Sep 20
Personally, I can't think of anything scarier than being a live performer, but there's something about the ADHD brain that seems to make us happier when we're running into the fire rather than away from it.
For comedian Blaire Postman, what scared her more than getting up on a stage was the idea of never trying, which is why at 43 she chose to run headfirst into that metaphorical fire and turned her passion for comedy into a full-time career.
Speaking with Blaire, it's easy to see why she was drawn to comedy; with her quick wit and affinity for the silly she can’t help but be funny. Join our conversation to hear more about Blaire’s gutsy leap from lawyer to performer, how her ADHD diagnosis helped her embrace her traits and led to her comedy special “LADY ADHD,” and much more.
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"I do my own thing, I don't want to do everything that everybody else does."
- Blaire Postman
"It wasn't that I didn't achieve anything, it was that everyone thought I should be achieving more because I was so “smart.” And by the way, I think I am pretty smart, but there's a lot of different ways to be smart."
- Blaire Postman
"My life would be so much easier if I just did a normal job. But I’m just accepting, look, you're a performer, and that's what you're gonna do. Sorry that it's tough, but that's what's gonna happen."
- Blaire Postman
- Blaire describes her experience in grammar school, where she was encouraged to learn at her own pace and was praised for her academic achievements.
- Blaire's parents were heavily invested in education and specific types of achievement, leading to a dissuasion of arts pursuits.
- Blaire shares her journey after high school, including attending law school and eventually becoming a performer, despite initial struggles and lack of guidance.
[17:50 - 35:49] Career path and mental health
- Blaire worked in various roles in the entertainment industry, including as an agent at a large speaker's bureau representing high-profile clients like Colin Powell.
- Blaire struggles with self-doubt and fear of failure, but is working on accepting her identity as a performer and embracing her unique talents.
- Blaire discusses her creative process, including using audio playback to stimulate her creativity and improve her vocabulary.
- Blaire desires a level of fame similar to Sarah Vowell's but finds humor in using flip charts instead of digital media.
- Blaire shares her experience with improv comedy, noting that it's more restrictive than stand-up comedy, and she prefers the freedom of being on stage without a set script.
- Blaire expresses frustration with feeling anxious while trying to create and meet deadlines, despite taking medication and using calendars to stay organized.
