What if sexual energy and creative energy are connected?

I sit down with Josephine Lauer, an embodied leadership and sacred intimacy coach based in Chicago and host of Universal Intimacy, for a conversation that takes The Actor’s Nervous System somewhere new.

We explore embodiment, intuition, archetypes, surrender, presence, and Josephine’s perspective on the relationship between sexual and creative energy. She shares the personal journey that led her into somatic and tantric practice, and we talk about what actors might learn from approaches centered on becoming more fully expressed and available to experience.

I also reflect on connections I notice between Josephine’s ideas and experiences from my own acting training, including practices around emptying, releasing tension, conserving energy, and presence.

We close with a guided embodiment practice led by Josephine involving breath, sound, grounding, visualization, and awareness of the body.

The Actor’s Nervous System explores acting, embodiment, psychology, and the nervous system.

Podcast episode shot at Chicago Podcast Studio. Studio Engineer and Video Editor: Luke Bechtel.

Podcast created and hosted by Brian Zane.

Follow @theactorsnervoussystem on Instagram, TikTok, and Substack.

What happens when two podcast hosts exploring the same territory finally sit down and compare notes? I'm joined by Amy Schloerb, host of The Aligned Actor, for a conversation about mindfulness, presence, and what actually gets in the way of actors staying grounded. We talk about being comfortable "in the shit," why pretending you don't want something is usually a sign you want it badly, and why acknowledging a hard feeling is often the fastest way through it. We also try something new on the show — a live, unscripted improv exercise, right in the middle of the conversation — plus a demonstration of a technique for interrupting exhausting, repetitive thoughts.

The Actor's Nervous System explores acting, embodiment, psychology, and the nervous system.

Follow @theactorsnervoussystem on Instagram, TikTok, and Substack. If you'd like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/brianzane.

Care harder. Try harder. Hold on tighter — that's what we're taught actors and artists need to do. What if it's exactly what's working against us? I sit down with DeAnna S. Wright — MFA-trained actor, director, and educator — for a conversation about letting go of gripping so tightly and trusting the circumstances to carry you, instead of carrying them yourself. DeAnna and I go back to our FSU/Asolo Conservatory days together, where she returned to teach text work and acting alongside Andrei Malaev-Babel — so this one's got real shared history behind it. We talk about caring less without caring less, the body as "a dress for the soul," nervous system tension in the solar plexus before an audition, and what it means to bring gratitude and intention into a rehearsal room.

The Actor's Nervous System explores acting, embodiment, and the nervous system. Follow @theactorsnervoussystem on Instagram and Substack — and we're now on TikTok too!

If you'd like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/brianzane 🎙️