Meet Casey Navarro

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Casey Navarro. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Casey below.

Hi Casey, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
I think my fear of regret outweighs my fear of taking a risk. Look, a year and a half ago I was in an abusive relationship in LA struggling financially and not booking or making art. I was also missing my family. Cut to 2023, I moved to Atlanta on a whim and a prayer to be closer to family. I met the man of my dreams and got married and had a baby. Being a mom my secret dream. I book more paid stand up shows here than I ever did in LA. I teach comedy/film at three different theaters and wrote, directed, and filmed a comedic short with Action Show Studios. I still haven’t reached all of my goals but damn, I’ve received a lot of blessings since I took the risk to make a change. None of my wins this year would have happened if I had stayed in LA and in that relationship. Always choose yourself and if you make a mistake you do have to lie in it. You can always just light it on fire and move on.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve always considered myself a good person. I give blood, help friends move, not a murderer. But one time I committed a crime. SO years ago I met a man on Hinge and found love in a COVID place. We moved in together after just three short months. It was like taking home one of those mystery grab bags from The Dollar General. Not sure what’s inside but I signed a lease to find out. And there was a lot of stuff in there I liked! He played guitar, wrote poetry, dabbled in stocks, why not! But then there were a few weird erasers I didn’t quite know what to do with like kissed his mom on the mouth (YIKES) and read Tarot cards…(cool?) For a living…(maybe less cool?) He was also sober which I thought showed a lot of self-respect and growth and I felt like I truly manifested my dream guy. I mean just months before I went on my favorite LA hike and buried a love crystal and asked the universe to deliver like the young Sandra Bullock character in Practical Magic. Ya know when she dreams up the perfect man and releases the flower petals into the night? No? Well, if you have a sister or a mom you need to watch that movie. Unfortunately, even sober people can be ass holes and I endured a lot of emotional abuse. The day it got physical though I left. Honestly, I think I knew he wasn’t the one when I was unpacking. He didn’t even know how to drive a car. I just really wanted it to work. I guess I was that desperate to not end up alone. But back to my crime. So for Christmas I had bought us airline tickets to go see his family in Chicago. (He worked for a psychic hotline so he never had any money) and after we broke up, I cancelled the flights and called Southwest for a refund. They said they couldn’t give me back his ticket because it was in his name SO I told them that HE DIED. I even made a fake obituary memorial flyer in Canva and attached it to the email AND I signed the email, “If I can’t get back the miles it’s ok because losing him was way worse than losing the miles.” The minute I hit send I felt sick to my stomach. I imagined the FBI busting down my parent’s condo’s door. (Yeah, I lived with my parents when I moved to Atlanta don’t be jealy…) I mean not even a true Karen would do something like this. I had crossed a line and I’ve taken a shit at someone’s crowded party. But going back to telling Southwest my ex-boyfriend died…I’ve done a lot of self-reflecting and had my birth chart read and this is what I know. It’s ok to be scrappy. In fact, it’s almost necessary in this industry. It’s also ok to make mistakes because at least you’re making a choice. And it will always be ok to start over. So, cheers to moving to Atlanta on a whim to be close to family. My parents live ten minutes away now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Also raise your glass to my good fortune of meeting my husband (We have the same first name so you know it will work out) and becoming a mom with the birth of our son. A dream I’ve had forever, that I never said out loud. And finally a toast to continuing to pursue my comedy career in Atlanta’s dope ass comedy scene. Oh and yes, I did get the $600 back. ; )

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?
My advice for new comedians starting their careers is this. Do your reps. So often we all just want the thing without doing the work. Do the work. Get your 10,000 hours and create with people who respect you and get your sense of humor. For the women comics especially, let go of impostor syndrome. No one knows what they’re doing so just have fun and be authentically you at all times. Remember your purpose is where your passion and skill set connect. This industry is too hard if you don’t love it. Own your journey and figure out why you do it in the first place. For me, I think comedy is escapism. Especially in this post covid recession nonsense when we need a laugh more than ever my goal each time I perform is to give the audience an escape from their stressful job or sick parent or overdue bills.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
I think the number one challenge I have right now as an artist is leading with fear. When we lead with fear we live in excuses. I can’t shoot my stand up special because I don’t have the money to rent a venue. Yeah I wrote a comedy pilot but no one will ever produce it. Even if I got a new agent I probably wouldn’t book roles. The doubt of it all is overwhelming. I’ve been in therapy more than once so I can say this but we have to all be more positive. We can manifest our dreams if we change our outlook. Trust yourself. Trust the universe. Make your own projects instead of waiting for someone to ask you to be in theirs. Be kind. Figure out what you truly want and then go get it.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Newborn photo and Wedding Photo by Melissa Houston I also sent a bunch of photos to Anita Patel since this upload thing doesn’t work well. Two headshots, a photo of me doing stand up and a picture of my wedding day and my new baby newborn shoot

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