The 3-Part System That Helped Me Book More Acting Work
Captured by: Eve Gagne
Hey friend—welcome back to The Glow Up Year.
I’m Meg: actress, model, and mindset coach for actors, here to give you the behind-the-scenes truth about building a meaningful acting career… without losing yourself in the process. Around here, we talk about the real stuff: the highs, the heartbreaks, the rewrites, the curveballs, and the quiet choices that build momentum when nobody’s watching.
Today’s post is part story, part lesson, part love letter to the actors who feel like they’re trying so hard… and still feel stuck.
So if you’re still waiting for your acting career to “finally pick up?” You’re not failing — you’re missing the foundation no one ever teaches us.
If that’s you, pull up a blanket, grab your tea, and let me take you back to where this all started.
My (Unexpected) “Behind in My Career” Era
I’ve told pieces of my story before, but never the whole arc.
Let’s start with little-me—four-year-old-princess—running around the forest singing Disney songs like rent was due. Acting was the first place I ever felt free. It was escape. Structure. Safety. A world where I didn’t have to be the perfect daughter managing everyone else’s emotions.
Fast forward through high school musicals, college in NYC and LA, scene study, Meisner tears, black box performances, the whole “actor training starter pack.”
And then… I graduated and my acting career began. While I was in LA, I auditioned, hustled, booked background work, filled seats in audience tapings—whatever I could do to stay in the room. It wasn’t glamorous, but it felt like I was part of the machine.
And then the pandemic hit… (cue the dramatic horror-movie music). Overnight, everything that once felt like “momentum” evaporated. The industry shut down. Every little breadcrumb disappeared.
So my future husband and I made the bittersweet decision to move back to Maine. And let me tell you, nothing makes you question your entire identity/career like going from LA’s “anything could happen” energy to… commercial land in a state where you run into your high school math teacher at the grocery store. I genuinely thought my career was over.
No auditions.
No opportunities.
No easy networking.
No sense of direction.
Just this heavy feeling of, “Everyone else is pulling ahead… and I’m starting over.” I was depressed, anxious, overwhelmed, and working harder than ever with nothing to show for it. If you’ve ever been there—girl, I feel for you.
The Moment I Hit My Breaking Point
Here’s the part I don’t talk about often:
My husband and I were so financially underwater that we couldn’t afford to live together in our first year of marriage. He lived with a family member closer to work. I lived with my mother-in-law an hour and a half away. Which don’t get me wrong… we were beyond thankful for! But it was clear, we were trying to survive, not thrive.
And every night, I’d lay in bed thinking “If I could just book ONE big job… everything would change.” But waiting for one magical booking felt like waiting for the universe to pick me. And one day, after another round of rejections, self-doubt, and tears, I had this quiet moment of honesty:
If something was going to change… it had to start with me.
Not my talent.
Not my résumé.
Not my agent situation.
Me.
The Plot Twist: My Skills Weren’t the Problem — My Nervous System Was
When I stepped back, I realized something wild:
I wasn’t untalented.
I wasn’t behind.
I wasn’t “bad at acting.”
I was burned out, dysregulated, and running on pure survival mode.
My body was in a constant state of:
tight chest
racing thoughts
panic
tension
freeze whenever I got an opportunity
hustling instead of resting
fear instead of confidence
It was like living in a car that’s revving full-speed… but the emergency brake is still on.
This is what no one tells actors:
You can be the best actor in the room… but if your nervous system doesn’t feel safe, it will not let you be seen.
And that moment? That was the turning point.
If you’re tired of burnout and survival mode, join my newsletter. Get the mindset support and encouragement you need to grow your acting career in a healthy, powerful way.
The 3-Part System That Changed Everything
These three skills weren’t something I learned in an acting class. They weren’t taught in college. They definitely weren’t covered in any casting workshop.
But once I stumbled into them… everything shifted. And not overnight — but in a way that stuck.
Part 1: Nervous System Regulation
(a.k.a. Preparing the body that carries your talent)
This was the first and most life-changing piece.
When I learned how to regulate, my auditions changed.
My confidence changed.
My choices changed.
My presence changed.
Regulation looked like:
breathwork before auditions
grounding during self-tapes
real rest (not hustle-disguised-as-rest)
nightly meditation
learning to slow down instead of push harder
Suddenly, the panic wasn’t running the show anymore. My talent finally had room to breathe.
Part 2: Subconscious Reprogramming
(a.k.a. The mindset work no one teaches actors)
Once my body wasn’t in full fight-or-flight, I could finally hear the stories underneath:
“Everyone else is thriving.”
“If I don’t book soon, I’ll lose everything.”
“I’m running out of time.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m falling behind.”
These thoughts were draining all my momentum before I even started. So I began rewriting them—not with cheesy affirmations, but with thoughts I could actually believe:
“I’m building momentum, even when it’s quiet.”
“My timeline is my own.”
“My skills are real.”
“I’m allowed to take up space.”
Slowly, my actions started to match my new beliefs.
I submitted tapes I would’ve avoided before.
I followed up with confidence.
I tried things I would’ve been too scared to try.
Part 3: Repetition
(a.k.a. Momentum — the thing actors think they don’t have)
This is the part that quietly built everything.
Not the big risks.
Not the all-nighters.
Not the dramatic leaps.
Just:
regulate
reprogram
repeat
Little by little…
week by week…
pattern by pattern…
And then one month, almost out of nowhere, I booked:
a highway PSA
a Manchester Airport commercial
a Google shoot (where I literally got paid to lie in the most comfy bed)
Three different jobs.
Three different sets.
Three different moments where I thought,
“Oh. This is working.”
And this wasn’t luck. It wasn’t coincidence. It wasn’t “finally getting my big break.” It was the compound effect of the system I’d built without even realizing it.
Why I’m Sharing This With You
Because I spent years thinking I was the problem.
Photographed by Jeanie
That I wasn’t enough.
That I’d missed my window.
That I was falling behind.
But your acting career doesn’t change because you push harder. It changes when you learn to support the part of you that creates.
If you’ve been struggling with:
feeling behind
feeling overwhelmed
burning out
doubting your talent
freezing or endlessly recording auditions/self-tapes
thinking you’re running out of time
waiting for one big booking to save everything
…you’re not broken.
You’re not behind.
You’re not failing.
You just need a system that actually works with your body, your brain, and your career. And that’s what I now help actors build.
If You Want This Kind of Momentum in Your Career…
This is exactly the work we do inside my 3-Month 1:1 Coaching Program.
It’s not a course.
It’s not a quick fix.
It’s not mindset pep-talk.
It’s deep, individualized support designed to help you:
regulate your nervous system
rewrite the beliefs that sabotage your auditions
build real, sustainable momentum
feel grounded and confident walking into rooms
become the actor who books meaningful work because you’re aligned, not desperate
If my story feels like your story…
If you’re tired of feeling behind…
If you know you’re talented but something keeps getting in the way…
Then this coaching program was built for you.
I urge you to reach out if you want to learn more about my 3-Month 1:1 Coaching Program.
Tell me where you’re at, what you’re struggling with, and what you want your glow-up to look like. I’ll always be honest about whether we’re a good match. Because this industry doesn’t need more burned-out actors. It needs more grounded, regulated, self-led creatives who can advocate for their worth.
And that?
That’s who I’m here to help you become.
What if the key to booking more meaningful work isn’t doing more — but thinking differently? Let's upgrade your mindset so your momentum becomes inevitable.
Want to hear more about my story? Tune into the podcast episode below.
Until next time, keep dreaming bigger, keep putting yourself out there, and remember—your next role might be closer than you think.
I’m cheering for your glow-up. Always.
