Embracing Change and Reinvention with Broadway Actor David Josefsberg

What if embracing change could redefine your entire career and life? Join me as I reconnect with Broadway actor David Josefsberg after four transformative years. David opens up about his journey from fear and self-doubt to a place of mindfulness and self-awareness, shedding light on the evolution of his craft and personal growth. From "Beetlejuice" to his current role in "Back to the Future," David shares heartfelt insights and valuable lessons learned on the stage and off.

Together, we explore the power of reinvention and the joy of discovering new passions. Hear David’s candid reflections on overcoming the temptation to stick to familiar routines and the leap of faith required to embrace new opportunities. Our conversation touches on the profound impact of trust, vulnerability, and continuous self-exploration on managing stress, breaking self-medicating habits, and finding true fulfillment in life and work. 

We also dive into the complexity of self-confidence, validation, and the delicate balance between humility and self-recognition. Learn how positive self-talk and setting audacious goals can transform your mindset and unlock your potential. Whether navigating the challenges of parenting or confronting societal beliefs, this episode is a testament to the courage it takes to live authentically and pursue multiple passions. Join us for an inspiring discussion filled with laughter, wisdom, and the enduring power of possibility.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Chapters

• 0:00 Life Coaching Journey With David Josephsberg
• 8:57 Reinventing Self and Embracing Change
• 19:40 Navigating Self-Confidence and Validation
• 24:07 Embracing Change and Taking Risks
• 33:15 Reflecting on Past and Present
• 45:58 Embracing Possibility and Response Ability
• 53:25 Navigating Identity and Self-Acceptance
• 59:53 Exploring Advice, Inspiration, and Gratitude

Transcript

Lisa Hopkins: 0:23

Hey there, today's episode holds a really special place in my heart. David Josephsberg and I first met on the podcast during the pandemic, when he so generously joined the show in season one. Since that time, the conversation has continued and David has been a client and we've had such a great time co-creating a coaching relationship and working through things together. And he's been generous enough to come on and have a coaching conversation with me and share what's changed and what insights have have come into his world since we last heard from him four years ago. He's a big favorite. He remains one of my most popular episodes. He's a very close colleague and friend and client of mine and I am so grateful to have him here to share this conversation with you today. So enjoy.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:25

This is the Stop Time Podcast. I'm your host, lisa Hopkins, and I'm here to engage you in thought-provoking, motivational conversations around practicing the art of living in the moment. I'm a certified life coach and I'm excited to dig deep and offer insights into embracing who we are and where we are at. Who we are and where we are at. So today I'm absolutely thrilled to welcome back a very special guest, david Josephsberg. So David first joined us back in July 2020.

Lisa Hopkins: 2:02

Wow, yeah, during the heart of the pandemic and he was one of the first guests to grace our show. I think you were number four or something like that, but you were there in the first month and it's wonderful to have him return to share his journey since then, portraying Strickland and frequently stepping in as the understudy for Roger Bart in the iconic role of Doc Brown. His impressive Broadway career spans numerous critically acclaimed shows, including Spamalot, beetlejuice, the Prom Waitress and Act of God, honeymood in Vegas, motown Wedding Singer, les Mis and Grease. Need I say more? When we last spoke on the podcast in July 2020, david was starring in Broadway's Beetlejuice, which, like the rest of Broadway in the world, had been shut down by the pandemic four months earlier, on March 12th. So today we're going to catch up on David's recent adventures, his current happenings and roles on Broadway. What's been going on since we last talked and we're just going to dive in.

Lisa Hopkins: 3:16

David, it's so great to have you back. Great Scott, oh no, it's super. I'm super happy to be back. It's this, you know.

Lisa Hopkins: 3:20

I'm excited, I love talking with you.

Lisa Hopkins: 3:21

Ditto, ditto. So it's so interesting to think about a four-year span. Like I was listening. This morning I went back and listened. I don't usually go back and listen. I just I'm so like that I don't know if you're like that with your performances, but like I just don't go back, I'm like so in them, and then they're nicely received and that's all I need to know, and then you know so. But this morning I thought, god, when was it that we spoke? Right, yeah, so so I literally went back and I was like I listened to it this morning over coffee and first, hey, it was a joy that we didn't know each other like at all, no.

Lisa Hopkins: 3:58

So what did I even say? I don't even know what, what. What did I say? I like to listen to.

Lisa Hopkins: 4:04

It's fun. It's really fun because, first of all, what stood out to me was I mean now you know we often talk about this, right Like I have now hindsight, like I have four years of working and being with you and knowing you, so this is such a cool space, yeah, wasa, like how we just vibed immediately, yeah, and we didn't know each other at all, so I think we both came into it totally on the level of no expectations, yeah yeah, it is, and I did you know, so I do know some of your weight at that.

David Josefsberg: 4:48

yeah, at that point I still knew some of your students who, at least I had a. I got a vibe from what's going to come and then I just think it's, you know, as I think it was just energy and click and just yeah, it's just been a. It's started off these next four years with a nice bang.

Lisa Hopkins: 5:06

It's started off these next four years with a nice bang? Yeah, no, truly so. Talk to me. Where should we begin? What are some of the greatest learnings and shifts and whatever that you'd like to share since we spoke Four years it's four years, david since that podcast?

David Josefsberg: 5:23

That is shocking to me. It literally feels like it could be a year or like a year. I know it's not, but it feels like it's been so, like I don't know. I don't know if it's at this age. It's just hurtling towards something, but that's great. That's amazing too, and it is interesting. I haven't even really given it much thought, which is probably the thing that I've learned the most from you is to give something some thoughts and just don't be fly by. Fly by my seat in my pants, Dave. But I think back then, so I was beginning, I was in Beetlejuice, right, which I still. Well, we can talk about how? About as an actor or as my career.

Lisa Hopkins: 6:02

Whatever you want, yeah, go. Whichever way you want to go, yeah.

David Josefsberg: 6:05

Why not? Because that's where the biggest change in my life has. Well, one of the biggest changes has happened since working with you, since talking to you four years ago was, I think, that I had created this persona or this work guy who was. There was so much fear and so much not unhappiness but limiting beliefs, telling me that I had to do something because I needed my memory to be better. I needed something else to be better. Or there's nothing else I can do in the world, or there's nothing, this and that.

David Josefsberg: 6:38

So I think, through Beetlejuice, through Beetlejuice, through what was next after Beetlejuice was Spamalot, through this is I have fallen back in love with this side of my career, which has helped I refound the joy and the passion because I'm not just here these are probably words that you've said words that I'm not just here saying, words that are on the page to just to the audience, to get it correct. I'm connecting with people. I'm not just focusing on what are the next words. I'm in the moment of the show, especially it's, it's and it's grown, like Beetlejuice was one. I guess the shows are have been things where I didn't have the opportunity to necessarily cram the words as before I get on stage. So I have to be there and be in the moment and it's been. It's been thrilling, which is not a word. So I have to be there and be in the moment and it's been thrilling, which is not a word that I have ever have been saying about the career in a while.

Lisa Hopkins: 7:56

That's interesting, yeah. Yeah. What were some of the biggest challenges? Like, I remember working with you and talking about, like, if I'm looking back to the trajectory, you and actually from listening to the first podcast which listeners you should go back and listen because it's interesting and it's not that there's been some epic change. In fact, what you're going to see is a through line of David's values and now you're going to see them kind of living out in real time, like when he really started to focus on like to really let them out right and to recognize them and it's really really cool let them out right and to recognize them and it's really really cool.

Lisa Hopkins: 8:31

And, like you just shared that sort of like the reframe of what you know. You got to sort of know what it was like to not have it, so that you could realize and reinvent your relationship with what it is and what it can be, which is cool. I do remember you saying well, first of all, you thought you know it's not going to be that long anyway, so this is fantastic. This is like. This is like a break. Everything's lined up. I'm in a really great show that's not going to close right away, for sure, and it didn't close right. I mean, you did go back.

David Josefsberg: 8:58

Yeah, we did go back.

Lisa Hopkins: 8:59

Yeah, what was that timeframe when you went back?

David Josefsberg: 9:02

Two years. I feel like it was right About two years. How. I feel like it was right About two years.

Lisa Hopkins: 9:05

How long did you know that you were going back? So what was that waiting period for you? I mean, you never really know, but you kind of knew, right.

David Josefsberg: 9:17

It was quite a bit of time. It was over a year and a half, I feel like. I'm not fully remembering exactly, but I'm pretty sure it was most of that. There was a hope, but in this business, as you know, hope is you know.

Lisa Hopkins: 9:28

Yeah, and I remember you know hope is, you know, yeah, and I remember you know, because we were working together during that time, I remember you starting to again really find new aspects of yourself that you had time to embrace, and that it didn't feel so much like you were like, oh, I have to pivot, but more like well, literally like I say oh, I get to do this, oh, I get to do more of this and more of that I get to.

David Josefsberg: 9:48

I get to instead of I have to, or else why are you doing it?

Lisa Hopkins: 9:52

Yeah, and you were living it. You were living it Right. And and then I remember that your struggle was not oh, my God, what am I going to do without it? You're like, oh, when you know we are doing it again. And then then it slipped down to those shoulds, right, Like well, I should be happy about it. And you were but right, but talk to me about that space. And I remember, like having to think about rethinking you know, those limiting beliefs. That has to be the same way. Like I remember that, coming up, you were like, oh, now I have to. You know, you start thinking about all the data you have, about what it was like, right, yeah, yeah, and I think that you know.

David Josefsberg: 10:31

So I've taken a lot of that with me too. You know I took that. I still do breath work, I still do these other things, but I think also the, the. You know before. I don't know if this is exactly on that subject, but how this affects my entire life too, because before I was back in the comfort zone in this and right instead of the, I should do this because it makes me the money. I should do this. I have refound this that I get to, and I think that affects everything. It affects drinking, because the drinking would make, would calm me to. If I'm going to get through this, I'm going to have my drinks. Now I can, I get to have a drink if I choose to, but it's not like self-medicating over and we slide sometimes, but it's not self-medicating of of, because I have to do this, this, this job, where I don't trust myself. That was a big word when you gave me trust and physicalizing trust and becoming trust. Um, what was your question again? Realizing trust and becoming trust. What was?

Lisa Hopkins: 11:29

your question again. This is what I love about David?

David Josefsberg: 11:31

is he just goes? I have no idea what my question answer.

Lisa Hopkins: 11:35

What I was supposed to be saying it's okay, just talk about what you want to talk about, because it's again the question was is generating some beautiful energy? So just, I mean I, you know I was talking about the shift, right, the shift of the, of the reinventing your relationship. I think we're kind of honing in on the how, because I think I think your relationship with you know, with with this sort of you know, oh yeah, no, I get to do this and actually I really want to do this, that was discovered, that's really cool. But then it came to the how and sometimes, when we get to the practical things, we start relying on how we did it before.

David Josefsberg: 12:12

Right? Do you see what I'm saying?

Lisa Hopkins: 12:13

Yes, yes and you struggled there, right, but you were a different person, so talk to me about that.

David Josefsberg: 12:28

We discovered that probably even in the first one. I don't remember that these thoughts come from college and I'm a singer and I'm not really in the acting world as much as them. So I have to memorize and grab, hold and squeeze everything so tightly and work really hard. And this is a job, and I think, coming to this place of no, no, no, no, no, and it's back before that, when I was younger and it would have just allow it all to come out, and then it was then this transformation into the what is. I can't exactly verbalize it it's, but it's it's. It is trust and it is giving yourself fully and being vulnerable to make the mistakes and not feeling like you just because something worked okay.

David Josefsberg: 13:15

Back to branches. Just because something worked successfully on this branch doesn't mean we don't need to explore these other branches to see if those branches are even better and you know what it turns out, they are even better. To see if those branches are even better and you know what it turns out, they are even better. And even now that doesn't mean that, even right here, I can't go spring off of all these different branches and find other ways to do it. But I think that was it was finding part of. It is finding awareness and giving myself a seat back to give myself an overview of what I truly am feeling, what I truly like, what is really true for me right in this moment as an actor on the stages and in my life, and trying new things, not being afraid to jump off the diving board.

Lisa Hopkins: 14:01

Yeah, and I mean I would challenge you a little bit on that, because I don't think you are afraid to try new things. I don't think you've ever been afraid. I think that you do it and you carry the fear with you. Maybe I get that, but I would venture to say that you do scary things. You can receive that or not receive that Sure.

David Josefsberg: 14:21

I like that. I like that. It sounds good to me.

Lisa Hopkins: 14:23

Do you know what I mean?

David Josefsberg: 14:24

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 14:25

But it's interesting because what's coming to me is, I remember and again I'm going back to the how, because I think it's important we talk a lot about in mindfulness and stuff, about your why, knowing your why and knowing that you're coming from a true place, and I think that's obviously extremely important. Yeah, and then we talk about, if you want, using your verbiage, like branches of your why. Right, so you know you're a giver, for sure, that's one branch of you, though it doesn't need to be your absolute, the way you always go to please.

Lisa Hopkins: 15:01

I think we discovered a lot of that, that that's a gift that you have and it's something that you love to do. But it, just because you love it and just because it's your gift doesn't mean you have to do it. There's that, but then but.

David Josefsberg: 15:14

Wait, I need to write that down. I forgot. I'm remembering. That's a good thing I don't have to. I'm going to send this directly over to my wife.

Lisa Hopkins: 15:22

No, I mean literally right. And just because you can doesn't mean you have to. Now the how. We often skip over the how and we think that the how is a to-do list. I'm not really talking about the how as a to-do list. I'm talking about the how as a way of being, but in the physical world, in the real world, right, not in your spiritual world or in your altruistic world. And when I remember you going back to Beetlejuice when it was like uh-oh, it's actually really coming back.

David Josefsberg: 15:52

Oh, what I wanted right.

Lisa Hopkins: 15:54

Yeah, all those limiting beliefs about this is how you did it before. Therefore, this is how we should do. It came up for you and I think what didn't which is normal, because that's the only day that you have You've never done it another way and it worked. I mean, you were starring in the show and now you're starring in the show again still, and so what we do is we try to go back and remember oh, what was it that we did? It was so good, and what was it they liked about me, and how did I warm up and how did I right All these things.

Lisa Hopkins: 16:26

And we start looking in these places of the way that we used to do other things, and, while we can cull some really good information from that, it's being like bringing that into your realm so that you can have choice about that. Oh yeah, I did that, but you know what? I don't need to do that anymore. What I'd like to do and I remember giving you an exercise saying you know, as you're commuting to work again, taking the same path, six days, seven days a week find something that you've never seen before.

Lisa Hopkins: 16:56

Look for things that you've never seen before.

David Josefsberg: 16:59

Yeah, do you remember that? I do. I do so many thoughts as you were talking, we're going through my head, but the first one was um, I think that when we were talking before about how things are different, I think that for me, or the branches, is that a lot of what we worked on. Also, is that like it's good enough, I am happy, I'm happy, I am happy when it's good enough, I am happy. This, I am happy.

David Josefsberg: 17:21

But there, and you know, I think one of our first talks was about like lighting a fire under a balloon, right To like the fire, getting a balloon flying in the air, and I think that this work has done that for me. I think you know, if you didn't tell you have done so much of the how I'm just coming up with that now. Is that, yes, there's why, of course there's why, and that's that. But putting it into practice, putting it into action, right, doing the hows of that was a big one. I remember thinking, instead of like I have to get on this train and study these words, because that's what I do on the train, I study the. No, maybe we can look at something and find something new. Maybe, instead of doing the specific, like running the scene back before I walk and open the door that was the one from Beetlejuice and say hi.

David Josefsberg: 18:05

Barbara, I'm home. Maybe, instead of running the lines right now, it's just to frantically fear and get everything like this. Maybe I embody trust. And what does trust feel like to you physically? You gave me that one for the spam a lot, where if I didn't have that advice, I probably would.

David Josefsberg: 18:22

I was looking for ways to like fall gently into the street to be hit by a car so that my leg would break, so I wouldn't have to go to work. So I remember sitting outside almost crying I'm about to eat my lunch. And you gave me the trust and I was like, yes, physically, do some things. That's different, like get in the moment, in the now, yeah.

David Josefsberg: 18:44

And it also I feel like it's been like a progression of these things, because that first one allowed me to reconnect with the love of the people on stage, of the audience, with myself. The second one helped me bring into it's not, it's not mental, get out of this head and get physical. And then this one you know again I was still is that there's a lot to learn as doc, but it was so much quicker to still do the work, but then again, let it go and put it away, yeah. And so I think so much of those little techniques and so many of those little not little huge, like little, tiny changes that are huge have been what this has been all about.

Lisa Hopkins: 19:28

That's amazing and I remember you know it's important for the listeners to understand that Dave is not just talking about you know going on and doing a role, especially like. I think it's worthy of mentioning that when you did spam a lot, you were covering how many leads Four of the leads yes, it's spam a lot.

Lisa Hopkins: 19:47

You were covering how many leads? Four of the leads. Yes, I mean a first of all, fucking kudos to you. Not not because you because you can do that task Right, but because somebody gave you that task because they believe and know that you're that talented that you're not just typecast into one, you could actually do all of them.

David Josefsberg: 20:05

Yeah, that's, that was cool, and, and, and you know so that then brings everything into my life so much better than it allows me to be the giver, to do the things for the family, to went, cause if not I mean, I'm tunnel visioned on all this stuff then the life is not living what I want it to be. So there's something about. So there's something about you know, uh, as a, as a, as a jewish man, it's all we're always like yeah, no, it's good, it's enough. We're having some, and there are some who are the complete opposite. But I feel like this has given me a yeah, you know what? Everyone is telling me that this is really great. So I'm I'm allowed to accept that it has been great and it's given me confidence and has allowed me to I don't know where it's going now, but to go further in all directions of life and career, like it's given me we've talked about accomplishing things is something that lights me up and really gets me going. So I feel like it's just been a huge, amazing change for me.

Lisa Hopkins: 21:13

Well, and I think it's interesting too because, again, as a self-declared pleaser, I still hear an inkling of that, you know, and I just want to clarify because I know that it's you take things through the lens still, because you care so much about what other people think, so you also care about their opinion, not so much from ego, like I don't hear that. I don't hear like, oh, I want to know that people think I'm good. But that permission of like, well, if the people that I care about actually think it's okay, well then, yeah, I can be confident about that. So it's almost like a validation. And it's interesting because I would argue and say that it's all you and that confidence is a result. And you, you, you. You don't become confident because people say you got this. You become confident because you fucking do the stuff. Oh, yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 22:04

And you build the skills 100%, yeah, you know what I mean, and I think you said that to me recently. You said actually, like you said wholeheartedly I'm really proud of what. I did. I'm like yes.

David Josefsberg: 22:17

And I've learned that. That I mean not only is it good, but even the self-deprecating of yeah, I'm terrible, I'm just not your brand. Your brain, it hears that, it who's it. I hear that, and so I have made a conscious effort to, because it is the truth. We just don't want to feel like we're being too cocky or or I don't want to feel like I'm being too cocky or this, but we're sure as shit oh sorry, sure as hell happy to tell us ourselves when we're failures or we're not doing something right I know it's so true right it's my god it's so true

Lisa Hopkins: 22:51

yeah um, it's interesting. I mean we're taught to you know, to you know, be be humble and all of that, but it's not. It's not bragging if you've done it and it and, and we're talking about conversations with ourselves, not with other people, you're not totally they're going. Look at me, you're going, you know, hey, you're patting your own self on your back, right, yeah?

David Josefsberg: 23:12

it feels nice once in a while to give yourself that totally what's the hardest thing you've ever done? Oh, I I guess parenting there you go.

Lisa Hopkins: 23:24

You're just gonna like blanket saving, parenting, yeah, and it's ever-changing, right like as your kids get older.

Lisa Hopkins: 23:31

For sure yeah and you know we've talked a lot about, you know, this just in everything, not just parenting, but it really shows up clear. It's really good to look at, you know, through the lens of parenting or easier. Clear it's clear to look at the attachment piece, right when you're, when, when you're sort of attached to, so you're helping. But it's, you know, because, because you kind of want something, even even though it's all in good, you want, you want it to be good for them yeah, and for me, I want to be liked, I want to be.

David Josefsberg: 23:58

You know what I mean, all of it exactly exactly yeah, super hard all right, I'll put that on the list of things to work this week. What's the? What's the?

Lisa Hopkins: 24:08

easiest thing you've ever done, that you've ever had to do yeah.

David Josefsberg: 24:13

Easiest thing.

Lisa Hopkins: 24:14

Yeah, or easiest decision you ever made. If you want, it could be that.

David Josefsberg: 24:22

I mean, the first thing that comes up for me is like finding joy in most everything, seems is is pretty easy for me.

Lisa Hopkins: 24:29

Yeah, uh, how do you do that?

David Josefsberg: 24:34

That's a good. That's a good question, cause I generally am happy. Uh, you know, of course, you know it's easy for me, flip-flopping on everything that I say, uh, finding both sides, how do I do that? How do I find the joy? I mean, I really do think that it is incredible, incredibly, we are incredibly lucky to be here, and so I do feel like whatever we go through is still. We're still here doing that thing. I mean, that's a little you know what's it called Like, like I have my crystal here and I'm, you know everything's great and easy.

David Josefsberg: 25:19

Let me think for one sec. Give me like 10 seconds. Yeah, no worries, the easiest thing, well, I guess also I can say doing for the family has been is so supremely easy for me. Um, god, it's so funny, like I would say that this journey of finding the joy back in theater like now I would say it's easy, but it was certainly like very, not easy in a four-year process yeah, fair, but I guess, um, enjoying the moments of that process even though there were sometimes, as I said before, that I wanted to get hit by a car I still think, like, looking back, it was a joy, like finding the joy of that or finding the joy of being home and not working for those two years, or not finding the joy of not working for half of my career, of my career.

Lisa Hopkins: 26:19

Yeah, you know what's incredible about what you just said? What and this is for everybody Go back if you didn't, if you didn't catch it. But you said you, you said and these words are really important, I think you said um, let me have 10 minutes, or 10 minutes, 10 seconds you you asked.

Lisa Hopkins: 26:40

You asked for what you wanted, so you honored your value of being true and clear and it superseded your very strong default, which is to please, which is to to I. I got to give her an answer now, just so everyone is listening.

David Josefsberg: 26:58

Who's listening? If you then saw the video, I did make like a face of, like a scrunched up, like oh, was that an answer? That was good. So that's still on the other side, for sure, for sure.

Lisa Hopkins: 27:10

But do you recognize that like I want to celebrate?

David Josefsberg: 27:12

you for that like no, that is great it is.

Lisa Hopkins: 27:14

I love that it was I, it was, it was for me like a poof moment. It was. You were like let me and you didn't even say it in sort of a hyper way, like oh, let me think about it. Uh, you were like let me take 10 seconds just to think about this, and it was so like centered and grounded, it was beautiful.

David Josefsberg: 27:30

Yeah, I'm winning.

Lisa Hopkins: 27:34

There we go Back to the binary. It's funny we always talk about the binary right, the win-lose, and he was joking, obviously. But because well A it's easier, because we can make shortcuts right In life. Right Like, do I do it Do?

Lisa Hopkins: 27:48

I not do it Like and that harkens back to what we're talking about do I, do I take the gig or do I not take the gig? Yeah, right, but when, when we only have two choices, it feels. It feels trapping, because you're, even if they're both exciting choices, because you feel like you're gonna fomo if you take this and not that or whatever right, all these things come come cascading in. But there are only two things in life that are 100% birth and death. Yeah, yeah, those are the only non choices we have in our life. Everything in between is choice, everything. What do you think?

David Josefsberg: 28:24

about that. I love it and I think I think that's a huge, huge lesson in life. It must be that that's helped me so much, even like you know my things at school, if you don't like school, there's choice to do something else. There's choice for any career. There's choice for love. There's choice for so many different things. I think, when you were also speaking, the thing that was that I think that we've talked about so much things that excite you. I think I've learned so much that I can choose those things rather than just go. That's a huge thing in my life where, as a pleaser, I'm like, yeah, it's always, it is good enough, it's always good enough. I, because you know what I feel like I am happy enough. I should just choose what's best for everyone else. Did you all hear the should? I must choose? No, I don't know no, but it's true.

Lisa Hopkins: 29:20

That's how you feel it. Should you're shooting yourself, for sure I should all over myself.

David Josefsberg: 29:25

I should all over myself literally, but I should do because I can't handle it yeah no, because I'm good enough and I'm happy enough with this.

David Josefsberg: 29:32

But I think that and I'm really grateful that it's at this time, because, like at 50, like in my 50s, I feel like, you know, some people think we're heading towards it, but I feel like I truly am heading towards. I am because I'm finding more things to be that I am truly excited about that. I get to go, and as I get to, I get to go grab at those and try those and do those and live those.

Lisa Hopkins: 29:56

Yes, it's also really notable and interesting. You know you've got two boys that in four years have have grown into men, young men, right Like that's a whole lifetime in their life.

Lisa Hopkins: 30:07

So, so, when you're going back to something that you're, that you're familiar with and you know, and going back to the job, if you want to call it that, you, that you used to do, but you're, you're so different because your whole world is different too, right, and so, like the contextualization is so important, is to look at what's what's changed, what's changing around you, how that affects you, what you would like to do, so you're not, you're not at the expense of how it's affected. Oh, it's affected me so much. No, it's. It's like again, if you're in that higher energy, it's about that, ooh, so, so what's different? Cool. What are the branches Right? What?

Lisa Hopkins: 30:44

what other, you know where, where can we go. And and like you said, like branches there's not one is not better than the other. I mean, in your case, you can leap and jump and be like one of those monkeys, right, yeah, If you see a new branch growing, but it's not big enough for you to jump on it as a little monkey guy, how does that make you feel? Does that make you feel like, oh, I wish it would grow quicker. Or does it make you feel like, oh, I don't know, I'm curious.

David Josefsberg: 31:10

Huh, I like that metaphor. I always love your metaphors. Do I get impatient. I would say somewhat, I think, when you were saying that, I was thinking that there's a part of the brain that's like still wait. Like you know you don't need to do that. But I think that over these past few years I've become someone who's pushes through that and maybe jumps onto it, even if it's not fully ready to oh interesting oh, that's interesting.

David Josefsberg: 31:38

Um, maybe not, though. I think that, um, no, I think what? What I see it as also is like uh, uh, uh, you have to sort of not jump, you know, maybe hold on to this branch a little, what? Oh, that doesn't seem like it's good, does it? But hold on a little and get this one. Do that until you can take that swing.

Lisa Hopkins: 32:01

Well, do you know? What's really interesting is that the implication here for you seems to be that because there's a branch, I have to do something with it. That's interesting, oh.

David Josefsberg: 32:10

Well, I want to do something because it's, I mean, why not?

Lisa Hopkins: 32:13

There's, there's infinite branches.

David Josefsberg: 32:17

Oh, you're right, I don't. It doesn't have to be just that branch.

Lisa Hopkins: 32:19

Well, and it's so. So I'm just sort of you know it's amazing, right, when you. It's amazing that you your instinct, there's nothing wrong with it, it's cool Absolutely Nothing right or wrong answers. But it's cool that you were like Ooh, but I might jump on too soon, and this and that and the other. And it's interesting because another person might've said actually just knowing that something else is growing is cool, and I may or may not do that, and it, you know, that might be a different vibe.

David Josefsberg: 32:44

I like that vibe feels good when you said it. I like that vibe Like it's growing while I'm doing this too, and it's still it's growing. I like it did feel good. So maybe that is what I really want to be doing Interesting, not worried about having to graph at the things. It's let them all grow. Yeah, that's a better, that's a better visual.

Lisa Hopkins: 33:03

Well, it's interesting Cause I've been thinking also a lot lately about, like, what we put on the back burner, what we put on the shelf, and then what we just keep in the rear view mirror. When you put something on the back to me, tell me what you think this implies. But when you put something on the back burner, it's something that you, it's still on the stove, it's still cooking, so you're still interested in doing that. But maybe either you're cognizant that it takes longer or that you just want to slowly let it evolve, right. Um, if you forget about it, I suppose it'll burn. I don't know, depend which way you want to go with the metaphor, but it's still, it's still on the, on the stove.

Lisa Hopkins: 33:42

And then you have stuff that you've shelved and for me and again, this is the way I took it, you can take it whatever way you want but when I think of something shelved, it feels, feels more intellectual, and maybe that's just because it conjures a bookshelf right. So it's like something that for me, the shelf thing feels more like shoulds. For me, personally, it feels like, yeah, I'm going to keep that where I can sort of see it, because it reminds me that yeah, I thought about doing that or reading that book or whatever it might be, but I never did so. I don't know. Maybe maybe the shelf taunts us, I don't know. Um, and then there's, and then there's the, then there's the rear view mirror, the things that we just finally just go. Yeah, I remember when I used to do that, but I don't do that anymore but you're still kind of peeking back in the rear view mirror. I don't know.

David Josefsberg: 34:25

Yeah, it's interesting. I love all of these. This is not something that I've I've thought on too much. I think that um back burner to me would sound like it's a. It's a bad thing, but I think I like the um, the new uh reframe for me. I think that would can be really helpful Like it's still bubbling in the back, Like it's on the back burner, but it's it's still burning. It's still burning. So I think that, like taking things that are interesting, like it feels like it opens up options for me, like it allows me they're there. I could still do those. The back, the, the rear view mirror, I mean interesting. Like that still feels like it's there though, Like I can get to it if I needed to, but I feel like the back burner is like right there and I could get in there and do those things. The shelf oh no, the shelf also feels open to me, because I have to just peel that book away and just do that too. I don't know.

Lisa Hopkins: 35:29

Interesting. Yeah, I don't know either. It's interesting. That's cool, though the the back burner thing, it seems to be, I can be very helpful neat what's on your back burner these days, because right now what's cooking is is the show right show's cooking.

David Josefsberg: 35:45

But fam, like a lot of I guess, maybe not back, but sideers, like the show is leading to good health. The good health and the show are leading me to be available for more. Everything with the family, with the kids, with the mindset, because I'm not, you know, shoving in food and alcohol as much. I'm open to that, what else? I guess breath works on the back burner and that kind of meditations on the back burner it was a little further back than the back burner, that's in the rear view.

David Josefsberg: 36:23

I think I need to make a quick little turnaround and then come back forward because my body, as I said it, I'm like I want to go back to that, I want the cold showers, but it just feels like I'm adding instead of like needing to do it. It would be I want, I'm going to add these things and they're, they're coming on slowly, they are, things are happening, but the job has the money so that I can maybe get a cold plunge or maybe these things. But things are all sort of I don't know the audience can't see things, but things are all sort of. I don't know the audience can't see now, but I have my arms spread. There was a visual that you gave me once of like as we. You know when you're looking down and you can see things deep to the right, deep to the left, deep in front of you and I guess you could sort of on the back burner feel them.

David Josefsberg: 37:09

That's new, though, guys that was I was. I never thought of the back burner before. This is a new piece, the back burner for me. We've talked hot air balloons. We've talked a lot of cooking right In our-.

David Josefsberg: 37:18

Totally I love to cook. Cooking is on the front burner because I'm doing so much cooking for me, for my family, to bring to the show and for the kids. You know I love that 16, but you know I love that 16 and 19 year old boys we we need lots of chicken, lots of steak, lots of things Holy cow. But I think that that's great for me. I didn't realize this was going to be such a great session for me specifically, but I'm going to backburn all of these things too, because I want to. I want them added stat yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 37:51

So if you had to choose one highlight and one low light from your career, what would those be?

David Josefsberg: 38:02

Ooh, well, gosh, there have been so many highlights. I'm about to say, you know, I guess you could say as an actor on Broadway for me, I mean, this is what I tell everyone. These kids actually the kids in the show now are asking me how does one sustain a career and a family and a this and a that? And I always say like, first of all, I think it's taking out ego, because when I was younger and wanted to part and wanted to, I need this, so I need to give them what they need and who I'm supposed to be. When I took that away and started enjoying the process of auditioning where that's the job, or taking jobs that maybe wouldn't have been what I, not a lead, and going from smaller roles to bigger roles, to side roles, to these egg roles no, not egg roles to like finding other to breath, work, to all of these things in a career. Taking taking the ego out of it of feeling like this is what I should be doing at this stage of my career, this is what I should be doing at the beginning of my career, this is what I should be doing. I deserve it and doing what you want to do and finding the joy in it. So the, the, maybe there have been missed jobs that I didn't get. That could be. That could be a low light. Maybe I don't, but I don't feel like it because it brought me to whatever.

David Josefsberg: 39:24

The next thing was. I had a real difficult time in the prom, so that's a low light. Uh, because I was scared, because I was untrusting of myself, because I didn't know if I could do it, uh, and I just had a difficult time and it. This is when I did not know how to live a life. It was solely focused on that. I would be walking the dogs and I would be running lines. I would be listening to my kids and thinking, oh, I wonder when I can go run my lines, and I would be doing all these things as opposed to how this freedom has come with these next few years, the six, seven years. But highlights right now being comfortable going in and actually not thinking, oh, I hope I don't get the phone call for Doc, I hope I don't get the phone call. Being like, if I get the phone call for Doc, awesome If I'm doing my regular job, awesome. Alter Boys when I got to create my own role Honeymoon in Vegas. Les Miserables, my first, I mean. There's so many highlights of the career.

Lisa Hopkins: 40:37

But I'm going to say right now I'm in like a sweet, sweet stage, yeah, and, and you know, years ago, like even four years ago or even before, would you ever have believed it? Like, let's take go back to when you were in the prom and you know, you can see yourself when you were suffering, um, would you ever, ever believed you'd be here in this state? And again to be clear for the listeners, like I'm not saying to be playing this role or in the show, we're not talking about what he's doing. We're talking about how he's feeling and what he's doing, which is the real success here.

David Josefsberg: 41:05

Yeah, and it's funny because there were moments before the prom. But then at that point I thought maybe I'm done with this career for good. You know, even when we were talking about Beatles, I'm like this is the last one maybe.

Lisa Hopkins: 41:16

I remember yeah.

David Josefsberg: 41:17

And then the next one, was the last one, and then this one. You know what? I'm not going to say it, which is weird. This is the first time I've actually even thought of that. That I can't say that anymore, like I really was truthful because it was living out of fear, not living out of maybe. I don't want to do this anymore, which is also fine.

Lisa Hopkins: 41:38

Yeah.

David Josefsberg: 41:39

But it was I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to. And now I'm like we'll see what we do anymore.

Lisa Hopkins: 41:47

We'll see what's next. Yeah.

David Josefsberg: 41:50

Yeah, and I'm excited. I'm excited by it, yeah, and I'm interested. You know it's, it's, and there's so many things you could do. I'm doing while I'm doing it that has given me this, like it's a weight that has been off my shoulders and my body to to to find this again, because I did love it and I do love it, yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 42:15

Nice.

David Josefsberg: 42:16

That's exciting.

Lisa Hopkins: 42:16

Well, you're talking, you're living in your highlight. Now I mean, which is exactly? I mean you? Just I don't even need to ask you you know what's your definition of living in the moment, cause I think you're doing it right.

David Josefsberg: 42:28

Much thanks to you as well. I'm not, you know, I'm serious. You've given me so many, as I said, like I read the books not enough, but I do the meditations and that. But it is about for me translating that into doing something or, you know, thinking differently about that, or options to widen the scope of what I believe, and I feel like you've given me a lot of that. So a little side.

Lisa Hopkins: 43:03

It's co-created, by the way. You know it doesn't happen in a vacuum and you know it's cool too, because I think you know it's actionable, but it's not actionable in like a 12-step plan. It's actionable in that when you have an insight, you just don't hold on to it. You then translate that into whatever however you want to use it in your life, which is what you've done, and that's where your practice comes in right. Like I can't make you do something, nor do I want to make you do something, Right, but it's just about opening the where your practice comes in right. Like I can't make you do something, nor do I want to make you do something right.

David Josefsberg: 43:37

So but it's just about opening the possibilities. What's humorous to me is that, since we've been talking for four years and I don't think that I have ever given you and or come in with anything specific that I want to talk about no, but it always turns into this. It's like there's a little energy that's going like this and then it goes at it and it's like then we're at the top of the mountain. I'm like holy shit, how did we even how did we do that?

Lisa Hopkins: 43:59

Yeah, no for sure. And we is key. I mean literally. And and the big, the biggest part about that is is is the non-attachment and trust actually It's's, it's, it's right. I mean literally it's, it's me not being attached to, or you to, what it's supposed to be. And just like this conversation now, like neither you know literally, was like hey, it'd be really fun to have you on the show, yeah, yeah. So we jump on. What big, audacious goal or dream do you have that you haven't put out in the universe yet?

David Josefsberg: 44:38

the universe yet that I haven't put out at all, dream that I haven't put into the universe.

Lisa Hopkins: 44:52

Or audacious goal. It might be something that has crossed your mind that yeah, I mean I it's not.

David Josefsberg: 45:02

there's so many things I want to like. I want to challenge myself physically, these kinds of things Like I don't know what specifically it is. Like I've done a marathon but I want to do, I want to change my life in that capacity. But I want to live on water soon, like I want to have a. Oh well, I mean it's, these have been percolating, that I want to have a place where. So every summer we've been going up to Vermont, to these friends' houses who've had this house in their family for a hundred years, and I want to start that. Where friends, our kids bring their friends, our family bring their families. I want to be the beginning of that. I love that. That's a big one, that's a big goal. I think that's beautiful.

Lisa Hopkins: 45:53

Yeah, it's not audacious. I think it's gorgeous, but it's certainly. Yeah, I love that.

David Josefsberg: 45:58

What's the definition of audacious?

Lisa Hopkins: 45:59

Audacious, I think is kind of almost like ballsy or like seems impossible or seems yeah.

David Josefsberg: 46:07

Oh.

Lisa Hopkins: 46:09

It's okay, though I mean what you shared is brilliant. Impossible. It's okay, though I mean what you shared is brilliant. What's impossible?

David Josefsberg: 46:15

yeah, I can see. I mean, I don't know like yeah, do I want to know an impossible goal? Well, lately I've been really wanting to get into the best shape of my life that I've ever gotten into and that seems everyone's telling me that that's not possible at this age do you believe?

Lisa Hopkins: 46:35

that no, I don't believe that either. No it's harder, but it's it's more hard. I think not some. Well, I'm sure there are some scientific reasons why it's harder, but I think, I think in the mindset it can. It can be harder.

David Josefsberg: 46:49

Yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 46:50

Yeah.

David Josefsberg: 46:50

Yeah Right, mindset Right.

Lisa Hopkins: 46:53

Do you know what I mean? Yeah, but I mean, yeah, there's so many examples, there's so many examples of people who turn things around and so on, and so forth.

David Josefsberg: 47:02

Yeah, what else? I mean you know what it's funny, like as soon as we turn off this camera like now do the runway and then I want to. So there are things percolating.

Lisa Hopkins: 47:19

It's a beautiful place to go and play. You know in your head and and I'm sure you've read or we've talked about you know your brain. That's why visualization is so powerful, right, because your brain doesn't know the difference between it actually being real and not, which is why we get sometimes freaked out in our dreams and stuff.

David Josefsberg: 47:35

Oh, my God.

Lisa Hopkins: 47:36

Because your body responds, so, so you can create that happy place for you. It is. It is a kind of manifestation, I suppose. But you know, I, I, I step away from saying you know that sort of cause. I think people look for shortcuts and go. Well, if I think about it really, really hard, is it going to happen? Is that manifesting? No people, that is not manifestation. But what you can do is take yourself to that place so that you can familiarize yourself with the feelings and it starts to feel possible.

Lisa Hopkins: 48:04

And when you're living in the land of possibility. Then you start to come to the real world and put it together and you're in choice and you figure out how to do it.

David Josefsberg: 48:13

Yeah, you always have good keywords for me too, like possibility. Possibility, what a great word, cause you can that that leads to everything.

Lisa Hopkins: 48:21

It does. And and I always remind myself and others that let's live in a land of, in the world of you know, of possibility, not probability, of you know of possibility, not probability. Yeah, yeah, because probability, man, it's like it. Just you know, either it's going to make you go oh yeah, watch me which is great, but it's unsustainable and it's for wrong, the wrong reasons. Right, watch me, I'm going to prove you wrong. But I mean, you know, if that's your jam, then go for it. But when you live in possibility, then then you just believe that anything's possible, and then it's back on you and then it's like anything's possible but it's not easy. It doesn't mean it's easy.

David Josefsberg: 48:56

It's not jamming it in like, oh yeah, I am going to get in the best shape of my life Exactly.

Lisa Hopkins: 49:01

It's possible. It is possible. I mean, it's like if I was your genie, I'd be like, yeah, it's totally possible. What are you going to do about it?

David Josefsberg: 49:08

Because it's on you. It's only possible if you participate, and that's the manifestation. Right Is acting. When you manifest and you like, you become the person that you want to be. Yeah, who has these? Who is these things?

Lisa Hopkins: 49:20

Yeah, you align with what? Yeah, exactly Exactly With the vision of who you want to be, and I think that's key, not what you want to do, but who you want to be in the world. Yeah, yeah. What do you know will stay true about you, no matter what happens this is interesting.

David Josefsberg: 49:41

I believe that I will find a positive in whatever comes my way yeah it's I.

David Josefsberg: 49:51

I was thinking of a, a conversation with, with people how, um, you know, everything uh comes easy, or for, for david, or or everything is um, you haven't had a loss of a parent and you haven't had this and you haven't had that, so it's just all so easy. But I'm not necessarily sure that that's the case. I just think that we find I'm able to find the positive parts of things and if things go bad, I feel like I'm not afraid to say, like, specifically thinking of a relationship with someone, if I've done something wrong, I can, I'm I'm afraid to say, like, specifically thinking of a relationship with someone, if I've done something wrong, I can, I'm, I'm, I was wrong, so that sometimes those things lead to positive events. I guess, yeah, I think I would remain positive in the face of and I, I have it's a possibility that when really bad things happen, I, I believe that that still will happen.

Lisa Hopkins: 50:53

That's cool, and I would even call it not positivity so much as response ability, the ability to respond right.

David Josefsberg: 51:03

Yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 51:04

Because, because that's, that's really what it is right. It's not like you're going to well, maybe it isn't I don't want to project, but it's not that you're kind of looking at things and going, okay, how can I find the positive Like? It's not like toxic positivity, it's rather, how can? What are my choices? To respond to this? And you know, and sometimes it might be, it might be to mourn or to feel sad about something or to, so it doesn't mean. No, I found a way to be happy about this. No, it's finding a way that aligns with you, so that, so that you can continue to, yeah.

David Josefsberg: 51:39

Right, totally. That, that feel, that feels also that that my need to feel like it, for it to feel right, is also going to remain all the time. Like you know, when I talk to you and I'm like, oh, that doesn't feel exactly what I'm saying, but, like, my body has this huge urge to not be right but to the truth, the connection to the truth of what it truly is.

Lisa Hopkins: 52:05

Yeah, I love that. Hey, so how do you? How do you want to be remembered?

David Josefsberg: 52:15

How do you want to be remembered? Jeez, louise, I mean, the word that keeps coming up is kindness. But yeah, I guess the things that we've been talking about right, that, that that I lived joyfully, that I, that I, that I was always there for my family or for whoever friends, everyone, people that I love, you know not that it's, that it's not sad whenever I go, like I've already gotten this opportunity to live this amazing life can you finish this phrase?

Lisa Hopkins: 52:57

most people, most people think david josefsberg is, but the truth is most people think that david josefsberg is huh. So and then, but then it's, but really yeah, the truth is, but the truth is trying to get the script right, are you dave?

David Josefsberg: 53:23

just want to make sure I get those words correct before you. I want to answer this question with as much verve and possibility as possible. Uh well, I think it's changed so much that, like you know, I think I remember probably said that is this funny guy, but he's really this deeper, blah, blah, blah. But I think everyone really knows that I'm like a little bit. It's my. My role in life has changed to become this person who is, um, become this person who is connected and open and deeper, and not just the funny guy. So I don't think that's true anymore and I haven't given it thought since then. That's neat.

Lisa Hopkins: 54:04

So how do you want to be seen? Let's make a new question. How do you want to be seen in the world today.

David Josefsberg: 54:15

Well, I guess it's still, you know, thinking even what's going on now in my life, even at the theater. Like I want to, I want to make everyone happy. I want everyone to, uh, feel the joy and not and it's not something I consciously do, I don't think, but like I mean sometimes, of course I do things for people but feel the joy. And it's not something I consciously do, I don't think, but like I mean, sometimes, of course I do things for people but feel the joy emanating from me so that they can get in the joy circle.

Lisa Hopkins: 54:42

Yeah.

David Josefsberg: 54:45

Again. I'm going to make that face All my answers. They seem boring.

Lisa Hopkins: 54:49

Stop judging yourself. I'm judging myself Boring Stop judging yourself. I'm judging myself.

David Josefsberg: 54:56

Everyone thinks that David Joseph Spurge is.

Lisa Hopkins: 55:01

You can think about that. Maybe you don't know what people think. I don't know what people think about me Like how would I answer that question.

David Josefsberg: 55:09

You know what? Answer that question.

Lisa Hopkins: 55:13

I don't know, because I think people think that the way they meet me is all of me, because I give my all wherever I am. So what is true is that I give my all wherever I am, but what is not true is that when you meet me in a certain context, that's not all of who I am.

David Josefsberg: 55:38

Yeah, that's so cool, right, because you're giving your all to that. But there's this.

Lisa Hopkins: 55:42

Yeah. So if someone sees me in the context of blah blah blah, mother, performer, coach, whatever it is, they file it away as wow, because they meet me powerfully, because I feel like I have a powerful energy in whatever it is I'm doing. So that's how they file me.

David Josefsberg: 56:01

Yeah, that's interesting, I love that.

Lisa Hopkins: 56:04

Yeah, and I don't like that. It's not their fault. That's interesting. So I've learned to let go of yeah. But wait, like I remember back in the days of teaching right when where, um, you know, the people that really knew me knew that you know that I really specialized in both like both jazz and tap and theater and stuff like that, but the people that didn't maybe only caught on to to one of them or the other other for whatever reason, because they saw me in that context. So I remember being asked to do one of them and kind of low-key mentioning that I did the other and them kind of blowing it off, going oh no, we have lots of people that do that and naming the names and going and then hearing the names and realizing that I actually taught them.

David Josefsberg: 57:04

Totally.

Lisa Hopkins: 57:08

But it was such a good moment because I didn't. It could have been a real ego moment, like, oh yeah, I was like wow, and then I was like actually it's really cool that they really think of me like fully is this? And that you know I'm not Jack of all trades, because you could fall. You could fall into that as well, Right.

David Josefsberg: 57:21

Yeah. So year five I think we're going to need to talk about this because this is bringing up a ton for me, because I forgot, like I want that. I want people to, not that I want them to know, but I want the theater and to be a great dad and to do breath work and to be a deep thinker and to do sports and to be a goofball and to do these things. And I think you're right. Like yeah, I don't know if it's good. Like yeah, I don't know if it's good. I mean, I do think it's good to be able to do these things, but not that I would want someone to have that opinion of me.

David Josefsberg: 57:56

The opinion being that I need them to know that I'm just that. I'm also this and this and this and this Right Doing it for a reason other than the love of wanting to do the things that I'm doing. Yeah, because I do feel like that. I'm clicking in life because not just because, but with being the career man who's doing this and being this dad and a husband and a friend and a this and a joy monger All of these things, yep, yep.

David Josefsberg: 58:29

So I wonder if it's like I think I I think it's, for me it feels like, it's like a. It's just a widening, because there is that space, like you know how we use, like not enough of our brains, like I do feel like there's capacity to do all this oh, absolutely, and and it's it's contextualized again, right, it's.

Lisa Hopkins: 58:44

It's like, uh, it's the fader on the soundboard. You're not going to always have always be up here or down there, or you know, and you want to blend it. You do want to blend it, right Cause let's, you know, imagine that all those aspects of you are all there, you know, at some point, and it's yeah.

David Josefsberg: 59:00

Yeah, it's fading in it. Yeah, anyways, music and food, that's our sweet spot.

Lisa Hopkins: 59:05

Yes and water.

David Josefsberg: 59:07

Yeah, water, let's drink it up and fire actually, we do fire too.

Lisa Hopkins: 59:11

Oh yeah, oh my gosh. What are you most afraid of?

David Josefsberg: 59:16

What am I most afraid of? I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is just children being sad, children, being a wife too, but even more children than because you feel like you know my, my wife can handle, I can handle, but like, yeah, my kids, and in both ways. Like them not finding, not being on, like doing on their, or how about that the world for my children as well?

Lisa Hopkins: 59:44

where it's going. There you go, yeah which is scary. It is yeah, no, that, that makes sense. That's, that's real. What's um.

David Josefsberg: 59:53

What's the worst advice you've ever been given the one that is coming to me was that when I was first starting out in theater and I was doing a little production of baby in Matuchin, new Jersey, and I had gotten, then I got the Les Mis tour and the director telling me that if I leave a week early to go do the Les Mis tour, my career will, it's going to be ruined and you're never going to be able to make it. You got to honor your commitments. You shouldn't take this job that's going to make you more money and start your career off. You should stay here and finish this. Wow, and you didn't. No, I did not.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:00:39

So the worst advice really is just to to to peel that back, is to don't trust your intuition because it sounds like right. I mean, that's really what it is Because he was living in the land of limiting beliefs and also selfishly wanting you to stay right, correct?

David Josefsberg: 1:00:52

yes.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:00:53

Yeah, that's so cool.

David Josefsberg: 1:00:53

And without that I wouldn't have had this career and I wouldn't have found my wife with my children, who are going to be you know.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:01:00

Yep, and that's again. You trusted your gut. I'm sure you listened to what he said.

David Josefsberg: 1:01:05

Oh, yeah, and I don't like to disappoint. So even back then I was like, oh, maybe he's right he's right, yeah, yeah, fair enough, hey.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:01:15

And what's the best advice you were ever given?

David Josefsberg: 1:01:19

my parents allowing and giving me the opportunity to follow the dreams and the things that I love. So, like you know, my parents didn't have enough money to send me NYU. They'll figure out a way to send me to NYU, my parents, you know, you know, just pushing me towards, uh, following the things that I'm good at, and well, not good at, but that I love.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:01:46

Yeah, that's amazing. What a gift. Yeah, I mean really.

David Josefsberg: 1:01:52

But then you worry on the other side like am I too, hands off, allowing them, my children, to do?

Lisa Hopkins: 1:01:58

these things too. Who knows, I don't know. Yeah, yeah, the parenting there. Back to the parenting thing. It's hard, it's so hard. Yeah, you know that's amazing. Hey, so what makes you hungry? This is rapid fire. We've done this before what?

David Josefsberg: 1:02:14

makes you hungry. What makes me hungry? Uh, accomplishing something that's hard, doing hard things.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:02:21

Yeah, fair enough. What makes you sad? When other people are sad and that they and they can't get out of sad and they can't get out of it.

David Josefsberg: 1:02:38

What inspires you? Music, seeing achievement, a good quote, a good book, inspires me. What inspires me, what inspires me Connection. It was a different inspiring, I guess right Connection. Love, seeing people achieve things, I guess like impossible things. Love it.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:03:02

Hey, when you feel, inspired what do you do?

David Josefsberg: 1:03:07

I feel inspired. What do you do? I feel inspired? What do I do? Well, first I send them videos to my family so that they can be inspired as well. Of course, sometimes write things down, sometimes go out and do things. I take that energy and use it to do the things that I want to do.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:03:27

Like go work out do something real hard. I love it, so it energizes you. Cool. What frustrates you?

David Josefsberg: 1:03:34

What frustrates me Ooh, that's a good one Not doing the things that I promised myself, not being able to remember words being stopped, blocked. What makes you laugh? Dog videos. Brilliant people Shout out, roger Barth Actually, so many people that I've worked with recently and stood by for have been yeah, no kidding. Like unbelievably talented people who just I don't know it just naturally falls out of them. Yeah, so comedy.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:04:08

Do you identify as a, as a funny person yourself? I mean, I know you've heard that you're told you're funny, but but do you do you? Do you actually own and realize that you, you do make people laugh?

David Josefsberg: 1:04:19

Yes, yeah, yeah. Interestingly enough, though, I can't tell a joke. I can't, well, that's a little believe probably that I don't, but I won't remember a joke. I can't, well, that's a little.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:04:26

Believe probably that I don't, that I won't remember the joke.

David Josefsberg: 1:04:28

Wow, that's a good one, Okay year five.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:04:30

You won't remember the punchline.

David Josefsberg: 1:04:32

We got so many things for year five, lisa, but yes, I feel like I'm a mini version of a lot of them. So this we can go deep on this too, because I'm not as studious as they are. But I deep on this too, because I'm not as studious of as they are, but I believe they are. But it's true, like I haven't put in the time to, naturally I think that I am that person.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:04:56

Yes, yeah, yeah, fair. What makes you angry?

David Josefsberg: 1:05:02

oh, what makes me angry? Look at him embodying anger.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:05:04

What makes me angry? Look at him embodying anger.

David Josefsberg: 1:05:07

What makes me angry, his face is going red. I do get angry, like you know. I want people to see me as like this guy, but I do yell and get uncomfortable with my kids and say things when I shouldn't and do as everyone does.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:05:22

So what pisses you off? What makes you angry?

David Josefsberg: 1:05:24

You know when people are not doing. When you know when people are not doing, uh, when people are the world, the meanness the uh doing things for because people are different makes me very freaking angry. Yeah uh you know, yeah I guess that's really what's on my mind now yeah, no, it totally makes sense.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:05:48

And finally, what makes you grateful?

David Josefsberg: 1:05:51

so many things. Yeah, my upbringing just being here in this world, my children, my career, my puppies, my where I'm living, where I will be living in the future who knows? Ohio State, where?

Lisa Hopkins: 1:06:08

I'm living where I will be living in the future, who knows. It's like okay, we're running out of time people.

David Josefsberg: 1:06:11

He's just going to go on and on Ohio State, the fact that I can't have alcohol when I want to I love coffee. I'm grateful for Lisa. I'm grateful for this audience.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:06:19

I love it. Oh my God, what are the top three things that happened so far today?

David Josefsberg: 1:06:24

What did I do? Woke up, I woke up, that's one without waking up. I couldn't do the rest, so we'll do wake up and coffee time, because that was a beautiful morning I love coffee time in the morning is there's nothing better?

David Josefsberg: 1:06:37

well, there would be something better. When I see your pictures, I'm jealous because I would like to be sitting out by a lake and see a beautiful scenery every once in a while. So, but my morning was my morning coffee. Ooh, accomplishing, getting things done, like I dropped off a rental car and making a little food for my son before he went to camp his work. Don't tell him, because then he's going to make me do it every single day that's so funny.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:07:09

What's something you're looking forward to today? And then bigger picture what's something that you're looking forward to in the future?

David Josefsberg: 1:07:16

in the future, which is interesting.

David Josefsberg: 1:07:18

Back to the future I'm looking forward to uh, first, right, I'm gonna do a workout. Uh, today, uh, I am going to do a workout today. I am going to eat some delicious food and then head into the city to go do the show and I think I'm going to be my Strickland today, which is fantastic. But I am looking forward to in this, oh, two huge things this next couple of weeks Roger's out, get to play well, this I don't know when this is coming out, but I'm going to get to play a doc and I'm having my specific dates that I know. So I'm going to have family and friends and so many people come. And then I'm going to Portugal for a week.

David Josefsberg: 1:08:01

Wow, yeah, that's exciting. And that's, in the next couple of weeks, super exciting. Yeah, I mean back to, I mean grateful and stuff doing this job. Also, I had my kids come and my wife come on a night where there were 150 kids and people screaming and I got to go on for doc and it was a huge audience and the energy with the audience was amazing. And then to have my sons ask if they could bring their friends back and come back. Especially, like you know, 16 and 19 year year old boys don't necessarily think their dad's so cool, but for him to do that, so that is a huge gratitude moment for me.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:08:36

Totally Talk about your world coming together and didn't? Didn't I read that? Isn't Casey likes the son of someone that you work? That's so cool.

David Josefsberg: 1:08:44

Yeah, yeah, so Casey is, which is here's another thought I had. I went to go see Casey sing his national anthem at the Mets game last night with my kids.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:08:53

Yeah.

David Josefsberg: 1:08:54

And realized that my wife had gotten me to sing the national anthem. She called and pretended she was my agent and said my son, my husband, is a star of Les Mis. Can he sing the anthem? And they said yes. So I sang it and I was wearing the same shirt, but realized that that was 24 years ago and that Casey Likes is 22.

David Josefsberg: 1:09:14

Wow, so I sang that Actually, probably when I knew his mom, she and I did Les Mis as well. Yeah, the show. But to think that I couldn't believe that it was. You know we talk about four years going by, but that 24 years had gone by and I was like what in the hell? That's amazing. How cool is that? I love it.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:09:39

Yeah, like full, full circle, david. Oh my God, this has been great. I knew it would be, but I'm I'm totally delighted. It's been such a pleasure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you are awesome. I really appreciate great. I knew it would be but I'm, I'm totally delighted.

David Josefsberg: 1:09:47

It's been such a pleasure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you are awesome. I really appreciate it. I'm so grateful for you, ditto and yeah.

Lisa Hopkins: 1:09:55

Ditto Thanks. Thanks for having me. I've been speaking today with David Josephsburg. Stay safe and healthy. Everyone, remember to live in the moment. In music, stop time is that beautiful moment where the band is suspended in rhythmic unison, supporting the soloist to express their individuality In the moment. I encourage you to take that time and create your own rhythm. Until next time, I'm Lisa Hopkins. Thanks for listening.