Member since March 2026
Diana is a Public Speaker, Workshop Facilitator, and Critically Acclaimed Solo Theatre Artist who applies improv-inspired ideas to help women transform negative self-talk into resilience with joy.
In her one-person plays "Shattered" and "Rise", Diana uses comedy and bold character work to break down stigma around mental health and healing, sexual agency and assault, the power of Shame and much more – turning taboo topics into engaging, accessible, and compassionate conversations.
Diana has performed "Shattered" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as well as various stages - in Los Angeles, New York, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and virtual engagements in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. "Rise" the prequel/sequel to "Shattered" premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, with preview performances at the Reykjavik Fringe Festival.
Her Substack, 'What X Taught Me About Y' muses on everyday life moments as opportunities to learn, expand self-awareness and deepen introspection through curiosity.
Diana's Keynote Speeches "Light in the Darkness: How to Find a Sense of Play with Life’s Experiences" and "Be Bold: How to Apply Improv Comedy Concepts to Challenge Imposture Syndrome", adapt lessons learned on stage to empower self-development — showing audiences it's possible to cultivate a flexible (and fun) mindset navigating whatever life brings.
Diana is a passionate arts advocate who reminds us that creative expression is a powerful pathway to mental health, healing, and human connection. Find out more at https://www.dianavarco.com/
Topics that put a smile on my face are:
- Storytelling for Social Impact
- Arts & Health
- Character work for comedy and catharsis
- Supporting fellow creatives in their entrepreneurial journey
- Nerding out on Neuroscience
It was a day, just like any day. Completely unremarkable.
When I decided to stop for gas.
I was standing at the pump, filling gas, when a barrage of negative self-talk filled my mind -- which was pretty normal at the time. My internalized voice of Shame was so strong in my mind that I took that voice as my own.
But in that moment, I did something remarkable. I paused. I asked myself -- is it true?
And the answer was no.
For the first time, I realized that, although Shame is a character in my shows, it also lives in my daily life. And I don't have to listen to it!
From that day forward, my internalized voice of Shame and negative self-talk didn't go away. Instead, I learned to acknowledge it and engage improv comedy concepts to respond to, reframe and even collaborate with self talk to manage my mindset with self-compassion, freedom and joy.
I'd like to tell you that I was brave. I wasn't.
I simply ran out of excuses to stay silent.
For 7 years I sat in comedy rooms in Los Angeles, building my career, taking classes - pursuing my dream of becoming an actress. Though I played on stage with my friends and smiled for the camera at auditions, nobody knew the truth of my experience. The personal darkness that I was living, as I tried to reclaim my life shattered by sexual assault.
In those same comedy rooms, I kept hearing jokes and witnessing scenes, where sexual violence was the punchline. It was horrifying, re-traumatizing... and not funny. Where is the voice of survivors? I kept asking.
So, I set a date to perform my story -- as a solo show. I had no idea how I'd create it. Let alone perform it. Promote it. Fill the audience. I just knew -- deep inside -- that I had to do it.
It was 2017, and I sat in my writing chair. Frozen. "How am I going to do this?" I asked myself in panic - I was a month out from performance. I asked myself again and again that same question. Then the answer came. The character of Shame!
Shame became a vehicle to tell my story, to embrace moments of play and create commentary on stories I could barely admit to myself.
From Shame all the other characters chimed in and soon, I had a solo show written - Shattered.
Though the show steps into some very heavy experiences, it's actually full light and comedic moments.
Since premiere in 2017, I've brought "Shattered" to 17 festivals including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, written a second solo show "Rise" and developed a fleet of workshops to support fellow creatives self-produce their work, including my keynote "Light in the Darkness: How to Find A Sense of Play With Life's Experiences" based on my improv training and writing process.
Recently, I developed knowledge gained on stage and production to speak to the Entrepreneurial journey in my keynote "Be Bold: How to Apply Improv Comedy Concepts to Challenge Imposter Syndrome" to empower female aspiring leaders and change-makers to step onto bigger stages (in life and business)
You can learn more about my work at: https://www.dianavarco.com/
It was a day, just like any day. Completely unremarkable.
When I decided to stop for gas.
I was standing at the pump, filling gas, when a barrage of negative self-talk filled my mind -- which was pretty normal at the time. My internalized voice of Shame was so strong in my mind that I took that voice as my own.
But in that moment, I did something remarkable. I paused. I asked myself -- is it true?
And the answer was no.
For the first time, I realized that, although Shame is a character in my shows, it also lives in my daily life. And I don't have to listen to it!
From that day forward, my internalized voice of Shame and negative self-talk didn't go away. Instead, I learned to acknowledge it and engage improv comedy concepts to respond to, reframe and even collaborate with self talk to manage my mindset with self-compassion, freedom and joy.
I'd like to tell you that I was brave. I wasn't.
I simply ran out of excuses to stay silent.
For 7 years I sat in comedy rooms in Los Angeles, building my career, taking classes - pursuing my dream of becoming an actress. Though I played on stage with my friends and smiled for the camera at auditions, nobody knew the truth of my experience. The personal darkness that I was living, as I tried to reclaim my life shattered by sexual assault.
In those same comedy rooms, I kept hearing jokes and witnessing scenes, where sexual violence was the punchline. It was horrifying, re-traumatizing... and not funny. Where is the voice of survivors? I kept asking.
So, I set a date to perform my story -- as a solo show. I had no idea how I'd create it. Let alone perform it. Promote it. Fill the audience. I just knew -- deep inside -- that I had to do it.
It was 2017, and I sat in my writing chair. Frozen. "How am I going to do this?" I asked myself in panic - I was a month out from performance. I asked myself again and again that same question. Then the answer came. The character of Shame!
Shame became a vehicle to tell my story, to embrace moments of play and create commentary on stories I could barely admit to myself.
From Shame all the other characters chimed in and soon, I had a solo show written - Shattered.
Though the show steps into some very heavy experiences, it's actually full light and comedic moments.
Since premiere in 2017, I've brought "Shattered" to 17 festivals including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, written a second solo show "Rise" and developed a fleet of workshops to support fellow creatives self-produce their work, including my keynote "Light in the Darkness: How to Find A Sense of Play With Life's Experiences" based on my improv training and writing process.
Recently, I developed knowledge gained on stage and production to speak to the Entrepreneurial journey in my keynote "Be Bold: How to Apply Improv Comedy Concepts to Challenge Imposter Syndrome" to empower female aspiring leaders and change-makers to step onto bigger stages (in life and business)
You can learn more about my work at: https://www.dianavarco.com/
