• Have you ever told someone you're an actor, mentioned that you also have another job, and suddenly felt like you needed to justify yourself?
• Does having another career make you any less of an actor? And can you really pursue acting seriously while balancing another career alongside it?

In this episode of The Anchored Actor, I'm sharing my personal experience of balancing a corporate career alongside acting, and challenging the idea that having another source of income somehow makes you less committed to your craft.

Inspired by recent findings from Equity about the financial realities facing creative workers, we're exploring what happens behind the scenes of an acting career. Because beyond the performances, auditions, premieres and exciting announcements, there are real decisions about time, money, priorities and how to keep going.

For me, having a corporate career hasn't always made balancing everything easy. There are sacrifices, difficult choices and moments when I simply can't do everything I want to do. But that financial foundation has also given me the freedom to invest in my acting development, work with coaches and make decisions that align with my values.

And perhaps that's a side of having another career that deserves more attention. 💭

• Why actors sometimes feel less successful or less committed when they have a day job.

• Whether it's possible to balance acting with another career.

• The challenges and sacrifices that come with pursuing two careers.

• How financial stability can support your acting training, personal growth and long-term ambitions.

• The difference between wanting an acting opportunity and financially depending on getting it.

• Why having another source of income can give you the freedom to say no when an opportunity no longer aligns with your values.

• How to think about building a sustainable acting career on your own terms.

Can I be a serious actor and still have a day job?

Absolutely. Having another job doesn't automatically make you less committed to acting. Your circumstances, priorities and the way you build your creative career may look different from someone else's, but that doesn't invalidate your ambitions.

Is it possible to balance acting with another career?

It can be, although it comes with real challenges around time, energy, scheduling and sometimes missing opportunities. In this episode, I share what navigating those challenges has looked like for me.

Does having another source of income mean I'm holding back my acting career?

Not necessarily. For some actors, financial stability can provide the freedom to invest in training, pursue long-term growth and make creative decisions without every opportunity needing to provide immediate income.

What if having another job isn't evidence that you're falling behind, but part of how you're creating the freedom to build the acting career you actually want?

Perhaps it's not about finding a career path without challenges, but deciding which challenges we're willing to navigate and what kind of foundation helps us pursue our creative ambitions sustainably.

Hey, I'm Miriam, actress and actorpreneur, plus singer and musician at heart, balancing a corporate day job with a creative career, just like you. I'm also a mindset mentor and Mental Health First Aider, here to help you find steady ground.

If this conversation resonated with you, share it with a fellow actor or creative who might need to hear it.

And if you're enjoying The Anchored Actor, I'd love it if you could leave a rating and review. Your support means a lot and helps more actors and creatives discover the podcast.

• Do your days ever blur together, switching from one hat to the next with no real line where one thing ends and the next begins?
• Have the people closest to you ever looked a little dizzy when you told them everything you had planned?
• Have you ever kept pushing because stopping felt like missing an opportunity you couldn't get back?

In this episode, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about the hidden cost of constantly switching between everything I do, my corporate day job, acting, music and the never-ending to-do list, so you can recognise when constant doing has started to become one long blur.

If you're an actor or creative juggling a day job and your craft, and your weeks have started to feel like one long hamster wheel, this conversation is for you.

I talk honestly about why stopping can sometimes feel like missing the train, the fear of missing out that can sit underneath constant pushing, and the question I've learned to ask myself when those thoughts take over: What is actually true?

I also share something I didn't expect to find underneath all that busyness: how easy it is for friendships and genuine connection to quietly get pushed aside when the time to simply be with people is never allocated in the first place.

Your one thing this week: Put one slot in your diary for being, not doing, with one person. It could be a friend, family member or new connection. Treat it like any other commitment.

More episodes if this one landed for you:

• Did the Audition Go Wrong? Here's What I Did With My Thoughts Next

• Getting Into Character Is a Skill. Getting Out Is What Protects You

• Distracted or Out of Time? Two Ways to Get Lines In That Actually Work

If this episode met you in a moment of running on empty, or realising you've let a friendship slide while you were busy keeping every plate spinning, please leave a short review wherever you're listening and share it with an actor friend who needs the reminder that your worth is not determined by outcomes.

Reviews and word of mouth are the main ways this podcast reaches other creatives juggling acting jobs, work and real life, and it genuinely lights me up to know these stories are helping you stay rooted, steady and anchored as you go.

Why does constantly switching between tasks leave you more tired than the hours suggest? Every switch between roles costs energy. Without a clear line marking where one thing ends and the next begins, the day can start to run together into one long blur.

Why can stopping sometimes feel harder than continuing to push? Because stopping can bring up the fear of missing out — the feeling that if you don't keep going, you might miss an opportunity you won't get back.

What can you ask yourself when the “what if I miss out?” fear takes over? Put the fear to one side for a brief moment and ask: What is actually true? You cannot do everything. Naming that can create space to reassess what actually needs your energy and attention.

How can a busy schedule quietly lead to isolation? When every available space is allocated to doing, time for simply being with people can easily get pushed aside. Genuine connection needs room too.

“There isn't the stopping line, so it all kind of becomes a blur.”

“I cannot do everything. It's not humanly possible.”

“The time to be, it wasn't really allocated.”

Hey, I'm Miriam, actress and actorpreneur, plus singer and musician at heart — balancing a corporate day job with a creative career, just like you. I'm also a mindset mentor and Mental Health First Aider, here to help you find steady ground.

Anchored Actor is a podcast about acting, wellbeing and stability. Each episode helps actors, performers and creatives working in film and theatre find stability in an unpredictable industry by building emotional resilience rather than simply pushing harder.

Topics covered: acting, actor wellbeing, stability, burnout, busy schedules for creatives, isolation, balancing a day job and acting, actor mindset, emotional resilience for actors, and mental health and wellbeing for creatives.

• Have you ever finished a role and realised you were still a bit sharp, a bit cold, a bit not quite yourself?
• Has someone who loves you ever asked whether you are okay, when you had no idea what they were seeing?
• Do you know how to get into character quickly, but have no real way of getting back out?

In this episode, I'm sharing what protects you as you step into a character, and more importantly what protects you when you step back out, so you can play anyone without losing yourself in the process.

If you can get into a role quickly but were never taught how to take it off again, this one is for you.

We get into grounding yourself before you start, using a picture as the door into the character's world, treating a role like clothing that you put on and then take off, and the small handwritten note that brings you back to yourself. All of it to help you move from quietly carrying a character home with you, to coming back to yourself on purpose.

I also tell you about the role that followed me home. A character who was not a nice woman, a version of me that turned dismissive and cold, and the friends who noticed before I did and asked, very gently, whether I was okay.

Your one thing this week: before your next role, write yourself a note about who you are. Not the character. You. Then read it when the work is done.

More episodes if this one landed for you:

• 3 Tips to Overcome Anxiety and Protect Your Wellbeing
• Stressed About Balancing Your Day Job With an Acting Tour?
• Think You Blew an Acting Audition? Think Again
• When the Audition Goes Silent: Managing Anxiety and Finding Stability

Questions this episode answers:

How do you get into character on cue?Two moves. Ground yourself first, then go to the picture you have already built of the character's world and use it as a door. It works because the door is built long before you need it.

How do you stop taking a character home with you? Take the role off deliberately rather than just stopping. For me that is prayer, and then reading a note I wrote about who I am before the work began.

Why do you feel strange after a role ends? Sometimes you come out high, sometimes low, and sometimes lost in between, not the character any more and not quite yourself yet. In that state it is very easy to skip the switching off entirely.

Is it normal for friends to notice a change in you? Yes, and they usually see it before you do. If someone who loves you asks whether you are okay, listen to them.

"The character borrowed you, and the character shouldn't get to keep you."

"When you come home, you take your shoes off. You don't wear them to bed. It's the same with your mind, but spiritually."

"You can play anyone, as long as you know who you're coming home to. And that isn't a craft skill. That's stability."

If this episode met you in a moment of feeling not quite like yourself, please leave a short review wherever you're listening and share it with an actor friend who needs the reminder that your worth is not determined by outcomes. Reviews and word of mouth are the main ways this podcast reaches other creatives juggling acting jobs, work, and real life, and it genuinely lights me up to know these stories are helping you stay rooted, steady, and anchored as you go.

Anchored Actor is a podcast about acting, wellbeing and stability, hosted by Miriam Kaerma, a UK based actress, mindset mentor and emotional resilience mentor. Each episode helps actors, performers and creatives working in film and theatre find stability in an unpredictable industry by building emotional resilience, rather than pushing harder.

Topics covered: how to get into character on cue, how to leave a character behind, character bleed, post role decompression for actors, identity and acting, mindfulness for performers, emotional exhaustion, acting and wellbeing, mental health for actors, faith and acting, stability in an acting career, emotional resilience for actors, audition preparation for film and theatre, UK acting podcast.

• Have you ever stood in an audition room hunting for your next line while the other actor was still talking to you?
• Does the audition land on a Monday, with the deadline on Tuesday, and a full working day sitting in between?
• Are you tired of knowing the lines perfectly at home and then losing them the moment it actually matters?

In this episode, I'm sharing the two ways I get lines in when life does not hand me a quiet evening, so you can walk into the room with your attention free to actually act.

If you are learning lines in the car, on your lunch break, and with your headphones in while you do the food shop, this one is for you.

We get into grounding yourself before you start, marking the script up when distraction is the problem, recording voice notes when time is the problem, building a picture the lines can hang off, and the one small habit that decides whether the lines are genuinely in or only look like it. All of it to help you move from stuck in your own head, to present, listening, and playing.

I also talk honestly about what it costs when the lines are not solid, and how quickly that turns into audition anxiety. Not just how it feels, but what the people in the room can see.

Your one thing this week: pick a scene, even without an audition attached. If you have a bit more time, mark the script up by hand. If you do not, record the voice note version. Then pause before you fill the gaps.

More episodes if this one landed for you:

• 3 Tips to Overcome Anxiety and Protect Your Wellbeing
• Stressed About Balancing Your Day Job With an Acting Tour?
• Think You Blew an Acting Audition? Think Again
• When the Audition Goes Silent: Managing Anxiety and Finding Stability

Questions this episode answers:

How do you learn lines when you have no time? Record the scene as voice notes on your phone, with gaps where your own lines go, and use the small pockets of your day: the commute, the walk at lunch, the food shop. Five or six goes across a day adds up to more than one quiet evening you never get.

What helps if you get distracted while reading a script? Mark it up yourself. The value is not in the colour, it is that marking it forces you through the script word by word instead of skimming it.

Why do lines disappear in the audition room even though you knew them at home? Because listening along to a recording only teaches you to recognise the line. Recognising is not the same as knowing. Pause before the line plays and make yourself reach for it.

Should you work out what kind of learner you are? That is not really the question. The better question is what is getting in your way, distraction or time, and then pick the method that answers it.

"Recognising is not the same as knowing. And in the room, you just have to know."

"I'm not playing, but playing is the whole job."

"It's a ritual more than a technique."

If this episode met you in a moment of panic about a deadline, or of staring at a script you have not started yet, please leave a short review wherever you're listening and share it with an actor friend who needs the reminder that your worth is not determined by outcomes. Reviews and word of mouth are the main ways this podcast reaches other creatives juggling acting jobs, work, and real life, and it genuinely lights me up to know these stories are helping you stay rooted, steady, and anchored as you go.

Anchored Actor is a podcast about acting, wellbeing and stability, hosted by Miriam Kaerma, a UK based actress and mindset mentor. Each episode helps actors, performers and creatives working in film and theatre find stability in an unpredictable industry by building emotional resilience, rather than pushing harder.

Topics covered: how to learn lines quickly, learning lines for auditions, self tape preparation, memorisation methods for actors, audition anxiety, audition preparation for film and theatre, focus and distraction, stress and overwhelm for performers, acting and wellbeing, actor mindset, emotional resilience for actors, stability in an acting career, mental health for creatives, UK acting podcast.

Anxious Before Auditions? 3 Steps That Protect Your Wellbeing, Not Your Performance

• Have you ever arrived at an audition rushed, late and out of breath and had only a few moments to become somebody else anyway?
• Do you open a new script and immediately try to break it down, learn the lines and find the character all at once?
• Are you tired of that shaky feeling every time an audition lands, where the anxiety seems to come out of nowhere?

In this episode, I'm sharing the three things I do before I go anywhere near a script and the audition that nearly fell apart before it even began, so you can walk into the room steady, even on the days when everything has gone wrong on the way there.

If you're an actor who feels overwhelmed the moment a script lands, or anxious on the journey to an audition, this one is for you.

We get into clearing your mind before you start, exploring the story before you analyse it, and choosing a method that becomes your ground to help you move from rushed, shaken and second-guessing yourself to prepared, present and steady.

I also share the small moment in the car, in between parking and running to the door, that made the difference and why preparation doesn't make you rigid in the room, it's the thing that lets you change direction on the spot.

Your one thing this week: before you touch your next script, write your prep order down on one page what you do before you apply any technique you've learned. That page is your foundation.

More episodes if this one landed for you:

• 3 Tips to Overcome Anxiety and Protect Your Wellbeing
• Stressed About Balancing Your Day Job With an Acting Tour?
• Think You Blew an Acting Audition? Think Again
• When the Audition Goes Silent: Managing Anxiety and Finding Stability

Questions this episode answers:

How do you stop feeling overwhelmed when a new script lands? Read it once without analysing it no tools, no methods, no decisions, just notice what your mind paints while you read. Overwhelm comes from trying to break everything down, learn lines and find the character all at once.

What can an actor do before an audition to feel calmer? Take a short, deliberate moment to clear your mind before you go in: prayer, stillness, breathing, whatever quiets you. Even thirty seconds counts.

Where does audition anxiety come from? Often not from the role itself, but from a missing foundation. Without a system the ground shakes, and you can't switch in and out quickly.

"It isn't there to make the good days better. It's there for the days that go sideways."

"None of this makes you a better actor. I think it just makes you a steadier one."

If this episode met you in a moment of rushing, or of staring at a script you don't know where to start with, please leave a short review wherever you're listening and share it with an actor friend who needs the reminder that your worth is not determined by outcomes. Reviews and word-of-mouth are the main ways this podcast reaches other creatives juggling acting jobs, work, and real life, and it genuinely lights me up to know these stories are helping you stay rooted, steady, and anchored as you go.

Anchored Actor is a podcast about acting, wellbeing and stability, hosted by Miriam Kaerma — a UK-based actress and a mindset mentor. Each episode helps actors, performers and creatives working in film and theatre find stability in an unpredictable industry by building emotional resilience, rather than pushing harder.

Topics covered: how to break down a script, audition anxiety, audition preparation for film and theatre, acting and wellbeing, actor mindset, emotional resilience for actors, stability in an acting career, stress and overwhelm for performers, mental health for creatives, UK acting podcast, mindfulness for performers.