Comedy Interview : How Drew Lynch Turned Trauma into Triumph: The Healing Power of Humor in Comedy Saved Me

What happens when a freak accident threatens to end your dreams before they even begin? For today's guest, a softball injury that left him with a stutter could have been the end of his story, but instead it became the beginning of something extraordinary. I'm Lynn Hoffman and this is the Comedy Saved Me podcast. This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. No gloss, no filter, just stories, spoken without fear. A person who is not generous cannot be an artist. The world will be at peace only when it is ruled by poets and philosophers. Listen to my weekly podcast, the puja bhajjo on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Come for the honesty, stay for the fire. Cast. Comedy Saved Me. Drew Lynch burst onto the comedy scene in 2015 as the runner-up on America's Got Talent, turning what many would see as a disability into his greatest comedic asset. It's so amazing. With over 2 million YouTube subscribers, Drew's story is about more than just making people laugh. It's about resilience, authenticity and finding your voice when the world tries to silence you. From dealing with online trolls to navigating the entertainment industry with a speech impediment, Drew has transformed personal adversity into a thriving career. And his comedy doesn't just entertain, it challenges perceptions and proves that our biggest obstacles can be our greatest strengths. Today, on Comedy Saved Me, we are sitting down with the one and only Drew Lynch to talk about how humor became his lifeline and how making others laugh saved him in ways he never expected. Drew Lynch, welcome to Comedy Saved Me. I'm not going to be able to follow that intro. It was way too good and I wish it was the most of the interview. I wish it was just you talked the whole time and I didn't say much and then that was it. You were just like, and you were like, and here he is. And I was like, hey, and you're like, and that's all the time we have. And that's the end of the show. Thanks for joining us, Drew. Such a good intro. I can't hear it back for myself because I feel like I'm not all that. I'm not all that. Stop it. I'm not all that. Well, it is hard sometimes to hear about your own successes because you're so busy achieving them that you don't even realize that you're like you're climbing these mountains and you're creating such amazing things. And then you turn around and someone gives you an intro like that and you're like, wow, that is me. I guess it was, you made it sound so good, man. I was like, whoa, I don't know about that. Well, let's get started by explaining to the world who may not know you or maybe hearing you for the first time. Take us back to that moment when you first got injured in that softball game. What was going through your mind when you realized that this stutter was not going away? Yeah, I think so. I had just signed up for like a recreational softball league. It was something that was affiliated with the comedy club that I was working at at the time. I wasn't interested in doing stand up at all or even just even comedy, really. I was out in LA to do acting and I was 18 when I moved out here. And in the first year that I was out here, I had had a manager and an agent and I had a bunch of auditions and callbacks lined up and everything was looking pretty promising. And that day, I had just kind of experienced a freak thing where it was a bad hop from a grounder that hit me in the throat. And I had fallen and hit my head on the ground and I had had a, at the time they thought it was a concussion, but it was later diagnosed as a traumatic brain injury just from the impact of the blunt force to the ground. And that was the larger of the two injuries. The softball gets all the publicity, but it's really just like it was the impen- I was dazed that day and I was dazed the following day. I don't remember much, but I remember my roommate drove me to the hospital because I was disoriented and I was speaking just not the same way that I even sound now. And it was just very, it was staccato and it was like, it was almost like dissonant. It was like dissonant and disconnected. It was like not even like even an actual stutter in the sense of the word. It was just like, just nothing was really, nothing was really oriented well in my relationship to words to brain. And you know, my parents flew out to see me in the hospital that day and then they, the doctors were like, yeah, this is kind of a freak thing, but we do expect a full recovery with your speech. And then it was years and years later before with tons of work and rehabilitation in order for it to even get back to this point. So in that moment, you know, like my whole acting career was just done. Like I couldn't be, they couldn't send me into any rooms to audition or, you know, the whole shift was, you know, you're incapable of being able to represent yourself in this way. So it was, it was pretty scary time at that time. I can only imagine, especially everything you did to just sort of take off at 18 and move your life out there and try to become something. And now all of a sudden you're just cut off from that whole thing. When did you first realize, or when did it dawn on you that comedy would be your way forward? I mean, was there a specific moment when you thought, you know, I can use this to my advantage. How do you spin that around? Yeah. Most people can't, that would ruin most people. Well, I actually, I can't even take any credit because there were, there were a lot of, I was working at a comedy club and there were a lot of comics who they were just advocating for me to get on stage to just talk about it, you know, just talk about it, you know. And I think, I think comedians, like we're all kind of just a band of misfits, you know, we're all, everybody's got their own little story or their own wrinkle or their own thing that they're trying to use to, you know, fulfill themselves, you know, and that way it's kind of sad because you don't want to try and find all of your validation externally. But another way, like, you know, humor and light and comedy and all these words can come from, you know, something that's broken or something that's a little darker or something that's atypical, right? And so when they, when they, when they had advocated that I went on stage to just, just talk about it, they could all kind of sense like that I was just, I needed it. I needed to feel like I was, I was, I was giving some version of control back to my life again. And, and so I remember the very first open mic that I did. I don't think it was, I don't think it was good in terms of like, oh, that was super funny. But I just think that the comics in the audience knew that it was authentic and that it was vulnerable and that it was real. And in that way, I think they were giving me their respect. Yeah, they sure were. And thank God that they kind of pushed you into it. Did they have to coax you to do it or was it sort of easy to get you to, yeah. Yeah, it was a little bit that. I mean, it was a few times like, you got to get up there, man. You got to try, you got to try it. And, and then it, and then, you know, and then it just kind of happened. And then when it, when you started to, when I started to feel much better about the fact that I'm not, I'm not doomed, right? Like I'm not totally backed into a corner and I can have some creative autonomy again. Yeah. It felt, it felt like liberating. And so I was, I was, I was, you know, it felt very clear to me in that moment. It was like, all right, one, one door is completely shut. I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to go out the window. I like that. I wasn't expecting that. I was, I was waiting for the other one to open. All right. So here you are being coaxed to get on this local stage and perform in front of a small audience. And then next thing, you know, you're in front of the whole world on America's God talent. It's your, your, this massive national breakout moment. And I'm just curious why you decided to put yourself out there with something so personal in such a huge way. I mean, where did you go from that to getting on national television or how I should say? Yeah, sure. I actually took a comedian's advice. He, you know, I was very much, I was very much focused on setting quantitative goals for myself. Qualitative goals are sometimes more difficult to, to, to measure because you're just like, I want to be, I want to be better or I want to lose weight or I want to, right? So if I, especially when you're experiencing rejection over and over and over, and that's a lot of times what comedy is, that's a lot of times what building any business is. Anything. It, it's, I had to, I had to find a way that I could manage getting through it. And sometimes that's just through the, the being able to document or measure that you did it. So I initially set a goal for myself to do 101, just different stages, like just perform in different places, just to kind of network in different ways, right? And then the next year, so I did that in a year. And then the next year I had heard a comedian say, if you want to get, you want to get good, and you want to get good enough to get on TV, you need to get up pretty much every night, multiple times a night. I would recommend close to 500 sets in a year. And that's a lot, right? So you're like, That's like every night of the week. Yes, every night, at least, at least twice a night. Wow. So, so when I heard that, I, it was daunting, but I knew that that's what I wanted to do. And almost like, you know, almost just like in a, in a, in a, in a, in a, in a chain reaction of linear events, it was like, I finished the year at like over 500 sets. So I hit the year. And then I went and auditioned in the open casting call for, for America's Got Talent. And they, and then it was just kind of like I was, I just, it just felt right. It just felt like I was, I was prepared, especially in an audition process like that show. It's not like you just go see the judges right away. You have to go through a series of rooms where, you know, like they're kind of vetting you and they're, they want to see you in this environment, they want to see you in front of these producers. And I think, I think had I not, maybe had I not had the, the, the preparation of performing in so many different environments and so many times, I maybe wouldn't have been as prepared. So, and that show was just did such a good job about like telling my story while also letting my, my comedy get showcased. So it was just kind of a perfect match. It sure is. And, and, and that speaks to, first of all, your, your work ethic of, of going out there and actually doing the work. I mean, it's one thing to say you're going to do it, but then you do it. And then the repetition really did prepare you for, you know, proper planning proceeds, poor performance. So it makes total sense that you would have nailed things. But who knew that you were doing 500 shows that year before you even got to that stage? That's incredible, incredible. And congratulations. How did, how did comedy specifically save you, you know, during some of the darkest moments after your injury? And like, what role did humor play in your recovery? Was it a big role? Absolutely. You know, comedy is a, it's not all that it looks to be all the time. I mean, it is a, it's, it's like something you rotate. And it's like, Oh, it's not a, it's not a square, it's a cube, you know, and, and, and it's, it's, um, you think like, when you see somebody do it well, you're like, Oh, that, that seems pretty easy, right? Or if you see somebody do it badly, you're like, Oh, I can do better than that. So it almost empowers you whichever way you look at it, right? And I think that when you first get into, um, I mean, other than the obvious answer of just, of just saying like, I needed that at that time to be able to remind myself that, that nothing is final, nothing is final. I mean, you have, I'm, I have always had like just insane drive. I'm just a very driven person. And, and the idea that someone tells me that I can't do something is always something that I'm gonna, gonna use as fuel to leverage myself into a, into a better position, you know, or a position, not a better position, but one where I, I feel like I can, I can decide, you know, like it offers choice. And I think comedy saved me, I mean, not to put so much on the whole saving me of it, but it just, what it did was it gave me a second chance, and it gave me perspective, perspective, not just into like, Oh, what, what my relationship to comedy on a professional wavelength was, but perspective into compassion for, for other people, things that like recognizing that there's all types of things that people are going through that you might not even see. I, I, I had something that you could see and hear, and people still treated me in a way that was like dismissive or, or, or or like, you know, to be ignored or whatever, like, and that's a, that's a hard lesson, you know, my, like, it's a hard lesson in that your ego wants to protect you or, or, or assert yourself or insert yourself into why you matter. And I think comedies come full circle in that I started to get so excited about the fact that I could, I could, I could say something and write it and, and, and it was, and it was real and people laughed at it. And it all came from me. And that was so exciting. There was an exchange. I gave you something, you gave me something. And then it became, well, I don't care as much about how you feel, I only want it for me. I'm only in it for me. I'm in it to just do this so I can get better so I can be the best and have it be self serving. I'm going to elevate myself. It was me, me, me. And then as I've gotten just as it's changed as that cube starts to kind of like move, it's, it's, it's shown me that, you know, it really is about, again, that, that initial relationship of what it is you can do for someone. And because you, because once again, you don't know what they're going through. You don't know, you don't know, like this, the introduction of ego came all the way back in, so full circles where it's like, well, I'm back, I'm exactly, I'm back exactly where I was before, where it was like, I thought I was, I thought I was better than people, right? I didn't need to offer their perspective on things. I had the way that I was doing things. And, and it just, it teaches you over and over and over again to, to, to humble yourself and to find the foundation of how you feel about yourself from within, not from, not from anywhere else or, or, or, or that it was transaction or that it's supposed to be an exchange. It's really just at least for me, and I don't have anything figured out. But at least for me, for right now, it's supposed to be about, you know, what, what it is I can, I can be doing to, to, to help and kind of removing the, the I in, in, in all of it. Wow. Do you know, you just said so much in such a short way to sum everything up. And I have so many questions for you. I don't even know if you have enough time, but no, I, I followed everything. I first I want to know, how did you learn? And when did you learn that when someone tells you, you can't do something that you're going to prove them wrong? Like, how did you learn about that lighting the fire under your ass to get you motivated to prove someone? Oh, yeah, you don't think I can do this? Let me show you. And also, how did, was that before the accident? Did you always have this growing like instinctively in you? Yeah. And, and, and also, um, yeah, that we'll start there. Sure. I mean, I feel like I've been underestimated for my whole, you know, probably my whole life. And, and, and I don't, and I used to have a lot of anger about that, you know, I used to have a lot of, like, you know, like, why I'm out there to just go prove it to them. And yeah, I feel like that doesn't, I feel like that's a little, I feel like that's fruitless, because you're, you're, you're, it's entirely up to them. And, and then you're gonna, you're just gonna find yourself running, running your, running your drive, running all the tread off your tires, because you're just trying to be like, well, I'll follow you, you think this thing, well, I'll show you, well, you think this thing, I'll show you. And it's, it just, it, it's not as fulfilling as maybe addressing what, where that comes from for you, are you enough, are you enough for yourself? Right? Yeah. And so from a very early age, I feel like I was, I was maybe underestimated or, or, or seen as, as, as, as less than, and I would never treat, I never wanted to ever feel like I, but I would never treat somebody like that. I've had periods of time where it was like, it was like that, or it was, or is subconscious or is subverting. But to actively say to somebody that I don't believe in them, or I don't think they can't do something or to treat them differently, because of maybe how they look or how they sound or what they, where they came from, like, we're all guilty of that. But I try to be that much more conscientious because I, because I came from it, I experience it all the time. So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Your comedy is so incredibly self aware. How did you find the balance between using the stutter as a, as material, but not letting it completely define you as a comedian overall? You know, you've had a lot of hurdles to climb to get to this point. Yeah, I mean, my relationship to stuttering has, is, it's, it's really beautiful. And it's beautiful in a way that I mean beautiful to me. It might not be to anybody else. But to me, it's beautiful, because, you know, it does challenge your relationship with control. And I've always struggled with control. And stuttering is basically something that says like, you know, I can happen whenever it's not up to you. It might not be up to you. I sound good today. I sound great. And I sound great for you. And for this, for this interview. But, you know, my wife has seen me at times or friends have seen me at times. Openers, some of my, some of my colleagues have seen me at times where it's like, it's just not today. I don't know. I, for whatever reason, my nervous system cannot, I cannot hack my nervous system to be able to dictate how something is going to happen. And that relationship with, with not just stuttering, but maybe on a larger scale, maybe, you know, what, what, what energies are in the world? Or what is, what is, what is fate? What is God? What are, what are things? Like, these are, these are bigger themes that I think actually are, are, are, are closely related to what it, what it actually means to relinquish control and how in doing that, you, you get the freedom of knowing you, you, you have, you have more fluency. Things are, things are, things are that much easier. So with, with stuttering and as it relates to, to, to, to, to, to my career, I've, I've found that going on stage making fun of myself is always a great place to start. I like, I like that. I, if I can do that, and you can agree, and we can get on board with making fun of me, there's nothing, there's nothing better than saying like, I'm human and I'm flawed and here's why. And I'm not after you, and I'm not after politics, and I'm not after another per, let's just like, well, let's just share a common enemy and have it be silly, have it be so much more buoyant. And it's just a nice reminder over and over and over again that like, I'm not just because I'm up here, it doesn't mean, doesn't mean that I'm better. We'll be right back with more of the comedy saving podcast. No gloss, no filter, just stories, spoken without fear. Addiction is a disease, and it should be looked upon as any other disease. How did you cope with a reckless father like me? Join me, Pooja Bhatt, as I sit down every week with directors, actors, musicians, technicians, and beyond. You don't need to work with the biggest people in the biggest sound to have great music. I have gone through the sub-CD, Hachakar. Reach the pinnacle, stung by the sneaker, I've fallen down again. I am not writing actively anymore, and when I see my old work, it kind of saddens me. I'm only as good as the last shot that I gave. Mom's gone, but don't shut the theater. The show must go on. Listen to my weekly podcast, the Pooja Bhatt show, on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Come for the honesty, stay for the fire. Welcome back to the Comedy Saved Me podcast. How important, I ask almost everybody that does the show this question, and I'm just curious. I think I might know your answer based on this last answer, but how important is it in life, not just in your profession, or if you're an actor, or a musician, or a comedian, but how important in life do you think it is to be able to laugh at yourself? Oh, I mean, I think it's so important. I mean, look, I mean, talk about it. Like, a person that you want to be around is that way. A person who doesn't. I use this metaphor a lot, because I did a TED talk a few years ago, and it took me forever to try to figure out what the metaphor was, because I've been both people. And it's basically, when you see somebody try to walk into a building, and it's a push, but they pull, right? Or vice versa, they try to push, but it's a pull, and they run into the door. There's two types of people that you see in those moments. You'll see somebody who gets angry, and they get the door, right? The blame is somewhere else, right? And then they're like, whoops, you know, wow, how dumb, that was silly, right? And so it's just, even your reaction to seeing somebody do that is almost like, you know, it tells a lot about them based on how you, how you, it tells a lot about you, and it tells a lot about them based on how they react and how you're reacting to them reacting. So even in business, even in business, when you follow a business or you follow a person who is, who is just, they are who they are, and they're being self-aware about it, they don't acknowledge that they're better than. I mean, there's just this human component that I think is even coming out in businesses and in people. Like, this is a very important thing, because it's just a reminder that nobody's different, nothing's different. No, definitely. Wow, you've got this thing down. Your analogy is really, I mean, it's powerful stuff and it's really important. And I love that anyone listening right now is hearing it from you, especially. You've dealt with a lot of online trolls I've read and people who don't really understand your story. How has that helped you develop sort of this resilience from all that negativity? And there's a lot of people struggling with that right now. Yeah, I think one of the healthiest things that I've done was try to distance myself from just social media in general. It's like, yeah, it's a big part of my job. It's a big part of my business. But it's crazy, man. It's crazy that you'll be just, you'll be living your day and living your life and you look down at your phone, somebody says something and it changes your whole day. It changes everything. And again, it's like, you know, this is the same as, you know, flatterers and deceivers. These are almost all in the same category. And it's like, you don't want to invest too much stock in either one, someone who says over and over, like, oh, you're the best or this is great or whatever. Like, that's also not healthy. So, you know, it's like, it's unfortunate because it's such a big part of what I do. But I don't, I don't claim to know what anyone else is going through. And maybe they, maybe they need to do that in order for them to feel a certain way. And I think I'm trying to get more and more accommodating of the idea that they're, I just have to understand that there are things that I don't understand. And maybe there's something to that person's story that resonates in a different way or maybe they, maybe they stuttered ever since they were a kid. And I had mine as an adult, I actually had a childhood where I didn't stutter. And so maybe they feel like, oh, well, there's nothing valid about this. Or maybe they're in pain because of a parent loss or something. Like, you have no idea. So like, compassion is everything. It's just sometimes it's hard to meet that when you feel like there's hostility or you're being attacked and it threatens your own ego. So, I don't know, I think that that's at least the first, that's the first step I've taken in trying to distance myself from their version of them getting to decide who I am. Well, first, it's very kind of you to look at it that way. And not many people have time or these days, it seems to even pay attention to how maybe the person who's doing the attacking is, is also hurt. So that's very kind of you. And also, very smart to stay off social media, I think, unless you have a business that you need to sell, I think it's where we show the worst versions of our self live there. And I came off a long time ago as well for similar reasons. But switching gears to what is the most meaningful response that you've gotten from a fan about maybe how your comedy has has affected them in a positive way, whether it's through online or in person, maybe at like at a show. Oh, man. I'm sure it's been a lot. No, I just mean that's tough just because I mean, it all, you know, it all, it all matters. And, you know, there's some people who like I, there's some people who say like, you know, I, you know, I turn you on, I turn, I turn, I turn on your stuff at night. And then like it helps me fall asleep, or it helps, it helps my, you know, my anxiety, or it helps me feel this, this, this, this way. So, I mean, it's hard because it's not even just about, I think the things that are the most meaningful to me are not even people who say like, oh, it's your, it's your, it's your comedy who gets me through it just, I think when people say to me in person like, hey, I just, I just appreciate who you are as a person. That feels really nice. That feels really nice, because you're just saying like, hey, I'm not just out here to just work on what it is that I'm that I do for a job. I'm here to work on me every day. And I want to show up for me every day. So other people can get that that that version that that feels like I'm, I'm committed to effort, you know. And so when people say like, hey, like, you know, you know, I know you're, I know you're, I know your dad, I know your dad just passed away, but I, I appreciate that you're here because, you know, I lost, I lost, I lost my, I lost my son, you know, I had the weekend after my, the weekend, my dad passed away a few days, I had, I had a show scheduled and I was, I was on the fence, do I do them, do I not do I do them, do I not. And I went and did them. And then sure enough, there was a guy at the show that night, one of the shows by himself, and he had lost his son earlier, earlier that, that, that, that, that week. And he was deciding, like, do I go, do I not. And it just, it was just this reminder that like, it's not necessarily about what I'm doing on like this professional level, it's just these, these, these, these personal choices sometimes that you, you never know, you never know how that can impact somebody else. And I was glad that I could be there for him. And maybe I was glad that he made the choice to validate what it was that I, that I, that I chose. So, yeah. Advocacy is very important to you. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. How has your comedy evolved since America's got talent? And what can fans expect new and, and old when they come to a show, or when they turn on a show? Yeah. I, I think a lot of what I do now is focused even more on making the comedy clean, making it good and making it right. I follow this a lot. My producer and I talk about this all the time is just like doing things good and doing things right. Okay. And I think that when I'm, when I'm on stage now, I don't think anything has to look a certain way anymore. I used to feel like if you go on stage and it's rigid, you have to work on this joke, and you got to get the best version of it for, because, and I'm always, I'm always wanting to work on those things. But the idea that it has to look or sound a certain way or that a show needs to start a certain way, I think, I think some of the, some of the shows I've had the most fun. And this happens almost every single show is where I don't have any expectations of how it needs to go. I don't have a game plan. And things just, things just go kind of off the rails in the, in the best way. I mean, I, it's a, it's a breathing thing being in front of an audience. And I never want anyone to feel like they are attacked or that their beliefs are attacked. So once again, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll make fun of me and I'll come at me. And then we'll end up feeling like, you know, we'll end up feeling like we don't even know how we're, how we got to where we got to by the end of it. But it's all connected. And I think, I think, I think we're all connected. And if you feel like you left the show being like, wow, that only happened to that show. And it would, it can't ever happen again. Then I will have felt like I did my job. Yeah. I mean, when you do that and you put yourself out there like that, you give people that shoulder drop moment, like, Oh, well, if he's doing it, it's okay for me, you know, and that's such a special, that's such a unique and special thing that gosh, I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who's, who's gone through life, the, quite the way that you have, and, and you're still so young and so much more ahead. I can't wait to see what else you have planned in your life. And also I see so many parallels that I could probably talk to you for another three hours, especially the control thing, because I never made that connection until you just said it, you know, being in control. And then just now with the show, I mean, I've got notes all over my desk that you can't see right now because of things that I want to ask, or if I didn't get to ask. And, and I used to think that I had to have it perfect. And then I realized, I don't know, I can, I can say, can you give me a second so I can just find this little, oh, oh yeah, here we go. This is what I wanted to ask you, because it's not perfect. Absolutely. That's okay. I think that's totally okay. I mean, I think even in interactions that we're having, independent of a podcast, in, in, in person, sometimes we have this feel like we're not in a movie, we're not in a scene, we're not at like, sometimes I even have to stop a conversation while it's happening to say like, I need a second, I need a second, or, this isn't, or this doesn't, this, this doesn't feel like this is serving me well. So I can't, I can't, I can't participate. And there's something so, I don't like to say something is powerful about what I am doing, but the action of someone doing something like setting a boundary or saying, this is, this is, this is, this is what feels right to me. And maybe it doesn't look a certain way or sound a certain way. It's, it's empowering. It feels like, it feels like it's okay to have it, it's almost better that it, that it doesn't go exactly as it is. And I, I'm, I mean, I used to have to do like, like, like calls or therapy, like with my zoom camera off, because I would be so worried the whole time, like, how does it, you know, the, what, how does, what's how do I, and all the time. And it's like, it's just, it, it, it robs you of, I think, actual connection and, and human like meaningful interaction. I have a few more questions. I'm just trying to see which one I want to get to first here. You've become an advocate, we were speaking earlier about that, whether it was intentional or not for people with speech impediments and disabilities. How does that responsibility feel to you now that you haven't in terms of advocating for them? So I work with an organization called, Say is the, the Stuttering Association for the Young. And it's a huge responsibility. And it is so rewarding. There's nothing about it that starts in a way that says like, I'm here for, I'm here for me. You have to be fully present with people who stutter and, and kids. And here's, and here's both of these things happening at the same time. And the responsibility, I guess, just came with the, with the territory, you know, I, I initially just wanted to just do stand up because it was, it made me feel better. And it was completely about me. And this is all I'm interested in. And, and then when you start to realize that there's more you could be doing for, for other people. And, and their, and their journeys with, with stuttering, you know, it, it changes what you want, what you want to do. It changes, what, you know, what do you want your life to look like, you know, what not not not who is it you want to be? What is it? What is it you want to do? You know, so I think that's, I think that's, that's kind of what, what, what changes it a little bit. And definitely, definitely gives me some perspective on how much more involved this is than I ever thought it would be. Yeah, it's heavy. It's, I was dyslexic as a, as a child. So, and I do voice work for a living. So I read, copy all day, every day was, it was, it was a main job for a while, but now it's a side job. But still, it was a lot to overcome and just auditioning. And so I definitely, you know, overcoming an impediment is, is, I would imagine a lot more people have that than don't, but they just never talk about it. And you can't help but to talk about it because it's part of what you hear when you talk. So it's like, you can't hide it. Yeah, but I think, I think there's so much more value in, in learning something about what you said, which is like, I would never know that you, you, you deal with this, you know, and so is what I mean, like, you know, feeling like you, feeling like I'm, I'm composed and I have it together. And I'm, and I'm, you know, and like, and there's all these, you know, beautiful things. It's not fair to assume that just because this is how it looks or whatever, that, that there's not more to it. And that is something that I'm guilty of all the time is just being like, Oh, it must be, it must be this, because this is what I see, or this is what I know, or that was my interaction with that person. What advice would you give to someone who's dealing with a life changing setback and wondering if they can still pursue their dreams through? I don't have anything figured out. And I think that that's, that's always been the place that I start is like, I don't, I don't, I don't know. I, but I just I want things, if you start with things coming from a good place and a right place, right, like what's what's do good and do right. It these things are usually the best place to start because you, you're, you're cleansing yourself of your own sort of you're getting out of your own way. You know, if you submit, if you surrender, like as we talk about our relationship to control, like, yes, be intentional about what it is you want to do. If you want to make a, if you want to make a pros and cons list for a big life decision, I think that's good. Like, definitely do your due diligence, like, you know, measure twice, cut once, but try to look at it as a way of saying like, you know, what can I, what, what can I do to get out of my own way and what, what's going to be the best version of, of, of, of me that's going to show up and don't, don't, don't put so much stock in how other people are, or, or saying you can't do something or, or trying to evaluate you or maybe like, if you want to use that to initially motivate yourself, sure, but that's not sustainable. You're not going to subsist on, on, on just constantly being like, well, I'm going to prove that person wrong or have to do this. You have to, you have to, every single day stick with yourself and say, all right, what, you know, what is it that I can offer and how does that align with some of the, the, the, the principles and some of these work ethics that I'm trying to put in place for myself. And you'll be surprised, the, the, the more good that you, that you try to apply to this approach, I think you'll start to fall more and more in line with energy that, that, that propels you in that direction. Something you said earlier in this conversation that really stuck with me because I've lived it so I know it's true and you said it and you've gone through your stuff and you know it's true, but you can always change the direction of your life. You have the power, you have the control, no one else. So it's, it's the choice that you make. I know that things that outside of your control, but you, yourself, like you can always just give yourself the permission to do it. Would you agree? Absolutely. I, I, I have had to, I guess reinvent or evolve or, or, or, or, or, or, acclimate or whatever the word is many, many times. I mean, and a lot of times that's, that's professionally, but a lot of times it's personally too. And these things are, these things are, are closely intertwined. And I always, I used to like separate them. I used to be like, you know, I, I don't, you know, I don't, I don't swear on stage, but I do in real life or, or vice versa. And it's like, what am I doing? Like this is not authentic at all. So teamlessness that goes in between these two, the professional and the personal is very important. And do you mean that I have to start swearing like a truck driver now all the time when I do these shows? Cause that's who I am when I'm not on the, that's so funny. It's so funny. Well, I don't know. I mean, I, it's, it's, you know, it really is like what's, what's, what's authentic to you. I, for a while, like I used to think that I had to swear on stage because there was a lot of other comics who did it. And they're like, Oh, this is, Oh, okay. Well, I like, I respect those comics. So I'm going to do that. And, and, and all of a sudden I just started to realize that was actually really sensitive to to, to, to hearing swear words and even me saying them, I would feel my energy kind of like weak in a little bit. And that's what let me know that that's, that that's not really who I am or that's who I want to be. So just paying attention, I think, I don't know, paying attention to what, what, what, what your body's response to energy. And sometimes it's in a conversation, like if you leave a conversation with someone and you're drained, like maybe you need to evaluate how much you actually want to converse with that person in the future. Or if you leave a conversation with someone and you feel empowered, you're like, What about that was so nice? Or if you feel like I can be quiet with a person and I don't have to force anything, like we oftentimes force or interject or assert a lot of ourselves into something that, that maybe doesn't need any of that involvement because our authentic selves is the one that's actually underneath that's, that's not, that's not having that block. So Drew, can I call you because you're like, you're better than any therapist I've ever had. You can call me, but I'm no, I'm no, I'm no. Let me ask you this last question. How would you complete this sentence? Comedy saved me by forcing me to deal with myself. Beautiful. Drew Lynch, you are such a peach. So wonderful to me. I don't know why I said peach. I don't even know where that came from, but it was just such a pleasure to meet you, to, to watch your star rise and have this time with you. And thank you for all of your wisdom because it's, it's extremely helpful and insightful. And I hope that someone listening, it maybe gave them that extra little push to go do something in their life. Sure. Well, thanks for having me. Thank you. Thanks for being on comedy. Save me and come back. Oh, where can people see you? Yeah, my website is a drewlinch.com and then at the drewlinch on all my social media and stuff. That's where you can find me, but just search my name, I guess. I love it. Thank you so much. Thanks, Lynn. Just stories spoken without fear. A person who is not generous cannot be an artist. The world will be at peace only when it is ruled by poets and philosophers. Listen to my weekly podcast, the Pooja Bhachow on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Come for the honesty, stay for the fire. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.