Climbing Cringe Mountain | Corey Clifford on Creating Your Own Work, Coaching, and Community

Corey Clifford is a SAG-AFTRA actor, writer, director, and acting coach based in LA, and this conversation is a masterclass in staying in the game for the long haul — with humor, humility, and a whole lot of reality TV references along the way. We get into what it actually takes to balance the craft and the business side of acting, why the old "ladder" of co-star to guest star to series regular doesn't really exist anymore, and why creating your own work has become less optional and more essential. Corey opens up about becoming a mom nearly two years ago and figuring out what it means to stay an artist while raising a toddler, the terrifying-but-necessary decision to end a manager relationship that wasn't serving her, and the years-long journey of writing a feature film with her husband that they're now determined to actually get made. We also talk about coaching actors through self-doubt regardless of how much they've booked, the "actor's rejection muscle," and why climbing cringe mountain — reaching out, self-promoting, putting yourself out there — is nonnegotiable in this version of the industry. This episode is funny, honest, and full of real, practical wisdom for anyone building a long-term creative career in an industry that keeps rewriting its own rules. **Key Topics Discussed:** - Balancing the Craft and the Business Side of Acting - Why the Old "Ladder" of Career Progression No Longer Exists - Creating Your Own Work as a Non-Negotiable Career Strategy - Becoming a Mom and Staying an Artist at the Same Time - Ending a Manager Relationship and Learning to Advocate for Herself - Coaching Actors Through Self-Doubt at Every Level - Climbing Cringe Mountain: Self-Promotion, Reaching Out, and the Actor's Rejection Muscle - Writing and Pursuing Funding for a Feature Film with Her Husband - The Importance of Community and Accountability Groups ✨Connect with Corey✨ Corey’s Instagram Corey’s Website Corey’s Podcast: Cinema Possessed ✨*Connect with Maddie*✨ Schedule a Call with Maddie | Explore Maddie’s Website @maddiemcguirecoaching | @maddiemcguire4