Show Notes
Wendy Braun is a working actor, mindset coach, and creator of the Success Breakthrough workshop featured in Forbes — but this episode is really about the moment she sat in her car outside a preschool, ready to quit the business, and chose to stay. Working since 1995 with credits on Grey's Anatomy, This Is Us, Atypical, and Criminal Minds, Wendy built a parallel life coaching actors through the inner game of auditioning — writing and recording her own guided meditations, building workshops, and helping thousands of actors shift from proving to playing. Now she's on Jury Duty Season 2 as the villain, and her audition story is a masterclass: a 24-hour self-tape turnaround the day after a 10-day meditation retreat, a live callback where she brought apples with lime and Bristol Farms chicken, and a booking that arrived 30 years into her career — when she finally stopped needing it. We also talk about self-tape vs. in-person prep, memorization, motherhood and ambition, and why "nerves are just excitement without the breath." These are the unforgettable stories that landed Wendy Braun right here. Credits: Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat Grey's Anatomy This Is Us Atypical Criminal Minds Lost The West Wing Castle It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia The Mentalist Guest Links: IMDB: Wendy Braun, actress THAT ONE AUDITION'S LINKS: For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition PUBLIC POP UP NOVEMBER 10th: FREE WHAT'S MY FRAME THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR (50% off special) THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly WENDY'S SUCCESS IN THE AUDITION ROOM: 5 min FREE MEDITATION CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify EPISODE CREDITS: HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu
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In this episode, 23 years as a SAG-AFTRA member, and I'm watching eight-page, plot-driving roles get labeled "Large Co-star" by CBS, ABC, HBO, Netflix, and Apple — a mislabel that's the difference between needing 23 TV bookings a year to qualify for health and pension versus needing 3. This week, I'm breaking down SAG's actual co-star definition, the pattern I'm seeing across every platform, and why it matters for every actor trying to build a real career. Subscribe now for insightful discussions, empowering interviews, and practical advice to enhance your career longevity and satisfaction. Connect with That One Audition: SAG PETITION SIGN: Protection for the Working Actor THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR - 50% OFF THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify Subscribe today and be part of a community that celebrates resilience and passion in the world of acting! #ActorsResilience #RecoveryMindset #ThatOneAudition #PodcastJourney CREDITS: Host/Producer: Alyshia Ochse WRITER: Alyshia Ochse WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu
Today we sit down with Luke Tennie — the Shrinking, Abbott Elementary, and Nickel Boys actor whose path to Hollywood began not in an acting class but on a football field, where being "too small" for the O-line turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. Luke takes us inside his jaw-dropping first week out of AMDA, when he pinned both Jumanji and Shock and Awe simultaneously — and chose Rob Reiner. He shares the hard-won lessons from the lulls between jobs, including two pilots he booked that never shot, why he slept on a rolled-up mattress topper until 2019 to protect his audition time, and how starting to write his own material completely changed what he books. Plus, a masterclass on self-tape strategy from the guy who literally taught audition technique back at his alma mater. These are the unforgettable stories that landed Luke Tennie right here. Credits: Shrinking Abbott Elementary Nickel Boys Players On the Verge Deadly Class Shock and Awe Snowfall Guest Links: IMDB: Luke Tennie, actor, writer THAT ONE AUDITION'S LINKS: For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition PETITION for SAG: Working Actor Protections THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR (50% off special) THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify EPISODE CREDITS: HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse WRITER: Maddie McCormick WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu
Today we're sitting down with the luminous Natalie Martinez, whose path to Hollywood started not in a classroom or on a stage — but at a mall in Miami, wearing a tank top and no bra, auditioning for Jennifer Lopez on a $100 bet from her mom. From winning J.Lo's national model search to becoming one of television's most trusted leading ladies, Natalie has spent over two decades learning the craft entirely on the job. She shares what it was like to have Taylor Sheridan as her acting coach before he became a Hollywood powerhouse, how David Ayer had her and Michael Peña go on "mini dates" to build their chemistry for End of Watch, and why she credits Woody Harrelson for getting her cast in Brothers — even though the tape she submitted was never actually seen. It's one of the most jaw-dropping "what's meant for you will find you" stories we've ever heard on this show. These are the unforgettable stories that landed Natalie Martinez right here. Credits: Brothers Bad Monkey Ordinary Joe The Fugitive APB The Crossing Kingdom Secrets and Lies Under the Dome CSI: New York Detroit 1-8-7 End of Watch Death Race Saints and Sinners Fashion House Guest Links: IMDB: Natalie Martinez, actress THAT ONE AUDITION'S LINKS: For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR (50% off special) THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher EPISODE CREDITS: HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse WRITER: Maddie McCormick WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu
Christopher Thornton — actor, writer, teacher, and one of the most quietly extraordinary storytellers working in Hollywood today. His journey is not a straight line. It is a rock climbing accident that fractured two vertebrae and left him in a wheelchair — and an agency that dropped him in a signed card from his hospital bed. It is a then-unknown Mark Ruffalo tricking him into performing Waiting for Godot five months later — and the Drama-Logue Award that changed everything. It is understudying the lead at the Mark Taper Forum with zero rehearsals and going on for a matinee AND an evening performance the same day. It is writing Sympathy for Delicious in 1997 and not shooting it until 2009. It is a Magnum P.I. surfboard scene he absolutely claimed he could handle. And it is thirty years of showing up — to the stage, to the room, to the tape, to the work — until Vice Principals, Magnum P.I., Lincoln Lawyer, and now The Pitt and Netflix's All the Sinners Bleed made the industry take notice. These are the unforgettable stories that landed Christopher Thornton right here. Credits: The Pitt Magnum P.I. Vice Principals Lincoln Lawyer All the Sinners Bleed Sympathy for Delicious Waiting for Godot Alias Will & Grace Guest Links: IMDB: Christopher Thornton, actor, writer THAT ONE AUDITION'S LINKS: For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR (50% off special) THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher EPISODE CREDITS: HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse WRITER: Maddie McCormick WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu
Cara Jade Myers asked Martin Scorsese how he wanted her to play Anna in Killers of the Flower Moon. He said — "You're the actor. Figure it out." And that single sentence gave her permission to know exactly what to do. This week we unpack why the permission you've been waiting for has always been yours to give yourself — and why Cara's decision to stop waiting for the industry and start writing, producing, and creating her own opportunities is the most important career move any actor can make right now. Stop waiting. Start creating. Figure it out. Subscribe now for insightful discussions, empowering interviews, and practical advice to enhance your career longevity and satisfaction. Connect with That One Audition: THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR - 50% OFF THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher Subscribe today and be part of a community that celebrates resilience and passion in the world of acting! #ActorsResilience #RecoveryMindset #ThatOneAudition #PodcastJourney CREDITS: Host/Producer: Alyshia Ochse WRITER: Alyshia Ochse WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu