Meet Hannah Veldhoen

We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Veldhoen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

As a female comic I thrive on this. One of the things that’s helped me grow the most is being booked on shows where nobody looks or thinks like me. Think sketchy dive bars with no other female acts on the line up or toilet paper in the women’s washroom. It’s both terrifying and exhilarating facing an audience full of men ready to call me unfunny. My motivation comes from the desire to find the thing that makes us both laugh and prove them wrong. It’s almost worth the bathroom situation.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Stand-up comedy is my passion. It makes me next to no money and regularly has me questioning my sanity and every choice I’ve ever made. That being said, I do it every night and wouldn’t have it any other way. To me there’s no better feeling than writing a joke you’re not sure anyone will even find funny and having a room full of people scream with laughter when they hear it.

I currently cohost a podcast with my bestie, Monica Gross, called Menty Breaky. Every week we have little mental breakdowns but in a super cute, very supportive way. We’re excited to keep growing our fan base of people that relate to our most pathetic and insane moments. We also feature “Menty Breaky Queens” (not limited to women) every week of listeners who share their own pathetic and insane stories with us.

You can also find me having live mental break downs on stage (they’re funny, I promise!). My goal is to continue to grow as an artist and reach larger audiences so coming to a show means the world to me. Anytime a fan says they bought a ticket to see me I want to scream (in a super cute, very supportive way).

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think giving yourself the space to fail is important when starting a journey. This is a skill I still struggle with but keep forcing myself to do. For me that might look like taking risks on stage and having an audience remain silent. In the moment I pray for instant death but pushing myself to keep going defeats the fear and embarrassment of that failure. I think some qualities that go with this are an openness to learn and sharing what you have learned with others. Yes, there are some lessons you have to learn on your own but there’s also no harm in learning from others that have gone before you. Sometimes I really, really don’t want to examine what I did wrong but asking an expert what could I have done differently is both a lesson in humility and improving my skill.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

A comic I met early on who became one of my best friends, James Cummins. He was the person who encouraged me to start failing more and try to have fun with it. Nobody has a much fun failing as James. He taught me if we don’t take risks we can’t grow and when you’re just starting out growth is the most important thing. Usually his help is in the form of listening to my 10 minute long voice notes at 2am crying about how I don’t know what I’m doing and him telling me not to quit. I think he claims it as charity work on his taxes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @hannahveldhoen @mentybreaky
• Youtube: @hannahveldhoen @mentybreaky
• Other: Spotify: Menty Breaky

Image Credits

2. Ramy Arida
3. Matt Amarillo
4. Krissia Valiente
5. Krissia Valiente
6. Phoebe Ludwig