The Part of Modeling Nobody Talks About

The Model Way Podcast

Host Lenny Wheeler explores the psychological transition from dreaming of a modeling career to managing the actual pressures of bookings, ca

Key takeaways

Fear often arises when opportunities become real, signaling growth rather than a lack of readiness.
True confidence is defined not by the absence of nerves, but by the willingness to perform despite them.

Main topics

Managing modeling pressure
Overcoming fear and nerves

Notable quotes

Confidence isn't 'I'm never scared.' Confidence is 'I'm nervous, but I'm always walking in anyways.'

Conclusion

The episode serves as a motivational guide for models to embrace the d

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) Let me ask you something. Have you ever wanted something so badly and when when it was finally started happening You got scared not because you didn't want it anymore, but because suddenly it became real The casting became real the callbacks became real and the agency meetings even became even more real Those bookings became real the travel became real the pressure became real And now you're standing there thinking, wait a Speaker 1 (0:29) minute, Speaker 3 (0:30) am I really ready for this? That's what we're talking about today because sometimes the dream of modeling feels exciting until the opportunity actually shows up. And then you realize, now I have to perform. Now I have to show up. Now people are watching. Now I have to prove that I belong here. So today I want to talk about what happens when the dream stops being a dream and it becomes real. I'm Lenny Wheeler, this is the Modelway Podcast, and our show starts right now. Speaker 1 (1:32) What's going on everybody? Welcome back Speaker 3 (1:34) to the Model Way. I'm your host Lenny Wheeler and today I want to talk directly to the models. The ones who are just getting started. The ones who have been doing this for a while. Even the ones who are trying to get signed. The ones who are getting callbacks. The ones who are getting closer, so close. And even the ones who are wondering whether they really belong in the industry. Because one thing I've noticed over and over in this A lot of people want the opportunity, but when the opportunity gets close, fear shows up. And that fear can sound like maybe I'm not ready. Maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe they're going to pick somebody else. And maybe I don't look like the other models. Maybe I'm too old. Maybe I'm too short. You've heard all this stuff. Maybe I'm too, I just started late. And maybe I should just stop trying. And I want to tell you something. Those thoughts do not automatically mean they belong to you. Sometimes they just mean you care. Sometimes they mean you stepping into something bigger than what you're used to. And that can be very uncomfortable. Speaker 3 (2:40) Before we really get started, I really guys want you guys to hit that like and subscribe button today. Follow us on Apple. We are in the top five on Apple guys running about three weeks straight on the top five. We hit number two. We're very close to number one, but I want you to hit that like and subscribe button today. Okay. Also follow us on YouTube, iHeartRadio and Spotify. We look forward to it. Everybody loves the dream. The beautiful pictures, the runway. The travel, the clothes, the campaigns, the makeup, the lights, the attention. It's a lot. The agencies, the idea of being discovered. There's so much. That part is easy to imagine. It's very easy to put it up in the head, but the real modeling world is different. That real world has calling times, early mornings, long days. It's waiting. It's rejection. It's callbacks, fittings, auditions. Being told no, being told yes, and then having to change something. Being compared to other people, dang. Being asked to adjust. Being expected to remain professional. That's where the dream becomes real. And that's the part nobody really posts. You see the final campaign, you don't see the 20 castings before it. You see the runway show, you don't see the fittings. You see the magazine image, and you don't see the hours on set. You see the model traveling. You don't see the rejection emails. And sometimes young models look at the finished product and think, God, man, Speaker 2 (4:13) that's what modeling is. No, that's part Speaker 3 (4:17) of modeling. It's a very small part of it. The other part is you being in having that endurance. And if you understand that early, you're already ahead, guys. You got to Speaker 2 (4:25) keep enduring. Speaker 3 (4:26) OK, so I really wanted to talk about this because fear doesn't mean you're not ready. Let's talk about nerves, because I think models like get embarrassed about being nervous. You go to that first agency meeting, you may be nervous. You walk into your first real casting, you're nervous. You get your first callback, you're nervous. You get your first real booking, you're really, really nervous at that point. You know, because that's when it gets real because now somebody actually wants you and that can create a different kind of pressure. You know, you start thinking, what if I mess up? You know, what if I don't know how to pose? What if I freeze? You're trying to really get