Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'all. You were listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. And what day is it? Is it. We're almost at April. Like, tomorrow will be April, right?
[00:00:20] Speaker C: No, March had somewhere to be.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: It really did. It honestly did.
[00:00:24] Speaker C: January would not leave. It wouldn't take the hint. And March is like, it just drove by.
[00:00:29] Speaker B: Yeah, it was very similar to February. And then I don't know what to predict with April.
[00:00:34] Speaker C: Me either. Yes.
[00:00:35] Speaker B: But I know, Niko, before the show, we had discussed, you know, it's kind of kicked off the spring sports stuff for kids and all the things, and I remember. I can't remember if it was on Instagram or another social media platform. It was like this montage of pictures of moms at the ballpark, just, like, all wrapped up, like, burritos and blankets. Is that your style normally, too?
[00:00:58] Speaker C: It was my style for the first game. We had 30 miles per hour, up to 30 miles per hour, wind gusts, and it was, like, 57. And so anyone who knows me knows that I turn into a popsicle when it goes below 70. Like, give me all the heat and all the humidity. You know, I start shaking and freezing, and so I was in layers, and some of the moms thought I didn't show up. Cause they didn't know who I was.
[00:01:23] Speaker B: Oh, sure.
[00:01:24] Speaker C: Because I was so incognito hiding underneath.
[00:01:26] Speaker B: I was a little, like, homeless person.
[00:01:28] Speaker C: I did. I was a burrito. And so, you know, I'm hoping for bright, pretty sunny spring days as we go forward.
[00:01:36] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:01:37] Speaker C: How about you?
[00:01:38] Speaker B: You know, I. How did I. What did I wear?
I wore a sweatshirt, and I'm glad that I did. Cause I was on the field with our three year old. I may or may not have ran the bases for him while carrying him in the second or third inning, but, you know, thinking about your temperature preference, Nika, so what temperature do you set your thermostat to when you sleep at night?
[00:01:59] Speaker C: So I understand that the ideal thermostat should be 68, but let me tell you what I have on my bed. I have the sheet. Then I have the hospital blanket. You know, the kind that you can buy. And then I have a down comforter, and then I have another down comforter. And then on top of that, I have a heated blanket.
[00:02:16] Speaker B: Oh, man.
[00:02:17] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Do you have a weighted blanket?
[00:02:19] Speaker C: I do have a weighted blanket, but I have a little pup that I rescued, and he sleeps with me, and he likes to crawl under the sheets, and I don't want it to, you know, collapse his lungs.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: I don't know if it would, but. Totally fair. Totally fair.
[00:02:32] Speaker C: But if I'm in the recliner, I get my weighted blanket. But, yes, I don't know what it is.
[00:02:36] Speaker B: I just.
[00:02:38] Speaker C: Cold hurts. Yeah.
[00:02:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So I, like, clean, cold sheets initially, and then, like, doing the whole thing with, like, rubbing my legs around and just, like, getting all, like, cozied up, and then I like to be warm. I don't like to be hot, but I do want to be cozy. I want to be cozy. Yes.
[00:02:54] Speaker C: But summer is definitely my jam. Like, I do.
[00:02:57] Speaker B: I love the heat.
[00:02:58] Speaker C: So, you know, I'm a southern girl. What can I say? No, I totally understand. I would not make it a day in the northeast.
[00:03:06] Speaker B: I would not either. My people hail from the equator. I was not born and raised in the Philippines. My people are from the Philippines. So I feel like, genetically, I probably do better in the heat.
[00:03:17] Speaker C: Yeah, it's just in. Yeah, it's just in the blood. Yes.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: I have the dry shampoo, all the things. But honestly, during the humidity, it doesn't really help. Like, I'll tell, like, all of our students that go through sorority recruitment, I'm like, the dry shampoo, like, honestly, isn't even helping you anymore. Like, everybody should just embrace, like, looking like a.
[00:03:34] Speaker C: Like a hot dog just got out of the pool. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. I don't know.
[00:03:39] Speaker B: But I will say for those of you that are listening and you're like, oh, my gosh, what are they talking about? Today, I promise we won't be just talking about the weather and mom life at the ballpark or anything else, but we actually have a student that is going to be on the show with us, a graduate student. Excuse me. And, you know, I always have fun when we have students. I feel like they bring a good energy and also just getting their perspective. And also, too, as we go into the spring and we're kind of landing this semester, we have so many. Any students that are graduating and really looking to, what is that next step for them? Especially our graduate students, too, because it's not necessarily that they're about to go on to that next degree, but there's, like, some kind of career that's happening for them. And I know advising has kicked off or is going to kick off.
[00:04:24] Speaker C: Registration is going strong, and we are making our plan. Well, we've made our plans for summer and fall, but now we're, you know, trying to solidify them, and then, you know, there's those that are looking for their next step out of here, whether that's another professional program, graduate program, or, you know, the quote unquote workforce, real world.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: Now, remind me before we take a break, how many advisees do you have? How many appointments do you have booked?
[00:04:51] Speaker C: Well, I usually see around 200 or more every semester. On top of my classes this past week, I had 31 30 minutes appointments and then taught four classes throughout the week. And, you know, classes meet more than once a week, so it's a busy time. I liken it to an advisor's registration time. It's like an accountant's tax season. Yes. It's just a really busy, you know, jam packed season.
[00:05:22] Speaker B: I love how polished that response is and so kind and polite about the realities of that. But before I dig us into a bigger hole, y'all, we are gonna take a quick break. You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Mika on 90.7.
[00:05:35] Speaker C: The capstone.
[00:05:41] Speaker A: WvuaFm tuscaloosa.
[00:05:51] Speaker B: Welcome back, listeners.
[00:05:52] Speaker C: You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: And I'm giggling because. So before the break, we were just. You know, I was really applauding Nika for just such a beautifully polished answer as I was asking her about the realities of her adventure advising schedule and then also being just full time faculty and all of the things. But without further ado, it is our pleasure to introduce our guest, Miss Lauren Brendel. She is a UA graduate student pursuing an MFA in acting. And we are just so happy to have you with us today, Lauren.
[00:06:27] Speaker D: Thank you. I'm so happy to be here.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: Yes. And now, in true fashion for the show, one of the things that we always like to do with our guests is really just, we need the deets on you. We want to know hometown, what brought you to UA. Professional and academic background, favorite color? Not really, but maybe. But just tell it to us, sister.
[00:06:46] Speaker D: Yeah, of course. So I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So I was laughing when you were talking about not for being able to live in the northeast. That was getting to me.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: Okay, which one do you like the best, the cold or the heat?
[00:06:57] Speaker D: Well, the thing I love about the northeast is having all four seasons. I love a big spring and fall person when I'm up there, like, the leaves changing and when things are finally starting to grow in the spring, like, I was a big fan of the weather that we had. Not the wind, but the 55. Like, I can get behind that, because in between temperatures I actually do really like.
So I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and I started doing theater at a very young age, and I went to James Madison University for my undergraduate degree in theater. That was a bachelor of arts in theater. Worked professionally a little bit in the regional market and a lot of places in the midwest, Ohio, Indiana, back home in Pittsburgh. And then COVID happened and kind of shut down the theater. Live performance for a very long time.
[00:07:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:48] Speaker D: And so kind of I ended up, my last contract before COVID happened was in Pittsburgh. So I was very lucky that I wasn't paying rent because I was living with my parents. I thought it was going to be for a month and a half on this contract and ended up being for almost all of 2020. But it was a blessing in disguise because it kind of allowed me some time to really think about how my career had been since graduating undergrad and what I wanted to look like later on. And I realized that in order to do that, I really wanted to get my master's degree in acting.
And so I was applying for these programs when the world was still shut down, and I was emailing all of them, like, are you still, like, is this program going to exist?
[00:08:32] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:08:33] Speaker B: Like, are y'all still at the end?
[00:08:34] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:08:35] Speaker D: Are you having. Are your auditions live over Zoom? This, that, the other thing, it was wild. But then I established, like, immediately a really strong connection with the head of the theater department here, Seth Panitch, who is just one of the smartest and most talented theater makers. He directs, he acts, he writes, he does it all. And I basically got an early offer to this program.
And so because the offer was so early, I ended up living in New York for almost all of 2021 until the fall semester started, because I found out basically a year before the program started that I was going to be here. And that is when I found orange theory. I had gotten my group fitness certification in undergrad, taught at the rec center, James Madison University and stuff. It was so much fun, and I've been kind of doing it on and off as time kind of allowed with the theater performances I was doing. And since theater was shut down, I started doing fitness full time and taught in the Brooklyn and Queens. Orange theory.
[00:09:39] Speaker C: Very nice.
[00:09:40] Speaker D: It was so much fun. And, yeah, and ever since I've been here, I was just talking to Sheena about this because she's a member. I coach her at 05:00 a.m..
[00:09:49] Speaker B: Sometimes.
[00:09:51] Speaker D: I immediately was like, let me transfer to this orange theory location. I want to keep this going, and it's been just so wonderful to have, like, both the theater community here and that fitness community. Orange theory.
[00:10:04] Speaker C: Fitness community. I can speak to that. That it's really a thing.
[00:10:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:07] Speaker C: And it's. Once you find it, it's your family. Yeah. You know, so I'm glad you found it here.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: Well, and I just want to say, nika, especially since we were in grad school together, and, you know, when we had our health coaching class, and I was your client, and I had shout.
[00:10:20] Speaker C: Out to Doctor Turner.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: Yes. And I had that lofty idea of, like, I'm gonna work out every single day at 530 in the morning. And who knew? It took me being, like, closer to 40 years old to, like, actually pull that off, but it was really, I.
[00:10:32] Speaker C: Think, the fitness community.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: So having you had that long term goal, and, girl, you hit it.
[00:10:37] Speaker C: I did.
[00:10:38] Speaker B: I really did. I'm proud of you as your health.
[00:10:40] Speaker C: Coach from back in the day. I'm so proud of you. Thank you.
[00:10:43] Speaker B: I'm glad you checked in with me. Well, yes, it's in my roots. I had to do that. But, Lauren, you know, kind of speaking about your experiences, I know you just mentioned at the beginning that you started theater pretty early on.
[00:10:55] Speaker D: Early on.
[00:10:56] Speaker B: I'm actually curious what kind of started that interest for you. I know a lot of times individuals will say, like, oh, it wasn't the encouragement of a family member, or maybe you can, like, sometimes somebody just comes up with idea on their own. Like, they see that opportunity. What was that like for you and your story?
[00:11:12] Speaker D: Yeah, I think I just always kind of loved performing.
Like, was always the person who wanted to do the choir and stuff like that. Even in elementary school, that's sort of just the performing arts. And there was this after school theater program.
Shout out, act one theater school of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That was super close to where we were. And a couple of my friends started doing it, and they loved it. I would see their shows and be like, oh, man, this is. This is what I want to do. This is so much fun.
Like, my friends who were, you know, just my friends at school were to me at that time, the quality of those productions was, like, mind blowing to me. It was like, oh, my gosh, people my age are like a whole, you know, it was an after school program, so it was like 40, ten through 14 year olds are coming together and being able to create this. And, like, you know, once I caught the bug, it just kind of continued from there. Absolutely.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: I love that. I love that so much.
So, one thing, Anika, you're like, oh, my gosh, like, you're talking so much, but I'm just like, I have, like, all of these thoughts and questions for you. And, you know, one of the other things that we did want to ask you about was regarding just, you know, your most memorable performances, whether as a kid or, you know, more so in adult life.
[00:12:41] Speaker D: Yeah, I think the most recent memorable performance is what I'm actually writing, like, my MFA thesis on. This past fall, I got to play Cassius, and Julius Caesar was directed by the head of my department. It was great. I'm a big Shakespeare girl. I love it. And Cassius is traditionally a male character.
[00:13:03] Speaker C: Right.
[00:13:03] Speaker D: And it's. Shakespeare has great roles for women. He really does write great roles for women. But when it comes to the history plays, he's transcribing history. And so a lot of the roles are male, and so we gender meant that role and a couple other ones throughout the show. And so just to get that opportunity to explore a character who, like, as a middle schooler, high schooler, just never thought I'd be, like, playing Cassius and then writing my thesis about it. That was an amazing experience.
[00:13:34] Speaker C: Yeah, very cool. So with your passion for, we have heard from you about your passion for acting. Tell us what, how you caught the bug for fitness.
[00:13:46] Speaker D: Yeah, so I played sports growing up. I was a soccer player, and then I played basketball. And I still love march madness right now is just everything to me.
It's my season, but, yeah, so I loved basketball. And then once actually, once theater started to take up more and more of my time, I was like, oh, I kind of miss, like, this fitness aspect of it. I kind of miss, like, being able to work out, like, break sweat, that sort of stuff.
And so in high school, I sort of, kind of got into it, but there was no, I would take, like, occasional group fitness classes if I could find them in the area. But then it was when I got to undergrad, and I was like, oh, my gosh, there's this ginormous rec center that offers, like, 50 classes a week, and they're free for me. And I think at that point, and then I realized that all the instructors were, like, undergrad students and that all they had to do was take this course that meant just, you know, like, once or twice a week. And that's how you got your certification. I was like, well, I have this performance background. I'm comfortable on a microphone. I have this passion for fitness that's kind of been, like, growing and stuff like that. And, you know, throughout theater, I danced a little bit. So I kind of had a little bit of a body awareness and awareness of some, like, anatomy concepts, that sort of stuff. And I love these classes, and these people look like they're having so much fun teaching these classes. And so I took the course and immediately was just, like, hooked. I started as a boxing fitness instructor, which I still love, but they had me doing everything. Boxing, hit core bosu, like, cycle class. They had me doing everything over there, which is. It was so much fun. And that's how I. Yeah. Really got into it.
[00:15:34] Speaker B: I love that. Nika, does that resonate with you when I think about, like, your passion for fitness and, like, all of the things it does, it does.
[00:15:44] Speaker C: I remember the first time I got to put the mic on, I was like, I feel like Britney Spears in concert.
[00:15:47] Speaker D: It's the Britney mic.
[00:15:50] Speaker B: I still call it that.
[00:15:51] Speaker D: Even in orange theory, we still have the Britney mic.
[00:15:53] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:53] Speaker B: Okay. I feel like.
I feel like I need a Britney mic now because I know exactly what y'all are talking about. And honestly, that's what I think of when I see y'all and any fitness instructor wearing that.
[00:16:04] Speaker D: But.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: Okay, we gotta take a break. We're gonna catch back up with Lauren. You are listening to fits be tied, but Sheena need on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:16:16] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:16:25] Speaker C: Hey, listeners, you are listening to fit to be tight with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the Capstone. And we have Lauren Brendol, a UA graduate student who is pursuing her MFA in acting at the University of Alabama, joining us today. And Lauren, I do have a question for you. We talk a lot sometimes to our undergrad students about self care. Yes. How is that different for a graduate student being an undergrad and now you're a grad student. What are some of the different, I guess, stressors that is unique to grad school? And have you been able to tell that you cope differently or maybe in healthier ways? Has that just come with, you know, age and maturity or does it just kind of come with the landscape?
[00:17:12] Speaker D: I think a huge part of it is age and maturity because I think about, I was personally, even though I was coaching all these classes and doing theater and undergraduate, I was not good with self care and undergrad, just about taking that time for myself. And like, I think about, like, lack of sleep and nutritional choices I was making or not making and just the unnecessary stress. A lot of times I was putting on myself like an undergrad. And I kind of feel like it's been night and day coming to grad school because I think I learned. I think undergrad was the time for me to make those mistakes and kind of push through it. And grad school, I was like, okay, now I know what not to do. And now I have a more mature perspective on all this stuff. And so I'm always just so impressed when I see undergraduate students, especially ones in the performing arts. But even, you know, I talk about orange theory a lot. But like, we have, I coach the opening class, I coach the five, the 615, the 730, and the amount of undergraduate students who are showing up to that 615 regularly, like, energized. Like not just, you know, rolling out of bed and getting it done at the expense of sleep, but the people who have, like, built this into their schedule. They impress me so much because that's something that I was just not doing in undergrad. But I think for grad students it is a different balance because we're not taking gen eds, right. All of our courses are specialized, so we're generally taking less of them. However, I'm a GTA, which is a graduate teaching assistant. So I always have a two course teaching or assisting load on top of that. And that wildly varies depending on the semester because this semester I kind of lucked out. I'm calling. It feels like I'm graduating in May and it feels like I'm having like my senior spring because my TA duties are very laid back. This semester, I'm assisting. I'm just helping some undergrads coach some monologues and scenes and stuff like that. Like very light, fun work supporting the work they're doing in the class.
Last semester, however, I was the instructor of record for the undergraduate showcase prep class, which is helping them pick their pieces for our agent showcases that the seniors were doing and getting those up to speed. And I was also one of the lab instructors for the general education theater course. So for that I ta on Monday, but then I lead the lab discussion on Wednesday. So fall semester was much busier in terms of that load. So it's kind of interesting because on typically on like your Monday, Wednesday, Friday, you're playing like TA or teacher. Then Tuesday Thursday is where we kind of have our classes that we're taking.
Yeah, you switch rules. And so there's a different type of.
[00:20:27] Speaker C: Balance, a different type of stress that comes with that.
[00:20:30] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:20:31] Speaker C: Not having that same routine all day every day, you know, having to put on a different hat every day. Stressful.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: Well, and you know, Lauren, you know, as I'm thinking about what you've shared. You know, I'm curious, for your program with the MFA in acting, is it a quote unquote, requirement for everyone to kind of be that triple threat as far as being able to act, sing, and dance? Because I'm just thinking about demands on the body, you know, potential, like additional things that people are having to train in when they're not in a performance, you know, just to kind of keep those skills sharp. So can you kind of speak to that a little bit?
[00:21:07] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. So it is an MFA in acting, so we're not necessarily focusing as much on musical theater. A lot of the undergrads are, so they have a lot of those dance classes and voice lessons. However, to be the type of well rounded actor that we want to be, we still have voice and movement classes. It's just the speaking voice and movement on stage. So it's still a very physical and vocally draining program because, you know, with voice class, we're taking dialects, and we're having to speak in different dialects and accents and making sure we're keeping our vocal instrument healthy. And for movement, we focus on a lot of different movement techniques that a lot of them derive from dance, like La Bonne movement is derived from dance and is all about using different movement qualities in order to create a character. And a lot of that work, especially warming up into that work before applying it to a scene, is very physical. Their movement qualities like punch, ring, press, flick, all these things that we are trying that to do, those things, you're involving your entire body. Right. And then we also focus on something called Alexander technique, which a lot of athletes actually use because it's finding the perfect alignment for your individual body that's going to allow yourself to function as efficiently and as with the most availability as possible. Availability to emotion, to reaction on stage, that sort of thing.
And so even though it's not like what you think of Broadway shows, singing, dancing, that sort of thing, it is like, a lot of. A lot of movement and a lot of vocal work, for sure.
[00:22:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm just kind of geeking out because, again, because it's so out of my wheelhouse, I feel like it's a great opportunity for me to just ask these questions that are popping up since I'm not in that world. Right.
[00:23:05] Speaker C: And it's also, you know, you are getting trained on all these, like, things that we don't know about. You know, I don't. I didn't know about any of these until you just said them, which is so intriguing to me. But on the other end.
[00:23:18] Speaker B: How do we.
[00:23:18] Speaker C: We keep our movement up? We keep it up by proper nutrition and proper rest and stretching and, you know, building the muscular endurance system and the cardiorespiratory endurance system. And you know this because of your passion for fitness. But how many people in that realm do you feel they don't get the whole picture because they've never taken a dietetics course or a nutrition 101 or.
Or is that brought in?
[00:23:48] Speaker D: I feel like it's been getting better. I feel like there's more of an awareness that I'm seeing. Maybe it's because I'm outside looking in, but I feel like I'm very impressed by the undergrads in this program who, like, are. And maybe it's because of TikTok, Instagram. Who knows? But who know how to meal prep effectively for themselves, even if it's not like making 35 meals on Sunday, but who still know, okay, I need to pack my lunches for these days, so I'm not starving. Lightheaded. Whatever. At rehearsal. The importance of hydration and stuff. I think. I do think our faculty does a really great job here at stressing that to students getting enough sleep.
Hydration. Hydration. Hydration is like the motto of our void, of our major voice teacher here.
So I think that obviously, there's always room to grow. But I've been very impressed from what I've seen from the undergrads, and they help each other.
That's the thing that I've really started to see more, is that there's an undergraduate student who has a decent amount of dietary restrictions. So she's very good about always making sure she's got snacks on hand and that sort of stuff.
Undergraduate students who don't necessarily have as much of an immediate need for that see her doing that are like, wait a second. That's so small. Like, she's saving so much time. She's saving money doing this. And even though I don't need, like, this specific, like, gluten free or allergen free option, like, this is actually. So I think there's a lot of great learning from each other that's been able to happen within the program that I've seen, and that it's really inspiring. As, like, a grad student, I'm like, wow, you guys have your stuff. A lot more to come together than I did, and it's really. It's really, like, like, hopeful. Yeah, this is great.
[00:25:49] Speaker B: Well, I know we're about to have to take a break, but one really quick as far as sleep goes, what's kind of your goal? Like, do you have, like, a set number of hours? You're like, okay, this is like a non negotiable. Or do you feel like sleep is something that's had to be a little bit more flexible for you with a demanding schedule? I'm just curious.
[00:26:07] Speaker D: It depends. It depends. I'm very much like, if I can get at least 7 hours, that's where I'm like, really? And I'm an early bird.
Once it hits eleven, I start getting nervous.
I'm like, oh, my gosh. And I know some people can function on way less sleep, but that's not me. I do open the gym on Tuesday and Thursdays, which I have to be there at 430. So I try to roll out of bed hopefully by four.
And I really try. I set an alarm for 930 and 10:00 p.m. On those nights. And 930 is like, the warning. Like, you better be starting to brush your teeth.
[00:26:51] Speaker B: Yeah, you better land this.
[00:26:54] Speaker D: Yeah. 10:00 p.m. Is like an absolute.
You need to go to bed. Whatever you're doing can wait. Because if you finish it now, you're not gonna be a human tomorrow, right?
[00:27:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:27:05] Speaker C: It's like, FYI.
[00:27:06] Speaker B: So on that note, we'll take a break. So we are taking a break, you guys, you are listening to fit to be time machine Mika on 90.7, the Capstone.
[00:27:20] Speaker A: WVuaFm tuscaloosa.
[00:27:30] Speaker C: You are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 to Capstone. And our guest today, Lauren Brendel, a UA graduate student who is going to have her masters in acting. And it's going to make it in the big time in New York City. So I can feel it in my bowling. I can feel it in my bones. But that is your plans, right? After the summer, you have some plans, and then you.
[00:27:58] Speaker D: Yeah. So I'll be working at Wisconsin Shakespeare festival this summer, like I said. Thanks, Shakespeare Gal. So excited to play some of those roles. And then early fall, we'll be moving back to the Big Apple.
[00:28:11] Speaker C: So excited.
[00:28:12] Speaker B: Right here. I love that. And I know, Lauren, I warned you during the break that I wanted to ask you about what you were up to to this past summer. And you had mentioned having a contract with performance in a theme park. Tell us a little bit about what life like that looked like.
[00:28:29] Speaker D: Absolutely. That. Okay. Theme park contracts are one place where you really have to be serious about self care, because it's. I like how you pitch it it's so physically demanding. And so I worked for Windish Entertainment, and Windish Entertainment is a company. There are a couple big performance companies, companies that hire singers, dancers, actors to work at cruise ships, theme parks, resorts, any sort of entertainment like that. So we were hired by them to do this. It was a four person 30. We had two different 30 minutes shows. One was like a lot of big singing, dancing, eighties till today music. And the other one was like a little acoustic set that we did. Patrons came in. It was actually a theme park called Kennywood park, that is right outside of Pittsburgh, which is part of the reason how I got hooked up with them, got the contract, that sort of thing, because that's where I'm from.
And so that schedule is just really wild. So I showed up to the park at ten, and then we would do the acoustic set from eleven to 1130, and then we would have shows at 1232, 34, 37. On the weekends we would add that like 07:00 p.m., and, you know, we were out there and it's not. It's not Alabama. The Pittsburgh still does get, like, pretty, pretty hot, pretty humid in summer. We were performing on a concrete stage, which is so good for your joints.
Just a lot of really physically demanding work. Because it was four of us trying to provide, like, a lot of vocals. We had some sweeteners, which is what you call the little backup vocals that are in the track sometimes to help you out a little bit. But we're doing full choreography, that sort of stuff. We're interacting with park guests.
[00:30:33] Speaker C: You have to be on all the time.
[00:30:35] Speaker B: You gotta be cardiovascularly fit to, like, sing.
[00:30:38] Speaker D: And painting back from that contract. And could not get my heart rate up at orange theory, it was so funny. It like, stayed in the same, like, my max heart rate was insane.
[00:30:52] Speaker C: After that contract, your Voc Max was like, thank you for this.
[00:30:57] Speaker D: No, truly, it was wild. I was. I had to be really intentional about what I ate to maintain muscle mass doing that sort of contract, because it was just. It was cardio, cardio, cardio all the time. But I mean, there was no worries about getting enough sleep during that, because as soon as you get home, you're exhausted.
[00:31:16] Speaker B: Okay, I'm done.
[00:31:17] Speaker D: And luckily, like, we were paid for full time work and that sort of stuff, so it wasn't like I was also coaching all the time when I was doing that, but really paying attention to water intake, nutrition, and just having some sort of thing that brings you to. I got so much reading done this summer. I read all the time, because I needed to not just be, like, yapping or walking around the park in between shows. I needed something that was going to.
[00:31:50] Speaker B: Just kind of recluse you.
[00:31:52] Speaker D: Absolutely. And so for some people, it was just binging their favorite show, just getting in an episode or two in between things. But for me, I was like, I have my Goodread school and I'm gonna hit it this year.
And so it was really, like keeping cool, drinking a ton of water, making sure I was properly fueling myself, and then having that outlet. Yes.
[00:32:19] Speaker C: A good recovery between.
[00:32:21] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:32:22] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:32:23] Speaker B: Thank you for entertaining my question. I know that was, like, a little, like, random, but definitely within the vein of what we've been talking about today. And so I just got really curious about that.
[00:32:31] Speaker C: But, you know, it kind of segues to this to go with me here.
There are some pockets of our life where even if you're not a performer, if you're like, let's say you have taken on being the caretaker for a family member, or you're a new parent, or you're a student who has come to school and you have moved away and you're taking more hours than what, and you're working a work study and you're working another job. There are these seasons and these pockets in our life where we have to be a little bit kinder to ourselves. We have to be a little bit more conscientious of. I gotta hydrate. I've got to recluse. I've got to do this. And I feel like sometimes that gets lost.
[00:33:10] Speaker B: We just push through.
[00:33:11] Speaker C: We're like, well, no, this is who I am. This is how I usually operate. This is just a season I'm going to push through. And sometimes I feel like we go back ten or 15 steps when we go through those seasons. Not so much that it's what is being pushed upon us, but that we don't make those adjustments to say, you know what?
This is not my norm, so I gotta pamper myself a little bit different in this area.
[00:33:38] Speaker B: Oh, for sure, for sure. And now, ladies, you know, I want to take advantage of the fact that we are all very capable, brilliant women within our fields of fitness and nutrition. And tomorrow is April Fool's day. So I thought that it would be fun to talk a little bit about some of the craziest things that we've heard within our expertise area that, you know, we just kind of want to debunk. So, you know, I know we kind of, like, I preached, y'all the fact that I did want to talk about this today. So I don't know. Like, is there anything that comes to mind for y'all?
[00:34:16] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, it's not crazy. It's sad how common this belief is that lifting heavy weights will make women bulky.
[00:34:29] Speaker C: Correct.
[00:34:30] Speaker D: That. It's so frustrating because I have all these wonderful undergraduate women who come to orange theory and are killing it on the treadmill, crushing the rower, and they get to the weight floor and their form is perfect, but they're like, lifting tens on a squat or something. And I know, and I'm like, your backpack weighs four times that much. Like, stuff like that. Your Stanley cup is. Weighs more than the dumbbell you have in your hand right now. I love that stuff like that. But sometimes I get the response, well, I don't want to get bulky. And so that's one of the things that is one of the most, I think, harmful fitness myths that's just, like, so common. Like, you're. It would take so much work that.
[00:35:18] Speaker C: You are not so much testosterone when you were a female with estrogen. More than testosterone flow into those veins. Yes.
[00:35:26] Speaker B: No, Nika. Like, when Lauren was saying that, I was like, I know Nika would like, like. Cause I've heard you say the same thing before, too. Anything else come to mind for you.
[00:35:34] Speaker C: That you, honey, love so much? So much. But I will say, since you hit, I know you're going to hit dietetics and you've hit fitness. I'm going to hit this. I get very tired of the american population glorifying lack of sleep as, like, a symbol of success.
[00:35:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:35:53] Speaker D: Like, hustle culture.
[00:35:55] Speaker C: Hustle culture, yes.
We tend to think that people who prioritize their sleep and get seven, 8910 hours, they're lazy and they're not doing as much. And if you would cut down those hours and instead network, be an entrepreneur, get out there, move and shake it, you would be so much more successful. In reality, we are more successful when we rest and our bodies can heal themselves and we can be the best version of ourselves during our waking hours.
[00:36:19] Speaker D: Absolutely.
[00:36:20] Speaker B: Absolutely. I know. I love how well rounded we are with this. So I think for me, and you all have probably heard this as well, just that general thought that carbs are bad for you.
[00:36:32] Speaker C: They're not the devil. Yes.
[00:36:33] Speaker B: And it's like. And we know, especially as active people, that it's our body's preferred fuel source. And so I think that that can definitely be really tough. And so I actually just got back from a conference and kind of harped on this fact that we need to get away from using weight as the main parameter of telling somebody that they're healthy or fit, because I have people that will sometimes avoid exercise because it's like, well, that makes me gain weight or what? You know, just like, all of these things. And so I think that if we're trying to frame our progress on this number that fluctuates for no rhyme or reason, like, throughout the day, like, all three of us could get on the scale every single hour today, and it just be different. Right. So it just. So that's usually the thing that I'm spending some intentional time doing. Debunking, for sure.
[00:37:26] Speaker C: Scale will lie to you every single time.
[00:37:28] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. It is the biggest liar. Oh, yes.
[00:37:31] Speaker C: Throw it out. Most dietitians, most health professionals don't weigh themselves. They go in the other biometric and how we feel and how we move and how we fit in our clothes, and because the scale will lie to you every single time.
[00:37:45] Speaker B: Preach.
[00:37:46] Speaker C: Preach, sisters.
[00:37:47] Speaker B: Okay, we're gonna take a break. Lauren, we are gonna keep you for our last segment, so stick around. You guys are listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Mika on 9.7 the capstone.
[00:38:02] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
[00:38:11] Speaker C: Hey, listeners, thank you so much for hanging out with us as we have talked to Lauren Brendel, a UA graduate student who is pursuing her master's in acting, on today's fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. And we are about to land this plane, my friend.
[00:38:27] Speaker B: Yes, we are. And if you are just now tuning in, you need to go back and listen to the earlier parts of the show, because Lauren has been fabulous, has, you know, just really shared her story with us in the theater world, and I'm just geeked out, you know, as an outsider. Yes.
[00:38:43] Speaker C: That's, you know, it's like a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, of a world that we are all aware.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: Of because we all watch entertainment, but we don't really know how it works on the back end.
[00:38:55] Speaker C: So this has been really cool.
[00:38:56] Speaker B: Yes. And so during the break, I was telling Lauren that, you know, usually at this point in time is when we kind of go rogue and ask our guests some very random questions. So, Lauren, this is actually really appropriate.
Who is your celebrity crush?
[00:39:14] Speaker D: Oh, man.
Oh, that's so hard.
I'm just trying to think. I have a lot of celebrities I admire so much. Well, a celebrity crush that's coming up right now. But I also think his work is fantastic.
It's Tyler James Williams, who's on Abbott elementary.
[00:39:32] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Now, okay. Yes.
[00:39:34] Speaker D: He plays the main romantic lead on Abbott elementary. He was a child actor, but turned out okay.
And that whole show is just so phenomenal and just such a feel good show that you just have to smile when you're watching it.
[00:39:51] Speaker B: I know, and I love how quickly you've come up with that answer. Cause I will say we've had past guests that they're so caught off guard.
[00:39:58] Speaker C: And they're like, are there celebrities that.
[00:40:00] Speaker B: I have a crush on? Like, who do I think is hot? Like, what does this look like? And so, Nika, I know you've stuck with Paul Rudd. Paul Rudd.
[00:40:08] Speaker C: But can I tell you lately? And I don't. I mean, he is very nice to look at, but Cillian Murphy, the one that just won the Oscar for Oppenheimer, what I love about him is his facial expression in interviews. He makes me laugh so hard.
[00:40:25] Speaker B: I'm like, I adore you.
[00:40:27] Speaker C: Like, you just. You don't care, and you don't have to care. But I think he's a really likable guy. I don't think he's, like, hateful, but he just. I mean, he is like, where's this going? And I have no time for this. And I'm like, it is. I wish I had more of that in me, you know? Yes, yes.
[00:40:47] Speaker B: I'll stick with my solid answer. You know, as I've joked, I like the. I'm attracted to the people that look like they have a good credit score and have their life together. So, you know, for me, growing up, it's always been, like, solid dad or husband looking kind of versus, like, the hot guy. Yeah, the hot guy on the beach, you know? So I don't know. But that's my story.
[00:41:09] Speaker C: And that's your story, and you're sticking to it.
[00:41:10] Speaker B: It really is. But I just want to say, lauren, again, you know, thank you for being on the show with Nika and I today. We've had so much fun with you. And just knowing that you're graduating in May, like, I don't know. We just wish you a roll tide.
[00:41:25] Speaker C: We wish you a roll tide. Take that roll tide to New York City. Absolutely. I know you'll represent us well, and hopefully, you know, you'll send us tickets to something really fun one day. And Sheena and I will have a girls trip, and we can come back.
[00:41:38] Speaker B: And talk about it. We knew her when this energy. Okay, well, I mean, we're speaking this.
[00:41:44] Speaker C: Like it's existing it.
[00:41:46] Speaker B: We're claiming this. But, y'all, we have had a fabulous show with you. You have been listening to fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 Capstone.
[00:42:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa.
