Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Rodriguez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to LA in 2002 with the goal of pursuing acting. I was quite naïve and really had not idea what it would take to be in the industry in terms of time commitment and business sense. I was very clueless about how the business works and the expectations for a young actor coming to this city. Long story short, I ended up getting distracted by two things, relationships and work. In 2012, I found myself unhappy, not acting, with a career in commercial property management managing high-rise buildings in downtown Los Angeles and asking for a divorce from my then-husband. I got myself into therapy, moved forward with the divorce and eventually found myself dabbling in acting classes hear and there.
In 2017, I married my now husband and was on track to completing the conservatory program at Second City Hollywood. I was not in my late 30s and definitely felt like the old lady in the class. By the time, the pandemic hit, I was 40 years old with an infant and finally auditioning for commercials and television. I felt pathetic and embarrassed that I was 40 years old and still pursuing this dream. It was very isolating, but as I found an actor community on Instagram and started looking the careers of my teachers from Second City, I realized that I was not along in this pursuit. So much of the media, podcasts, etc., was directed toward younger actors who were first getting their start. I wanted to hear from the old actors. What are their struggles? How can we help each other? Why should we be proud of what we’re doing, so I started my podcast Making it After 40.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It was not a smooth road. My biggest obstacle was first my divorce. Divorce is truly a death and requires a period of mourning. In my case, I had a 2 1/2-year-old child that I felt like I was letting down. I now understand that a big part of my journey was learning to put my needs first. Understanding that I am codependent and learning how to navigate and change those behaviors. I also had to come to realize that I didn’t know myself. I spent and continue to spend a lot of time reconnecting with myself and learning to listen to what I really want. I know that my dreams were never going to happen when I was younger because I wasn’t ready emotionally or in terms of maturity. I need to go on this journey to be able to feel comfortable putting myself out there.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actor, writer and podcaster. In terms of my writing and acting, comedy is really the thing that I most versed in. I am always happy to take a risk, make myself look foolish. One of my favorite pieces is a lipsync/dance performance I did to Cat Stevens, Wigwam. In that performance, I get to be my most outlandish. When I was pregnant in 2019, I was on a house sketch team at Second City and was able to use my belly top portray Benjamin Franklin.
But truly, right now, I am most proud of my podcast. I do it all on my own, except for the music, which is written and produced by my husband. I host, edit, produce, do the marketing and everything in between. It’s a lot of work, but it’s so worth it. I feel like I really have found my niche in this podcast. I’ve always been one of those people that friends and sometimes strangers, will open up to and in the medium, I get to use some of that. My guests get to share a piece of themselves and in doing so, connect with other artists all over the country and the world. I have guests from Canada and the UK, so it’s becoming an international affair where artists get to share the stories of their journeys and their work.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory is when I built a clubhouse with my cousins. I grew up in a rural part of San Diego county and my parent’s property connects to my grandfather’s property. It was about 5 or 6 acres total, and all family lived there, but not in a cult way, like a farm. My uncle had moved into my grandparent’s guest house with his new wife and my new cousins, his stepkids, and even though it was only 8 months that they lived on the property, it was so instrumental to my development. We would run back and forth between the houses all summer long and after school. We had sleepovers almost every weekend and we built our own clubhouse. We saved money, bought the wood and built it all on our own. We were all 9 – 10 years old. It was pretty badass.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://makingitafter40.buzzsprout.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaroiriguez
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelisarodriguez/featured
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/makingitafter40/
