We recently connected with Dana Lyn Baron and have shared our conversation below.
Dana Lyn, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Well, if I’m being glib, I’d say my resilience comes as a direct result of being a bona fide Taurus. I was born with a stubborn streak. And I certainly don’t like to be told that I can’t do something.
But if I’m being honest, sometimes even I wonder where I get my resilience from. I come from a family of very intelligent and accomplished people. People with traditional jobs and such. There are no actors in my family. There’s plenty of creativity, but it was never acknowledged as an honorable career path.
Growing up. I learned a strong work ethic from my grandfather. My father also worked very hard. Even without being directly told by my role models, I got the message. My observations of the people around me informed the way I approached whatever it was I was working on. Whether it was school work, or soccer, or dance. I worked very hard, very diligently, to gather and learn the information, to learn technique and skills, and then apply them to whatever I was doing. So I had the 4.4 GPA, ya know? I played competitive soccer until Mom tossed me into dance class. And then I advanced as a dancer very quickly in my early teens. And then added the skills of singing and eventually acting, which led to my 1st professional musical theatre jobs. And I was very good at these things. But I was always hiding in the back at the same time.
That said… I had an understanding that people were somehow underestimating me. Even with the accomplishments and especially when it came to my performing. In my early-mid teens, and through my 20s, I certainly didn’t “look the part”. I struggled with my weight and body image. And I struggled plenty with confidence and belief in myself. I didn’t think I was the right kind of pretty. My outward appearance felt at odds with where I was mentally and emotionally. And I certainly wasn’t a great actor yet.
Even though I loved what I was doing and had an inkling that I wanted to do it professionally, deep down, I didn’t believe “someone like me” was gonna make it. I didn’t yet deeply believe in myself or my abilities even as I was compelled to continue growing and excelling in them. Such a strange polarity!
Sometimes I wonder if this was the root of my resilience. Since no one expected Dana Lyn Baron to be the “chorine left standing,” I stayed under the radar in a way. Avoided my own spotlight for a long time. Sometimes I feel sadness about that, but at the same time I clearly wasn’t ready. I had to dig deep and get to the point where I truly believed in myself, truly loved and accepted myself, and knew myself. And through it all, any time self-doubt popped up (and it still will pop up now and then!) a voice kept telling me to keep going, keep going, keep going. Like there was no other choice.
Thank God I listened to that voice! And continue to listen to it.
Something else occurs to me as far as resilience goes. I guess I was fortunate in that someone – I can’t remember who! – very early on somehow got it into my skull that even when someone said “no” to me, even if they were blunt, or cruel in the way they communicated, that rejection was not a rejection of Me. It wasn’t personal. This is one of the hardest things for creative artists to face. But I guess I did early on. Truly. Again, I thank God that I believed this idea.
I’m not even sure how or why I believed it so completely. But I think it saved me from a lot of pain. Don’t get me wrong! Of course, I still feel the pain of not getting a part I really want and feel I’m right for. But I also have a great faith that the roles that are meant for me will find me. They won’t miss me. As long as I have that knowing, And as long as I keep breathing through the hard periods – for example, not booking a job for two years – I have faith that my next great opportunity is around the corner. I guess that’s actually it! The secrecy to my resiliency? I have faith. I have a knowing. I know who I am and what I have to offer. And I’m willing to keep moving forward one foot at a time and allow it to unfold. Even on days when I still want to kick and scream because it’s not happening as fast as I want to. I am human.
And getting to this point of having that faith and knowing has taken plenty of soul work. Plenty of therapy. Plenty of retreating from our noisy world. To sit with myself and reflect. And figure out. What I want and need. Figure out who I want to be in this world. And what kind of contribution I want to make to it. There’s no one right path. There’s no “there” to get to. You know? I want to enjoy my life. Enjoy the journey. And my creativity is a part of that. So I keep going. I don’t really have another choice. Not one that sings to me, anyway.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m an Actor, Voice-Over Artist, Dancer, Singer, Writer, Producer, Traveler, Yogi, Boxer, Cat-Mommy and Wife.
How lucky am I to take words on a page and make them come alive to tell stories?! This is what I do, and I love it.
I’m known for my versatility, my range. I’m known as a seasoned pro. I show up and get the job done. I’m a happy actor. I love being on set and in collaboration with others. The cast, the crew. Making movies and tv shows… it’s complete magic to me!
I’m most proud of my perseverance, my resourcefulness, my open heart, my curiosity, my beginner’s mindset, my faith in the path I chose.
What sets me apart from others? As mentioned above – my Versatility. I’m a character-leading lady. I love disappearing into different human experiences, different worlds, different eras. I thrive in it. And I’m damn good at it, too.
COMING UP: Unfortunately, due to the on-going SAG-AFTRA strike, I can’t share news about my upcoming projects. What I can say is shortly before the writers (WGA) went on strike in May, I was working on a wonderful new show with any amazing cast and executive produced by one of the most prolific multi-hyphenates in Hollywood. It will be on one of the streamers, and I’ll be shouting from the rooftops when the premiere date is announced. Stay tuned!
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?
RESILIENCE: see the beginning of this article. Additionally, do the work to KNOW thyself. Whether it’s therapy, meditation, hiking in nature, cooking… there are many paths to do this. Listen to your gut and follow it.
BEGINNERS MIND: Never stop learning. Do what scares you. Be willing to fail. Practice getting back up again.
CURIOSITY: Somewhat related to the above, I think. Talk to people (even if it scares you), be interested in others, other places, other cultures, other… EVERYTHING. Anything other than what you already know. We can discover new things for the rest of our lives. Which is pretty damn cool, if you think about it. So… don’t wait. Get out of your shell and go exploring. (BONUS: It’ll feed your creative life)
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
There are several things one can do when feeling overwhelmed. And I’ll list them here:
1. Take slow, deep breaths. Sit down and take three slow, deep breaths. It can make all the difference to your state of being.
2. Take time to meditate. Your practice can start off with just one minute a day and build up from there. Seriously, that’s how I started and was able to maintain a practice for over 15 years now (I now do about 10-15min/day.) The Insight Timer app is a fabulous tool. And it’s free!
3. I also recommend EFT tapping technique. It’s a highly effective technique. Kind of hard to explain here. But I recommend starting off by checking out the free version of the Tapping Solution app. Another fabulous tool.
4. Sometimes something as simple as a glass of water or a cup of hot tea can help calm the nervous system.
5. Go into nature. Get outside. Go on a stroll. And notice the beauty around you as you walk.
6. If you can, take off your shoes and go stand on some dirt. On some ground. This is part of grounding practice. And this too really helps. Just stand with your feet plugged into the earth. Breathe.
7. If you’re someone like me who sometimes has too many things on the To-Do List, and that makes you feel overwhelmed – Review that list. And highlight the things that are truly priority. Move the other items to another day and time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.IMDb.me/DanaLynBaron
- Instagram: @danalynbaron
- Facebook: @DanaLynBaronInc
- Linkedin: @danalynbaron
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/DanaLynBaron
- Other: www.danalynbaron.com
