Was It Chance? cover art

Was It Chance?

Was It Chance?

By: Alan Seales Heather Vickery & Broadway Podcast Network
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 People talk about manifestation as a thing that you can just think into existence. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. When it comes to making your creative dreams come true, what really matters is putting yourself in a position to thoughtfully and intelligently take advantage of the opportunities presented to you. And sometimes these opportunities show up in very unexpected ways. We’re Heather Vickery and Alan Seales, two perfect strangers who met by chance and embraced opportunity! Listen in as we chat with other successful people about the risks they took, and continue taking, to put themselves on a path to creative success. WAS IT CHANCE? The podcast about embracing opportunity and taking intentional risks for your creative life.Alan Seales, Heather Vickery & Broadway Podcast Network Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • #111 - Chris Dattoli: Betting on Yourself in a Feast or Famine Career

    #111 - Chris Dattoli: Betting on Yourself in a Feast or Famine Career
    Apr 28 2026
    Alan and Heather sit down with New Jersey–based voice actor and coach Chris Dattoli to unpack the winding, risk-filled path that led him from a corporate marketing job he despised to a thriving career behind the mic. Chris shares how a mix of early creative instincts, a pivotal audiobook opportunity, and one bold decision to quit his job forced him to bet on himself in a big way. What followed was a crash course in resilience, self-marketing, and navigating the unpredictable “feast or famine” reality of voiceover work. The conversation dives into the craft itself, from audition strategies and emotional connection to the importance of standing out in a sea of submissions. Chris pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to succeed in voice acting today, including how he approaches risk in performance, why failure is essential to growth, and how he balances creative fulfillment with the less glamorous but more lucrative parts of the industry. He also opens up about imposter syndrome, the impact of AI on narration, and the mindset shifts that helped him stay grounded through both wins and setbacks. Ultimately, this episode is about trusting your instincts, embracing uncertainty, and redefining success on your own terms. Chris’s story is a reminder that intentional risk isn’t just about making bold moves, it’s about sustaining belief in yourself long after the leap. Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wasitchancepodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your favorite podcast platform 📱 Connect with us on ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠⁠ EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Intentional risk often starts with walking away from something stable that makes you unhappy, even without a clear safety net. You can build a creative career by stacking small opportunities and treating each one like it matters. The audition is the job, and consistency over time matters more than any single booking. Standing out is less about being perfect and more about making bold, specific choices. Imposter syndrome never fully goes away, but you can learn to manage it and keep moving forward anyway. Creative success requires both artistry and business skills, especially marketing yourself effectively. Failure is necessary feedback, not a final verdict on your ability or potential. Financial discipline can buy you the time and freedom to take bigger creative risks. Not every opportunity is about passion, sometimes the less glamorous work funds the dream. Authenticity and emotional connection are what separate human performance from automation and AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • #110 - Katy Scoggin: What Happens When You Document Your Own Divide?

    #110 - Katy Scoggin: What Happens When You Document Your Own Divide?
    Apr 7 2026
    We sit down with documentary filmmaker Katy Scoggin to unpack the decade-long journey behind her deeply personal film Flood. What begins as a curiosity about science, faith, and her upbringing as a young earth creationist evolves into a profound exploration of family, identity, and the limits of belief. Katy shares how a chance opportunity to work in documentary filmmaking, along with a simple ask to a mentor, set her on a path that would ultimately lead her back home with a camera, confronting the most complicated relationship in her life, the one with her father. As Katy traces her evolution from art student to award-winning filmmaker, we explore the risks she took both professionally and personally. She embedded herself in her family’s world, documented their dynamics, and wrestled with the tension between love and ideological divide. The conversation dives into her experience working alongside acclaimed documentarian Laura Poitras, the challenges of sustaining a creative career, and the emotional toll of turning the lens on your own life. At its core, this episode is about connection in the face of difference. Katy opens up about coming out later in life, the shifting dynamics with her deeply religious father, and the surprising ways filmmaking became a bridge between them. Through Flood, she asks a powerful question. Even when we fundamentally disagree, is it still possible to find moments of understanding and even love? Connect with Katy and learn more about Flood: IG: @flooddoc Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wasitchancepodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your favorite podcast platform 📱 Connect with us on ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠⁠ EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Creative breakthroughs often come from discomfort and dissatisfaction, not clarity Asking for help at the right moment can completely change your career trajectory The stories closest to home are often the hardest but most meaningful to tell Documentary filmmaking can become a tool for connection, not just observation You do not need someone’s approval to live authentically or tell your truth It is possible to maintain some level of connection with people you fundamentally disagree with Long-term creative projects require choosing stories that will stay meaningful for years Collaboration and trusted creative relationships are essential in filmmaking Letting go of expectations can reduce disappointment in complicated family relationships Failure is a necessary and valuable part of growth and creative development Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • #109 - Ray Hartjen: When Time Stops Being Unlimited

    #109 - Ray Hartjen: When Time Stops Being Unlimited
    Mar 25 2026
    In this episode, Alan and Heather sit down with Ray Hartjen—a self-described professional storyteller whose career has spanned investment banking, pharma, tech, marketing, and creative writing. Ray shares how storytelling became the throughline across every chapter of his professional life, even before he consciously recognized it. From crafting narratives in corporate boardrooms to writing books and playing music, Ray reveals how understanding engagement and human connection ultimately shaped his work and his identity. The conversation takes a profound turn as Ray opens up about his 2019 diagnosis with multiple myeloma. Rather than narrowing his world, the diagnosis expanded it—forcing a reevaluation of time, priorities, and purpose. Through a powerful “timeline” exercise, Ray reframed how he views life, shifting from taking time for granted to intentionally investing it. That shift led him to add new roles—patient advocate, fundraiser, and community supporter—while letting go of others that no longer aligned with his energy and goals. Ray also dives into his creative journey as an author of five books, including both nonfiction and fiction, and how he overcame the fear of stepping into new creative territory. He emphasizes the importance of starting small, embracing failure, and designing a life—and creative career—that actually works for you. This episode is a masterclass in intentional risk, resilience, and redefining what success looks like on your own terms. Connect with Ray Website: https://rayhartjen.com (You can also find Ray across social platforms under his name) Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wasitchancepodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your favorite podcast platform 📱 Connect with us on ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠ EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Storytelling is everywhere—even in careers that don’t seem creative on the surface. Your life expands when you stop taking time for granted and start acting intentionally. You can reinvent yourself at any stage by choosing curiosity and growth. Failure isn’t fatal—it’s feedback and part of the process. Start small; progress builds momentum. You don’t have to follow a prescribed path—design your creative life to fit you. A major life event can add purpose, not just take things away. Balancing priorities sometimes means letting go of roles that no longer serve you. Creative risk often means doing something before you feel fully ready. If not now, when? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
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