Crealanta Magazine

10 ways to get your act together Jo Kelly Coaches People To become great actors--online

May 4, 2024

Jo Kelly isn't your average acting instructor.

Actually she does not use the phrase "teacher" at all "I am not teaching people how to act" she says. "I assist people in not acting."

Through exercises that simulate the real world, Jo coaches mainly actors as well as artists of all sorts in addition to non artist "seekers" about how they can achieve inner freedom and to become their authentic self. In this way, actors are able to stop performing and begin becoming. "I would like to be a midwife more than a coach, because I help people come back to their truth and get reborn," she explains.

She believes that the success of an actor lies in their ability and satisfaction to dedicate themselves completely to their character. "When the character is defended completely, the story is told and the audience are impacted" she says.

With her distinctive style of teaching performers she assists them to tap in to their childhood imagination, fascination and fun. And the result? They deliver authentic, live and authentic shows.

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

Here's how she built an online enterprise in the field she's passionate about:

Skip ahead:

She conducted her own research

Jo was a unique route to becoming an actor.

Born in Belgium, she got her MBA after which she specialized on human resources management and the psychology of systems. In the following years, she was involved in corporate coaching. "The workplace never seemed like my cup of tea," she shares. "I chose to quit everything, relocate to Paris, and start over ."

One of the reasons she decided to start over was to try her hand at acting, something she was in the love of. She was dedicated, diligent, and put all of her energy and resources in acquiring the skills to be the very best actress she could be.

Despite her dedication to the craft She says that she was a decent actor but not a top actor. Like the majority of actors, she suffered from stage fear. "Most of my actors were suffering from the same thing," she says. "We had all been extremely passionate about acting, however when it was our turn to play, we were afraid ."

The actress was curious to know what was blocking her, and other actors from becoming the best actors. "My curiosity became an obsession" She says. "I wanted to know the reason actors who are committed and devoted reduce their perform. ."

In the following years, she researched the reasons why actors feel blocked. Her study led to the conclusion that when kids play, they're at liberty. While when adults are playing the same way, they've been deprived of their independence because of societal pressures. "When I discovered that I took the remainder of my days helping actors overcome their stereotypes in order to let them perform and show their true selves with that childlike energy that they once had," explains Jo.

She began coaching

Jo's experience-based research prompted her to study various somatic techniques and methods that she later tried with other clients via group and private coaching in the early 2000s. After a few years, she named her business to Be Or Not To Act.

She soon realized those she coached were lacking responsibility. "No no matter how dedicated the people I worked with were, they couldn't be expected to show up everyday. Even though we had meetings three times a week, the accountability wasn't there during breaks. People would drop the ball quickly if they weren't around me," explains Jo.

She decided that online courses could help individuals remain consistent in their routine. She describes her online courses as "journeys," and the first journey she takes people through will be The Reset: From Resistance to Freedom, which she created in the year 2014. "I started designing The Reset so that I could be able to hold hands of people during the 33 days of The Reset," she explains.
 "Since the site is online, users are able to do this in their own way and create their own schedules."

Jo believes that we were born with an authentic nature, but societal conditioning asks us to behave in a certain way, to think and behave a certain way. According to her, the goal the purpose of The Reset is for people to move through daily somatic exercises to help them get rid of the conditioned and return to their natural instincts. Each day in The Reset, Jo offers recorded exercises. Additionally, she offers two Q&A sessions and two group work via pods, as well as a semi-Q&A session where she responds to questions that are frequently asked in a private Facebook group.

Being able to adjust the timing of an online journey lets Jo's participants take the sessions at any point in time; when they wake up, before they fall asleep, or whenever they have spare time throughout the day. "The best part is the fact that you can tailor the sessions fit in with their daily routines," she explains.

She created an online company which allowed her to live a more flexible living

When Jo first began her online Reset adventure, she was running every day a session available posted on her website. A couple of years later she changed to Reset after being encouraged to join the platform by her coach. "You people know what you're doing, and I'm not," she says with a smile.

In the last few years, since she entered the coaching online space, Jo's life has changed. At the time of her interview with us, she was calling from the hospital in which she was accompanied by her daughter. "Eight years ago my daughter was born with a genetic condition and needs hospital care every month" she says.

" allows me to be a mother and manage the rest of my family while also keeping an online business operating, even while in hospital, while my daughter gets her monthly transfusions" she adds. "Working online lets me take care for my child in the way that I want to, and also be at home at all times to her. I can travel for hospital needs, while still being able to have a career I'm passionate about without it being stressful ."

Her subsequent travels were her own creations.

After people have completed The Reset, they have the option of entering the three-month course called The Aimful Actor. The program offers a daily three-hour session for 12 weeks. "The students in this class have a bit more independent when it comes to responsibility and showing up for themselves. There are still some things that they must follow daily, but they can't rely on me to accomplish it; they have to come up with their own goals, and that is why they are here." Jo shares.

Jo will also be hosting Q&A sessions during the Purposeful Actor Journey, which happen every 3 weeks. Once people have completed that Purpose journey and are ready, they can opt to join a yearly membership called BAMF Actors In Action, which is a reference to Bad-Ass Mom F***ing Actors In Action. "I created this membership because individuals who completed both of the journeys would like to keep working on the pathway," she says.

The membership program has been operating for four years, and the membership includes a one-hour content monthly session, group work via weekly pods, a every month Q&A sessions with Jo the host, as well as a 6 hour summit every three months. "The membership lets people decide the best way to get out into the world, accomplish what they're supposed to be doing, connect to the world of work, develop their own content and elevate the standard of their craft," she explains.

She worked with musicians of all sorts

According to Jo, most of her clients during her sessions include actors. However, there are also different kinds of artists including dancers, writers storytelling artists, and musicians, as well regular people who "want to improve their physical limitations," such as mothers as well as professionals such as pro athletes, TV hosts, and therapy professionals. "Freedom is a concern to anyone who wants to be fully expressed," she says.

Since the journeys are offered in English and in English, they draw people from around the world. "We have people from all continents, but the majority of people are from America, Europe, and Australia," she shares.

A majority of her clients are in the 20-50 age bracket. There are also people in their third stage of life, as well as it's not unusual for her to invite those who are in their 70s or 80s into her journeys.

She let her clients do all the talking

In terms of marketing her adventures, Jo says the word is spread through words of word of.

On the homepage of her website, she's added an online testimonial reel. This adds social proof and increases the credibility of her efforts. Plus, website visitors can subscribe to her newsletter via her website. To collect emails, she gives two workshops for free as lead magnets: Stop Trying To Be A Great Actor So You Have the Chance of Being Excellent and The Instinctive Actor. Not only do these trainings help her capture her audience's details, they also offer people a taste of coaching style.

She also posts on her Instagram page, which has more than 10,500 followers. She also gets press from external sources by interviewing people on blogs, podcasts, and magazines.

She opted for a price that is affordable.

Jo is determined to make her journeys accessible to everyone, particularly because actors earn a fluctuating salary. "If you went to an acting class once per week, you'd be paying between $300 to $400. Most of the time, you just sit there watching other actors perform scene and occasionally you're given an opportunity to take a turn" she adds.

"These online journeys are much less expensive," continues Jo. "The worth of our trips are 10 times more than what we sell to customers. ."

The Reset is priced under $1,000 USD, The Purposeful Actor costs $1,250 USD and membership costs $270 USD per month.

She was in the zone of the greatest genius

Although she's the chief at To Be Or Not To Act, Jo is firm in her determination to focus all the time she needs in her area of excellence, which is coaching and making the content. Jo doesn't think she's tech-savvy and would much rather stay "in in the flow" doing her best work. "The rest of the tasks of running a business I'm not interested in because this isn't my field of expertise" she says.

Jo says her success is due by hiring a coach from early on. In the end, when it came time to develop evergreen experiences and she decided to take a chance and bought a $20K course in order to master the art of doing so. "It was an enormous amount of money, and I had take out a loan for half the amount. It was a good thing I was able to do it," she shares.

She believes that it's possible that anybody can build a successful online course business. However, she warns people that this isn't an easy task.

"It requires dedication and perseverance You must be really passionate about what you do. It's what I've ever done since changing jobs in my 20s, and it's what I'll always undertake. This passion makes it so that even when things get tough and I'm not going to give up. ."

She was inspired by her heart to create.

The author advises creators of online businesses to remain realistic about the hard work that they'll need to invest in building a successful online enterprise. She suggests that they only do it if the topic they're teaching is a subject that's near to their heart.

"The danger now is that the moment you join social media, everybody is an expert and everybody is selling you how possible it is to make millions in a matter of seconds, which isn't the truth," says Jo. "It is true that if something is that is dear to you it is possible to reach people who are bigger than that of your neighbors. However, it requires effort as well as falling, and then getting up. It takes getting coached and working hard and money until your structure is constructed. ."

Like Jo If you start a business from your heart It will give you the determination to stick with it--even through difficult times.

"An online business doesn't simply provide a job opportunity to make money. It must be constructed out of your soul, from the work you're supposed to be doing. In the event that you do not, you'll fall off the ball since it'll feel too hard." She explains.

"If you're really serious then you'll be able to face the obstacles. If you're in the market for a quick money grab it won't be possible to handle them. My advice is to apply what is very dear to you. You must be the best at the job you're doing because of such a huge amount of rivalry. You have to trust what you do ."

She remained in integrity with her craft

In response to questions about trending in online courses that we could observe in 2024, Jo believes there will be to be an excess of online programs. She believes that the major difference between "McDonald's" courses as well as the "gourmet" classes will be courses that are designed by a professional with integrity.

"When you have an overabundance of something, there'll be two types of work online. There will be McDonald's style courses and then there'll be reliable, gourmet courses. Everybody will have plans to achieve this or that with your life, but it won't be out of a genuine source And then there will be people who've been doing it for quite a while," she says.

To create the perfect gourmet experience, her recommendation is to come back to the heart.

"There is a huge potential for those who are grounded by their hearts and desires to help others," she continues. "The those who require the services you can provide will find them. ."

"I'm thankful for this, which allows us to be human for what matters to us. It's incredible."