Balancing Comedy with Anxiety and Doing Stand-Up in the Sauna with Comedian David Stickle | EP070

In this episode of Who Thought We’d Be Here?, stand-up comedian David Stickle gets honest about the messy, uncomfortable, and hilarious process of becoming a comic. He opens up about how terrifying his early sets were, what it’s like to bomb in front of a crowd, and why anxiety still shows up before every performance — no matter how many times he’s done it.

David shares how stand-up helped him move through self-doubt, build confidence, and discover a deeper version of himself on stage. From managing hecklers to balancing authenticity with the pressure to be liked, this conversation explores the tension between fear and courage — and the power of doing the hard thing anyway.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to get up there and try to make people laugh, this one’s for you.

00:00 – Intro & meeting David Stickle  
03:15 – How David got into stand-up and his first few sets  
07:40 – What bombing on stage taught him  
11:25 – Anxiety and the moments right before going on  
15:50 – Building stage presence & emotional resilience  
20:30 – Balancing vulnerability and humor  
26:05 – The pressure to be liked vs. being yourself  
30:40 – When the jokes aren’t landing  
35:15 – Processing fear and rejection after a bad set  
39:00 – Why he keeps returning to stand-up  
44:10 – Comedy as a tool for authenticity and self-growth  
48:00 – Are we ever actually *ready* to do the hard thing?  
51:45 – Finding confidence through repetition and discomfort  
56:15 – The vulnerability hangover after being fully seen  
59:20 – Shifting expectations and defining personal success  
1:03:10 – How the audience changes the performer  
1:06:30 – What keeps him grounded when it gets hard  
1:10:45 – Letting go of needing approval  
1:14:00 – Advice for anyone thinking about starting stand-up  
1:17:40 – Final reflections and outro