We were lucky to catch up with Kenneth Nance Jr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kenneth, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I think the best and most important lesson that I learned at a job was when I was a Correctional Officer.

It wasn’t a job that I particularly enjoyed, but I didn’t know what I was really doing with my life after I graduated, and I needed to bring some money in. That job paid pretty poorly, and I’d be working 12-16 hour days sometimes 3 or 4 days a week. I didn’t have a whole bunch of time to spend with my loved ones, nurture my friendships and relationships, or ya know…enjoy life.

I’d DREAD going into work every day, and the whole time while I was there I’d sit and think about what I could be doing with the time that I was spending while there. How I was spending most of my days in a place I wasn’t happy at. That’s where I learned one of the most important lesson in my life:

Life is limited, and on this Earth you only get one go at it. Why waste all of the hours in the day that you’re blessed with doing something you hate? Why not just go for it?

Kenneth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kenneth and I’m an actor/director/audition coach. I’ve always had this burning desire to act from the very first chance I got an opportunity to do it.

The thing that I’m most proud of is my tenacity. (Most people call it stubbornness but I say tenacious). I love the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I started, and through a series of happy accidents, I’ve managed to learn quite a bit. But I never would’ve been able to learn anything if I stayed afraid of making the first steps.

The main thing that I want people I work with to know is that a lot of the things that hold us back have relatively simple answers. We complicate things by using excuses and reasons that in reality are all simply fear, doubt, and anxiety. I want people I work with to know that half of the time I’m terrified too, but if I can’t get over the fear, then most of the time I’ll just do it while scared. That mentality has helped me a LOT so far.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’m constantly reading something or another, but some books that really helped me tremendously are first and foremost The Bible.

Then there’s ‘The Mindful Athlete’, ’48 Laws of Power’, ‘Will’, ‘Feeding the Soul’, ‘You Are A Badass’, and ‘The Power of Now’.

As far as videos, I’m constantly listening to motivational messages on YouTube from TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, Steve Harvey, Les Brown, Will Smith, and SOOOO many others. I really recommend listening to messages like this to help strengthen your spirit when times get truly tough.

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

I think when the Pandemic hit, EVERYONE had to pivot. I know a lot of people who didn’t do much during the times when we were shut down, (which is PERFECTLY ok because we ALL needed time to deal with what was going on) but I used that downtime to change my approach to my career. I took steps that I was afraid to take and made moves that I was reluctant to make. Making that change helped make some great things possible for me!

Contact Info:

• Website: kennethnancejr.com
• Instagram: Ken.thee.actor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD66sZt5JJRAimOh-NqdRgg

Image Credits
Ray Bengston at Eyekool Photography