Meet Shivani Desai | Actor & Business Mentor for Actors

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

Hi Shivani, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Honestly, just pure desperation.

As an artist, when you live in a culture and economy that doesn’t prioritize the arts, there’s an inevitable sense of resentment that festers underneath the surface over the years. This is something I identified in myself as an actor and over time, began seeing it in my fellow actors as well – specifically, those who live in really small markets outside LA, NYC, Atlanta, London, and Mumbai. They could’ve been working actors for years in their hometowns, but felt like they had absolutely nothing to show for it. It’s like a universal, collective shared experience of sorts – feeling entirely unseen regardless of how much you’ve been doing.

This was the fundamental reason I started Shivani Desai Coaching – I was driven by sheer desperation to help other actors (as well as myself) navigate the entertainment industry with the business mind of a CEO. It sounds so self-congratulatory, saying that I wanted to help people. But looking back at my own journey as an artist-entrepreneur, I don’t think I would’ve continued sticking by my decision to start a business if I had been driven purely by monetary desire. There was a deeper, personal necessity to make an impact in this business and hopefully create change in my fellow creatives’ lives.

What should our readers know about your business?
Shivani Desai Coaching is centered around helping actors in non-major markets become global actors with solid business acumen. We go from being stuck in the weird grey zone between “new actor” and “working actor”, to auditioning regularly, networking like utter professionals, having various streams of income, and operating out of several markets as actors – and most importantly, just all-around kicking ass in every aspect of life! Students do this through my program, The Full-Time Acting Accelerator, which uses my unique 4-step process, The STAR System. My goal is for my students to feel, at the end of their 20 weeks with me, like they are comfortable and confident enough to go into acting as a full-time career if they wanted to!

I think what I’m most proud of about this business is how boundaryless it has become. Online coaching, in its fundamental format, is boundaryless as it relies on digital platforms – but the nature of what I teach has truly stripped it of any geographical constraints whatsoever. When I started Shivani Desai Coaching, I had no idea where I wanted to take this venture. It was nothing but an idea in my head, and in hindsight – I didn’t allow myself to dream big. I knew I wanted to help actors and being based in Singapore, I figured that was the obvious target audience for my work. I knew at the back of my head that there’s no way actors in other parts of the world have no use for what I have to share, but self-limiting thoughts had me thinking “let’s just help Singaporean actors”. Little did I know that when I launched my business, my work would end up speaking to actors around the world – Spain, Belgium, Atlanta, Canada, Leeds, San Diego – you name it. Turns out, feeling caged by the market you live in is truly something that so many actors around the world identify so deeply with. The way technology and social media has brought my students and I together fills me with so much pride and joy.

It wasn’t easy by any stretch of imagination, of course. I remember nearly emptying out my bank account to start my own coaching business – it was a massive risk with no guarantee of a pay-off. Breaking even on that investment after months of sheer turmoil felt like a massive burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Everything from this point forward, I see as a bonus. As long as I get to support fellow actors on their journey of life and invite them into this beautiful little community of actors we’ve built, I’m happy. It’s really all I need.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In LA? I’m bringing them to Griffith Park – it’s such a touristy thing to do, but the vibes there are immaculate! We’d probably grab some bougie snacks from Trader Joe’s, a picnic mat, drive up to the park, and just watch the sunset while we eat dip and crackers. It’s also really not a trip to LA until you’ve gotten brunch at a ridiculously overpriced restaurant and forked out $80 in under 2 hours!

In Singapore, though – the itinerary would look very different. I’d probably bring them to the “lesser known” places that you wouldn’t find on TripAdvisor, like the stretch of quaint eateries along Keong Saik Road or Amoy Street. That’s not to say that the quintessential tourist attractions don’t deserve a visit, though. The perfect “touristy” day out would be starting with grabbing brunch at Bugis, visiting the Flower Dome and Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay in the afternoon, walking to Esplanade as it’s starting to get dark to enjoy a fancy dinner by the water, and grabbing ice cream at a vendor outside while taking a stroll along the boardwalk, taking in the spectacular sight of Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore skyline.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Crash Acting and Helena Walsh Coaching and Empowerment Studios have been instrumental in my journey as an actor. I recently was in Greece with Ben and Helena for an acting retreat and it has changed my life entirely – not just in the way I approach my craft as an actor, but fundamentally, in the way I approach life. I feel more stillness, poise, balance, and calmness in the way I operate as an actor and business owner. When you’re working in multiple capacities, it’s only natural to feel like you’re spreading yourself thin – I’m no stranger to that experience. But after the retreat, I went from working nearly 16 hours everyday to just 8 hours a day. No matter how much I have on my plate, I hardly ever feel overcome by stress or immobilized by fear. That’s an invaluable memento to have taken away from my work with these 2 stellar teachers.

I’d also be remiss not to thank Jenay Rose, who was my business coach and helped me understand what it takes to start, run, and grow a business! Without her and her incredible team, Shivani Desai Coaching quite simply wouldn’t exist.

Website: https://actorunderconstruction.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsshivanidesai/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsshivanidesai/

Image Credits
Leah Huebner