008: Believing in Yourself and Never Giving Up with Leah McKendrick of Villainess Productions

Imagine working your whole life to become a singer, finally landing a record deal, moving across the country to start recording your music… only to have it all be taken from underneath you.

Today we sit down with an incredibly inspiring guest Leah McKendrick of Villianess Productions who shares with us her story of recreating herself as a writer, producer and actress after the folding of her record label and her words of wisdom on the importance of believing in yourself and never giving up.

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In this episode, she'll be sharing:

  • 2:15 - Her story of how she went from an aspiring singer to award-winning writer, producer, and actress.
  • 5:35 - Dealing with depression following the folding of her record company, and how she refocused her energy into producing live singing performances as a next step instead of giving up
  • 9:35 - The mindset shifts she’s had to learn and make that has helped her to make it in the Entertainment industry
  • 15:36 - Realizing how she needed to create a life outside of her work in order to not burn herself out
  • 17:00 - The gifts she's seen from her experience and how it propels her forward
  • 18:40 - What she's working on next, and advice to anyone else looking to go for their dreams.

Leah's advice for big dreamers:

  • If you are hit with a setback, find away to refocus your energy so that you won’t give up on your dream. Following the folding of her record label and having to move back to LA, Leah put all of her energy in creating her own show rather than giving up.
  • Make sure to have an identity outside of your work. A favorite piece of advice she got from an improv coach was to “Get a life outside of your life.”  In the beginning all she cared about was her work. So, when her record label folded Leah said the problem was her whole life was her work - all she cared about was her work. That’s why now she says it’s important to have friends, relationships, hobbies, outside of your work because whatever you are working on will take time and you don’t want to burn out before you get there
  • Be open to the gifts that can come from unexpected circumstances. Leah said had her record deal worked out, she would have never known that she was capable as a writer and producer because it was never something she had dreamed of doing.  She’s thankful for the circumstance though because it has opened up a whole new world to her.
  • Remember it’s up to you to make it happen. From recreating herself after her record label fell through, to creating her own award-winning production company, to getting investors to believe in her vision, Leah believes it’s up to you to believe in yourself and your dream, and then to work to make it a reality.

Links and Resources Mentioned:

2 Comments

  • Leah

    THANK YOU Kathlyn! You’re the greatest.

  • Natalia

    Badass is right! Thanks so much for sharing, ladies!

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