Meet Charles Chudabala

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charles Chudabala a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Charles, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
My mother asks me this question all the time. Hahaha. Being the middle child and the only actor in my immediate family, I have always been the extrovert and social butterfly as far back as I could remember. Whether it was planning skits to perform for my family or performing in school plays, I loved being seen, and entertaining others. Seeing people smile always lit me up. I will say this, while I’m not sure where this confidence comes from- I was never shamed as kid for be myself. My parents and family always encouraged me and supported the hyper showman I was. There is something to that for sure.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
After 11 years working in the mental health field as a therapist, I changed careers and pursued acting. My passion for acting and the horror genre led me to make my mark in the indie horror community, with a body of work consisting of 100+ films. Horror provides a perfect backdrop to tell almost any kind of story. In my opinion, the most interesting way to tell stories is through a horror lens. My spirituality is also very important to me, and so I also launched a YouTube channel and podcast where I interview healers, and discuss all kinds of topics related to spirituality and our connection to the divine (and the unexplainable).

I often get asked how I can be such a lover of Horror and yet so connected to my spirituality. For starters “why not?” And secondly, there are major themes of mortality and the after life in the horror genre. What the final girls or character are willing to do to survive the darkness looming over them. Often times these characters will pull from an inner strength or “power” that only emerges when pushed to the brink of the abyss.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Listening to my Inner voice 2. Keep Learning and Growing/Always have a mentor
3. Self Love (a daily practice)

My advice to anyone who is learning these skills or working towards improving upon these is to, first of all, accept yourself in this moment where you’re at. Meaning, it’s okay to take your time in the present moment as you will where you are striving to be at exactly the right time. Someone else’s timeline belongs to them. And the moment we start comparing our journeys to other people, the self-judgment and inner critic starts to grow. Taking the time to just be patient with ourselves is key. And in doing so, it is a step towards self-love, and your inner voice.

In terms, of the pursuit of learning and knowledge, I believe that when something lights you up, you will become a sponge in learning the concepts of that particular job, hobby or interest. Refrain from forcing yourself to learn a skill that has been pushed upon you by someone else- this HARDLY EVER WORKS. Find community within your field of interest, your running mates and mentors will organically appear. Sticking with like minded people who believe personal growth and who are successful at the thing you want to be successful at- is MAJOR. You might need to shed some friends and people, who are bringing you down in order to break through the glass ceiling. Sometimes no conversation is needed, because as you outgrow them, suddenly they weed “themselves” out, as if by magic 🙂

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Short answer: Yes AND No. I’ll explain. Building upon your strengths will always provide a strong foundation for any career path, or goal. The thing is, a lot of people don’t know what their strengths are. So many people see themselves based on the perception of others. Meaning, so much of our identity is bi-product of the messages and programs we were taught when we were just kids. For instance, if your parents told from a very young age that you were to grow up, and go to college and become a doctor, and then you did all that- wonderful! You are helping others and saving lives too. However, there may be other strengths, skills and passions that haven’t been highlighted or acknowledged. This is the WOW moment, when we are finally given the times and space to truly be with ourselves and ask “what would I be doing if I wasn’t doing ______?” “What path did I choose to stuff away in pursuit of this other thing I was pushed into doing?”

The psychology field in my family was far more accepted than a career in acting. And so, stuffed acting away in a locked box until one day I decided that it was all or nothing. I have definitely used much of what I learned in the mental field, within my work as an actor- as it is truly a form of psychoanalysis. Within the last 10 years, I have also been bolstering my hosting and public speaking skills ( another strength), in my podcast, work and as a social media educator in the “spiritual” space. This pivot is truly stretching me, and I’m loving the challenge.

And so I say, you can have multiple strengths. Give yourself permission to foster and nurture them all. Not only will you be surprised at how different your life will look, but perhaps you may feel a calming joy that comes from honoring the heartbeat of your soul

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Bart Mastronardi Photography (all other photos: headshots, selfie cell phone, the flapper head ress in the cave) Emilie Black (the Priest Photo) Erika Boxler (Black and White Photo with Knife)

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