Meet Amy McFadden

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy McFadden. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Amy, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I think purpose and passion are inextricably linked. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to study–and eventually make careers out of–my passions. When you’re immersed in a passion, and take the time to examine why you’re so inspired, driven and energized by it, you can distill it down to a purpose. I know some people do that in reverse, but this is the way I did it.

My purpose is to make the best parts of being a human more accessible to people. I am an interpreter and a connector.

The worst part of finding my purpose was discovering (through abject failure) and accepting (mostly after that abject failure) what I am not. I’ve always been artistic and animated, but I am not a true creative. I do not create art or music or writing. One time an art teacher shook her head and let me turn in a descriptive essay of the fruit I was supposed to be painting, and I can rock a seriously detailed lab report, but plagiarized an old Nancy Drew story in a creative writing class.

I was a full-time elementary school teacher and part-time actress until 2012 when I flipped that, and started acting full-time and dialect and acting coaching part-time. In both situations, I use stories to connect, educate, enlighten, and uplift people. I realized a long time ago that I am not a true “creative.” (I don’t make things that never existed before.) I take stories, curriculum, products, scripts–whatever–and deliver them to people, so they feel, learn, enjoy, and connect. It’s like taking a giant block of perfect gourmet parmesan cheese and grating it onto a lovely plate of warm pasta so you can actually eat it.

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?

I am an actress, on stage, on screen and behind a mic. I’m an award-winning Audiobook Narrator with over 800 titles on Audible, Chirp, Hula and many libraries! Audiobook narration is the bulk of my work. I love it.

I hear from so many people who love to read, but don’t have the time or the type of brain that works best reading with their eyes. There are stay-at-home parents, commuters, factory workers, older people whose eyesight is failing, vacationers, avid readers in general–a whole bevy of people who love stories and non-fiction content for whom books are accessible only in audio. Whoopi Goldberg was at the Audie Awards (our Oscars in the audiobook world) and she said how, as someone with dyslexia, listening to audiobooks puts her back in balance.

I feel proud to stand in a line of storytellers that extends all the way back to the development of human language. Human stories keep us connected and being part of that history is exciting.

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?

I started my adult work life teaching 2nd grade in the small town where I grew up. When you spend 8 hours a day with 25 or more 7 year olds, you come to see them as whole, complex (albeit small and new-at-this) human beings. I am genuinely interested in how other people think, learn, and interact with other people. REALLY focusing on what they say and how they behave–especially around other people –served me very well as a teacher. I could tailor interactions, teaching materials, and the learning environment (to a point!) to help them learn and feel confident and accepted in the classroom setting.

Turns out that intense focus on my students’ words and behavior served me well as an actress. Kids tend to have less of a filter than adults when expressing themselves, so I got to witness very real, human reactions and interactions.

Plays and movies are written about very intense, high-stakes moments. I had a lot of experience to draw from, because to kids, most interactions are intense and high-stakes. Remember Valentine’s Day in elementary school? Counting to make sure you got a card from everyone? Analyzing what the cupid/hearts/love pun REALLY meant? Choosing the precise candy conversation heart to give to your crush or enemy? KISS ME SWEETHEART BE MINE XO XO XO

Yeah, I was prepared for every situation even Shakespeare could throw at me. It made me a more authentic actress. A colleague once said “Acting is hard, but it’s not complicated: Be a human being.”

If you’re just starting out: Watch, listen and think about what people say, how they say it, and if their facial expressions and body language match their words. It’s fascinating. You’ll learn so much about people and probably yourself, too. Bonus points if you are in situations where people are not on their phones!

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My college roommate, Siiri Scott, who is now the head of Acting and Directing at the University of Notre Dame. She has taught me so much about acting trends, accents and dialects, script analysis, and teaching. the most important thing she taught me though, is that the real work of acting is what you do when you don’t have a gig. Build your skills, audition, do fun things you don’t normally have time for when you’re working frenetically.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amymcfadden.com/
• Instagram: @amymcnarrator
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyMcFaddenStageScreenMic/ or https://www.facebook.com/amy.mcfadden.520/
• Twitter: @amymcnarrator (the account is inactive though)
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6SkYYuK9dQxJZiZmFQbabA. @amymcfadden9242
• Other: Here’s a link to my books on Audible:
  https://tinyurl.com/AmyMcFaddenOnAudible

  And here’s a couple of favorite series I’ve done:
  https://tinyurl.com/SpotlessSeriesbyCamillaMonk

  https://tinyurl.com/MarnieBaranuikFilesbyAJAalto

Image Credits

Audies red carpet photo (last photo): credit Rob Latour