S5 | E10: How Do You Redefine Yourself? +Ravi Rao

Taking on a new phase of your career oftentimes involves redefining yourself. This week we sit down with someone who has made redefinition part of his DNA. Doctor turned consultant turned speaker turned aspiring actor and screenwriter Ravi Rao joins us to discuss the nuances of finding what’s next.

We explore:

+Ravi’s journey redefining himself 3 times

+Living up to other’s expectations

+How significantly emotional events shake up complacency

+Changing people’s perception of you

+The shift in creativity from childhood to adulthood

+Improv comedy’s direction to pull from your real life to create a new identity

+Finding your character’s motivation

+Paying attention to the positive interactions in your life

+The real meaning of passion

+Our tendency to look at what we lose if we make a change

+Selling yourself short

+How fear creates irrational decision-making

+Fighting through first impressions

+How we make decisions based on what we see around us

+Breaking cultural expectations

+How not being your authentic self makes you feel

 

Find Ravi online:

Twitter and Instagram @RaviActorWriter

 

Season 5 Theme Song:

cLOUD9 - After Party-- available at www.chicagoloud9.com

 

S5 | E9: How Do You Take Action? +Lancelot Newton

Whether it’s a political cause, social cause, big career move, or entrepreneurial endeavor, there’s a big difference between thinking about doing something, and actually doing something. This week, actor and activist Lancelot Newton joins us for a conversation about taking action on what’s important to you:

We explore:

+Using art to reflect everyday situations
+Applying pressure to a situation that speaks to you
+Creating a habit/routine of taking action
+Asking yourself what you have to offer the larger culture
+Judging yourself before you produce anything
+Finding YOUR way to execute, even if other people have already created in that field
+Providing action steps for others
+Not assuming that someone else will take care of it
+Taking control of YOUR situation
+Taking responsibility for what you do best
+Letting your art reflect your heart
+How your action can create a ripple effect
+Having an opinion, and taking ownership of that opinion
+Not letting lack of expertise prevent you from getting started
+Finding your medium
+Giving yourself the ability to create waste
+Sharing where you are in the journey
+Fighting confirmation bias

Find Lance Online:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lifeofanactor

Find Lance In Person:
Live at Steppenwolf Theatre - www.steppenwolf.org
Live at Goodman Theatre - www.goodmantheatre.org

Season 5 Theme Song:
cLOUD9 - After Party-- available at www.chicagoloud9.com

S5 | E8: How Do You Stick To Your Guns? +Shaan Puri

Having conviction and standing your ground is easy when things are going your way, but can be tough when things go awry. This week we chat with Shaan Puri, Cofounder of Blab, and discuss staying true to what you believe.

We explore:

+The backstory of Blaab and how it grew
+Identifying the real problem
+Putting constraints around the execution of your ideas
+Knowing the purpose behind your work
+The impact of “Generational Products”
+The fight against mediocrity
+Evaluating the
+Connor McGregor’s “Win or Learn” philosophy
+Fighting the sunk cost feeling
+AIM’s impact on our childhood’s
+Understanding the skill you’re building for life
+Asking yourself if you’re willing to look like an idiot until you look like a genius
+Knowing whose opinions to care about
+Having a set of habitual questions you ask yourself
+The improv of approach of making it happen now, instead of in the future
+Finding what
+Becoming aware of your excuses

Find Shaan online at:
Twitter @ShaanVP

References/Resources:
Shaan’s Medium article about shutting down Blaab-- https://medium.com/@shaanvp/blab-is-dead-long-live-blab-d2f72449ddb8#.kwo5grwsk

Paul Graham Essay-- Cities & Ambitions-- paulgraham.com/cities.html