Conversation with Amy Lyle: Comedy Writer/ Author/ Comedienne/ Actor/TVHost/ Ted Speaker
Amy is a true a multi-hyphenate who pivoted a big way from finance to the creative world where she is thriving now! It's such an inspiring story that if you dare to dream and the dream will come true!
Amy's initial intention of writing a book was to get some press and have her screenplay picked up by Hollywood. It was such a life-defining moment when she realized her book actually brings so many joys and creates an escape for her readers. Her two books (Book of Failures / We're All A Mess, It's OK) also are a big commercial success: both are number one sellers on Amazon among other hit humor writers like Trevor Noah, Tina Fay, etc., but she is no longer
obsessed about having to have her film made by Hollywood (I wholeheartedly believe Amy will break into that writing room where she belongs to!) She hence found her consistent drive of writing which is to make people laugh and feel better about their struggles.
Looking back, she said everything she did was not by any grand design but go above what she thought she was capable of ( Wote the best-selling books, Casted by a Moive, Hosting Television show, Doing Stand-up Commedy, etc.,) She shared that the best feeling is to overcome that fear and take that plunge of trying something you were not initially good at but over time you became better and even mastered it.
Growing up in a raging family, Amy, since she was little girl, found humor as the safety net in her life. Her natural sense of humor not only saved her from those traumatized moments in childhood but also extends into her adulthood and becomes a big trademark of all her creative work. She believes humor can be found everywhere. She said comedy often comes from a place of pain and humor is a comedian's coping mechanism. Humor ( If not fortunate enough to carry it naturally lol ), can be developed and mastered as a skill!
It’s a dream come true for me to get to do this ‘ humor episode’ with a such kind and joyful soul!
This podcast journey with her is beyond words amazing, and I want to highlight some reflections and thoughts of her that I will always keep in my mind:
There is truth, honesty, and value just to pursue your dream, regardless of the results.
There are lots of little wins you need to celebrate in the process of pursuing your dream.
Sometimes we feel if I have this thing, we will be happy. The truth is you probably won't be , because it's not about a thing, money or one particular reward, I think it's about the Journey.
100 % pursue your passion at a younger age, but it’s never too late to start, just start doing something from today!
Links
Website: amylyle
Instagram: amylyleauthor
Her Book on Amazon: Amy-Lyle
Ted Talk: finding the funny in the crummy
Show Notes ( Part One)
From the outside look inside, Amy is such a multi-hyphenate, wearing lots of hats. She pivoted a big way from finance to the creative world where she is currently thriving! This is another inspiring story that if you dare to dream and the dream will come true!
It all started her role shift from a working person to a stay-home Mum, which promoted her to find her first creative outlet: Acting on the local church stage. She committed to performing there for a decade which also got her to connect to her biggest passion: Becoming a Screenwriter! To reach the end goal of having her screenplay picked up by Hollywood, she took a Hollywood attorney’s advice of getting some press first which led to the frequency of all events. She wrote two best-selling humor books( Book of Failures / We're All A Mess, It's OK) on Amazon, became a regular guest in a Morning show in Atlanta , played her first lead role in the movie ‘ the intervierwers’, did a Ted Talk, and is running a local TV Show'' In The Burbs” and an active stand-up Comedienne, etc., the list can go on.
Looking back, she said everything she did was not by any grand design but go above what she thought she was capable of. She embarked on an unknown and even a bit scary journey which turned out to be the best years of her life. She shared that the best feeling is to overcome that fear and take that plunge of trying something you were not initially good at but over time you became better and even mastered it.
Growing up in a raging family, Amy, since she was little girl, found humor as the safety net in her life. Her natural sense of humor not only saved her from those traumatized moments in childhood but also extends into her adulthood and becomes a big trademark of all her creative work. She believes humor can be found everywhere (personal life, workplace, and creative pursuit, etc., ) even in the weirdest place and darkest moments. She said comedy often comes from a place of pain and humor is a comedian's coping mechanism. Of course humor didn’t discriminate against backgrounds or anything. We need more humor and comedians in this world. Personally, I believe humor is the ultimate optimism and resilience built in a person’s spirit and character!
There are different types of humor. Amy appreciates self-deprecating/observational versus personal attack ., She and I both believe humor should bring joy to someone, not at a cost of anyone. I really appreciate Amy fully leveraging her talents in humor and tapping into creativity, fulfilling her mission of making the whole world laugh!
Here comes the most generous sharing from Amy: Humor ( If not fortunate enough to carry it naturally lol ), can be developed and mastered as a skill! Taking a comedy class helps those who aim to be stand-up comedians, but just in a general sense, helps to increase a person’s confidence (in public speaking, etc.,) in their fields. Other tricks and tips to add humor to our daily life include journaling funny things, watching funny movies, and reading funny books, etc., Humor is a piece of muscle we should intentionally exercise and practice!
It’s a dream come true for me to get to do this ‘ humor episode’ with a such kind and joyful soul! Tune in our second episode and we are gonna dive in Amy’s creative world ( Her books, ultimate goals, zone status, ideal lifestyle, etc). Don’t miss the joys!
Show Notes ( Part Two)
Amy's initial intention of writing a book was to get some press and have her screenplay picked up by Hollywood. It was such a life-defining moment when she realized her book actually brings so many joys and creates an escape for her readers. Her two books (Book of Failures / We're All A Mess, It's OK) also are a big commercial success: both are number one sellers on Amazon among other hit humor writers like Trevor Noah, Tina Fay, etc., but she is no longer
obsessed about having to have her film made by Hollywood. She hence found her consistent drive of writing which is to make people laugh and feel better about their struggles. She also dedicated three chapters of the first book to her travel to China. She always opens herself to the outside world with strong curiosity which also passed on to her children! Her true openness and inclusiveness got me connected to her on a deep and personal level!
We both are uplifted by others’ words (readers, audiences, peers, etc.,). Expressing our appreciation and admiration to others does matter. Building a support network and community not only makes us feel less lonely on this passion-pursuit journey but also brings us a new perspective and inspiration! We both believe life is about building connections and reaching out to those we appreciate or want to Learn with! But Amy never expects to gain anything but rather always thinks about what to offer first. Her experience also approves that when you genuinely reach out to someone, often you will get so much in return ( friendship, mutual support, etc). Although reach-out may end up being rejected, the reach-out itself is still a worthy and fun way of expressing our feelings!
It’s one thing that two persons feel click or not, it’s another thing that how you treat people. We both adopt Zero tolerance to mean people who don’t treat people with basic respect. Holding that gratitude in heart plays a long way!
Like any creative person, Amy experienced her zone moments which is in writing. We both feel it’s the most amazing experience when entering that zone! That’s how we know we found our true passion! Looking back on this passion-pursue journey, Amy said she felt so grateful and blessing to be able to achieve so much although her ultimate goal of being that writing room is yet to be fulfilled. This podcast journey with her is beyond words amazing, and I want to highlight some reflections and thoughts of her that I will always keep in my mind:
There is truth, honesty, and value just to pursue your dream, regardless of the results.
There are lots of little wins you need to celebrate in the process of pursuing your dream.
Sometimes we feel if I have this thing, we will be happy. The truth is you probably won't be , because it's not about a thing, money or one particular reward, I think it's about the Journey.
100 % pursue your passion at a younger age, but it’s never too late to start, just start doing something from today!
It's’ about the journey, not the destination. While Amy and I both are still on the journey, we believe the best way to go through this journey is to trust and enjoy the process that will lead to our end goal! I wholeheartedly believe Amy will break into that writing room where she belongs to!