JB: Great! I'm fascinated with people transitioning from one career to another and you've done it several times that I know of. At one point, you were a professional dancer, at another, an actor. I'd like to hear more about those careers and also about how they brought you to what you're doing today.
ES: I was that kid in class who couldn't sit still. I had to have an agreement with my 3rd grade teacher that I would be allowed to stand next to my desk, rather than sit. I am a kinesthetic learner, so sitting still and just listening was not a good method to learn, which is the way most schools are organized. Somehow, I managed to still get good grades and make it into honor classes, but dance was a great outlet for my energy and the one place where I felt truly focused and connected. The combination of music and movement together thrilled me. As I grew up, I took dance more and more seriously, studying many forms, performing regularly and spending more and more time in the dance studio. I majored in dance in college on a big scholarship and that is where I learned to become an artist. I learned about making dances and elevating performances into storytelling.
I fell in love with a dance company called Joe Goode Dancers based in San Francisco. Joe combined theater with dance and all the dancers had to be able to speak and tell stories while dancing. It wasn't like musical theater, it was much more abstract. But I loved seeing the different ways stories could be told through movement and voice.
So when I studied in London for six months one semester, I started choreographing pieces that combined these elements of out loud story telling with music and dance. I set a piece on five dancers from five different countries. Each dancer spoke a different language and told about the first time they fell in love. We spliced up their stories, mixed it with movement. What was amazing is that despite the audience not being able to understand all the languages, they knew what the story was about. It opened the door for me from an artistic storytelling perspective. At that point, I knew I wanted to do more than just dance. And acting was an extension of that artistic expression.
When I moved to New York to dance with a company, I started taking acting classes as well. What I loved about acting was the attempt to try to understand a character and why they chose to do the things they did. What motivated them? What were their fears? What was their greatest trauma? In a way, this desire to understand people is no different than what I did in my early days of life coaching in helping other people to understand these very same questions.
I got really lucky and booked some great acting gigs. I was on Sex and the City, As The World Turns, The Sopranos and a bunch more. They were all great starts to a nice acting character. However, after some time, I got really tired of 'waiting' to use my talent. That sounds harsh, but in the entertainment industry, when you are auditioning, you are really waiting for someone to say, "YES." Like most creative folks who get into the entertainment industry, we have all this energy and creativity that we are just dying to put out into the world. If you are waiting for a casting director to say, "You may now use your talent on this one line project", you start to get a little backed up. Pardon the expression.
So basically, I didn't want to wait. I wanted to make something for myself. And that's why I ended up starting a business. My business truly feels like an extension and amalgamation of everything I have been doing my whole life. Storytelling, movement, deeper understanding of the human experience. Now, I just get to do it on my own terms. To me, the greatest blessing is that I have found work in which I think I get to use all the gifts I have been given and have accumulated in my life. It's pretty awesome.
JB: How lucky you are! I understand your mother's a cancer survivor. You've written that she dealt with it differently than you did and that you learned from her approach. If it's not too personal, can you talk about that, please?
ES: My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when I was 18 years old. Ovarian cancer is a doozy. I don't think I even realized the fatality rate at that time. I just knew she had cancer and that wasn't good. It hit me hard and felt like my world had sort of shifted in a way that I wasn't quite ready for. This happens to us in life. We are never ready for the sudden news about someone we love. We are so used to going about our everyday life as usual, that when something out of the ordinary happens to a family member or loved one, we go into a bit of shock. Everyone deals with this differently. For me, it was a tender time. I was a freshman in college and was already struggling with my new environment and change. So this just further shook that foundation.
My mom, however, was a rock star; I mean, total rock star. A diagnosis like that can really scare the crap out of you. And while I am sure she was scared, she started taking action. She followed doctors' order, had surgery and went through chemo. But she also looked to alternative healings. She drank essiac tea, went to meditation and tai chai. The best thing she did was put on her little hat over her bald head and went out into the world each day with a great attitude. She didn't let it knock her down too hard. I admire her for that. She is a 'doer'.
During this time, I had to learn to deal with my own feelings and thoughts. This is what opened up the door to my spiritual seeking. I wanted answers. I wanted to know how to feel better. I wanted to know how my thoughts were affecting my feelings and my body. I attribute a lot of what I am doing today to what I learned from her during that time. The best part is that she is alive and well and getting to see me do it. A huge blessing indeed.
JB: I couldn't agree more; where would we all be without our moms? On another entirely different, tack, how did you come to know Jessica Ortner and team up with her EFT program?
ES: Jessica and I met through some mutual friends. I can't even remember who at this point. She came and took one of my classes and we went out to dinner. We connected instantly. She felt like a soul mate kind of girlfriend that you don't meet all the time. She is so wise, funny and thoughtful. We also are quite similar in that we like to balance all this wellness stuff with some good ole fashion silly fun. While we both take our work seriously, we don't take ourselves too seriously. I think this is why she is so approachable. Her audience loves her.
EFT is the process of using physical tapping on the meridian points of your body in order to release stress and tension. You are using a lot of self talk while doing it as well and I think this is where we have some nice overlap in our work. We both believe that in order to create change in your body, it's not just about eating the right foods and exercising. You have to change what you are thinking and believing about yourself. You have to go deeper than just the surface. EFT is so complementary to Shrink Session and visa versa.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
