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They say life begins at the edge of your comfort zone, so a stand up comedy night coming to Mudgee in July is the perfect time to test that theory.
Jessica O'Reilly is a former Mudgee woman who for the last five years has written a blog dedicated to embracing the awkward and trying things on the limits of her comfort zone called, Comfort Is For Wimps.
Jessica says she writes about her experiences 'to inspire other people to be braver versions of themselves.'
"I'm trying to spread a message that encourages people to get outside their comfort zone by opening their minds to new ideas, people, places and ways of doing thing." she said.
I feel like I can handle any situation because I've done everything from naked yoga to going to Afghanistan by myself and now comedy too.
- Jessica O'Reilly
Jessica is bringing the 'Newbies Comedy Night' to Mudgee's Roth's Wine Bar in July and is calling for anyone who's looking to step up and try their hand at comedy in a welcoming environment to register.
Jessica says the inspiration for her blog came when she found herself in a Turkish bathhouse on an overseas trip, unfamiliar with the expected etiquette.
"I was in this bathhouse and I had no idea that I was going to have to strip off and get massaged by these old Turkish ladies. It was a really weird situation and all that was going through my head was 'comfort is for wimps', 'comfort is for wimps'," she said.
"When I started the blog, in the beginning it was a way of entertaining people and I was getting good feedback on my writing. But then I started to realise how good it is for growth and character building,"
"I'm so much more socially more equipped these days. I feel like I can handle any situation because I've done everything from naked yoga to going to Afghanistan by myself and now stand up comedy."
Jessica is holding a workshop one week before the event to support anyone interested in getting up on stage to find their 'unique comedy style' and step through the process of doing a stand up routine.
"There's not a safer space to do it because we hold your hand with the workshop the week before," Jessica said.
"I want to teach people to get out of their own heads, because our biggest fear that we have when we public speak or do comedy is worrying about what people think of us,"
"I feel like I've learned to not worry about that as much as I used to and that's what has got me up on stage. So I wanted teach people the tricks and knowledge I've learned about how the human mind works."
The comedy night is on Friday, July 19 from 7am at Roth's Wine Bar. Cost at the door is $5.