The Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast
Episode 377: The Spiritual Side Of An Acting Career
There's a version of career advice that's all hustle. Post more. Submit more. Network harder. And look, that stuff matters. But there's something most acting coaches don't talk about, and it might be the thing that's actually keeping you stuck.
Your inner world runs your outer results.
In this episode, Peter Pamela Rose goes deep on the spiritual side of building an acting career, not in a woo-woo, burn-a-candle way, but in a real, practical, what-do-you-do-on-a-Tuesday-morning way. Five points to cover. Let's get started.
Start the Year with Intention, Not Panic
A lot of actors kick off a new year in a quiet state of dread. Will I book anything? Will I get reps? Is it going to be like last year? Intention sounds different. It sounds like: this year I choose grounded confidence. I choose courage. I choose to show up.
Intention sets the emotional weather of your year. You still do the practical work. But now it sits inside something that actually supports you. And if you don't clai...
Episode 376: You’re Not Unmotivated. You’re Avoiding Grief
If you've been telling yourself you're unmotivated or burnt out or lazy or somehow broken, I want you to pause for a second. Because there's a good chance that none of that is true.
There's a good chance you're not lacking drive. You're avoiding grief.
The Grief Creative Entrepreneurs Don't Name
Before you check out, this isn't about tragedy or loss in the obvious sense. This is about the kind of grief that creative entrepreneurs rarely name.
It's grief for expectations that didn't pan out.
The grief of versions of yourself you thought you'd be by now.
The grief of timelines that expired.
Most people don't talk about this because it feels dramatic. But it's not dramatic. It's subtle and it's quiet, and it shows up as I just can't get myself to do the thing.
What Grief Actually Looks Like
Creative entrepreneurs are really good at mislabeling this. We call it burnout or lack of motivation or discipline. But what's actually happening is something inside of you is
...Episode 375: Refresh Your Actor Tool Kit
Things are heating up in the Weekly Accountability Time Management Class, and this episode is all about one of the most important topics for any working actor: how to refresh your toolkit for 2026.
I have five essential points to cover that will help you align your tools with the actor you are becoming. Let's get started.
Align Your Tools with the Actor You Are Becoming
Every piece of your toolkit should answer one question: What are the roles that I am calling in with my tools?
Your headshots, your reels, your clips, your website, your resume—they aren't random. They are signals to casting directors. They are signals to producers. They are signals to writers and directors.
If your tools reflect who you were five years ago, they can't sell who you are now and who you want to become.
Think about 2026 by asking yourself: Does this material tell the story of the actor I want to be booked as today and in the future?
As Marianne Williamson says, we are powerful beyond measure when...
Episode 374: Stop Lying To Yourself
Self-Perception and the Stories We Call “Logic”
Most actors don’t think they’re afraid.
They think they’re being responsible.
They say things like:
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It’s not the right time
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I need to be more prepared
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I don’t want to do it halfway
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I’ll reach out once things settle down
Those sentences sound calm. Thoughtful. Adult.
They also quietly keep you from moving.
Fear doesn’t usually sound dramatic.
It sounds reasonable.
And that’s why it’s so effective.
Why This Matters So Much
Creative entrepreneurs live in nuance.
Actors are trained to consider context, timing, readiness, alignment, branding, positioning. All real things. All useful skills.
They also make it very easy to hide.
Most of the actors I work with aren’t lazy.
They’re functional. Busy. Productive enough to feel justified.
But they’re also circling the thing they actually want and never quite landing on it.
That’s not being stuck.
That’s mislabeling fear as logic.
How Fear Disguises Itself
F...
Episode 373: Interview with James Robbins
In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I sit down with James Robbins to talk about listening to your inner voice, building resilience, and what happens when you stop ignoring the signals that something needs to change.
James shares stories from his life as a climber and leadership coach, including what he’s learned from climbing mountains, facing fear, and doing hard things repeatedly. We talk about burnout, discernment, anxiety, and how these lessons apply directly to actors navigating uncertainty in their careers.
This episode is about courage, self-trust, and staying engaged in your acting career even when the path forward feels uncomfortable or unclear.
About James
James Robbins is an international keynote speaker, leadership advisor, and author of Nine Minutes on Monday and The Call to Climb. He helps people uncover purpose, build resilience, and lead with clarity and heart. His work has inspired leaders and teams around the world, blending storytelling wi...
Episode 372: Underestimation, Overestimation, and Grounded Confidence
Self-Perception and Where We Decide We Belong
I want to talk about something we reference a lot in acting, but usually only vaguely.
Self-perception.
It sits at the center of almost every actor’s journey. It shapes how you talk about yourself, who you reach out to, what rooms you think you belong in, and how far you let yourself go.
Most of the time, we don’t even notice it happening.
Why This Matters So Much
I was thinking about 10 Things I Hate About You and that line about being overwhelmed and underwhelmed, and asking if you can ever just be whelmed.
It made me think about actors.
We know we can underestimate ourselves.
We know we can overestimate ourselves.
Both are a problem.
But what about just estimating ourselves accurately?
Because everything depends on how we see ourselves.
How Underestimating Yourself Shows Up
This is one of the most common patterns I see.
It sounds like:
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I’ll wait until I’m better
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I just need one more class
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I’ll reach out wh
...
Episode 371: "There is Nothing Going on in My Career"
I hear actors say this phrase all the time: “There’s nothing going on in my career.” And I want to be very clear, that idea is almost never true.
In this episode of the Acting Business Bootcamp Podcast, I talk about why that belief shows up, how it distorts your perception, and what you should be measuring instead when things feel quiet. I also share why I reshaped my Weekly Accountability Group to focus just as much on time management as accountability.
This episode is about structure, consistency, and staying engaged in your acting career even when results aren’t obvious yet.
Accountability Requires Time Management
I realized that in order to be accountable, actors actually need to manage their time. That’s why I turned my Weekly Accountability Group into a time management group as well.
At the start of every class, I have actors pull out their planners. Phones, digital calendars, or a physical calendar. We plan the week from Friday to Friday. Doctor appointments. Acting clas...
Episode 370: You Can’t Call Yourself a Professional Actor If Your Business Is Running Like a Hobby
The Part of the Business We Avoid
I don’t know many actors who got into this work because they love paperwork.
Money. Invoices. Contracts. Admin.
I avoid this side of the business not because I think it’s beneath me, but because it makes me uncomfortable. It forces me to look closely. At numbers. At patterns. At choices I’ve postponed.
And lately, I’ve been reminded how common that is.
Why Admin Creates So Much Anxiety
I’ve had several conversations recently with actors who are genuinely scared of the financial side of their career.
Taxes coming up. Receipts scattered. Invoices unpaid. Contracts sitting unread in inboxes.
Avoiding it feels easier than facing it. It feels responsible. I’ll deal with it later. When I have more energy. When I feel more prepared.
But avoidance doesn’t stay neutral.
It compounds.
What Avoidance Actually Costs
The longer we don’t look, the bigger it feels.
Money becomes emotional. Following up feels confrontational. Rates feel uncertain. Admi...
Episode 369: How Actors Actually Change Their Year
Actors often think a new year will change things. New calendar, new energy, new motivation. But real change doesn’t come from dates. It comes from how you structure your choices, your habits, and your expectations.
In this episode of the Acting Business Boot Camp Podcast, Peter Pamela Rose breaks down the five shifts that actually help actors change their year, not in a dramatic, overnight way, but in a grounded, sustainable way that builds real momentum.
This conversation is about business, nervous system regulation, consistency, and self leadership. It’s about how actors move out of panic and into direction, and why that matters more than setting another list of goals.
Why Most New Year Goals Don’t Work for Actors
Many actors walk into a new year with goals that sound productive but feel heavy. That pressure often leads to overwhelm, inconsistency, and self judgment.
Instead of fixing everything at once, this episode reframes the work. It asks actors to focus on direction ove...
Episode 368: Two Tabs, One Artist- Keeping Your Spicy Work Separate (and Safe)
The Art of Keeping Things Separate
This topic comes up more than people admit.
Usually in a whisper. Or an email that starts with, “This might be a weird question…”
It’s not weird. It’s just complicated.
A lot of actors are working in NSFW or spicy spaces. Erotica audiobooks. Adult games. ASMR. OnlyFans. Patreon. Sensual storytelling. And at the same time, they’re booking e-learning, commercials, family-friendly narration, children’s content.
The work itself isn’t the problem.
The overlap is.
So I want to talk about how to keep those worlds separate in a way that’s professional, grounded, and sane.
Not from a morality angle. From a business one.
Why This Feels So Loaded
Most of the discomfort doesn’t come from the work.
It comes from fear.
Fear of being judged.
Fear of being misunderstood.
Fear that one client will see something they weren’t meant to see and make a snap decision about you.
And honestly? That fear isn’t irrational. Algorithms don’t understand nuance. Brand ...
