Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Elle Wilde.
Vanessa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Improv changed my life. I started by taking a class in 2013. After a Lyme disease diagnosis, I was desperately looking for activities that took my mind off the physical, mental, and neurological effects of the illness. I took an improv class and immediately felt the physiological benefits of play, laughter, and community.
A few years later, I created O.Improv (named after my dogs Oliver & Ozzie) in an effort to bring joy, belonging, and a great excuse to have fun!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest challenged I faced was my health. Lyme disease affects memory, speech, and a host of other physical ailments. Concurrently, I went through a painful divorce. It felt like my world was ending. In a way, it was.
But a new life called one in which Improv would play a huge role in my healing bothy physically and emotionally. Through bold, unapologetic self-expression and play, I found a sense of belonging that I had not experienced before in my life. (I definitely was more suited for theatre than business.)
What I’ve learned from my experience is that joy and grief live alongside each other. Life will always present us with challenges, some at the very worst time when you think you can’t handle it anymore. That’s precisely the time to reach out to your tribe, dive into something new, hone in and focus on what you love, and try something that brings you joy, that allows your fullest expression, tests your vulnerability and helps you rebuild from the inside out.
This is the biggest lesson in life and business: when it hurts or gets too hard and you want to curl up and hide, reach out and stay connected to your joy. Always stay connected to that which lights you up! I think of it as an essential business survival strategy.
We’d love to hear more about O.Improv Training Co.
In a nutshell, I teach improv for personal and professional development. I believe in the extraordinary power of self-expression, be it through music, theatre, art or straight-up business. The trick is to immerse yourself in something that lights up both your soul and your bank account!
The philosophy of improv is built on this one very simple yet profound idea: Yes, And.
The Yes, And philosophy is essentially about acceptance of what the audience suggests and what your scene partners give you to work with. Let’s say, the scene is about “unruly aliens who light to start fires on the moon” – well, you can fight it and cause conflict, essentially stopping the scene, OR you can accept it (even though you can have a fire on the moon cuz there is no atmosphere…duh!) and you add on to it. This is comedy gold.
This is a lot like life and business. You might be faced with surprising, ridiculous, out of the blue moments from vendors, colleagues, or circumstance – and as a business person, you must meet that moment.
How will you meet that moment?
Well, it all depends on your ability to respond. Will you fight it, draining your most precious resource – energy or will you accept what is and add on to it? Whether it’s creating a solution, bridging a communication gap or innovating on the fly, this mindset will allow you to move through any challenge more quickly, efficiently and with a lighter heart.
I am passionate about helping recreate the mind to be the most agile it can be, and taking a playful approach is sometimes just what’s needed to move through those big challenges.
The goal is to make your environment your teammate – and make the moment the best that it can be.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I grew up in a religious cult, the Hare Krishna movement. The environment was stifling, with limited allowance for self-expression. However, on Sunday’s and special occasions, I played roles in the school theatre – all based on the ancient stories of the Mahabharata. They were dramatic, bold and interesting stories, however, most of the big roles were men, so often the boys had those roles, and the girls were placed in supportive roles. I longed to be on stage, front and center.
It was many years later that I found my stage. I started my career public speaking on topics related to the Fashion Industry, Anti-bullying and later on personal development.
When I found improv, I felt like I was able to express myself fully without the worry of offending anyone or being humiliated for my expression. It was a supernatural fit!
I went from cult to comedy and found a way to free myself from oppression using humor not only to heal but to carve out my own place in the business world.
My experiences have taught me to remain agile, open and curious, and as a business person, this is key to staying in the game.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4010 Sorrento Valley Blvd
Suite 400
San Diego, CA. 92121 - Website: www.oimprov.com
- Phone: 8583820995
- Email: vanessa@yesliving.com
- Instagram: http://www.facebook.com/vanessaellewilde
- Facebook: @vanessaellewilde
- Twitter: @vewilde
- Other: linkedin: vanessaellewilde
Image Credit:
Vanessa Elle Wilde
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