This week, West End performer Jaime Tait joins me for part one of a two-part conversation. Jaime and I went to drama school together when we were just 21 and so I thought I knew him. This conversation opened up a whole new side to jaime that I had never seen and I"m truly grateful for this honesty and wisdom.

We go back to growing up in Birmingham as one of seven, what was expected of him as a Black boy, and the mindset that has kept him on stage for ten years and counting. It's a conversation about energy, self-belief, and feeling like you always have more to prove.

A quick note: the first 10 minutes or so are audio only because of a camera problem. The video comes in at about 12 minutes.

Follow Jaime on Instagram at @jaaytait

Follow along on TikTok and Instagram at @christopherallenofficial, and follow on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

New episodes every Wednesday. Part two is out next Wednesday ✨

References mentioned in this episode:

- Urdang, now part of City St George's, University of London (where Jaime and I trained): https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/about/schools/communication-creativity/performing-arts

- Legally Blonde The Musical, UK and Ireland tour (Jaime's current show): https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/legally-blonde/

CONTENT WARNINGS

- RACISM AND RACIST LANGUAGE

- HOMOPHOBIA

- A PARENT'S REACTION TO COMING OUT

- AN UNSETTLED HOME LIFE IN CHILDHOOD

- STRONG LANGUAGE

CHAPTERS

- 00:00 Intro

- 01:29 Knowing someone at 21, and ten years in the West End

- 03:15 Growing up in Birmingham as one of seven: what was expected

- 04:53 Becoming the people pleaser, and the empath in the middle

- 07:30 Knowing he was gay, and using comedy to change the subject

- 10:30 Signs, labels and rules: "we're all very free beings"

- 12:24 Keeping the love for performing, and why energy gets you hired

- 16:58 Telling his dad he was gay the day before moving to London

- 20:00 Dancing "like a boy" at Urdang, and embracing every side of himself

- 24:12 More to prove: being Black and gay in the cast

- 25:27 Minority stress, intention, and whether to correct people

- 31:51 The most powerful skill: staying in a good mood

- 32:40 Meeting James, self-belief and audition rituals

- 39:17 "I know I'm going to be a lead role"

Part two of my conversation with talent agent Yan Javeri. We pick up in Switzerland and follow him through being outed to his family, a move to LA that arrived alongside profound loss, and building his own company from nothing. It's a story about grief, defiance, and what he'd say to the boy with the crocodile briefcase now.

Follow Yan on Instagram at @yancameronj.

Follow along on TikTok and Instagram at @christopherallenofficial, and subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.

References mentioned in this episode:

- The Visionaries, the talent agency Yan founded: https://www.thevisionariesagency.com/ @thevisionariesagency

CONTENT WARNINGS

- BEING OUTED WITHOUT CONSENT

- FAMILY ESTRANGEMENT

- A PARENT'S AGGRESSIVE REACTION (IMPLIED THREAT, NOT ACTED ON)

- TERMINAL ILLNESS AND THE SUDDEN DEATH OF A PARENT (TWICE)

- GRIEF

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

01:24 Finding freedom in Switzerland

02:52 Outed to his family

07:20 What being outed cost him

11:47 Leaving Switzerland for Australia and London

14:04 Becoming a talent agent by accident

17:54 Social media and the move to LA

20:17 Losing his father weeks after landing

23:29 When grief finally catches up

25:31 Losing his mother, then his job

28:15 No job, no visa, starting anyway

31:32 Nine years single

37:09 Advice for your thirties

This week, talent agent Yan Javeri joins me for part one of a two-part conversation. We go back to a childhood built on practicality rather than explanation, being sent to boarding school at eight while his brother stayed home, and the years he spent quietly studying other people to work out how to belong. It's a story about camouflage, and what it costs to build a version of yourself just to fit in.

Follow Yan on Instagram at @yancameronj.

Follow along on TikTok and Instagram at @christopherallenofficial, and subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.

References mentioned in this episode:

- University of Westminster, Harrow campus (formerly Harrow School of Art, where Yan studied): https://arts.westminster.ac.uk/history

CONTENT WARNINGS

- FAMILY ESTRANGEMENT

- BOARDING SCHOOL SEPARATION AT A YOUNG AGE

- BULLYING

- AN EMOTIONALLY UNHEALTHY EARLY RELATIONSHIP

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

03:08 Four pages of prep, and a year of therapy

07:32 Always structured: mapping things out to feel in control

08:24 A childhood of sensory overload and no explanations

09:38 Sent to boarding school at eight, while his brother stayed home

14:40 Negotiating his way back to state school

15:38 The crocodile briefcase: culture shock in Essex

19:59 Studying the popular kids, and building a version of himself

23:34 Art school, his first boyfriend, and getting in by fibbing

25:13 Fearless at Harrow: cleaning toilets at 4am for his freedom

31:48 An invitation to Geneva