Colleen sits down with Heather Hemmens (Roswell New Mexico, Hellcats, Yellowstone)  to talk about sustaining a decades-long career through resilience, craft, and self-care. Heather looks back on moving from Maine to LA at 18 with little money, the disheartening early years, and how depression in her early 20s led her to coping tools like hiking, yoga, meditation, and better health habits. Stan Kirsch Studios was one of the places that gave her a sense of community and built her groundwork for on-camera training, and she also got support from a manager who stuck with her before she booked for years. Heather breaks down what she learned watching herself on camera, her seven-audition journey to booking Hellcats despite getting harsh feedback from a casting director, and how that propelled her in the future when she was up for Roswell, New Mexico. From working with Tyler Perry to Taylor Sheridan, Heather has absorbed the artistry of those around her and used it to further her acting career and work. No matter what happened, she refused to give up, and that’s how she was able to keep going. See her in “Texas Two Step” now playing on Hallmark.

00:00 Meet Heather Hemmens

01:01 Moving to LA at 18

02:45 Full Circle Milestone

04:07 Self Care Survival

06:16 Depression and Coping Tools

08:07 Finding Stan Kerr Studios

10:56 On Camera Breakthroughs

15:03 Booking Hellcats

18:26 Notes and Callbacks

20:10 Resilience Before the Break

24:39 Health Crisis to Business

26:53 Roswell Audition Shift

27:10 Booking Roswell Fast

29:20 Juggling Three Shows

31:14 Champagne Problems Reality

35:21 Tyler vs Taylor Workflows

38:41 Tyler Perry Boot Camp

41:45 Directing Actors Gently

46:02 Staying Flexible On Set

47:35 Dancing Again Texas Two Step

50:14 Choosing Directing Home Turf

52:40 Trusting Intuition Self Care

EPISODE LINKS:

· Heather’s ⁠IMDb⁠

· Follow Heather on IG ⁠@heatherhemmens⁠

· Get some ⁠Galifornia Undies ⁠

Host: ⁠Colleen Foy⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠Kristyn Daniel⁠⁠

Music by: Lindsay Boreing and Will Boreing

________________

Want to learn more about Stan Kirsch Studios? ⁠⁠Visit Our Website Here.⁠⁠

⁠⁠Catch up on the podcast here.⁠⁠

Follow SKS on IG ⁠⁠@stankirschstudios ⁠⁠