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Ten Ways Jo Kelly Coaches People To Be Great Actors - Online

May 4, 2024

Jo Kelly isn't your average acting coach.

Actually she isn't using the term "teacher" at all "I don't do anything in the way of giving people instructions on how to behave" she adds. "I aid people to not behave."

Through exercises that are experiential, Jo coaches mainly actors and other artists of every kind, as well as non artist "seekers" on how to discover their inner peace and be their most authentic selves. In this way, actors will stop acting and become becoming. "I would like to be an midwife rather than a teacher, since I aid people to return to their authentic self, and become reborn," she explains.

She believes the success of an actor depends on their satisfaction and the ability in committing themselves fully to the character they play. "When your character is protected completely, the story is told and audience is impacted," she explains.

Her unique way of coaching performers, she assists them in tapping into their childlike fascination, curiosity, and play. And the result? They provide authentic, lively and authentic shows.

In 2016, Jo transitioned from in-person coaching to develop an online-based business through . Since then, she's led three consecutive educational journeys, and she's served over 8,000 people. Her members have had incredible success since working with Jo and also have secured roles in some of the biggest studios, including Netflix, HBO, Disney, Showtime, ABC Studios, and more.

This is how she created an online business in the field she's passionate about:

Skip ahead:

She conducted her own research

Jo took a different path into acting.

Born in Belgium She earned her MBA before specializing on human resources management as well as systemic psychology. Afterwards, she did corporate coaching. "The workplace never seemed exactly like the one I was used to," she shares. "I chose to quit everything, move to Paris and begin afresh. ."

Part of this starting over was trying her hand at acting. She fell in over. She was passionate, hardworking, and put all of her time and money in learning to become the very best actress she could possibly be.

Despite her dedication to her profession her mother says she was a decent actor but not a top actor. Like other actors, she was plagued by stage anxiety. "Most of my acting colleagues suffered from the same issue," she says. "We were extremely passionate about acting, however when it came time to perform we were nervous. ."

She was interested in what was blocking her and others from becoming excellent actors. "My fascination turned into an obsession," She says. "I was interested in knowing what drives actors to be so devoted and passionate reduce their act ."

In the following years, she investigated how actors could feel blocked. Her research led to an understanding that when children play, they're free. When adults engage in play, they've lost their freedom because of societal pressures. "When I discovered that I took the remainder of my time really helping actors unlearn their conditioning so that they could show up and be themselves with that childlike energy that they once had," explains Jo.

She started coaching

Jo's experiential research led her to explore various techniques for somatic healing, which she then tried on others via group and private coaching back in early 2000. In the following years Jo named her company to Be Or Not To Act.

Soon, she realized that her students were lacked accountability. "No matter how devoted my colleagues were, they weren't able to show up everyday. Although we would meet at least three times per week, the accountability wasn't there in-between sessions. The ball would be dropped without a problem if they were not with me." Jo says. Jo.

The idea was that online classes could help individuals be more consistent with the way they practice. She describes her online classes as "journeys," and the first journey she takes people to is The Reset: From Resistance to Freedom. It was created by her in the year 2014. "I created The Reset so that I could hold people's hands through the 33 days of The Reset," she explains.
 "Since it's online, people can access it at their own pace and manage their own schedule."

Jo believes that we have a natural essence, and then the societal norms force us to act as we think, feel, and act in a particular way. According to her, the goal the purpose of The Reset is for people to perform daily exercises to help them get rid of their conditioned behavior and revert back to their original instincts. Each day in The Reset, Jo offers recordings of exercises. She also provides two Q&As as well as two hours of group work using pods as well as a semi-Q&A session where Jo answers frequently asked questions on the private Facebook group.

Being able to adjust the timing of an online adventure allows Jo's members to do the sessions at any point in time; when they get up, prior to when they fall asleep and whenever they find free time during the day. "The best part is that they can make these sessions work in with their daily routines," she explains.

She started an online venture which allowed her to live a more flexible living

When Jo first launched her online Reset journey, she was able to log each daily session posted on her website. After a few years, she switched to after being recommended to Reset by her coach. "You people know exactly what you're doing and I don't" she laughs.

In the last few years, since she entered the coaching online space Jo's life has been transformed. In the moment of this interview, Jo called from the hospital, where she was with her daughter. "Eight years ago, my child was born to a genetic condition and needs hospital care every month," she explains.

" enables me to be a mom and take care of my family while also keeping an online business operating, even while in the hospital as my daughter receives her monthly transfusions" she continues. "Working online lets me care for my child in the way I'd like to, and also be at in her home all the time to her. I can go to hospital for medical needs but still be able to be a part of a profession I'm enthusiastic about without it being stressful ."

Her subsequent travels were her own creations.

After people have completed The Reset, they have the choice of joining A three-month program named The Intentional Actor. This journey offers a weekly 3 hour session over twelve weeks. "The students in this class are a little more autonomous with regards to accountability and proving themselves. There are some routines to follow every day however they aren't able to rely on my energy to do it. They have to think of their own purpose, which is the point." Jo shares.

Jo will also be hosting Q&A sessions throughout The Purposeful Actor journey, which happen every three weeks. Then, once people have completed that Purpose journey you can choose to enroll in a membership named BAMF Actors In Action, which is a reference to Bad-Ass Mom of F***king Actors In Action. "I started this program because individuals who completed the two journeys wanted to continue practicing on this route," she says.

The membership has been running for four years, and the membership includes a one-hour content monthly session, group work via weekly pods, monthly Q&A session with Jo, and a six-hour summit each three months. "The membership allows people to determine the best way to get out into the world, be the person they're meant be doing, connect to the world of work, develop the content they want to create, and improve their game," she explains.

She worked with artists of all kinds

According to Jo, most of her clients in her sessions are actors. But there are other types of artists, like writers, dancers, storytellers, and singers, as well regular people who "want to improve their physical limitations," such as mothers and professional athletes like pro-athletes, TV hosts, and therapists. "Freedom is a concern to anyone who wants to be fully expressed," she says.

Because the tours are conducted in English, they attract people all over the world. "We have people from all continents, but mostly America, Europe, and Australia," she shares.

A majority of her clients are between the ages of 20-50. She also has some people at the end of their third decade of their lives, and it's not uncommon to see her welcome people who are in their 70s or 80s to join her on her journeys.

Her clients did all the talking

In terms of marketing her journeys, Jo says the word is spread through the word of mouth.

On the home page of her website, she's embedded a video testimonial reel. This provides proof of social status and increases the credibility of the work she does. Visitors to her website can subscribe to her email newsletter on her website. To gather emails, she gives a couple of free workshops as lead-generators to get people interested. A Great Actor to Give Yourself The Chance To Be Great and The Instinctive Actor. These trainings not only aid in collecting her readers' data, they also give people a taste of how she coaches.

She also posts on her Instagram page -- which boasts more than 10,000 followers--and gets external press by interviewing people on blogs, podcasts, and in magazines.

She picked a value-for-money price

Jo tries to make her journeys cost-effective for everyone, because actors be in a state of flux with their income. "If you went to an acting studio once a week, it would cost you between $300-$400. Most of the time, you just sit there and watch other people do the scenes, and at times it's a chance to take a turn," she said.

"These online travel options are much less expensive," continues Jo. "The benefits of our travels are 10x what we sell to customers. ."

The Reset is priced below $1,000 USD. Purposeful Actor is $1,250 USD. Membership is $270 USD a month.

She was in the zone of genius

Despite being the CEO Of To Be Or Not To Act, Jo is firm in her desire to spend all of her more time with her inner genius--which is coaching and creating material. She doesn't feel tech-savvy, and prefers to remain "in flow" doing the things she excels at. "The other aspects that run a business, aren't my forte because they're not my realm of expertise" she explains.

Jo says her success is due by hiring a coach from early on. In the end, when it came time to create evergreen journeys and she decided to take a chance and bought a $20K course in order to master the art of doing it. "It was quite a stretch that required me to take on a loan of half the amount. It was a good thing I made it happen," she shares.

She believes that it's possible for anyone to create a successful online course business. But she cautions that this isn't an easy task.

"It requires dedication and perseverance, and you have to feel passionate about the work you do. In my case, this is all I've ever been doing since switching professions in my early twenties and it's all I'll ever do. It's because of this passion that even when things get tough, I stick with it ."

She created from the heart

She advises online creators to be honest about the difficult effort they'll invest in building a successful online company. She also suggests they do so only when the subject they're teaching is close to their heart.

"The danger now is that whenever you are on social media, everyone is coaching you and everyone claims that it is to earn millions in two minutes, which isn't the truth," says Jo. "It is a fact that if you have something dear to your heart, you can reach an audience that is bigger than that of your neighbors. But it takes legwork, and that includes falling down and then getting up. The process involves coaching and putting in your time and cash until the structure is built ."

Just like Jo When you create a business from your heart this gives you the stamina to stick with it--even through the tough times.

"An online business isn't just an opportunity for you to earn money. It must be constructed by your heart, based on the work you're supposed to be doing. In the event that you do not, you'll fall off the ball because it will feel too hard." She explains.

"If you're really serious then you'll be able to face the obstacles. If you're looking for a quick money grab, you won't be able to accept these challenges. The best advice I can give is to stick with your passions to your heart. It is essential to be the best at what you do because there's an intense level of rivalry. You have to trust what you do ."

She was true to her art

In response to questions about online course trends we may be seeing in 2024 Jo thinks there will continue to be over-use of programs online. Jo says the primary difference between "McDonald's" courses and the "gourmet" classes will be those that are created in a way that is honest.

"When there's an abundance of stuff, there'll exist two different types of online jobs. There will be McDonald's kind of courses. Then there'll be reliable and gourmet classes. There will be plans to achieve the opposite of your life, but it won't be out of a genuine source And then there will be people who have been going at it for a long time," she says.

For creating an exquisite gourmet dining experience, her recommendation is to go back to the core.

"There is incredible potential to anyone with a firm foot in their heart wanting to give back," she continues. "The people who will need your services will come across that you ."

"I'm happy that it allows us to bond as human beings for what matters to us. It's incredible."