Tell Me About Yourself

“Tell me about yourself”. That’s not even a question and yet, it’s one of the most important prompts we, as leaders, teachers, coaches, presenters, need to be able to answer with confidence and clarity.

I recently received this prompt and had the opportunity to stretch my “origin story” muscle when I was asked to answer a series of questions in preparation for being a guest on a recent podcast.

Below are some of my answers, which I hope gives you a glimpse into my story, and more importantly, inspires you all to feel confident and comfortable when someone offers you the opening, the gift, the prompt… tell me about yourself.

1. Had you always wanted to be in the performing arts, and what was your first professional role?

Yes. My mom is an abstract artist, and she taught every summer at Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (ISOMATA) outside of Los Angeles, so I was introduced to the arts and theater at a very young age. My first professional role was years later, right after I graduated college. I was cast as “Coach Steve” for a show called “Energy Express” filmed at WGN in Chicago.

2. You’ve had roles in some major productions. Did you suffer a lot of rejection before you landed these? 

I certainly had my fair share of rejection. Thankfully, I had early success in Chicago with industrials and commercials, but once I moved from Chicago back to LA in 1997 and started going out for prime-time sitcoms and features, and as the number of auditions increased, so did the number of rejections.

3. Where did you get the confidence to stay in it and keep auditioning?

I never made acting my identity which limited me in some ways when it came to totally committing to the craft. But that mindset also protected me because when I experienced rejection, as difficult as it was to go through, I did not connect it to who I was as a person.

4. What were some of the major challenges you tackled when you were in the business, and how did you overcome them?

The main challenge I faced was this; The more erratic and unhealthy I behaved, the more I worked. In essence, my negative behavior was being positively reinforced, and I had to make a decision to either sacrifice my emotional and mental well-being to continue to be “interesting” in auditions, or get my act together and find another profession. I eventually chose the latter. 

5. Where did the idea for Game On Nation come from? What did you think was missing from the team-building/communications/leadership space?

I started Game On because Pete Sampras, who I met through a mutual friend, asked me to help him “be less boring”. I focused on creating an interactive, engaging curriculum for Pete to try to match the engagement he was accustomed to while training as an athlete. From there, his agent Bob Kain at IMG saw Pete’s growth and offered me a partnership at IMG Academy to not only teach “media training” but also offer social skills, life skills, and overall communication training to all the “young Petes” on campus. What I think was missing in many team-building programs was purpose. Many of the trainings back in the day were either lectures or forced engagement. There weren’t many firms offering interactivity and if they were, the interaction was seen as a “warm up” or an “icebreaker” rather than a gateway for meaningful discovery, practical behaviors, and tangible take-aways.

6. Was it a difficult choice to leave Hollywood behind to pursue this career? 

Per my answer to #4, it actually was not that challenging. I needed a change, and I was so excited to be valued for my mind, skills, talents, and what I could offer vs. waiting for someone to approve me, which is the norm in Hollywood. As an actor, there was very little I could control. As the Founder and President of my own company, I was able to fill that void and have some say in the direction I wanted my career to go. Lastly, I soon realized I loved focusing on others and helping them find their voice and their unique talents much more than focusing on myself each and every day.

7. What were some of the risks involved in building your business?

The biggest risk for me was once I brought on staff, I realized my decision making, health, and clarity of mind was crucial because if I make a poor decision, it not only effects me, but it effects my staff, their salaries, their insurance, their families and their employment, etc. In short, the stakes are way higher when other people and their families are dependent on your personal and professional development.

8. What was your biggest learning as you built your business?

I can answer this with a nod to my friend and colleague Kyle Stark, who helped me with this framework. 1. Define the culture of the company first, including what we do, how we do it, why we do, and the overall purpose. 2. Select talent that fits and can advance that culture. 3. Develop that talent with the necessary support, guidance, and tools so they can not only survive, but thrive. 4. Deploy that talent in a timely manner so they can go out and do their thing confidently and competently, without micromanaging them. When this process is honored, it’s a beautiful thing. When this process gets out of order, it’s painful for all involved. I’ve done it both in order and out of order. 

9. What is the throughline in acting and your work with Game On Nation, and what skills from your acting career helped you build your Game On Nation business?

The throughline in acting and Game On is “connection”. As an actor, we’re taught to connect with the role and connect with the audience. For teams and organizations, this connection thread can play out when it is positioned as…

1. Connection to SELF

2. Connection to OTHERS

3. Connection to PURPOSE

The biggest skills alignment is improvisation. This is something I fell in love with in college and as an actor in Chicago. I quickly realized basic improv concepts could transfer really well to athletes, teams, companies and organizations because high performing people respond well to positive humor, curiosity, intellect, puzzle solving, authentic engagement, pushing themselves, doing hard things together, and discovery. And all of these dynamics are in play in our Game On curriculum.

10. What inspires you to continue your work?

My Faith inspires me to continue this work… and the desire to offer a sound message, an engaging curriculum, and practical concepts that are rooted in basic, trusted, universal truths as opposed to focusing on fear and what divides us. There’s enough divisiveness out there, and the Game On team and I are interested in simplifying the connection process and showing people, empowering them, igniting them to see we have so much more in common, while also giving space so we can also celebrate, cherish, and value our wonderful differences.