An Inspired Chat with Amanda Hirsch of Hudson Valley

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Amanda Hirsch. Check out our conversation below.

Amanda, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Who are you learning from right now?
I’m learning from artists and activists partnering with communities to use the power of storytelling to build resilience and hope. For example, I recently read about a play being staged in Lebanon inspired by real stories gathered from journalists there; during the performance, there were frequent breaks so that audience members could reflect on and share their own experiences — in other words, helping them become creators of the community’s story, not just consumers.. I’m less interested these days in stories told by one person, and more interested in stories told by or with a collective. I think the connection such storytelling energies and efforts can create is medicine our world needs right now.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m an artist and strategic entrepreneur obsessed with the stories we tell and why and how we tell them. My company, Mighty Forces, helps people who are on fire about creating positive change tell stories to drive that change. My obsession with storytelling began in the early aughts as editorial director of PBS.org, where I helped amazing documentary filmmakers translate their stories in creative, meaningful ways to this new-fangled thing called the world wide web. After one filmmaker helped me realize that I, too, had stories to tell (thank you thank you), the two threads of my career emerged: Writing and performing my own stories and helping other people tell theirs. Voted “most likely to host a talk show” by my high school class (go Rockets!), I’m the host of the Mighty Forces podcast, where people who give a damn come to go deep and get stupid, because the best conversations do both. I’m also the author of “Improvising Adulthood: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me” and “Feeling My Way: Finding Motherhood Without Losing Myself.” I live in New York’s Hudson Valley with my husband Jordan, our daughter Ali, and our dog Clover, whom I enjoy impersonating.

See also: INFJ, Taurus, sound bath lover, and dark chocolate aficionado.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful must have been on stage. I loved acting with the strength of a thousand suns, and felt more at home on stage than anywhere else. In retrospect, I think it was because acting gave me a break from the performance of perfection in everyday life — it was a space where I could be truly free, and to feel free is to feel powerful. Years later, as an adult new to improv comedy, I returned to the incredible liberation that acting provides, this time discovering the particular sweetness that comes from making something from nothing with other people. As a kid, I dreamed of being an actress when I grew up, not just because I loved it but, but also because I saw actresses celebrated and honored in media in ways other women were not. Being on the cover of Vanity Fair, the subject of an in-depth profile and a photo shoot with Annie Liebowitz: what could feel more powerful than that? As I grew up, I realized the pressure those actresses were under to look a certain way; that didn’t feel powerful. I also learned about the realities of navigating a career as an actor, where so much power is actually in the hands of directors and studios and other decision-makers. It took me a long time, but I no longer equate fame, attention, or accolades with power. Power is about the power of choice and presence, both of which have much more to do with the art of acting than they do with any award, magazine cover, or photo shoot.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“Life is an improv show — you are making it up, one choice at a time. Please worry less about ‘getting it right’ or having your choices make sense to other people, and pay more attention to what feels like ‘yes’ inside of you. Follow that yes, always. Doing so won’t keep you free from suffering, but of course, nothing can do that. Instead, following your own yes, no matter how it looks or seems to other people, will allow you to be in integrity with yourself, and to tap into your most innate form of power. Also, remember to have as much fun as possible along the way.”

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
We need to completely rethink the way we educate our kids. Our schools center around the wrong priorities — achievement and obedience, rather than community, well-being, and resourcefulness. That’s why I enroll my daughter in something called a democratic school, a model I encourage readers to look into (you might also look up “Sudbury Schools” or “free schools”). I hope that in our lifetimes, we can reimagine public schools to center new priorities and to provide environments and experiences that work for all kinds of learners, rather than expecting everyone to contort to be the one kind of student that can succeed in today’s classrooms.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing? 
I would regret sticking to the script, living on auto-pilot and failing to continually invent ways to apply my love, my talents, and my passions to alleviating other people’s suffering and creating a more connected world. What served me and others 10 years ago is not necessarily what serves us today. Ongoing experimentation and invention is required to find my “right work.” It can be tiring, but it’s a kind of tired I prefer to the exhaustion of going through the motions of a life out of sync with my spirit and call to service.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.mightyforces.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mightyforcesamanda/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandahirsch/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@improvisingamanda
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@improvisingamanda

Image Credits
All photos and graphics by Amanda Hirsch