Holiday Survival Tips Every Actor Needs

Heading home for the holidays as an actor can feel… a little loaded.
If you’ve ever braced yourself for the “So, how’s acting going?” question, this episode is for you.

You’ll learn how to protect your peace, stay grounded in your career, and respond with confidence—without overexplaining or spiraling. Walk into your next family gathering feeling regulated, self-assured, and fully in your power.

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.
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Chapters

• 0:00 Holiday Stress For Creatives
• 0:42 Host Intro And Show Focus
• 1:31 Help Me Pick Agent Gifts
• 2:28 The Dreaded Career Question
• 3:45 Ground Yourself Before You Go
• 4:12 Craft A Confident Go-To Line
• 4:33 Reframe Curiosity Versus Criticism
• 5:04 You Don’t Owe A Breakdown
• 5:21 Redirect And Excuse Yourself
• 6:32 Celebrate Non-Booking Wins
• 7:00 Find A Safe Rescue Person
• 7:27 Weekly Action Step
• 7:52 Coaching And Course Updates
• 8:46 Closing And Subscribe CTA

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Girl, navigating the holidays is a skill set, a whole skill set of its own.

SPEAKER_01: 0:05

Going home when you have an acting career or creative career is probably gonna be hard. And not because you don't love your family, but because this industry is really difficult to explain to people who aren't in it. The conversation gets too deep and it gets too focused on you, and you're starting to feel a little bit of that feeling in your stomach. Here's how to protect your peace this holiday season. Welcome back to I'm gonna go. 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. Welcome back, friend! Today we've got some great holiday tips for you. But before we get into the good stuff, quick check-in. I need your help. I really need your help. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please help me. So I have been thinking about what I should get my agent for Christmas. What should I get my agent for Christmas? Should I get like a food basket or should I make something and send it? Or should I write them cards, like personalized cards? What what do you guys think? What do you guys think? Because I don't know what to do and it's getting close. So if you have any thoughts, put them in the comments of the podcast episode or send them over to me on social media. I'm really interested and I'm not really sure what I should do. I'm a little lost. So if you got thoughts, much appreciated. Today we're talking about the dreaded holiday get-together question. How's your acting career going? You're right, my friends. We are talking about how to survive those family questions at Christmas time or at your holiday get-together. So I've really thought about it, guys, and I've come up with a good solid list. So today I'm giving you my best tips and the gift of time for you to plan ahead for your family get together this holiday season. As you know, going home when you have an acting career or creative career is typically a hard experience. And if not, then you go, boo. You found your tribe, you found your crew, and that's something to celebrate. I'm proud of you. Also, if that's you, you can probably skip this episode because this content is probably not for you. And I mean that in the most loving and kind way. I'm proud of you. You go, girl. But for the rest of us who are still collecting the best of the best relationships, going home is probably gonna be hard. And not because you don't love your family, but because this industry is really difficult to explain to people who aren't in it. So here's how to protect your peace this holiday season. So tip number one, and this is kind of like prep, is to ground yourself first. Get that nervous system regulated before you even step into the holiday chaos. You could do this in your car, you could do this before you leave on your drive over. But breathe, remind yourself where you are, remind yourself you're safe, and that you're exactly where you're supposed to be now. You're on your own timeline. And then once you've prepped, you've got your nervous system regulated. Here's your second tip for prep: is have a go-to line. Prep just one simple line so you're not caught off guard when you get the how's your acting career going question. You could say something like, still chasing the dream, things are going well. I want you to think short, confident, which leads us to tip number three. Maybe they're just curious and they're not critical. I think a lot of the time we take conversations like these as like critical interactions because we face so much rejection in this lifestyle and career. And realistically, most people, like your family members, don't get or understand our industry. So maybe the mindset reframe is that their question is coming from curiosity and love and just confusion, not judgment. Which leads us to tip four. You don't owe anyone a full breakdown of your career. You don't have to explain reps or auditions or bookings, self-tapes, or even slow seasons. Your career is not this big group project. Which ironically leads me to tip number five. You can always redirect with ease. You know those people who are not naturally curious and are pretty critical. Everybody has this type of person in their life somewhere in some capacity. And what do people who are overly critical like to do the most? Talk about themselves. So if the conversation gets too deep and it gets too focused on you and you're starting to feel a little bit of that feeling in your stomach, redirect the conversation. Change the subject just by asking them a question about themselves. And I'll give you an example here. This could look like I'm super happy with how things have been unfolding in my acting career this year. How have you been? Tell me about what's happening for you. Girl, that's a boundary wrapped in kindness. And if you need to take it even a step further than that, you can always excuse yourself when you need to. Maybe you gotta go to the bathroom. Maybe you need a drink refill. Maybe you need a snack. You're not being rude, you're just protecting your regulation. And pro tip: excusing yourself to the bathroom is a great place to take some deep breaths and get centered again. Now say you're in a conversation with someone who feels genuinely curious, or someone who really cares about your life and your career in general. Tip number five is to celebrate your non-booking wins. This year you grew in a ton of ways that you might not see. Uh, training, confidence, clarity, maybe you got representation, mindset, auditions, healing. All of those wins, they count. And my last tip for you today, and this one requires a little bit of prep too, potentially, is to find a safe person. This can actually be really fun. Pick one person, plan a secret signal to rescue you when you're stuck in those long conversations you want to get out of. A really simple save me glance can really work wonders in getting you out of a sticky situation.

SPEAKER_00: 7:27

Girl, navigating the holidays is a skill set, a whole skill set of its own. And you're doing amazing.

SPEAKER_01: 7:34

And you may be wondering, what's your actionable step this week? Try one of these survival tips for that dreaded holiday get together question. How's your acting career going? And let me know how it works for you. What can I say? I love to hear about your journey. And seriously, if you want deeper support with confidence or mindset or momentum, DM me and I'll send you all the info about private coaching and all the programs and offerings I have. And guys, right now too, I'm really stoked because I'm revamping this course and part of my coaching program for you so that they can just get better and better and better and more and more helpful. And I can't wait to share these offerings with you. I'm super excited. I hope these tips help you survive your next holiday get together because whoo girl, it can be hard. Alright, cutie queens. Shorter episode today, I guess. I don't know. Bye! 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 MegSallsberry Creative for more behind the scenes and pep talks in 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.