{"id":1600390,"date":"2020-07-23T18:26:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T22:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/?p=1600390"},"modified":"2020-07-23T18:28:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T22:28:32","slug":"womeninspiringwomen-lauren-ash-actress-and-advocate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/womeninspiringwomen-lauren-ash-actress-and-advocate\/","title":{"rendered":"#WomenInspiringWomen: Lauren Ash, Actress and Advocate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Popular NBC comedy, Superstore<\/em>, will be going into it\u2019s sixth season, but did you know that Lauren Ash, who plays Dina on the hit series, had real-life experience in a Canadian Superstore?\u00a0 Zellers to be exact.\u00a0 The Belleville, Ontario native got her start in the footwear department at the tender age of 15.\u00a0 At 18, she left Zellers behind, moving to Toronto for theatre school, quitting just a few months later.\u00a0 She stayed in Toronto and ended up at The Second City doing shows and honing her improv skills.\u00a0 She remained in The Second City family, moving to Chicago for two years to star on their main stage.<\/p>\n

Ash got into a bad car accident after moving to LA.\u00a0 After the accident, she made the decision to move to Toronto to put down some roots.\u00a0 As luck would have it, after signing the mortgage papers, she got a call back for Super Fun Night<\/em> with Rebel Wilson and the rest is history.\u00a0 A scene stealer from the start, she is one of the most entertaining actors on TV today.\u00a0 As if she wasn\u2019t busy enough, she also has her own podcast, Giving It Up for Less<\/em>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not all Lauren Ash is about though.\u00a0 She is also an outspoken advocate for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and an outspoken ally for Black Lives Matter and for many other causes.\u00a0 She is genuine.\u00a0 When you see her Social Media accounts \u2013 that\u2019s the first word that pops into your head.\u00a0 Speaking with her from her home in LA, reinforced that feeling.\u00a0 She\u2019s funny, she\u2019s authentic and she\u2019s our latest #WomenInspiringWomen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You have made it as a working actress\/comedian in the USA.\u00a0 Why do you think you have been successful in what is known to be the world\u2019s most difficult market?<\/h3>\n

I have to attribute a lot to my training that I got at The Second City.\u00a0 I toured out of Toronto for three years, I did the mainstage in Toronto for two years and then I did the mainstage in Chicago for two years.\u00a0 That adds up to seven years of sketch and improv performance training. I really attribute a lot of my success to having this strong background in performance, improv and comedy.\u00a0 It is something that is a strength of mine.\u00a0 In many ways, I\u2019m unflappable in high pressure auditions.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had other people in those situations call me out asking \u201cHow are you so calm right now?\u201d I always said that I\u2019m not calm, I\u2019m just not showing my fear.\u00a0 When you are writing shows at Second City, you are trying things that may work or may not and you fail as much as you succeed.\u00a0 In my opinion, it gives you a pretty thick skin.\u00a0 It really helped pave the way for my success in America.<\/p>\n

You come from an improv background through your time at The Second City.\u00a0 How much improv can you bring to the table in a scripted series?<\/h3>\n

It really depends on the show.\u00a0 On Super Fun Night<\/em>, which was a great experience, we did improvise but they didn\u2019t always use it.\u00a0 They stuck more to the scripts.\u00a0 On Superstore<\/em> we get every scene as it\u2019s scripted, but then, we always improvise.\u00a0 What\u2019s been amazing is that they use a lot of it.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a creatively fulfilling experience for me because I go to work and I feel like I\u2019m collaborating on something. Getting to work with fellow Canadian Mark McKinney, who is one of my comedy idols, and getting to improvise with him every day is not only a dream come true, but it\u2019s really exciting.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren Ash: Superstore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Superstore<\/em> has been an amazing experience and I can\u2019t speak more positively about it.\u00a0 I\u2019m very proud of the show and the topics that we cover.\u00a0 I\u2019m proud that we are representing the world, more specifically America and reflecting the stories of average people here.\u00a0 I improvise every day and it\u2019s my dream job.\u00a0 I also have to credit the creators, the show runners and the network that allow us to have that space.\u00a0 Not all shows work that way.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that there are pros and cons to both, but for me personally, the way we work and the way the show works in allowing us to have that space to improvise is a real gift.<\/p>\n

You wrote an episode of Superstore<\/em>.\u00a0 When you wrote the episode, did you want anybody to improvise or did you want them to stick to the script?<\/h3>\n

I had such an amazing time with that whole experience.\u00a0 I was just excited to get to write the episode.\u00a0 I come from a writing background.\u00a0 At Second City, we write our own shows.\u00a0 Part of that job [TV writer] is getting to be on set.\u00a0 There is always a director there, but there is also always a writer on set, and I also got to do that job.\u00a0 When I wasn\u2019t in the scenes, I was sitting behind the camera with the director.<\/p>\n

People were improvising on their own, which was great, but it also allowed me to get to improvise for everybody.\u00a0 Normally when we shoot the show, I only improvise for myself. there was so much that I wrote in the script, but a lot of the jokes that ended up in the episode were things that I came up with on the fly.\u00a0 One of my castmates would improvise something and that would make me think of something and I would pitch them an idea and it grew from there.\u00a0 It was so fulfilling and fun.\u00a0 Seeing what other people came up with inspired me.\u00a0 It was great creating something together and not having ego or being precious.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s when the best stuff can come out.<\/p>\n

Which of your roles that you have played to date is the most like you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It always surprises me when I find myself saying things, and I think, \u201cOh God, that\u2019s something Dina would say\u201d.\u00a0 Often as actors, we have to tap into different parts of ourselves, and usually with the roles that I play, there is some way that I can relate to each character, even if they aren\u2019t 100% like me.\u00a0 I am similar to Dina in that I am a ruler follower, I\u2019m loyal, I care about and want to help other people at all costs. I think the difference between us is that she is a psychopath about it.\u00a0 She takes things to a level that is far greater than I ever would.<\/p>\n

I was also in a Canadian film called Dirty Singles<\/em>.\u00a0 It was someone that had been in a very long-term relationship, hadn\u2019t really dated anybody else and ended up being unfaithful.\u00a0 All of those things were very foreign to me and she was so opposite to me.\u00a0 What was interesting about that was finding the similarities \u2013 what is the nugget within that character that I can relate to.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s interesting that I felt close to that character, even though I don\u2019t think she was anything like me.<\/p>\n

Your social media is authentic.\u00a0 How do you stay authentic on platforms where people are so often not?<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s funny, because I use this term ironically, but my personal brand has become about being open.\u00a0 I remember one of the first talk shows that I did was Conan O\u2019Brien\u2019s show and I told these real-life stories that were 100% true and honest and were over-shares.\u00a0 That\u2019s when social media had its first huge spike.\u00a0 I think people saw that and wondered who this person was \u2013 she\u2019s being so honest. It\u2019s just grown from there.<\/p>\n

I feel like, for me, it ultimately who I am.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying that all Canadians are like that but there is a common Canadian sensibility of being real and being honest.\u00a0 It would feel odd for me to recreate myself.\u00a0 I am who I am and people tend to find that relatable.\u00a0 I also tend to play characters that are every-women.\u00a0 It also spawned my weekly podcast, \u201cGiving It Up For Less\u201d<\/a> where I just tell personal stories.\u00a0 People have really responded to social media and the podcast for the same reason.\u00a0 For me, it\u2019s easy. I\u2019m just going to tell you more things about myself than I should, but hey, it\u2019s honest.<\/p>\n

You speak openly about your opinions from everything to Black Lives Matter, to speaking out for Navajo Nation and being unapologetically a feminist.\u00a0 Why is it so important for you to speak out and how did you find your voice?<\/h3>\n

What\u2019s interesting is, that I\u2019ve always been steadfast in believing in all of the things that you listed and many other issues.\u00a0 A few years ago, a person on Twitter was claiming that thin privilege doesn\u2019t exist.\u00a0 Prior to that, I\u2019ve felt that I\u2019m a person who is in the public eye, but I\u2019m not a massive celebrity. I\u2019m not a Kardashian and I don\u2019t have 26 million Instagram followers.\u00a0 I always had this mindset that people don\u2019t want to hear my opinion and why would it matter? In that moment, when this person tweeted about thin privilege, I don\u2019t know why it was just that day in particular, but I was like not today.<\/p>\n

I started tweeting about how the person was basically saying that people are only fat because they choose to be and if you just worked harder, you\u2019d be thin.\u00a0 I\u2019ve know that with PCOS that isn\u2019t always the case.\u00a0 That was the day that I publicly announced that I have PCOS \u2013 I hadn\u2019t talked about before.\u00a0 The response that I got was so incredibly positive and overwhelming \u2013 literally thousands of women from all around the world reached out to me and thanked me for being open about it.\u00a0 It was a huge moment of clarity for me when I realized that even though I didn\u2019t feel like I had a platform or that anyone would care, that\u2019s actually not true.\u00a0 It\u2019s the opposite, you do have a platform, people are listening to you and care about what you have to say.\u00a0 Your voice is important in making a much larger voice happen.\u00a0 Certainly, with the Black Lives Matter movement that is happening, it\u2019s so imperative that everybody speaks up.\u00a0 Many small voices feel like they are doing nothing, but together, it becomes very powerful.<\/p>\n

It was a clarifying moment for me and since then, I decided that I\u2019m going to speak up and raise awareness in every way that I can. I realized how odd it was as someone who does showcase so much of my private life to not speak about my PCOS or the things that really matter to me.\u00a0 It\u2019s an interesting journey that\u2019s ultimately been very fulfilling.<\/p>\n

PCOS can be traumatic for women.\u00a0 You have spoken candidly about your journey from being misdiagnosed to the physical symptoms of the disease to how alone you felt in your diagnosis to the scary side effects that come with treatment. How did you learn to be your own health care advocate and what advice do you have for other women about advocating for themselves?<\/h3>\n

I think for most people from the time we are children, we put trust into doctors.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have the knowledge and our parents don\u2019t have the knowledge that doctors have, so they are placed on a pedestal.\u00a0 What I\u2019ve personally learned from my PCOS journey is that there is so much that isn\u2019t known about the disorder and so little research that has been done.\u00a0 It\u2019s not even doctors\u2019 faults necessarily.\u00a0 They don\u2019t know all of the information because it\u2019s such a complex disorder.\u00a0 Instead of trying to vilify doctors, what I encourage people to do is if you are talking to a doctor and it\u2019s just doesn\u2019t sit right with you or you don\u2019t feel like you are being heard, or you feel like you are being misdiagnosed, it is your duty to yourself to find another doctor, talk to somebody else or go on the internet.\u00a0 I found so many resources and connected with so many women around the world with PCOS.<\/p>\n

I started an Instagram page called PCOS Sisterhood and I learned so much from the women that came together on that page, that I didn\u2019t even learn from doctors.\u00a0 Try to empower yourself and remind yourself that while we are very grateful for the work that doctors do, they are human and they don\u2019t necessarily have the information that they need to properly diagnose and treat this disorder. PCOS manifests itself in each person differently, so it\u2019s even hard to just get a diagnosis for so many people. It was for me.\u00a0 If something doesn\u2019t sit right in your gut, it probably isn\u2019t, continue to seek answers until you feel heard and you\u2019ve meshed with the right person.\u00a0 Treat a doctor like dating.\u00a0 Don\u2019t just keep a doctor, date around and find the best fit for you.<\/p>\n

Women in Hollywood are often judged by their appearance.\u00a0 You are glamourous when you aren\u2019t in character, but you have been open about that you had to learn to speak about your body to yourself in a positive way.\u00a0 How did you learn how to do this and how do you maintain your confidence in a tough industry?<\/h3>\n

\"Lauren<\/p>\n

In any industry, for all women, it is a battle.\u00a0 The images that we are constantly shown from the time that we are children about what is beautiful and what is accepted are so overwhelming and suffocating that it\u2019s been bred into most of us over time and that takes a lot to try to combat.\u00a0 I chose a profession where there is a lot of emphasis on those kinds of things.<\/p>\n

It was my New Year\u2019s resolution for 2019 that I had to stop speaking negatively about my body to myself or to anyone else. I made the active practice daily of saying something positive to myself, either out loud or in my mind.\u00a0 I\u2019m not suggesting that everything was fine all of a sudden.\u00a0 Everybody can tell you something that they hate about themselves, but anytime I had one of those thoughts, I would try and notice that it was happening and replace it with a positive thought.\u00a0 I can say 15 things that I hate about my body but I can also tell you 15 things that I love about it. Just focusing on those things that I love has made such a shift for me.\u00a0 It really did change my life to implement that kind of daily practice.<\/p>\n

I started speaking about it out loud. I would be in a conversation with somebody and would just throw out that \u201cI have the best butt in the game.\u00a0 It\u2019s so hot.\u201d \u00a0It disarms people when you speak about yourself in that way.\u00a0 As women, we have it programmed that if you speak about yourself too positively, then you are bragging or conceited and I think that\u2019s just bullshit.\u00a0 I remember trying to go on a diet when I was eight years old.\u00a0 The fact that enters your mind as a child is such proof that this programming is bigger than all of us.\u00a0 It took me until my mid-thirties before I thought you have to stop this.\u00a0 Once I made that choice, it has changed my life for the better.<\/p>\n

For the most part, I get so much positivity, love and support on social media.\u00a0 For every one person that says something negative, there are 200 that will come after them.\u00a0 I think that in trying to be positive and putting out positivity \u2013 people feel that energy and it\u2019s been lovely to get that energy back. When I put out body positive posts, hearing women respond that they needed to hear that message made me realize that I have a real opportunity to speak to someone [via the internet], having never met them, and change their day for the positive – that\u2019s a gift.\u00a0 Ignoring that feels like a disservice to myself.<\/p>\n

You have been an inspiration to Canadian hopefuls and to women who may previously not have been comfortable speaking out about PCOS.\u00a0 Who inspires you?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m inspired by so many people.\u00a0 I went [to Washington] with an organization called PCOS Challenge<\/a> last year.\u00a0 It was this massive group of women and we went to speak to Congress people and Senators about getting legislation changed and more funding for PCOS research. It was so inspiring to meet all of these different women from every walk of life.\u00a0 There was an ex-military woman who spoke about her experience going through PCOS in active duty.\u00a0 There were doctors, moms and teens.\u00a0 It was just a cross-section of so many different women who were all brought together by having this shared experience.\u00a0 It was one of the most inspiring chunks of time that I\u2019ve had in my entire adult life.<\/p>\n

Getting heard by our representatives was a really powerful thing.\u00a0 Your representatives are there for you and as public servants, they work for you. I encourage everybody to reach out to their representatives whether they are in Canada or America if they want their voice to be heard.\u00a0 It is their job to listen, and if enough people speak up, change does happen.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been on a TV show for five years with America Ferrera who is one of the greatest socio-political advocates of our generation.\u00a0 She has been using her voice and platform for years to make change and to spread the word about so many amazing issues.\u00a0 She\u2019s also training for a marathon while shooting a show for 12 hours a day.\u00a0 She takes it as part of her job to use her voice for good, and it rubbed off on me.\u00a0 She\u2019s wildly inspiring to me.<\/p>\n

For more inspiration, follow Lauren Ash on Instagram<\/a> and follow PCOS Sisterhood<\/a>. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Popular NBC comedy, Superstore, will be going into it\u2019s sixth season, but did you know that Lauren Ash, who plays Dina on the hit series, had real-life experience in a…<\/div>\n
View Post<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1600391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,13],"tags":[7332,7334,5112,2602,7337,7328,7330,7338,7331,7335,7336,7333,7329,976],"powerkit_post_featured":[3],"class_list":{"0":"post-1600390","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-living","8":"category-health","9":"tag-advocate","10":"tag-america-ferrera","11":"tag-canadian-actresses","12":"tag-chicago","13":"tag-improv","14":"tag-lauren-ash","15":"tag-pcos","16":"tag-pcos-sisterhood","17":"tag-polycystic-ovary-syndrome","18":"tag-rebel-wilson","19":"tag-super-fun-night","20":"tag-superstore","21":"tag-the-second-city","22":"tag-toronto"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1600390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1600391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1600390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1600390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1600390"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=1600390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}