Nancy Irwin

1.

Is a trained opera singer—received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in opera performance.

2.

Says she knew she wasn’t good enough to make it big as an opera singer, but that she had other gifts on the stage—was encouraged to try stand-up comedy.

3.

She ended up moving to New York City and spent the next nine years building her career as a stand-up comedian alongside the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano.

4.

Admits that she grew bored of being a comedian after a while—says that the self-absorbed narcissism of the profession started to weigh heavily on her.

5.

In her free time, she started volunteering at a shelter for sexually abused teenagers and fell in love with the work.

6.

At the age of 44, she made the decision to go back to school in order to make a more defined career change—says she “felt called to study psychology and trauma.”

7.

While studying for her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, she was also trained and certified as a therapeutic hypnotist, which became a large feature in her dissertation.

8.

She now runs her own private practice, works part-time at an addictions facility treating substance abuse, and is a best-selling author.