We recently had the chance to connect with Zele Avradopoulos and have shared our conversation below.
Zele, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What battle are you avoiding?
What battle are you avoiding?
Coming to terms that I am a food addict. I have been an emotional eater for 50 years and didn’t know it. I’ve spent decades cycling, plowing through overeating, restricting, punishing workouts, smoking, and every diet imaginable. Weight Watchers? Noom? MyFitnessPal? Simple? Cabbage Soup diet? No carbs? No fats? Intermittent Fasting? Meditation & Food Retreats? Even bariatric consultations (I went to three in twenty years). I tried them all. They all worked (except for bariatric, too scared to do that even today), until they didn’t. GLP-1? Insurance doesn’t cover it and too expensive.
What I never saw was the real root:
Food, for me, became the stand-in for unconditional love, somewhere along the line. That line ended recently as I am now 100 pounds overweight and reality has hit.
The strange part?
In every other area of life, I am perceived as successful: in my career, as a daughter, sister, friend, an actor, a coach, a teacher and even in relationships. But food. Food is my addiction.
I always thought the problem was me. Not disciplined enough. Not enough willpower. So I kept trying: fast more, cut sugar, cut carbs, eat more protein, work out harder. And it worked, until it didn’t. The binging would start again. Again and again. Rinse and repeat.
I’m over 50. My body has changed. My annual check-up forced me to look at my numbers: BMI, triglycerides, A1C and the numbers don’t lie! Data is data. I’ve been pre-diabetic for a couple of years, but this year the numbers are on the border of diabetes-ville. For the first time, I asked for help.
And here’s the truth:
The help was always there. I just wasn’t ready to take it.
My Emory primary care provider has always been supportive and provided a list of options (including bariatric). Now, I’m finally opening the Pandora’s Box (I’m Greek, had to slide in Greek mythology somewhere!), and getting the counseling, and medical support I have needed. It’s not about the food. It’s about the parts of me I never allowed myself to explore.
So, yeah. I’m a food addict. And I’m finally getting the support I need and giving myself something I’ve never given myself before: grace
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m an actor, mentor, and the founder of Actor Empower Hour (AEH), where I help actors find, define, and build their strategic branding that actually gets results.
After 14 years as a marketing manager responsible for and creating all digital and print marketing (with a $250K annual budget), I applied those tools to my own acting career — and it worked. It also inspired me to help others do the same.
Since our last chat here are some recent AEH client wins:
5 NY agent meetings for one client for commercial representation including a bi-coastal agency
1 former client and 1 current client signed with top SE agency
2 clients invited to meetings after their pitch emails
I signed with New York boutique agency
What makes AEH unique is my approach: I wear my marketing hat and share with them the marketing perspective and how marketers make decisions. I help them understand who they already are, refine their messaging, and walk into the industry with clarity and confidence.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
The person who saw me clearly before I could see myself was Peter Kelley, my first real acting coach (Chris O’Donnell’s and Eliza Dushku’s coach). I had just moved back to the U.S. after living in Greece for 13 years, completely disoriented and trying to rebuild my life as an actor. I signed up for a weekend workshop at CP Casting in Boston, a top- notch casting office (local casting for (Mystic River, Manchester-By-The-Sea, Company Men, Good Will Hunting) and serious training place known for being direct, honest, and absolutely no rainbows or unicorns. Exactly what I needed.
Peter ran a two-day film acting intensive. I was surrounded by well-trained Boston actors and I was nervous that my acting wasn’t up to par. After watching my scene, Peter said, “Some people have a gift and are natural in front of the camera. You are one of them.”
That moment became a quiet anchor for me, especially on the days I doubt my acting.
Years later, in 2015, I asked Peter to review my footage again. He laughed and said, “I’m probably going to piss you off, but… you’re the HR lady people love to hate.” which I promptly reframed into my current branding, ‘bossy pants and momma bears’.
Peter saw me who I was, who I wasn’t, and what I actually brought to the camera long before I had the clarity or confidence to see it myself. Forever thankful for that.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me something success never could: how to live with life when it’s not going my way.
It taught me how to navigate failure, rejection, disappointment, and those moments when you have to decide:
Do I try again? Do I pivot? Do I gather more information and wait?
Growing up, I believed anything I didn’t turn into a career or a “productive skill” was wasted. My dad used to say he “wasted money” on my dance and piano lessons because I didn’t become a professional dancer or a pianist. For years, I carried that guilt, feeling like I had failed because I didn’t convert every interest into a job.
But nothing we learn is ever wasted.
Some things become careers.
Some become passions.
Some become parts of ourselves that help us become who we are.
And suffering taught me one more thing:
People who never struggle never build their resilience muscle.
I’ve seen talented, charming people, people for whom things always came easy, fall apart the second life stopped cooperating. No coping tools. No self-awareness. No internal scaffolding to lean on when the ground shifts.
Our struggles provide us the skills to recognize, navigate and pause with the ebbs and flows of life. They also allow us to cherish the sweetness and joy when things are flowing.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I’ve learned that I don’t admire people for their titles or status, I admire integrity. I admire the ones who quietly lead with steadiness, decency, and heart.
People like Clint Eastwood, who impressed me not with fame but with calm, respectful leadership, proof that real power never needs to shout.
People like Kurt Yue and Phillip Wrencher, who show up with generosity and professionalism, lifting others up simply because it’s the right thing to do.
People like my former boss, Tom Bright, who made sure his employees were cared for with fairness and humanity.
And people like Wendy MacQuarrie, the steady engine behind Hitchcock Shoes. For eleven years, she guided me through tense work-place dynamics, supported me when I worked remotely, and even after the company closed, she still checks in rooting for my acting career when she has no obligation to. That’s integrity in action.
And then there’s Denice — one of the first women who welcomed me in Atlanta and one of the most genuine, grounded people I know. We could’ve been competitors, but instead we became cheerleaders for each other. She reminds me to honor myself and often says, “I am in my gentleness to myself, yet ruthless in my boundaries.” Her strength has shaped mine.
These are the people I admire: the ones who stay true, lead with kindness, and take care of their people. Power fades. But character and integrity lasts.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What will you regret not doing?
Not taking care of myself: my health, my physical body, my emotional eating, and my spiritual well-being. Not setting and holding the boundaries I know I need. If I don’t take this seriously, the cost won’t just be emotional; it will be physical, and I’m already seeing the signs.
I’m choosing to take care of myself and the next time we meet I want say I am in recovery, enjoying activities I haven’t been able to do for a while.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://actorempowerhour.com
- Instagram: @actorempowerhour
- Facebook: actorempowerhour.com
- Youtube: actorempowerhour.com
- Other: @zeleavrad
https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/zeleavradopoulos
Image Credits
Jason Coveillo
