I have to give our guest Britt Steven, a little of my background. I love it when anyone comes to me and.
Says, I have this crazy idea and then you get.
To help bring it to fruition and it sounds like your we'll call it a show, a variety show. Not Till Now has a little bit of that let's put on a show kind of feel to it. What is happening It's happening at the Lakewood Cultural Center in January January twenty eighth. And what is not till Now? Let's start with what that is. Then we're going to work backwards because the story of how we got to not Till Well was very interesting. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
So it's basically a live event where first take the stage and people do the thing that they've always wanted to do.
And it's just wide open as to what people are doing. Well, is it a variety show? Feel a little bit? Okay? Yes?
So this first debut show will have a mix of storytelling and stand up comedy.
One gal will be singing.
I was kind of hoping that there would be someone you know, doing a clarinet solo, or someone juggling or you know, but those those folks didn't come through, but.
Maybe in the next one they will.
Well, you need to reach out to music schools that cater to adults and see if you could get some you know, cellis Sitter coming up there for the first time. Yeah, answers. Do you have any tap dnswers?
No, but I want one.
I have never tap dance in public before, mostly because I don't know how, so maybe that could be my thing.
Oh my gosh, Yeah, that would be so fun. And that's what it is. I want to give the first timers, basically the feeling of being the headliner.
Oh yeah, that's cool.
I mean I've never gone to an auditorium, you know where there's a big red curtain in the spotlights, and seeing people do something for the very first time, or seeing a more experienced speaker maybe talk about something they never have Like, for example, my pastor, I asked him to come into the show and I was like, will you please tell that story about the time that you found God on the bathroom floor? And he's like, no, that's and not till now story for me. That's not
a first time thing. He's like, you know what would be is telling a story from the soul without mentioning God and without mentioning the divide.
I'm like, okay, let's do that.
So lets fanned out. Okay, so let's this. This sounds like a wacky idea that probably sprung into your head at some point. What made you go, wait, this could be amazing. And it started with a dinner party for a book launch with one hundred women.
Right, well, it actually goes back a little bit more. In twenty fifteen, when I was living in Germany, I was attending startup events and watching people pitch business ideas and would attend the you know, the final events of that.
Event, and I would be like, oh, my gosh, you know what I want to do some days.
I want to have a talent show of sorts where people do the thing they've always wanted to do, even if it is, you know, doing a dance routine with everyone in astronauts suit like. And then we moved back to the States, and I like, my business kind of evolved a little bit.
And then yeah, so I launched a book in twenty twenty three called Mama Be Present.
And at the book launch, it was a dinner party for one hundred women, and I was up there.
You know, reading from the book and sharing some of my story.
And after that, I was like, you know, I want other moms to get up here and do that because that was so fun. And so four or five months later, I held Moms on the Mic with one hundred.
Women getting on the mic, and it's what's.
Really fun about it is it kind of feels like you're at the Golden Globes, but it's you.
Know, every city at tables.
Yeah, there's people getting drunk, people throwing salad that, yeah, that kind of thing. I mean, that's really the crowd you want when you're doing anything, a little bit lubricated.
Yes, deactly. Yeah.
So it's uh yeah, but yeah, there's not the pressure.
And so some of the best moments from these Moms on the Mic events, which I've done three of now, are when I just draw a name from the bowl and have a woman come up and speak for the first time or tell a story for the first time, or you know, in that moment, not even knowing they were going to, and have them completely grip the room and do just as well, if not better than the polished people, because they were probably the most relatable and the most real And I just think there's so much
magic in that, and I don't think there's enough of the like spur of the moment, first time, beginner, vulnerable thing.
For how many of the people And you could speculate if you don't have any real, you know, clarity on this, but I'm guessing that at least a few of these people decided to do one of these things to get over those feelings of anxiety. And I can't do this. I mean, it's still true the public speaking is number one by far of the things people fear most, which is crazy to me. Right for me, it is like I can't even remember not being able to speak in front of people, even as like a young kid, I
could get up in front. So for me, it's like I don't understand that. But I also been around enough people to know this has to be just terrifying for some people. Is that part of it for them?
Well, what's really cool?
So a lot of the people who've gotten up, well the women so far, they come to the event. So last year, for example, there are a few women who were like, I could never do this, you know, And then at the end of the event, at the end of the night, after watching everyone else go up and seeing them basically give them permission.
They're like I can do this, yes, And then.
Of course they're still super nervous going into it because that's normal and it means that you care. And I mean, I was so nervous coming here, but I'm like, I'm just so excited.
Yeah, no, nobody listens to this show. You're fine. So this event, to be clear, is not women only. I'm super excited. My favorite realtor, Ed Prather is going to speak and tell his story. Yes that I don't even know. Yeah, so I am very excited to hear about that. What are some of the people going to talk about or do are what are we looking at here in our list of talent for not till now?
Well yeah, so speaking of Ed, I was telling his wife, because our sons go to school together, about this event, and she and how I want to have people do stand up for the very first time, like very first, like I haven't even done open mic or anything like this is the moment. And she was like, oh my gosh, Ed has always wanted to do stand ups and he's got a whole thing, and I'm like, we got to have him, man. So he didn't even volunteer himself.
He got volunteered, yes, yes.
Yes, and so he you know, he'll be doing, yeah, a whole routine as I don't know if you know, but he was born with one I yes, and so he'll be doing stand up about his life from that perspective, which I'm so excited to hear about.
Yeah. So I have a mom and a teacher.
She's starting the show with her very first time stand up talking about life with ADHD and how she just started taking adderall and how.
Everything has literally.
Changed for her and how she has this new life. We have Debbie Shear, she's a you know, very established comedian and auction and MC and that she'll be you know, speaking about mental health and surprising us with a certain way that she does the stand up that she's.
Always wanted to do. So we have you have some experienced people doing things for.
The first time, but we also have you know, I have a mom who's going to be singing. She's never sung in front of people ever. I mean the people she's telling about this event, She's They're like, wait, you sing She's like, yes, Like I'm gonna do this.
So I just I can't wait.
This just sounds super fun, and I have people asking do you have to audition? How do you get to be a part of this? So I'm guessing this show is set. Yeah, but how can they get in the loop so they know when Britt Steuven is looking for the next group of people? How do they make that happen.
People are already saying they want to audition, They're like writing in They just asks.
How do you need? Oh do you need to other asking if I need to alis, I don't need to audition for this show. But I honestly have had so many first already that I don't know if there's a first left in front of an audience other than stripping and not doing that. So you know, I just shot me a look like, no, that will not be happening. I can assure you, Yeah, so no, I would. I would love to do. I love stuff like this though, because I love I'm always rooting for people that are
doing hard things right. I'm always rooting for them to succeed, and when you see somebody. I just watched my daughter's classmates get ready to go to Festcon, which is a big theater convention, and they were practicing and oh my gosh, I was rooting so hard for those kids, like and you get they get done and you're just like, oh, that was so good. I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of that in.
This Yes, yes, yeah, and so but yeah, if anyone is interested in applying for the next one, I actually just set up the website, not till now dot com.
They can go there.
I will add that to the blog as well as when we finish talking, because I have a link to the actual it's Wednesday, January twenty eighth, and it's at seven pm at the Lakewood Cultural Center in Lakewood, And I'll remind you guys, like a week before if you if there's tickets left. You guys have had some pretty brisk ticket sales. I understand.
Yep, eighty tickets sold so far.
Nice, very nice. Somebody just pointed this out and we need to have this discussion. Were you on House Hunters International?
Were you?
I was to stop it? Okay, No, you don't understand. I was HGTV's biggest fan in the whole world that they have canceled every show that I love except House Hunters International. Okay, So where were you looking? Because now I'm going to go back there. What I'm writing it down? When you leave here, I'm gonna go back and watch your episode. Oh no, so, where where were you looking?
We were a Duseldorf.
Oh I love Joseldorf Dwarf.
Yes, so, And I'm probably gonna get in big trouble for this, but I thought that they actually helped you find a place to live.
But they yeah, they work backwards.
Now you've got to have found your place before. Yeah, I knew that that jig was up years ago, So now it's now. My husband and I play a game like which one are they faking about? It's like when you're like I have to have this place, we're like, oh, that's not it. Yeah, we just make it a complete game on that. How did you even get into that?
I emailed them and just said, hey, can you guys help us find a place to live?
And they never responded until we.
Lived there and then and then I'm like, oh, shoot, well now we have a spot. They're like no, no, no, but yeah, and then we were like should we even do this still?
But then did you feel like a faker?
Well yeah yeah, But it was actually just really fun to see how they do it.
There's like three people.
Yeah, you know, and then you have to film everything. You say something naturally once and then you have to say it four more times so that they can get all the angles.
And then that you form like four days of content.
You film four days and then they only use like twenty two minutes.
So all the good stuff is actually not even all the really funny things. We're yet inappropriate.
You serious because you have to look serious as people think you're really considered. No, my brother's a real a realtor in Las Vegas, and he's like, no, you have to have already sold the house before they even show up. So not till Now is a wonderful idea of break. What is it that? I mean, you have a website, You've got the not till Now website, but you have all kinds of irons in the fire. Yes, what is you know? What do you do? What is your actual thing?
I know, I don't really know.
I have yes, So I've just so this is my debut event of the thing that actually is the umbrella of everything I've been doing for a while now.
So yeah, I just love to help people do.
The things they've always wanted to do, whether it is to start writing or to write a book. I have a fun writing group which I now changed the name to the not Till Now Writing Group. I yea also do yes the annual Mom's on the Mike event, which I will be changing the name to.
Not till Now.
Focus righting and yeah, very.
Cool, niche, extremely cool, Niche, britt, I like it. Okay, So the texter who just said okay, just like when the wine Yogi is on the show, just became exclusively for chicks only. I'm out. I'm sorry, Please don't take offense. But there's just nothing in this segment that's remotely appealing or interesting for the blue collar men of your listening audience.
Oh wow, so with respect, literally ninety nine point five percent of this show is designed specifically for you, and mind suck it up, Buttercup, you'll live through the point five maybe you'll become a more compassionate human in the meantime.
Good lord, Oh my gosh.
Well yeah, no, So that's what's so fun about not Till Now is that I'm men are welcome to me.
Well loved that.
Guy, Yeah that anyway, Sorry about that. It just sometimes people sometimes send things without recognizing exactly of the picture. Actually, Britt and I were talking about this before the break and for the first time in my hosting life. When we were having a conversation, I was like, oh, Britt, you need to watch this video on Instagram, and I said, honestly, never done that before. But the notion that getting out of your comfort zone and doing something for the first time.
I think when you reach a certain age, especially, you kind of feel like I mean, I know I have because I lead one of those yes lives where I say yes to a lot of stuff. I may only say yes once, yeah, but I do say yes at least once. I think a lot of people think, oh, I've accomplished a lot. I've checked a lot of boxes.
I've done the things right, I've done the things that when I was younger, I was certain these were the things that I needed to do, And once you achieve them, there's almost that okay, what now, right?
You know what?
That wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. So is that part of what this is about?
Kind I mean, it's it's really I just I want to give a space to people who can be the person that they've maybe always wanted to be. Right, maybe they did check certain boxes, but there's a certain part of them, a certain piece of them that wants to be creative or to share a certain story, and this is the arena for them to do.
It, to share it.
And I also want people in the audience to know that it's not all about performing on a stage, right, Like if you don't if you don't have a hidden talent, if you don't have something that would be on a stage like I Also, I don't want them to feel like they don't have anything to offer. I want them to feel something in their own lives that could possibly change another is something they could share with someone, something they could do personally, you know, like start off talking.
Exactly what I'm talking about. It's about I mean, And maybe it's I don't know how old you are, brain, I've got to be older than you are. And I look at where I am now, very content with my life, right I have I mean, people who was saying how you do it? I'm like, I have nothing to complain about, Like, yes, I could complain about dumb things, but I have nothing to complain about. I am living through a season of my life that I am enjoying every second of and
that's not how it is. That's not how it's been my whole life. But I got to say love in my fifties so far for that reason. But I am now also actively thinking about things that I would like to do right that are different than what I'm doing now, that have different outcomes. And I think it's like once you sort of get to where you are. I love my job, I love my career. I've been working for it for a long time. But now I'm like, Okay, this is good. You know what else is there? Right? Yeah?
And this is this is totally what it's about, is to do the thing that you're curious about that you don't even have to be a professional, right, you don't have to change your whole life to Like you talked about doing tap dancing, you know.
Yeah, that's all my list, by the way, it's on my life list of things to do before I die. That's on there, learn to tap dance, you know. And that's the thing.
And that's what I was thinking about when I was driving down listening to you know, with the like crazy everything, Like as things get crazier, I get more and more motivated to do things like this.
I love it. I think it's fantastic. And for the record, more text messages different blue collar worker here, love the show today? Good. Maybe that guy is so wrong. I'm picturing how hot you and britt are. Okay, that's weird. Why did I read that? Why I was committed? Dang it? Anyway, careful not till now dot com. I just added it to the blog. I also have tickets there for the show coming up on January twentieth. I'm super excited about this,
like I already put it on my calendar. I'm gonna buy my tickets this afternoon and go see this because again, there's something and I love this about my personality, and I've realized through the years that not everyone shares this trait. I love rooting for other people, especially people I don't know. I love it. It gives me so much joy to see them succeed. And I feel like this is gonna be a whole night of that.
Oh my gosh.
I and I'm gonna just be emailing everyone being like, Okay.
Come on, we gotta just cheer everyone on.
Like I just cannot wait to fill this thing with three hundred people and have them watch people do the thing that scares them, but like they're doing it bravely, and they're doing it and they're being cheered on.
I love it. Fritz Steven, thank you so much for making time all of this. I'll put her website on the blog in just a moment. But the ticket, the ticket link is already on the blog.