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10 Ways Jo Kelly Coaches People To become great actors--online

May 4, 2024

Jo Kelly isn't your average acting teacher.

Actually, she doesn't use the term "teacher" in any way "I do the opposite of giving people instructions on how to behave" she says. "I assist people in not acting."

Through exercises that simulate the real world, Jo coaches mainly actors and artists of all kinds and non artist "seekers" about how they can find inner freedom and become their authentic self. This way, actors can stop acting and start acting and becoming. "I would like to be an midwife rather than a coach, because I aid people to return to their true self and be renewed," she explains.

She believes that the success of an actor lies in their ability and satisfaction to devote themselves to their role. "When your character is protected fully, the story and the public is affected," she explains.

Her unique way of coaching performers, she assists them to tap to their inner child's imagination, fascination and fun. What does this mean? They give truthful, alive and authentic performances.

In 2016, Jo transitioned from in-person coaching and started an online-based business through . Since then, she's led three consecutive educational journeys, and she's served over 8,000 people. Their students have experienced incredible success since working with Jo, and have landed positions at some of the largest studios like Netflix, HBO, Disney, Showtime, ABC Studios and many others.

Here's how she built an online enterprise that she's passionate about:

Skip ahead:

She conducted her own research

Jo was a unique path into acting.

Born in Belgium Her birthplace was in Belgium. She completed her MBA and then specialized in human resource management and the psychology of systems. Afterwards, she did corporate coaching. "The corporate world never felt like my cup of tea," she shares. "I chose to quit everything, relocate to Paris to start afresh. ."

A big part of her new beginnings was to try her hand at acting, something she was in over. She was a hard-working, passionate person, and put all of her time and money in learning to become the most effective actor she could possibly be.

Despite her devotion to her profession, she says she was a decent actor but not a top actress. As with many actors, she had stage fear. "Most of my acting colleagues suffered from the same issue," she says. "We were extremely passionate about acting, however when it was time to act, we were afraid ."

She was interested in the obstacles that were preventing her and others from becoming the best actors. "My interest turned into an obsession" She says. "I would like to understand the reason actors who are dedicated and intense decrease when the time comes to play ."

In the following years, she researched why so many actors felt restricted. Her research led to an understanding that when children play, they're at liberty. While when adults are playing it's like they're losing their freedom because of societal pressures. "When I discovered that I took the remainder of my life helping actors overcome their stereotypes in order to let them perform and show their true selves in the same way that they had previously," explains Jo.

She started coaching

Jo's experience-based research prompted her to study various techniques for somatic healing and then tested them on others 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 the people she worked with were not able to demonstrate commitment. "No no matter how dedicated the people I worked with were, they didn't have the capacity to be consistent in their attendance every day. Even though we had meetings three times a week, the accountability wasn't there in-between sessions. The ball would be dropped quickly if they weren't around me," explains Jo.

It was her idea that online courses can help students be more consistent with their routine. She refers to her online classes in the form of "journeys," and the first journey she takes people through is The Reset: From Resistance to Freedom--which she developed in the year 2014. "I began to design The Reset so that I could help people through an entire 33 days," she explains.
 "Since the site is online, users can access it on their own time and manage their own schedule."

Jo believes that we have a natural nature, but societal conditioning asks us to act as we think, feel, and act a certain way. According to her, the purpose 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 instinctual nature. Every day, in The Reset, Jo offers recordings of exercises. Additionally, she offers two Q&As, two sessions of group work using pods and a second semi-Q&A in which she answers recurring questions in an exclusive 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, or whenever they have free time during the day. "The greatest thing is that they can make these sessions work into their lives," she explains.

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

When Jo first started her own online Reset journey, she was able to log every day a session available posted on her website. After a few years she changed to Reset after being encouraged to join Reset from her mentor. "You are aware of the way to go, but I don't" she says with a smile.

Since moving into the coaching online space, Jo's life has changed. In the moment of her interview with us, she called from the hospital where she was spending time with her daughter. "Eight years ago my child was born to a genetic condition this means she is in need of hospital visits each month," she explains.

" It allows me to become a mother and manage the rest of my own life, while maintaining an online business operating, even while in the hospital as my daughter gets her monthly transfusions," she says. "Working online lets me care for my daughter in the way I'd like to and be in her home all the time to her. It allows me to go to hospital for medical needs and yet pursue a job I am passionate about without it being stressful ."

She created subsequent journeys

Once people complete The Reset, they have the choice of joining A three-month program known as The Purposeful Actor. The Purposeful Actor journey is a three-hour session for 12 weeks. "The students in this class are a little more autonomous with regards to accountability and proving themselves. There are still some things to follow every day, but they can't rely on me to accomplish it; they have to think of their own motivation, which is why they are here." Jo shares.

Jo will also be hosting Q&A sessions throughout The Purposeful Actor journey that occur each week for three weeks. Then, once people have finished the journey for their Purpose you can choose to join a yearly membership called BAMF Actors In Action, which is a reference to Bad-Ass Mom of F***king Actors In Action. "I created this membership because individuals who completed both of the journeys would like to keep working on the route," she says.

The membership has been running for four years and the membership includes a one-hour content program every month as well as group activities through weekly pods, weekly Q&A with Jo, and a six-hour summit each three months. "The membership helps people determine how they're going to go out into the world and accomplish what they're supposed to be doing, connect with industry professionals, write the content they want to create, and improve their craft," she explains.

She has coached artists of all kinds

According to Jo Jo, the vast majority of her clients on her work are actors. But there are different kinds of artists like writers, dancers, storytelling artists, and musicians, and even regular folks who "want to improve their physical limitations," such as mothers and professionals like pro athletes as well as TV hosts and therapists. "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 all over the globe. "We are a diverse group of people, from all continents, but mostly America, Europe, and Australia," she shares.

Most of her audience is 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 unusual for her to welcome those who are in their 70s or 80s to her adventures.

Her clients did the talking

With regards to advertising her travels, Jo says the word has spread mostly via word of mouth.

The homepage on her site, she's included the video reel of her testimonial. It provides social proof and gives credibility to the work she does. Plus, website visitors are able to sign-up for her newsletter via her website. To gather emails, she gives two workshops for free to attract leads to get people interested. A Great Actor So You Have A Chance At Being Great and The Instinctive Actor. These trainings not only aid in collecting her readers' information, but they also provide participants a glimpse of the her coaching style.

She also posts on her Instagram page--which has over 10,500 followers--and gets external press by being interviewed on people's podcasts, blogs and magazines.

She opted for a price that is affordable.

Jo tries to ensure that her travels are 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, you'd pay around $300-$400. Mostly, you sit and watch others perform the scenes, and at times it's a chance to take an opportunity to take a turn" she says.

"These online trips are much less expensive," continues Jo. "The benefits of our travels are 10 times more than what we sell them for ."

The Reset has a price less than $1,000 USD. The Purposeful Actor costs $1,250 USD and membership is $270 USD a month.

She stayed in her zone of brilliant

Even though she is the chief executive officer Of To Be Or Not To Act, Jo is firm in her desire to spend all of her the time she needs in her area of excellence, which is coaching and making content. Jo doesn't think she's tech-savvy preferring to stay "in in the flow" doing the things she excels at. "The rest of the tasks that run a business, aren't my forte because this isn't my field of genius," she says.

Jo says her success is due to hiring a coach at an early stage. As she was ready to design everlasting journeys Jo took the risk and enrolled in a class of $20k in order to master the art of doing it. "It was an enormous amount of money which meant I had to take on a loan of half the money. But I'm glad that I made it happen," she shares.

She believes that it's possible for anyone to create an online course that is successful. But, she advises that it's not easy.

"It is a commitment and determination You must have a passion for what you're doing. It's what I've ever done since changing professions in my early twenties and that's the only thing I'll accomplish. The passion for it is the reason that, when I'm faced with a challenge, I stick with it ."

She created from the heart

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

"The problem is now that the moment you join social media, everyone is an expert and everybody will tell you how easy you can make millions of dollars in just a couple of minutes which isn't the truth," says Jo. "It is true that if you hold something that is dear to you it is possible to reach the world's largest audience than the people in your local area. But it takes legwork, as well as falling, and then getting up. It takes getting coached and working hard and cash until the structure is built ."

Like Jo When you create your business with passion, it gives you the stamina to persevere through the hard times.

"An online business doesn't simply provide a job opportunity to make money. It should be developed by your heart, based on what you're meant for doing. Otherwise you will drop the ball as it'll feel too hard." she explains.

"If you're really serious and you're determined, you'll have the confidence to face the obstacles. If you're out there to make a quick buck and you're not able to handle them. My advice is to apply your passions to your heart. It is essential to excel at your job because you're facing an intense level of competitors. You must be able to trust the work you're doing. ."

She remained in integrity with her craft

When asked about online course trends we may be seeing in 2024 Jo believes there will be to be over-use of programs online. Jo says the primary differentiator between the "McDonald's" courses and the "gourmet" courses is courses that are designed in a way that is honest.

"When there's an excess of stuff, there'll be two kinds of work online. There'll be McDonald's style courses and then there'll be reliable and gourmet classes. Everyone is going to have a program to do something or the other with your life. It won't come from a place of integrity And then there will be people who have been going at this for years," she says.

In order to create the perfect gourmet experience the best way to do it is to return to your heart.

"There is incredible potential for anyone who is grounded in their heart wanting 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 connect as humans with what is important to us. It's incredible."