STEPHANIE SZOSTAK: The Importance of Mental Health As An Artist

That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

French-American, Stephanie Szostak (show-stack) acts, writes and speaks.

She is currently starring on ABC’s hit series A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, is working on a book called "Oh The TiDDies You'll Grow!" and speaks to various organizations (from corporate to non-profits supporting immigrant women, teens and mental health) encouraging people to "find their truth... with love & humor."

Szostak got a late start on the acting scene (age 30) and had the willingness to disrupt her life, leaving her career in the corporate world behind to seek an authentic life. Over the past decade, she has played alongside Meryl Streep, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Matt Damon, Kevin Bacon, Ryan Reynolds and more.

Transforming her own false starts, setbacks, rejection and loss, she brings forward relatable and impactful stories to help anyone embrace their uniqueness. As part of that mission, she is passionate about encouraging people to discover their own truth and individuality.

From being told "You should have never happened" as her career grew so did the pressure, causing her performance to be negatively affected by feelings of unworthiness and fear. In response, she began to work on her mental game and looked to the actors she was intimidated by for answers. She was surprised to learn they too suffered from negative inner dialogue. This pushed her to address mindset and discover its interconnection with performance. Fascinated by what she learned, she created her own “playbook” to incorporate new skills to be more confident and playful when the red light turned on.

Knowing she is where she is only thanks to the help of so many, Stephanie thrives to help and connect people to support their pursuit of their darn naked truth!

Most notable projects include The Devil Wears Prada, Ironman 3, Dinner for Schmucks, We Bought a Zoo, ABC’s hit series, A Million Little Things and USA Network series, Satisfaction.

Guest links:

• IMDB: Stephanie Szostak
• INSTAGRAM: @stephshortstak

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Credits:

• WRITER: Erin McCluskey
• SOUND DESIGN: Zachary Jameson
• WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
• ASSISTANT: Elle Powell
• SOCIAL OUTREACH: Bebe Katsenes