For sixteen years, I worked professionally as an actor, director, and acting teacher, building a career across stage, television, and film. During that time, I accumulated hundreds of credits, not as a résumé exercise, but as lived experience inside rehearsal rooms, audition rooms, classrooms, and sets - places where talent is tested not just by craft, but by pressure.

I know what it feels like to walk into a room with everything on the line. I know the cost of inconsistency. And I know how easily self-awareness can turn into self-criticism.

Over the years, I also coached many actors whose work has been seen on film and television. Some were early in their careers. Others were seasoned professionals navigating higher stakes. What united them wasn’t ability - it was the desire to perform boldly with more consistency, freedom, and trust when it mattered most.

What I noticed, again and again, was this:

The actors who struggled weren’t underprepared. They were over-managing themselves.

They knew the craft. They did the work. But under pressure, something tightened. Listening narrowed. Choices became safer or louder. Performances that felt alive in rehearsal became fragile in the room.

That observation shaped everything I do now.

My coaching sits at the intersection of performance craft and performance psychology. I work with actors to strengthen what lives beneath the scene: presence, emotional regulation, narrative clarity, and the ability to stay open in unpredictable conditions.

This is not about pushing harder. It’s about creating the conditions that allow your preparation to show up.

Before fully focusing on performance coaching for actors, I spent years coaching leaders and creatives in high-stakes environments. Different industry, same nervous system. The patterns were identical: those who performed best weren’t trying to control outcomes. They were grounded, responsive, and deeply present.

When I returned my full attention to actors, the throughline became undeniable.

Actors don’t need more notes. They need support staying open and receptive.

Today, through DCH Performance Coaching, I work one-on-one with film and television actors who are serious about their craft and thoughtful about their longevity. Over the years, I’ve worked with actors whose performances have appeared across network and streaming television, independent and studio films, and nationally recognized stage productions. Their work can be found on major platforms and series audiences would immediately recognize - not because of a single breakthrough moment, but because they were prepared to deliver truthful, repeatable work when opportunity arrived. I coach actors who want work that feels authentic instead of performative, repeatable instead of accidental, and sustainable instead of draining.

I am selective about who I work with, not out of exclusivity, but out of respect for the depth of this work. Psychological safety, rigor, and trust are non-negotiable here.

If you’re looking for tricks, shortcuts, or someone to tell you how to “book the room,” I’m not the right coach.

If you’re looking for a performance partner who understands the demands of this profession from lived experience - and who will help you meet those demands with steadiness and clarity - we may be a strong fit.

This work is about trusting yourself under pressure. And learning how to do it again tomorrow.

Doug Chanselle-Hary

Founder, DCH Performance Coaching