Shows / Performance Pep Talk
Performance Pep Talk
No more allowing stage fright, negative thought spirals, and self-doubt to run the show. Performance Pep Talk is your go-to tool if you’re a performer, actor, singer, or speaker who wants to feel centered and confident walking onstage. Hosted by mental performance coach Sophie Adickes (M.A. Psych, M.M., ICF ACC), each 10-minute episode blends psychology and practical tools to help you calm nerves, quiet imposter syndrome, and reshape your self-talk pre-performance. Because resilience…
Episodes
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Bounce Back After a Bad Performance: Building Resilience as a Skill (Ep. 36)
Every singer, actor, and musician has had a bad performance, and the hardest part is often walking back in afterward with the fear of “what if it happens…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Handle Criticism as a Performer (Without Taking It Personally) Ep. 35
Singers, actors, and musicians are trained to take direction, but constant notes from directors, teachers, casting directors, and social media can wear on your…
- Performance Pep Talk
Audition Anxiety? Three ways to take the pressure off. (Ep. 34)
One of the most exhausting and challenging parts of being an actor, performer or musician is auditioning. The power dynamic, the artistic gatekeeping, the high…
- Performance Pep Talk
Self-Compassion for Performers: How to Handle your Inner Critic Without Silencing it (Ep. 33)
Many singers, actors, and musicians believe their inner critic is what keeps them sharp. But fighting that voice, or trying to silence it, often makes it…
- Performance Pep Talk
Burnout for Artists: What to Do When you Can't Take a Break (Ep. 33)
Burnout is a struggle for most singers, actors, musicians, and entrepreneurs. The constant responsibilities (day job shifts, auditions, rehearsals, running…
- Performance Pep Talk
DO IT NERVOUS: Center the Body and Channel your Energy (Ep. 32)
You have one bad performance experience as a singer, actor, and performer, and suddenly, you're not just afraid of performing, you're afraid of getting nervous…
- Performance Pep Talk
Stuck in a Worry Spiral Before an Audition? Here's How to Refocus and Recenter (Ep. 31)
Stuck in a worry spiral pre-audition? Wondering "What if I forget the lyrics?" "What if I don't book this?" "What if I never book again?" If your brain spirals…
- Performance Pep Talk
Defining your Self-Worth beyond Performance (Ep. 30)
One good audition and you feel unstoppable. One rough rehearsal and you're lying awake wondering if you even deserve to be there. If you're a singer, musician…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Stay Focused during Auditions and Stop Worrying about What Other People Think About You (Ep. 29)
Distracted in the audition room because you’re worried about whether the people behind the table like you? Feel like you’re constantly trying to people-please…
- Performance Pep Talk
Social Media Comparison for Artists: Escape the Spiral (Ep. 28)
You're feeling good after a great audition or lesson and then you open your phone and see someone from your program just booked a huge role. Suddenly, you're…
- Performance Pep Talk
Handling Rejection: A Performer's Guide (Ep. 27)
Rejection hurts no matter what level you are as a performer. But it's not just the "no" that gets you; it's the anticipation before you even walk in the room…
- Performance Pep Talk
When You're Feeling Behind as an Artist: Managing Imposter Syndrome (Ep. 26)
That feeling of "I should be further along by now" is something most actors, singers, and musicians have experienced. But where does this feeling actually come…
- Performance Pep Talk
Stop Fighting your Nerves: Why Nerves aren't your Enemy (Ep. 25)
Every singer, musician, or performer has had the thought, "Don't be nervous." Hoping that by willing their nerves away, they will suddenly disappear…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Motivate Yourself as a Performer (Ep. 24)
What should you do when you don't feel like performing, when the auditions feel stale, and when you're reaching burnout but still have a show to do? This week…
- Performance Pep Talk
Performance Anxiety in Your Body: Why You Feel Physically Nervous And How to Release It (Ep. 23)
Feeling physically nervous before a performance is one of the most annoying things a performer can experience. All that work only to be sabotaged by your body…
- Performance Pep Talk
Imposter Syndrome as a Performer: why you feel like a fraud and what you can do about it (Ep. 22)
Imposter syndrome (or imposter phenomenon) affects almost all singers, actors, and musicians at some point in their careers. And the tricky part is, it can…
- Performance Pep Talk
Why You Get Stuck in Your Head while Performing: How to Refocus and Stay Present (Ep. 21)
If you're a singer, musician, or performer, you know how to practice the material. You've run it a hundred times and feel prepared walking into the audition…
- Performance Pep Talk
Why You Perform Better in Practice Than in the Audition Room, And How to Fix It (Ep. 20)
If you're a singer, musician, or performer, you know how to put in the hours to technically prepare for performance. You've drilled it in the practice room…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Stop Overthinking a Bad Performance (Ep. 19)
Every performer (singers, actors, musicians) has that memory of a bad performance: the voice crack, the missed entrance, the blank. And as hard as those…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Build Performance Confidence (when you're always trying to improve)
As a performer (singers, actors, musicians) there is always something to improve. Always a note to clean up, a choice to commit to more fully, a skill to…
- Performance Pep Talk
Pre-Show Panic Attacks: How to reground and navigate through a performance panic
Performers (singers, actors, instrumentalists) often describe their pre-show panic coming out of nowhere. They walk backstage feeling confident, and then…
- Performance Pep Talk
Take the Pressure out of Performing
Performance anxiety doesn't discriminate, showing up despite your level of experience, talent, or preparation. But a lot of the time, the pressure that makes…
- Performance Pep Talk
Why Artists Are So Hard on Themselves and How to Show yourself Compassion as a Performer
If you would never speak to a friend the way you speak to yourself before a performance, this episode is for you. In this episode of Performance Pep Talk, we…
- Performance Pep Talk
Do Pre-Show Rituals Actually Work? What Every Performer Needs to Know
You wouldn't walk into an important meeting without preparing. So why are so many performers still winging it in those crucial minutes before they walk into…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Deal with Comparison as an Artist, Singer or Performer
Looking around the audition waiting room and suddenly feeling like everyone else is more talented, more prepared, and more likely to book the job? There's…
- Performance Pep Talk
Building Resilience as a Performer without growing a "thick skin"
"Grow a thick skin" is advice almost every singer, actor, or performer has heard. But what if it's actually unhelpful? In this episode of Performance Pep Talk…
- Performance Pep Talk
Feeling Calm in Auditions: A Science-Backed Performance Anxiety Tool for Performers
Did you know that unfamiliar environments are one of the biggest, and most overlooked, triggers of performance anxiety? In this episode of Performance Pep…
- Performance Pep Talk
Managing Perfectionism as a Performer or Musician: why it happens and what to do about it
Do you walk into auditions already bracing for failure? Do you practice endlessly but still never feel ready? You might be caught in the perfectionism trap…
- Performance Pep Talk
You're Not the Only One: why performance anxiety feels isolating and what you can do about it
If you've experienced performance anxiety or stage nerves and thought: “Is this normal?” “Why does this feel so hard for me?” “Does everyone else have this…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Channel Nerves and Boost your Energy for Peak Performance
What if your performance quality isn’t being held back by anxiety… but by mismanaged energy? In this episode, we’re shifting the conversation from calming…
- Performance Pep Talk
Stage Fright and the Fear of Being Seen: How to Navigate Visibility as an Artist
Why does being seen feel so uncomfortable and why does it trigger performance anxiety? In this episode, we break down one of the core drivers of stage fright…
- Performance Pep Talk
Being a Confident Performer (without feeling fake or cocky)
In this episode, we’re unpacking one of the biggest mental blocks performers face when it comes to building confidence: the fear of becoming “cocky.” If you’ve…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Quiet your Inner Critic before a Performance
If you’ve ever stepped on stage or walked into an audition and suddenly heard a voice in your head saying, “You’re not ready… what if you mess up… everyone is…
- Performance Pep Talk
Calm Your Nerves: A Grounding Practice for Performers
When your body goes into fight-or-flight before a performance, logic alone won’t calm your nerves; your nervous system needs a signal of safety. In this…
- Performance Pep Talk
Perfectionism and Audition Season: Finding Flexible Control
If you’re a high-achieving performer who struggles with perfectionism, audition season can feel exhausting. In this episode, we explore why perfectionism often…
- Performance Pep Talk
A Brave Performer: Courageous doesn't mean Fearless
Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s action in its presence. In this episode, we reframe confidence and explore how bravery is defined in psychology. You’ll…
- Performance Pep Talk
How to Calm Performance Nerves (Without Fighting Them)
Being nervous before a performance isn't a flaw; it's just your nervous system doing its job a little too well. In this episode, you’ll learn why trying to…
- Performance Pep Talk
Welcome to Performance Pep Talk
No more allowing panic, negative thought spirals, and self-doubt to run the show. Performance pep-talk is your go-to pre-performance tool if you’re a…