he was again feeling confident again, and proud of the work he was doing, and was smiling ear to ear. He also was able to recognize that being true to himself was not only best not only for him, but others around him.

Here's a breakdown of what's covered:

3:10 Feeling low confidence and loss of identity because of the way others steered him

4:15 What he wants most: bring back joy, love, identity

5:40 Family issues, music school, intimate relationship taking a toll

8:20 Different aspects of himself in conflict… bringing them into alignment

9:45 “I don’t feel like I’m good enough…”

10:45 Others feeling jealous of his success and how that impacted him

14:30 Working hard to do what others want me too (to be accepted) to my own detriment

15:10 Recreating structure and patterns; what pattern allows you to be/do/have

16:00 Validation of work and self -- wanting to belong

17:10 Doesn’t have supportive community of like-minded artists

18:27 Make sure all parts are getting what they need

20:15 How this work is molding your reality like play dough

21:20 Old pattern: “I feel lonely… I don’t have meaningful relationships with like-minded artists who really understand me…”

28:30 New pattern: “I have meaningful relationships with like-minded artists who really understand me and encourage me to do what I want to do and encourage me to stay true to myself…” (feels hopeful, but not possible yet)

32:12 Creating new possibilities from old patterns

33:03 Apologetic for no reason; timid, reserved, shy with others and while playing music

34:30 Wants to believe he’s good enough for people to hire him

35:20 Wants to feel proud of the work he does

36:14 “I’m outgoing and confident about who I am. I believe in myself. I put faith in myself. I’m proud of the work I do.”

39:30 Message from current self “I believe in you. I have faith in you. Me and everybody else want you to play from your heart.”

40:50 Modality: playing the guitar

43:30 After modality: “I wish you could see my face right now, I’m smiling ear to ear”

45:40 Appreciate most: “I’m the most helpful to others when I’m myself.”

46:45 Listen to how different he sounds and feels while saying statements again

49:23 Need to play more guitar after session; read affirmations aloud once per day for 2 weeks

50:00 How his openness is giving back to others who listen to this session

50:28 Visit www.MindsetRepatterning.com

Explore ways to work together: www.TheEvolvingArtist.com

In this podcast, you'll hear me (Teri Wade) facilitate a Mindset Repatterning session for actor Mark Neely who was struggling to move past the mortification of bombing an audition for Scandal.

We found the unconscious block that kept him from being able to speak in that audition, which had to do with how segregated Hollywood is behind the scenes.

By the end, Mark felt uplifted by an inclusive vision of what Hollywood is meant to be and like the door to Hollywood was open for him, too.

Here's a breakdown of what's covered:

5:20 - Letting go of negative “relationships” with acting.

11:40 - Switching agents and the relationship going south (inciting incidents).

19:10 - “Let me into the race and I’ll get the job done.”

20:10 - Conflicting beliefs: the up-front role vs the background role.

22:40 - Identifying mystery blocks to acting success.

24:04 - Naming the “ugly stuff” so you can get a bigger shift.

25:30 - Checking for patterns, not truth or falsehood.

27:20 - “The people who control Hollywood won’t let me in.”

29:40 - Divine timing of an experience; so it can be cleared to make way for what you want.

36:25 - Fitting in with Kerry Washington, “Let’s have some fun!”

38:12 - Being in front of the camera is magical... just where he wants to be.

43:50 - Same mindset for auditions and for shooting: “Let’s do a great story and make some magic.”

49:45 - Feeling excluded--being on the outside.

57:05 - The privilege of working with others in the industry.

58:30 - The ego destroying the magic (do you have to be arrogant to succeed as an actor?)

1:04:08 - “The fine line” of being accepted by actors at a certain level.

1:06:20 - Being a Black actor in a stereotypical role (the first time race is mentioned).

1:08:40 - Not wanting to be a victim or “blamey” about racism.

1:12:00 - Learning to be in a “minimal place”; having to work harder to be accepted.

1:21:20 - The real decision-makers and money-makers aren’t POC.

1:23:30 - Resistance to even naming the “ugliness”... the problem.

1:27:17 - “Hate and privilege from white people who run studios doesn’t let me or people who look like me in.”

1:29:10 - Justifiable anger in the face of injustice.

1:31:15 - The “magic genie result.”

1:34:00 - Flipping the script: “studios are multicultural” and “open the gates with love and appreciation for the talents of everyone.”

1:35:35 - Importance of the stories from artists.

1:41:12 - Stepping into the role of main studio head to apologize for the wrongs they’ve done

1:44:05 - Expressing gratitude for Mark’s willingness to be vulnerable and represent those who are excluded.

1:46:00 - Rechecking the statements; noticing how the negative statements now sound like they came from a completely different person--“the old you.”