Have you stuffed your dreams down to go for a more practical career?

I was truly inspired by my conversation with Rayna Russell, stage name Rayna Campbell, when she told me about how she studied marketing in school but decided to pursue a career in acting.

It took a great deal of mindset work for her to move past all the rejections typical of the industry, but she did the deep work. Now she focuses on teaching how to handle this up-and-down career to her own coaching clients who are performers, actors, and other types of artists. Not only is she helping them manifest what they want, she just wrapped up a project with Chris Hemsworth called Dhaka herself, soon to come out on Netflix.

Not bad, Rayna. Not bad at all! Listen to our conversation here.

Transcript:

00:24                                     Okay, so I've got Raina Russell here. Is that what you go by or do you have another name?

00:30                                     I do. I have a, so my stage name is Rayna Campbell. Yeah, it's my married name.

00:40                                     Ah, Gotcha. Okay. So tell me exactly, you're in Los Angeles right now, but you don't live in Los Angeles, right?

00:49                                     No, I am from England. I live in Hartford, Chubb, which is just north of London. I live in that side. So it's a happy balance. You go to enter the city and do your work and then you come out and you breed

01:07                                     in brief. Um, one of the things that I wanted to mention was that we met in a Sutton Coldfield at Gemma Wentz elevate live event. And I have really enjoyed getting to know a lot of the different people that I met there. Plus I get to know a lot of people around the world online before I ever meet them. But it was the opposite fruit for us. I met you in person first and now we're getting to talk online. And I've actually seen you in my news feed quite a bit lately. And you've been talking a lot about, uh, mindset work and so on and so forth that you do with current actors and other artists. And tell me a little bit more about that and what you do with them.

01:55                                     Yeah, so I work with artists, creatives and performers and they have normally been in the game five, 10 2030 years. And they get to a point where they feel that careers are stagnant or that they're not able to create bigger, more opportunities. So I look at the artist, I look at the energy system and I can pick up what is blocking them, their limiting beliefs, their points of view. And then I changed it with energy where on processes and align them continually so that they start what it is they want. And I've been getting incredible results. I'm proud to say. So I started it because I,

02:49                                     I didn't work at one point for six years [inaudible] and I thought, well, I'm brilliant, I'm talented having an agent. That's okay, but I'm not the man I am being seen. I keep getting rejected and it doesn't make sense to me. Why would God put me in, uh, Korea? It would give me this passion in my heart and then I'm not able to extract anything out of it. And as I got older, I started loving about my future. This is not sustainable and I always been into like the laws of attraction and all that sort of thing, and I do, we'd get a little result, but then nothing was consistent on, Hi Denise Duffield Thomas is Lucky Bitch bootcamp, which is a mastermind of female entrepreneurs on what I know. Two women would govern that with an idea and then one, two or five years later, they'd be like, just killing it online. And I joined that because I had a business at the time I was selling physical products, but I always used to think it would be so great if there was something like that for Austin because not everything is relevant for an artist and a number of people that you should do it. You're really good at manifesting. You're really good at this and not, but I was thinking I'm good at manifesting, but it's not consistent on my project.

04:30                                     So I started working with an energy healer on, I started getting downloads for the meltdown one day I was like, I'm done. And then that's when the information starts coming and I create course, it just seemed to me. And then over the course of the year I refined it and then it came to be what it is, not very big. And as I been applying it to myself, and then as artists come in them to say, oh, that's what we do. So

05:06                                     what was it that kept you down for those six years you were not working in and it was what it was in acting, right that you were doing and you just, were you trying hard and not getting any results, but it was just, you think it was something in your mind that was creating that block from, you know, from moving forward and getting hired?

05:32                                     Definitely. I had conscious and subconscious beliefs, so I would, because I got so many rejections or you start to get nervous when I went for auditions and I start to think of, they're not going to pick me. I'm not good enough. Um, I haven't worked now for ages, so I feel like my age I am and my CV doesn't match and I just feel like they're completely judging me. So I would go in with all that in my head. [inaudible] and I also had this subconscious belief that I wasn't aware of that I'm fearful of success. I'm people when I would do work with energy, healers would say that to me, but it didn't make sense to me. I was like, why would I be scared of success? That's like what I'm killing myself to gain. Right? Yeah. But what would happen is if I got successful, I would get very sick.

06:27                                     And I mean like down, out, debilitated caught me off of the couch for months and I never knew what was going on, but it got to the point where it was like, get a job, get sick, get a job, get sick. And when I looked into was I was so terrified that I will be vilified, treated. My friends would just be like, don't want to be a friend. I would outshine my parents that I just thought if I keep myself sick, I miss was not conscious. It was all going on subconsciously freaking sick. When I do get a job, no one can touch me cause I'll just say when I was sick. So even though I got a job, I was very, very sick to make them almost back off and closed side to me and so much going on.

07:13                                     Wow, that's huge. And then so how did you actually push through that to where you are now that you are, when you're having success, you're not getting sick?

07:26                                     So once I realized that was the block, I did a number of things I worked with, I worked with a kinesiologist, I did some a modality called RTP and I went with, I'm telling you like almost everyone, crystal healers, Reiki, like I really went into it. And what would happen is it lessen the symptoms, but I would still get, I would still feel myself getting nauseous. Like I'd be on a job and I'd be like, why don't you, I suddenly feel nauseous. I must have a virus. And I started to have to tell myself, I don't have friends hate me. I'm betting people who need to see this message, this piece of art. And so I split my focus from what they and think about me to walk my purposes I had to do. And I also had to tell myself I'm safe. This doesn't mean anything. It just means I get to help the, and I still remind myself that every time I get jobs I'm not helps a lot.

08:43                                     Do you have any current projects going on that you're, you're doing with acting?

08:49                                     Oh my God, Sally. I've sermon because I also said I'm an actress and I'm like, I'm still make it the juice it director. So I'm actually, all of those things are so okay. Right. So I'm working on my second feature film and we are in the front talking to sales a, which is new time to me. For me, I'm having to fill in financing. Um, and then we go to the London Film Festival in October, just for me. And then I am directing the company and less than in London in November. So I've been really ready. It's so funny because all the actors are all over the place. So we are doing like rehearsals online at the moment, which is bizarre.

09:43                                     Oh that is bizarre. Are you using zoom or something like that?

09:49                                     Yeah, and that's fun. And then I've just been here and the reason I'm in the states is that I was directing a play on the east coast and now we're going to do it. I'm in La actually, so we are having to do that. Um, so for Thanksgiving is when that's going to happen. Nice. Then acting wise, not nothing since I left London because I left to come and do this in the summertime, but I, I did um, a couple of things last year that are due to come out. One is my left sent to. Um, I know I just had this dean, Annette with them, Michelle Pfeiffer, which was very exciting and I'll tell you what happened. The same thing. I didn't actually realize I was going to be working with her or Elle funding until the night before and I started to get sick and I had to do that thing of this is okay, so what if you, you know, your friends might be jealous some. And some of them even said, Oh, you're so lucky. I'm so jealous and I don't like that energy being projected at me. And so my body wants to get sick to go, oh, you don't need to be jealous for [inaudible]. But I had, um,

11:05                                     you had to push past, past that because you can't be sick going into this plane. The Jolie's part of the part of this one too. Or was she just part of, yes, she is as well. And so are you actually getting to meet these people and do things scenes with them in a, in a, in a booth where you're doing your voiceovers, that sort of thing or what?

11:31                                     No, we, um, I worked with Michelle Pfeiffer and our funding was so surreal. So first of all, Disney are just amazing. Everything feels like you're in a fairy tale when you and I had the most amazing costume. I mean, I don't even know if I've made the cut. We'll see when it comes out in the cinemas on October in October thing

11:54                                     on you are escorted to the set by [inaudible] and Mays and the director came on and he said, okay, mania, you're sitting there, Michelle, you're sitting that Elio sitting that and I'm like, okay. So Michelle fighters that now. Okay. No. Did you get a selfie? [inaudible] but we can talk in a few laps and she's very sweet. Really good. Well that sounds like a lot, a lot of fun. Um, I'm actually in Savannah, Georgia right now, which is where some scad is. Scad is the Savannah College of art and design and that's where my daughter is going to college and it is one of the, as far as their animation program, it's one of the feeder programs into working for Disney. Disney actually comes here and chooses a lot of the students to work with them on projects. And I think, oh, I hope this is right. I think there were about 24 scad graduates that worked on frozen.

13:06                                     Oh my gosh. That's amazing. Yeah. So, um, I'm in a creative space here too, which is pretty cool that it's aligned with what you're doing with this. Melissa sent a to maybe that's what we call the nominal, that must be a phenomenal program turning out. Oh yes. It's the college for creative careers and we're thinking that my youngest daughter would also come here because she probably will get into film, things like that. She is very much a little actress. She's very into cosplay. She does a lot of voice over type thing. She does a lot of scenery. She creates scenery, she creates costumes. She creates just amazing things. Her own, she films her own little movies on her iPhone and makes them look like they've been produced. You know, it's kind of neat how she can do that. So, um, we think that she'll have some sort of career in that direction and she's a great writer. So she, and she says she wants to be a writer. So, you know, maybe screenplays or something like that. I don't really know. We'll have to see in this day and age and you can actually film something on your iPhone. I mean we have no excuse if you're not being creative as autists that on so many platforms and um, yeah, it just needs to stay positive and strong. So when you were young, what did you, how did you end up getting into this? I want to know like your backstory.

14:48                                     Yeah. I actually grew up in Manchester. I was very so

14:53                                     acting, I never ever thought about being an actress. Actually, my dream is to be an air hostess for British Airways and I, and I'd be like, my name is Manny Campbell and I want to be an air hostess and please can you tell me how I can be an air hostess? And they would always right. They were very sweet. They would always write back and say, okay, you need to be 18 and you need to have this many gccs and you need to be able to swim and speak at least one European language. And then I would get the reply and I'd be like, oh my gosh, it's going to happen. It's going to happen. It was so cool.

15:31                                     Do you like wearing pantyhose because they still wear pantyhose? The British name for pantyhose? Is it knickers or tight? Um, it's, you know, it's the, it's like the um, oh, what do you call them? You put them on your legs, you put them on your legs to make your legs look smooth. Yeah. My mom loves pantyhose. Well, they still wear them, but they have to wear them. They have, they have the, they still have really formal uniforms, whereas a lot of the, a lot of the airlines have gone a bit more casual these days. Yeah. I actually just read an article last week that Virgin Atlantic, it's not a requirement for the air hostesses to um, make honey. Oh, nice. Evolving.

16:29                                     But the only creative thing I did when I was a child was reading, writing and musical instruments. Um, I actually remember asking my father to take me to a drama center when I was, I was puppy 15 because a friend of mine did it and it sounded very interesting and I was so terrified. I was terrified. I was like, no, no. Thank you. And I went to university to study marketing is this and marketing and then halfway through that someone took me to see a show pain. It was a musical. Yeah. I became a nominate with this and I was like, God looks so cool for a job. And then I said to my mom, I've decided I want to be an actress because when I moved to London from Munson specs, so that came out my shell of it and she went, you will finish university. Yeah, that's up to you what you do. And I was like, all right then I'm sorry I finished. And then by that time I think I knew like I want to be an actress that it just came out of the blue. I remember I would go to auditions with drama schools and they would be like, well she just finished a degree in marketing. Interesting. And I'd be like, yeah, changed my mind.

17:46                                     But you know what I mean? The thing is you are an actress

17:50                                     or you are some sort of artists. Knowing the marketing, knowing what is involved in marketing yourself is going to be really helpful because it's hard to get into these types of careers.

18:05                                     Yeah, yeah. It can be a I. And that time it was very much a definite thing of you went to drama school, you did a showcase, and an agent came to see you and you hoped that the best agents would get you and then that would hopefully open you up to start having a great career. I mean, now it's not so strict like that, but yeah.

18:31                                     Yeah. So what was the first thing that you got a Wa that you auditioned for? Or how would you have a funny audition or, or a first audition moment or something that you could share?

18:44                                     It was actually very difficult starting because I trained in New York at the American Academy of dramatic arts, and then I suddenly decided I'm going to go back to London and pursue a career. That, and of course, no one, you

19:00                                     okay.

19:01                                     Who? I was also at school in New York, you had to talk with a general American accent. So when I came back to England, I sort of had this sort of like an inflection in my voice and everyone was like, [inaudible] you don't sound English, which is a problem if you're going to work in England. Yeah, I mean my accent still messed up to be honest. But um, so I was like, okay. They said, why didn't you concentrate on being Manchester? And I was like, but I don't want it to be sort of like just restricted by, and they were like, no, it's like, you know, all the, so then I went the opposite way and I was talking lot, not trying to get wet and it ran work. And so it took me about two years of just writing to people and getting rejections. And then finally I did a play Romeo and Juliet and they gave me the tiniest part, which is, was opening the plate. I had a few lines and in my head I was like, I should really be doing whatever. And then after that I did another couple of binge plays and then it wasn't sustainable. I couldn't afford to keep giving these plays for free. And living in London. So I had a long gap of time where I wasn't getting any art team, but just trying to make ends meet.

20:22                                     [inaudible] now give us your best American accent. My God,

20:27                                     Sally, we're here. The juices are going to be like jumped him. No, I can only general Americans. So general American. Okay. To what I said, I'm hot now. You're hot now.

20:54                                     Yeah. So what was, um, do you have a funny audition moment that you could share?

21:01                                     Yeah, it was, I don't know if it's funny or tragic, but I remember I was auditioning for the Royal Shakespeare Company and it had taken a long time to get this audition on

21:17                                     a lot of people putting in words for me. And I was very nervous and excited and I for some reason decided I was gonna eat Twizzlers for breakfast. So I ate all these Twizzlers, you know, like it was like a nervous excitement. By the time I got to the audition, I had the worst stomach ache. I mean, like I was sweating, wiping just like I'm about to pass out. And I think I did pass out in the toilet and I was rolling along and that's why I let like, and it was my turn to go the audition and obviously the costume directors were looking for me on, someone said, she's in the toilet, don't think she's well

22:02                                     [inaudible]

22:03                                     and then finally it subsided and I said, no, no, no, I'm good. They were like, no, really, if you want to just take five, you can always come back another day and audition. I was like, no, I'm ready. And I go with that. And it was only when I left the audition that I need, I might have was for the toilet. Well and whatever else was on the floor in the toilet. And I look crazy. It's a couple of years later, I was at a cafe in London and this lady was talking about this up to the imu and I was, I just was teak. And I was like, oh, I know him too. And she was like, whoa. And it was, she had been auditioning me that she remembered everything and I was like, oh my God. She thought it was hilarious. But at the same time she was worried, but she said you will not, well,

22:59                                     no was stupid. Twizzlers,

23:07                                     Twizzlers, the breakfast.

23:09                                     Oh, that's terrible. Yeah. Well there there goes a, a good reason to take care of your health while you are going through. Um, all of the crazy auditions that, that you're lining up for.

23:23                                     Yeah. It's the paramount importance to be healthy in body, mind, and spirit. Yeah.

23:29                                     Now, when it comes to doing these auditions for different companies, different plays or movies or whatever it is you're doing, do you prefer to play the dramatic parts or what types of parts do you go for?

23:48                                     I normally am put up for drama, which I met Solent app, but I'm also very good comedian. I mean, they do say that comedians are via drama and vice versa. Yeah. Yeah. I normally do it. Melissa sent it. It's a bit of comedy actually, which was refreshing. But normally I get the dramatic roles because that can go there.

24:11                                     That's good. And I saw something you said to me that was on youtube and I can't remember the name of it, but it was excellent work.

24:20                                     The feature film that I did, it was called Layla Furby and it was about a mother and South Africa. Um, yes, I mean the first, I think the first 30 minutes of that film, I don't speak at all. It's all in the eyes.

24:35                                     Wow. And it was pretty good to see how you were doing. You only sent me a small clip and I was in, you know, mesmerized by the drama that was going on in the story. So I appreciate you sending that to me. Um, is there anything that you might want to give out to my audience to have them either see some of your work or maybe lead them into some of your mindset work?

25:05                                     Yes, I mean, um, yeah, at the moment I'm opening up the career reboot again. So, uh, many people say I like the sound of this work that you do. I know you're marketing it for artists, creative and performance, but I'm a business owner. This happened on the last line about can I join? And Yeah. So we have business owners on that. It's quite, um, I just look at the person and I go, this is what's stopping you. This is what stuff you, this is what's stopping you and that's what you want in case I need to tell you. So we do that.

25:46                                     Yeah.

25:47                                     Um, over eight weeks and it's lifetime access. And they, the artists, every time they go through the program, I mean, they're doing phenomenal things now. Have an artist who has a film of first film out at the London Film Festival and other artists could leave money claiming and everything. And she did the money assignments and then got a writing gig worth 70,000 pounds for days and wow. Better than me in fact. But that is open at the moment. And the website is w. W. Dot. Hello coaching. But artist flow coaching for artists [inaudible]. Okay. And then when you get onto the website, you'll see, uh, yeah. Dot Com. Yes.

26:42                                     Okay. I'll make, I put it in

26:44                                     the notes as well. Yeah. On my blog and everything. Yeah, I mean as an ante bed rate at the moment.

26:52                                     Okay. Well, I don't know if I'll be able to get everything processed in time for the early bird, but at least we'll probably tell them to say Sally sent me. Yes, exactly. Yes. Um, so anything else that a name of a film or anything that, that people might be able to go look up a and watch easily online?

27:16                                     Um, on line, I have a sh those, a short film online called velvet that I did intense in kids about three minutes on. It's by a director called piggy London and London. It's sort of like a dance and then, yeah. The next thing that comes out is a film called Dhaka, and Dhaka is a place in India and we filmed that in India and Thailand and it's starring Chris Hemsworth and that comes out on Netflix later this year. And how do you spell that? D. H my voice is going to D. H. A. K. A. Yes.

28:04                                     Yeah, I know that. Okay. All right. That'll be great. I'll, I'll be looking for that for sure. On Netflix, right. Yay. With Chris Hemsworth. Look at you.

28:14                                     Yeah. Why you're looking out for that.

28:18                                     That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for meeting with me today. I know this was just a, an informal little chat, but I liked the way that it went and I so glad that I've gotten to meet you and now get to know you a little bit better, so thank you.

28:35     Yeah, thank you, Sally. I appreciate that. All right, well, I'm going to stop recording. Thank you. Did it

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