Ep #90: The Importance of Me Time with Maggie Lawson

You are listening to the Overthinker's Guide to Joy episode 90. This is the one
where I get to interview my friend and actress Maggie Lawson. We talk all about
following your dreams and how to celebrate giving yourself me time. Let's dive in.
This is a podcast for overthinkers, overdoers, and overachievers who are tired of
feeling overanxious and just want to feel better. I'm your host certified life coach
Jackie de Crinis.
I am super excited about my guest today this guest has been an actress for almost
her entire life but she is best known for her iconic role as Detective Juliette O
'Hare. Now in the hit show Psych which is a show that I was part of when I was
at the USA Network and it ran for eight seasons and they have since done three
movies without me. Oh yeah movies boo without Jackie.
No no no it's all good. And she is now not only still an actress and also one of
my favorite people in the world. She is the host of not one but two podcasts.
One is called The Psychologist Or In with her co -host and dear friend and co -star
him Amundsen. And the other is called Me Time. And I'm a fan of both podcasts
because they are both very much like just spending time with her, which always feels
like you're spending time with an old friend. And with that, I want to introduce
you to my old friend, Maggie Lawson. You're going to make me cry, Jackie. That's
like, that's so nice. I feel the exact same way. It's so weird. I feel like we to
have like this souls thing from the day I met you. I just feel like even if time
goes by and we don't see each other for a while, it just, I sit down with you
and it's like I'm sitting down with my like best friend, like one of my-- - I feel
the same. I totally feel the same way. And I have been so honored to have been on
both of your podcasts before, the Psychologist for Anne and me time. And I'm like,
wait a minute, wait a minute, I shouldn't be on these, you should be online. And
so finally, I get the pleasure of turning around guest and host, and I get to be
the host and host you this time. But I'm so happy to see you, and I'm just so
happy to talk to you. And I would just like to, I mean, I can't imagine anybody
who listens to my podcast doesn't know sort of that I was in television before,
but moreover, I very rarely ever run into anybody who doesn't know what psych is in
the eight and some psych that ran on USA Network and now on Amazon, and I think
also on Peacock. But what I would love to do is just kind of give them your
backstory and then we'll catch up to like what you're up to today. But will you
just tell our audience like the whole thing about like, how did you even come to
become an actress and move to LA and all the things? - Oh my God, Jackie. Okay,
yes. I'll like take a breath because I actually haven't told this story or talked
about this in a while. Love it. It's like an exclusive.
Yes. So I did my first play when I was eight years old. I was a Munchkin in the
Wizard of Oz. And that was kind of it for me, honestly. I feel like I was really
lucky because at eight years old, I was like, okay, this is what I want to do.
But obviously, you know, that was at eight, and I got really, really, really lucky
in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky to work with amazing people and kind of
continue. After that, that was at the summer theater, like our amphitheater,
musical theater of Louisville is what it was called. And so from there,
it was just because I enjoyed it so much I would like audition for other things
and then my whole childhood I really was doing plays at our dinner theater and then
this theater and our children's theater in in Louisville and When I was like 12,
I remember showcases Jackie. Do you remember like, okay, maybe not maybe actors?
I don't know. So, okay. Oh, absolutely showcases were done all the time in
Hollywood, people invited you to a showcase and you did either a monologue or skits
or several skits or whatever. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So the showcases were, I guess
they were touring, they were touring showcases that would just go to cities to where
they would invite local people, talent, whatever to come do the same exact thing,
read a monologue, you know, they might make you cold, read something, whatever it
was. And there would be casting directors and agents and people like that there. And
I went to one when I was 12 and I ended up reading a scene from a sitcom. I
don't remember. I just remember a guy gave my mom his card and was like, "If you
ever come to LA, call me." He said he was an agent at an agency in LA.
I knew nothing about it. We knew nothing about it. And this goes back so far. My
mom put his card in her cigarette holder. Oh my goodness. I feel like this gold
cigarette. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And - And so this was what, '92? And didn't think about
it again really. I was, I think we had a conversation. My family, you know,
we did not have the means to be planning or going to LA anytime soon or whatever.
So it was something that I think we kind of dreamed about for a second and then I
was like, I want to be a kid and just like play softball and do my plays here or
whatever. I don't, that feels, it just felt really big and scary, I think to all
of us. But a couple years went by and a director I was working with in a play in
Louisville, I'm now 15. And I tell him this story about this showcase I went to.
And he had been, he was an actor, he was such an incredible, I still know John,
he's wonderful, he's a director and actor, and he had been working in LA, he'd been
going back and forth for years. And he's been in some movies and TV shows. And so
John was a little bit of a celebrity too. But he asked my mom, he's like, do you
mind if I, like, do you still have that card that the agent gave you? And - - And
it's literally been in her secret case for three years? - Three years. - Oh my God.
- My mom still has the card. My mom has - - That's hilarious. - Yeah, I mean, you
know, moms. Like you just like, it's just like she saved it. It was like a special
day. And I don't know why after years and years like she didn't feel the need to,
I mean, we just didn't throw it away. I don't know, maybe she knew something. But
my mom said, as we were telling him the story, can I see the card? And it was
this agent. So the card was Jeff, which is from William Morris Agency. Do you know
Jeff? Yeah, like, okay, I know of him. I know. Yeah. And John flips out. And he's
just like, Are you kidding me? This is a major agency. If - If it's necessarily
whatever. So he freaks out and we're like, we didn't know. And so, again, we were
not really in a position. I had been lucky enough to have been like a local, I
was doing these like, I was like a local kids journalist on our Fox station there.
And I was lucky enough to have like made a, you know, a teeny bit of money, but
enough to get like a plane ticket. And my mom, you know, had enough to get a
plane ticket at the time. And so we were like, well, if we could could go out,
should we call this guy, you know? Should we like-- - Yeah, yeah, three years later,
yeah. - Three years later, Jackie. - As you're scraping the tobacco, you know, off
the card. - Off of the card. Like, I just can see it perfectly. I see like the
logo and like my mom's gold case and whatever. Anyway, I get on the phone. I call
the William Morris Agency at physical. And I say, hi, My name, I'm sure I had my,
he's like Southern X. I'm like, my name is Maggie Lawson. I met one of your agents
like three years ago and he said to give him a call if I was ever gonna come to
LA and my family's thinking about it and blah, blah, blah. So the person's like,
okay, I'll patch you a through. So now I'm like to his assistant. - Yeah, yeah,
yeah. - He takes my call. - That's amazing. Did he remember who you were or he just
took it because he's a nice guy? - He took my call. Well, I told the assistant the
story. The instant passes it on to him. I remember all of this like it was
yesterday. - Yeah, sure. - And he was like, they're like, hold on a second. And he
picks up, he's like, "Hello, Jeff Wedges, whatever." And he's like, "Look, if I gave
you my card, I will meet you if you do come to LA." Like I will stand by that.
And obviously there was something there, whatever. And I tell John this, and anyway,
so one thing leads to another. We finally get a trip out to LA. And there were
lots of little pieces in here. Of course, I'm leaving a lot of it out. But one
thing led to another in that. I met Jeff Witches, who was like, "You're very green,
and I'm not going to sign you. But if you need any help or guidance, let me know
while you're here." It was a spring break I was on. And if I can vet anyone for
you that you might meet or get, he was so kind. He's like, "And then when you get
some work under your belt, come back to me." Yeah. And so John had a good friend
who was a casting director, so I had another meeting set up when I came out, which
was this casting director, Fran Baskham, who cast The Days of Our Lives. Fran agreed
to meet with me because she and John were friends, and he set it up. And she had
me read two scenes, cold, in her office when I met her, and called this woman Roe
Diamond and said, "I just met this girl from Kentucky, and I had to read a couple
of scenes and I think you should meet her. And I went and I met Ro probably the
next day. And Ro was my agent for 10 years. Wow. I went and then to like,
how I actually got here, we had no idea what any of it meant. What was happening?
Sure. We can choose to leave this in or not. I mean, my family at the time was,
you know, poverty level. Like poverty level. This whole world just seemed like a
fantasy. We just had no idea what to expect or what we were doing.
Roe was really wonderful and was like, "If you could audition for this or that, I
ended up auditioning for something immediately. I ended up getting a test deal for
it." To this day, I'm like, "This is just a favor that Roe called in.
It was a show called Unhappily Ever After that was on the WB, when the WB was the
new network or whatever. They wanted to test me for this character they were adding.
I knew I wasn't going to get it, but we did the whole test that it was crazy.
And she managed to get me a holding deal with the WB and the WB put me in
another pilot. So that holding deal
like my junior year of high school in Louisville, I went back and forth like three
or four times. - Right. - Happily ever after called and had me do a couple of
episodes. Anyway, I got my SAG card. - Amazing, y 'all. - Amazing. - And then they
put me in a pilot. They tell me the pilot is on the air. It was Miller Boyette
at the time. - Mm -hmm. - It had a lot of success and like-- - Sure, sure. - And so
they're like, it's sold, it's on the air. I don't know if this is gonna make any
sense to anybody, but us, There's also all of the crazy in -between family and like
emotional like I was it was really intense this like time in our lives and We were
like, you know this pilot I got I was put into as a sold series on the air and
Me and my mom and my brother packed up like a woody station wagon I did the pilot
but it was gonna be on the air So I needed to get we had to move because right
shoot And my, my mom brother and I drove out here over like the course of a week
in 1997. And after we got here, they said that they had changed their mind about
the, the show. It was no longer on the air or even going to go. It's so
heartbreaking and not unusual. I mean, people need to understand statistically, it's
like unbelievable that anything ever goes on the air or stays on the air or
anything. So yeah. It was a very quick lesson of what can happen and we didn't
know any better. And everyone did the best they could in the situation and my
family stayed. We ended up staying. I think all of us maybe were curious about a
different life or I don't want to say a better life but just leaving Kentucky and
starting something kind of new and later my older brother came out and I continued
luckily to get like a guest star here and there and you know over time make a
little bit of money and and then that was that and then amazing. I did a pilot,
I did like a pilot a year which was also really helpful like financially and then
one ended up going on UPN for like 10 episodes And then a few years later,
I got another one, and it was a couple years after that that I got psyched. So
we're spanning like a nine -year period that got me to psych. But that's how I got
to LA. Of course, many, like I said, the best story actually that I probably should
tell this version of it was that everyone kept telling me I looked like the girl
in the Aerosmith videos and clueless movie, Elyse Silverstone? - Yeah, sure. Yeah,
I absolutely can see that. - Yeah, when I was in high school. - I didn't know she
was in Aerosmith videos. I don't know, I didn't know that. I absolutely know, yeah.
- Too pretty, like, you know, couple of really hot videos, whatever. So it became
very popular, and everyone kept telling me I looked like her, and my brother was at
a little barbershop in Kentucky, and he read, in fact, this is the moment that we
actually were like, how would I go to LA and audition for something? He read in a
magazine, like a people magazine at our local little barbershop in our neighborhood
that was called Cut Me Loose.
That they were looking for an Alicia Silverstone lookalike, the Clueless series. If
you remember, they did that for a little while. - I am. - That they were doing and
they ran in the door, he stole the magazine from the place, like runs in the door
and he was like, "This is it." Yeah, this is the sign. This is the sign. Which is
what led us to like call John. I mean, that is how naive, like we had no idea.
But so let me stop you there for a second. And I don't want to step on the run
of the story because it is so fun and I love origin stories and I love hearing
how to me there is nothing more fun than somebody having a dream and not even
knowing what that dream entails. One of the things I talk about and coaching all
the time is not so much the how, but the why. Meaning when you have a dream,
what's the why for you? And then if you have a clear why, like because I love
acting or because it seems wonderful to pretend to be somebody else or because I've
always wanted to go to California or because I just want to express myself or I
want to entertain people or I want to pick people up, whatever the why is. The why
when it's so clear for you in anything you do, the how shows up.
Find this way. Yeah. And now you can't lay in bed and be like, "I want to do
it." No, because it's a part of the how and part of the why is the momentum of
the doing. - Yes, so yes, you do need to be taking acting classes or show up as
the Munchkin and Wizard of Oz at your local theater when you're eight, and you do
need to go to the showcases when they're available, and you do need to take the
business card of the person, and you do need to call them. Like, you do need to
do the how, but you don't need to know the how when you're creating the why is
what I'm saying. And what I love is that you had the why, which was I love this.
I like being on stage or I like performing or I like it's fun. Feeling. I felt
like I was like, you know, you get to explore these other parts of yourself through
playing these other people. Like it was just wild to me. Like the whole thing of
it was so crazy. I loved it. I loved it. I mean, I still love it. I know. I
love it. And I love watching you love it. Like I love, that's why I love watching
you as an actress because you're so committed to your characters. You're so much fun
to watch. You never feel like you're acting. It's just like, it just is. You just,
it's just so seamless. And you're like that as a human being. Every conversation is
easy. You're so fun. You're so soulful. But so I love, thank you.
- But I mean, my God, that's why we, I can, but thank you. That's like, what?
That's so nice, especially coming from you. I like, you're like, I look up to you.
I do. So anyway, I love these stories. They're my favorite.
My favorite is I had no idea about Hollywood or I had no idea about this
profession that I saw it or whatever. And I love hearing, I've interviewed, you
know, so many different people from so many different disciplines from authors, to
yoga instructors, to actors, to professional surfers. And I love hearing like,
how did they find their path? Like, had they fallen in love with their craft or
how did their craft? - Find them, almost. - Find them, yes. So thank you,
because I love that story. And what I love actually, when you say,
"Well, we didn't know anything." I didn't know how part it is to break into
Hollywood. That's kind of what I love too, is the innocence and just the pure
passion was your drive. I just love it. - Yeah,
and also-- - I love that your family also supported you and like moved here because
you were a teenager, you couldn't really do it on your own. - Yeah, I mean, I did
my senior year of high school through correspondence. My school even supported me to
come, but yeah, my mom and my brother. I mean, it's when I think back on it now,
also when I think about like my mom being basically my age now with three kids.
One, my older brother came later, but two kids that one of them's like, I want to
act for a living. Yeah. Family didn't, you know, and my younger brother being like,
all right, I guess I'll, if there's a school out there, "Maybe I'm done with
Kentucky too and I'll go." And everybody like, "What?" And then my mom, I think
about like what she did being my age now, having two teenage kids and making that
happen. And also this, like you were talking about, you know, the doing and like
the how. I think also part of it was like, I literally could see, like I would
dream about it and not in a way, but I have to credit my mom for that and my,
our house, you know, it was like, you know, nothing was off the table. If it could
be dreamt, it was like, then dream it. And it was never like, you know, oh,
that could never happen or that, you know, there was always some kind of, I don't
know, support for that, that I was allowed to even go there in my imagination and
then have it. It's like, it was, yeah, it's fun. But I imagine that's also because
you had a great work ethic in everything you did, whether that was in academics or
athletics or even friendships, like you're such a follow through kind of person,
you're such an upstanding person. And I think that when you show that kind of
conviction in life, I think it's much easier. I mean, I have three kids. So I know
that for me, where I was probably the most supportive was where there was effort
being made, right? So if one kid had a particular passion of something, right,
not necessarily something like this, but I wanted to support them where I could
because I loved that they had passion for that. And that didn't mean they were
going to make a living doing it, right? That's okay. But that's okay. It's almost
like a muscle, like if you can go there, even if it's not the thing you end up
doing, if it's not the you learn after step 12, it's not for you.
That's okay. - Yes, totally. - I love hearing that. And you know what? I will
actually relate this to Psych2 and you and this freedom that we had that you gave
us in support to sort of like find the show rather than like telling us what it
needed to be or fitting into some category or like whatever it was,
you gave us the freedom to be as big and wild and find it and turn psych into
like what it became, which was like, I mean, I look at some of these episodes now
Jackie as we're like watching the podcast and I'm like, well, let us do this. Like
this is magic. It's so cool. Like we just, - We did a live show this weekend and
we were just talking about-- - Oh yeah, talk about that tour. So let's just step
back for a second. Let's talk about what you're doing like right now. So you and
Tim-- - Yeah, we're so lucky. We are on a one city we can't announce yet,
I think, but like a nine to 10 city tour with the psychologists are in.
We are hitting a bunch of Comic -Cons. The first one we actually did was in San
Francisco this weekend, which was at Sketch Fest. - Awesome. - Which has been around
forever and it's wonderful. And we did it last year, which is sort of what, how
all of this kicked off even, because Tim, with everything Tim has been through. - So
my audience may not know Tim. So you need to kind of just like back up and
explain all the things. - So Timothy Amundsen is my partner in the podcast. He was
also my partner on "Psych," which Jackie and I have been talking about for eight
years and plus movies. We were all best friends anyway, but Tim and I were very
much like, he's the best. Oh, he's just the best. Anyway, so. - He is. He is so
dear and so wonderful. And again, partner on the show, partner on the podcast. Tim
has an actual wife and kids. Like, not partner. - Oh, yes, Tim has an actual, yeah,
good to know, good Yeah, partner on the show, partner on the show and partner in
the podcast. Yes, literal detective partner. Yes, partner on the podcast. And we were
about to do our first movie in 2017, a reunion movie of psych and had been off
the air for years. And right before Tim had a massive stroke in April of 2017.
And honestly, I mean, this is his story to tell. Yeah. And I'm going to have him
on the and tell the story. Wonderful. So it was real bad for a while.
Like we didn't know anything. Didn't know even like Tim would still be here. And he
has talked about like a spirit, man. Like this guy is such a warrior.
He's so incredible. And what he's had to overcome and fight through and leave in as
you were talking about, like you have to believe, you have to like in the how,
like Tim is one of these people, like he will, Jackie, I'm telling you,
in the next like two years, the projects that he already has like laid the seeds
for that are cool. Oh my God, it's like so cool. But last year,
we went to San Francisco, did sketch fest, it was our first live. I mean, we've
done the safety of our Zoom and podcast studio, but we were on stage live doing
this podcast. It was like the muscle memory of that for him. Everything came back
and clicked. He was so nervous. But he was, as he is, he was magic on stage.
Like it was incredible. And we had such a good time. So much so that after Alison,
his wife And the woman who's been sort of leading the charge in this tour that
we're doing was like, we have to be on stage and Tim needs to be on stage. And
also over the last year, we can decide whether we want to leave the center or not.
But his healing, his progress, he sends me his progress report every week when he
does a walk and he listens to our podcast. And he'll send me the steps that he
did. And Jackie, he was going from like, you know, a quarter mile, which is amazing
to like, he's like walking two miles now while he's listening to these things,
like it's just been incredible. So anyway, it's amazing. So it's like, he's healing
by doing what he loves. I think so in that, like, at least what I have seen being
so close to him and I'm not taking, I'm, I don't, again, this is all for him to
share, but as a witness to him and his healing, which is also just Tim is a
walking, warrior, spirit, miracle, like you name it.
Like to be around him and sort of witness it, it's just really powerful and what
he's done. But over this like last year or so, and then when we do these live
shows from his singing, his voice is back, it's coming coming back, all of those
things that I think he was like, well, I don't know if that will happen. I just
need to, but his dream is to sing on stage with me at some point. And I know
that we're gonna do that at one of our shows. Like that's what's gonna happen. But
the point of all of this is to say, last year, something really magical happened on
stage when we were at Sketch Fest. And a woman who is like our sort of talent
booker agent for these shows and Comic -Cons and whatever she was like,
I think we need to get you all in like, we need to get a tour together. And here
we are a year later, we're about to go out on. - Amazing. How old is the
Psychologist Surin podcast? - 2021, we premiered a little over two years.
- And then the live tour has been just this last year. - Yeah, we did only two
shows last year. We did it in Detroit and San Francisco, but from the experience we
had in Detroit, these Comic -Con shows that are happening across the U .S. have
booked separately to come and have our own, like, live show or live theater or
whatever to do these shows. It's really insane. Amazing and so much fun.
Honestly, even just this weekend in San Francisco, like, It is, it's so much fun
because we get to be together, but also we're talking about like the greatest time,
and I'm not gonna say there will be many other great times, but like this time in
our lives on psych was truly magical. And so we get to also like share and relive
all of that. Like it just keeps, it has such a heartbeat. - I love it. Yeah.
I love it. I love that it's like a gift that keeps on giving. So, okay, so
there's that. So there's the weekly podcast. Yeah. And then there's now the live
tour. Yes, Atlanta is next. Richmond, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Columbus,
San Jose. I know I'm forgetting some. That's not 10. And then one I can't announce
yet, oh Seattle, I can say. But I feel Like you should be in Louisville,
no? - Yes, so it's funny because we're like-- - Like since that's where it all
began, you-- - This is my own thing. So there's a thing I'm trying so hard. It's a
very, it's like a huge, it's like Louisville's Coachella. And it's become massive
now. It's called Bourbon and Beyond. - Love it. - Trying to get them to do live, so
it's mostly music. But I'm trying to get them to do a couple live, like stage
shows or recordings or whatever, because yeah, or even during like the Kentucky Derby
time or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like get in there. So maybe not here, but it's
on the list for sure. Okay. So there's that piece of Maggie Lawson, there's that's
the current events there. Then let's talk about, I mean,
I know also you're acting and you're auditioning and there's lots on the horizon in
that that you can't yet announce. But let's talk about your other podcast, Me Time.
Me Time, yeah, which you did. You did both. I did both, but I love Me Time
because it so speaks to what I do for a living now, which is focusing on self,
self -care, self -awareness, self -compassion, self -self -self, not selfish, but self
-love. Yeah. And I love that you decided to do this and create an audience of
other, I presume, men and women, but probably mostly women, because women tend to be
a little bit more focused on those kinds of things, to give them permission to
focus on themselves and to engage with experts and laymen and all kinds of people
about how they celebrate, "Yeah, take care of them as I was gonna say,
celebrate their me time." So talk to me about the origin of that podcast, and I
want you to kind of nutshell for me what your definition of me time is. - Oh, I
love that. It probably started as a need to get away from people or 'cause I have
a tendency to be a pleaser or I'd feel drained, and so need to almost like
hibernate or like go away for a little bit to sort of restore. That's probably how
it like all began. But what came out of it was like, I, I now cherish that time.
Like, I mean, I, I hold it like so close. Like, I know that I have to have it.
It's like medicine for me, even if it's just like a few minutes, even if it's
just, and sometimes it's more than that. I can, these were the things I was
thinking about when I was putting the podcast together is like, it could be
extravagant, like taking a trip for a couple of weeks by myself somewhere, or it
can be like five minutes of sitting on my balcony in the sun and getting something
from just being present in that moment that kind of propels me through the rest of
the day. I don't know, it always just feels like a nice gift. So when I was doing
the podcast, to be honest with you, I wasn't really setting out to make like a
lifestyle podcast or anything like But it was more kind of talking to Sim who runs
the podcast company I'm with. Just throughout conversations we were having, we're
like, "Where is this podcast?" So if you like talking about, I was pitching them
ideas all the time, but they're like, about you just sort of talking about this. I
think I had just gone somewhere by myself for a little while or whatever, and I
was talking about what I get from those alone experiences. And by the way, I don't
want to say like me time has to be alone time. I think me, connective time with
people, it sort of fills the bucket and your soul. So the definition isn't, there
really isn't one, it's just what that is for you and making sure you give yourself
the time and space to do it. So the podcast was like, well,
I'm going to share this because it's a big part of my life. It's also a huge fear
of mine to talk about myself or to share these sort of intimate parts of myself.
And so I wanted to also face that fear a little bit.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and see where that went. And then having, as you were
saying, like experts on and also just like discovering like part of my meantime is
like, I just want to learn about a new thing. It could be something like, you
know, how to cook something properly or how to like, You know, wine, I've had a
lot of wine people because I love wine, you know, or actual healers and people who
are like experts in this field. And so it just started happening, Jackie,
like I just was like, all right, I think I have an idea. So I first started
talking to friends because I love the idea of talking to some of my friends who I
were actors or celebrities in a sense that like, you know,
sharing sort of what they do to stay okay and healthy in their time.
And from that just came really interesting conversations and now I'm just like, it's
just like kind of flowing and I'm learning so much from people. And then I also
find like when I share things, even if I'm afraid to or it feels super vulnerable,
I usually hear from people like, thank you for sharing this thing. And I'm like,
oh, sharing actually, it helps other people. Yeah. And be, you know,
make people, other people feel less, I feel that way. Yeah. I hear someone share
something that's like revealing or, you know, an intimate part of themselves or even
if it's a funny story or a serious story or whatever it is, there's always this
like connection you, I don't know. Anyway, that's such a long answer, Jackie. No,
it's a great answer. So, but, But one of the things you said before on the episode
where we talked, you said your me time changes all the time, which I appreciate,
right? And it needs to. I mean, some things, I talked about this like my daily
habits and, you know, kind of a broken record on that. But so I have some things
that are what I refer to as my non -negotiables, my foundational sort of systems
that I do every day. And that's just how I sort of anchor my brain and stay
grounded. But then me time to your point changes, because sometimes you need a
vacation by yourself, and sometimes you need five minutes in the sun, and sometimes
you need to be with friends. People. And that's people. And I'm just curious with
this tour that you're doing, because I know that can be so exhausting and
exhilarating, right? There's nothing more amazing than being with fans, people who
love your work, asking you questions, you're making their day, you might be making
their whole life to meet you and hear your stories. That so fills your cup,
but it also is very draining to be with people who need you and love you and
flying and staying in hotels and all the things. So with this tour,
I don't need to ask you why you're doing it because I know how fun and amazing it
is, and not to mention spending time with Tim on stage, But how are you getting
your me time away from the stage when you have, as my, I used to have a holistic
doctor who used to say, you can't pour out all your chi, chi meaning life energy,
right? You have to like reign it back in too. Oh, and she's, Maggie just picked up
her brand new puppy, who's so cute. - He is,
I mean, I really, I really, yeah. - We have to just have a moment to just like
see this little puppy, which nobody's gonna see because I don't do video, but trust
me, he's really cute. So now that you're on this tour and you're running around
from city to city, hotel to hotel, airport, all the things, how or what are you
doing for your me time during this tour? - Well, honestly, that's such a good
question because I feel like I, in the midst of it, so obviously in my downtime,
I So if I'm home, I usually need like a full day after one of those,
which I can't always get. So like that, and most people can't,
but ideally what I will do is I will try to clear the schedule for like a day or
so just to have a little breathing time because it's also, Jackie,
you nailed it. Like I find, like the experience is so magical to me, to be there
with Tim, to talk about psych, to meet all of these people. It is really, yes, it
can be overwhelming with all of the people, but the feeling is actually like, it's
really moving, it's really touching. So I also like to just have a little time,
usually on the plane, that's when I'll do it, but I'll just like look back at all
the photos and I'll like kind of like relive it a little bit and just like take
in like this crazy thing that we get to do. Also, it feels so different. I feel
so lucky because like I've been acting my whole life and then this is kind of
something different and it's scary and so there's also that exhilarating part that's
like, we did it, we actually did it. But when I'm in it, that's when I'm more
like, if I can carve out, let's say for example, we finish our day at five. Yeah.
There's a bunch of people that are going to go to dinner and probably get some
drinks and have a great time and we're in the city and we're having a ball.
I will either be very late to that or I will leave very early from that.
I'm totally giving away to the people I'm spending time with because I have to go
be own space. I get that. For a little while. I get that. If everyone's like,
"Let's change and I'll meet." I'll be like, "Oh, I have something I have to do or
I have a call or whatever." And Jackie, sometimes I swear to God, this is terrible,
I'm going to say this. Sometimes that for me is going and sitting and having a
glass of wine and doing a crossword puzzle at the bar just for like an hour to
totally come back, be me, feel like me, and then I can go do whatever even if
it's like a block away. Yeah. So that's usually what it is. It also might be if
there is a bathtub there. I'll do a literal wash off of the day. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Just lay there and imagine like I'm just sort of cleansing and clearing and
then I can go and I can be whatever needs to be. So I try not to it's not even
just like the time in between like the trips like during the actual experience.
Yeah. The other thing I do is I generally don't eat with anyone. So like, I might
eat with like Tim and Allison, but like when we have our little lunch break, even
during those things, I will, I will go find a quiet corner and I will just listen
to music. I'll eat whatever I need to eat and I'll just sort of zone out for a
minute. I mean, it's not like I'm going and meditating or any, it's something really
simple usually that I just have to feel well. So let me just comment on that
because meditation is one of my go -to foundational elements. But it's something I do
in the morning when the world is still very quiet. That's not to say you can't
meditate in the middle of the day, the afternoon, the evening, whatever time you
feel you can meditate is great. I just happen to like that stillness of the
morning. That's just when I'm most receptive to meditation. I don't meditate,
but that is my time. Jackie, I had times where my call time was like 5 .30 and I
would get up at 3 .30 or 4. In the morning you're time out? The hour. Yeah. Yeah.
Just for that time. To have the stillness. Yeah. But so whether it's meditation or
it's a shower or it's a bath or it's a Sudoku or a CrossFit pose, I do Sudikos.
And I also like Wardle and Cordle and New York Times Connections. Like that's also
part of my morning. I love it. I do them all. I do them all. In fact, that's
part of my morning routine. Because it just like clears my brain. But that's one of
my favorite things to do is just sit and do a puzzle. Me too. For just a little
bit. And so I would call that hitting the reset button and however you can hit the
reset button so that you can then go plug in back to your social group or your
work life or whatever it is. I think it's really important. I think what happens
is, you know, it's like the law of physics, right? So when you spin a top, it
spins in one direction, right? So all you have to do is like give it like one or
two spins and then it keeps going. And what happens is we don't ever stop once we
start spinning. We just go, go, go, go, go. That's a good way to put it, right?
And I think it's super important and everybody's capacity is different, right? So
some people, it's an hour and some people it's days, but it's important to recognize
your limits and you're so good at it. But to say, I need a timeout.
- Yeah. - Without any negativity, without any judgment, without not self judgment, not
judgment from others, I need a timeout. And because I don't want to make anybody
feel bad about my timeout, I'm not going to tell them I need to get paid for you
for a half hour. I need to, you're just like, I got to make a call. - Yeah, I
just I gotta go do for a little bit. So I, and I'll say that I'll just like,
yeah, make a call. I gotta return some email. I might have a zoom. I don't know
what it might be, but I'll, I'll, if I need that, but yeah, cause I do think
sometimes, well, is that, is that a white lie? - No. - I mean, it's not. - No.
- I probably don't think so. - I don't think so. - Because, well, I guess, I guess
in the sense that you're not telling them, I need a time out, but you don't need
to tell them you need a time out. Honestly, on this trip, sometimes most people
kind of get it. If you do say something like, "I need like an hour, go eat. I'll
meet you there." Yes. I need to shake off the day. A lot of people do understand
that, but usually it will be, "Yes, I'll just say I got to make a call and I'll
see you." Love it. Love that. That is such good self -care. Thanks, Jackie. I did.
That is such good self -care. I have to. I just have to tell the audience because
they can't see, like your dog as you're sitting here doing this interview has
literally fallen asleep practically in your arms because you're so calm and so, oh
my gosh, it's just the cutest thing. He is just like, I just hit the jackpot.
I can't believe I just like adopted this little one like a little over a month ago
and it's just like he's always been here. So cute. - Yeah.
- Just so cute. I wish I knew how to do a screenshot. - This is actual me time
for me too. - Yeah. - My animals always bring me back to myself.
Like, there's something about taking like, he gets me out of bed every day. I have
to take him on a walk first thing in the morning. - Yeah. - You know, your days
begin. Anyway, I could go on about the animals. I kid. - Well, I think animals,
actually there's a lot to be learned from our animals, which is they eat on a
schedule. Like we don't think about just feeding our dogs or cats. I mean,
cats are a little different. Generally speaking, we don't think about feeding our
dogs just any old time. It's not like when we feel like it or when we remember.
We remember, depending on the dog, generally they eat twice a day. And we remember
like first thing in the morning and around dinner time, they get their meal. We
don't forget to give them water. We leave them out a big bowl of clean water every
day so that they can drink whenever they need to. We don't tell them not to nap
when they're tired. We allow them to play. We encourage play. And yet we don't do
those things for ourselves. It's so interesting, right? Yeah. Isn't that funny? I
mean, it's not. I mean, it's so interesting that we They're so aware of that with
them and yet don't give ourselves that sort of same thing. And they're just pure
love. Like I'm going to say. So before I lose you, because I don't want to keep
you longer than an hour, tell me the tour, the two podcasts, the pilot season that
you're in the middle of. Yeah. There's stuff happening. Definitely. You see? Yeah.
What else are you excited about. I can't really, I don't think I could talk about
that yet. Don't talk about that yet. Yeah, but developing a show that has had some
very exciting movement lately. And yeah, I feel like I'm totally missing something.
I'm not, I feel like I have been in an interesting space lately of like, there are
these other things that used to just be I'm doing the show or I'm acting or
whatever. And now there's, It's kind of cool to have these other things happening
and going on. Well, I think you've just expanded your role. I don't want to put
words in your mouth so you tell me. But for 20 -some years, you were an actress
and are an actress. I mean, that hasn't changed. But now you're a podcast host and
now you're a live entertainer as - Well, and now you're a producer and you are like
wearing so many more hats and that's gotta be so much fun. - It is, it really is.
I also think it's a really fun time right now. Okay, I feel like when I first
started and even throughout my career, there was a little bit of like, you're an
actress and that's what you do. - Yeah. - And this idea that you could be an
actress, a comedian, a host, an author, you know, have a food line.
Like I look at people like Joel McCales and the Michelle Bouteaux and like the
people who are just like doing all of it. - Yeah. - Anything goes, use all of your
talents. Anything you can do if it's an idea is great. You think of it like it's
all kind of accepted and encouraged now even where it used to just be like,
oh, if you were an actor, hosting might be selling out a little bit, or if you
were a host, you may not be taken seriously as an actor. Right. And, you know, and
now it's like, I feel like - The lines are so blurred. Yes, in a great way. On an
awesome way. Talent is actually being supported on every front, if it's like, yeah,
2024 is kind of my year of just yes. So I'm excited to just say yes and see
where that goes. - I love that. - Yeah. - So like, would it be possible to say that
you're trying to get into that same frame of mind you had when you were 15 years
old and you picked up that card from that talent agent and decided just to call
three years later and see what was possible? - Yes. Don't overwhelm yourself with
step 30 when you're just on step one. Like just take the step and say yes and
then take the step and say yes and take the step. Because I will immediately think
of I'll start putting like the obstacles in on the complete unknowns of things that
are so far off in the whatever that I will overwhelm myself with that fear and
then stop the momentum of what the green lights and the doors that are opening are
already like that that part that's happening. So have you ever seen - Have you ever
seen the meme or the cartoon of the two ladders side by side? And they're like 20
feet tall, the ladders, right? Like they don't, you don't see even the top of the
ladder. It goes from the ground to the top. And one of the ladders, they're the
same height. One of the ladders has like four steps. And the steps are, the space
between them is taller than the person who's climbing the ladder. So there's
literally no way to get to the next step. And the other ladder,
which is the same height, has like a hundred steps, and they're really tiny.
And the metaphor, of course, being just take the baby steps, you'll end up at the
same place, but you don't have to take these big leaps that are not possible
because you just need to keep stepping forward or up. listen to Jackie, everybody.
You are like the walking, you walk your talk. Is that right?
Talk? What? How does that go? No, meaning you talk your, meaning like you're,
what you preach, you are, you are of that. Like what you talk about. Thank you.
Like you live that, like you are living version of that. But I love the ladder
thing. I'm going to look it up. Yeah. I'm going to send it to you. I'm going to
send you a picture of it. Thank you for this interview. I so loved spending an
hour with you. You are awesome as always. And so for those of you who want to
stay in touch with Maggie, I want you to either listen to the psychologist or in
or to me time or find her on the road with Tim Amundsen as they do their psych
tour or psychologist or register in tour or look for her in the next series that
she will be in, which she'll hopefully she'll announce in the next month or two.
Yes. And to say, I will, I will announce. You will. And where can they follow you
on social media?
@magslawslosson is my Instagram. And then we also, I have a me time with Maggie on
Instagram at me time with Maggie and then at the psychologist or and any of those
you can find, and also find the links for the episodes. Jackie, you're the greatest.
Thank you so much. And thank you for promoting all this stuff. I want everybody
needs to listen to Jackie's podcast as well, which you are right now, but like tell
everybody. - You're awesome, you are awesome. Well, thank you again. And I am going
to see you very soon because we're gonna have lunch this week and so we're gonna
click off this recording right now and then we're gonna plan our lunch all right
bye thank you for listening to this episode of the overthinkers guide to joy if
you're enjoying these episodes please subscribe or follow this podcast so you can
always be in the know when the next episode drops if you would like to learn more
about working with me as a coach You can connect with me through my website at
jackiedecrinis.com. That's J -A -C -K -I -E -D -E -C -R -I -N -I -S .com.