Level Up! with Shay

In this solo episode, I talk about my experience using motivation and force in order to get things done, why I stopped using it, and the three things I've implemented in my life to accomplish my goals instead. Super exciting announcement - the Video Creator Membership is LIVE! Sign up to get more information and join the monthly membership here: https://bit.ly/vcmembership Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/⁠ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

On this episode of Level Up! With Shay, Shay talks with Atlanta based actor, performer, improviser, writer and content creator, Karen Cassady. They talk about: How she got started in theater and comedy Personal relationships and how she deals with lost friendships Leaving her corporate job and going freelance How she got into content creation Her experience working with brands as a content creator Process for making videos when she started vs now Mindsets around content creation to stay mentally well What to focus on instead of numbers Advice to people just starting out What she’s been intentional about lately What she does to take care of her mental health Follow and connect with Karen: Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/karendcasss TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@karencassssss⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@karendcasss⁠⁠ Get on the Video Creator Membership waitlist today: www.shaydominguez.com/membership Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

Hope you enjoy this solo episode where I talk about usual excuses that keep us from creating, why we make them, and how to get rid of them. Want to stop making excuses, believe in yourself, be surrounded by a community who wants the same? Get on the waitlist for the Level Up! Video Creator Membership: https://shaydominguez.com/membership DM me on Instagram if you have any questions or want to chat! Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/⁠ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

On this episode of Level Up! With Shay, Shay talks with Atlanta based actor and writer, Hannah Aslesen. They talk about: Her one woman show about honesty and taking it to the Hollywood Fringe Festival Her experience being gay, making herself small, and imposter syndrome Creating depth as a human being and an artist Putting yourself out there Putting people on pedestals The pressure of social media How she works having ADD And more! Follow and connect with Hannah: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hey_hannah_rae/ Get on the Video Creator Membership waitlist today: www.shaydominguez.com/membership Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

Hope you enjoy this solo episode where break down the 5 steps of creation, so you can take your comedy video idea and make it a reality. Want to be more confident around your art, have an accountability system, and receive support and guidance from a group of creatives who are doing what you're doing? Get on the waitlist for the Level Up! Video Creator Membership: https://shaydominguez.com/membership DM me on Instagram if you have any questions or want to chat. Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/⁠ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

On this episode of Level Up! With Shay, Shay talks with her manifestation coach, Kat Cozadd, a manifestation expert, money mindset and fulfillment coach, and multiple 6 figure entrepreneur. They talk about: The steps Kat took to find her successful career as a money mindset and fulfillment coach What consistency and discipline mean The importance of creating habits around your identity Her experience with haters and why you may not have any Feeling inspired to create rather than creating because you think you need to How to see and create a positive future if you’re currently in a dark place And more! Follow and connect with Kat at the links below. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katcozaddcoaching/ The No Bullsh*t Manifestation Show: https://linktr.ee/katcozadd Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

On this episode of Level Up! With Shay, Shay talks with popular comedian and writer for the Kid’s Tonight Show (Jimmy Fallon), Kylie Brakeman. They talk about: The classes and resources she’s used to fine tune her comedic voice How to be a performer and put on a better show by seeing the audience as a mirror How she creates her social media videos and characters What it felt like for her going viral How the times are changing for the quality of content people like Being ready for opportunity to come knocking Uses her creative community to hone in her writing and characters And more! Follow and connect with Kylie below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deadeyebrakeman/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deadeyebrakeman?lang=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/deadeyebrakeman Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

On this episode of Level Up! With Shay, Shay talks with Actress, Comedian, and Content Creator,  Becca Bastos. Becca became popular on social media from her comedy skits and POV videos during the pandemic and has just moved to LA to continue her acting and performance journey. They talk about: How Becca gets into character for her performances Being hesitant to put out content How her audience influences her creative work Things she’s learned about herself through content creation The first step for someone who wants to make content The difference between being a full time content creator and someone doing it on the side Being a people pleaser How she deals with negativity or hate on social media and comparison How she takes care of her mental health And more! Follow and connect with Becca below! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccabastos/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@actressbecc Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Thanks for being here! It’s time to Level Up!

In this week’s episode, I’m so excited to introduce you to Sam Valentine, an actress, podcaster, and entrepreneur. Sam is best known as One Broke Actress. She has the One Broke Actress blog, podcast, YouTube, Patreon and all the social medias. She moved to LA right after college with a Theatre Degree and in her words “with more conviction than she had dollars”. She is also the CEO of a new women-focused podcast production company called Fast Forward Productions. In this episode we talk about her high and sort of outlandish expectations of moving out to LA to pursue acting, how she continues to refocus on her acting when she gets off track here and there, why she believes having a side hustle as an actor or artist is a MUST, how she has, throughout the years, figured out that she is deserving of rest and how slowing down has helped her realize what she really wants out of life. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Sam says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Sam @onebrokeactress. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e24 Sam Valentine’s Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onebrokeactress/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1R0Vcnx2XdBgbi73EWLtsK Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onebrokeactress YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLLnIi2v_7sxQIEzaHra4Ug/videos Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/onebrokeactress Fast Forward Productions: https://fastforwardproduction.com/ Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for the Level Up! newsletter: https://bit.ly/3ClYM8t

In this week’s episode, I’m so excited to introduce you to Ashlei Shyne, an LA-based comedy writer, actress, filmmaker and activist. She is best-known for playing Josephine Baker in the new sketch comedy tv series “The Book of Queer" now streaming on Discovery+. She created, wrote and directed the web series “#TMI” and also created, wrote and directed a short film called Sia. As a writer, Ashlei is passionate about writing character-driven comedies centered around love, Black women and the LGBTQIA+ community. In this episode we talk about how Ashlei surrounds herself with people who make her level up, the real struggles about living in LA and some advice for people who want to move there, how she writes characters who are based off of her life, but are still authentic in their own right, and she looks back to her younger self and gives her some advice and encouragement for her journey. If you enjoy this episode, share it on Instagram and tag us (@levelupwithshay and @ashleishyne) on Instagram! Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e23 Ashlei Shyne’s links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleishyne/ Website: https://www.ashleishyne.com/ IMDb: https://imdb.to/3xSeWaA The Book of Queer: https://bit.ly/3MTRPRk Tribe Writers: https://www.besuperspecial.com/tribe Start with 8: https://www.startwith8.com/ Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for the Level Up! newsletter: https://bit.ly/luwsnewsletter

In this week’s episode, I’m so excited to introduce you to Rory Gardiner, a comedian, musician, singer-songwriter, and content creator. He is a 2018 Country Music Awards Nominated artist, has appeared on multiple CMT nationally broadcasted reality shows, shared the stage with a number of great country acts like Keith Urban, and has music featured in commercials, one including stars Kevin Nealon, Chris Bosh and Arnold Palmer. He has fused his music background with stand up comedy and has made a number of television appearances for brands like Under Armor, or shows like The Handmaid's Tale. He has over 50 Million views on TikTok, his comedy sketches have been featured on Funny or Die, America's Funniest Videos, and you can catch his hilarious 2019 TEDx Talk, on using humor as a coping mechanism. In this episode we talk about how he thought one experience was once a failure but turned out to be one of the biggest successes he’s had, how to change your mindset around the day job, and how he started focusing on the long game through authenticity instead of chasing the short game and what’s popular. Please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Rory @rorygardinermusic. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e22 Rory Gardiner’s Links Website: https://rorygardiner.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rorygardinermusic/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rorygardinermusic? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rorygardinermusic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/rorygardiner Twitter: https://twitter.com/rorygardiner Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for the Level Up! newsletter: https://bit.ly/3ClYM8t

In this week’s episode, I’m so excited to introduce you to Nicky Endres, an adopted Asian-American Non-Binary Transfeminine Queer actor, comic, voice artist, and audiobook narrator based in Los Angeles, CA. They can be seen in The Dropout on Hulu, NCIS: Los Angeles on CBA, One Day at a Time, Lucifer, and On the Verge on Netflix, Veneno on HBO Max, amongst many other credits. Nicky has also narrated and co-narrated multiple books including Lead Me Astray, The Boy with a Bird in His Chest, How to Money, and How You Get Famous all of which can be found on Audible. And has a stand up comedy special called American Asian Eye’zd on the Reel Women’s Network. In this episode we talk about how Nicky sees their differences as a gift, the importance of telling our own stories, the wisdom they learned from studying martial arts, how success is a state of mind, and most importantly, Nicky shares with us their true hero, Xena Warrior Princess. If you enjoy this episode, share it on Instagram and tag us (@levelupwithshay and Nicky @MxNickyE) on Instagram! Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e21 Nicky Endres’ Links Website: http://nickyendres.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MxNickyE/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MxNickyE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxNickyE IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2351110/ Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for the Level Up! newsletter: https://bit.ly/luwsnewsletter

In this week’s episode, I’m so excited to introduce you to Joel Byars, a comedian, podcaster, and writer based in Atlanta, GA. He has won both the Kenan Thompson Comedy Contest and Search for the One Competition, has been a writer for Comedy Central and The Weather Channel, and even the author of his own book, Finding Your Funny. He is the host of the award winning podcast, Hot Breath! Which features over 400 interviews with comedians like Jeff Foxworthy and Cedric the Entertainer talking all about the craft of comedy. In this episode we talk about how to set small incremental goals to build upon, recognizing the source of where you’re getting advice from, what inspires him, how to battle self doubt and comparison, being grateful for where you are, the importance mediation and therapy has had on his life in the past two years, how he took what he wanted and created it himself and so much more. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Joel says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Joel @joelbyarscomedy. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e20 Joel Byar’s Links Comedy Instagram: www.instagram.com/joelbyarscomedy/ Hot Breath! Instagram: www.instagram.com/HotBreathPod/ Hot Breath! Podcast: https://apple.co/3wSR4U0 Hot Breath! YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/HotBreathPod The Trophy Husband: https://www.joelbyarscomedy.com/ Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for the Level Up! newsletter: https://bit.ly/3ClYM8t

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I am so excited to introduce you to Moni Oyedepo, writer, actress, and comedian. Moni is a 2021 Women Write Now fellow through Lol Studios, Kevin Hart’s studio, and the Sundance Institute where she was selected from 100’s of applicants for her comedy short, Take the Job which is now available on Peacock. Her comedy has been featured on Freeform, WhoHaHa, CollegeHumor, Funny or Die, and Voyage LA. In this episode Moni talks about why we should do things we’re interested in, how believing in yourself starts by diving head first into the unknown, the importance of being present, why we need to be selfish with our joy, how to have more fun on our creative journey and so much more. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Moni says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Moni @momonilessprobs. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e19 Moni’s links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momonilessprobs Watch Take the Job on Peacock: https://bit.ly/takethejobpeacock Watch Platonic the Series: https://www.youtube.com/c/PlatonicTheSeries Resources mentioned: The Artist’s Way: https://amzn.to/3NuwSx7 Big Magic: https://amzn.to/3sLksZw Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for the Level Up! newsletter: https://bit.ly/3ClYM8t

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I am eager to introduce you to Will Hines, an actor, comedian, author, podcaster and musician. Will shares how he got into comedy as a computer programmer, how he knew he was getting better at improv, why he loves trying almost every idea he has, how it is being a beginner all over again, but this time in stand up comedy and so much more. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Will says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Will @williebhines. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Will’s links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williebhines Twitter: https://twitter.com/willhines Website: https://www.willhines.net/ IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2654402/ Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for my weekly email: https://bit.ly/3ClYM8t

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I am so excited to introduce you to Carl Tart, writer, actor, performer, and DJ. Carl is a lead on NBC’s Grand Crew and can be seen on Miracle Workers, The Good Place, Arrested Development, and more. He’s written for Kenan, MadTV, Brooklyn Nine Nine, just to name a few. In our conversation, Carl shares how he got into comedy, how he deals with criticism on social media, his writing style and how he rewards himself, the fun he has working with his friends, and where he fits in with the grind and hustle mentality of our culture. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Carl says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Carl @dammitcarl. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e17 Carl's links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dammitcarl Watch NBC’s Grand Crew: https://www.nbc.com/grand-crew The Flagrant Ones: https://www.instagram.com/theflagrantones/ XOXO Gossip Kings: https://www.instagram.com/xoxogossipkings_podcast/ Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for my weekly email: https://bit.ly/3ClYM8t

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I am honored to introduce you to Heather Parady, a podcaster, heart-centered creative, and unconventional leader. Heather shares her experience of wanting to be a therapist but realizing the 9-5 life was not what she wanted. She took a deep dive into the online space as a photographer and helped therapists and coaches build online programs. We talk a lot about creativity, the biggest hurdles people face when creating an online presence and building a community, whether to know if your idea is a good or bad one, and why fostering a deep relationship with your creativity is so important to creating good, meaningful work. For the first time ever, Heather shares some of her recent writing, which she wants to do more of and she also sings a little bit for us. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Heather says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Heather @heatherparady. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Show page and transcription: www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e16 Heather Parady's Links Website: https://www.heatherparady.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heatherparady NFTs for Newbies: https://www.nfts4newbies.com/ Happy Brain: https://tlbc.co/happy-brain/ Join her for a Community Building Coffee Chat: https://www.heatherparady.com/coffeechat Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/ Sign up for my weekly email: https://bit.ly/3ClYM8t

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I am eager to introduce you to Brett Schultz, comedian, host, and actor. Brett shares his story of coming up as a leader in the Christian church, with his parents being missionaries and how that propelled him into being a performer. He opens up about being a cancer survivor at 12 years old, the importance as an artist of practicing your point of view, the power of adaptability, his urge to put himself out there and fail, why we need to focus on the work more than anything and his experience of coming out as gay within the past year which has opened up the conversation to his social media following of over 600K and to his Christian community. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Brett says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Brett @bretttheastronaut. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Show notes and Transcription Brett Schultz's Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttheastronaut/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bretttheastronaut? LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/bretttheastronaut Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay/?hl=en Sign up for my weekly email: https://shaybeats.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=296c0fcd9d9ff8f4ab2a4c387&id=ac7c13ed71

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I am excited to introduce you to Lace Larrabee, actor, stand up comedian, founder of Laugh Lab, and co-host of the Cheaties podcast. Lace shares her story of being a child actor, eventually moving to pageants where a lot of her comedy started to take shape, the lessons she learned growing up from her hard-working parents, the struggles of a female comedian in a male dominated space, and she opens up about how she gets through the hard days and stops herself from doom scrolling on Instagram, even if it’s just getting some sun for 15 minutes. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Lace says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Lace @lacelarrabee. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Show page: https://www.levelupwithshay.com/podcast/s2e14 Lace’s links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacelarrabee Cheaties Podcast: https://linktr.ee/cheatiespodcast Laugh Lab Comedy Class: https://www.instagram.com/laughlabcomedy Linktree: https://linktr.ee/lacelarrabee Level Up! With Shay Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelupwithshay Sign up for my weekly email: https://shaybeats.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=296c0fcd9d9ff8f4ab2a4c387&id=ac7c13ed71

On this week’s Level Up! With Shay, I am proud to introduce you to Kia Barnes, comedian, activist, and an LGBTQ community leader. We talk about how at a young age Kia used comedy and humor as a defense mechanism to protect her from people knowing she was gay, the discrimination she faced in schools as a teacher, how she found herself in comedy, the importance of visibility and why she has decided to take on a leadership position in the LGBTQ community, continuing to always walk in her purpose. I hope you enjoy our conversation and if anything that Kia says resonates with you, please share this episode on Instagram and tag me @levelupwithshay and Kia @kiacomedy. Subscribe to Level Up! With Shay wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you so much for being here. It’s time to level up. Kia Barnes’ Links Follow Kia Barnes on Instagram here! Kia Barnes’ Linktree Kia & Co. Comedy Events Level Up! With Shay Links Follow Level Up! With Shay on Instagram here! Sign up for more on my weekly email here!