Ep 186: Foolish with Sarah Cooper
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Ep 186: Foolish with Sarah Cooper
Episode 186: Show Notes
Entertainment is one of those industries and careers where you might only get your “big break” much later in life. But could it be worth it to leave a stable, high-paying job to venture into the arts for the very first time?
Today's guest, Sarah Cooper, would answer with a resounding “Yes!” Sarah began working in tech design and at the ripe age of 32, she made a career switch that changed her life forever. Thanks to the folly of Donald Trump who inspired her videos that went viral on TikTok, Sarah became a comedian and later, an author.
In today's conversation, Sarah explains how her habit of journaling when she was young helped her as a stand-up comedian and author as well as what inspired her to write her latest book, Foolish. We discuss how she found the courage to leave a steady income for the uncertainty of entertainment, how her tech background influences the work she does today, what it's like to become a celebrity overnight, and how her spirituality fits into the picture.
We also explore how to navigate relationships after finding fame, the perils of trying to dismantle societal norms, what our guest learned from her memoir writing process, and how she views success today compared to before all the glitz and glamour.
Key Points From This Episode:
Once again, a very warm welcome to the author and entertainer, Sarah Cooper.
The crutch that Sarah has begun to let go of.
How her habit of journaling helped her to perform and paved the way for her books.
Her backstory, and what's happened in her life since the last time she was on this show.
What inspired her book's subtitle, “Tales of assimilation, determination, and humiliation."
Who she wrote Foolish for, and how she used writing as therapy.
How she found the courage to leave "dream" jobs in tech to pursue an entertainment career.
The way her background in tech influenced her comedy and writing.
Standout moments from Sarah's humble days of performing comedy in pizza parlors.
The number of times she's thought about quitting comedy to go back to corporate.
Our guest explains what it's like to go from anonymous to Netflix-famous almost overnight.
Where spirituality fits into her journey.
Navigating relationships after finding fame.
What Sarah learned about herself from the process of writing her memoir.
The Instagram-marriage-box-checking competition.
Assessing the relationships that Sarah has formed with other celebrities.
Her current social media platform of choice, and her favorite comedy venues to perform in.
Our guest's current view of success.
Quotes:
"Sometimes it's a bigger risk to get addicted to that comfort than it is to just take a chance." — @sarahcpr [0:27:52]
“There's so much more benefit to feeling, being on stage and feeling than there is to [overthinking]." —@sarahcpr [0:29:52]
"When you're working for yourself and by yourself and you're a writer, it's such a lonely experience. And that's the thing I really missed about Google – it wasn't the work, it was the people." — @sarahcpr [0:33:48]
"I don't know why, but everything was just popping, it was just popping, things were just happening - things were just handed to me. It was wild, I became a white dude." — @sarahcpr [0:37:24]
"In the corporate world, I could fake a lot of things. In entertainment, you just can't. You've got to be genuine, you've got to be a real person." — @sarahcpr [0:42:41]
"I don't want to be a person that's successful through shortcuts." — @sarahcpr [0:57:58]
Longer Quotes:
"When I left Google, I told my boss that I was going to be writing. The first thing, he was like, 'Do you have a book deal?' And I was like, 'No.' And that's what gave me the idea to have a book deal. But then the other thing he said was, 'You know, you can always come back.' That’s when I was like, 'Wait, it's a bigger risk to stay than it is to go?' – I just knew that I didn't see myself, for the rest of my life, designing websites – but I knew with writing, I could see myself doing this when I'm 80; I could see myself doing this on my death bed; I could see myself writing in my journal as the last thing I do." — @sarahcpr [0:26:55]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Episode 37: Everything is Fine with Sarah Cooper
10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings
100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings