The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Combining a Love for Science and Comedy to Build a Career with Natalia Reagan

In this episode of the show we speak with anthropologist, writer, actress, and comedian Natalia Reagan. She talks to us about how she’s combined her love for science, comedy, and primates into a rather unusual career.

An early obsession with King Kong nightmares
Dealing with a tragic and life changing car accident
Natalia’s foray into the study of spider monkeys
The creation of “butt” week that led to viral success
Natalia’s ultimate goal of creating a science comedy show
How to look back at our childhood dreams
Learning to craft the stories of our lives
Natalia’s appearance on a popular TV show
Dealing with critics and naysayers and turning them into fans
Post traumatic stress versus post traumatic growth
Building a multi-hyphenated career
The myth of winning the internet lottery
The role of craft in the process of entertainment

Natalia Reagan is the creator of “Science! It’s Your Friend,” a tongue-in-cheek web series that seeks to answer science questions with comedy. She has appeared on various television and radio shows, such as the “TODAY Show,” “Fox Edge News,” and “Playboy Morning Radio.” Through the success of her passions, Natalia strives to illuminate others on means of living in harmony with nature.

Subscribe for ad-free interviews and bonus episodes https://plus.acast.com/s/the-unmistakable-creative-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Duration:: 1h 10m
Broadcast on:: 09 Jun 2014
Audio Format:: other

As you probably noticed this month, we're bringing you our "Life of Purpose" series and revisiting some of our most transformative episodes, tune in to explore expert insights and practical strategies on help, performance, and community well-being, all aimed at helping you achieve personal and professional fulfillment. If you sign up for the newsletter, you'll not only get recaps of the key ideas in each interview, but at the end of the series, you'll receive our free "Life of Purpose" ebook. What you have to do is go to unmistakablecreative.com/lifepurpose, again, that's unmistakable I'm Srinney Rao, and this is the Unmistakable Creative Podcast, where I speak with creative entrepreneurs, artists, and other insanely interesting people to hear their stories, learn about their molding moments, tipping points, and spectacular takeoffs. Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. At Mint Mobile, we like to do the opposite of what Big Wireless does. They charge you a lot, we charge you a little. So naturally, when they announced they'd be raising their prices due to inflation, we decided to deflate our prices due to not hating you. That's right, we're cutting the price of Mint Unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month. And try at Mint Mobile.com/switch. $45 up from payment equivalent to $15 per month, new customers on first three month plan only, taxes and fees extra, speeds lower above 40 gigabytes of detail. Natalia, welcome to the Unmistakable Creative. Thanks so much for taking the time to join us. Thank you for having me. I'm really excited. Yeah, my pleasure. So I came across you by way of our mutual friend, Michael Rodrick, who also was a former guest here. And he described what you did, and I was like, okay, I'm not sure what she does, but that all sounds really fascinating. It's a strange combo of things. So tell us a bit about yourself, your background, your story, and how that has led you to doing the work that you're doing today. Well, currently I would describe myself as an anthropologist, comedian, primatologist, producer, writer, a lot of different, kind of a multi-hyphenate kind of personality. But basically I study spider monkeys, which falls into the anthropology, primatology world. And then I'm also, I've been an actor for 17, 18 years professionally and had a few minor successes. And I found that the biggest success so far has been combining my love of science and primates with my love of comedy and making videos that use comedy to explain scientific concepts. So and that's actually what my goal was as a child. And this all kind of started when I was a little girl, I used to have recurring King Kong nightmares. Starting at age two or three, I was really, really young. And I still get them, believe it or not, but it wasn't until I was about seven or eight that I learned a lucid dream. And I was able to shrink King Kong down to like the size of an orangutan. And I kind of battled that sort of fear of this giant, ominous primate and kind of fell in love with them. But as I was going along in school, I was doing really well in math and science and when I was younger, but then I got to high school and I just, my math and science skills were seriously lacking. And I just kind of hit that weird point where I just kind of gave up trying to be that math and science geek and I figured I excelled in theater, I'll just go that route. So I kind of switched gears and fell in love with performing and acting. And when I finally did go to college, I decided to be a theater major. But due to a series of events, I ended up dropping out of college my first year and going into the film industry because my father actually was in the film industry and my mother was a professor. This kind of two worlds that I was very familiar with, but I, at that time, I was gravitating more towards my father's world of filmmaking. And yeah, that's how I got wrapped up in the film industry and I really wanted to perform. But like many actors who are a little afraid of success, a little afraid of failure, I kind of just focused on doing production and kind of got lost in that world. And but it allowed me to go back to school because I worked in same hours during the weeks, you know, like 80 hour work weeks in production, but I was going to night classes and fell in love with anthropology after taking my first Anthro class and kind of continued on that route until I was about, I was 25, I actually was in a very serious accident I got hit by a truck. And the truck that hit me actually was my own. It's kind of a funny story. It was a freak accident. I rear-ended somebody on the freeway and they pulled over onto the shoulder and I pulled over behind them. This is Los Angeles, by the way, for those of us saying locally, we could, I'll say the 405-101 interchange and that'll mean something to you. And so when I pulled over, or they pulled over, I knew that this was the dumbest thing ever. Nobody should ever be on the shoulder of the freeway. I just saw a special the week prior where cop had gotten killed this way. So they got out of their car, I got out and I asked them, can we get off the freeway? Because the next exit was another entrance to another freeway, so I didn't want them to think I was running from them, but they didn't speak English. They were in town from Japan. So it was just, you know, everything was stacked against me at that point. So we were exchanging information and while we were doing not a woman came up on the shoulder and hit my truck going 70 miles per hour and my truck hit me and then I got pinned between my truck in that car and then thrown on the off ramp. So I had a significant amount of injuries and, you know, almost bought the farm. For all intents and purposes, I almost lost my leg. I had a huge crush injury to my lower right leg and all the ligaments and tendons connecting to my foot were severed and I broke my femur and punctured lungs, ruptured spleen, you know, major concussion, had some memory issues afterwards. But you know, it kind of was a huge, you know, it was a huge wake-up call for me. Some people, you know, go through their mid-life crisis, some people get hit by trucks. For me, it was getting hit by a truck that kind of woke me up and made me realize, you know, you're not living fully, you're not going after your dream, you're afraid of success. It's not even afraid of failure, it's afraid of success. And I kind of changed my route and I didn't have health insurance when this all happened. So I kind of had to work multiple jobs to get by. You know, I had a leg brace. I had, you know, a really bad limp for two years until I had a couple surgeries afterwards to fix my funky walk. You know, I had kind of, I remember at one point I had a cane, so I had my pimp walk. But it kind of got me, you know, was that kick in the keister that got me to go back to school for real and focus on anthropology. It got me at the same time also pursuing my acting career in a way that I'd never done before in a way that I just, I kind of was voracious and I wanted to succeed. And you know, after finishing up my undergrad, I actually during my undergraduate studies I fell in love with a subspecies of gorilla called Growers Gorillas. And they only live in Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also one of the most dangerous places on earth currently. And I really wanted so badly to work there and in 2008 I was possibly going to work there. But with this group that was creating these composting brickheads for basically creating an alternative fuel to charcoal because that's a huge problem is charcoal harvesting that's destroying the forest there. And that's specifically in the Varunga National Park area, which is more mountain gorilla territory. But I was hoping that if I got on the ground in DRC I could make my way to the Growers Gorillas. And unfortunately, because it got really bad there socio-politically, that got scratched. And so I, as luck would have it, my university, Cal State Northridge, acquired a wonderful primatologist by the name of Dr. Christina Campbell. And she works with spider monkeys. And I had no interest in working with New World Monkeys. And New World Monkeys are just anything that are in the neo-tropics, South America, Central America, and Southern Mexico. And I had no interest in spider monkeys at that point, but she had just been contacted by an organization in Panama that wanted to do a conservation project. And that for me, conservation was that, you know, the bell that dinged. And I was like, oh, okay, I can maybe switch species if it means helping to save the species. So I got tapped to basically be, I was a monkey counter. I, when I enrolled in grad school, I was originally going to be the one that was going to do the more ethno-primitological work where I worked with the people and I tried to encourage them to reforest. But the guy that was going to do the original census decided not to. So plans changed. And then I got thrown into the mix as the person that was literally going out into the forest and finding them because basically I was told that there were no monkeys out there. But the local population told me differently. And so my job was to go out there and find these spider monkeys. And that's what I did. I had a wonderful guide, a hierobatista, who is amazing, knows so much about the land, so much about, you know, the monkeys themselves and, you know, could be a botanist in his own right. I mean, he knows everything about everything. And when I got down, it was kind of funny. I thought my Spanish was amazing. I was wrong. So we had a lot of fun, the two of us, the first few weeks, trying to understand one another. And we would just, sometimes we'd get so frustrated, we'd just start yelling at each other. He'd yell at me in Spanish. I'd yell at him in English. And then we'd laugh. But of course now my Spanish is a heck of a lot better. But, you know, we actually, in fact, when we did our preliminary field work in Panama in January 2010, we couldn't find any spider monkeys. And so I was really nervous. I thought, "Jesus, I'm doomed. There's no way I'm going to find these guys." You know, my thesis is going to be, "Well, we tried." So when I went back in June, I remember when I, yeah, I went back in late May, we were able to find them. I think my first day out and I cried, you know, it was one of those, and we went super deep, super remote. In the future, the only way we got to that particular forest fragment was by horseback. And the guide, it's really funny because it's really rural Panama. And this one particular guide, his name is Archimedes. And the way you would find him is you would stand on a hill and you would yell his name. And if he emerged from his, he lived in kind of a, I mean, for all, it was like a very rudimentary home, kind of like a shack. And he would just emerge from it. And that's how you knew if you had him for the day. So, and that's how we got him that first day. And so, you know, he let us, he knew exactly where they were, took us right to him. And every time I went back to that particular fragment, I always found them. And it was the same actual group. It was a female with two infants, which I've seen grow up since then, which is really exciting for me. But that was my foray into fieldwork, you know, before that I just attended Primate Field School. So, I spent several months basically tracking and looking for these primates and then GPS in their locations. And we've, my data are all in maps. And we've used that data now to understand the forest connectivity, because the area that I work in is the most deforested area of all the Panamaites. It's a dry tropical forest. And most of the landowners there are cattle ranchers these days, and they cut down the forest in order for their cattle to graze. And unfortunately, that's ruining the environment for anything that lives in a tree, including spider monkeys. So, but the good news is a lot of times they don't cut down forests that are right on a stream or the river, because it allows for shade for their cattle to, you know, they can drink, they can stand in the shade. And it's also way too treacherous to cut down, because it's all in these incredibly steep hillsides, which are fun for us, the monkey trackers. Because I still have, my leg is my, you know, from the accident, I'm pretty much all put back together. You know, I can run, I can kickbox, I'm really, really active, I love to dance, but I do have a bad leg. So, I do fall very easily. So I call myself the Jack, the Jack Tripper of primatology, because I will fall uphill, I will fall downhill. Yeah, it's, it's kind of pathetic, but, you know, the spider monkeys, when I, when we did find them, actually, they, they are, thank goodness, they're not habituated, meaning they're completely afraid of humans and, and, and are aggressive in a way. Some have thrown tree branches at us, some have thrown fruit, I've gotten pelted in the fruit by, or pelted in the kidney by, by a group, you know, and they were throwing the Sabo fruit, which are these big fruit that they enjoy eating and apparently throwing. So you know, right now we're working to, you know, we want them to have some, some degree of fear of humans only because there has been documentation of, of spider monkeys being eaten in that region, not recently, but, you know, we don't know if people will maybe get a little creative and try to do that again. So, but yeah, that's kind of how I got into the spider monkey world and then I, I came back to the US, wrote up my thesis, learned how to, you know, convert all my data into these maps and, um, graduated and I started, but before I graduated from grad school, I, I wanted really badly to combine my two passions of, of, um, comedy and, and, and performing with science and I had been pitching TV shows for about six months at this point in the beginning of 2011 and a good friend of mine said, you know what, I, I enjoy you just talking about anthropology. Why don't you just shoot something? Why don't you just do it yourself? And, and sometimes it takes somebody telling you you can do it for you to do it. And so I went ahead and, um, I wrote a couple of videos, one of them is called The Story of Boobs, The Breast Tale Ever Told. And that led to, um, the Today Show, they actually founded, um, ironically enough, one of the producers, uh, Marianne Zellner, um, who I, I credit very much for, for giving me the confidence to keep going on. She, she, she Googled anthropologist and boobs and found, and found my video. And so, um, the Today Show was going to do a special on America's obsession with, uh, Tatas. And so she had me on talking about boobs with Ann Curry of all people. And, um, so it was a dream come true, but it was, you know, it was kind of a stunning moment of like, how the hell did we get here? You know, oh my gosh. And, um, so that happened and then a couple days later, Stephen Colbert made fun of us on the Colbert report about, um, I see NBC's doing a thing on boobs. What about butts? So I'm not one to miss a, uh, opportunity like that. So I filmed a rebuttal, um, calling, uh, calling Colbert out and saying, let's create butt leak. And, um, it kind of became a thing. And so I did a couple butt week videos, um, I got my grandpa, my dad, my brother to endorse butt week. I made butt week booty shorts. I took them to Burning Man because I go to Burning Man every year. And, um, you know, I kind of wanted to make a fun, um, movement, if you will, um, encouraging people to understand the, uh, evolution of the current human booty because not, uh, non-human primates don't have a, a keister like we do, um, to talk about, um, how to keep your booty safe by, you know, eating lots of fiber, uh, staving off any sort of colorectal cancers, encouraging people to get colonoscopies after they hit 50. Um, and then, uh, you know, just celebrating it, whether it's, you know, flat as a pancake or big as a shelf, you know, we gotta, we gotta respect the booty. So this is where my poor mother who is an academic kind of blushes because she's like, "Jesus, how did this happen?" Um, so I made butt week number two with liberty and just ask for all. And that was a thing for a while and I, I had a website and even had butt week mugs made up that say, uh, ask pocket lips now. I mean, it's, it's ridiculous. But again, I'm, I'm, I'm, my big goal is to use comedy, um, to educate. And if, if that, if comedy, if coming up with something so silly as butt week or the story of boobs gets people to really, uh, understand our, um, evolution and our morphology, uh, and appreciate it in a way that maybe they wouldn't, um, if they thought it was just there for shits and giggles, um, I, I think that's, uh, you know, it's a start. Uh, I, I always, I mean, my, my heroes are people like Mel Brooks who, you know, you satire to engage his audience and, and Colbert and, and John Stewart who, you know, obviously with shows like Daily Show and Colbert reports, it's very clear that people love their news with a, a huge dose of, of comedy because sadly, sometimes our state of affairs can only be, uh, made better or, or people only watch if, if they feel like they're at least getting a chuckle out of it, um, and, and they're learning far more. It's almost even more unbiased than a lot of the news outlets these days. So, um, for me, my, my ultimate goal, um, as I keep doing this is, uh, to get a science comedy show off the ground that will bring science, uh, you know, not just anthropology, which is my focus, but all types of science, um, to the, the mainstream and, and being able to showcase my friends because I have a lot of friends who are scientists in, in multiple fields, um, that to me would be a dream come true. So, I'm working, working hard towards that and, um, in the meantime, I have a partner that we're, we've created a website that, um, is, our goal is to bring anthropology to the mainstream and that's called Boaz Network and, um, we're, it's a social networking site for, uh, anthropologists and nonanthropologists that are interested in the field, but they can share videos, blogs, um, ask questions, engage with one another, um, you know, so prominent anthropologists can talk to students and vice versa and, um, we really hope that it will become a hub for everything that's anthropology related. So it's another thing that, um, I'm doing hopefully to kind of get science to the masses, you know, democratize science, if you will. Wow, a lot of different stuff there. So I, I actually, I want to go back as far as your childhood and you'll find that I tend to do this to everybody. That's right. You know, one of the, the, the first things that really struck me about the way you told the story is of, of having this sort of childhood dream, which has pretty much seemed, at least from everything you've told me, seems to have been the driving force behind how your life is played out. And I think as adults, we lose that, uh, I think we forget about it. It's discouraged by people because it doesn't sound practical or it sounds impossible. And sometimes I think that rekindling that is often sort of how we, we navigate the midlife crisis. I'm really curious based on, on your own experience. I mean, when you have seen people in that situation, um, throughout your career, throughout your life, I mean, how do we rekindle that, um, you know, it sounds, might sound silly, but I, I like writing down my dreams, like my literal dreams, um, because I think those also inform very much what's going on in our, our brain and, and our psyche and, and maybe what we are lacking in our day-to-day life. Um, and I listened to that a lot of the times because I'll dream things like, for instance, the day before, um, two nights ago, the day before Earth Day, I, I dreamt that, um, I got into a graduate program to work with chimpanzees and the Democratic Republic of Congo. And I woke up and I woke up and I remembered it and I thought that's so strange, you know, maybe, cause I'm, I'm on that to PhD or not to PhD track. I don't know if I want to do that. So I thought maybe I should start listening and then I went back to sleep and I dreamt that I was pregnant and I was on a plane and, and, um, you know, but I was, the, the plane was not really destined for anywhere. So I woke up and I was like, what does that mean? But I don't know. I feel like, um, one of the ways we can really stay in touch with our childhood dream is, is to not ignore our real, uh, literal dreams when we're sleeping because I think a lot of them have something to, they have something to tell us and I'm not saying I want to jump on a plane and go to DRC and work with chimpanzees. And I'm not looking to go get pregnant, but, um, you know, maybe writing these things down and really thinking on them. Um, I also think imagination is something that we should never abandon. Um, whether it's just sitting down and writing in a journal about your thoughts and your feelings about where you are presently, um, I think that's a great way to understand, um, maybe if something's missing, um, maybe go back to a dream that you did have in childhood or even five years ago and think, you know, did, did I abandon something I should be giving another shot? Um, because I know that I've definitely done that and I, I still, I still go back and I think, you know, I always wanted to do blank, you know, maybe I should really flesh that out again. And I, I just started writing a, uh, a book that I'm not sure it's going to go anywhere, but it's just, I used to write these absurd stories as a kid, you know, really just outlandish stories. And I thought, you know what, I'm writing, I've been writing, you know, theses and all these like, you know, uh, scientific papers, maybe I should just try writing something absolutely outlandish and just see how, how that feels. And um, it might go somewhere, it might not, but I think, um, going back and, and trying things out if you have the time and the bandwidth is worth it. Um, also I think surrounding yourself by people that encourage your creativity is, is so important. I, I know that like we talked about sometimes people tell you you can do things, um, even that person is yourself. So I think being able to find people that, um, might not tell you, oh, yeah, you know, like they're not constantly patting you on the back and saying, Oh, of course you can do anything. I mean, there's those parents that are to say you buy a child can be anything and that's great, but you have to also be realistic. But I think there's also those friends that can be very, um, they're the naysayers and sometimes those naysayers need to be ignored. And they also I think serve a purpose in the fact that I don't know about you, but when someone tells me I can't do something, it almost, uh, if fuels the fire, you know, oh, oh, really, I can't do it. Just watch me now. Um, but it also is nice to have those people that, that tell you you can do something and it will help you along the way. Um, we, you know, we, we, I told her, you mentioned that Michael, uh, Roderick introduced us and he's very much, uh, uh, you know, somebody that believes in, in people that, uh, doing, um, multiple things with their life that these multi hyphenits, um, and that it is possible to be multiple things, um, and to do them well. Cause I think that's a big fear for a lot of people is they're afraid if they do do multiple things, they're going to lack in one of those hyphenits, you know, if you're a good actor, you know, you're not going to be a great primatologist or vice versa. And um, it just means you're going to have to work that much harder. Mm hmm. Well, you know, I love that you brought up this, uh, this idea of not ever abandoning imagination, I think that's, that's such a powerful statement. And you know, I think that I had somebody here once who told me we tend to judge ourselves before we express ourselves and, and that's, that's often the curse I feel that keeps so many people trapped. And you know, I think in my own life, when I, I look at things, I'll write down things in notebooks. And I've shared this probably on the show a handful of times now that, you know, I literally looked back in a notebook from 43 weeks ago, now it's played 46 or 50 weeks, and in it was location ideas for the instigator experience. And then I remember standing on stage thinking, wow, really? That's, that's so bizarre. I mean, it was something we just imagined. It's great. Put it on paper. And then it becomes reality. So I think that that is such a powerful statement that, you know, imagination is something that should never be abandoned. And yeah, as far as the people who light a fire under your ass, when they tell you you can't do it, I've got plenty of those. Well, it's funny, I mean, I, well, I, I forgot to even mention, um, I did a, I, I was on a TV show last year. Uh, oh, actually this year, it finished airing February 14th, um, Valentine's Day, and it was a show about Bigfoot. And I was the co-host on the show. I was the science expert slash co-host, um, uh, teaching these, it was a reality competition show called 10 million dollar Bigfoot bounty. And, um, I was teaching these contestants how to track animals, most of them knew how because they're hunters, but I had to teach them how to correctly collect biomaterials like a scientist would when they're conducting real scientific inquiry. And we actually were, we had a mobile DNA lab and we were able to test these biomaterials in the lab to see if it could possibly be Bigfoot DNA. So, um, you know, but that was a great example of a show that I remember telling people a few years ago, I would really like to combine my scientific knowledge and my, my, you know, acting ability or performance, um, uh, desires. And they kind of laughed at me and, and we're like, really, how's that going to happen? And I said, I'd love to have my own show and, and, and sometimes people, you know, they, they can see it, but at the same time, they know that it's, they want to protect you in a way. Like that's a great idea, but really it's such a far fetched possibility. Let's not set yourself up for disappointment. And so it was a really awesome, um, moment of realizing, even though it may be not be the my, my dream show, I mean, I very much enjoyed myself. I'm not, I'm a Bigfoot skeptic. I'm a scientist first and foremost. And I think the, the probability of a large body bipedal undetected man ape living in the forests of Pacific Northwest is rather unlikely, but, um, I still can appreciate it for what it is. And I, and I, I remember driving at one point last year when I, when I finally signed the contract because it was a, you know, it was a funny process, it takes a while and I signed the contract less than 16 hours before getting on a plane to go to the Pacific Northwest. So it happened very quickly. But I remember driving thinking, holy crap, I have a show, I have a, how did this happen? I have a show, you know, and I knew that it wasn't going to be the biggest show ever, but it was still at that moment where it's like all that work that you did, it wasn't for not and things are happening and, and your, and, and it's those baby steps that lead to the bigger steps. And it really is learning to believe in your craziest of ideas, um, because that, those are the, those are the ideas that are going to get noticed. Those are the ideas that are original and a lot of people, a lot of times as, as we know with the series of remakes that are being made every, every year, a lot of times the world is afraid of originality, but at the same time, those remakes kind of get swept under the rug really quickly. It's, it's those fresh ideas, those, you know, innovative, new, uh, concepts that get all the attention and, and it might take a while, but it'll hit and, and you'll be happy that you stuck with it, I think. Yeah. Well, you know, I always say if you, if you try to copy what's come before you at best, you'll become a pale limitation of your predecessors. I love that. Um, you know, there's, there's, there's still, there's so much here that, um, I want to get into one of the, the things that you brought up was, uh, you know, being in theater and high school and having this comedic and performance background. So you know, my, my questions around that really are around story and performance and the elements of that, that, that come into the work that we do. Cause I, I think that it doesn't matter what your career is in the modern world, elements of that apply. Yes. Uh, just given the nature of the direction that everything is going with technology. And I'm really curious, kind of how being a performer and a comedian has shaped your storytelling perspectives and, and shaped your entire view on storytelling and developing narratives around all the stuff that you do. Um, and you know, what are the takeaways for people listening? I think that everybody has a story to tell first and foremost, um, I really do. I actually just wrote a, uh, abstract for an anthropology conference that I'm hoping to present at, um, saying that anthropologists, cause it's an anthropology conference, anthropologists by nature and by design are storytellers. Um, but I think everybody has a story to tell and one of the things we have to remember is it doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be hysterical. It doesn't have to be dramatic. It just has to be yours and it has to be real. And for me, you know, when I did theater growing up, um, one of the things that anytime you watch a performance that really, um, strikes you, it usually, there's something authentic about it. There's something real. There's something that, um, they own their performance. They own that character and, and for me, when you in particular own your story, whether or whatever it is, um, I think that is what really, um, makes it special and something that can be very, um, poignant. Um, like I said, you don't have to cry on cue. You don't have to, there's a lot of things you don't have to do. Uh, you don't have to be falling on the floor, spit, take hilarious. But I mean, everybody's story is going to have humor in it because let's face it, life, life is funny. And most, most of the time it's funny unintentionally, um, you didn't mean to fall, but boy was it funny when you did. Um, so I think it's learning to, um, not necessarily edit the story to make you look good too. Yeah. Cause I know a lot of us, you know, we, what we want to look as, as, as, um, you know, look our best and, and sometimes our mistakes are what make us better and, and being able to admit them. I mean, I, you know, I kind of did a gloss over of my story. There's plenty of stupid Natalia of bonehead moves that I kind of just sort of glossed over. But if I really got into it, if I were writing a book about my life, you know, I would be remiss to, to, to omit those moments where I, I really made these horrible mistakes. But these mistakes also were things that, um, allowed me to grow in ways that, if I'd done it perfectly, probably wouldn't have. Um, and also I think realizing when, when, when telling your story and, and I think there's moments where you kind of hit those aha moments, those, uh, those moments where you realize, um, things did happen for some sort of reason, you know, like you didn't get into the grad school of your dreams, but you ended up going to this, you know, second in your idea, second rate school and met your future spouse, you know, and, and had you not gone there, you would never have met that person and, or had you not gone there, you would not met your, your partner that you would have created this, you know, cure for cancer for. I mean, I, that that's obviously being grandiose, but the idea is things happen and, and, and just because they don't happen on your terms doesn't mean they're not the best and most interesting terms. So I think my takeaway for this is everybody's story is interesting, everybody's story. And it's just remembering that and having faith in that and, and being real about what you have to tell and also, um, not a mess and not omitting the messy stuff, because the messy stuff is fun. Spark something uncommon this holiday with just the right gift from uncommon goods. The busy holiday season is here and uncommon goods makes it less stressful with incredible handpick gifts for everyone on your list on one spot, gift that spark joy, wonder delight, and that it's exactly what I wanted feeling. He scoured the globe for original, handmade, absolutely remarkable things. Last year, I found the perfect gift for my nephew, periodic table building blocks. These blocks were a big hit and considering he was talking in full sentences before he even turned to, I'd say that's a pretty good win. They're not just educational, but also a fun way to spark his curiosity. Uncommon goods has a knack for offering gifts that are truly memorable, unique, and make every occasion special. When you shop at uncommon goods, you're supporting artists and small independent businesses. When you shop at uncommon goods, you're supporting artists and small independent businesses. Many of their handcrafted products are made in small batches, so shop now before they sell out this holiday season. Uncommon goods looks for products that are high quality, unique, and often handmade, or made in the US. They have the most meaningful, out of the ordinary gifts, they even have gifts you can personalize. From holiday hosts and hostess gifts to the coolest finds for kids, to hits for everyone from book lovers to die-hard sports fans, uncommon goods has something for everyone. Not just the same old selections you could find anywhere. And with every purchase you make at uncommon goods, they give one dollar back to an unprofit partner of your choice. They donated more than $3 million to date. To get 15% off your next gift, go to uncommongoods.com/unmistakable. That's uncommongoods.com/unmistakable for 15% off. Don't miss out on this limited time offer. Uncommon goods. They're all out of the ordinary. 1-800-Flowers.com knows that a gift is never just a gift. A gift is an expression of everything you feel, and helps to build more meaningful relationships. 1-800-Flowers takes the pressure off by helping you navigate life's important moments by making it simple to find the perfect gift. From flowers and cookies to cake and chocolate, 1-800-Flowers helps guide you in finding the right gift to say how you feel. To learn more, visit 1-800-Flowers.com/acast, that's 1-800-Flowers.com/acast. You should celebrate yourself every day, but some days you should celebrate with jewelry. Whether you want to commemorate an unforgettable moment or just bring some added sparkle to your collection, Blue Nile can offer you expert guidance and a wide assortment of jewelry of the highest quality at the best price. Go to Blue Nile.com today and experience the ease and convenience of shopping Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999. That's Blue Nile.com. Blue Nile.com. Ryan Reynolds here for, I guess, my 100th mint commercial. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. said, you know, I had hit my lowest point and I was going in for an audition and I and she's very religious. And she prayed to God that she would get the part. If not, she was going to give up on acting. And I said, what part was it? And it was the exact part that I auditioned for. It was the part of the nurse on Spiderman. And I went back and I watched them like, Holy crap, that was that part. And that is her. And it was that was the moment that she decided not to give up that she got it. And it was like a sign from God in her way. And her in her in her life. That's the way how she took it. And I believe that. And you know, for her, I'm not a very religious person. I'll put that out there. But I'm spiritual. And I thought that's wonderful. And that was such a great moment of, wow, okay, I, it might have ruined my day, but it made, you know, so it's those like funny moments, those serendipitous moments where you're like, wow, okay, just so I didn't get it. She did. And it turned her life around. So yeah, I think instead of focusing on what you don't have focus on what you do have, and what is going right, it sounds so hippie dippy and a little too, maybe optimistic, but at some point you just got to be that way. So you know, on that note, I think it makes a perfect setup for a question that I've been wanting to ask you. I mean, the life of an actor or the life of somebody in the entertainment industry is one that comes with a lot of hard knocks in general. I mean, you know, you hear more stories of people who tried to make it and didn't than the other way around. And what I would imagine that gives somebody like you is an insane amount of grit and persistence. And so I'm very curious how you've cultivated that over your life and over your career. That's a good it's a great question. No, I as a kid, I definitely I was I went through a lot of funny periods. I was not like a cool kid. I was definitely a tomboy as a child. I don't even like that term now because I hate getting gender some sort of role. But when I was a little kid, I look like a little boy. I love playing in the mud. I was a kind of a I don't know, I was I was a little different. And oops, sorry, that was my my mailbox. I was a little different. So I I kind of got used to that. And then I kind of went through a chubby phase. And I think when you go through a chubby phase as a as a kid, you learn to just sort of buck up because you get called all sorts of names. I was I was actually at one point I was called that Harry gorilla. I remember that one. Which now I look back and I go that's that's not so bad. That's kind of a compliment. But I kind of got used to being I don't know, just sort of like, not black sheep, but just sticking out like a sore thumb. And so, you know, that I think also helped develop by my humor is, you know, learning to kind of deflect any sort of insults by using humor. And so that as time went on, I think became more and more of my my emo in the way I handled myself. If I didn't get something because I've heard I've definitely heard no far more times in my life than I've heard yes, I mean, I could probably count on my hands. The amount of times I've heard yes when it came to acting roles. But it also, and you know this because you're doing what you're doing. You hit that point where like, you know, if someone is not gonna hire me, I'm gonna hire myself and I'm gonna do my own thing. And I know I can. And I've got the ability and I, and it's literally just, I don't know, kind of hitting that point of realizing, you know, if nobody's gonna do it, I better do it. And if it if I fall flat on my face and fail, at least I could say I tried. And so I think that's what ultimately because I think that's what happened, you know, in 2010, 2011, when I was pitching shows and everybody was like, please, you know, science comedy together, pop, that's never gonna work. And why the hell would we hire you and all sort of that, you know, all that kind of naysaying stuff, which I totally get, you know, I mean, they want a name got it. But I just got me off my butt and made me do it myself. And so the whole idea of having grit. Yeah, I mean, most definitely. And of course, getting hit by a truck that kind of toughens you up. You know, I've got a lot of resistance, you know, because that when I got hurt, they basically said you're not going to be able to walk for, you know, six months run for a year, you know, if you could ever run again. And you know, I was walking within three running within six because I just, you know, again, it's being told you can't do something is what really kind of puts that fire under your butt to say, Oh, yes, I can. And I will. And, you know, so I think having a tough skin is essential for anybody who wants to be, I don't even think it's performing so much. But it just creating, because art is such a subjective form of expression that Oh, someone's always going to hate what you do. Yeah, you know, someone's always going to say that's stupid. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. So as long as you like it, and maybe a couple others. You know, and in your case, Glenn back. Well, there's also there's also a woman who says that she hopes I'm a better surfer than I'm a writer. My favorite Amazon to that is just, you know what? Go with it. That's the things that you're going to put on your you know, in the next book, when it's, you know, the best seller, you know, it's like, those things are the best on Twitter. When I did the TV show, my one of my favorite tweets was, I bet, I bet Natalia is just a stripper named Ginger. They blew all their budget on Superman, which I reply. Right. To which I replied. If I'm Ginger, does that make Todd Todd was my co host? Does that make Todd Mary Mary Anne? And no, I'm a cage fighter named Dreamcrusher. And so, you know, that silly response got the guy laughing and all of a sudden he became a fan and he started kind of tweeting back, you know, so it's stuff like that that you can kind of I mean, that's why I love I never was into Twitter until the show because I didn't really see a purpose for it. But now I see how it can really allow you to engage with the audience in a way that you can kind of win people over and you can fight them with, you know, either kill them with kindness or with comedy. Yeah, for me, killing them with comedy is the best, you know, I love that. You know, it's funny. I think it was Kimmel or somebody who did a special if you guys do a YouTube search for it where he strung, he did a video special of celebrity tweets that were really mean. And you see that and you're like, wow, okay, we have, you know, for those of us who have mildly popular online presence is we have it really easy compared to that people. It's so funny. It's I always joke is like, you know, when you're in a car and you're driving and you'll say, I mean, and I'm I'm no angel. I live in Los Angeles. So like, let's just say I have potty mouth extraordinaire when I drive. And I'll say the most horrific things. But it's like, if you imagine, you know, and I try to keep it under wraps, but sometimes, you know, again, driving in LA, it's a little tough. But then you think, well, it's no different than if you're in the supermarket, you've got your shopping cart. What I say, the same thing to those people, if their face was right there, of course, I wouldn't, you know, same with this online presence. Like people think that and I would never I mean, some of the things are just horrendous. Like especially when people attack appearance because it's that I felt like attacking of appearance is the lowest of the low because it's really that's all you got. You're gonna make one of my hair, you're gonna pick one of my face like, you know, really, that's it, you know, can you come up with something a little bit more clever? Apparently not. So you're gonna make fun of, you know, my boobs, what abs. So I think it definitely means fielding a lot more, you know, hurling of insults and, you know, rotten tomatoes being thrown at us. But I think it also makes you stronger. Yeah, yeah, you know, I want to ask you one question about the accident. We had a guy who's a happiness researcher here named Sean Acor who absolutely one of my favorite people on the planet. And I reference his work a lot, mainly because it's, you know, some of the most practical advice on happiness, you'll ever find for those of you who didn't listen to it go back because no dropping acid, no going to burning man, no meditating in an ashram required stuff that we can all do on a regular basis that makes, you know, literally takes two minutes a day and makes a huge difference. But one of the things he actually said to me in our conversation was that there's two types of people they've found who've been through trauma, those who experience post traumatic stress and those who appear actually are kind of this anomaly who appear post experience post traumatic growth and you seem to fall into the latter camp. And based on your experience, I'm very curious what you think distinguishes those two groups. Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds at mid mobile. We like to do the opposite of what big wireless does. They charge you a lot. We charge you a little. So naturally, when they announced they'd be raising their prices due to inflation, we decided to deflate our prices due to not hating you. That's right. We're cutting the price of mint unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month. Give it a try at mint mobile.com slash switch $45 up from payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only taxes and fees extra speeds lower above 40 gigabytes of detail. At Sprout's farmers market, we're all about fresh, healthy and delicious. Step into our bulk department to discover a world of options with hundreds of scoopable bulk bins and grab and go favorites from wholesome grains and spices to limited time goodies like pumpkin apple cashews and butter toffee peanuts. Plus buying in bulk means you can get as much or has little as you like for your next recipe or snack attack. Visit your neighborhood Sprout's farmers market today or flavor fills every scoop. That's a good question. That's a really good question because I try to understand that myself. Because there's a lot of people that came in and when I was in the hospital, I had a lot of visitors that were like really stressing the horribleness of it all where I was stressing the I'm not dead. I think and I hate to say this because this kind of dooms those people that get into an accident. I think your outlook beforehand is definitely going to color your outlook afterwards because I was always a glass half full kind of gal, I think. I try to remain that way. I don't say that that I don't think that's a fixed position though. I think that can change over time. But I think having a positive outlook beforehand definitely helped afterwards. I don't play this up very much, but I definitely have high hopes for myself. I refuse to believe that this accident could crush me. I thought, what a horrible way. I'm 25 years old. I was 25 when this happened. It was almost 10 years ago. What a horrible story. I kind of look at the big pictured. I could literally let this crush me and be that girl that was, oh, she had such potential, so sad that this happened. Now she's just bedridden. Or I could be the person that kind of rose up from that, like a phoenix. I don't see myself as a phoenix because honestly the accident wasn't really, I mean, it was bad, but it wasn't, it could have been so much worse. It was kind of two options. I could sit in toil or I could thrive. I think people, and I don't know everybody, and that maybe that's a good way to start is to ask people, you know, did you have that thought process? Did that ever, did the big picture ever crush your mind? It's your story. Because again, again, it comes back to your story. You know, would you rather your story be told that, oh, yeah, he was, he was wonderful up until that that accident and then boom, he just, we lost him. He wasn't, he was never the same again. Or God, that accident really changed his outlook in a positive way. So I don't know if it's, if it's asking ourselves that those those internal questions for me, I definitely, there was, I also think there was no option for me to be a sour puss about it. I don't think my, I honestly, I don't think my family would have had it. I think that also have, you know, my mom has my my poor mother, my poor mom, you know, I had to move home because I couldn't walk, you know, she was chair of her, I think she was chair of her department. The mom's a professor at Cal State North and she was chair of her department at that point, you know, having to, you know, also take care of me, my grandmother would come by almost every day. I mean, I had such powerful women. And while my father and my brother, such powerful people in my life, that wouldn't allow me to feel sorry for myself. And that helps. So that, that's something I'm for, you know, unfortunately, not everybody has. And I wish, you know, and that's why when I, when I, I've had friends that have gone into the hospital, I had a girlfriend of mine who got injured about a year through three years after my accident. And I came to see her a few times. And I think she was surprised because we weren't that, we weren't that close at that particular point. But I remember, I remember remembering when my friends came to visit and how that was such a huge uplift to know that you're not alone. And, you know, and sometimes I wish everybody could have that. But when you don't, I guess it's, it's your own internal inner voice that that can be the fuel that I don't know, that allows you to find inspiration and positivity through, through such extreme circumstances. Yeah. Well, let's do this. Let's shift gears a little bit. I want to start talking about kind of this concept of the career that you've built. And you know, one of the things that fascinates me is that you've blended art and science in a way that I've never heard it put on the show before. So, and I want to get into some depth about that. But one of the first questions that comes from me on sort of a general level is blending the various experiences of our lives into creating sort of this multi hyphenated or, you know, multi potential career that you've built for yourself. I mean, how do we look at our own experiences and do that? Hmm. Well, I think understanding what you can bring to the table. Because I think so many times in our life, we have such self doubt. And thinking, Oh, you know, who am I to do this? Who am I to to? You know, because I wanted to combine comedy and science for a while. And I even remember years ago, I had a card made like a, you know, a business card. I called myself an anthropologist. And I wasn't an anthropologist yet. And I remember, I used to write above it burgeoning. Like, and I would hand it out saying burgeoning anthropologist. But I remember kind of creating that that. Okay, well, I got this silly card made and I don't know why you did it. I really don't know why I did it. It was kind of it was ridiculous. And I hardly gave them out because I felt so silly about it. But it also made me go. Okay, you wrote it, you put it in a card. Now you got to make it happen. I have a weird way of inspiring myself, enforcing myself to do things like going to grad school, apparently. But you know, I made myself do it and get myself the street cred. So I could put together comedy and science. Because I also I knew that a lot of people want to do what I do, I think, or or be an expert in science. And we've talked about, we haven't talked about the bit, the internet, there's been articles recently about the whole idea of everybody, because of the internet, everybody is an expert. Everybody's an expert. Everybody knows everything. All these articles are going around, like what's what makes a perfect marriage? What makes a perfect this? What makes this? What makes that? No, we don't know some people some things that nobody can really know. You know, some things are just really purely subjective and relative. And and sometimes people act as though they're science experts and they don't know a lick about science. So I wanted to make sure that I was not one of those people, you know, before I went out there and created this sort of combination of comedy and science. So for me, it's it's about fighting self doubt. I do it every day, quite honestly, when I make my videos, I mean, I work with an editor, her name is May Cat, she's amazing. And she um, you know, I'm very hands on in the editing and she's very patient with me. But you know, I I go through, she watches me kind of go through that process of like, oh, I don't know, is that joke funny? You know, and and she she's purely in it, you know, from the entertainment standpoint, she's not a scientist. And so I'm and I'm, you know, kind of a, you know, a stickler for any sort of science. If there's anything that's not particularly right, I'm just like, cut it, cut it, cut it, cut it. And you know, she already she always laughs at me like, not I'm not everybody's gonna know that that's wrong. And I said, well, I will know. It's about being it's that, you know, hold yourself accountable to creating your best work. Yeah, but also not I mean, it's it's that weird fine line of being hard on yourself and being accountable. But also having that confidence and trying to keep self doubt to a minimum, which is so hard as you know, in the creative process. It's so easy to say this sucks. Nobody's gonna make it. And the cool thing about the internet is it allows you to kind of get it out there. And and you know, you do get those crappy tweets or those mean comments. But at least, you know, you can kind of gauge from your audience, whether, you know, other people are gonna say nice things about it, whether you know, this is you're on the right track. So I think definitely that fine line between keeping the self doubt bay and also, you know, staying in line with your beliefs, and your your integrity, because my scientific integrity is huge for me. I even like the Bigfoot show was a great example of I was really nervous about doing the show, because I knew that it's reality TV TV is all about spectacle. And I thought, Oh, shit, you know, I don't know if I can say that. Oh, shoot, I worked so hard to keep my science to get my science street cred. And I'm still gaining. I don't have my PhD, I have my masters and I'm considering going that route. But I don't know if this show is going to absolutely destroy me. And the producers did an excellent job keeping, you know, Dr. Todd, Dr. Todd, this is telling me my cohost, he's also a very good friend of mine. You know, they made us look like we knew what we're talking about because we know we did. But at the same time, they really could make us look like, you know, a bunch of ninnies. And they didn't we look good. And and and and fortunately, the scientific community, the anthropology community for the most part was very, very supportive. They even had a scotch and squash party at Notre Dame University. We have a lot of friends there. So they would drink scotch and watch Sasquatch. And so I mean, it was a lot of really cool stuff was going on with the show. And but there there was a lot of like, Oh gosh, I hope I don't, you know, lose my street cred in the anthropology world. So I think it's, you know, those are those those are valid concerns, you know, because there are people that you know that this is a very get rich, get your 15 minutes of fame kind of world. And I'm definitely, I've been doing this since I was 18 years old. And I'm not eight. That was a while ago. So it's like I've worked really hard to kind of get where I am. I'm not going to sell out. I so okay, one, you know, that somehow you've been setting up all my questions perfectly, which really works out nicely. I'm sorry by ramble to no, no, not at all. No, somehow you're making my transitions seem really, really smooth, which is great. I can tell that you've been behind a camera and spent a lot of time talking to people like I can sense that you you've got almost a natural ability to have a conversation. So it really works well. And I love it. You know, it's one, I really appreciate that you talked about sort of holding yourself accountable to a standard. And it's funny, right? You're like, yeah, nobody else will know. And I've talked about this on the air before where it's like, well, nobody else will know, Srini, that that interview wasn't your best work or something like that. And I've been, you know, I'll go back to people and say, I want to redo this. It's not good. It doesn't meet our standard. It's just simple. I like, I always want to know that I've done everything I can within, you know, the resources and the constraints that I have. Like, if you look at something and you know that you skimped somewhere, you're like, yeah, we kind of just, you know, we skimped. That's, I think that that to me is really, it's one of those things in the world today that honestly is what separates people who do well from the ones who don't, which actually that really kind of is the set is, you know, where I want to take this next. I mean, you've done something really fascinating. I mean, you've blended art and science in a way to use comedy to educate people. And there's elements of craft, clearly, that go into what you do, you mentioned 18 years. And like you said, I think we live in this world where people sort of see the possibility of winning the internet lottery, where hey, somebody will discover your crappy video on YouTube and you'll be famous overnight, which is clearly not the case with you because there's craft involved in all of this. Like, it's, you know, we're hearing the story of what goes into that moment in which suddenly you get discovered by today's show. There's a lot of work that comes before this. And the question for me is, you know, as somebody who has seen a world that is incredibly ruthless, the world of entertainment is, you know, one, the role that talent plays in all this, and two, mastering a craft, like what goes into something like this in the course of an 18 year career, like yours. And, you know, I mean, like, I am at the point where, even though the internet has democratized our ability to create, I still think that exceptional stuff is the only stuff that stands out. I hope so. I always joke. I'm like, I need to get a cat. I could be making such well crafted cat videos. Yeah. But you're right. It really is those moments where, you know, those those je ne sais quoi moments where the cat does something perfect for 30 seconds. And then all of a sudden, you've got two million views. Ironically, you'll laugh of the video that has my video that has the most views is called tapers gone wild. And it's two tapers at the LA Zoo from like 2006, where it looks like one is might be doing something slightly, you know, sexual to another. And that for some reason has the most views. So yes, it really is that's kind of, you know, you never quite know what's going to get a million views or 200,000. But yeah, I definitely think that as far as talent goes, thank you for thinking I have some. I, you know, again, a lot of it is about self confidence, because I think there's plenty of talented talented people out there. But, and it's also self confidence and frustration. I think that the two of them kind of go hand in hand when it comes to creating good stuff because you're frustrated because nobody's hiring you. And again, it's like, well, I better do it myself. I've got the resources. If not, I'm going to pull from friends because why not, you know, we're in a, I live in a town where there's tons of out of work people that have, you know, a plunditude of talent. And so why not we, why don't we band together and create some good stuff. And as far as crafting, like I really do have to do a tip of the hat to some of my favorite comedians. I mean, George Carlin, I love, I'm a huge fan of Mel Brooks films. His comedy is a huge influence in the way I write, you know, Daily Show, all those sort of, you know, carefully crafted satires I love. And I feel like that, that is what I would like to influence what I do in the future and what I do now. And again, it took, you know, I've been doing this, like I said, since I was eight, my first acting job, I think you'd find this humorous, my first acting job was playing a dancing chicken McNugget and a McDonald's commercial. And I was vegetarian, you know, so it's, I've come a long way, you know, choosing what kind of work I do. Not to say I wouldn't do it again, because that was a really fun job. But I definitely feel like as far as combining everything together has kind of given me the opportunity to create something that is truly different and original. And I'm glad that it's coming off as crafted because a lot of times people, you know, often question like even if I write my own stuff for the science videos, they think I have like a team of writers or somebody's writing it for me or, you know, and I really want to kind of create a video that that tells a story but also makes you laugh. But you walk away with maybe two or three big chunks of information that you wouldn't have had before you sat down and watched one of my videos. And you know, I'm hoping more and more that I get better and better at that because it really is I watch like some of my first videos and I laugh because they're so slow and I want to pick up the pace and I'm like, what are you doing? You know, I'm yelling at the screen. And I feel like it's definitely changing and evolving and adapting to, of course, the ever attention deficient internet audience because they can't stand watching a video more than that, you know, two minutes long. So I definitely feel like, you know, pulling my resources as far as talent, you know, my friends that are great shooters, my friends that are wonderful editors, my talented actor friends, comedian friends, I did a video called play with your balls, which is a testicular cancer PSA, you know, it really is a serious video. But it's also silly, like silly fun. And I had great comedians come in and be a part of that. And that actual, a lot of my inspiration happens in the shower. I finally bought shower crayons, so I can start writing my ideas down on my tile. Because like, I was like, I'm sitting in the shower and I'm like, you know, testicular, you know, the mover was coming up and I was a couple years ago and I was like, play with your balls. In the shower came, you know, just came to my mind. And so I was like, okay, you need these crayons. But, you know, that kind of stuff, I think is, you know, pulling your your talented people. And then, of course, writing something that is smart as it can be. Because obviously, something called play with your balls can be so cheesy and ridiculous. And I don't I even though I try to keep things a little sexy, I really try to keep them away from the trashy trashy department. I try to maintain some of my self respect, even if it's just a little. Awesome. Well, I have one last question for you. And this is how we close all our episodes. You know, our show is called the unmistakable creative and we live in probably one of the most, like you said, attention deficit times in history. And I'm at this point now where I'm convinced that the things that stand out are unmistakable. And so my question for you is, what is it that makes somebody or something as an artist or creative or even as a person unmistakable? I really do. I mean, it sounds, I think a little cheesy, but authenticity. I want to see somebody who I don't I like I'm watching them and I know it's them. I know it's not them saying somebody else's words, even though they might be saying someone else's words, I want to watch somebody being them being themselves. Because I think that's why do I want to watch somebody faking something? I want to see originality. And because everybody is original in their own way. I think that makes somebody unmistakable. You know, I sometimes you sometimes you meet people and you're just like, you're bowled over by them, because they're so unapologetically them. And in a way where you, you might be like, wow, they were kind of, they were, you know, kind of rough, but you know what, they were themselves, you know, they might have been a little harsh, or maybe not obnoxious, but a little kooky. But they were them, they weren't putting on an act that was that was 100% who they are. And I think that's what makes somebody unmistakable and unmistakably them. And I just I like that. I like feeling like I'm seeing somebody for who they are rather than having to guess. Awesome. Well, Natalia, I have to say, this has been really, really, really cool. You've brought a perspective that I haven't gotten to hear on the show. I mean, you know, you've brought it from a world that I haven't gotten to be exposed to just yet. I think our listeners are gonna absolutely love you. And I really I can't thank you for taking the time to join us. Oh, my gosh, share some of your insights with our listeners here at the unmistakable creative. Thank you so much. I I'm honored to be a part of it, honestly. Awesome. And for those of you guys listening, we'll wrap the show with that. Today's episode of the unmistakable creative has been brought to you by FreshBooks, the simple accounting solution for business owners who want to skip the headaches of tax time, no more hunting receipts, digging for invoices are going through records one at a time. For a limited time, you can try it free for 60 days. That's two whole months to see how much more efficient it will make your invoicing process. Visit getfreshbooks.com to learn more. And remember, when you get to the how did you hear about a section, enter unmistakable creative. And don't forget, when you support our sponsors, you support our show. You've been listening to the unmistakable creative podcast, visit our website at unmistakablecreative.com and get access to over 400 interviews in our archives. Have you ever felt a twinge of worry about AI taking over your job or diluting your creativity? Well, what if you could turn that fear into creative fuel? We've just published an amazing new ebook called the four keys to success in an AI world. And this is more than just a guide. It's a deep exploration into the human skills that AI can't touch. The skills that are essential for standing out and thriving, no matter how much technology evolved. We're talking about real differentiators here, like creativity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and much more. Inside, you'll find actionable insights and strategies to develop these skills, whether you're a creative person, a business person, or just simply someone who loves personal development. This isn't a story about tech taking over. It's a story of human creativity thriving alongside AI. Picture this AI as your creative co-pilot, not just as a tool, but a collaborator that enhances your unique human skills. The four keys ebook will show you exactly how to do that. And view AI in a new way that empowers you instead of overshadows you. Transform your creative potential today. Head over to unmistakablecreative.com/ four keys. Use the number four K-E-Y-S. That's unmistakable creative.com/four keys and download your free copy. [BLANK_AUDIO]

An early obsession with King Kong nightmares
Dealing with a tragic and life changing car accident
Natalia’s foray into the study of spider monkeys
The creation of “butt” week that led to viral success
Natalia’s ultimate goal of creating a science comedy show
How to look back at our childhood dreams
Learning to craft the stories of our lives
Natalia’s appearance on a popular TV show
Dealing with critics and naysayers and turning them into fans
Post traumatic stress versus post traumatic growth
Building a multi-hyphenated career
The myth of winning the internet lottery
The role of craft in the process of entertainment

Subscribe for ad-free interviews and bonus episodes https://plus.acast.com/s/the-unmistakable-creative-podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.