The 3-Part System That Helped Me Book More Acting Work

Still waiting for your acting career to finally pick up?
If you’ve been working hard, auditioning your heart out, and still wondering why nothing is “clicking,” this episode is going to feel like someone finally turning the lights on.

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the exact 3-part system that helped me go from overwhelmed, burnt out, and feeling behind… to booking multiple jobs, rebuilding momentum, and actually enjoying the process again. You’ll learn why your nervous system might be sabotaging your auditions, how your subconscious shapes your confidence, and why repetition is the real secret to sustainable success.

If you’ve ever doubted your talent, compared yourself to every other actor online, or felt like your career is stuck on pause, this episode will give you clarity, hope, and tools you can start using this week.

Books from this episode: 

Proximity Principle - Ken Coleman

The Power of the Actor: The Chubbuck Technique - Ivana Chubbuck 

2025 could be the year everything shifts for you—and I want to be right there with you on the journey.

Follow along for the real behind-the-scenes of acting, modeling, and mindset growth—you’ll see the wins, the lessons, and what it really takes to build a creative career.
📸 Instagram: @megsalisburycreative
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🌐 Blog + FREE Resources

Mindset Coaching for Actors: Subconscious reprogramming + nevous system regulation is fastest, easiest way to book more meaningful acting work. If you’re tired of holding youself back and want support to show up with confidence, clarity, and ease—I’d love to work with you. Apply for 1:1 coaching here

The Glow Up Newsletter: Want the best tips and takeaways to help you book more work and thrive in your career? Sign up here and start glowing up month by month.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with another dreamer—because your next big break might be closer than you think.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Wins
• 1:15 Three Recent Bookings
• 3:45 Origin Story And Early Acting
• 6:00 LA Grind And The Pandemic Hit
• 8:10 Moving Home And Market Shift
• 10:20 Hustle, Rejection, And Rock Bottom
• 13:00 Choosing Change And Mindset Work
• 15:00 Agents, Momentum, And Coaching Path
• 17:10 The Three-Part System Revealed
• 18:20 Actionable Tip: Rest To Regulate
• 22:00 Rest Ideas And Personal Rituals
• 24:20 New Direction And Closing CTA

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:00

And the real key to success in the acting world is not luck. It's this three-part system that you can repeat over and over.

unknown: 0:08

Are you ready for it?

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

The first thing, step one, it's a little bit more.

SPEAKER_02: 0:26

Welcome back to the I'm Matt, actress, model, and mindset coach for actors. Think of me as your behind-the-scenes bestie for chasing dreams, surviving plot twists, and building something big. Here we talk about it all. Audition, photo shoots, mindset chips, script, prep, and the career curveballs that nobody prepares you for. I'll share the highs and the hard lessons in real time because growing in this industry isn't always pretty, but it's always worth it. If you're ready to ditch self-sabotage, step into your confidence and build the career and mindset you've been dreaming of. Grab your favorite drink, get cozy, and let's dive in. Hey y'all, and welcome back to another episode of The Glow Up Year. We have some cool things in store today, so I'm excited to like hop right in and get started. But before we do, I legit I cannot believe that I forgot to tell you guys this. But I booked three jobs in October. Woohoo! Yeah. And it totally slipped my mind on the Halloween episode, so I figured I'd tell you guys today. But I'll give you like a quick recap on the three, and then we're gonna kind of start moving into a new direction with the podcast, which I'm very, very excited about. But before we do, let's talk about these three jobs. I booked a highway PSA for New Hampshire, which was like a do not drink and drive style um commercial, which was really very fun. There was this huge LED screen. I've been in these rooms before when I've worked with the big screens when I've worked in crew jobs, and I've always kind of dreamed of being an actor in front of a big like LED screen, and it was very, very cool. I was sitting in the car, supposedly driving, but really the screen was just moving around me, which was very crazy and weird, but also very fun and nice and exciting. So that was great. Also booked a commercial for Manchester Airport, which is also New Hampshire. Apparently, I'm the new New Hampshire spokesperson, guys. I don't know. I don't know what's up, but I got to be a spouse, I was a wife for this commercial, which was very fun. But the whole crew was so so great, and that was a fun day. I had one line, and it was one of those like repetition commercials. So they say the same line over and over again. So I got to say kind of this the tagline multiple times, which is really fun. Um, and then my last job was for Google Ooh Fancy. And that commercial was also ironically in New Hampshire, or maybe it was NAS. I can't remember, guys. I'm sorry. And I think this is like what every actor dreams of is like getting to lay in bed and get paid for them to film you laying in bed. Have you ever seen those sleep commercials where people are just like quietly sleeping in a bed and they're getting filmed and they're gonna pay for that? Well, that was the epitome of this shoe, and it was fantastic and fun, and also another great crew and another great set. But the meat of today's episode is gonna be my origin story because I have some exciting news to announce at the end of the story, and I kind of want you to see like the arc that let's say the character arc for the sake of this, but I want you to kind of see the arc of my journey and how my journey can influence your journey and help you grow as an actor and a creative as well. So I wanted to start today by telling you guys how I actually got into acting and kind of hear from you too. How did you get into acting? Comment below and let me know. I started acting when I was little, little four, but really started acting in high school and middle school was when I started getting into like the musical theater and the plays that we had every year. My school put on two each year, and I really think that deep down I was so called to acting and so called to like this kind of creative journey was in the form of escapism. So I really started acting just to escape my reality because you know things were turbulent at home, it wasn't always great, and it actually felt really nice to not have to be me for a little bit. And I think that was kind of like the beginning way of how I kind of coped with my childhood trauma and how I coped just in general, getting through day-to-day. And acting really gave me this place where I could just be somebody else and kind of forget about my problems and focus my energy on something that was positive and good. So that's how my journey really, really started was kind of out of this like escapism world. And then fast forward, I go to school for acting, right? I graduate from high school and I'm like, well, there's nothing else I can imagine doing in my entire life. I've always kind of felt like I've been called to do this, so I might as well stick with it. So I went to college for acting, and I did four years, two in New York and two in LA. And and those years were okay. I really struggled through college just kind of emotionally. I was still really developing my sense of identity and all of those things through college. So it was a little rough, but we go through college, we graduate, and I start my acting career, right? And when I say I start my acting career, I was living in LA, and so I was booking background work and extra work and doing audience jobs. And for those of you who don't know, they usually pay people to fill the seats in a studio audience like Ellen or Steve Harvey or any of those types of shows, uh, game shows, they usually have to pay people to fill in the seats that they don't sell. So I would get paid to go do those jobs, and that's how I was primarily making my income was 100% on extra work, background work, and doing these audience gigs here and there. And then all of a sudden, the pandemic hits. Bom, bum bomb bum. And all of the entertainment business work that I was doing was shut down. Obviously, everybody knows pandemic starts in March. By September, nothing has happened. I haven't worked a day, there's no opportunities, the COVID restrictions are really bad, and having to get the thing stuck up your nose and all of the things was very, very complicated and complex to get back into. And so I make the hard decision. We make the hard decision, me and my husband, that we're gonna move back home to Maine. Moving back home was bittersweet. Part of me was uh, you know, a little stressed about not having as much opportunity, and part of me was kind of determined to find opportunities at home and in my market. I just read The Proximity Principle, which I can't remember the author's name of it, but he was talking about how there's always opportunity within our zip code that we're just not even aware of. And so I was really trying to take that mindset of finding some opportunities at home, but it was a different market. I went from the acting world to commercial land. Those are two very different types and styles of acting. And so I really felt like I was starting all over again. And I think that's a typical mindset thing that actors struggle with in general, is just feeling like you're starting from scratch. When we'll talk about this later, when in reality you're not starting from scratch, your journey has led you up to this point. But I felt like I was struggling, and I felt like I was starting all over again and trying to network and make contacts and looking for all my opportunities on backstage and on casting sites and really trying to figure out how I can make this career work. And I remember feeling like I was just like falling farther and farther behind in my career. I was really depressed when I couldn't get any opportunities or when I was auditioning and never hearing anything back, the rejection kind of overload. I was anxious about is there ever gonna be an opportunity again for me? Like, is this just the end of my acting road? I was worried, which I think ties into, you know, anxiousness and probably honestly a little bit depressed too, because I went from this market that felt like it was thriving to a market that I couldn't didn't know how to function in. And I spent a lot of time hustling and overworking myself and feeling overwhelmed because I felt like, and this was definitely a limiting belief that I had is the harder I hustled, the more opportunity and the more chances I would have. And I really tried, I felt like everything to fix these feelings that I was having and to fix or solve my career and start bringing more opportunities. I I tried every casting subscription that was available in my area that made sense for me. I had this book called The Chubbuck Method, which I really loved, and I was just endlessly kind of studying this for scene study and trying to like stay in practice without having the opportunity to really practice. I mean, I carried this book everywhere to me. It was in work. It was like I had this book everywhere, and I was listening to it on audiobook too. I was really just endless studying, which wasn't helping. I tried these workshops that I would pay money for that like promised overnight success and nothing ever happened. I was reading self-help books like I was mad trying to figure out what was wrong with me and what was wrong with my career that I couldn't make this work. While simultaneously doing all of these things, I was also in therapy. And while therapy was helpful, I just I spent so much time explaining to my therapist like the intricate details of this industry so that she could understand my position. And it felt like it was really just distracting to the session. Long story short, nothing worked. And every time I got another rejection or somebody didn't respond to a self-tape that I sent in, I really started to wonder maybe I'm just not good enough, or maybe this career, maybe it's just not for me. And my rock bottom was in 2022 when I realized that my husband and I we were so poor that we couldn't live together in our first year of marriage because we just couldn't financially make it work. We were barely, barely making ends. Me and I went and I lived so graciously with my mother-in-law for a year so that we could save up money while my husband lived with our brother-in-law so he could be closer to work. And the whole time I was just sitting there praying and like begging the universe, thinking, just one acting job could change my whole situation, my whole life. One job on backstage that is 10 grand could change my entire situation. But sitting there, like hoping and praying and dreaming and wishing, I realized that this wasn't the life that I wanted. I realized I didn't want to sit at home and be sitting there dreaming and wishing. I wanted some sort of action to happen. And I made the decision that I was at this crossroads. I could really believe in myself and I could go for it full force, no holding back, or I could quit and decide this was it. And let all this past programming in my brain rule my life. And if you couldn't tell, I chose to go for it. As I started that journey, what I started to realize was that my skills weren't the problem. It was my mindset. It was these stories that I kept telling myself in my head that were keeping me stuck. And a lot of the time, those stories I was telling myself weren't even true or based in fact. And I had never looked at my career or my life from this angle. So I continued working with my therapist, and she was great. She helped me spot these blocks that I couldn't see alone. But like I said, I had to do so much explaining about the industry that it just wasn't quite the fit. And that's when I thought I wish that I had somebody who understood both mindset and the shifts that I wanted to take in my brain, as well as acting and this whole life and this whole career and this whole industry, and someone who could coach me in like the resiliency you need with this really complex industry environment that I was in. So, circling back around, working with a therapist, I started doing the work. The first thing that I did was I started reprogramming my mindset, getting rid of those old thoughts that weren't serving me anymore, and reintroducing these new thoughts that were. And I like to think about this as like getting rid of the things that I don't want to believe anymore and adding the things in that I do want to believe. And then this crazy thing happened. All of a sudden, I was starting to take like this inspired action I was getting naturally instead of spinning my wheels, and I got signed with my first agent. And then I started to feel like, well, I now I have access to these life-changing jobs, the jobs that could pay me 10k in one sitting. So then I decided, okay, well, this mindset thing is working, so how can I support it? So, along with continuing to develop my mindset, I started working on regulating my nervous system because I realized that I was in this chronic state of fight or flight, which meant that my mind and my body were always like revving like a car, but the car stuck with like the emergency brake-on and park. And so I was like burning all this energy, but not actually ever moving forward. And as soon as I started regulating my nervous system on a regular basis and continuing working on my mindset, before I knew it, I was booking real paid acting work with my agency. And then I was like, heck, I'll take inspired action and I'll submit to a couple other agencies. All of a sudden I was signed with another agent and then another agent. And eventually I wasn't even really looking for jobs, but they were just finding me. Like my agent would reach out and say, These people want to book you on this gig. I never even auditioned. And that's when my brain made this connection that if I could create this transformation within myself, then I could definitely help other actors do the same thing, but faster than I did because my process was so slow and it took me so long. Because I was having to like find and spot my own things versus like being able to have somebody to help you spot your blocks. And that's when I decided, you know, I could really make a difference if I became a mindset coach for actors. So I went to school, y'all, and I got my certificate and coaching.

SPEAKER_00: 15:55

And I actually just graduated. Yeah, go Megan. We're making our dreams come true.

SPEAKER_02: 16:03

So I'm actually qualified now to help you. And this is the thing I believe that your acting career, your glow-up, it shouldn't take forever. And with the right tools and the right support, it can happen way faster than you think. And on top of that, we have this really unique opportunity here to change the whole entertainment industry. And here's what I mean The more we know ourselves, our triggers, our nervous systems, our programming, our boundaries, our bodies, the better equipped we are to advocate for ourselves on set. And the more we advocate for ourselves on set, the more the industry will naturally evolve with us. And so, in the most ultimate glow-up and reveal of all, I told you guys in the last episode of this podcast that this podcast is gonna shift a bit. And while I'm still gonna share my journey and my wins along the way and all of the amazing things that I'm learning in real time, this podcast is gonna start to be geared more towards you because I wanna help you. I wanna help you go from feeling behind in your acting career and burned out and overwhelmed and second-guessing your worth to becoming the actor who books with confidence, builds momentum, and feels genuinely fulfilled by the work that you do. Just like I've done and I continue to do. And the real key to success in the acting world is not lucky, it's this three-part system that you can repeat over and over.

unknown: 17:45

Are you ready for it?

SPEAKER_02: 17:47

The first thing, step one, is nervous system regulation. AKA preparing your body for success. Number two is subconscious reprogramming, aka mindset. And number three is a repetition. Moving forward, our podcast topics are going to revolve more around how you can become a more regulated person so you can become a more regulated actor. Because regulated actors, they're the ones who book real meaningful acting work.

SPEAKER_00: 18:18

And because I love my little podcast babies, you guys are my little podcast babies and my little podcast friends, and oh, I love you so much.

SPEAKER_02: 18:27

At the end of each podcast episode, I'm gonna give you one actionable tip that you can implement this week to help your acting career glow up. So here's your actionable tip that you can implement this week to help your acting career glow up. Self-care slash rest. I want you to come up with three ways that you can regulate your nervous system through self-care slash rest. Rest. Our nervous systems don't work properly if we don't rest. And I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, Meg, I don't have time to rest.

SPEAKER_00: 19:02

I'm hustling to make my dream come true. And I'm like, I see you, babe. I see you, and I hear you. And I just spent the last 10 years doing the same thing, too. I get it.

SPEAKER_02: 19:12

But what I found and what science tells us, let's not discount the science here. You're gonna get your best inspiration when you're relaxing. Yeah, that's when your best ideas are gonna come. Because you're not busy, your mind's not busy working. But the science tells us your body has a chance to digest because when you're in fight or flight, you actually can't digest your food. That's why they call it rest and digest. And if you feel like you might be chronically in fight or flight like I was, you might also notice that you struggle with your weight. And that's likely because your body never has the opportunity to digest because you're in fight or flight. The science also tells us that you'll sleep better. So if you're a chronic fight or flighter and you struggle with insomnia, this is your opportunity to find some activities that will help you rest before you rest, which will help you sleep better. And the science tells us that emotionally rest helps you make better decisions and respond rather than react and helps you stay grounded. All things that are super important, not only for your acting career, but for your life. And then last but not least, rest boosts resilience. And for actors, that means better audition presence, less burnout from long hours, stronger boundaries and challenging set situations, and sustained creativity, which is what we all want, right? So I'm here to remind you if you're a little hustling queen like I was, that rest is an optional for your nervous system, for your creative energy, for your acting career. It's a foundational tool. Okay. When you build rest into your rhythm, it gives your body and your nervous system the chance to regulate, recover, and show up stronger for the next audition. And while we're here, let me give you a little sprinkle, a little dose of options you could do for rest. Yeah, I'm looking them up. Don't judge me. And guys, this is not complicated. I'm just uh literally Google AI ing this. Let's see here. Here's your inspo list for activities that you can add into your routineful rest, girl. Okay. Take a warm long bath with Epsom salts and essential oils. I do this every once in a while. It's fantastic. Nap or simply rest in a cozy blanket. Amazing. Enjoy a warm drink, like a cup of coffee or an herbal tea. Mmm. Burn a candle in the room that you're in with this calming scent. You could do an at-home spa treatment with a face mask or a little manicure. That sounds fun. You could journal, read a book, sit outside and just listen and observe and people watch your surroundings. You could do a walking meditation. You could color or draw or paint, do some gentle stretching or some restorative yoga, which is very fun. Listen to music, dance around your house. That's not very restful, Google AI. Unless you find that restful, then do it. Maybe you want like to garden and you want to nurture your plants and prune your plants. That's a great restful activity. You could also listen to your favorite podcast, Haha, The Glow Up Year by Megan Salisbury. And journal. You could try journaling. Write down your your thoughts and your feelings. Practice breathing or meditation. I love doing meditation. I do that daily. So now you have no excuses. You can pick from the list. Pretty much did your homework for you. Or you can find some more things through Googling or any other form of finding out things that you use. Yes, Megan, those are words. And before you go, I'll share with you my restful activities. I, like I said, I like to do a spa day. And I'll take a bath, I'll put candles in the bathroom, I'll put some um of like the foaming bubble bath in the bath, I'll turn the lights off so it's dark and all candly, and then when I get out of the tub, I'll do a face mask and a couple different well, I do a couple of different face masks, but I'll do some face mask and really like prep my skin, and that helps me feel like I got some relaxing and enjoyment in. I also do like to do my nails and manicure as well at home. I like to honestly just play with my dog. Go outside with um, we have like a chucket and just throw and watch him like run around the yard and throw a ball back and forth with him. I do a meditation almost every single day that's about 15-20 minutes long in the evening, helps me my mind relax and calm down before I'm going to bed. And honestly, I'm a person who really enjoys like physical snuggles and contact. And so I'll spend some time like snuggling with my husband if I feel like I need something like restful but restorative in a way. And I also do love yoga too, especially restorative yoga. It's literally no effort, y'all. It's like pretty much sleeping on the floor on a mat.

SPEAKER_01: 24:14

I am unhinged today, y'all. I feel unhinged.

unknown: 24:18

Alright.

SPEAKER_01: 24:20

I think I'm concluding this episode of the podcast. I hope that you're excited about the future and the way forward that we're going and um this new direction. And I'm so excited, guys.

SPEAKER_02: 24:32

I'm excited to get out there to help you to really like help you find the path in the direction that you want to go and help you feel more fulfilled in your career so long in my life that I just felt so unfulfilled in my acting career, and I really just had to reframe what I felt like was success. That changed my entire outlook on this career, and I just am so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to get to do something that I love, and also adjacently get to help people do something that I love. I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of your day. It was great talking with you today, and keep killing it. Keep glowing up, y'all. We'll see you in the next one. That's a wrap on today's episode of the glow up year. Thanks for hanging out with me. I love having you along for the ride. We're just getting started, and your glow-up is only getting brighter. If you felt inspired today, hit subscribe or leave a quick review or share this episode with another fellow dreamer in your circle. If you want more support, you can work with me one-on-one as your career mindset coach. I'll help you clear out those mental blocks, find balance, and take some bold steps towards your career goals. You'll find all the details to work with me in the show notes. And of course, come hang out with me on Instagram or TikTok at MegSallsVerry Creative for more behind the scenes and pep talk and just fun. Remember, your glow-up is unfolding one bold move at a time. Keep going, keep dreaming bigger, and I'll catch you on the next one.