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LOS ANGELES, July 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Professional actor and impressionist Jim Meskimen is known for his recurring role as Martin Housely on NBC’s Parks and Recreation<\/em> and for a career built on uncannily accurate celebrity impressions, including a widely admired take on Robin Williams. But that career nearly didn’t happen. Speaking recently on the podcast The Melting Pot with Lucas Stein<\/em>, Meskimen described the anxiety that gripped him as a young performer testing out impressions in front of anyone outside his closest friends.<\/p>\n “Before you’ve really attained some professional status and gained confidence, the whole field of creation is very tender,” Meskimen said. “I froze because I was so cautious and so unwilling to have someone criticize what I was doing.” Meskimen said the turning point came when he read the book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health<\/em>, by L. Ron Hubbard.<\/p>\n “Dianetics<\/em> breaks down why people get anxiety, and gives you methods that can help you handle it,” he said. “I put that book to work, and within a short time, I was comfortable with performing, eager to perform and working as a professional.”<\/p>\n Dianetics<\/em> identifies the reactive mind as the hidden source of fear, self-doubt and irrational reactions. This unknown part of the mind stores mental images of painful or emotional experiences, triggering them without warning long after the original moment has passed.<\/p>\n The shift Meskimen describes, launched a career that would go on to include roles in Apollo 13<\/em> and How the Grinch Stole Christmas<\/em>, along with a recurring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air<\/em> and a finalist spot on America’s Got Talent<\/em>, where his improvised celebrity impressions earned a standing ovation at Radio City Music Hall.<\/p>\n For Meskimen, understanding the reactive mind was what turned a paralyzing fear of judgment into a career he could finally step into with confidence.<\/p>\n Bridge Publications, Inc. publishes the nonfiction works of L. Ron Hubbard. Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health<\/em> is the all-time bestselling book on the human mind.<\/p>\n For more information, visit dianetics.org.<\/p>\n Sara Lucatero
Bridge Publications, Inc.
sdinges@bridgepub.com<\/p>\n
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