Episode 375: Refresh Your Actor Tool Kit
Wed Feb 04 2026
Things are heating up in the Weekly Accountability Time Management Class, and this episode is all about one of the most important topics for any working actor: how to refresh your toolkit for 2026.
I have five essential points to cover that will help you align your tools with the actor you are becoming. Let's get started.
Align Your Tools with the Actor You Are Becoming Every piece of your toolkit should answer one question: What are the roles that I am calling in with my tools?
Your headshots, your reels, your clips, your website, your resume—they aren't random. They are signals to casting directors. They are signals to producers. They are signals to writers and directors.
If your tools reflect who you were five years ago, they can't sell who you are now and who you want to become.
Think about 2026 by asking yourself: Does this material tell the story of the actor I want to be booked as today and in the future?
As Marianne Williamson says, we are powerful beyond measure when we act with intention.
And here's a PPR quote for you: Your tools are not decoration. They are direction.
Audit Your Materials Without Drama This can be challenging, so I'm just going to warn you ahead of time.
Most actors avoid looking at their tools because they attach their entire self-worth to a headshot or a clip. But you cannot update what you refuse to see.
Do a calm, natural review:
What's working here?
What feels outdated?
What is missing?
Look at your materials like a business owner, not a wounded teenager.
Jen Sincero, author of the Badass books, says: What you choose to focus on expands.
So I don't want you focusing on that wounded teenager or that wounded child. I want you to be focusing on who you are today and who you want to become—the actor you are today and the actor you want to become.
Update Your Target Lists with Precision We talk about this in the weekly accountability and time management class all the time, so listen up.
Your career is not the industry as a whole. Your career is a specific group of casting directors, agents, managers, and creatives who are a fit for you. Just for you.
Once a month, I want you to be cleaning up your list. Remove people who no longer make sense to you anymore. Add the new shows, offices, and companies that are a match of where you want to be heading.
Precision makes your outreach more effective and less emotional.
Again, Jen Sincero: You're going to have to push past your comfort zone if you want to change.
You can't have the career you want being the person that you are. You need to change. A vague career plan creates vague results. We don't want to be vague.
Simplify Your Marketing So You Can Actually Do It Hello? If you can't actually do it, it's not good time management.
An overcomplicated system will die by February. Your marketing needs to be simple enough that you can maintain it on a busy week.
A basic outreach schedule. A template email. A simple tracking sheet or a simple tracking system. These things are enough.
The question is not how fancy is my system and how impressive is it. The question is: Will I be able to use this when I'm tired?
Gabrielle Bernstein says: When you relax, you receive.
And my quote is: If your system is exhausting, it's not a system, it's a stall tactic.
Ooh, ouch. Did you just go, oof? Did you just go, oh, PPR, how could you? Yeah, that's a bit of a stab in the gut.
And here's a bonus: Perfectionism leads to procrastination, leads to paralysis.
Commit to One Improvement Each Month Instead of trying to overhaul everything all at once, pick one upgrade per month.
Maybe in one month you update headshots and you choose the best ones. Or in February or March or April or May you clean up your reel. Or in another month you're refining your resume or a website.
This is one of the things I talked about in my class—putting your business on a schedule for 2026. So important to do that. So important to do that.
These focused upgrades in a year will move you much further than one frantic burst that burns you out.
Remember that your career is built in layers.
Join the Weekly Accountability & Time Management Class If you want help with any of this, I'd love to see you in the weekly accountability and time management class. It's super affordable. It's super fun. And guess what? You get a class for free.
More
Things are heating up in the Weekly Accountability Time Management Class, and this episode is all about one of the most important topics for any working actor: how to refresh your toolkit for 2026. I have five essential points to cover that will help you align your tools with the actor you are becoming. Let's get started. Align Your Tools with the Actor You Are Becoming Every piece of your toolkit should answer one question: What are the roles that I am calling in with my tools? Your headshots, your reels, your clips, your website, your resume—they aren't random. They are signals to casting directors. They are signals to producers. They are signals to writers and directors. If your tools reflect who you were five years ago, they can't sell who you are now and who you want to become. Think about 2026 by asking yourself: Does this material tell the story of the actor I want to be booked as today and in the future? As Marianne Williamson says, we are powerful beyond measure when we act with intention. And here's a PPR quote for you: Your tools are not decoration. They are direction. Audit Your Materials Without Drama This can be challenging, so I'm just going to warn you ahead of time. Most actors avoid looking at their tools because they attach their entire self-worth to a headshot or a clip. But you cannot update what you refuse to see. Do a calm, natural review: What's working here? What feels outdated? What is missing? Look at your materials like a business owner, not a wounded teenager. Jen Sincero, author of the Badass books, says: What you choose to focus on expands. So I don't want you focusing on that wounded teenager or that wounded child. I want you to be focusing on who you are today and who you want to become—the actor you are today and the actor you want to become. Update Your Target Lists with Precision We talk about this in the weekly accountability and time management class all the time, so listen up. Your career is not the industry as a whole. Your career is a specific group of casting directors, agents, managers, and creatives who are a fit for you. Just for you. Once a month, I want you to be cleaning up your list. Remove people who no longer make sense to you anymore. Add the new shows, offices, and companies that are a match of where you want to be heading. Precision makes your outreach more effective and less emotional. Again, Jen Sincero: You're going to have to push past your comfort zone if you want to change. You can't have the career you want being the person that you are. You need to change. A vague career plan creates vague results. We don't want to be vague. Simplify Your Marketing So You Can Actually Do It Hello? If you can't actually do it, it's not good time management. An overcomplicated system will die by February. Your marketing needs to be simple enough that you can maintain it on a busy week. A basic outreach schedule. A template email. A simple tracking sheet or a simple tracking system. These things are enough. The question is not how fancy is my system and how impressive is it. The question is: Will I be able to use this when I'm tired? Gabrielle Bernstein says: When you relax, you receive. And my quote is: If your system is exhausting, it's not a system, it's a stall tactic. Ooh, ouch. Did you just go, oof? Did you just go, oh, PPR, how could you? Yeah, that's a bit of a stab in the gut. And here's a bonus: Perfectionism leads to procrastination, leads to paralysis. Commit to One Improvement Each Month Instead of trying to overhaul everything all at once, pick one upgrade per month. Maybe in one month you update headshots and you choose the best ones. Or in February or March or April or May you clean up your reel. Or in another month you're refining your resume or a website. This is one of the things I talked about in my class—putting your business on a schedule for 2026. So important to do that. So important to do that. These focused upgrades in a year will move you much further than one frantic burst that burns you out. Remember that your career is built in layers. Join the Weekly Accountability & Time Management Class If you want help with any of this, I'd love to see you in the weekly accountability and time management class. It's super affordable. It's super fun. And guess what? You get a class for free.