We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Peshek recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

I am in a unique situation where I get to work full time for a large company in their HR department, while fulfilling my performing passion on the side. If it’s any lesson I have learned about working professionally in both corporate America and having worked professionally in the performing arts, it’s that both of these professions (whether a “passion” or not) can become draining. And that’s okay. It does not mean it does not fulfill your soul anymore, or that you don’t enjoy your passion anymore…but hard work is hard work – whether that’s sitting at a desk or dancing on a stage. Try to savor each performance and treat it as if it’s the first one you’ve done.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My whole life I have been a performer. That’s why it was such a hard decision for me to choose to major in Hospitality Management and minor in Theater when I attended the University of Central Florida. I was fearful that the performance opportunities would not come as easily if I was not fully engrained in the performing arts world. Lo and behold, I quickly learned that it is possible to follow a career path in hospitality (which I very much enjoyed) while making time to fill my performance cup on the side. Right after graduating UCF I was offered a management job at Universal Orlando in the front of house operations department. I really enjoyed my job and I was especially open with my managers at the time that I was involved in theater and the performing arts and they were very supportive. I would go to work during the day and if I was in a show, I would leave work and head right to rehearsal. It would be a long day, but it would be worth it because I was working a job that I loved while also fulfilling my performance passion. I think one of the things that I’m most proud of is being able to balance the two. I got creative with the shows that I auditioned for to make sure that they coincided nicely with my work schedules. For example, I was offered a contract at Disney during their holiday season, which was a dream come true for me. I was able to balance that performer contract as well as my day job at Universal because the performances at Disney were at night. I left Universal after about eight years and joined another large tech company and decided to further my education by getting both the masters and hospitality management as well as an MBA, all while continuing to pursue my passion for performing on the side. A lot of of the performance opportunities that I come by, are solely based on research, asking for opportunities and looking for creative ways to incorporate performing into my everyday life. One very unique and special opportunity that I came across was with Studio K on International Drive in Orlando. If you had told me when I was a teenager that I would be a grown adult and still have an outlet for something a specific is tap dancing, I would not have believed you. I started attending Studio K as a student because I missed (tap) dancing so much and wanted to find an outlet to have it in my life again. An opportunity presented itself to me when I realized that Studio K was seeking a new (tap) instructor and I was so excited to pounce on the chance. It has been almost 3 years that I have been a (tap) instructor at Studio K and I can easily say that Wednesday nights (when my (tap) classes are scheduled) have become one of the best days of the week for me. One of the things I love the most about Studio K is that not only do you have students in the room who are full-time performers, but there’s a lot of other students who followed a similar path as me– corporate America professional professionals, looking to fill a performance cup by taking a dance class or two on the side. Aside from Studio K, another way that I am able to fulfill my love for performing is by playing live music with my husband, Steve. We appear at community events as “Amanda and Steve Music.” This side project is the closest I’ve gotten to “running a business.” While it is small, it is definitely a lot of work advocating for yourself as a performer trying to find gigs, updating your website and generally just seeking out opportunities. We have had so much fun playing at wedding ceremonies, cocktail hours, events in Winter Garden and even donating our time at assisted-living facilities to provide music to the residence who live there. Between local performances at community theaters, working as a tap instructor at studio K, playing live music gigs with my husband, I will also occasionally make appearances singing the Canadian National Anthem for the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team. I mention all of this because back when I was applying for colleges, I was fearful that choosing to not major in my passion, in musical theater, would mean that I would have to give up on my dreams entirely. I have so much respect for the friends that I have who have jumped head first into the world of performing arts, moved to New York, and are hustling for each and every opportunity to perform. While there is a part of me that thinks in a different life that could’ve been me, I am proud of the balance that I have found within my life. It is possible to fulfill a passion in two different ways; working at a job in corporate America that you really enjoy, and working towards a passion that fills your cup.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is being able to share it not only with the audience that I’m performing for, but being able to share it with friends I make along the way, and also having a family that is so actively involved in the performing arts. Of course, it is so rewarding at the end of a show to take a bow and hear the applause from the audience, but there’s something really special about being able to take that bow with fellow cast members, knowing how hard all of you have worked together. It’s a similar fulfillment performing with my husband, knowing how hard the two of us have worked to put on a good performance and feel as though the audience we’ve performed for really enjoyed our music.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There was a time in my professional career when I realized that working in front of house operations at Universal was no longer for me. I realized that I really enjoyed working in the HR and training department. Unfortunately, having spent so much time in the front of house operation, I knew that in order to make a pivot into that department, I may have to take a step back both in my career from a financial aspect And from a hierarchical aspect. I went from being a salary, assistant manager in front of house role to an hourly coordinator in the human resources department. It was a scary jump to make, but I was confident in my plan and knew that even though I may have been taking a step back backwards, the intention was to take 10 step forwards after that. It sounds really cliché, but it’s often said that professional careers are less of a ladder and more like a jungle gym. This is exactly what I experienced, and I am so happy that I took the lead that I did. The story can be applicable, not just to those who were working in business, but also to those who are pursuing a career and performing arts. You may be used to one type of role, whether that’s a starring role or even just a role that you’re more used to playing. But be sure to analyze every opportunity that is handed to you. It’s possible that even though and then it’d be something you were fully comfortable with, The output of that opportunity may launch you into something even more amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AmandaAndSteveMusic.com
• Instagram: @amandaandstevemusic
• Youtube: @AmandaBeez

Image Credits

Emma Anne Photo
Amanda Brooke Creative
Wings of Glory