Meet Katie Hampton

We recently connected with Katie Hampton and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, 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.

Take it or leave it: actively choose the right voice to listen to. I don’t think there is an performer on this planet who hasn’t had their intermittent seasons of Imposter Syndrome. Unless you’re a narcissistic gift from the heavens, most performers struggle with wondering whether they even belong where they are. As I grow and continually learn about myself as an actor and comedian, I’ve realized that the key to getting over Imposter Syndrome, is knowing which voices to listen to.

When I was young 20 something starry-eyed-noob running like the proverbial bull in Hollywood’s china shop, I took just about every piece of advice I could get. From the terrific to the terrible, I took it all in. There was no limit to the advice I’d take, even from the cartoonishly awful “director” with the falling out hair plugs in the donut shop where I had my first “film” audition, that turned out to be a long con for a staged porno, yes I even listened to him. I was fully invested in the my socratic approach that I was willing to take everyone’s opinion, without any regard for my own.

It’s like the Katy Perry lyric, “I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything.” The problem with Imposter Syndrome when you’re an actor is that you’re still trying to figure out who you are as a person while pretending to be everyone else. I barely had time to figure out what kind of performer I was because I was still so unfamiliar with who I was. I listened to everyone else’s opinion so much that I forgot what my inner voice sounded like. My 20s were a hot mess of mimicking other people’s opinions about my work or more so my lack of work.

Many years ago when I was working in Pasadena for one of my 3 or 4 survival jobs, I was at my lowest of self confidence. I had just been begging my agent to send me anything that wasn’t a “real person who wants to get botox audition,” when I saw a film crew setting up across the street from where I was. I got that pang of of jealousy every actor gets when we see people working on something we’re not apart of. At the time I acknowledged the jealousy and let it go because who even knew what kind of project that was. That is until I saw my (then) mentor (now friend), Daniel Roebuck walking up to one of the trailers. I messaged him how funny it was we were working across the street from each other and he messaged me back asking if I wanted to come over and meet some of the cast and crew. It didn’t take me long to find an excuse to leave work early and head over there.

It turns out the project my friend Danny was working on was a little pilot called Harry’s Law, and before I knew it I was face to face with Kathy Bates shaking her hand, with an equally shaky body. We exchanged pleasantries about our mutual friend Danny, she asked me about where I was studying and working. Immediately my brain said “Tell her how much you suck! And how you haven’t booked anything since that one cell phone commercial you did two years ago.” Whoa! Where did that come from? 

I instead decided to speak a bit about my training, my mentorship with Danny, briefly mentioned some unknown (even now) projects I had been working on. But I quickly switched away from my pittance of a career into praising Ms. Bates’ work and how excited I was for her to be in television after all the incredible films she had performed in. She was very gracious, and at the end of our conversation she took my hand and said “Katie, it was so great to meet you, I really look forward to working with you on a project one day.”

I was so flabbergasted, you could have covered me in roses and sent me out into the Rose Parade because I was FLOATING! I walked back to that survival job with my head held high, and a new mission on the horizon.
The only thing that brought me down was telling a fellow actress about the interaction and receiving the response,”Hah! Yeah right, like you’ll ever work with her.” As quickly as I had been gobsmacked by Kathy Bates, so too was I speechless with my very unknown actress friend. I took that comment to heart, as I took most things at that time.

I suddenly realized where that self deprecating thought of telling Kathy Bates how much I sucked had come from. That voice sounded a lot like the actress who scoffed at the very idea of me working with Ms. Batesl. For some reason young actors and comedians believe that everyone is in competition and we should be as cut throat as the people who have torn us down before, because that’s what makes you stronger! Right? Feels a bit like advice from a boomer, but may I also remind you, dear reader, of the old adage “Hurt people, hurt people.” 

Those who are struggling with their own self doubt tend to point out all of your potential struggles as well. The imposter syndrome, when we see it for what it really is, suddenly sounds a lot like the voices that gave us the most destructive feedback. But think about Kathy Bates, a woman who didn’t need to give me the time of day, but did. Who didn’t need to pretend like she was going to work with my goofy butt one day, but did. It was her first day of filming a pilot, and this lanky 20 year old is rambling in front of her. She could have told me, an actress not even working on her show, to get the hell out of her way, but she didn’t. Instead she took the time to encourage me, and gave me hope for my career. Why would I not listen to that, she had nothing to gain from it, but I did.

In the resulting years after that interaction with Kathy Bates, I my survival jobs became more production-oriented and I leaned into writing and giving feedback on other people’s scripts. I always start my notes on a script with a phrase I like to call “TIOLI” which is an acronym for “Take it, or Leave it.” I know that my advice has been shaped and molded by several other voices. Some good advice and some bad advice I still can’t let go of, but at the very least I know it’s becoming my own voice and not sounding like anyone else. If my advice rings true for anyone I encourage them to take it, but if what I say doesn’t help your process, then leave it behind, but you have to actively make that choice. Only then do we realize that our inner voice can be so much more powerful than any version of imposter syndrome.

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?

Katie Hampton is my name, and avoiding writing my own bio is my game! I am a full-time actor, comedian, and occasional behind-the-scenes survival job dabbler. In between acting gigs, I co-host a podcast called Napping Through Happy Hour, and guest host several nerdy podcasts (Marvel Movie Talk, Trek Marry Kiill, Geekscape Network). I also regularly perform with the Pack Theater in their House Improv teams (Nothing Burger, Faux Paw, Running with the Pack), and every now and then you can catch me over-praising good food on Yelp. Folks can always follow me at @ElSassyPants for most social media, but @ElSassPantz on TikTok. If you’re interested in seeing me in a truly badass action comedy, look up the production of All Bets Are Off, hopefully shooting in the summer of 2025!

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

As always, TIOLI:

The most impactful qualities I’ve discovered in my journey are 1) Investment in mental health 2) Meditation and Patience 3) Choosing who your community is, as opposed to trying to fit in somewhere.

These were the qualities that helped me with my specific journey, and though we can make comparisons, remember that every person’s journey is as complicated and different as the path that led you to read this. Choose whose advice you take to heart, and whose advice you leave behind, your path can only be defined by what you decide. TIOLI! Take it or leave it!

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Meditation does not have to look the same for everyone, but you have to figure out what that means for you. Meditating is not always sitting in a blank room pinching your thumb and forefingers together. For me, it’s gardening and cooking a meal from what I just spent months growing. Sometimes it’s spending five hours looking for diamonds in Minecraft. My parents love to bird watch, and I find that to be active torture, but I’ll never yuck their yum because that is meditation for them. When I get overwhelmed in life, I lean back on what will help me meditate in the moment. What calms my brain, might overstimulate others, but the only way I could reach that understanding was by searching for what works best for me. And that involved a lot of therapy and patience.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Katie Hampton in all photos
Daniel Roebuck
Big Guy Hampton (big cat)
Tiny Hampton (smaller cat)

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