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I like to watch educational videos on YouTube whenever I workout. Sometimes, I binge watch MarieTV with Marie Forleo.

One day, I watched her interview with Brendon Burchard about his book High Performance Habits, when he said something that sounded totally crazy to me: if you want to be a high performer, you should talk to yourself.

Wait, what?! I already look like I'm talking to myself when I spontaneously run lines in public, and nobody thinks it's cute! 

I'm sure you've heard that talking to yourself is a sign that you might be going cray-cray. Not so anymore, Actor Boss! In fact, you should talk to yourself before and after every audition so that you can audition with confidence.

Don't lie, you probably are talking to yourself already. However, if you want to know how to have more confidence in auditions, we need to make sure you're saying the best things to yourself to curb any unnecessary negative self-talk. What I'm sharing in this post isn't just my opinion--it's backed by science.

The High Performance Institute by Brendon Burchard now has the research to show that coaching yourself in the second person can increase your high performance, as mentioned in his interview with Marie Forleo.

Remember, this blog post is the follow-up to the Technique to Let Go of an Audition, but we'll sandwich that technique between your self-coaching sessions.

So here's the high-level overview:

1. Self-coach before the audition
2. Use the release technique after the audition
3. Self-coach after the release technique

If that seems like a lot, just know that it gets easier the more you do it. The truly meaningful parts of this process will surface when you need them. Commit to rehearsing the coaching I have listed in this post at least once for practice. 

In this post, I'll show you how I apply these steps specifically in terms of auditions. While the credit for this technique belongs 100% to Burchard, I'll give you the exact fill-in-the-blank coaching I use for myself as an actor. Try it out loud.

The goal is to become a high performer when you audition. Merriam-Webster defines high performance as being better, faster, or more efficient than others. Don't you want that in your auditions?! I know I do, not even to be better than others, but to be better than I currently am.

Auditioning is this totally weird beast that feels so different than breaking down a script and taking a long journey with your scene partner. I'm still working on it and probably always will be. Well, technically I heard that at some point you stop auditioning and just get asked if you want a role. 

If you're acting for the love of your craft, then you'll need this proven method to help you increase your high performance in auditions. It's not specifically for auditioning, but it can be used in any area that you want to increase high performance. So not only will this help your acting career, you can use it to help other aspects of your life as well.

Before each audition, what if you could:

• Feel confident?
• Lose the pre-audition jitters?
• Clear your head and calm your thoughts?
• Control your breathing?
• Relax your body?
• Feel more focused and present?
  ​

I've experienced all of those effects after self-coaching. I don't always remember to do it, but when I do, I straight up feel better.

Remember when I mentioned talking to yourself? Coach yourself in the second person. Pretend that you've sat yourself down and hired yourself to be your own personal coach.

For example, I would say, "Spurgeon, when you do this audition, you want to be...."

Now the fun can begin. You'll need to personalize this based on your goals, but I'll give you an example of my self-coaching so you have somewhere to start. Screenshot this to keep in your phone until you can do it from memory if you drive to your auditions.

Self-Coaching Example (before audition):

"Spurgeon, you've done the work already. You know your lines, you've broken down the script, and you left in plenty of time to be there early. Now you can focus on your objective. The casting directors are for you. They're looking for someone to serve their need of booking this role. They picked you out of a pile of headshots, so be thankful for that. Remember to have fun and be intentional with everyone you speak to. You thrive in a challenging environment, which is one of the reasons you love acting, so go enjoy this challenge."

Let's look at how you can personalize this method. Answer these five questions in regards to an audition.

5 Questions to Create Your Self-Coaching Breakdown:

1. Am I stressed right now, and if so why?
Coach your way out of stress by stating the facts. For example, "Traffic is crazy, but I left on time to be early." It's important that you stick to the facts so that you don't let your brain wander off into the crazy land of insecurities and negative self-talk.

If you hear yourself saying that you're stressed about something that you can't control, that also needs to be addressed. In my example, I couldn't control traffic patterns, but I could control how early I left.

You can also control how much you plan ahead by putting your destination into an app like Waze the night before to make sure you arrive on time. Just be sure to check it again for traffic updates the next day.

2. How do I feel about the casting director?
Find something positive to say about them to create a feeling of connection. If you've read for a particular casting director more than once, then you know them well enough to know if there's something you like about them. For example, you could say, "Stacy is always upbeat, so I know she'll be encouraging even if I mess up for some reason."

You can also use the statement I mentioned in my example. Casting directors want you to succeed, especially if they're placing you in front of a client. It makes them look good! Even if you don't book that specific job, they'll be thankful that you showed up prepared.

3. Am I thankful for this audition?
Express gratitude that you got the audition in the first place. You never know what one booking may lead to. Seriously, it only takes one booking to make a huge difference. 

While my hubby and I were driving to my birthday trip this year, my mom called. During that conversation, she asked me how things were going with my acting career. Then she told me about an interview she saw with Kevin Bacon. 

He said something along the lines of (paraphrasing from my mom here), "I can't believe all the crazy things I had to do to find jobs when I first started acting, but then I booked this one role, and it was like dominoes from there. That one role started getting me attention and phone calls."

ONE! JUST ONE! So what if this audition is the one? So what if it's for some random non-union regional internet commercial that doesn't pay residuals? It might be that you meet a key person that connects you to a bigger job.

Let's chat about that. I was an extra in a SAG-AFTRA golf commercial once. At the very end of the day during sign outs, I ended up in line with an actor I'd never seen or heard of. Apparently, he's in an upcoming feature film starring Dewayne Johnson. When I asked him how he got the job, do you know what he said?

"I worked on some random documentary, and one of the crew members I met referred me to this movie, and that was that." 

Did you hear what I just said? This guy worked on a documentary. Documentaries are cool and all, but I know that as an actor you're not chomping at the bit to be in a documentary. But because this guy was grateful for an opportunity, he went and made the best of it. Then he got a reference that led to him being in an upcoming box office movie--with Dewayne Johnson!

The hard truth is that most of the auditions and bookings you initially get are not the ones you actually want. If you aren't careful, you'll start to hate those opportunities, but that's what they are because you never know what might happen next. So start expressing gratitude on the way to your auditions. It will change your perspective.

4. How do I want to feel?
State the exact feelings or state-of-mind you want to have when you enter the room or start a self-tape. If it's an upbeat role, tell yourself that you want to have fun. If it's something dramatic, then tell yourself that you're about to bite your reader's head off during your audition, and you don't give a crap how they feel about it. Although, you should definitely be nice after the read. 

How do you want to interact with everyone in the lobby? If you want to be social, then tell yourself to ask people thoughtful questions and smile. Maybe you need to protect your heavy mental and emotional state, though. If so, then tell yourself that it's ok for you to ignore everyone in order to protect your work. Remind yourself that everyone else is in the same situation, and they get it. 

5. Why am I doing this?
Remind yourself of why you're an actor in the first place. Side note: if your answer is "to be famous," then it's time to reconsider your why because that won't be enough to push you through the rejection or enjoy the actual work you'll need to do as an actor. Yes, actors actually do work.

You need to see past this specific audition to your future goals. I don't just mean to visualize what you want, but think about how getting what you want would make you feel. That's key. Now, how is this audition a small step toward that feeling? Once you view each audition that way, they become less stressful and more exciting!

If you haven't seen the actor's guide to using this technique, pop over to this blog post. You'll find a link back to this post for step three. I have more details and ideas in the full blog post, but the gist of this step is to breathe deeply and repeat the word, "Release, release, release."

Self-coaching after the audition is so important to help you finish letting go of it so you can move on with your life that day. At this point, you need to self-coach using the second person POV once again.

Self-Coaching Example (after audition):

"Spurgeon, you did your best in the moment. You're thankful for this opportunity. The one takeaway you can apply to your next audition is to ask a more specific question if you're confused about a note because it never hurts to ask. You can leave this audition behind you now because you no longer have control over what happens. Now it's time to listen to a podcast and transition into learning mode." 

5 prompts to formulate your second coaching session:

1. Complement yourself. 
Find something to be happy about from your audition. Anything! If your hair looked good, then say that to yourself. If you said your lines word-for-word, that counts. Find something good to dwell on about the audition so that you can remind yourself to think about that if you slip off into negative self-talk.

2. Express gratitude.
Yep! We're doing it again! Remember that not everyone in the world has the freedom to chase after their dream of being an actor. The arts are typically the first subjects to get cut from school funding, and citizens in impoverished areas only have the capacity to think about surviving.

I've personally chatted with a high school girl in a foreign country who thought it was amazing that I wanted to be an actor. She desperately wanted to be a visual artist, but per her government's regulations, her parents were required to declare her school track when she entered the 7th grade. They picked medical and science so she could learn how to be a doctor.

The fact that I can personally decide that I want to go audition, much less go do it, makes me such a happy camper. I hope you see how valuable that freedom is after hearing that story. I try to express gratitude at least once after each audition. I hope you do, too.

3. Give yourself a director's note.
What one constructive tip can you take action on next time? Hey, I said constructive. That means you can take action on it and see a different result. Tell yourself that tip so that you'll remember it next time. 

4. Tell yourself to let it go.
Remind yourself that it's over. Tell yourself to let it go because it's now currently out of your hands, and that is the truth! There's literally nothing else you can do about it. Even if you're self-taping, you know that submission is G-O-N-E once you hit submit on Actor's Access.

5. Transition to the next thing.
​Have a podcast or music playlist ready to go for the ride home. Which will you choose? Comment and share! I do not recommend that you sit in silence at this point. Distract yourself after you finish coaching yourself (out loud, remember?) because you'll keep thinking about it if you don't do something else.

If you need to, write down your self-coaching statements to read aloud to yourself until you know what to say. You can also record these prompts and replay them in the car, but I still recommend that you coach yourself out loud in the moment.

When I decided to become a professional actor, the very first class I took was an Audition Bootcamp. The instructor had us go through the entire audition process including walking into the room.

I hit my mark and said, “Now what?"

“Now you slate.”

“What’s a slate?”

LOL! I’ve come a long way since my initiation days, but I truly had no clue what a slate was. Now I feel like I spend 40% of my auditions worrying about the slate.

Slate Struggles Are Real:

• Did I say the right info?
• Did I say it in the right order?
• Do they want the full body shot first or last this time?
• How long should the full body shot be?
• Zoom? No zoom?
• How do I title the file?
• Do I upload it separately?
• Did they ask for availability?

Once I got my self-taping studio together, I didn’t realize how involved taping an audition slate would be. I was also surprised to see all of the various slate requests I received. I guess I assumed there was a standard slate. Not so, Actor Boss.

Full body slate shots became my primary self-taping hassle. In this post, I’ll breakdown how to save yourself tons of time self-taping your full body shots.
​
Disclosure: Hey Actor Boss, I have affiliate links in this post, which means at zero extra cost to you, I make a commission if you purchase through my link so I can keep delivering the Actor Boss goods.
​
What about you? What's your biggest struggle with self-taping? Comment at the bottom of this post to share.

If you're self-taping an audition at home, I'm guessing that you also hate resetting your studio to get the dreaded full body shot each time. Why is there no universal standard for slating?!

You may be surprised at how often you'll audition alone or via video, leaving you to shoot the full body shot yourself. That means no zooming or panning plus resetting your camera and lights. This. Takes. Time.

I solved this problem by saving all of my full body shots and slates to my phone. Now I can just pop whichever one I need into my audition video. However, this isn't as straight forward as it sounds. There are a few tips and tricks you should apply to make those shots easier to use.

It's too confusing when your hair is different in your closeup and your full body shot. The full body shots are typically a quick two seconds, so make it seamless.

Film a full body with your hair up and one with it down if you ever wear it in a ponytail so you can easily select the one that matches your closeup. 

You don't want them to stop and say, "Wait is this the same person?" It may also feel like you used an old full body shot, which can create doubt about whether or not you actually look the same now.

You can use wardrobe to make your slate transitions seamless, too. Pick one shirt to wear for all of your general reads that aren’t wardrobe specific so your audition outfit always matches your primary full body shot. 

I had a life uniform for a while, and I miss it. I scored big with nine blue V-neck tees at Target on sale for less than $5 each! If the audition didn't suggest wearing something character specific, then you can bet I was wearing that T-shirt.

This saved me so much time because I never had to change or prep an outfit for self-tapes. I'm hoping Target gets that blue color back soon so I can go back to my life uniform days.

My actor friend Tracie and I read for each other's auditions. She came to my house at first until we moved across town from each other and discovered the magic of reading via FaceTime.

One day, she was in my studio and saw how much time it took me to move my lights and camera around until I had everything in just the right spot. 

She said, "Why don't you just tape your floor?" DUH! I am a theatre major for crying out loud! We used spike tape for everything! 

I needed a quick fix, so I just used masking tape that I had on hand already. If you want the pro stuff, then spike tape is what you need. You can get it in a variety of colors to mark your various setups. 

For example, you can mark where everything goes for your full body shot in blue, closeups in green, and medium shots in orange. Spike tape is designed for residue-free removal so that it doesn't damage your flooring. You may still want to swap your tape strips every quarter just to be safe. 

Spike tape is also awesome because you can easily tear it by hand.

YO! Please remember that you cannot vacuum or clean your floors or carpet while the tape is still there. You will create a hot mess that's not easy to fix when you're ready to move.

​Even though spike tape isn't supposed to leave residue, it still may create a shape on the floor since that part of the floor hasn't experienced as much wear-and-tear as the surrounding areas.

Save yourself even more time by creating an audition editing work flow. I've scrolled through my camera roll wasting so much time being aggravated that I couldn't find the stupid shot I needed when keeping it was supposed to save me time in the first place!

Save those full body shots or generic closeup slates to an album in your phone, and name it "Slates." Done. Easy. Now all you need to do is open that album and transfer the correct file to your video editing app.

You may also consider creating projects in your video editor with each full body shot you have. That way, if you're wearing a polo for your audition, you'll already have a project started with your fully body polo shot. Wash, rinse, and repeat for your other outfits. Ideally, though, you'll wear the same top for your general reads.

I was stuck on the idea that I always needed to reset my self-taping studio "back to one" once I finished taping my auditions. That meant shooting my closeup, moving my equipment to shoot my full body, then moving everything back into closeup position.

One day, I was in too much of a hurry to reset my equipment once I finished self-taping. The next time I went into my studio, everything was still in "position two" for my full body shot. I thought, "Great! Now I need to waste time resetting, and you know my hair is going to look frizzy once I do."

My mind functions in ordered checklists. If the closeup is going to be first in the edit, then my brain thinks that's what I need to shoot first. I started to reset my studio for my closeup and medium shots, when I realized that I could just start with the full body shot because my studio was already setup for it!

If your studio is already in the full body shot position, shoot that first. If it's already in the closeup position, shoot that first. Do not waste time resetting your studio once you finish self-taping, and do not waste time changing the initial setup when you go back into your studio for another audition. Shoot your last setup first.

I know that sounds simple, but I'm saying it in case you're an actor that thinks like me. It's ok to shoot out of order. Movies would never be made if this weren't true. No one is going to know that you didn't shoot in order, except for maybe your OCD.

Take it from someone who gets flustered when things aren't in a specific order--your time is too important and too valuable to waste on unnecessarily resetting your studio.

It's also a good habit for you as an actor to break this linear thinking when it comes to your work so that you don't get flustered at shoots. It's very possible that you end up shooting the last scene first, the first scene on day ten, and your major character arc on a totally random day due to weather.

I recently watched a show on Amazon Prime. In case you haven't seen this feature yet, when you hover over the scene with your cursor, you can sometimes see Trivia about the show. I was shocked to see that they filmed the entire season based on location availability. That doesn't just mean that they filmed an episode out of order--it means they filmed the entire season out of order with scenes from multiple episodes on the same day.

Those actors were ping-ponging scripts, emotions, and lines like crazy people. So it's possible that you'll be put in that situation as an actor at some point. You're constantly at the whim of the production schedule. Learning to be flexible in your self-taped auditions will prepare you for being more flexible with schedule changes on set.

What do you need to start doing to save yourself time on your self-tape slates? Comment and let me know which tip you found the most helpful.

If you want a full breakdown of my self-taping studio equipment, check out my page Spurgeon's Favorite Things. I'm still using the original lights that I purchased almost three years ago now, and I haven't needed to replace the bulbs yet.

My acting coach once told me to never staple my headshots and resumes together. He was working with a big shot director (or maybe it was a producer?) and they cut their finger on a staple. This person refused to handle anymore headshots with staples and had his casting assistants throw away all stapled combos, so they were never even considered!

I decided I would only attach my headshots and resumes on site depending on how many casting needed. (Btw, it's standard to have at least three with you at all times.) That meant I needed to glue them together, but how the heck was I going to do that without making a huge mess in my car?

In this post, we'll chat about what you need to keep in your actor kit, especially if you drive a car. However, some of these can also go into your acting bag if you're taking public transportation.

Disclosure: Hey Actor Boss, I have affiliate links in this post, which means at zero extra cost to you, I make a commission if you purchase through my link. I made the decision to add affiliate links so I can refer you to products I've used or researched and would recommend to you in face-to-face convo. Let's get back to that question about not making a huge mess in your car with glue.

You know how you attach your headshots and resumes together, only to later take them apart so you can update your resume? You can avoid doing this too often--if you keep cardboard in your car. 

I want you to keep a piece of cardboard in your car for a few reasons:

• It keeps your headshots straight if you put them in a seat pocket.
• You can use it as a mini desk to protect your seats when you glue your headshots and resumes together.
• It's free if you keep the piece mailed with your headshots.

Based on the staples story, I now use rubber cement to glue my headshots and resumes together. I've never had a problem with them coming apart, and the rubber cement has survived the southern summer heat so far. It's a surefire way to prevent someone from cutting their finger on a staple. It's also "no wrinkle," which has been true in my experience.

You'll also need a basic pair of scissors. Standard headshots are 8 x 10. Your resumes are going to print on 8-1/2 x 11 paper. You need to trim those resumes on the fly sometimes, although I recommend doing it before you put them in your car if you have the time.

If you're printing at home, remember to print on 8 x 10 photo paper. It's obvious to casting that you're not getting professional prints when they're not the standard size, and that will work against you looking like a committed actor that does things to industry standard.

(continue reading below break)

When I was in college, one of my besties and I were the exact opposite when it came to organization. Although her car and dorm room always smelled amazing (like vanilla!), she had piles of stuff everywhere.

When we were resident advisors, I would secretly key into her room and organize everything. Then she would call me to ask where stuff was because she couldn't find it. Ha! I didn't think about that being an issue...

I, on the other hand, had a place for freaking everything. I'm also a stickler for throwing things away that I haven't used in a while. One day in my adulthood, I realized my car had accumulated a few items that I really did need to keep: sun shields, a lumbar pillow, and baby wipes (more on this later), but they were scattered everywhere.

Y'all know I can't have that! So I started looking for a cheap box or bin to corral all of my items, but they were freaking expensive! Then I found this sweet bin at the Dollar Tree. 

They still sell them at my local Dollar Tree a year later. They're seriously a freaking dollar, y'all. ONE. DOLLAR. They have different sizes, too. I've been using mine for about a year now with no complaints.

Listen, when you pull up to an audition, you don't have time to be frazzled looking for a million things. Keep it all in one easy-to-reach spot. If you need two bins, so be it. Just make sure you have one dedicated to whichever acting items you need.

My first set of headshots were amazing. I was seriously surprised at how good they looked because years before I had a chunky, oily, pimple face. I sat in front of YouTube for--count 'em--six hours watching Smashbox makeup tutorials. The two places I trusted to do my makeup were booked solid.

When I went for my second round of headshots, Smashbox had discontinued the super amazing foundation I used the first time. Their 15 hour studio foundation was like plaster on my face. It did not blend well. 

On the way to my shoot, my nose started running. I wiped it with my hand without thinking, and it removed that thick foundation from the end of my nose. If you've ever worn thick camera makeup, you know that it's almost impossible to spot correct without it looking crusty. Sure enough, my nose looked so weird in my new (unusable) photos.

Fast forward to 2019 when I'm on set for a short film. We were behind schedule, so the makeup artist was working at lightning speed. I hopped out of the chair, looked at her with big eyes and said, "I'm about to have snot all over my face."

She said, "No problem. Use this." She handed me a Q-tip to wipe my nose. It's so genius! It fits perfectly into your nostril and absorbs really well. If only I'd had it at my second headshot shoot.

You better believe I did at my third one. I definitely needed them, and my headshots turned out great again because I didn't have any weird makeup smudges.

You will look strange using a Q-tip to wipe your nose. You will push your nostril out and look funny. However, you will not mess up your makeup. Just make sure you press firmly into your nostril before you roll the Q-tip around so that you don't tickle your nose and sneeze.

I recommend carrying around this small travel case of Q-tips so you always have them handy for a shoot or audition.

This story is embarrassing. I'm going to tell you anyway.

I can't remember what made me mosey into a Publix one day to buy a Tide pen, but I'm so glad I did. It didn't work on whatever random thing I needed it for, so I threw it into my car in case I needed it before an audition.

So far, I haven't needed it for an audition, but I did need it for another situation that proved to me it would save my butt if a pre-audition stain appeared on my outfit, especially the one all women dread--menstrual blood.

My hubby and I finally took a nice vacation to Nashville. We saved up for over a year so that we could eat fancy food and stay at a fancy place without worrying about money. We found an amazing bed and breakfast that's actually ranked as a four star hotel. 

I'm not sure how expensive the crisp white sheets were, but I do know that they get the same sheets that they use at W Hotels. That is a luxury hotel, y'all! Well, it just so happened that on the last morning of our vacation, my body decided to menstruate a few days early--aaaaaallll over those crisp white luxury hotel sheets.

My husband and I obviously panicked and tried dabbing the stains out with water. Nope. I finally said, "Go out to the car and look in the console. I have a Tide pen! Let's hope to God it works!" Holy crap, I was shocked at how well it removed the stain. I seriously thought we would end up paying a few hundred dollars for a new sheet set. 

If it worked that well on those sheets, then you definitely need one in case you spill something or smudge makeup on your clothes before an audition. Tide pens have got your back. They're best for smaller spots, though, so the liquid will dry quickly.

I'm a stickler for a particular brand of clothes hangers. I only recommend Joy Huggable Hangers for actors that need to travel with clothes. I've already written the reasons why in 1 Secret Weapon for Your Acting Wardrobe. They're cheap and super effective for a number of reasons that relate to you specifically as an actor.

Let's chat quickly, though, about whether or not you even need to keep changes of clothes in your car if you're an actor who drives. In the past, I said it really depended on the role or where you lived. If you've been asked to drive 45 minutes across town directly after work with no time to drop by your place, then keep clothing options in your car.

Commercial auditions are easier to gauge. If you see that you could be a good fit for another role in the breakdown, you may want to take a different top to fit that role in case they ask you to read for it. Otherwise, wear versatile layers or a top that could work for multiple roles.

For example, I had a commercial audition for an electrician, but they were asking actors to also read for the plumber once they arrived. I wore a black work polo and work boots that made sense for both roles. 

I want to take a moment to say that in three years of attending (mostly commercial) auditions in the Southeast, I've never once been asked to change my outfit. That doesn't mean I haven't been prepared, it just means you don't need to stress yourself to death about this. Even if someone asks, "Do you have a different top? Maybe a jacket?" but you respond, "No, but I have a cardigan," you'll still look like a thoughtful actor that tried to prepare. 

Now-a-days, however, I'm a huge fan of always having a backup shirt or jacket in your car. I had a situation at an audition literally the day I'm writing this. Long story short is that I looked down and realized I had melted chocolate all over my jacket (pics below). When I tried to wipe it off, it bled through to my cami, which I was going to wear by itself.

So grab a pack of Joy Huggable Hangers, and hang those backup clothes in your car. If you want to throw back-up clothes in your bin, then make sure you get something wrinkle resistant.

I had three in-person auditions one week, so I hopped into my hot car each day, already sweating from the summer heat. I turned my AC onto the coldest setting, plus switched it to maximum effort. Even after 45 minutes of driving, I was still crazy sweaty each time I arrived to the casting office.

I keep baby wipes in my car because my hands always feel gross after pumping gas, and I don't have time to go inside and wash them. They're great for cleaning up messes, too.

After a straight week of sweating everywhere, I realized you can also use baby wipes to freshen up before an audition.  I can't remember where I first heard this advice, but if you want to feel fresh fast, you should wash your hands, face, and feet before changing your socks if you're wearing them. However, you can't wipe or wash your face if you're wearing makeup. 

Use your baby wipes to clean:

• the back of your neck
• between your bra (ladies!)
• your hands
• bottoms of your feet
• yes, your crotch, if needed 
• armpits if you have more deodorant on hand

You may also consider a face mist, but only if it's proven not to mess up your makeup. Voila! You're refreshed and ready to go.

This Livestrong article states:

"Appearances broadcast more than just how we look to the world. For example, when you present (at) a job interview well-dressed, displaying good hygiene, you look like a capable professional, able to handle yourself with care and respect."

Your auditions are the equivalent of a job interview, so arrive looking fresh and smelling clean. Even if the role is for someone grungy, I want you to smell good. It will make everyone in the room way more comfortable, and they'll only care about how you look on camera anyway.

My hubby and I decided to get a Rhodesian Ridgeback as our first dog. One of the selling points is that they don't shed. Apparently, ours is the one that does. His tiny razor hairs get everywhere, and there's no easy way to remove them.

I looked down at my black flats one day and realized they were covered in his red dog hair. I mean I might as well have worn dog fur shoes. I looked cute, but that dog hair was killing my cute vibe.
 
You need a lint roller in your car to show up to auditions looking pro, especially if you have cats or dogs. You'll look unkempt whether you realize it or not. There's an episode of BBC's Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch when he's deducing facts about a woman who is pretending to be someone she's not. One of the deductions he made was that she wasn't as rich as she tried to convey because she had dog hair all over her. 

Ugh. I think about that every time I need a lint roller to remove dog hair on my clothes. (I can't remember which episode that was, so if you know, please put it in the comments.) I like this cheap Ikea lint roller. It does the trick better than most.

Ah, yes. Melted deodorant. It's a staple for actors in the Southeast during the summer. I posted a couple of pics on IG, and my actor friends totally understood.

I'm still looking for alternatives, but a few options I haven't tried showed up in my research that look promising.

Deodorant options that won't melt in your car:

• Spray (pump sprayers only)
• Wipes 
• Roll-ons

Let's look at the top hits in my research so far that have a green safety rating from the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database. I'll update this post when I've found something I really like. Everyone's body chemistry is so different that you'll need to test these on your specific pits.

Spray Deodorant
I try to use as many zero waste products as possible, but a plastic spray pump is the only way to go if you're leaving a deodorant spray in your car. I do not recommend aerosol spray cans because I'm seriously nervous about them exploding in the heat. I left a movie one day during the summer, and my car temperature read 104 degrees, not to mention the humidity. It's no joke here, y'all. 

This EO Organic Deodorant Spray has a great health rating for both the Lavender and Citrus scents.

Deodorant Wipes
We've already chatted about baby wipes, but if you want wipes specifically for your pits, then EO makes deodorant wipes, too. The Lavender scent has a good health rating in EWG Skin Deep, but those are the only ones I can find in their database.

Roll-on Deodorant
I've had a harder time finding healthy roll-on deodorant options, but Real Purity has popped up a couple of times in my research. It's not as cheap as other roll-on options, but that's because it has great ingredients. It's just for audition emergencies, though, so it should last you a while.

Two veteran actors in my acting class worked on a scene that required the woman to be terrified of the man. They'd known each other for some time, though, so the woman had a hard time expressing terror since she knew and trusted her scene partner. 

The man smoked, and the woman hated that smell, so he went outside and smoked to get that nasty smoker breath smell that just hits you in the face. Then he got right up in her face to let it permeate all in her nostrils. None of us watching knew this at the time, so her look of disgust and nausea translated as fear on camera. It was genius.

Unless you're trying to purposely gross out your scene partner with bad breath, then you need to show up with a clean mouth. I do not recommend chewing gum. That's a big no-no when you're acting unless the scene calls for it for some reason. No one wants to hear you smacking, and it can actually be a choking hazard.

Floss
This WebMD article suggests flossing after each meal to help reduce odor-causing bacteria, so why not floss before your audition just to be safe? It's also no fun to look in the rearview mirror and see something in your teeth with no way to remove it. I've tried picking something out of my gums with my finger before, and I accidentally scratched my gums fairly deep. Just use floss. Glide is my favorite floss because it doesn't get stuck or break in my teeth.

Peppermint Essential Oils
Another way I avoid gum is by using peppermint essential oils. I simply dab it onto my tongue. Warning: you might look like you're chugging a mini-bottle of alcohol. At least your breath will smell fresh. I use Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil. I've heard good things about doTerra as well. Please don't use an oil that isn't therapeutic and rated as safe for ingesting. It can burn you!

SmartMouth Travel Mouthwash
I have the full-sized SmartMouth container at home, but it does not travel well. The liquid will spill everywhere if you pack it, so I suggest you check out these SmartMouth travel packets for on-the-go fresh breath. SmartMouth is unique in that it boasts a guarantee to eliminate bad breath all day if you use it according to the instructions. I typically don't use the full amount suggested, and it still makes a difference. 

Water
You need to be hydrated for a number of reasons, one of which is fighting bad breath caused by dry mouth. I love my Ello Elsie glass water bottle. I've been using it consistently for three years, and it's still in great shape! It also keeps my water from tasting like plastic. Gross. Make sure you have enough water with you at all times regardless of what bottle you use. I personally try to drink half my body weight in water per day, more if I'm sweating.

HD cameras are intense, and they show everything. I feel like they can see my soul through my pores. The point is this--don't show up to an audition or a shoot with gross lips.

Keep chapstick with you so you don't show up looking crusty. If you really want to make your face pop for an audition, use tinted chapstick. Having hydrated lips will also make you more confident on camera. Many lip balms are made to intentionally dry your lips so you'll use more of the product, so be sure to look for moisturizing ingredients like shea butter or beeswax.

What do you keep in your car kit? What do you need to get from this list that you haven't thought of yet? Comment and let me know.

I write these posts because I want you to feel like the boss of your acting career, so if you want them sent straight to your inbox, be sure to sign up below so you never miss a training. 

Do you replay your auditions a million times in your head? We've all been there. Lemme tell you what happened to me.

I stood in the audition room looking at the casting director for a commercial callback.

If I remember correctly, the reps for the company, the director, and the producers were all directly behind her, but I've blocked that out now.

I was asked to express excitement about graduating while holding a diploma. 

"Okay, do it again, except this time show a little more excitement."

I just smiled harder and gave myself a creepy joker face with wide eyes and a double chin. 

​I could see it in the casting director's eyes. I was not doing what she asked.

She gave me one more go, this time miming what she wanted me to do trying to help me, but all I did was advance into triple chin territory.

"Wow," I thought walking out to the car, "that was bad."

If you're like most actors, then the audition replay is probably a reality for you. In this post, I want to show you how to let go of auditions so you can avoid post audition anxiety.

We've all heard a thousand times to "leave our audition behind us" when we leave a casting office, but how can we practically stop fretting over our auditions? 

Also, what should you do if you tank an audition? I think we can agree that waiting after an audition sucks regardless of how it felt, so let's do something about it.

Disclosure: Hey Actor Boss, I have affiliate links in this post, which means at zero extra cost to you, I make a commission if you purchase through my link. I made the decision to add affiliate links so I can keep this blog up and running, but I only link to products I know, use, and trust and would recommend to you in face-to-face convo.

Enter the Release Meditation Technique brought to us my New York Times bestseller Brendon Burchard in his book High Performance Habits. 

He uses this technique to coach his high performance clients (some of them actors), and it can be beautifully beneficial if you practice it after an audition.

So if you've been looking for ways to let go of an audition, but still haven't figured out "the art of letting go," then keep reading for my 3-step process that includes Burchard's technique so you can start managing audition anxiety and expectations.

Before we dive into the technique, however, I want you to do something first.

When your butt hits the seat of the car, quickly replay the audition in your mind.

YUP! I said it!

I want you to actually allow yourself to replay what happened as a means of letting it go. 

Yes, this post is still teaching you how to stop overthinking your audition. 

The trick here is to replay it no more than twice in your mind!

There's also a purpose.

While you're thinking through your audition, I want you to notice when your chest gets tight or you feel anxious.

Why?

Those stress-inducing thoughts are indicators of where you felt your audition went wrong.

Let me clarify what I mean by the word "wrong."

You probably aren't officially doing anything "wrong" in your auditions unless you just straight up aren't taking direction or going after an objective.

However, since we're thinking on our feet in auditions, we tend to rush ourselves without thinking through our next steps.

This may make you subconsciously process a part of your audition as weak, creating that sense of mild panic in your system after-the-fact.

Let's keep those moments from festering and lingering for too long.

Once you've taken note of those specific moments, you can start digging into why they bothered you.

Now we can move on to step two. 

The American Psychological Association supports sharing your feelings:

"When you share your concerns or feelings with another person, it does help relieve stress. But it’s important that the person whom you talk to is someone whom you trust and whom you feel can understand and validate you."

Text someone you trust a constructive criticism of your audition. 

My vote is that you text someone who isn't an actor because they can't empathize with you. 

Wait, say what?

My husband, for example, has no concept of going through the audition process, nor does he desire to be in front of the camera, so he can't add to my anxiety by spiraling into his nightmare audition stories because he doesn't have any.

We want to move in a positive direction, and you know your other actor friends will just jump on that post audition stress bandwagon with you.

That's great when you're hanging out and venting for a laugh, but not so much right after an audition.

Let the person you pick know you'd like them to be your go-to person for post-audition sharing, and be clear about how you want them to respond to you.

Do you want their advice, or do you just want them to listen and encourage you?

Remember, we're only texting constructive criticism. 

I want to drive this point home, actor friend, so let's double check the official definition of the word constructive.

Notice that the definition says "helping to improve." When I say constructive, I mean something factual and actionable. 

For example, I may text my husband to say:

"Finished. It was good, but I'm not sure I took the note well when they asked me to show more excitement. I just smiled more instead of thinking about something that truly excites me."

I stated something factual: they gave me a note to show more excitement. 

I stated something actionable: I need to think about something that actually excites me versus just smiling more if given that note again.

Notice that my note is very specific (I didn't take the note about showing excitement) and not general (I never take notes well).

Let's look at a few more examples. 

General critiques:

• I hate auditions. 
• I'm horrible at memorizing lines.
• Commercial auditions suck. 

Specific critiques:

• I hate getting asked to do something different on the fly at auditions (specific fact). I need to take an improv class or rehearse different strategies beforehand (action).
• I'm not great at memorizing new lines last minute (specific fact). I need to get advice from another actor that's good at it (action).
• I feel so cheesy and fake in my commercial auditions (specific fact). I need to focus on setting a strong objective in those reads like I do for scene work instead of treating them differently (action).

Here's something else I've texted my hubby:

"All done! I felt like I took the notes really well this time. I'm not sure I looked old enough to be the mom of those kids, though!"

That last part was a reminder to myself that some things are just out of my control.

If you're still thinking about your audition too much after using the 3-step process, then ask yourself these two questions:

1. What was out of my control?
2. What was within my control?

Let's look at a few examples of each.

What is typically out of your control at auditions?

• Whether or not you look old enough to be a child's parent.
• How complimentary you look to the primary talent that's already been cast.
• The director ignoring you and stepping out to take calls during your audition.

What is typically within your control at auditions?

• Whether or not you know your lines.
• How you dress and present yourself for the role.
• Learning how to "do something different" and take notes. (see this post)

You'll learn more about how to put this into perspective in our next post on self-coaching before and after an audition. 
​
If you want to finish this post first, I have the self-coaching post linked at the bottom of this page.

 ​To see Brendon Burchard’s full 30 minute video on YouTube walking you through the technique, click here.

Here are the quick steps for actors post-audition:

1. Go park somewhere besides the casting office parking lot if it's an in-person audition. Go to the couch if you're self-taping at home.
2. Set your phone timer for two minutes.
3. Close your eyes and inhale deeply.
4. Repeat the word "release" aloud a few times as you exhale.
5. After a few cycles of this, repeat the word release in your head so it's no longer audible until you hear the timer alarm.
   
   

I want to highlight a couple of things here.

It's important that you leave the casting office parking lot before you do this so that you're not taking up valuable parking space that your fellow actors need. 

You understand what it's like to be them, and stressing over a parking space is the last thing we need before an audition, so let's be courteous. 

You also need to show the casting team that you are able to confidently leave an audition.

​We'll talk about casting office do's and don'ts in a future post.

Additionally, it's crucial that you set a timer so that you can actually focus on the technique instead of wondering when you're done. 

It totally defeats the purpose if you're constantly looking up at the clock to check the time.

If you can't find a safe parking lot for this, then find a bathroom elsewhere.

Maybe that sounds crazy, but car-jacking is a legit issue, and I want you to feel safe and relaxed enough to close your eyes and not worry about whether or not you're in danger or be embarrassed in case someone sees you.

Did you notice that point number three says to inhale deeply?

There's a reason you need to focus on deep breathing during this technique.

I once thought that deep breathing was a "woo-woo" way of dealing with your problems. 

Then I read the book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves.

I highly recommend the book and the quiz. They also have an online portal for you to see your results and track your progress.

Let's get back to the science of deep breathing.

To paraphrase, the book discusses why we need to fill our lungs to capacity whenever we breathe. 

Take note of your breathing in this moment. Now inhale to fill your lungs to capacity. Feel the difference?

When we breathe normally, we're only getting enough oxygen to keep our vital organs functioning. Our bodies force us to breathe at least that much at a minimum.

When we breathe and fill our lungs to capacity, however, it sends enough oxygen to our brains to go beyond vital organ function and into more rational thought. 

Try standing up straight and breathing until your ribs are stretched to their maximum capacity.

So as a bonus, this will help your brain rationally process your auditions. 

Who knew?! The science has spoken. Deep breathing is not woo-woo.

It's time to implement.

You need to actually practice walking through these steps if you want to seamlessly implement them into your audition routine.

I want to challenge you to find the time to run through this process at least once at home thinking about your last audition if needed.

If working as a professional actor is your dream, then you must put in the work!

I know it doesn't initially feel worth the time since you're not directly getting paid to walk through this process, but we don't get paid to take class either, and that's a crucial part of being an actor.

Plus, the payoff comes from you having more relaxed, confident auditions which increase your chances of booking and therefore getting paid.

I need to confess that I almost always forget to do this when I self-tape at home because I move right into editing and uploading my footage.

However, it's just as important for us to use this process after self-taping because it will start to reshape our brains' reactions to auditioning, creating a sense of relaxation instead of stress.

It's easier to remember when you leave an in-person audition because you have the built-in trigger of getting into your car (or on the subway, etc). 

That means you need to create a trigger for your self-taping as well.

For example, I'm going to use my casting upload confirmation as a trigger to close my computer or shut off my phone and go lie on the couch to start these three steps.

Do you have any post-audition tips? Feel free to comment and share.

Let's recap:

1. Run through your audition to see if you felt weak at certain parts.
2. Text a friend a constructive criticism of your audition.
3. Go elsewhere to run the release technique for a couple of minutes.

Now you're ready to try self-coaching before and after an audition during your commute.