Meet Adria Tennor

 

We were lucky to catch up with Adria Tennor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adria, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

My optimism was forged through necessity. Growing up my father fought with depression. I instinctively took on the role of finding silver linings to help lift his spirits. What began as a child’s survival mechanism evolved into a core part of my identity. Later, as an actor facing constant rejection, I learned to transform each ‘no’ into a ‘not right now’—not from naive wishful thinking, but from a hard-won understanding that persistence and perspective are everything.

This isn’t about denying reality or masking pain with positivity. Rather, it’s about acknowledging difficulties while maintaining faith in what might emerge from them. My coaching business was born from this same resilience—helping others recognize that their challenges aren’t roadblocks but potential turning points. I’ve found that optimism, when grounded in honest self-awareness, becomes a powerful tool for transformation rather than simple self-deception.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m an actor, filmmaker, and coach. I help people transform their personal and professional challenges into opportunities. Being actively in the entertainment industry—experiencing both the exhilarating highs and crushing disappointments daily—gives me a unique perspective as a coach. I’m right there in the trenches alongside my clients, navigating the same uncertainties.

What makes my coaching practice unique is my approach to adversity. Rather than pursuing unshakable confidence, I help clients lean into vulnerability with curiosity and compassion. I believe our most painful experiences often contain our greatest wisdom when we have the courage to explore them honestly. The bravery it takes to lean into vulnerability makes us human and relatable and also allows our chosen audience to connect with us deeply.

My coaching spans two complementary areas: I work with actors navigating the complex landscape of entertainment careers, helping them develop both the craft and resilience needed to thrive in this industry, as well as navigating the business side of acting, too. Simultaneously, I coach executives and entrepreneurs on public speaking, presenting, and pitching—bringing the authentic storytelling techniques I’ve mastered as an actor and filmmaker to the business world. These seemingly different client groups benefit from the same core principle: authentic communication that embraces vulnerability rather than trying to project perfect confidence.

My coaching methodology draws from my lived experience as a creative professional. My clients often describe our work together as both challenging and deeply affirming—a space where they can confront their fears while discovering new possibilities.

I offer both group classes and one on one coaching. I teach and coach mostly virtually, which allows me to reach people in all corners of the world and at a time that meets their scheduling needs. I love this aspect of my business. My classes are small and I provide a lot of personal attention within those meetings. And there are no rules! We work on just about anything anyone feels is is the matter at hand for them, whether it’s an upcoming audition or meeting with a new agent – I improv meetings with my actors to give them a “dress rehearsal” of the process so to speak – to coaching an entrepreneur though a mock client pitch meeting or talking them through creating on-camera content for their social media channels…. I love my classes. They’ve been referred to as “nests” by my students – a safe, warm space to incubate and grow and learn and be brave.

For those interested in exploring my approach before committing to one-on-one coaching, I offer free resources through my YouTube channel, which features practical insights and exercises drawn from my real-world experience. My website also contains numerous free resources designed to help people begin their own journey of transformation. I believe in making personal growth accessible while providing deeper, personalized support for those who are ready for more intensive coaching work and group classes.

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?

Looking back, these are three qualities have been most impactful in my journey:

First, resilience—not just bouncing back from rejection but learning to extract meaning from it. As an actor, each ‘no’ initially felt like a personal failure. Eventually, I realized these rejections were actually redirecting me toward the right opportunities and deepening my empathy for others facing similar challenges. I now reframe setbacks by asking: ‘What is this teaching me that I couldn’t learn any other way?’

Second, authentic vulnerability. Contrary to what many believe, true connection—whether on stage, in a boardroom, or in coaching sessions—comes from showing up genuinely rather than projecting perfect confidence. I’ve found that audiences and clients respond most powerfully when I’m willing to share both my strengths and struggles. I started on this journey by experimenting with revealing a bit more of my true self in low-risk situations, and I noticed how it actually built trust and drew people in, rather than diminishing my credibility.

Third, continuous curiosity. The moment I believe I’ve mastered something is precisely when I stop growing. Whether I’m developing a character, coaching a client, or learning a new script for an audition, maintaining a beginner’s mindset has been invaluable. I resist the urge to judge a new character too quickly. Instead, I ask myself thoughtful questions, and really listen to the answers that come up, and I remain open to approaches my colleagues share that are different from my own.

These qualities aren’t innate talents but muscles that strengthen with deliberate practice. Just like hope. The best news is that developing these habits doesn’t require special resources—just daily commitment and self-awareness.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, my most transformative strategy has been reframing my relationship with time. I’ve recently begun treating time exactly as I would money—as a valuable resource that requires intentional management rather than a source of constant lack.

Instead of ending each day focused on what I didn’t complete, I’ve developed a gratitude practice centered on acknowledging all I did accomplish – a “did do” list as opposed to a “to do” list. This subtle shift—from ‘I didn’t have enough time’ to ‘I’m grateful for how I invested my time today’—has dramatically reduced my feelings of overwhelm. Just as financial abundance mindsets help me make better money decisions, time abundance thinking helps me make more deliberate choices about where I direct my energy.

This practice is especially vital in the entertainment industry, where rejection and waiting are constants. When auditions don’t pan out or projects stall, I focus on how I’m investing my time rather than lamenting what feels wasted. The same approach serves my coaching clients, whether they’re actors frustrated by slow career progress or executives preparing for high-stakes presentations.

When overwhelm still breaks through, I step back and break whatever feels insurmountable into small bite-sized pieces. I ask myself: ‘What’s the next right thing—the smallest possible step I could take?’ This prevents paralysis and keeps me moving forward.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Storm Santos & Adria Tennor

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