Meet Erin Bennett

We recently connected with Erin Bennett and have shared our conversation below.

Erin, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Part of imposter syndrome is thinking that it’s something that most people think they have, but that you *actually* do. Imposter syndrome is something I’m struggling to overcome, and having realized that it’s a struggle for a lot of people is, in a weird way, comforting. That we’re all in this together, many of us giving this career a shot despite that insistent voice which says you’re about to be found out. The difference between me at the beginning of my career and this point in my career, 12 years in, is that the insistent “not good enough” voice is an old friend, and I recognize her, and I can show her a seat in the other room and close the door on her, while I enter the room and do what I have to do. In the beginning, that “not good enough voice” was often in the driver’s seat, and over the years I’ve gotten better at putting her in the backseat. Often playing music so I can drown her out 😉

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?

With 600 books under my belt, I haven’t yet begun to tire of being a human being telling stories. My training is in classical theatre and music- I was the quintessential theatre kid, with all the personality that accompanies that- and ran off to train at Boston University, hoping to devour Shakespeare, Shaw and Sondheim. After doing theatre, commercials and oh-so-occasional television in Los Angeles, I finally found my comfort zone behind the microphone. My first audiobook, Elin Hilderbrand’s Summerland for Hachette Audio, led to over 600 titles, multiple Earphones and Audie nominations, including for the 2025 Audie in Fiction for The Evolution of Annabel Craig (Penguin Random House). One of my points of pride is the versatility I enjoy in the business, narrating for virtually every genre in audiobooks. Audible has called me “a pied piper narrator. If she narrates, I listen!” – and I have books coming up for horror writer Riley Sager, fiction novelist Maggie Stiefvater and fantasy writer B.F. Peterson.
I love sharing the journey with fellow narrators and industry professionals as the Audiobook Publishers Association’s VP of Voice Talent Communications.

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?

There’s a quote from Victor Hugo that I keep coming back to – one of the simplest, most profound things I’ve ever read:

“Perseverance, secret of all triumphs.” I might not be the most talented, the best fit, the most exciting, the biggest thing in the room when I’m being considered for projects – but the thread that has woven through my career is perseverance. It was not giving up. Sometimes the Dream with a capital D gets revised – all good writing does – and I have to learn to accept things I can’t change, but persisting…. insisting that I belong here, has led me through.

Another quality is being an actor first, above all things. There’s artistry to this, and remembering to put the craft first keeps my eye on the ball.

Thirdly, living the life of an actor can be a trying, difficult experience full of rejection, competition and comparison. At least at first. My husband repeats to me: “climb your own mountain” and it’s become a mantra in my life. As true now as when I was newly minted actor starting to pay back my student loans!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Over the years, my dad describes dealing with me as a child as saying, somewhat facetiously, “we just tried to stay out of your way.” He means I think, that I was pretty self motivated – I wanted to be an actor from the age of four, and my dad acknowledges that they really supported me and gave me outlets for that passion. I’m forever grateful that my parents supported me in going to music/voice/dance lessons, and made sacrifices so that I could explore, develop, and revel in the things I loved. At the same time it was expected that I succeed in school, and I was held to a high standard. When I look at my calendar from high school, I’m shocked at how many activities and pursuits I had at any given time – and my parents couldn’t be more different in temperament, personality, etc. It was all new to them. Yet they accepted me for who I am, and I credit their flexibility – their curiosity about who I was, their lack of judgment, their support, their willingness to jump in with both feet… I will always strive to do the same with my kiddo, because that environment of support, exploration, nurturing – was ideal.

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Image Credits

Michael Garcia
Max Flatow

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