We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Schneider and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I was a lawyer at a big corporate law firm in New York, work dominated my entire existence. I quickly discovered that the saying is true: “money doesn’t buy happiness!” Especially true if you’re working every minute of the day and don’t have time to spend any money anyways. So eventually I made the move to the West Coast in an attempt to adjust that balance. Initially I probably veered way too far in the opposite direction, but eventually realized that the greatest success both professionally and mentally, comes when there truly is a balance between enjoying life and devoting time to a career which you truly enjoy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a lawyer by day, but by night . . . I’m a crowd-pleasing stand-up comedian! At my law firms I was always told “hey you’re funny . . . for a lawyer!” Well I wanted to be funny . . . for a person! So ditch the lawyer qualification people, and watch out as my journey to be a comedic actor / stand-up comic continues. The lesson I learned performing regularly is to never doubt yourself and to not be fearful of failure. Especially performing on stage, an audience can sense if you are hesitant or scared, which immediately could ruin the show. Projecting confidence can lead to laughs, and so can a confident attitude, which helped me realize if a joke doesn’t land, who cares, another one is coming up right away!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d take them for a hike around Los Angeles during the day to work up an appetite, then an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ for dinner, before a comedy club or two at night in West Hollywood, before dancing the night away at a club in Downtown Los Angeles.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Let’s give a Shoutout to my Mom. Sure plenty of people would give thanks to their mother for support throughout the years and I’m no different. Through my various career pursuits, and worldwide adventures, she’s been a constant motivator and a never-ending supply of optimism that’s kept me forever wide-eyed and bushy-tailed about future possibilities, no matter how many setbacks I encounter along the way!

Instagram: @SchneiderFactor

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