We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brett Gaffney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brett below.
Brett, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I find that my optimism comes from a balance between knowing that I can’t control what’s to happen in my life, and also that I can make the most of the lemons life has given me. I’m truly grateful to even make it to the age of 25. In the grand timeline of humanity, I’m fortunate to live in a world that has accessible food, housing, water, clothing, shelter, and support from loved ones and friends. I don’t see life as a “bouncing from one problem to the next” but more as a “how can I prove to myself that today is meant to be shared, prospered, and enjoyed.” I also think my parents knew that supporting a son in what he actually wants to do, rather than follow a traditional route of life, panned out well because now I know if I ever need to take a step back, that system is in place for me. I’m grateful for my family. I love them so much.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be an actor. Now going into my 3rd year of professional acting, it’s been a journey. From national commercials to actors strikes, leading a feature film on a shoestring budget, going viral on tik tok, to writing my own screenplays within my free time, I can say that I have been pleasantly surprised at the rate in which I’ve made professional progress, but I am still hungry for more. Some days can feel life changing, other days feel pretty regular. I actually took a step back from social media for a few months to regain my footing within my personal life proceeding a breakup. I took a break from podcasting during that time too. I could feel a deep yearning to re-explore how to reinvent the podcast and truly start to build it to become something bigger than myself, because I have always dreamed of this podcast helping people. I want to inspire people to look inward at the problems they may be keeping behind closed doors. In my grief, I felt inspired to have a logo redesign. I hired the insanely talented Courtney Shaw, and she brought a breath of life with the new design. I bought a stack of 100 stickers, made custom postcards, and mailed them out to each of my previous guests, exploring the words they left on the show, and thanking them for their time. I also made one of my more personal episodes and have brought video, and I am now hoping to explore new ways within isolated topics to make the show shine a little bit brighter. A word before we leave, is going to become a transformative show. I hope people start to really give it a chance, because I know that these stories can change your life.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Entertaining. I will always strive to make someone feel seen through my performance or work.
2. Emotions and understanding. My start and passion for acting had stemmed from the intensity of emotion I had experienced personally, and how I could harness those emotions and feelings, and translate them through performance. It became a true form of self expression. The more of the character I played, line for line, exploring the words of another writer, and bringing them to life, the more I felt like myself.
3. A passion for creating. Specifically video. I remember making little YouTube videos for my friends when I was a kid, or writing a Christmas play to perform for the family with all the cousins as a kid. From highschool plays, to college broadcasting classes, auditioning for everything I could get my hands on, and making my own stuff in between the work, I always was keeping busy, and thinking about movies.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl helped me overcome a mental breakdown after a car crash I had experienced in college. It helped me overcome my first love, and loss, as we broke up shortly after the car crash. No one got hurt physically, but mentally and emotionally I was broken. I have never experienced a personal low that deep. I needed something from someone that could understand the pain I was going through. That book, “Man’s Search For Meaning” brought purpose to my suffering. It’s about an Austrian Jewish Psychiatrist that survived three concentration camps during World War 2. It’s a true story, and he documents his life work through the book, exploring the concept that humans are not made to be In the pursuit of happiness, but in the pursuit of purpose. So what is the purpose of life? Rather, it is not us that should be asking that question, but it is Life itself, asking us “what is the purpose of you?” Only one person can answer that, and answer it every day, we must.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brettgaffneyforever.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brett.gaffney/profilecard/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-gaffney-1a261824a?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@awordbeforeweleave?si=YtM20jk-wPsaXmYI
Image Credits
Headshot taken and credit to Ted Ely
Dennys Diner copyright owner of Super Slam Value Ad photo
A Word Before We Leave logo created by Courtney Shaw, show owned by Brett Gaffney
Paramount Studios copyowner of logo on water tower.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
