Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Joseph Ari’el Towne of Studio City

Joseph Ari’el Towne shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Joseph Ari’el, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day sets up the foundation for the rest to unfold.

This is where I seek to be purposeful with my state of mind and state of energy.
This is where I bring my attention to my body and what it needs to be set up for success throughout the day.
This is where I get quiet and connect to what matters most before supporting others. First my son, then those I serve.

Things I love include: getting quiet enough to listen, putting attention on an intention, nourishing and then filling up with good energy.

And then let my doing come from that place.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Yes, of course.

I help people tell Better stories. First to themselves, and then to the world.

My background is in the performing arts. I performed on stages across the United State and Europe before moving to Los Angeles to start working in TV and Film.

Some of what I found is that despite my training, despite my best efforts at getting better at my craft, despite preparing hard…there were things that would derail my opportunities I had worked so hard to create (or that happened to come my way.)

I sought support from Therapists and Coaches. I sought workshops and trainings on Mindset and Mindfulness. I studied Yoga, Meditatation and the Art of Feng Shui–setting up intentional spaces.

Along my journey I found that what was happening in the world of High Performance, Positive Psychology and Sports Psychology were helping me make sense of what was happening to me and I started to apply it to my own career first.

Along the way I had a clear vision to lift up those around me while I was on my own relentless pursuits.

I created a program for an acting school rooted in helping people train confidence in their Auditions.
I collaborated with a colleague on creating a unique audition program at the intersection of Art and Sport.

Together we worked not only with actors but were invited to work with rising star athletes who had to perform on the worlds stage.

This became something that executives and creative leaders, students and teachers as well as other departments in the entertainment industry and creative fields all were craving: better habits and mindset to optimize their potential.

I created The Peformers Mindset programs to help as many people as possible work smarter, more efficiently and more joyfully towards their career goals. I continued to work privately (using Human Alchemy) to support people in changing their narratives around who they are seeking to be in the world. This work not only impacts the story that they tell, but also requires rewiring their nervous systems and cultivating habits and spaces that nurture and inspire their best selves forward.

Our programs, training and coaching center around consistent incremental improvement so that we can fulfill our potential and leave the world Better than we found it. And doing this with a ridiculous amount of living well and celebrating each phase.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
There are three parts of me that have been laid at the altar for recycling and release:

The part of me that felt I needed to earn love in order to be deserving of it.
The part of me that felt like I had to please others and prove to them that they ought to like me.
The part of me that based how I felt in response to what other people thought and felt.

It’s a lot of work, re-parenting ourselves. It has taken a tremendous amount of loss and healing work to fully step into who I am today and remember why I am here and what matters most. I am very grateful for each layer of this journey.

I didn’t do it alone. I had some very instrumental teachers, guides, and relationships that supported this process.

I continue to discover new layers I get to work on and I am here for all of it.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
If you had met me in the wake of the Covid years, I don’t think you would recognize me (I didn’t recognize myself.)

I definitely doubted I was on the right path, I questioned every part of my life and was thoroughly unhappy.

The optimistic, gritty empassioned part of myself was siphoned off somewhere and I was operating from a lot of fear and old programming. Outdated stories and beliefs about my life and where it was going.

I felt invisible, alone (even around people) and things were in a dark place inside my head.

I hit a point of deep resignation as to whether I needed to give up on my dreams and what was possible for me.
It took some life earthquakes and aftershocks to shake me back awake.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies is that mistakes equate to failure—that if you flub, you will be branded and you won’t work. But the most compelling work isn’t perfect; it’s incredible in bits and sometimes flawed. The antidote for perfection is excellence, and excellence requires risk-taking.

On this path, some bits will work better than others. But if you really want to have longevity in your career, you need to get better. In order to get better you have to grow. In order to grow we need to make mistakes and learn from them.

To have a growth mindset requires us to willingly step out of our comfort zones and have tools to embrace the uncertainty. To stay safe is to become forgettable.

Another lie? That artists can actually survive on the rates we’re paid right now. We all know it’s not true, but the system keeps pretending it is. We have been treated like batteries, and too many brilliant people leave the work they love because of it.

And my least favorite: ‘fake it until you make it.’
Faking is brittle. It cracks under pressure.
Faking is the opposite of authentic. Authenticity can never be faked. And inauthenticity can be felt a mile away.

What we are really doing is learning how to become—stepping into new shoes, embodying this new way of thinking, feeling, behaving, and acting as if we are what we seek to be. At first it can feel foreign, which people label as having imposter syndrome.

Faking it doesn’t impact people. It doesn’t change lives.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people will remember how deeply I care, that I sought to change the game while still playing the game, that I gave it everything I had. I hope they will recall that I was committed to joy, regularly expressed gratitude and lived the principles I taught. Most of all, I hope that they feel that the world was left better than I found it.

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