Meet Tricia Rose Burt | Speaker, Storyteller, and Host of the podcast “No Time to be Timid”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tricia Rose Burt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tricia Rose, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
My personal mantra is “the riskiest thing you can do is play it safe,” which is the exact opposite of how I was raised. I was expected to follow a secure and predictable path and I did what I was told. By my mid-30s, I was in a mediocre marriage and a lucrative consulting career, billing my time in 15-minute increments creating PR and training programs for some of America’s largest institutions. I was also miserable. I started taking classes to figure out what else I could do for a living and accidentally found myself at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. After three years as a part-time art student, I knew that if I continued consulting — and leading my safe life for much longer — I was going to die. Slowly, but I was going to die. Creative freedom became more important to me than stability. So in one week, I quit my job, sold my car, divorced my husband (not on a whim; we had been in counseling for two years), got rid of my apartment, cashed out my retirement savings, and moved to Ireland to become a full-time artist. It made no sense financially and all kinds of sense for my soul. Now, risk is fundamental to my creative practice. I started performing for the first time at 50 and launched a podcast at 62, aptly titled, “No Time to be Timid,” which I host and produce. For me, to take thoughtful risks is to stay alive.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been a storyteller all my life. Back in the days when I was in training and public relations, I helped other people tell their business stories, through writing and special events. As a visual artist, I told stories through my artwork, which most often were works on paper. But over time I realized I wanted to tell my own stories — out loud, to an audience — even though I was raised never to draw attention to myself. For about five years, I told stories to the dashboard of my car. Then in 2008, when the market crashed and no one was buying visual work or hiring consultants, I thought “I know! I’ll go into performance!” because that’s so lucrative. I had no experience at all, but with the help of several fellow artists, I wrote my one woman show, “How to Draw a Nekkid Man,” about my journey from corporate executive to contemporary artist. I produced and performed the show around the country, including the New York International Fringe Festival, where it was selected for their Encore Series, as well as the United Solo Festival. I also told an excerpt from the show on The Moth MainStage, which launched my nearly 15 year relationship with The Moth as both a storyteller and corporate instructor.

And here’s what I’ve learned — storytelling has the power to change the world. Live storytelling creates empathy and understanding in ways no other medium can. It creates common ground, which we so desperately need. You cannot demonize someone once you know their story. As an audience member, you will leave a changed person, not only because of the stories you’ve heard, but also because of the shared experience you’ve had with the audience. And as a storyteller, you understand the impact you can have when you tell your story.

When The Moth aired “How to Draw a Nekkid Man” on their podcast more than a decade ago, a quarter million people downloaded the podcast. Over the years, tens of thousands have watched my performance on YouTube and people still reach out to me asking me how to lead a more creative life. I learned I wasn’t alone — many people yearn to live a more creative life, but stay the predictable course out of habit or fear. So what was my story became my mission. I crafted the No Time to be Timid Manifesto and launched the podcast of the same name, helping people unlock their own creativity, stories, and passion.

I speak and teach across the country about creativity and risk, blending my in-depth artistic experience and my extensive business career. I’m back to consulting, too, but this time I’m using my superpower — helping people find and harness the power of story. And since I’ve been producing all of my career — live events, a one-woman show, and now a podcast — I’m going to explore more creative projects under my company, I Will Be Good Productions. I’ve had initial conversations about a possible documentary and I’m excited to see where it will lead. I have to always remind myself: This is no time to be timid!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many!
Charles Goss, Rhoda Rosenberg, Bob Siegelman, my first art instructors at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Moth, particularly former artistic director Catherine Burns
Amy Grant, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter and dear friend
Everyone who supported my solo show, “How to Draw a Nekkid Man”
Dan Hurlin and Kathy Manfre, who helped me shape the show and gave me confidence to take the stage
Mia Rovegno, my director
Dear childhood friends Jan, Jan, Heddy, Lynn, Lee, Saf, and Alvie
Tim Donovan
Nancy Perot
Carroll Andrews
Sage Wheeler
Rachel Perry, who was my inspiration to begin performing and urged me to produce the podcast
Adam Arnone, my producer
And of course, my husband Eric Masterson
This list could go on forever — so many have supported me on my creative journey.

Website: https://www.triciaroseburt.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciaroseburt

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TriciaRoseBurt

Other: Link to podcast on Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-time-to-be-timid/id1619558493

Link to podcast on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5T2VlkLBRVOe7dIqMzQ1wx?si=717e7198ccd54506

Image Credits
Stage photo (in gold): photo credit Liz Linder.
Stage photo (in black): photo credit Alison Evans