Performing Under Pressure - With Dr Steve Bull

Performing Under Pressure - With Dr Steve Bull

From The 98% by Alexa Morden

December 29, 2025 · 1h 25m · Season 6 · Episode 6

About this episode

Alexa Morden and performance psychologist Dr Steve Bull discuss confidence and pressure in the acting industry, offering practical tools for actors.

Happy Holidays everyone! To keep you company between Christmas and New Year, Alexa is joined by an audience favourite (who also happens to be her Dad) performance psychologist Dr Steve Bull, to answer listener questions about confidence, pressure, and navigate the realities of the acting industry. In this episode Alexa and Steve explore self-tape pressure and perfectionism, managing nerves, developing sustainable processes, confidence in a highly subjective industry, how to work hard without burning out, and more. Blending psychological insight with lived experience, this discussion offers practical tools and grounded reassurance for actors navigating challenges, self-doubt, and high expectations. This conversation is reminiscent of the book Alexa and Steve have written together, Beyond The Spotlight: How to Survive and Thrive in the Real World of Acting and Performing Arts , which is now available to pre-order! Listen to more from Steve on The 98% podcast: S1E5 'We are made of frigging titanium.' S3E14 - 'You can make yourself a better CEO.' S5E29 - 'Your world is subjectivem you can't change it.' Links & resources: Be the first to hear when/where you can order Beyond The…

People in this episode

Host: Alexa Morden

Guest: Dr Steve Bull

Topics covered

  • performance psychology
  • confidence
  • acting industry
  • self-tape pressure
  • managing nerves
  • sustainable processes

Keywords

  • performance psychology
  • acting
  • confidence
  • self-tape
  • nerves
  • burnout
  • perfectionism

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Beyond The Spotlight: How to Survive and Thrive in the Real World of Acting and Performing Arts

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