The DNA Podcast with Douglas Nyback

Sara Mitich is one of the stars of the hit series Star Trek Discovery (where she played two different characters over the show’s run). She also happens to be one of the best actors and people I know. I’ve been working with Sara for years, as a client, colleague, and collaborator. 
Her talent and ability to mine complex, dark emotions is formidable. She’s always game to go deeper—to dive into the intensity of a moment or the challenge of a scene—and she brings that same mindset to her personal life. That commitment to inner work led her to create Gratitude and Growth, a coaching practice that helps people all over the world cultivate gratitude, awareness, and emotional resilience.
She is courageous in all manners of her life and it was a real delight to go deep with her in this conversation. Sara’s a special actor and person, so dive on in and experience her wisdom, intelligence, and depth first hand.
Instagram: @saramitich 
Website: gratitudegrowth.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/@GratitudeGrowthPodcast The G&G Podcast: Gratitude & Growth Podcast
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewas
Associate Producer: @akisharei @jonelle.gunderson 
Special Thanks: @gratitudeandgrowth__ @startrek @saban_films 
Coffee and Snacks: @impactkitchen (not a sponsor, we just pop in every podcast and love these guys)
#SaraMitich #StarTrekDiscovery #GratitudeAndGrowth #Netflix #Acting #ActingTips #Podcast #theDNApodcast #dnybackact

A Juilliard-trained dancer, star of The Next Step, Netflix’s Tiny Pretty Things, Fear Street: Prom Queen, and now a producer and actor on the feature film Loathe Thy Neighbor—it’s clear that Brennan Clost is a multi-talented artist in every sense.
I’m not gonna lie, this conversation was a genuine delight. Brennan is incredibly open about the things that have driven him to succeed at such a high level from such a young age—and the cost of that relentless dedication when it’s pushed him to his limits. From training at Juilliard while filming The Next Step on his summer “breaks,” to having to rebuild himself physically and emotionally in the years that followed, to finding his creative footing again on Tiny Pretty Things—we talk about it all.
So many of the people I admire hold Brennan in the highest regard, and it’s easy to see why. He’s thoughtful, passionate, grounded, and generous in sharing what he’s learned. There’s so much to take away from this conversation, and I’m excited for you to dive in.
Find Brennan:
YouTube: @brennanclost
Instagram: @breannanclost
TikTok: @breannanclost
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewas
Associate Producer: @akisharei
Special Thanks: @tinyprettythingsseries @thenextstep @loathethyneighbor 
Coffee and Snacks: @impactkitchen (not a sponsor, we just pop in every podcast and love these guys)
 Additional Gear Provided By: @mountainmanfilms
#BrennanClost #TheNextStep #TinyPrettyThings #Netflix #Juilliard #FearStreet #LoathThyNeighbor #acting #ActingTips #Podcast #theDNApodcast #dnybackact #DNAPodcast

Ryan George is a YouTube comedian with over 1.8 million subscribers on his personal channel alone. You probably know him for Pitch Meeting and his viral split-screen sketches where he plays all the characters. I’ve been a fan for years—I don’t think there’s a comedian who lampoons the film and TV industry more effectively while never doing it in a mean-spirited way. He’s razor sharp, highly intelligent, and brings a workmanlike consistency to his sketch production that I hugely admire. His writing is sharp, his delivery is masterful, and he’s grown his sketches into a comedy brand emulated all over the internet. In this episode we talk about how he got where he is, his creative process, the origin of his famous catchphrases, and where he wants to go next. If you’re a fan of Ryan, an actor who wants to create your own work, or a creator who wants to sharpen your comedy skills, this episode is for you. I gotta say, chatting with him was… super easy, barely an inconvenience.
Find Ryan:
YouTube: @RyanGeorgeInstagram: @theryangeorgeTikTok: @theryangeorge
 
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewasAssociate Producer: @akishareiSpecial Thanks: @julienolke (for connecting us) @screenrantAdditional Gear Provided By: @mountainmanfilms
 
#RyanGeorge #PitchMeeting #YouTubeComedy #SketchComedy #Acting #Writing #ActingTips #CreateYourOwnWork #Podcast #theDNApodcast #dnybackact #DNAPodcast

Sarah Fisher is maybe the nicest person I know. And I’m not kidding here. Sarah brings light and joy into every part of her life and career, from her early work as Becky Baker on Degrassi: The Next Generation to feature films like Kiss and Cry (BIG shout out to the fine folks at Carley’s Angels and the good work they’re doing in creating access to integrative cancer care), Someone Like You, and now her work on the hit series When Hope Calls. Sarah takes an approach of radical responsibility, of choosing to look within when life hands her hardship, choosing hope and growing through all things. She’s a personal friend and creative collaborator, someone I’ve worked with on set, as a client, and now as a co-creator of a couple series we’re developing. We dive into all of that, so expect all sorts of acting tips, life advice, creative inspiration, and lots of laughter. This is a fun one and I’m excited for you to join us.
Find Sarah:
Instagram: @sarahfisher
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewas
Associate Producer: @akisharei
Special Thanks: @degrassi @schearthome @kissandcrymovie @someonelikeyoumovie
Coffee and Snacks: @impactkitchen (not a sponsor, we just pop in every podcast and love these guys)
Thing I Love This Week: @carleysangels is a charity that creates access to integrative cancer care of all patients. Just a fine bunch of folks over there doing great work!
Additional Gear Provided By: @mountainmanfilms
 
#SarahFisher #Degrassi #WhenHopeCalls #KissAndCry #CarleysAngels #SomeoneLikeYou #Acting #ActingTips #ActingPodcast #Podcast #theDNApodcast #dnybackact #DNAPodcast

Being a number one (lead character) on a series is both a blessing and a challenge. I have a lot of friends and clients on the hit CW series “Sullivan’s Crossing” and ALL of them speak so highly of Morgan. Join us as I sit down with her to chat all things Sullivan’s, as well as her journey from the start of her career to where she is now. Morgan is so many things, cool under pressure, dedicated, supportive, creative and kind, and her generosity is apparent throughout this conversation as she provides deep insight into the challenges of a life spent acting, the joys and fears she experiences daily on set, and how she navigates being the leader of a major TV series. There are so many lessons to learn from Morgan, and I’m excited for you to dive in.
Find Morgan:
Instagram: @morgankohan
 
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewas
Associate Producer: @akisharei
Special Thanks: @sullivanscrossing_cw @sullivanscrossingctv @thecw @amaliaawilliamson @lifeoflindura
Coffee and Snacks: @impactkitchen (not a sponsor, we just pop in every podcast and love these guys)
Thing I Love This Week: @tentree ( not a sponsor but I love the tee shirt I’m wearing in this ep and they plant a tree for every purchase)
Additional Gear Provided By: @mountainmanfilms
 
#MorganKohan #SullivansCrossing #Acting #ActingTips #ActingPodcast #Podcast #theDNApodcast #dnybackact #CW

Zoé De Grand’Maison exudes art in everything she does. Whether it’s in her role as Agnes on Amazon Prime’s hit series The Summer I Turned Pretty, her work as the villainous Evelyn Evernever on Riverdale, Gracie Johanssen on Ophan Black, or any of her other innumerable acting credits she is always searching for more connection, more embodiment, deeper connection to character and self. Watching her is watching an actor who is never quite giving you the performance you think she will. She’s an actor who keeps you on your toes and comes at her choices from surprising angles of approach. The result is someone who keeps you on the edge of your seat in moments that would otherwise be mundane. It’s no wonder she’s on some of the decade’s most popular series and it’s only up from here. Getting to chat with Zoe was an absolute pleasure, there’s lots to learn, lots to be inspired by, and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Find Zoé:
Instagram: @zomato_soup
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewas
Associate Producer: @akisharei
Special Thanks: @ambitiontalent @thesummeriturnedpretty @primevideo @primevideoca @thecwriverdale
Coffee and Snacks: @impactkitchen (not a sponsor, we just pop in every podcast and love these guys)
Things I Love This Week: @drinklmnt (also not a sponsor, just drinking the heck outta these lately and love em)
Additional Gear Provided By: @mountainmanfilms
 
#ZoeDeGrandMaison #TheSummerITurnedPretty #Riverdale #OrphanBlack #Acting #ActingTips #ActingPodcast #Podcast #theDNApodcast #dnybackact

Is there anything David Reale hasn’t done? He’s a veteran of a gajillion shows (The Boys, Suits, Poly is the New Monogamy to name a few), he’s a world class Meisner instructor, he’s a veteran of both stage and screen AND he just happens to be the guy I most admired and was secretly jealous of for literal decades of my early career. See, David and I started at the exact same time in the exact same place and he booked a lot of the things that I didn’t. I’ve always wanted to have an open chat with him, to talk about where we started, how we got where we are, and where he’s going next. Because we’re both teachers (he’s one of the best out there) this one gets into a lot of audition hacks, general acting advice, and lots of chatting about craft. So if that’s your vibe—and I assume it is because you’re here—check this episode out. Appreciate you.
Find David:
Instagram: @therealedavid
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewas
Associate Producer: @akisharei
Special Thanks: @theboystv @suitspeacock @pisthenewm @amazonprime @theperformersmindset @josepharieltowne
Coffee and Snacks: @impactkitchen (not a sponsor, we just pop in every podcast and love these guys)
Additional Gear Provided By: @mountainmanfilms
#DavidReale #TheBoys #Suits #PolyIsTheNewMonogamy #MurdocMysteries #Meisner #ActingTips #AuditionTips #Podcast #theDNApodcast #dnybackact #amazonprime

Varun Saranga is a funny guy. He became a student of comedy as he learned to act, becoming a (my words here, not his) master at the rhythms of winning and losing in a way that makes people laugh. He has had tremendous success (Wynonna Earp, Carter, How to be Indie, Workin’ Moms to name just a few). The thing about Varun, though, is that in addition to his comedic super powers he possesses an undercurrent of deep vulnerability that comes out in his work in the subtlest of ways, bringing humanity to every laugh he gets from us. Varun works very hard to make it look easy, and getting to do a deep dive into his process on this pod was a huge blessing. So dive on in, folks. Get ready to laugh and grow.
Find Varun: 
 
Instagram: @varunsaranga
 
Produced by: @daliayegavian @breewas
Associate Producer: @akisharei
Special Thanks: @Wynonnaearp @SyFy @Tubi
Additional Gear Provided By: @mountainmanfilms
#VarunSaranga #WynonnaEarp #Carter #HowToBeIndie #PrimeVideo #Netflix #CBC #Acting #theDNApodcast #dnybackact #SyFy #Tubi #Comedy #WorkinMoms