Get Messy with Maddie

It’s always so refreshing to talk about the voice-over world with my peers, and I get to do just that with the lovely Olivia Sarafina Washington, who I am so excited to welcome back to Get Messy! We cover some frequently asked questions, including: red and green flags with reps, and how to get them, the true value in casting director workshops, and some tricks and tips on how we show up to our voi...

I need you to stay with me for a second — because I'm about to tell you that a business book accidentally explained why therapy works. A dear friend gifted me Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller, and as I started doing the assignments, something clicked. Here's the core idea: we all want to be the hero of our own story. And therapy? Therapy is one of the only spaces in your life that is...

This one felt like catching up with a best friend who also happens to have the most fascinating brain you've ever encountered. Nathalie Holmes is a creative-turned-mental-health-professional — actress, comedian, writer, former magician's assistant — who pivoted into crisis work during the pandemic after realizing her own experiences had given her something rare: the tools to hold space for...

I need you to trust me for about 30 seconds — because I'm about to talk about golf. I know, I know. Stay with me. In this episode, I'm breaking down seven of the most powerful mindset lessons I pulled from the latest season of Netflix's Full Swing — and I promise, they have absolutely nothing to do with golf and everything to do with you, your creative career, and what might actually be keeping yo...

This one is for every actor who's ever walked out of a class feeling smaller than when they walked in — and for anyone who's ever wondered if there's a better way. Tamra Meskimen is an actress, teacher, and co-founder of The Acting Center in Los Angeles. She's worked across New York and LA on everything from American Crime Story: Impeachment and Physical to Bel-Air , 9-1-1 , and General Hospital —...

There's a version of yourself that keeps showing up — even when everything feels broken. This episode is about her. In 2022, I almost quit my creative career. Not in a dramatic, "I'm out" kind of way — more like a slow, disorienting fog where nothing felt aligned, my voice felt restricted, my compass felt completely off, and I didn't trust a single thought I had. I was in the messiest of middles,...

This one hit me differently — because I got to witness so much of what Amy talks about in real time. Amy Austin (formerly Amy McNabb) is a voice actor, singer, and the founder of Actors Encouraged — a coaching community dedicated to supporting ambitious actors in building their happiest, most sustainable careers. She is also my mindset coach, and I can genuinely say this conversation is everything...

Someone has been narrating your life — and there's a real chance it isn't you. In this episode, I'm sharing a conversation I had with a close friend that completely cracked me open. She's a painter trying to make the leap into paid creative work, and when a roadblock came up, what stopped her wasn't the obstacle itself — it was the story she'd built around it. A story that wasn't even hers. We get...

This one felt like a therapy session and a masterclass in joy — all in one conversation. I sat down with Stella Stephanopoulos , innovation consultant at Accenture, yoga instructor at Equinox, and the founder of Everyday Endorphins — a happiness podcast and wellness community she's been building since high school. Five-plus years, nearly 180 episodes, and a perspective on happiness that genuinely...

There's a quote that hit me like a ton of bricks — and it might do the same to you: "What you're not changing, you're choosing." In this episode, I get radically honest about the four areas of my own life where I'd been talking about change, researching change, making Pinterest boards about change — and still choosing to stay exactly where I was. We go deep on what analysis paralysis is actually c...

Today's guest is someone I actually worked with early in both of our careers, which makes this conversation extra special. Taylor Misiak is known for FX's Dave and is currently starring on Fox's Going Dutch (plus filming Tires Season 3 and more). By every measure, she's someone who has "made it" — and she's here to tell you exactly why that phrase is a myth. In this episode, we get into the real m...

You've been told the market is too saturated. You've told yourself you should have started sooner. And somewhere in the back of your mind, that thing you want to build is still quietly begging for your attention. In this episode, I'm calling out the excuses keeping you on the sidelines -the saturated market myth, the "I should have started earlier" spiral, and the waiting-for-permission trap that...

Okay, this one is extra special to me — because I've known today's guest since we were five years old. Nicole Chino is a NICU nurse of 10+ years, a mom, a wife, and the founder of Nicole Chino Photography — a booming newborn, maternity, and family photography business she built from scratch while balancing 12-hour hospital shifts and raising her babies. In just the last year, she went from 500 to...

The people in your life are either building you up or breaking you down - and some of them are doing both. In this episode, I'm going deep on the friendships that fuel a creative career and the ones quietly costing you your energy, your confidence, and your forward momentum. We cover the Friendship Shelf Theory, the must-have friend archetypes for creatives, and the draining ones you might be hold...

If you've ever started a new habit with the best intentions — only to watch it fall apart two weeks later — this episode is going to hit different. I sat down with Ana Cordera, the NYC-based creator and speaker behind Ana Builds Habits , and honestly? I felt like I was getting free therapy the entire time. Ana breaks down why most habits don't stick (spoiler: it has nothing to do with discipline o...

That little voice in your head telling you you're not smart enough, interesting enough, or capable enough of building the life you want? There's a name for it - and it's been running your life longer than you know. In this episode, I dive into the psychology of core beliefs : deeply ingrained, usually subconscious convictions we hold about ourselves that quietly shape every decision we make. I get...

Have you taken the Enneagram test, had your entire personality confirmed in three paragraphs, and then... kept scrolling? Same. But according to my guest this week, that's exactly where most people go wrong. I'm sitting down with Ashton (aka Enneagram Ashton) — public speaker, author, and Enneagram coach who built a thriving business helping people go from "cool, I'm a 4" to actually using that in...

Are you holding back in your career, your creative work, or your relationships — not because you don't want to win, but because you're secretly terrified of losing? Yeah. Same. In this quick but mighty mindset episode, I'm breaking down one of the most powerful moments from Andre Agassi's memoir Open — and how a single question he asked himself mid-match completely changed how I approach my voiceo...

Emma Palmer is a lot of things — actor, producer, sustainable fashion co-founder, podcast host, mom — and she's living proof that there is no single right way to build a creative life. In this episode, we get real about the messy, nonlinear path of being a multi-hyphenate creative. From founding Lady Farmer (a sustainable lifestyle brand) with her mom, to stumbling into Bright Holler Productions a...

Okay, real talk — have you ever gotten SO obsessed with an idea that you've basically already accepted your Grammy/Oscar/Olympic gold medal in your head... before you've done a single thing to actually make it happen? Yeah. Same. In this solo episode, I'm taking you back to a crystal-clear memory from the 2006 Winter Olympics and a lesson my mom dropped on me at 12 years old that still hits just a...

What happens when everything falls apart and you finally commit to the thing you've been running from? In this episode, I sit down with David Millstone—actor, producer, and co-host of the Every Day Courage podcast—to talk about coming to acting at 42 after major life shifts, building a career on your own terms, and why the creative journey is never, ever done. If you've ever felt like you started...

What happens when you stop waiting for validation and start creating your own opportunities? In this episode, I sit down with my friend Taylor Meskimen—actress, audiobook narrator, musician, and all-around creative powerhouse—to talk about the messy, beautiful reality of being a multi-hyphenate artist. Taylor opens up about finally booking her first major TV role on 9-1-1 (after YEARS of auditioni...

Hey there! Welcome back to Get Messy - This episode is a heart-to-heart with my best friend Flannery, a Hollywood writer and creative producer who's learned that the path to success doesn't look anything like what we were told. We're getting vulnerable about our early years in LA—when we were told to sacrifice everything or leave, to show up perfect, to never have a plan B. Spoiler alert: that adv...

I recently did this gratitude practice that had me talking to my 22-year-old self—the girl in the thrift store crop top heading to auditions with way too much eyeliner and so much hope. And when I looked at everything I've accomplished since then, I realized something powerful: I'm still in the game. I'm still choosing myself every single day. In this episode, I'm getting vulnerable about what it...

Welcome back to Get Messy! I got to sit down with the amazing Kim Kressal—she’s a writer, director, teacher and all-around creative powerhouse. We get real about what it’s actually like to chase your artistic dreams (spoiler: it’s messy, but so worth it). Kim opens up about the ups and downs, the rejections, and how she’s learned to find her own voice and build a community that lifts her up. If yo...