We recently connected with Christin Jezak and have shared our conversation below.
Christin, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Years ago, before I moved to Los Angeles, I had very poor confidence and self-esteem. As a young girl, I even was bullied for years in school and had to go through some real inner healing. After being bombarded by rejection whether it was with relationships and work and trust me with the theatre and film world you cannot escape opportunities of rejection, my heart became very despondent. I would apply for jobs with no hope- thinking why would this work for me? I didn’t want to be disappointed. I supposedly “let it go” too. I figured if I didn’t want or desire something I wouldn’t be disappointed.
I was living in chains bound by my fear. The reason why many of my efforts couldn’t get off the ground was because I was claiming defeat in my heart all the time. There was no real faith. I needed to change and change fast.
Every so often, I would see this as a problem, but it was more of a back-burner issue or so I thought. Truly, it was a root issue. Second of all, I didn’t know how to change my heart and make myself believe. On days when I did feel good and confident, it sort of just happened and I didn’t know how to keep it in everyday situations. I didn’t even realize that it was something I could fight for in my life.
Two clear incidents started the change in my life. It was the Saturday right after New Year’s and we were at a 4 pm church service. My aunt asked me what my New Year’s resolution was. The prior year, I knew I wanted to work on staying in shape, but this time she caught me off guard. I didn’t know what it was going to be.
A couple of days later, when I had some quiet time and was reflecting, I realized that when I would go for something whether it was work or dating, I never believed that I could really get it. I didn’t believe I could win. Why would I? I remember telling my mother this the same day in my kitchen. It was like an alcoholic coming clean and admitting that they had a problem. My mother looked at me sort of like I had sprouted a second head and said, “That’s not good.” I don’t think she could believe what I was saying. It’s certainly not the way she brought me up. Then, she said something else that made me think, “Why not you?” Hmmm…interesting reaction I thought. Maybe I need to work on this?
Next thing I knew it hit me like a sign from up above! My New Year’s Resolution was going to be losing the loser attitude. It even had a nice ring to it like a T.V. program. All of a sudden, it was like God changed all of my TV, music, movie, and media programming. EVERYTHING seemed to have to do with having a winner attitude. I would hear stories on Oprah about people rising to fame and how they “just believed” and carried the saying from my mother in my heart “Why not you?”
I heard the story about how Sandra Bullock originally refused to take the role in “The Blindside” because she didn’t believe she could do it. She thought it was too big for her abilities and she did it anyway. She ended up sweeping the best actress awards that year: the SAG Awards, Golden Globes, and the Oscars for her performance in that film. There was a book a friend let me borrow called “Facing Giants,” which is based on a Christian movie with the same title. I had it for months and it was only because I was sick of it sitting around my room that I decided to read it this January “coincidentally.” Well, let me tell you, the book is about a coach and a team that hasn’t won a football game in seven years! On top of that, the coach’s wife can’t get pregnant. All these hopeless situations. They had to believe in the power of God and not doubt for things to change. God can do it! Everyone everywhere seemed to be preaching it to me! My heart and mind were beginning to heal.
When I visited a good priest friend from the theatre program at Villanova, he could not believe the change he saw in me! The life in confidence from before my jaded days was starting to live in me again. He commented on it and said to me, “Welcome back!” I felt like a new creation.
Lent, for Christians, is the 40 days before Easter when we reflect on Jesus’ suffering, work on renewing ourselves, and prepare for the resurrection. Going into Lent that year, I was not positive if I should keep working on this, but after my friend’s comment, I knew I had to. I couldn’t go back to the cave of fear I was living in. Lent seems more like a solemn time, so I didn’t know if working on this was okay. Then, I remembered the cross. The cross is a sign of victory. If we look at the cross and do not remember what Jesus did after, we only see defeat. The power of the cross is that even through all the agony, Jesus conquered it and rose from the dead. When we look at the agony, we are not looking at defeat, but the fight. I have to live my life knowing that no matter what “cross” I am in, with Jesus it can defeated and claim victory!
Scripture says, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17) The next step was taking that new faith in God and confidence in myself and starting to not just audition again, but really pursue TV and film and move to California. Since then, I have not stopped auditioning, working hard, and putting myself out there.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Whether it’s in front of the camera or behind the camera, I love doing it all. Acting, producing, writing, production coordinating, marketing, and PR – I have done a bit of everything. All this has supported and developed me as a content creator. I have a particular love for inspiring and making people laugh. This is the main focus of all my work.
My most recent comedy series “Neighborhood Watch,” I have had so much fun creating, writing, producing, and acting in the series. We just released two episodes online and have another coming. The “Neighborhood Watch” takes “love thy neighbor as yourself” to the extreme. The characters are relatable and include Josie, a nosy suburban housewife who knows everyone’s business on the block played by Sarah Hernandez; Kimberly, an out-of-control mom with an army of children played by me, and Laurie, the young college student who has so much to learn played by Hillary Hawkins. In each episode, they tackle a new problem to protect the peace in their community. Each episode tackles a different theme that is sure to inspire. Themes have included: beauty, community, being anxious, comparison, and holding grudges.
You can watch the first 3 episodes and get updates about the show here: https://p2ptheatre.com/neighborhood-watch We have 4 more episodes in post-production and soon to be released.
Also, Season 2 of the sitcom podcast series that I am in Confessions of a Catholic Single is out and available for binge-listening! The series, created by Erin Dooley, tells the horrors and hilarity of dating through the lens of Cecelia a recent widow. I play Agnes who is the quirky wild younger sister of Cecelia’s priest friend, Fr. Paul. In Season 1, Agnes is a loveable trainwreck who has no idea about adulting and after being dumped, ends up living with Cecelia. Season 2 is Agnes “Eat, Pray, and Love” season.
You can check out the series here: https://dash-entertainment.weebly.com/confessions-of-a-catholic-single.html.
Before all this though, the project that launched all my creative work was my one-woman show I created and performed called “Person-to-Person: A Mother Teresa Project.” The play started off as my graduate thesis project for theatre at Villanova University in 2007 and I have traveled and performed the play all over the U.S. and Australia. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a true hero and saint of our recent times. She had such a gift to see the value of every person and make them feel loved and wanted. I wanted to showcase this special ability of Mother Teresa and teach others to do the same. I play a total of six characters including Mother Teresa, a homeless man, a disabled woman, a prostitute, a young adult dealing with loneliness, and a woman in a nursing home. My characters are wild, funny, and passionate, but also heartfelt. They make you laugh and cry.
You can learn more about that play and book me here: www.p2ptheatre.com.
You can also see me on multiple streaming platforms in a movie called “Miracle at Manchester,” starring Dean Cain, Daniel Roebuck, and Eddie McClintock. It’s this incredible true story, about a young high school student in San Diego who ends up with a brain tumor. His entire high school prays over him, and it miraculously disappears. I play Dr. Sam, a difficult ER doctor who misdiagnoses the teen. I had the best time working on this film in San Diego. It delighted my heart to be a part of a movie that brings about cancer awareness and says that miracles are possible.
If you are looking for daily inspiration, be sure to follow my Instagram page where I love to share video messages in my stories to encourage people. You can also keep up to date with all my projects: https://www.instagram.com/christinjezak.
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?
1.) Faith – Always believing it can happen. Believing it can happen today, tomorrow, or 10 years from now and being ok with each new day when it doesn’t happen. This keeps you going with a good mindset. You act to win instead of claiming defeat.
Being an active Christian, faith allows me to do my part and trust God with the rest. I am only human. Miracles are His department. I don’t need to spend hours worrying.
2.) Determination – I remember times when I had nothing and had to audition a million times with no return. No matter the circumstances, I need to keep my eyes on the prize and keep going even when I see nothing happening.
3.) Keeping a level head and a positive attitude – This helps you hang in there despite difficult situations or people and you cannot avoid these. You don’t want to be crushed by them.
You can best develop these 3 qualities by:
Surrounding yourself with “believers.” By believers I don’t just mean it in the religious sense, but also people who believe in you and your dreams. They need to support your goals and not be in competition with you.
As much as you work hard, taking breaks to recharge is just as important. Sometimes you need to hit the reset button and process what has happened to you on the journey. For me, personal prayer time and reflection are a part of that process and something I do every day. In reflection, remembering the good things that have happened will help you to be grateful. Reflection can also help you to learn from the bad things and take the time to pray for help and seek it.
I also like to read and find affirmation through the Bible. I will journal about verses that speak to my circumstances, memorize them, and think of them when I need to be strengthened.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I am extremely grateful to my acting coach, Colleen Basis. It has been a blessing to have someone who worked to find what works for me and has always been in my corner. She got to know who I am as an artist and what is most important to me. We started working together during the pandemic on Zoom. We were consistent even when production was barely moving. Even when I lost my agent not knowing what was next, we kept working. This led to one of my most fruitful years of work as an actor booking Miracle at Manchester, Confessions of a Catholic Single, as well as other jobs. Every single scene and skill we have worked on, helped me to prepare for those opportunities.
I will not mention the name of the acting teacher in Los Angeles, but my agent had me going to someone who complained every class that everything anyone learned in theatre was junk for the camera. Theatre was my foundation as an actor and I had to hear it was all a waste every week and pay for it. This was definitely not good for my self-esteem. I also had an old professor who basically humiliated you when you didn’t know your lines. She called it “donkey work.”
When I started working with Colleen, we worked through all the past trauma of bad teachers. She took the time to learn what skills I had, strengthened them, and built upon them.
Even the way she listened to me through the hard things like losing my agent and always encouraged me, helped me immensely.
I also am always wearing multiple hats in the industry. At first as an executive assistant and production coordinator for a producer and now at a PR and marketing firm and producing my own work. Despite that craziness, Colleen and I would still meet and work in the chaos. I told her I wanted to be an actor/showrunner and that she was training me to be Mindy Kaling. And she has! I would never have been able to create, act, and produce Neighborhood Watch without this training.
Learn more about Colleen Basis here: www.colleenbasis.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.p2ptheatre.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/christinjezak
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/christin.jezak
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/christinjezak
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@P2PTheatre
- Other: http://imdb.me/christinjezak
