 Aloha and welcome to another episode of the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm your host, Chantel Seville. Now, before we start, I'll just let you know that if you ever miss an episode, you can always go back to the Think Tech Hawaii on YouTube or the Savvy Life website, S-A-V-I-L-I-F-E, because you don't want to miss all the amazing episodes that we've done and have coming up. Now, today on the episode, we have Lisa Emanuel. Lisa is an acting or professional actress as well as an acting coach, and now a businesswoman and entrepreneur. She's all about unleashing your inner performer and being the absolute best you can be through acting. Now, with this unleashing your inner performer, it is whether you are an aspiring actress or you're just a businesswoman who wants to get more confidence, more imagination, and just everyday life. Well, Lisa's your girl, so welcome, Lisa. Thank you, Chantel. Thanks, welcome. You've been up all night, you party animal, or maybe not? Yeah, no, not quite. I've been at the hospital with one of my little babies. Yeah, I got an infection, so I was there all night and I've just come home to do this interview. So right now it's actually, what, 7 a.m. in Geelong, Victoria, which is just out of Melbourne, Australia, and she's been up all night, so this should be interesting. Still dark outside here. So when it comes to unleashing your inner performer, how do you do this? How did you actually do that? Perhaps we can start with you. Well, how did I do it? Well, I guess, oh, where should I start? When I was younger, I think it came quite naturally to me to access these emotions inside, but it's not like to be a method actor, so to speak. But when it came to performing, it's definitely something that you can learn over time, and it's definitely a skill to be learned. Anyone can do it, and if a performer is one skill to learn how to act, but it's another skill to learn how to perform and have that acting shine through, and it's the same as a business person or even just a kid that wants to be more confident to, I always say, talking to adults is such a huge thing for teens and for kids, and performing, the skill of performing, is definitely an asset to you and for somebody if you have kids to learn to speak your truth and to tell people what you're interested in, what you're all about, and then basically tell yourself. Yeah, I mean, from a young age, I actually was enacting and acting classes, so I couldn't agree more. I think it's just helped me so much in my life, just having that ability to switch on and off and adapt to situations, and it's really gave me a lot of confidence and resilience, which you need to learn in acting. So you started acting when you were how old? Well, I had a really bad experience when I was about 11 on a stage, and so stage acting scared me for years after that, but I had my first professional job when I was 14, and I'd started acting at an acting school about three months prior to that, and then I got pushed into one of Australian's leading drama series, and then I had recurring sort of guest roles four years after that on that show, which was called Blue Healers, so I went back as numerous characters because the show was a very long running show in Australia. So I know you're on Blue Healers, and you also ended up being on a lot of other really well-known Australian TV shows. Can you tell us what they were and what that experience was like? Yeah, so I did, well, Blue Healers, and I did stingers. I've now done house husbands, neighbors, underbelly. Yeah, I've done quite a few. Well, a lot of the times I was given when I was younger and a teenager, really intense roles, which, sorry, I've lost my voice, which I called the torture teenager roles. Like, I really felt like I was the torture teenager of a teenager of Melbourne, because a lot of kids are, like, really happy, and they're like that Disney-style where I was like, you know, that kid in that movie that would be in, like, I Am Sam, or Puberty Blues or something, where there's something really full-on going on with like a family, like a domestic violence situation or something. I could be that kid, and I really related to that kind of storyline and character. I could get in really deep, and that was something that people always said in my acting that I had a lot going on inside and behind my eyes, you know, which helped tell the story. So in an adult world and an adult-themed show, that really stood out. Yeah. I think that's pretty important, especially at that young age that you were able to identify, and other people could identify, that that was your strength, because, I mean, in acting, there's so many different types of roles, and if you're that deep character, trying to be a happy person, you perhaps wouldn't even have gotten as far as you have with your career had you tried to be that other type of actress that really wasn't your natural ability. I did try though, because the roles that were in Australia at the time, like there's a lot more going on now for kids, like lots of more varied roles, because of, you know, all the streaming channels, so there's a lot of TV that's happening, which is so amazing. But back then, it was like really standard kids' TV shows, which was more like your happy, you know, bubbly, really animated acting styles. And I did try and go for those roles, but it just wasn't coming out. Like I tried, and I tried, and the casting directors, I could see them. They really liked me, so they kept calling me in, and they were just rooting for me to get these roles, and they were just like, oh, not quite, you know. And I really wanted them so bad, which made it harder, because all those nerves were coming through. And I didn't have that much experience to know how to shut those nerves off and not care about possibly being able to move over to the USA, you know, and all those dreams were in my head, and I just wanted it, and I couldn't let it go. So in the end, I just didn't get that lead role in the end, you know. But I did end up going over to America when I finished high school, so I could get over there to study at Stellar Eidler. So that was what I did instead of going to uni in Australia. Well, because you're following your passion, which was acting, and I mean, it still leaves throughout you, and it's just, I guess, an extension of a part of who you are. With, you know, being on set and things like that, can you share what it's like to be an actress and to be on a set and just that experience or celebrities you've met? Yeah, well, like, I've met so many, and I've worked with them, like not just met them, I've worked with them. Like the first Blue Hillers guest role, so the first guest role, like proper speaking role on TV, I ever did, was with Sam Worthington, who is the lead in Avatar. I think people might know who Sam Worthington is. But that was actually his first role out of drama school. Wow. As well, and it was mine, so obviously he's got a lot further than I have in this room. But yeah, and so I've met actors like that, and I worked with these other actors, like Roger Corsa, who, I don't know if you know him over in America yet, Ditch Dabby, he was on Blue Hills at the time when I did another role. He's gone over to, he was in a show called Spartacus and a few other shows in the U.S. Yeah, I've met a lot of people. But I think, you know, one of my favorites that I met, I was on a U.S. film, and I was a standing, and that came to Australia, that production level was just like, well, you know, they had these beautiful vintage cars. Everyone is dressed up, the whole streets are closed off. Everyone is dressed in these amazing costumes. You actually feel like you're in another time. Like a magic working on like Game of Thrones or something like that, where everything is just, you're immersed in this whole other world. And that was just incredible. And I met Melissa Joan Hart. So she was Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Do you remember that? Yes, of course I do. I love her. She's like, wiggle who knows? Yes. Well, when I was a kid, I would raise her from school to watch Sabrina. And when I got asked to be her little sister's body double standing, I was just like, aside myself. When I actually saw her, because she was producing the show, and she was walking across the set, I didn't even say hello. I was so scared. I was so nervous. So I did meet her in a way, but I was also just too scared to say hello. I was in the same room as her. Because you do get starstruck when you're a kid and you also feel like adults don't. I felt like nobody wanted to talk to me, but it was actually now I realized adults don't know what to say to kids. Okay, so if you're a kid going on a TV show, don't get offended by the lead cast if they don't say hello, because there's some that are really good with kids and other adults just have no idea. So would you say hello first if it's a young actress on a set? It doesn't hurt to, I mean, what can they do? Yeah, but you'll probably freak them out if they're not ready. Honestly, if you're an adult and you don't know what to do with kids, them saying hello to you, you're going to be like, hello, hello, little friend. I'm going to be nice to you, but not quite know how to relate to you. So you really are working in an adult's world and that's what you have to be prepared for. If you want to be like a child actor, if you're a parent with a kid going on to a TV set or a teen, I would say if you're a teen though, I always had heard about something called networking and I was like, I need to get in with these people so I can get more roles and get them to know who I am. And I wanted to go and hang out with them after work. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen. But I think, yeah, just get in there and say hello and somehow I'll get them to remember you. Just be really witty and savvy about what you know. Be really savvy. Be really, be a savvy chick. Exactly. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. So when I did this one show on Stingers, the role was a girl who had actually killed her mom and her mom and her sisters in a house fire. It was really fun. The episode was nominated for an AFI award, which is the Australian Film Institute Awards, which is huge. That episode was put up for that. I sat at the table when they were all discussing their characters and what was going to happen. It was like a table read or something with the director. And I told them all about my character, everything that my character had gone through my whole life, how I felt. And they were just like, wow, they were not expecting that at all. And it really showed initiative. And then they really took me seriously and like asked for my opinion throughout the episode. And I became, I guess, they trusted my view. And I just felt really great and I felt really appreciated, you know, that I let people know, hey, I'm here. I'm a serious actress. So was that when you started to feel that you were unleashing your inner performer? Is that when you started to feel that that was really, you know, you were starting to get in the groove of who you were and what you could offer? I don't have confidence on set, you know, but I think if you do your homework and if you prepare and that's prepared for what you have to do and over prepare and over prepare and prepare too much that by the time you get on set, you can just, it sounds cliche, but you can just let it all go because you know what you know and just get up there and just relax, you know, and just then just focus on relaxing because when you relax into something and then you know, your whole face and I'm in your whole body, just let it go. You can let your whole self shine through and show the world and the camera or the audience what you really came there to show them because sometimes our nerves can completely take over and we walk out of there going, oh my God, that wasn't the person, that wasn't the character that I wanted to show them, you know. So that's a huge thing. Something like Alexander Technique or any kind of relaxation. I wouldn't say meditation where you like zone out, but something where you're still quite focused is vocal warm-ups and things that can help you be present. Sometimes actually, you know what, just checking Facebook right before you go into an audition just to get your mind away from the pressure, that can actually help you just relax a little bit, like laugh about something just before you go in to do something really serious. So you can say hi to the casting director and introduce yourself without being like, I really want this role. Give it to me now. That's perfect advice. I think anyone who's watching this should definitely watch Replay and replay that because that's spot on for everything in life which leads us to our next segment which we'll just take a short break now but unleashing your inner performer no matter what industry you're in. So stay tuned for some tips. Be sure to tweet or ask us any questions. Give us a call on the Think Tech Hawaii Hotline and we'll be back to you shortly on the Savvy Chick Show. I'm Jay Fidel and I'm here with Pete McGinnis-Mark HIGP and research in Manoa. What about that show, Pete? I think it's great, Jay. Research at Manoa really provides faculty members at the University of Hawaii with an easy way of explaining some of the research activities we're conducting on the campus. For example, I do a lot of space research, whether it's the moon and Mars, but many of my other colleagues do other interesting kinds of work, whether it's exploring the ocean floor in submarines, studying earthquakes and tsunamis or other activities. So Research at Manoa really provides us with a way of telling the general public some of the activities which we're involved in as well as communicating to our colleagues and students. This is a fun science and we really appreciate the activities which Research at Manoa enabled us to talk about. I love Research at Manoa. Come around, join us. It's Monday, 1 o'clock p.m., every single Monday. Be there or be square. And we're back on the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii live from Honolulu. Now we're here with our guest, Lisa Emanuel who's actually in Geelong, Australia and she is the actress and acting guru. Now she's been an actress for a long time but most recently she's transitioned from being a performer to a businesswoman and on this episode it's all about unleashing your inner performer. So in this segment we're going to talk about how you can do that but firstly Lisa, tell us, how did you transition from being a performer to a businesswoman? Well, I don't know both but give us the insights. Yeah, well now I completely blend it and I found this way to be both. I've always had a business mind, like a marketing mind I guess you could say when it comes to pursuing my acting career. I wanted to show you something. Where is it? So when I had my first role on television I sent out these. This is like my headshot. It's a postcard to all the casting directors in Melbourne, asking them to watch my episode. So I like paid to get these printed when I was like 14, right? That's awesome and very innovative. But to me, that's like running a business, right? That's not something that just a performer does waiting for their agent to call. So that's back before we had digital things. But basically what happened was I was asked to write a chapter in this book called 13 Wise Women with 12 other businesswomen in Geelong but I had to have a business. I couldn't just be a performer and I kept saying but I am a performer. I have a business number in Australia. You know, I am a business myself. You can hire me as a contractor and they're like no, you have to have a business. So I was like I really want to write this chapter and I don't want to pass out this opportunity to hang out with these 12 other awesome women and learn all their secrets for the next 12 months writing this book. So I came up with a business and it was the Actors Gym. And yeah, I got to write my book and like this is me, the Actors Gymnasium. And they're like you have to go and register your name if you want us to write it in the book. So I did that and this was really like something that was like a deadline. Figure out who you are, figure out your brand put it on paper, write it in a book and you have to go and do it. If you don't go and do it, then you know what would I be saying really about myself if I didn't go and do it? It's become this beautiful, what do you call it, a passion project. Yeah, so I basically I hung out with these 12 amazing business women in Chilong who it ranged from, I was the youngest. Some of them have had the business after business and they have like grandchildren. And I just like soaked up everything they had to say and their energy being around these amazing women and then it really did give me the confidence to go ahead and do it myself. And it didn't feel like such a far off dream or possibility for me to set up shop on my own. Yeah, all I had to do was figure out who I was, what I wanted to sell, I want my brand was and I realized it was like it was all about performing, you know, at the heart of it all. And unleashing your inner performer. So what does your business do? That's right. What did you create? Yeah, and so it took a long time for me to figure out what my like, I guess my slogan was. I really wanted, everyone was like, but who do you teach? I was like, I can teach anyone. I can teach kids. I can teach preschoolers. I can teach parents. I can teach adults. It doesn't matter. I can teach experienced actors. I can teach beginners or people who are everyday people to public speak, teens at school that need more confidence. It doesn't matter. So I come up with born to perform because everyone was born. It doesn't matter what age you are. You can be reminded that you were born to perform and in you is a performer of some kind. And it's a skill to be learned either in a professional way as an actress or performer or as a business person going into a meeting or as a kid when you need to talk about yourself to get something. Yeah, so. I love that. I mean, I always say be the star of your own show. So it's just whatever the show is, whatever that might be. You can be an engineer, be a star of that. You can be a performer. You can be on TV like us, whatever it is, but be the star of your own show. So I mean that, you know, couldn't agree more with everyone is born to perform in one way or another. Yeah. And in this today's world, you have to sell yourself and people actually get, they get vapid if you can sell yourself. You get more things. And even if you're an introvert or something, you can still learn to switch it on and switch it off and just realize performing is a job. So how do you do that? That is like, especially for, say, the shy people watching or those who know they have an inner performer, they know they've got this burning. Can you give us some tips or let's play? Okay. Well, you know, I take little bits and pieces from people who I've worked with teachers. I've had a couple of little cool tips are archetypes. So figure out some characters that really turn you on, right? They really make you feel like a completely different person or like a character or a certain version of yourself. So figure out the different versions of yourself. So mine might be, one might be Wonder Woman. So think about Wonder Woman when you're going into like an interview, right? If you really want to show, you want to put that smile on your face. I might think of, you know, the Wiggles. Everyone knows the Wiggles, right? So when I'm going to children's form, I think of, I'm a Wiggle. That's what I do. And I get up there and then sometimes it just comes out of me like the tone of voice and the melody that goes with it and the vibrance and the bounce, you know? But then if I want to go into a meeting to get a serious corporate job or a corporate client, I actually put on a perfume that reminds me of my first ever Air Hostess interview because once I wanted to be an airline hostess. And that perfume, I only wear it for job interviews and that's actually a method acting tool, right? So things can help give you a sensory memory and give you a posture even. So I walk in confident, I walk in, I feel primed. And it's like a subconscious signal. So that I guess that's my Air Hostess. And I put that face on. And I carry my folders, you know? And I walk in there in my nice corporate heels and I feel nice and steady. And I talk to people like I'm an Air Hostess and I try and get what I want. But that's perfect. And as we're saying, like that's good for whether you're going for an acting job or whether you're going for a real job or whether you're just meeting someone new for the first time that you need to want to put on, not a face, because I mean you can still be yourself but just have a different era of confidence or essence about you. And that's right. You are being yourself. Everyone has different versions of ourselves when we're in private and in public and with our friends and with our mom. The only problem is, is when we're in a stressful situation we tend to, um, our sympathetic nervous system kicks in and it starts to ruin all our good work that we've done to prepare for something, right? So you have to have these tools and acting can really give you those tools to get through situations. Sometimes five minutes can be like forever if you really want something. You know, and you don't want to stuff it up. You teach children as young as how old with your business at the moment? What ages do they start as young as how old? Can you do your courses? Probably like two. Wow, that's awesome. Yeah, I can do drama at workshops with two-year-old, pretty much. Like, I let parents just bring their kids, you know. And then I can teach any age really. Like, I think that's the thing is that I can understand the different age levels and understanding of acting and people who are just getting into it. And I can read them what they understand and how they're looking at performing and then how they can overcome. I can subtly sort of move them in a direction, I guess, to work around certain pre-concepts. Is that the word? You know, how they're sort of thinking about it in the wrong way and get them past that and over the other side so they can just focus on, I guess, unleashing their inner performer. Yeah, I mean, I do a theatre event called Crash Test Drama, for all ages I've had, I think, people as old as maybe 65 come to that event and get up and I encourage them to get up and perform on the day without rehearsals. I love teaching everyone. Really? I do. They all have different blocks and challenges for me. I wanted to say with teens, unleashing your inner performer is about the biggest thing, is about getting practice in telling adults about yourself. That's the biggest thing, right? Yeah, because teens and kids, they're so scared to talk to adults. They don't know that adults are interested in them. I tell you what, if you start talking about yourself and what you like and what you want in life to an adult, they're going to go, oh, my God, and they're going to listen to you, you know? So I think just keep practicing that. You know, your parents, friends, and with little kids, get them to tell stories. Get them to tell stories that they've made up to people that are older than them, that will give them confidence just practicing that about talking about themselves. The stories, my actually one of my best friends when I stayed with her, her and her husband get their little girl to tell them stories sometimes before bed. And I thought that's such a neat way of doing things. So she tells them a story of her day, but at least it's giving her that ability to do her own sort of storytelling. Yeah, that's right. Especially if friends come over at the dinner table, great opportunity to get your child to be included in the conversation, as an adult, and get them to have a voice at the table. And it will help them have a voice if they want to be a performer. It's just these little subtle things to help them. Yeah. Awesome. And with them, so with your big, because we're nearly ready to wrap up here, but I want to know the biggest vision for you and your business and what you're doing. You were telling me yesterday when we were speaking about, you know, the things that you'd love to do and perhaps have a traveling show and you sang me your song. It was a little hint of the tune, but... Oh, it doesn't have a melody. It's got words. I've been figuring it out in the car. For Play-Pretend, which is my preschool, is drama program. I can see this as being it's own, probably it's own business in itself. I'm just seeing where all these things grow. I'm throwing things to the wind, going and doing little jobs and just seeing what takes off. Some stuff falls flat and I have nightmares about it not working. And then other stuff. The first workshop I ran up there is I had 120 people there. I found out the night before. I was expecting 12 kids. So, just do it. Just do it. Somebody gives me an opportunity like this. Just run with it. Just do it. With this, I would love it to turn into something that was obviously... The Wiggles is massive. Like a stage show, so if I could get some sort of funding or someone to back me for that. This is such a great concept where the kids get up to perform as well. And with the Actors Gym, I just want that to be like a really great school that I could take internationally to help people go and perform internationally. And it's all about not just practicing your acting in class, but getting the experience of performing. So, all of my students, I give them opportunities to get in front of people, whether it's a paid audience or just their parents and their friends, because you need that experience of being in front of people and in front of a camera. So, yeah. I want it to go as big as possible. It'll be huge. And by the time my little girl is old enough, she'll be able to come in a couple years and be at your live performing shows. And I want to get a costume and come and play because I think there's nothing better than just really getting out there, being fun, being silly. Or in sciences or maths or acting, whatever it is. So, I mean, I am a huge advocate for drama, especially when it comes to young people. And I am so grateful to have you on the show today. And especially, you know, your tag there, just imagine where you could go, who you could be. This show and segment is all about open your mind to the imagination of what you can do and, you know, who you can be and who you can become. So, do you have any closing notes for us today? Oh, I just want to say thank you so much. Like, you're such an inspiration to me. I think, you know, I went to one of your workshops that you run in Australia, which was for, you know, women who were looking to, I guess, better their lives. And I just wanted to say that, you know, that was one of the things that really inspired me and gave me courage to take that next step as well. So, thank you. Aw, keep going. We love you. We love all the savvy chicks out there. Please be sure to watch every episode at 11am on Wednesdays. Honolulu time. Thank you to Kawhi for always hosting us here at this beautiful studio. And we look forward to seeing you next week. Aloha.