We recently connected with Monica Gross and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve taken is trying stand-up comedy. I had no idea where to start – I just googled ‘open mics near me’ and started going by myself and performing.This entire journey has been a risk because stand-up comedy is something I feel so passionately about but it is also so uncertain and ambiguous. There’s no set career path, you can never know if your performance is going to go well, you never know what gigs are going to come your way. Going from something as stable and safe as accounting to stand-up comedy is a risk but I know I’m on the right path, because when I found stand-up comedy, it felt as though a part of me that was always missing was finally found.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a part time accountant and stand-up comedian. I used to work full time at an accounting firm and started doing stand-up comedy as a hobby. Comedy has slowly become a bigger part of my life and I now do shows multiple times a week. I’ve toured across Canada and will be doing my first CBC radio taping later this month. I’ve also performed across New York City, and have been featured in the Washington Post for viral social media sketches I’ve created. I also co-host a podcast with my best friend and fellow comedian Hannah Veldhoen called Menty Breaky.
I’m most proud of my ability to connect with people through comedy. I started stand-up because I felt very alone, and I’ve always used comedy and humour as a coping mechanism and way to heal. I’ve also found that creating my podcast and social media presence has allowed me to connect with even more people through different channels. People who come to comedy shows can then further connect with my social media and podcast, and it leads to a really nice community that I’m very proud of.
You can follow me on TikTok and Instagram at @monicagross_ and @mentybreaky and stream Menty Breaky wherever you listen to podcasts!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was what I believed my life should look like. I did all of the things that I ‘should have’ based on society’s standards in my 20s – get a stable job, date a lot to try and find a husband, etc. I finally became so unhappy chasing things I was told to chase that I really had to reevaluate what I wanted my life to be instead of what I’ve learned my life should look like. We learn this from such a young age and I think a lot of it comes from a good place. The people who love us want us to be happy and think they know what is needed to get there, but I’ve learned it’s really up to me to figure out what I want and to live my life on my terms.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As my comedy career became a larger part of my life, I really had to decide if this was going to be a career or just a hobby because it started interfering with my accounting job. When I had to decide whether I was going to risk my accounting job or risk comedy, I knew in that moment I would do whatever it took to pursue comedy, even if that meant losing my accounting job. This decision felt liberating – it was kind of like finally letting go of society’s expectations of me and even some of the expectations I put on myself and just knowing that no matter what, I would follow my dreams and live the life I want. Thankfully I was able to make it work with my accounting job, but it solidified my position as seeing comedy as a career. It also made me realize I’m in full control of my life. If stand-up is something I want to pursue, I can, regardless of anyone else’s expectations of how my life should look.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: monicagross_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monica.gross2
• Youtube: monicagrosscomedy
• Other: @mentybreaky on Instagram and Tiktok and wherever you stream podcasts!

Image Credits

@ramyaridaphoto
@megan_aj_vincent