Defying Gravity: Broadway Legend Mandy Gonzalez on Devotion, Mastery & Living Authentically

That's how it started.

Yeah.

It makes me think, though, because I heard like Lin-Manuel story, Lin-Manuel Miranda, like also a high school sort of prodigy with very, very serious programs that took themselves very seriously, even though you're dealing with teenagers and that evolution.

And I keep asking myself the question, does Did you manifest this life or did it unfold in a way that you could not have planned? Was luck a real factor here or was there an interest that sort of just grabbed you from your grandmother's initial grab that catapulted you further? I think it was a lot of both.

You know,

I think I manifested I want to do this.

And I didn't know how to do it.

And I didn't come from a family that did that kind of thing.

And so I kind of had to say yes a lot to things that maybe I was going to do for that moment.

I went on LA Weekly, and I wanted to learn more about blues singing.

And I joined a blues band in Santa Monica on the weekends when I was in high school.

I joined another band that played 70s music right after high school.

So while I was in that year of college, I was singing at like you know restaurants and and doing that kind of thing but i i feel like because i didn't have anybody saying well you have to do this and this and this in order to get there um and my parents were always just like do it you know my dad brought the we call it like the singing machine the karaoke machine to every family function and i would sing they would just say mandy sing you know i would go to uh venice beach And my dad would bring the singing machine and I'd sing.

Like my dad, my whole family was kind of behind this encouragement to sing.

But I think it's just, I just really wanted to express myself in that way.

And I didn't have any filters.

I love that.

You

know? Because you really were following a desire that was so unique and so authentic to you.

In other words, to the point where you even had to have in your house rules of don't sing at the table because they had to stop you.

There are two things I want to highlight for the audience who's listening and who's also interested in attaining mastery.

are two things that are exemplified by you.

Number one is you practiced anywhere and everywhere.

In other words, karaoke on the beach in Venice is just as valuable as time on stage with Bette Midler.

And the second is you're a nerdy nerd.

That's how it started.

Yeah.

It makes me think, though, because I heard like Lin-Manuel story, Lin-Manuel Miranda, like also a high school sort of prodigy with very, very serious programs that took themselves very seriously, even though you're dealing with teenagers and that evolution.

And I keep asking myself the question, does Did you manifest this life or did it unfold in a way that you could not have planned? Was luck a real factor here or was there an interest that sort of just grabbed you from your grandmother's initial grab that catapulted you further? I think it was a lot of both.

You know,

I think I manifested I want to do this.

And I didn't know how to do it.

And I didn't come from a family that did that kind of thing.

And so I kind of had to say yes a lot to things that maybe I was going to do for that moment.

I went on LA Weekly, and I wanted to learn more about blues singing.

And I joined a blues band in Santa Monica on the weekends when I was in high school.

I joined another band that played 70s music right after high school.

So while I was in that year of college, I was singing at like you know restaurants and and doing that kind of thing but i i feel like because i didn't have anybody saying well you have to do this and this and this in order to get there um and my parents were always just like do it you know my dad brought the we call it like the singing machine the karaoke machine to every family function and i would sing they would just say mandy sing you know i would go to uh venice beach And my dad would bring the singing machine and I'd sing.

Like my dad, my whole family was kind of behind this encouragement to sing.

But I think it's just, I just really wanted to express myself in that way.

And I didn't have any filters.

I love that.

You

know? Because you really were following a desire that was so unique and so authentic to you.

In other words, to the point where you even had to have in your house rules of don't sing at the table because they had to stop you.

There are two things I want to highlight for the audience who's listening and who's also interested in attaining mastery.

are two things that are exemplified by you.

Number one is you practiced anywhere and everywhere.

In other words, karaoke on the beach in Venice is just as valuable as time on stage with Bette Midler.

And the second is you're a nerdy nerd.