Meet Mia Reese

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

Mia , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I have this memory of being in an acting class when I was younger. I had been there a few times before, but I wasn’t one of the standouts or troubled students just flying in the middle. It felt like I was just blending in with the floor, and that I didn’t belong there. In the middle of class the director of the program came to watch us for a bit and observe the lesson. She made no big show but simply came over to me and told me that I was doing a good job. In that moment an indescribable feeling of joy and of relief came over me. Joy in being told that my best was good enough. That I didn’t have to be anyone else or act in a different way to be good enough. In that moment it started to register that I was good enough. I of course had the awesome and never ending support from my family, but it hit differently when it comes from someone that hasn’t known and loved you since your birth. I carry that feeling with me whenever I start to feel out of place. It makes me want to work harder and try harder so at the end of the day I can say “why not me?”

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Hello, I am Mia Reese an actress . I am a Georgia native and went to University of Georgia to get my BA in Theatre. My focus is on Film/TV, but Theatre holds a special place in my heart as it was my first introduction to my passion. I have worked for a few theatres with teaching classes and traveling shows. I feel like acting is the only thing I can and want to do for the rest of my life. I love the ability to tell and share different stories to a variety of audiences. I love the feeling of connecting with a character or with a story, and having an emotional response. Storytelling unties us in shared experiences and emotions. I love that acting at it’s core is story telling and that I get to participate in the tradition that has united us from times before and now.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities that are needed for this career I would say are: resilience, fearlessness, and discernment. Acting is a industry in which you will probably hear the most no’s in your life. If you are not resilient thoes no’s can be soul crushing. It’s best to remember that each no you get is not an attack on you as a person, and that each no is getting you closer to a yes on a project that is for you. I believe that what is for you will be for you and that nothing can take it away. Acting requires fearlessness especially when auditioning and pitching yourself. Sometimes you have to take big swings and make bold choices in order to not stand in your own way, because you are afraid you might not be enough. I feel like that is a common feeling in any career, but you can’t let yourself be what gets in your way. That is only doing a disservice to you. With that being said discernment is an important quality, especially when you are making choices that affect you. It is so easy to get swept up into the want that it can impair your thoughts on decisions. Discernment helps to block out all the shine and glitter and allows you to look at things for what they are. This allows you to make decisions that you actually understand and are comfortable with. I would also say to try and create a small team of people who want the best for you that can also be blunt when needed. This industry can have you up and down emotionally so developing a support system is extremely helpful whether it’s talking to your friends, your family, your dogs, thearpist, etc.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to foster and nurture my love for acting, especially my mom. I recently had a breakdown about my career she let me rant and cry while she held me and cried for me. She listened to all of my gripes and ugly feelings until my sobs were softer and then she built me back up. She took me when I felt absolutely crushed with myself and word with word rebuilt my foundation. She told me to stop letting my worry, my fear, get in my way before I had even taken a chance on myself. After that moment I started to take the chance on myself.