At first, I resisted teaching. After spending so many years gathering the courage and clarity to pursue acting, I worried that teaching would pull me off course—that it would become a detour rather than a destination. But the whisper to teach persisted.

I remember tearfully confessing my misgivings to a mentor. He listened kindly and then said something that changed everything: “You don’t have to choose. You can be both an actor and a teacher.” I held onto that permission tightly, trying to make peace with the path that was unfolding.

Then, one evening while teaching an Acting Shakespeare class at York University, I caught a glimpse of something I hadn’t expected. I looked around the room and was struck by the intensity and earnestness on my students’ faces. They’re really listening, I thought. This matters.

Later, on the bus ride home, a quiet realization settled in: Maybe teaching isn’t just something I’m doing between gigs. Maybe it’s part of me—its own calling, not a compromise. I felt a wave of gratitude. Not only was I acting, I was also teaching what I love. And in that moment, I understood: teaching wasn’t getting in the way. It was showing me the way.