Be on My Team by Jodie Bentley

For years I thought I could do everything myself. Whether it was saving money, or ego, or not enough time, or whatever other excuses I could come up with --I tried to do it all. From teaching myself to do a pirouette, to working on my monologues, to correct vocal technique- and I will be the first to say I wasn't as successful then at any of it! It took me awhile to realize the importance of having a team. A team of coaches I could turn to at a moment's notice, so I am always fully prepared and empowered for what comes my way.

So what do coaches do? They allow you to take your ideas and refine them, strengthen them and streamline them. It is easier for someone else to see what we are missing. We need that outside eye, both in our craft and in our business, to open us up and get us to that next level. A coach should be a heartfelt supporter, someone who is working with you so you can be the best you can. As actors we need coaches. Can you imagine an Olympic athlete without one? Being our own product even intensifies that. Coaches give us new ways of looking at things, especially when you can't see the overall vision. I have said it before and I will say it again - Erase the go it alone mentality!

I wouldn't be able to belt an 'F' without my voice teacher, and I know I owe many many many call backs and bookings to my vocal coach and acting coaches. A life coach I worked with had such a way at zeroing in on what I needed that we were able to strip away old beliefs about myself I was holding on to. The folks at Acting Success Now, made me examine my mind in ways I never had so I could stop the self sabotaging I was doing. I wouldn't be where I am today without every person I have worked with and hand selected to be on my team. You know what, I bet they feel the same way. The wonderful thing about a partnership with a coach is you both get to grow together and truly help each other.

We all are striving for excellence in our craft and in our business. Now is a perfect time to find, create and use your team. Let's all be fully prepared and excel in our auditions, and interviews. With vocal coaching or dance, we all know it is a learned behavior in our muscles, and the body needs to learn it through repetition. And learn it correctly under the watchful eye of a coach. Honestly, the same can be said of career coaching or acting coaching as well. Train, learn, and embody business principles and acting technique, feel it in your muscles. Own it, embrace it, it will become a part of you. And you will be focused and fearless!

My favorite thing is when my agent calls with an audition 2 days away that is perfect for me, with 12 pages of sides and 2 songs to learn. I just go to my team list and call one of my coaches.