Christine Barger Of Exit Game OC On How to Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone to Grow Both Personally and Professionally
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Take small steps if you have to as long as you keep moving forward. Stepping outside of your comfort zone doesn’t have to be moving across the country and starting an entirely new career tomorrow. Take things one step at a time. Plan the journey. Save money. Start classes. Make connections.
It feels most comfortable to stick with what we are familiar with. But anyone who has achieved great success will tell you that true growth comes from pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. What are some ways that influential people have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to grow both personally and professionally? As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine Barger.
Christine Barger is an entertainer that uses her skills to bring smiles to people through acting in TV & movies, content creation, ventriloquism and now also through her escape room. She and her husband, Jeremiah Lutes, designed and created 13th Basement at their company Exit Game OC during the pandemic. Christine is currently building the second escape game at the location with Jeremiah while also still working as a performer.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. I’ve always been outgoing and loved making people laugh, so it was no surprise I began performing in the school plays and joined the cheerleading squad, etc. I also began performing ventriloquism at a young age. It was my talent in all of the talent shows and pageants as a youth. I knew from childhood that I wanted to spend my life making others smile. When I decided to go to college I majored in theatre.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Never Give Up. I always imagine the frog fighting the stork meme when I say it. As a small town girl moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting I definitely had my share of rejection…maybe even more than my share, it felt like I got a few other people’s share too sometimes. I stuck with it. I also tried to stay on top of trends in the entertainment industry so I was already creating on YouTube, Musical.ly (now TikTok) and other platforms before it was cool. If I had stopped because the comments told me I was too old, too cringe, too fat, too whatever, I never would have gained almost a million followers and learned so much from that experience that I was able to use those skills to create social media accounts for our small business. Opening a brick and mortar business during a pandemic is also no easy task. The key is to stick with it and keep going no matter what other people say or how hard it gets. Just keep at it if you are passionate about it and the hard work will bring you joy.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Dick Van Dyke’s book “Keep Moving” is fun and inspirational. He has had such an amazing career. I already admired him as a performer prior to picking up the book, but after reading it I find his joy inspiring and refreshing.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. What does “getting outside of your comfort zone” mean?
We all know that feeling in the pit of our stomach when we are about to step outside of our comfort zone and do something we just aren’t confident we will be successful at. That’s the moment I think most people decide to turn back. That fear or discomfort can feel overwhelming. However, we must push through it in order to grow.
Can you help articulate a few reasons why it is important to get out of your comfort zone?
Stepping outside of our comfort zone is how we learn new things, meet new people, experience things we never imagined we would experience and accomplish amazing accomplishments. Staying in your comfort zone is safe and let’s be totally honest…boring. The exciting moments in life come when you get out of your own way, ignore that little scared voice that says, “what if you fail?” and go for it.
Is it possible to grow without leaving your comfort zone? Can you explain what you mean?
Sure a person can grow within the skill set that they already have while staying in their comfort zones. If you love playing piano for example and you play every day you will get better and better at the piano. However if you love playing the piano and you’ve always been curious about playing the guitar but you are too scared to give it a shot, you will never obtain that skill and grow as an all around musician.
Can you share some anecdotes from your personal experience? Can you share a story about a time when you stepped out of your comfort zone and how it helped you grow? How does it feel to take those first difficult steps?
I moved from Indiana to Los Angeles without knowing anyone here on the west coast. I ended up working as a background actor, also known as an extra, playing a highschooler in a movie called Freaky Friday. I made friends with a few other background actors on set and got invited to stay the night at their place so we could all attend an open call the next day. I stepped out of my comfort zone and stayed the night in these strangers’ apartment (with their very scary and large pet snake none the less) for the opportunity to tag along to an open call the next day to hopefully get selected to work as background actors in another feature film. Let’s just say the whole experience was unique and while waiting for hours in a line that wrapped around the building with my new friends there was a lot of stress including police being called on a fist fight ahead of us in line. I could tell the woman taking our photos had also been having a very long day and instead of adding to her frustration like so many around me I spoke a few kind words and tried to lighten the mood. She asked me to drop my headshot into a box on my way out. I later received a call from her to show up to an audition for the role of a singer in the movie. I had to take a chance and skip classes to go meet these strangers on the roof of a skyscraper in downtown and SING for them. I wasn’t exactly comfortable singing acapella in public or missing class or well basically anything to do with heights, but I showed up. I did my best. I was literally shaking and so was my very pitchy singing voice in front of the director, but I went for it with all my heart. I promise I didn’t even hold a candle to the amazing and stunning opera singer I auditioned against, but the casting director saw something in my passion and willingness to put myself out there even when I was clearly uncomfortable doing it. I got the role. Not only did I get cast in the role of Mary Magdalene in the JCS play within the movie Along Came Polly at my very first audition ever working opposite Masi Oka and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but I earned my way into the Screen Actors Guild on my very first role. Okay so the director ended up having me lipsing to another singer’s voice but I still got to play the role and earn my union status which takes many actors years and years to achieve all because I put myself out there and stepped outside of my comfort zone.
Here is the central question of our discussion. What are your “five ways to push past your comfort zone, to grow both personally and professionally”?
- Other peoples’ opinions of me are not my business. I can’t control what anybody else thinks about me, so worrying about it isn’t going to help anything. Every single time I go into an audition trying to be what I think the casting director wants or create a TikTok because I think it’s what the audience wants, but it’s not what I want to do then the inauthenticity shines through somehow. However, when I went into a casting office and argued with them that I was indeed “big enough” to play the role of a plus size role even though they didn’t seem to think I was and completely relaxed into being myself I booked a different role in the movie that I don’t think they even saw anyone else for. When I’ve made TikToks that are fun for me and of things I enjoy they have gotten millions or views. Conforming to what you think someone else wants and worrying about their opinions will more often than not make you less authentic than if you just don’t let their opinions be your problem.
- Ask: What’s the worst thing that could happen? If the worst thing that could happen is you get a rejection or possibly embarrassed then go for it. I do tend to stay away from stepping out of my comfort zone if the worst thing that could happen is serious injury or death, but that’s me. I also don’t have the desire to skydive or tightrope walk, but if you do maybe skip #2. Usually in the professional world stepping outside of your comfort zone doesn’t actually have many serious consequences such as death, even though it often feels that way. As a standup comedienne you hear the phrase “died up there tonight” because not getting a laugh on stage can feel a bit like a part of your soul just died, however if you look at it a different way you can use the failure as a lesson. I had many a live performance where I thought I was dying onstage for the first 5 minutes. After stepping back and studying the lack of laughs I realized that the audience wasn’t laughing because they were watching my mouth to see if I was a good ventriloquist and then stunned that my lips weren’t moving. I took that lesson, rewrote my set to allow for them to have an opening joke that they could just stare at my face and it gave them the ability to then laugh at the opening.
- Take small steps if you have to as long as you keep moving forward. Stepping outside of your comfort zone doesn’t have to be moving across the country and starting an entirely new career tomorrow. Take things one step at a time. Plan the journey. Save money. Start classes. Make connections. There are a lot of smaller steps that could be more comfortable for you on the journey and before you know it you are moving and working that new career. It doesn’t all have to be one giant step outside of your comfort zone at a time, small steps take longer but they still get you there as long as you keep going.
- “Fear” and “Excitement” are really the same feeling interpreted through different lenses. Rethink your opinion of the feeling of fear. I love feeling excited. That butterflies in the stomach sensation means I’m about to have the best time doing something. If I stayed in my comfort zone I’d never get that rush of excitement of audience applause. I wouldn’t have the incredible memories of the experiences I’ve had that make me who I am today. I always think this is most apparent when I’m waiting to go into a haunted house. I’m so excited to see what monsters and ghouls are going to jump out at me and make me scream. I look around and see others that are genuinely terrified to go inside. They’ve been dragged there by someone they love or want to impress and are clearly outside of their comfort zone, but not enjoying it. We both will have the same scareactor jump out at us. We both have the same fluttering feeling in our stomach. We both scream. The difference is I scream into a giggle and they scream into full-blown tears. If I allowed myself to get psyched out ahead of time and have genuine fear of the event and actors, that “I’m not sure my lunch is going to stay down” feeling could turn into a very different experience for me. I choose to be excited because I know it’s going to be fun if I choose to have fun and also what’s the worst that could happen?
- The more you push your limits, the bigger your comfort zone becomes. Think back to a time you were uncomfortable doing something that now you do all of the time comfortably. When I was young I didn’t eat out at restaurants very often, so as an adult I was a little scared to eat inside of upscale restaurants. I didn’t feel like I knew how to order, what to wear, which fork to use, how to tip, how to ask the server for something like more water, etc and I was afraid I’d offend someone or get kicked out of the establishment and be humiliated. Eventually I started eating inside of restaurants and realized I was concerned for no reason. If I didn’t know what to do or how to do it, I would ask someone and most of the time they politely responded and I learned how to behave inside of a restaurant. Now I love going to restaurants! I especially love that someone else brings me water and I don’t have to walk to the kitchen 3 times during dinner myself because I love water.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that keep someone from pushing out of their comfort zone?
Fear seems to be the top barrier that keep people from pushing outside of their comfort zones. Our escape room is serial killer themed and one of the most common questions we get from potential guests is, “Is it scary?” People don’t like to take a chance when fear is involved. I’ve also had many friends in the entertainment industry that I’ve passed opportunities along to. At least half the time when I’ve followed up the person decided to pass on the opportunity because they were afraid they wouldn’t get the gig or that they were afraid they wouldn’t be good enough if they did get the gig. I know a lot of people don’t like to use the word “can’t” but I don’t like the word “afraid” personally. Fear gets in the way of opportunities if you let it.
There is a well-known quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “Do something that scares you every day”. What exactly does this mean to you? Is there inherent value in doing something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, even if it does not relate to personal or professional growth? For example, if one is uncomfortable about walking alone at night should they purposely push themselves to do it often for the sake of going beyond their comfort zone? Can you please explain what you mean?
I think doing something that scares you every day is great as long as it’s within reason. If you’re scared that you’ll be rejected for applying to that dream job opportunity then push through the fear and do it. If you’re afraid to jump into the ocean from your cruise ship because you don’t know how to swim, don’t. Take time to acknowledge what has real dangerous consequences and what is simply fear standing in your way of growing. If you can’t determine the difference on your own, ask a trusted friend for their opinion or make a list of pros and cons. Walking outside alone at night might have real dangerous consequences depending on who you are and where you are, but taking a class in a new skill you’ve always wanted to learn but have been afraid you wouldn’t be good at probably doesn’t.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would like to inspire people to raise each other up and avoid making decisions that hurt others in order to get ahead. I know everyone is just trying to get by the best they know how, but too often they don’t think about how their actions affect those around them. A simple example of this is traffic. If a driver is selfish and starts cutting off other drivers it becomes both a stressful, dangerous situation where accidents can more easily happen and it causes everyone behind that selfish driver to slow down. However if we all share the road and work together being aware of the other drivers we can all get to our destinations more quickly and safely.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I would love to have lunch with Dwayne Johnson (@therock). I find his work ethic inspiring, his humor uplifting and dedication to his friends & family admirable. He’s an absolute ray of sunshine in the entertainment industry.
How can our readers follow you online?
I’m on all the social sites but my main platform is TikTok. I’m @ChristineBarger everywhere but IG I’m @ChristineBargerOfficial on Instagram. I also run our escape room’s socials @ExitGameOC
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Christine Barger Of Exit Game OC On How to Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone to Grow Both Personally and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.