Episode 003: Heidi Gardner, The Entertainer

Today's episode features the brilliantly funny and deeply warm Heidi Gardner. Heidi takes us back to her childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, where mall visits and prank phone calls helped shape her into the performer she is today. We explore the winding road Heidi took from working as a hairstylist for years, to watching her first Groundlings show, to performing on SNL for eight seasons. She shares how she learned to hear "no" without losing herself, and what it means to finally have time to rediscover the quieter parts of life after years of non-stop work on SNL.   Tune in for a conversation about resilience, the power of people who believe in you before you believe in yourself, and the lifelong work of finding your why.   (0:00) Introducing Heidi Gardner: SNL, Broadway & comedy (3:00) Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri (5:00) Mall culture, pop culture & childhood taste-makers (6:50) Heidi's Broadway debut and closing the show in All Out (12:00) How prank phone calls launched a comedy career (16:30) Her unconventional, creative single parents (21:30) Dropping out of college and moving to LA for beauty school (23:30) Heidi's career as a hairdresser in Los Angeles (27:30) Discovering the Groundlings and finding her calling in comedy (31:00) What it's really like performing live on SNL (35:00) Life after SNL: slowing down, bookstores & decompressing (41:00) Handling rejection and resilience in a creative career (47:30) Hosting theme parties and creating experiences for friends (53:30) Take Your Time Back: three closing questions on time   Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube  Follow along on Instagram and TikTok  Follow Dianna on Instagram: @diannacohen Follow Heidi on Instagram: @heidilgardner Subscribe to Take Your Time on Substack  Find everything Take Your Time at takeyourtimeuniverse.com