Mental health, standing out and giving the best performance

The amazing, The One and Only, Chris Tyler joins me in this episode of the podcast to talk about his professional wrestling and acting success, what makes athletes and actors stand out, and how his experience in one makes him better at the other. He will also share with us how he keeps his mental health on track and what success truly means for him.

Chris is a dear friend of mine and a huge talent. He's appeared on WWE on several occasions. William Regal, who is their main trainer, has Chris' phone number on speed dial. He was also lead stuntman in the film "Fighting With My Family" with Dwayne Johnson.

He also made one of my biggest childhood dreams come true, he trained me in professional wrestling first for a film we did together. Then we took it a step further and he actually got me to fight twice as a professional wrestler. For all of you wrestling fans out there - it's super fun and cool!

My friend is among the fastest rising stars of British wrestling. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, he's not had a chance to fight recently, but this will not stop him from getting ready for a future comeback.

Keeping it separate

A crazy cool thing Chris said is that he prefers to keep his work and personal life separate and I firmly believe that he has tapped into something great by doing this.

Chris Tyler is the person you see on stage acting or wrestling in the ring. While Chris Rowe is the guy I go to the pub for a pint with. He firmly believes that this helps him keep his metal health in check and I do see why that is the case. They are, by the way, comepletely different people. In fact, it helped Chris Rowe get over a breakup with his girlfriend, because at the time Chris Tyler was crushing it in his career.

If you get a chance to meet Chris Tyler, he seems like this rough and tough, macho man. Always ready to lay the smackdown on you. Then jump off the top rope in a 450 and smash your ribs. When he's filming, he's relentless. Can go for hours upon hours without taking a break.

When he does take a break, however, you get to meet the sweet Chris Rowe. The funny guy who is always in a good positive mood and would go out of his way to help you. He's the great friend that anyone could wish for. And I'm so grateful to be able to call him that.

How do you achieve great success

Chris Tyler

I basically knew what I wanted to do with my life, at the age of 6.

You may think that the reason why he has been so successful, is because he's done it since he was 6. Yes, that will be true to some extent. However, almost everyone writes or reads since they are 6, but few become great writers.

In fact, what I think the more important thing is, the certainty in which he says it. This type of confidence can only lead you to overcoming all obstacles that can show up and continue even when the going gets tough.

You'll think, we'll it's easy for someone like him, he's found his passion when he was young. Yes, he was lucky, but it is never too late for you to find your passion. And certainty like his, you can really achieve anything you want. Remember, it is not the number of years that you do something for, it's the quality of those years that count.

And when you're so certain that this is the thing you want to do, then you'll do everything to make this a reality.

What makes a great wrestler and actor

First, he says, always comes the wrestling technique. The selling of the moves. Making the audience believe the story that you are in. This is the foundation, the technique that you need to rely on.

But then even more importantly is the character that he plays. As they call it, the "gimmick" in wrestling terms. Something that makes you stand out, your brand, your personality. This is potentially the single most important thing to make you stand out. The way that the audience connects with you. This also gives you the power to have a message that turns people into fans.

Fitness and physique

Great fitness will give you a strong relationship between your mind and your body. It is important to have a strong body if you want to endure long hours of work or doing a 3-hour Shakespeare play, day in and out for 3 months.

With great levels of fitness, obviously comes a good physique which inevitably make someone stand out. Yes, the casting will then change. There is nothing wrong with not having a great physique and looking athletic. However, there is still a certain demand and respect for actors who can get into the superhero physique and look outstnadingly good.

Scarlett Johanson is a great example of an actor who has a deep mind and body connection, has an amazing physique and is skillful at what she does. The mind and body connection also makes you mentally tougher. Training hard will increase your mental stamina as well as physical.

You are then also more able to transform your body be it to lose weight, or put weight and muscle on. The body becomes used to quick transformations and makes you more versatile in taking roles that demand a change in your body. It also helps you achieve a relaxation in your body because you know exactly how it works and what makes it tick.

The success

Hard work will always prevail. Hard work beats talent anytime talent isn't working hard. Showing up and putting in the work you will succeed.

Creating the recognisable brand. The wrestling character. What people know you for as an actor.

And for Chris Tyler/Rowe, is the balance between career achievements and a fulfilling personal life with the latter probably being more important. Taking care of your mental health. Having great relationships in your life. With your partner, friends, family. The people who you can share your career successes.

Follow Chris on Instagram @christyler_rowe

For another great conversation check out the one with Award- Winning Sharni Tapako- Brown

What makes audiobook narrators stand out from the rest

In this episode I am joined by the hugely talented Roderick Edwards where we discuss what it takes for an audiobook narrator to get the job and be successful.

His Secrets for Audiobook Narrators

Audiobook narration is such an amazing career path and I personally absolutely love the process of narrating a book. I highly recommend it to actors especially if you are like me and you love a good read. I personally have always been particular as to what books I choose and the ones I've gone for have always clicked with me in one way or another.

I was first introduced to Roderick on the first book that we did together called How To Overthrow a Government and although the title an bookcover are very provocative, it is not really a guide on how to actually overthrow a government, but rather Roderick takes a historian's approach and looks at facts and what has actually happened before in history.

However, he does openly share his guide to narrators. His secrets if you will to what makes voice actors stand out and get chosen to narrate his books.

1. Tone and Voice Quality

The one factor that probably plays the biggest role is tone and voice quality. Roderick says that whenever he is sifting through voice actors he knows exactly what type of sound he is going for. What sound would best fit his stories. This means that no matter how great a narrator someone is, they may not get the job if their voice is not right for the part.

We get that in all walks of acting really. It is not about us. It's all about whether what we bring to the table serves the story or not. It is not personal. There is something a lot more important than that. And that is the story.

So, next time when you don't get the job, don't get disheartened. Just remind yourself that this wasn't the book for you. Look at it from the perspective that you will eventually match the vision of the author or producer and will get a job. Don't beat yourself up and say to yourself that you are not good enough. It could be just down to how you sound and, guess what, there's not much you can do about that.

You could try and change your voice, but this would be super difficult to endure, especially if the book is longer than 3 hours.

Instead, continue to improve and know that eventually you will be the exact voice that the author or producer want for that one book.

2. Now comes your skill

Do you sound convincing? Are you managing to tell the story as intended? Are you getting the humour, or the underlying message? Here come your acting skills. Can you immerse yourself enough that you take the audience with you?

The way I always look at it is do you believe everything you're reading yourself? If you do - great news, so will the listener.

Don't you just love when you put an audiobook on and the narrator just takes you on a journey? You begin to explore with them, or they share the knowledge of the author with you. I personally love books in all formats, but audiobooks are that little bit more personal if done right. So, make sure you sit down and really work on your acting skills. On your ability to tell a story.

Another big skill that you need to develop. A muscle rather. Is that of reading out loud. It is so crazy and counterintuitive that because we read a lot that we can read out loud with the same speed and enough clarity. It will not come so easy, trust me. For most people at least. If you are an outlier and an exceptional natural reader and that is easy for you - well done, you got my applause. But for most of us, regular folks, that will not be the case. So make sure you practice, practice, practice. Reading long format is not easy and you need to keep the clarity up for hours and hours. Good diction will be your enemy. You will need perfect diction if you want to do a great job.

Getting the pronunciation right is also crucial. I made a mistake when narrating Roderick's latest book - Should've Been With Me because I got over-confident with my pronunciation. At one point in the book, he had written the initials H.I and I just read them as they were. The letters H and I. Did not even cross my mind that it may have been the abbreviation of an American state - Hawaii. So, back to the booth I went.

This, of course is a minor mistake. However, you want to avoid making such mistakes especially when only auditioning.

3. Equipment

Now comes the tricky part. Getting into voice over work altogether requires a bit of an investment. You need some hardware and software if you want to sound professional.

I know that this may be slightly off-putting for a lot of people and I understand. But I'd rather be honest with you and not get your hopes so high up without you realising what you actually need to do and get first.

4. Motivation

Finally, and perhaps my favourite point is your motivation. What are the reasons why your going into this branch of acting? If it's money - same as all other aspects of the acting biz - there's not much at the start.

However, if you do it for the love of a good read, acting, charater exploration and then the finished product, you're in for a treat. The gratification in the end is extremely satisfying.

Not only that, but from a collaboration like this, so many other opportunities may come up it is mind-blowing. I love when doing a job with someone that leads to something else, and then something else, and so on. That may be one of the best things about our business.

Work even in Lockdown

As hard as it is to start, it is a great way to branch off in your career and still be a working actor even during a complete lockdown. Audiobook production is a bit slower right now, however, if you manage to pick up some momentum, this will lead to so much work when things pick back up again.

Truth is, people mostly listen to audiobooks when commuting, so the more they commute, the more work comes in. But getting that portfolio ready is crucial.

For more amazing discussions go to The Actor's Breakthrough Podcast
For my chat with Actor Luke D'Silva click HERE!
For my FREE 5 Secrets to Rock Your Self Tapes click HERE!

Having the Right Mindset

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all.

Dale Carnegie

In our latest podcast episode with sat down with the amazing Luke D'Silva to talk about success, perseverance and mindset when you're part of the Acting bizz. Arguably, the most competitive industry out there. How does one remain in the right mindset to keep them going when the going gets tough? What are the things that would make someone stand out?

D'Silva's Choice

What I absolutely respect about Luke D'Silva is his humility even after being part of the industry for a couple of decades, filmed several spectacular feature films, from which The Death of Stalin, Pandorica, and is currently in pre-production for Grail. A career that's spanned across so many years, so many great projects and the actor still remains humble. No matter what setbacks or obstacles life throws at him, he keeps standing up to face them.

Perseverance like that is admirable especially in the current pandemic. it is so necessary to be drawing inspiration from people like him who see this only as another opportunity to expand and grow.

We need to be brave and look at the eye of fear and not give in.

It's all about the mindset.

Something that I immediately had to write down in a notepad was the way that Luke sees mindset. How crucial having the right one when you're going into your career is. Also, how devastating it can be if that isn't the case.

Let's face it, wasn't this pandemic the perfect time for us to ask if anything really matters and we threw it all away? All the hard work out the window. Years of grinding just to admit that we have failed in the face of this changed world. I know I was on the verge of that on several occasions.

And yet, we still need to remind ourselves of why we got to where we are in the first place. To ask ourselves about the real reasons as to why we do what we do. Why do some keep standing up and eventually the spotlight shines on them, or why others give in prematurely and never see what they could have become?

Those are difficult questions to ask, especially when there isn't necessarily the most compelling future of all ahead of us. To be fair, the future is what we make it. And we must stop listening to what we are being told. There is a way to grow even during lockdown. There is a way to get inspired. There is a way to be fulfilled.

Trouble is... where is your focus? You need to create your future for yourself. And it all starts with your mindset.

Hard Work

We said that it starts with the mindset but what is the next step you should take? According to D'Silva, the other biggest distinguisher between those that succeed and those who do not is hard work. And in a sense that you need to be receptive of opportunity when it is presented to you. To grab it, to get a good hold of it and to jump right into it with the pedal to the metal. Full steam ahead. Cherish all opportunities and deliver your best because you never know what it may lead to.

I remember one project that I once worked on. It was a small budget short film with an unknown director. We had someone else on set with us and mine and that other person's energies were opposite poles. I am always super enthusiastic about anything I do, and aim to overdeliver because I truly love what I do. The other actor unfortunately didn't see this short film to be of great importance so they didn't bother giving too much energy.

We finished filming and got back to minding our own businesses. Eventually, however, a few months later someone else who was on set, not the director nor the other actor, but one of the producers emailed me saying "hey, loved the way you worked on this last project... would you be interested in doing ...". Out of nowhere, I had a new job come my way just because of my hard work and mindset when on set.

I guess, this is where it all ties together.

Thanks.

Super grateful for the great insight by an inspirational actor like Luke D'Silva who is on his way to creating even more great material in the future especially now he has pulled the reigns tight on his mindset and is ready to tackle anything full steam ahead!

To find cool FREE stuff with more coming very SOON go HERE!
Make sure you tune in to the Episode with Luke D'Silva HERE!