12: Managing Stress, Stage Managing & BTS Of The Industry with Luke Woodham

Ever wondered what it takes to be a successful stage manager? 

In this episode, Luke Woodham, a seasoned professional, shares his journey from starting in Tasmania to Stage Managing show after show here in Australia. Reflecting on his family's theater legacy and the challenges and triumphs of managing iconic productions like 'The Lion King' and 'Mary Poppins.' From resilience to adaptability, his insights offer a glimpse into the world of stage management, post-COVID. Aspiring stage managers, take note: Luke's advice on listening, humility, and kindness is invaluable.

They talked about:

• Luke's Journey: From Tasmania to Center Stage
• Education and Early Career: Learning the Ropes
• Family Influence: Generational Passion for Theater
• Managing Major Productions: Triumphs and Challenges
• Key Advice: Listening, Humility, and Kindness in Theater Career

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Here Are Your Next Steps 👇🏻

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Put the phone down and just absorb and listen, and listen to the people who are giving you this opportunity, because those experiences, if you're in the right place at the right time that is what a lot of my career has been. You know you do you are able to. Then, if you make a good impression on someone and then they're putting together a team, then that person will pull you in. They're like what you do. You get them to cross and get into mad. If they're sad or grumpy about it, then it's probably not.

Speaker 2: 0:25

Yeah, don't do something else. Like, just like how it's been, mate. There's too many performers and big performers Too many performers.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Welcome back to another episode with the diet podcast, where each week, we interview professional performing artists as we discuss their stories and learn how to navigate the challenges we face as artists. I'm your host, taylor Scanlon. I'm a musical theater performer and also a yoga teacher and sound healer at New Zealand Yoga Academy, where our podcast is held.

Speaker 2: 1:05

Today is an exciting day because we have Luke Woodham in the studio with us, who's actually a stage manager, and I wanted to bring him onto the show because, whether you are a performer, I think it's really important, no matter where you are within the arts, to understand the behind the scene what makes a show, the ins and the outs of rehearsal periods and how to manage stress on the work overload that the role of a stage manager can bring. So if you're interested in stage managing or the behind the scenes of what makes up a show, this episode is for you. Welcome to the show, luke. Thank you, it's so good to see you. Thank you, and I'm really excited, taylor, because obviously, what we're just talking about today's show and how it's going to be a little bit different because you are a fabulous stage manager. So, behind the scenes, what has it been like for you and maybe let's go back and talk about how you kind of got into stage managing or what was your career like before you got Into it all.

Speaker 1: 2:05

I think we're having me. First of all, it's all I've ever done really. It was born in the 80s early 80s, in Tasmania and I grew up in there. I went to high school and college in Tasmania, then left Tasmania. I came to VCA for a year and then left VCA after a year and went to NIDA for three years. So that's kind of my training and theater's all I've ever done. I sort of grew up in a theater the theater Royal and Hobart is the oldest working theater in the country and my grandmother was a follow spot operator and the stage manager there, wow, back in the day.

Speaker 1: 2:31

On the family. My mum used to work in the box office there as well, so I got taken to a lot of shows as a lot of I was really really young like things that I probably shouldn't have been seeing, probably like peanut boughs and other sort of things there, like Philip Jean-Tier amazing stuff that used to go to Hobart so got taken to theater the whole time. Went to a very specific college, which is years 11 and 12 in Tasmania, and had a teacher there who kind of really nurtured performing arts and did a lot of almost a feeder school into VCA and NIDA, sort of knew how to get students in there. So that's how that all happened. And then I was at NIDA doing a Bachelor of Traumatic in production for three years.

Speaker 1: 3:09

So that was stage management, lighting, sound production, management, like the whole gamut of things, and the best thing about that was that you just got to practice making art all the time and also trying to balance your study at the same time. I say a lot. I've never worked as hard as I worked.

Speaker 2: 3:24

Really.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Because it was just constant classes in the morning and then production in the afternoon.

Speaker 2: 3:28

Did they almost give you so much information so that when you got out and actually started, it did it all?

Speaker 1: 3:33

Yeah, I think when you go into an institution, the person that you are, you have the tools. When they give you the tools for it, I hopefully have a lot of that skill and the personality when you go in and then they equip you with all the tools that you need to then come spit out the other end and become a good practitioner. That's sort of what I think.

Speaker 1: 3:49

I think I was the same person when I went and came out, but I just had more knowledge of how to do things, the paperwork you need to do to be a stage manager, which is quite endless, and then for that night we did a lot of circumvents and placements, work experience kind of things, and so from there, that's where all my work has come from pretty much.

Speaker 2: 4:08

What was the first show that you kind of worked on?

Speaker 1: 4:10

The first big show my circumvent was the Lion King, the first time around, which is in 2010.

Speaker 2: 4:14

What was that like?

Speaker 1: 4:16

There's a lot, but it was great. We rehearsed out in Sydney Olympic Park and where the Easter show is. So we're out there rehearsing and we're gonna have shared with all the puppets and it was incredible. I did a little bit of, did most of the comment, then did a bit of work in stage management and then went away and did another gig and then went back to Lion King in company management and then went away again because it played for so long and then did a little bit of props as well to the end of the Sydney season. And so then you just sort of get a bit of a reputation going with different production managers, technical directors and production stage managers. I worked with the production stage manager, annika Harrison, on Billy Elliot and Boy From Oz with Hugh Jackman. This was like mid 2000s.

Speaker 1: 4:56

And then since then, annika and I just worked together for over years and years and years. So Annika was put onto a show and then we sort of assembled a team and then she sort of picked me for quite a few shows and that's. I've been very lucky, and so I don't want to jinx it. But it's a lot about your reputation as well. Like, you sort of go in and be nice to people and do a good job, and try and do a good job, and then it sort of it rolls from there.

Speaker 2: 5:21

Yeah, I mean, we had the joy of working together on Mary Poppins and, yeah, how you ran, everything was just so professional and that obviously comes down to that experience that you had.

Speaker 1: 5:32

Yeah, I think it's about. I think more recently. I had a little bit of a break in 2017. I stopped, for I was doing my Tilda and then I just stopped for a while, took about a year off, and I think that was really beneficial because it just it was a bit of a reset.

Speaker 2: 5:47

Was it getting a little bit too much?

Speaker 1: 5:48

Oh, was it a bit too much and I just was finding myself not enjoying it as much. So I just took quite a hard reset. I left the show early, I did the Sydney and Melbourne seasons and then left for the tour portion, and it was probably one of the best things I did, because then when I came back to it later at the end of 2017 to 2018, on Book of Mormon, I had a completely different approach and it was more just about what the role is and what sort of the best way to succeed in that role. And I think since then the way I've approached it and I think my career has gotten better and I've gotten happier doing it, because it's just a different approach, just being like, just have a good time.

Speaker 1: 6:24

I think the last sort of four or five years has shown us all that it's the first thing to go. The arts, unfortunately, if anything really serious happens, it's the first thing to go. So if you approach it with joy and just having fun because it is a bit of frivolity, I mean you can make good money, you can have a great career out of it, but it just it is, yeah, the first thing. First thing to go is, even as well, have a good time.

Speaker 2: 6:45

I know it's all enjoy it. Has there been any favorite show that you've worked on?

Speaker 1: 6:49

I'm doing Groundhog Day at the moment and it's very special, beautiful piece of theatre and it's a very good group of people, very hard and very challenging. Tim mentioned was in the other day for our first preview and was saying well, you don't want it too easy, you want it to be hard, it's true.

Speaker 1: 7:03

So it's challenging everyone in that in the princess, because obviously the day repeats over and over again, but it always gets a little bit different and a little bit shorter and a little bit. It's all a bit same, same but different. So the backstage of Groundhog Day, isn't it?

Speaker 2: 7:16

Yeah, wow, because I guess it's different than a normal show that you do that one scene and then you can put the props back exactly where they were Correct.

Speaker 1: 7:24

Literally all the props are attached to the back of the flats of the set like immediately off stage, and normally you'd have a quick change or a big crossover, which the princess has, but it has to repeat so quickly. Our changes are literally in the wings. So where the set would normally go or which we do store on the set, obviously in the wings too, but there's just chairs and baskets.

Speaker 2: 7:46

Because I guess as well with normal shows, you have time, even in between shows, to reset and like, go back to the top. But you're repeating so frequently.

Speaker 1: 7:56

But yeah, it's quite amazing what they'd like. It's very it's chaos, but it's very organized chaos and it's very calm now, which is great. But what that sort of company of people is able to achieve every night is unlike anything I've seen before, and Poppins is great as well. It's a great group of people. We're kismet when things like that happen. When you get a really good group of people, a great show, it's well received and it just makes the job so much more easier.

Speaker 2: 8:20

Yeah, for sure, and I think as well post even COVID. A lot of people are a lot more grateful to be at work and they kind of just really want to be there Generally, generally, generally.

Speaker 1: 8:32

No, I think so too. I think there has been a bit of a shift, and every company I've been part of recently is like slightly competing to be the happiest company which, unsurprisingly, they're like great everyone turn up to work and be courteous and polite, and civil torture. I mean. There's always things whenever you get that many people in one place.

Speaker 2: 8:52

There's always going to be a lot of things.

Speaker 1: 8:54

But I really believe strongly in that sense of company and a sense of family and that those people can sort of conquer anything. And I said I've said it to quite a few people about Poppins is that I think that that team could take on any show and hopefully succeed.

Speaker 2: 9:10

Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 9:10

Yeah, and again it's about respect and it's just about treating everyone with kindness. That's a big sort of what I was saying before about the change in my approach. I say this a lot and I say to every company I work with now, but it's very much I approach the job as customer service with costumes. So I feel like my job and the stage management team's job is to service the needs of the company and to be able to say yes, to make people feel happy and try and spark a bit of joy in their day. I think that's a great way to approach it because it just takes away any of that sort of ego which you can get in stage management. I think a little bit. I'm like what power do you have?

Speaker 2: 9:49

Because then as well you're not as approachable when people come with their problems or things to escalate when they don't need to.

Speaker 1: 9:55

Yeah it's a bit like survivor, but you need to get the information, you need to be able to have people feel comfortable enough to tell you if there are problems, so that then you can put out the fires before it becomes.

Speaker 2: 10:04

Because things happen really quick on shows as well. Everyone knows everything.

Speaker 1: 10:08

So quick, so quick. Things, as you say, escalate very quickly, so you just got to get in there and sort it out.

Speaker 2: 10:16

What we're just saying is, you know, constant change all the time. Has there been any challenges you've kind of faced in the stage managing or things that were like more near misses or any?

Speaker 1: 10:26

I mean it's an inherently it can be an inherently dangerous workplace because working on big shows there's a lot of automation which is essentially just machinery, so it can be. I mean, on poppins we were flying people around, so that obviously adds a layer of complexity. And whenever you've got traps or holes in the floor, obviously that can be tricky and dangerous. But you just need to be very well rehearsed in those moments. But you know, there's a couple of times when Mary didn't fly at the end and you just In those situations you've always just got to say well, the safety is down now, so if she doesn't fly, she doesn't fly and those people maybe they'll come back.

Speaker 1: 11:02

or we do the plan B flight, which was less, you know, still speccy, but as speccy. So you've got to have these plan Bs. But it's just about being well rehearsed and safety being the problem. I mean, you always try and keep going and try to keep the show moving and if that just means you're cutting elements or you know, that's fine.

Speaker 2: 11:21

Yeah, and I mean for you guys, the rehearsal process starts.

Speaker 1: 11:24

I want to say a lot earlier than even like the performers get there and yeah, it's usually a couple of weeks before we can sort of get into the rehearsal studios. I mean, the way it works, as I touched on before, is that there'll be a technical director will be assigned to a show. They'll then probably approach a stage manager whether that's me will then collectively put together a stage management team, which is usually a deputy, and two assistant stage managers ish, on a big show Sometimes you have one, sometimes two. That's kind of how that process works. And then a lot of the times that team will go from show to show and then you're two weeks out from rehearsal. You'll sort of start getting ready, getting the studio ready, starting with your paperwork.

Speaker 1: 12:02

Obviously it does start further back from that as well, because then you've got all the contracting and the producing side of it. So auditions can start a year or more out from a show. That's crazy. So I don't really know too much. I mean a little bit about that side of the business, but that producing side is a whole other layer. And then how shows profit and how shows make money. I'm like, how does this happen?

Speaker 2: 12:20

This possibly might be new, but apparently it does.

Speaker 1: 12:24

There's so many people here being paid but yeah, and then we're into rehearsals and I like rehearsals that. I just like doing them once, Once we get into the season. But on a big show, which you'll know very well being a swing, rehearsals never stop. And I've done a lot of kid shows as well Matilda, which I mentioned in, Billie Eilish and when you've got the kids involved as well, Endless. Once you get to opening night for the principles, yes, you probably won't get called in from any rehearsals, but the stage managers and the crew and all the covers and the swings will be rehearsing.

Speaker 2: 12:54

Sometimes a few days a week, on top of the show.

Speaker 1: 12:57

Yep, eight shows a week plus at least two rehearsals, and then the crew are usually doing a maintenance call on one of those days. So it's a lot. I mean, we sort of average around 55, 60 hours a week and we work six days a week for the most part, which you just have to get used to, but it's definitely a lifestyle. So if anyone wants to go into this field, it's definitely very rewarding and very beneficial for a lot of ways, because you do get your days free, mornings free for the most part, but you are traveling a lot, which may sound glamorous, but you know, after you sort of stay in hotels or find your own accommodation. It can be a little bit tiring, but I live in Sydney so I'm on the road a lot, getting used to it. Now Got my cat. My cat tours with me now, which is lovely.

Speaker 2: 13:41

We need to meet our cats up. I don't know how it would go down Just by like a bar.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Just hold it, just, hold it Just hold through the bed, sort of how that happens. And then the rehearsal process brought on a big show like Poppins. We were there, we had a week of family rehearsal, so just the household, we called it, and then we had the full company for four weeks. And then we text for about two or three weeks, preview or so for about two weeks and then you're opening off, your go, that's it, yeah. And then you sort of play for probably between four big shows like that four to six months in Sydney and Melbourne and then a few months in Brisbane, a couple of months in Perth, adelaide, and then a lot of properties are going overseas. Now Properties in Hamilton's just been in. It's been crazy.

Speaker 1: 14:22

Yeah, so we've got those. There's markets around the world. Singapore can't take every show, but can take.

Speaker 2: 14:27

The.

Speaker 1: 14:27

Fuse is obviously you can't say everything, can't swear too much in Singapore. Yeah, it's good, it's a good lifestyle, I think yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:35

It's very different, yeah.

Speaker 1: 14:36

And I think it's the type of personality If you have the right approach to this side of work, I think it's the business I think you can do really well, because there's not many people doing it on that kind of big show and little, and I'm not saying not doing it well, but just with compassion and with care, and so I think that those are the key traits. I think anyone can call a show and anyone can sort of do the paperwork and that sort of thing, but I think having that compassion and passion for what you do and liking it, I think that will help a lot, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 1: 15:08

No, you gotta like what you do. You're getting too cross and getting too mad and sad or grumpy about it. In fact, that's probably not. Yeah, don't do something else. Life's too short.

Speaker 2: 15:16

Go showing house. It's too many problems and people are out, yeah, anyway. Going back into where we were talking about, you know the kind of unknown of what happens backstage and everything being a swing. Myself. It's always unknown what's going to happen that day. Is there anything you do kind of like within your day that helps you manage that unknown? Does it like give you stress, or is it?

Speaker 1: 15:40

No, look, I'm a big proponent of doing things, having something outside of work, it doesn't really matter. Like I do CrossFit, which is ruining my body, my rickety old body, but I'm 42 years old and barely hanging on, but definitely that's the way I do that, and I have gyms all around the country that I go to, so once the show is open in any city, it's one of the first places I go and that's one thing I do for myself each day, and whether it's yoga, meditation, whatever it is, reading, watching TV, whatever it is, just to have something that you do for yourself, because if you're too encompassed, it takes enough of your life doing, you know, 60, 70 hours a week, so you've got to definitely have something that's completely opposite.

Speaker 2: 16:21

Yeah, and I guess like working out and you're not only physically somewhere, but you're moving your body and that's losing endorphins and you're feeling good about yourself and as well, just working towards something. That is, yeah, like you said, not necessarily the show, but it's still progressing, you in your own way.

Speaker 1: 16:37

Yeah, and I mean Nuka does help me. Being fit and active, helps me do my job as well, because sometimes we're pushing set around in rehearsals we don't because the automation operators aren't in or whatever it is. So you do need to be fairly fit and active.

Speaker 2: 16:50

If anyone wants to get into stage managing, what would be their first way to go about it?

Speaker 1: 16:55

I think there's definitely some good. We would always try and have a work experience or interns if you were either of the big institutions, whether it be Woppa, vca, nida, big sort of training institutions. There are also a lot of Unis offer it. Other Unis offer it now as well.

Speaker 2: 17:11

Is it a?

Speaker 1: 17:11

stage managing course, or is it more of a production course at most? Okay, then you can kind of specialize in stage management. So, yeah, you can do lighting. I'm people. I went to know that we're now lighting designers, but you know, production managers, or a lot of people, don't do it at all.

Speaker 2: 17:27

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:27

I think audition for those institutions would be a good start, or just get your foot in the door. You don't necessarily have to train. I think you've got the right kind of head on your shoulders. I think it's approaching the production companies. So, whether it be Michael Castle group, they've just announced a work experience placement program.

Speaker 1: 17:46

So they'll put students I think quite young students, sort of like 15, 16, 17 high school age students, to try and get the next generation of people into the industry. That's great. You've got Michael Castle group. You've got Crossroads Live. That's another production house. Louise Withers and Associates is another production house. That mean that's just a small handful of the people who are producing shows obviously global creatures who did Well on Rouge. They do a great thing as well. I'm on Rouge called Get Technical. So there are sort of avenues and I think after COVID there's a bit of a lack of crews in the country. So there's definitely openings for people to get in. But yeah, just have that experience, Get your foot in the door. I think once you've got your foot in the door, don't be annoying. Listen, Don't think you know everything. I don't know if it's generational. I don't want to sound like an old fart.

Speaker 2: 18:30

No, well, I think it's the same for performers that just come out of full time.

Speaker 1: 18:35

Yeah, yeah, I mean, and yes, you've gotten to that point in your course, or whatever it is, or you've got this opportunity, but now just don't blow it. Just listen and be a sponge. Listen to everything.

Speaker 2: 18:46

And you can only learn so much in your course. Every time I've gone into even the next show, it's completely different yeah it will be different.

Speaker 1: 18:54

You know, as I said, that forming of that company and each company is going to have its own personalities and intricacies and all of that so yeah, I think, pop the phone down, don't listen, don't watch the YouTube.

Speaker 1: 19:06

That's it, this YouTube. Just put the phone down and just absorb and listen and listen to the people who are giving you this opportunity, because those experiences, if you're in the right place at the right time that is what a lot of my career has been you do you are able to. Then, if you make a good impression on someone and then they're putting together a team, then that person will follow you and use you. That's as simple as that.

Speaker 2: 19:32

Very quickly.

Speaker 1: 19:32

Yes, absolutely, and if you're good at what you do, there is a reputation that you get and your reputation will proceed. You, hopefully we'll keep booking jobs, and that's on stage and off stage, it's all the same. It's all just about doing a good job and being passionate. Again, Same things, but, yeah, definitely getting in the door, that's what I think. Get into it, yeah, and then being able to be taught and all of those things as well and adapt.

Speaker 1: 19:56

Adapt. Yes, that's stage one, that's all that it is. It's adapting to changes in schedule and all of those sorts of things.

Speaker 2: 20:04

Well watching you guys work as well. Just seeing how much change happened from cast changes to all of that, it just is crazy.

Speaker 1: 20:13

And on the days I'm a big proponent as well of like if someone calls out a show, or sick or injured or whatever it is, I just try and tell the swings, and as soon as I possibly can, so that you then would know as early as possible You're not holding, you're not lauding information. The biggest thing as a stage manager is communication. You just need to tell everybody everything and even if they don't want to hear it, just tell them again so that everybody knows, because then you know what you're coming in for and that might change as well. You've had that as well. You're on for this and that's on for me and you're a swapping mid-show, and the best swings definitely are the people who are able to adapt to that. And it's the same. You've either got a swing brain or you don't.

Speaker 2: 20:53

And sometimes, unfortunately, you don't find out until you do it.

Speaker 1: 20:57

But, I mean even still, I think some swings that we've worked with it's just again being adaptable, whether you may swing once and may never swing again. It's an experience and it's a skill Absolutely being a good swing. You'll never stop working. That's the hardest job and I think you probably. It's the most fun yeah.

Speaker 2: 21:16

I mean it's hard because I guess once you get into it and then you go back to a show doing one role, it's really hard because you just get restless. Really easy because you went from. I mean I ended up covering. I don't even know how many people I went on for. I think there's like 18 in there.

Speaker 1: 21:31

Yes, easily You'll cover.

Speaker 2: 21:33

That's it. And so when you go back to a role in itself, it's kind of like, oh, now can I do, can I do anything else? Yeah?

Speaker 1: 21:40

you've got to have a little sound bath, Sound bath that's it.

Speaker 2: 21:42

Put the sound bath on, put the healing.

Speaker 1: 21:44

Yeah, relax. But also that's what people do get restless and chose to. I mean that can be part of the problem. So then we try and do fun little things like you know, little silly games over the ten-way of the backstage paging system, Something funny like that that keeps people engaged in a way that's.

Speaker 2: 22:02

Especially in a long contract as well, oh yeah, you've got to. You've got to come up with ways.

Speaker 1: 22:06

Yeah, but again, the other side of that is make sure you have your days off, Make sure you do things for yourself on the days off so you're not just hanging around. That's definitely a balance there of your own time.

Speaker 2: 22:16

Is there anything else that you do on your days off as well?

Speaker 1: 22:20

Oh, it's tough when you work six days a week, you, by the time, if you have a little drink on Sunday night and you want to have a little sleep, in sort of your day's almost gone.

Speaker 1: 22:29

I mean some days you bless with two days Sometimes yes, you do three loads of washing and go to the supermarket and then that's it, that's it, and then you go back to work. But yeah, once the show has been running for a while and you've got all your covers and everyone's sort of been on, then you will just do have show calls and then it backs off towards the end of Poppins. We weren't rehearsing really at all because everyone had been on and we're going on with enough frequency so you didn't really need to rehearse. Groundhog Day is short, it's only three months this season. So we're doing our first set of covers next week, in week three or four I think it will be, and then we'll do a second set of covers and then it's almost time to close.

Speaker 1: 23:08

Oh my goodness so that'll be rehearsals almost constantly.

Speaker 2: 23:11

But it's trick with shorter length shows is so much work goes into it and then finish. But sometimes they're fun as well, because it's just short and sweet and get it done.

Speaker 1: 23:21

Yeah, very sweet. That's the one reason I wanted to do Groundhog Day, because it's such a special show and it's magical. It's very simple in terms of the theatre making of it, but it also makes you think and it makes you cry and makes you laugh. So it's like doing those ones. They don't come up very often. Poppins is not similar to that. It's just a beautiful show and told really well and that makes you think and perfect. That's the story. Yeah, yeah, love that, love it.

Speaker 2: 23:49

I asked this to everyone who comes onto the show, and that's basically if you had to give yourself some advice for when you were starting your career in stage managing, what would it be?

Speaker 1: 23:59

Oh no, it was perfect. I've already said it's just listen, I think, the lack of ego. You just have to get rid of your ego. That's across all facets of the performing arts.

Speaker 2: 24:13

Did you find you had a little bit of that when you were starting? Oh, of course.

Speaker 1: 24:16

Because it suffered from that I think everyone does, because it's what I touched on before as well is that you get to the top level of your institution you're a third year in your degree or whatever you are, and you think you know exactly what's going on and then you go into the industry. That would be the advice. Just look back at my subcommon and Lion King and I was like I was probably an absolute nightmare.

Speaker 2: 24:37

Absolutely nightmare, but.

Speaker 1: 24:39

I mean just check the ego at the door. You've got to have ego. I think we all have ego at some point, but it's just about how you manage that. It can't overrun you. You have ego because you want to do a good job. All of those parts of that ego that are healthy, but just those unhealthy parts of ego. I think that's probably my biggest piece of advice Just try and pop that away. Do you Pop that?

Speaker 2: 25:01

away, do you? Yeah, you pop it away, we don't need that.

Speaker 1: 25:04

Yeah, and kindness, you know, that's, I think, again part of the success. But just be kind to people, be nice to people, just treat people with kindness, try and make people laugh. Don't take it too seriously, because it's just a show, it's just a play.

Speaker 2: 25:19

That's running for so long. It's like a whole life.

Speaker 1: 25:21

And then it's gone like that Like Poppins it was such a close knit group, which was rare. But then now it's gone and you still catch up. That first time that happens to you, the first time you do a show and you do get scattered to the winds, it's like it's heartbreaking, yeah but it's like going through a breakup. Yeah, and now for me, I'm like, oh next, see you later Get out, Get out soul.

Speaker 2: 25:44

Well, thank you so much for coming in. Thank you, it's been awesome chatting to you and if anyone has questions for Luke or myself, you can email us at info at thedivecomau.

Speaker 1: 25:54

Yes send questions in. I'm happy to, of course, send to whatever you're doing.

Speaker 2: 25:59

Wonderful Thank you Bye, bye, darling, bye darling. Thank you so much for watching today's episode on the Diode Podcast. If you loved this episode, please leave a review comment and share it with a friend, as, who knows, maybe this is the exact episode. Your friend needs to gain a bit more emotional stability, physical stability and mental stability.

Speaker 2: 26:25

If you haven't already go and check out our website as wwwdivecomau. We have free resources on there. We have a blog post that I send out every single week, talking on topics on financial stability, on how to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a performer, why you get to compete and how to combat that. A whole letter of knowledge at your fingertips. And, of course, we have heaps of other episodes that you can go and listen to right now. I hope to see you on the next one.