- 2 days ago
Spilling the tea with Toya Johnson Rushing - Her trials to triumph and all in between.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00All right, the people came out for Ms. Toya. I love to see it at Nolan House.
00:08Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Essence Food & Wine event.
00:12I'm your host, Victoria Womerogi. I'm the Senior Lifestyle Editor for Essence Magazine.
00:16And I'm really excited to bring you today's Sip & Spill event.
00:20We have our favorite girl's girl in the place. It's our Nola Sista.
00:24Arthur and Entrepreneur, Ms. Toya Johnson-Rushing. Give it up!
00:30How are you, baby?
00:32I am great. Enjoying this New Orleans heat is something different, but I know y'all having fun.
00:38It slaps you when you go outside.
00:40It slaps you when you go outside.
00:42I love it. So, first question for you. You are a woman of many talents.
00:47You're an author, an entrepreneur, an activist, a wife, a mother. How do you balance these different roles?
00:54Whew! People always ask that question, like, how do you balance being a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur, like, you know, having multiple businesses.
01:04I feel like you have to do what works for you. You have to find that balance that works for you because the way I balance might not work for the next person.
01:14But I feel like you have to give everything the equal amount of attention they need.
01:18When you're raising kids, you have to pour into your kids. You have to be there for your kids.
01:22When you are married or in a relationship, you have to find time for date night.
01:26You have to, you know, make sure your husband or your significant other is happy.
01:31And when you have multiple businesses, you have to pour into your business.
01:36The way I do it is I just dedicate, like, days and times to different things.
01:41Like, this day I'm doing this will rain. This day I'm doing this as a family event.
01:45Every day I'm going to put toward an hour or two toward my business or whatever.
01:50And if I have meetings with my managers, meetings with my team, I always delegate out, you know, time for that.
01:56Because guess what? If you don't pour into yourself, then you're going to get lost.
02:00But most importantly, I have to pour into me in order to be able to be a good mother, be a good wife, be a good entrepreneur.
02:08Because I can't pour from an empty cup.
02:10So it's definitely most important to make sure that you are okay first so that you can be able to delegate all of the other different things that you have going on in your life.
02:21Love that response. Love that response.
02:23How many of us have watched Toya on TV over the years? Tiny and Toya. Yes.
02:28Yes. The Family Hustle. All of it.
02:30So, you know, we've seen you publicly navigate through many seasons in your life.
02:33Now it feels like you're really, really thriving.
02:36What is different about this era in your life than others would you say?
02:39I would say this era in my life is called my grown woman era.
02:46Like, I feel like I have been through so many trials and tribulations. I have been through so many things in my upbringing.
02:55I had a couple of hiccups here and there. And now I'm just at a point in my life where I'm just happy.
03:02I understand that nothing matters to me more than peace and having a supportive partner and making sure my kids is good.
03:09You know, like, things that used to be top priority is no longer like top priority. Like, that has shifted.
03:18Like, my main focus is my family and having peace and, you know, traveling and making money. Like, you know what I'm saying?
03:25I got to make sure in that order. Like, you know what I'm saying? So, I would say I'm embracing every part of me.
03:32The good, the bad, the ugly. And one thing that I realized in my grown woman era that it is okay to not be okay and stand on it.
03:39Like, you know, everybody want to come across as if things are not, you know, so perfect.
03:45We live in a world where we have to paint a picture of things being so perfect for social media.
03:49No, we all have good days. We all have bad days. Some of us chose to put our bad days, you know, in every part of our lives on social media.
03:58Some people chose to deal with it, you know, privately and handle their things.
04:01But the truth of the matter is we all are human. We all go through things and we deal with it.
04:07And it's not what you go through. It's how you go through and how you get through it is what matters.
04:12So, just growing up and just embracing every part of me.
04:16I love that. I love that. And you were growing up in New Orleans when the hip-hop scene here was exploding.
04:21So, how do you think hip-hop has changed from back then? And I also want to know who's your favorite, like, hip-hop New Orleans acts out there?
04:28Whew! Okay. So, yeah, hip-hop has definitely, like, shaped me. Like, from the way I just wanted to rock my hair.
04:36I remember Eve had these pause tattoos on her chest. I was like, I'm giving me some tattoos on my chest because Eve is killing it. She's rocking it.
04:45And fast-forward to my 40-year-old self. I'm like, oh, what was I thinking? But at the time it was so fly. It was so cool.
04:53And, you know, like, hip-hop have a way of, like, you know, making you be like, okay, that is fly. I want to do that. I want to try that.
05:00So, you know, especially, like, you know, the music and stuff like that. I would say my favorite hip-hop artist in New Orleans, I would have to give it to the Hot Boys, like, you know, Mia X. Yeah, definitely.
05:17And how would you say, you already kind of, you know, delved into how you got the calls on you and everything from Eve. How else would you say that hip-hop has shaped you?
05:25Definitely that. Like, it was, like, artists I used to see back in the days that would rock certain outfits. I was like, oh, I gotta have that. Like, you know what I'm saying?
05:35Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, the hairstyles, like, the tattoos, like, different things like that from my first cassette tape that I bought, which was probably Lauryn Hill, the few of these. Like, I used to love me some Lauryn Hill. Um, yeah, I just love, I mean, I love just hip-hop music here.
05:54Nice. And do you, he said, do you want to take a stab at naming your top five Dead or Alive rappers?
05:59My top five Dead or Alive rappers, I would have to say, I love Tupac. I love Jay-Z. I love Jay-Z. Uh, who else? Five, my top five.
06:14Two more.
06:14Two more.
06:15Two more. I would have to say, what did I say? I said Tupac.
06:22Look at y'all.
06:23Jay-Z, Jee-Z.
06:25Say it.
06:25Uh, who else? My favorite, my favorite. If I have to take it to the West Coast, I would say, like, Snoop. I like Snoop.
06:37One more.
06:39One more. I'm gonna have to give that to a female.
06:42Yeah.
06:42I love me some Trina.
06:46I used to love Trina.
06:49Do you have a favorite Trina song?
06:51And can you rap it for us, please? Go.
06:52Drop the beat, DJ?
06:55I used to like, I used to like Trina and Trick collabs. Like, pull over that. It's too fat.
07:02I used to do my own stuff.
07:03No, I'm gonna help it out. DJ.
07:05Yes, I used to love me some Trina music. Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim. Like, yeah. The ladies was holding it down back in the day. Nicki Minaj, Cardi B. Like, I love all of them.
07:17Nice. I love that. And what wine do you pull from when you're trying to unwind? What do you pull off the shelf?
07:23Okay, I am such a wine girl, okay? I love me a good Moscato. I like German wines. I like sweet wine, y'all. But I was put on to this wine that will take you out.
07:35I was put on to this wine called Six Grapes. It's like the Turner wine. Have y'all ever heard of that wine before? Six Grapes? Yeah, it's a really, really good wine.
07:46What about it is in your turn? It's like super strong. Like, the percentage of alcohol left in it. But it's a little dangerous wine. So I wouldn't, I mean, you have to be inside to drink that one.
07:57I said, do that at home, y'all. Do that at home. Do that at home. Now we know you and your family, you love to cook. So what are some of your favorite go-to wines to pair with the meals that you make? What'd you say?
08:08Of course, we love to eat. We love snacks. So, of course, when you're having a snack or something sweet, a Moscato would be good.
08:16Like steaks and stuff. Maybe like a Chardonnay. I like red wines also. Like, you know, when I'm eating different type of stuff.
08:26But most of the time, 90% of the time, even though the wine don't mix with the meal, I'm probably going to go with a white wine. That's a little sweet kind of Moscato or something. Yeah.
08:39Nice. And what are your pro tips for finding the right wine for you? And what are the turn-offs for your particular palate?
08:47I don't really like dry, like super, super dry wines. So that's why I kind of stay away from, like, a lot of different red wines.
08:56I like more of a sweet wine, you know. I went to this winery one time. We were, my friend was celebrating her 48th birthday.
09:05And it was telling us about, like, all of these different wines and how long they aged. And, like, you know, we was tasting so many wines.
09:14And I was, like, forgetting to write down the names of the wine. But it was, like, really, really good white wines that wasn't as sweet.
09:22But they were really, really, really good wines. I usually just get my wine from, like, maybe, like, a liquor store or something.
09:29Or, like, when I go out to eat to a restaurant or something. But most of the time, girl, I would just give me a regular, what's that little blue bottle of Moscato?
09:39What is it called? The blue bottle? That. Risotto. That one. That's the one that I use. I'll be like, can you bring me the blue bottle?
09:49That is, like, my go-to.
09:51Shout-out to people that like sweet wines because they try to hate on us like we just drink the Kool-Aid.
09:55And then they're like, y'all drink the Kool-Aid.
09:56Ain't nothing wrong with wanting to drink a sweet wine. Come on.
09:59That's what they always say. Like, you are not a real wine drinker because all you want is sweet wine.
10:04No, you have to explain. I like sweet wine. Like, sweet wine. I cannot do the real dry wine.
10:09A dry red?
10:10No, I cannot do that.
10:12Who likes a dry red out there? You do.
10:15At the end, you're going to have to explain why because I don't know.
10:17I know. I need to know why, too.
10:19We don't get it. We don't. Can somebody, tell me what you like about a dry red. Give her my mic.
10:23Yes, I need to know what you like about a dry red.
10:26And what kinds do you like? So maybe I can go try that and see if it's...
10:29The people want to know what the right dry red wine is and why you like it.
10:33Help us out.
10:35Hi.
10:36Hi.
10:38My voice is kind of out. My name's Latrice and I live in Atlanta.
10:42Y'all know you in Atlanta.
10:44I like a dry red. To me, I don't really like sugar in my wine.
10:47I feel like that makes you, like, more sleepy or something.
10:51Like, that's what does it. The sugar, I feel like, makes you tired.
10:55I feel like the dry red, you do have to really like, like, alcohol, I guess, or just tasting it.
11:00You know how many people don't like the dry red alcohol?
11:01Yeah, I think that's the thing.
11:02But, like, if you like the taste, you can do a dry red.
11:04And my favorite is Cab. Like, I like Cabernet.
11:07Cabernet. Okay, yeah.
11:08Okay, I can.
11:10See, over here, snapping for a Cab. Give it up for Cab.
11:13Cabernet 7-0.
11:14I can't see it. It's too dry.
11:16Well, I don't like, like, real strong alcohol.
11:21Yeah, you need to.
11:22I got to mix it with something sweet chasing or something.
11:25Ain't nothing wrong with a Moscato. Ain't nothing wrong with a Moscato.
11:27I'm going to stick too. I'm going to stick beside it.
11:30For sure.
11:31It ain't did you wrong.
11:32It ain't did you wrong.
11:33It ain't did you wrong. That's all happened to the morning yet.
11:34Nice. And outside of wine, what exciting plans do you have for yourself coming up?
11:38Um, well, I have a new, me and my daughter have a new TV show coming out on WeTV this August.
11:46Joya back on TV, y'all.
11:48Yeah, so the return of reality TV.
11:51I'm also working on a three-part book that is set to release around November.
11:57A game that I'm going to come out with.
12:00Me and my husband, we have a new fitness studio called Wait No More Studio.
12:04We're getting into, you know, the whole fitness movement and, uh, yeah, just rebranding some of my brands, like Before Bed Hits.
12:15This is the eight-year anniversary for Before Bed Hits, so we're about to do, like, a huge rebranding for the brand.
12:22I'm just excited about, like, what's to come.
12:26And I love that you're getting back on TV. We met you in a way through TV.
12:30Yes.
12:30So, how is it for you to, like, show this next chapter of your life on television again and get to do it originally on TV?
12:37Well, those of you who've been watching me since Tanya and Toya, you know, it was a little rough then.
12:44And I appreciate everybody who stood beside me and understood my story and, you know, where I really came from and a message that I wanted to put out there to the world.
12:57I would say fast forward to now.
12:59So, I have grown so much since then, but the one thing that haven't changed and you will see when you tune into our new show is that I love my family, y'all.
13:10Like, I'm such a family person and as hard as it is to ride it out, I'm still sticking beside it.
13:20So, you know, like, God has blessed me with my own family, my amazing husband who is over here to the left of me.
13:32And, you know, my daughters, my niece who I'm raising who's off to college this August, you know, it's a lot of really, really great things that's happening.
13:46But, you know, family is going to be family.
13:48And one thing I do is I love my family and I try to, like, help everybody figure it out.
13:54But I also have to understand that you're one person and you can't change the world, you know what I'm saying?
14:00Like, and you have to focus on what's really important and you only could do so much.
14:05So, that's kind of like still my battle.
14:08How many years later?
14:11Who's counting?
14:12That part.
14:13But other than that, it's, you know, it's a really good show.
14:16I'm excited to be doing a television show with my daughter.
14:20And you get to see how she has evolved.
14:22She's doing a lot of acting this season.
14:25And, you know, she's going through some things of her own growth.
14:29And I'm very excited for her.
14:32And, yeah, I can't wait until you guys see it.
14:34We TV this August.
14:36Nice.
14:36I love that.
14:37And I know we have a lot of fans of Toya here.
14:39We have enough time for a question or two?
14:42Anybody have a question for Toya that you want to share?
14:45Anybody?
14:49Did you see?
14:50Anybody?
14:53Got any questions?
14:55Oh, back there.
14:57Here, too.
14:58Yeah.
15:00Hi.
15:01I just want to know with everything you have going on.
15:03I'm a psychologist.
15:04I want to know how do you prioritize your mental health?
15:07She asked how does she prioritize her mental health.
15:09So, we always talk about that at our fitness studio as well.
15:14Like, the weight women carry.
15:16We have one of our coaches over here who do, like, a whole thing for women, like, once a month at our gym.
15:22Well, my mental health is, like I told y'all in the beginning, I believe in having me time.
15:27I believe in, like, you know, just finding that outlet for me where I can just chill, relax, I pray, I breathe, I, you know, just, it's a lot going on.
15:39When life gets a lifing, and y'all know, we be dealing with a lot as women.
15:44You know, men, too.
15:45You know, we deal with a lot.
15:46So, you have to find that time to just be to yourself and do what makes you happy.
15:52Like, you know, this time can't be disrupted.
15:55Like, this time is for me, and the most important thing is therapy.
15:59Like, therapy is also a good outlet to help you deal with your, you know, mental, whatever, issues and different things like that.
16:07You know, in our community, that's considered to be very cliche.
16:10But I advise everybody, if you don't go to therapy, if you don't have a counselor or someone that you can talk to, get it.
16:17Because it's negative these days.
16:19Yes.
16:19And I know we have one more from the blue.
16:22Hello.
16:23I have a very personal, well, not a very personal question, but my question is, what kind of foundation is that you're wearing?
16:30You said you're beat down.
16:31You look beautiful, by the way.
16:33I am wearing Norris Foundation.
16:36I actually really, really like Norris.
16:38Yeah.
16:39Yeah.
16:40And today is so hot, I just went with a simple, matte look.
16:45So, yeah.
16:46Can't do the dewy in this heat.
16:50And we got a question over here.
16:53Hi, Tawiyah.
16:54Hi.
16:55Okay, so, congrats on all of your success.
16:58You're such an inspiration.
16:59I'm sorry.
16:59Congrats on your success.
17:00You're such an inspiration.
17:01How important is it to support Black-owned businesses?
17:04Oh, it's very important to support Black-owned businesses.
17:07I am so happy for so many of our Black businesses that are growing.
17:13And, you know, just seeing people start these companies and, like, how big they are.
17:20Like, shout out to my Yale Organics.
17:22You know, my friend Yandy.
17:23We have her company, Yale, which is here.
17:28It's just so many amazing Black businesses that are taking off.
17:31And I feel like, just like we support everybody else, we have to support each other.
17:35It's just, I don't know what this thing with us as Black women.
17:39Sometimes we have this crab-in-a-barrel syndrome where we are free to watch the next person get to the top.
17:46But believe it or not, it's room out here for all of us to win.
17:49All of us to eat.
17:50When we go to Walgreens, CVS, and all its stores, you see all of these different brands on the shelf.
17:57And guess what?
17:58You're going to pick up the one that you feel like, you know, works for you and the one that you like.
18:03So, which means that there's room for plenty more products because people are going to buy and support what they like.
18:09So, no need to hate on each other.
18:11Nothing is wrong with supporting your sister business, your cousin brand, or all these amazing Black-owned businesses out here.
18:18Like, let's try to pour into our people more.
18:22And for some reason, some of us have a problem with doing that.
18:26Absolutely.
18:27Well, thank you.
18:27Well, on that note, my daughter-in-law published a children's book, Empowering Young Black Girls.
18:32I would love to get this in your brain.
18:34Okay, thank you so much.
18:35And I'll post it for you.
18:37All right, we have time for one more question.
18:40Did I say another hand up?
18:50Hi, my name is Atani.
18:51I just wanted to know, when you look back throughout your life, like where you started from when you ended up, what's one thing that you're most proud of?
19:00The one thing that I'm most proud of is, like, raising my kids.
19:08Like, being a real, like, okay, I didn't come from a real loving environment.
19:15I didn't come from a two-parent household.
19:17So, I didn't come from, like, a structured situation.
19:21So, what I'm most proud of is being able to break that cycle with my kids.
19:27Like, being able to be a real mom to my kids.
19:30Being able to be 100%, like, involved in their lives.
19:35Like, just a real mom, like, you know, a real mom to my kids and give them all of the love, attention, affection, and the things I didn't have and more.
19:46So, that's one thing that I'm most proud of.
19:48Like, you know, because sometimes they say the apple don't fall too far from the tree.
19:52And in my case, I feel like my apple fell from the tree.
19:55And they keep rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling.
19:58So, that's just it.
20:01Nice. I love that.
20:03I love that.
20:03And so, we're going to toast to that.
20:05We're going to toast to the evolution, the growth of Ms. Toya, all the success, all the love, all the joy, blessings.
20:12They are yours.
20:13So, let's give it a bird.
20:14We're going to have a toast if you've got a drink.
20:16Let's toast to her.
20:16Thank you, Toya.
20:18And thank you, guys.
20:20Enjoy.
20:20Enjoy.
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