Scripted For Success A Fireside Chat With Mara Brock Akil

Essence Virtual Events

Join trailblazing writer, producer, and creative force Mara Brock Akil for an intimate conversation on building a purpose-driven career in entertainment and business. In this special fireside chat, Mara will reflect on her journey as a Black woman navigating Hollywood, the power of storytelling to shape culture, and how pursuing an MBA has expanded her creative and entrepreneurial vision. A rare look inside the mind of one of the most influential voices in television.

Transcript

00:00:00My name is Steve Jones. I'm the creator of One Person Knows Me. Thank you so much in the back. I think that's mine.

00:00:10I created an event series 12 years ago called Hollywood Confidential, which teaches people how to break into the industry.

00:00:16And now I'm a first-time author of a book of the same name called Hollywood Confidential, 12 Secrets to Becoming the Star of Your Own Life.

00:00:23That book is based on 12 of the biggest people that I've worked with and their success stories.

00:00:29You can get it wherever aligns with your value system. It isn't Target. Do not cuss me out.

00:00:36I want to share with you before we bring up this iconic writer, producer, director.

00:00:43She actually was one of the inspirations for my book. How many of you are Girlfriends fans?

00:00:51I got put onto it late. I don't think it was necessarily for men, or I didn't think so, and then I watched it.

00:00:57Actually, we were represented. Very nuanced. We were balanced up in that piece.

00:01:01Men, did you guys watch Girlfriends as well?

00:01:04There was someone named Maya who was an authoress.

00:01:09And I got to tell you, I knew I made it when I announced my book.

00:01:12And Mara Brockakil came underneath the comment section and said,

00:01:15You're not an authoress, but you are an author-er.

00:01:17And I cried, and I sent it to my mama.

00:01:20I want everybody to stand up to your feet and receive to the stage my friend,

00:01:25one of the most prolific writers and voices of our time, Mara Brockakil.

00:01:35Here she comes. Clap it up as she comes.

00:01:37Here she comes. Mara.

00:01:47What's up?

00:01:48What's up, Steve?

00:01:50God bless us.

00:01:51We get to, Steve and I don't get to see each other often.

00:01:54We get to be here together, so I'm very blessed.

00:01:58Very blessed.

00:01:59I asked earlier how many fans of Girlfriends we had in the room,

00:02:04and you heard everybody scream.

00:02:08I actually just want to start right there.

00:02:10I'm not even going to look at the new cards.

00:02:1325 years, Girlfriends, has been around.

00:02:1625 years this year.

00:02:19Talk to us right up top about legacy and what legacy means to you.

00:02:24The shows that have come through you as a beautiful conduit

00:02:27have served as an example that pushed all of us to become our best selves.

00:02:33And we want to hear from you.

00:02:34How does it feel 25 years later from Girlfriends?

00:02:37I know that's not where your journey began,

00:02:40but how does it feel to know the impact that you've had on me and author Err

00:02:44and everybody in this room with your beautiful work?

00:02:49It feels many things.

00:02:51I think the most...

00:02:52It's confirming, affirming the God whisperer on my life all the time.

00:03:04When your steps are ordered,

00:03:07sometimes you don't know why you're always moving in the direction that you're moving.

00:03:12I've learned to trust that for I think 25 years

00:03:17and to reflect back on 25 years

00:03:21and see a new audience still finding it

00:03:23because technology has caught up

00:03:26and allowed for Girlfriends to have a global audience,

00:03:32a global stage

00:03:33to experience the very human story

00:03:37spinning through the lens of Black women.

00:03:39That gumption in me,

00:03:44that belief that I could write something

00:03:48worthy of any stage

00:03:52is a God whisperer,

00:03:54but for it to be 25 years later still serving.

00:03:59I know that people are eating the love in my heart.

00:04:03I mean, eating, what I mean is

00:04:05they're feeling, they're experiencing.

00:04:09You know, I was trying to be cute.

00:04:10You know, I was cooking,

00:04:12so y'all was eating.

00:04:15And that's...

00:04:16I had to make that...

00:04:17I had to connect that dot.

00:04:19That was me working real-time comedy.

00:04:22So you saw me locate an area, right?

00:04:26And then I had to rewrite it

00:04:27to understand what my synopsis is.

00:04:30That was just like a real...

00:04:31We're in the writer's room with Mara Broca-Kill.

00:04:33But, yeah, so what I was cooking

00:04:37was what was in my heart.

00:04:41And for 25 years,

00:04:43for it to still be serving is God.

00:04:49Beautiful.

00:04:50What was the catalyst, if you will,

00:04:55for that particular show

00:04:56and then your entire career?

00:04:58Was there a lack of representation

00:04:59that you felt was not displayed?

00:05:02Did you not feel like you saw yourself

00:05:03reflected in ways that inspired you?

00:05:06What was the catalyst behind

00:05:07that iconic moment for all of us,

00:05:10which is still nourishing

00:05:12each of us girlfriends?

00:05:14I think it's important for me

00:05:15to answer that question.

00:05:16I want to take a step back.

00:05:17I was born in Compton,

00:05:24grew up in Gardena, Compton.

00:05:26My grandparents lived in Baldwin Vista.

00:05:29I lived on Sloppen and Overheel.

00:05:32For those who are from L.A.,

00:05:33if I was in the Nation of Islam,

00:05:36I only knew love of myself and my people.

00:05:41So, I only understood my self-love

00:05:50because it was reflected back to me

00:05:52in various communities

00:05:54and very economic differences.

00:05:57When you take that person,

00:05:59when you bake a human being like that,

00:06:03and though I understand history,

00:06:07though I understand economic conditions,

00:06:09though I understand racism,

00:06:11though I understand disparity,

00:06:13I only look for and believe

00:06:18that there is something for me.

00:06:22So, part of that adage about

00:06:25you have to be ten times better,

00:06:26okay, I understand that,

00:06:28and sometimes that can be frustrating,

00:06:30but okay, if that's what it takes for me

00:06:33to get in the game,

00:06:35then I'll train that way,

00:06:36I'll be that way.

00:06:37So, when I looked at the landscape of television,

00:06:41I didn't come from it from,

00:06:45I want to be very clear,

00:06:46I know that there's lack,

00:06:48but I don't bring that energy

00:06:50into my decision.

00:06:53I bring the little girl

00:06:54who was loved

00:06:55and was raised that way

00:06:58to the situation

00:07:00to understand there's the opportunity,

00:07:03there's the door,

00:07:04there's the window,

00:07:05there's the crack,

00:07:06go, that's mine,

00:07:08go get it.

00:07:09Do you understand?

00:07:10So, that's one big piece of my puzzle,

00:07:14is that when I see lack,

00:07:17I see opportunity.

00:07:20What you're not seeing,

00:07:21I can see,

00:07:23it's now my job

00:07:24to figure out how to get it done.

00:07:25And that is fun to me.

00:07:29It's hard work,

00:07:30it's intentional work,

00:07:32it's long hours.

00:07:33But when you find what you love,

00:07:36I also have,

00:07:37I'm connected to energy.

00:07:40I'm connected to it.

00:07:42And so,

00:07:43answers will come in the night,

00:07:46they'll come through a conversation

00:07:47with a person.

00:07:48So, everything that you're,

00:07:50God meets you in different ways,

00:07:51you have to stay open.

00:07:52That's one big piece of my puzzle.

00:07:56So, it's a spirit-led thing.

00:07:57And then on a practical thing,

00:07:59I just think that

00:08:00what I believe in the body of my work

00:08:03is from a human place,

00:08:06we are born saying,

00:08:08mommy, daddy, look at me.

00:08:10That translates into media,

00:08:14magazines, plays, books,

00:08:17TV, big films.

00:08:21And we don't see ourselves up there.

00:08:25That is what is damaging,

00:08:27is that there's no mirror,

00:08:28there's no mommy,

00:08:29that nobody is looking at us.

00:08:32So, we're invisible.

00:08:34And so, for me,

00:08:35that's my crusade,

00:08:36crusade is how many portraits of us

00:08:40can I get up

00:08:41so that we can see ourselves.

00:08:43Because when you can see yourself,

00:08:45then you can then see

00:08:47what your purpose is here for.

00:08:50When you can see,

00:08:51when eyes are on you,

00:08:54you realize that you exist.

00:08:58And if I'm here,

00:08:59then what am I here to do?

00:09:00And that's what I hope my work can do

00:09:04because,

00:09:05I'm going to go back.

00:09:07That's what was done for me

00:09:09when you're in these communities of love

00:09:13and families of love.

00:09:14Even I say love,

00:09:16I'm not saying it wasn't easy

00:09:17all the time.

00:09:19You know what I'm saying?

00:09:19And I think understanding love

00:09:23looks many different ways

00:09:25in our human complexity.

00:09:27And just trying to bring that back

00:09:28to the screen

00:09:29so that we can see ourselves,

00:09:31honor ourselves,

00:09:31see the humanity in us

00:09:33so we can get about the business

00:09:34of doing what we came here to do.

00:09:36That's beautiful.

00:09:37I would like everyone

00:09:38to clap right there.

00:09:42What I heard is,

00:09:44I think,

00:09:44one of the most invaluable tools

00:09:46that we all can lean into

00:09:47as creatives

00:09:47is the power of reframing.

00:09:49And that's what I heard

00:09:50as you were talking.

00:09:51You were able to...

00:09:52This is why I like talking to Steve

00:09:54because he's such a good listener.

00:09:56And I speak like an artist.

00:09:58I speak like Mara.

00:09:59But there's such value

00:10:01in you translating what I think.

00:10:05And I appreciate that.

00:10:06And I really enjoy...

00:10:07Thank you for being here today

00:10:08to help me communicate better

00:10:12who I am in a room

00:10:14that came up to show up for me today.

00:10:17So thank you all, too,

00:10:17for being here.

00:10:18I really appreciate it.

00:10:20It's about reframing.

00:10:22It's about...

00:10:25You can...

00:10:26Like, even as a...

00:10:27If I'm shooting this room, right?

00:10:28We're going to have the cameras

00:10:29on this side of the room

00:10:30and it's going to look this way.

00:10:31But when you move the camera over there,

00:10:33it's going to be a different way.

00:10:35It is perspective.

00:10:36I think journalism is out of style.

00:10:43And everyone who has a camera now

00:10:45and can point in the shoe

00:10:45is a journalist or a host.

00:10:47And that's not a diss.

00:10:48But I take what I do

00:10:50and my craft seriously.

00:10:51And I'm sitting as a conduit

00:10:53between established legends

00:10:55like an Angela Bassett

00:10:56or Lupita Nyong'o

00:10:57or the incomparable

00:10:58Mara Brock Akil.

00:10:59It is my job

00:11:00to be a conduit

00:11:01between those established voices

00:11:03and the aspiring

00:11:04to make sure

00:11:05that they leave here

00:11:06not just with a picture

00:11:08or a moment

00:11:09but something

00:11:10that they can take home

00:11:11actionable next steps

00:11:13to reach your dreams.

00:11:14So we are here for you guys.

00:11:16So once again,

00:11:17give yourselves a hand.

00:11:18I'm so happy to see

00:11:19a full standing room only event.

00:11:22Mara,

00:11:23sometimes I'm talking to you

00:11:25whether it's personal

00:11:26or it's professionally

00:11:28and I feel like,

00:11:30man,

00:11:32you are therapized in a mug.

00:11:33I mean,

00:11:33you have went to therapy.

00:11:34You are walking

00:11:35in the work.

00:11:37You understand what I'm saying?

00:11:39And it just feels good

00:11:41to be talking to someone

00:11:43who has taken time

00:11:44to do the work

00:11:44because we are all beneficiaries

00:11:45of the beautiful work

00:11:47that she has done.

00:11:47So my heart is mad open

00:11:49right now.

00:11:49It's expanded.

00:11:50I hope you guys

00:11:51are feeling the love up here.

00:11:52It's just a beautiful moment.

00:11:53So thank you for acknowledging that.

00:11:55I see an honor

00:11:55to acknowledge you too.

00:11:57Yeah.

00:11:57We do this together.

00:11:58where making stories

00:12:01and then distributing stories

00:12:03and reaching the audience

00:12:04are all very three different,

00:12:07various different things

00:12:09and it takes a village

00:12:10in order to get the story out.

00:12:13And so I think that's what,

00:12:15it is important

00:12:16about how to translate

00:12:18the inspiration to action.

00:12:21Take us way back

00:12:25to the writer's room,

00:12:26your first writer's room.

00:12:28Whether it was an opportunity

00:12:29that was afforded to you

00:12:30or whether it was

00:12:32your first TV show,

00:12:33talk to us about

00:12:34your first writer's room memory

00:12:36that you can share with us

00:12:37exclusively here

00:12:38at Hollywood House

00:12:39and then talk to us

00:12:41and then talk to us

00:12:41about your writing process.

00:12:43Oh my God,

00:12:43I have so many writer's room stories.

00:12:46I'll share two.

00:12:49One I just shared

00:12:50with Lorenz Tate,

00:12:51I saw him recently,

00:12:52actually at AVFF.

00:12:53but the industry

00:12:59had a program

00:13:00that no longer exists,

00:13:02I believe,

00:13:02called the Writer's Trainee Program

00:13:04and basically that was

00:13:05an opportunity studios,

00:13:11you can get hired

00:13:11off of the,

00:13:12there's a budget,

00:13:13say it's a million dollars

00:13:14an episode,

00:13:15that my being hired

00:13:17does not come out

00:13:18of that budget,

00:13:19the studio would pay for me

00:13:20at a discount

00:13:21because you got to be black

00:13:23a woman disabled

00:13:24or something like that.

00:13:25Yeah, kind of either.

00:13:28All right, great,

00:13:29I'll take it.

00:13:30Well, you don't take it,

00:13:31you still have to go

00:13:32hustle for it

00:13:33and I was a Writer's Trainee

00:13:35on South Central

00:13:36and at the table,

00:13:38it's a very small table,

00:13:39Ralph Farquhar

00:13:40and Michael Whitehorn

00:13:41were running the show.

00:13:46Michael Snowden

00:13:47was in there,

00:13:49Gary,

00:13:50Gary,

00:13:51I forgot,

00:13:51Gary's last name,

00:13:52but Gary was in there,

00:13:53Kathleen McGee Anderson

00:13:54is there

00:13:55and my best friend,

00:13:57she became my best friend,

00:13:59Gina Prince-Bythewitt

00:14:00was in the room.

00:14:02I hadn't worked,

00:14:04you know what I'm saying,

00:14:05I,

00:14:06you know,

00:14:06there's not that many people

00:14:07in the room,

00:14:08but I remember,

00:14:09if you guys,

00:14:10who saw South Central?

00:14:11Anybody have seen

00:14:12South Central?

00:14:13Do you guys remember

00:14:14this moment

00:14:14where Lorenz's character

00:14:18was on the back

00:14:20of a bus

00:14:21and he,

00:14:24I forgot,

00:14:25I forgot,

00:14:26it's got my memory,

00:14:27I probably shouldn't have

00:14:28brought this up

00:14:28because the details

00:14:29were sketchy,

00:14:30but the point is

00:14:31he had a major moment

00:14:33and I remember

00:14:34it was on the,

00:14:35it was going to be

00:14:35on the back of a bus

00:14:36and he had to,

00:14:38he,

00:14:38he was,

00:14:39he had this big monologue

00:14:41and it was a big emotional,

00:14:42pivotal moment

00:14:43in the story

00:14:44and we were debating it

00:14:45a lot in the writer's room

00:14:47and I am the writer's trainee

00:14:49but everyone else

00:14:50is technically

00:14:50in the,

00:14:52so I'm in the writer's room

00:14:53but I'm just

00:14:54the youngest,

00:14:55the most,

00:14:56the least experienced

00:14:56in the room.

00:14:58We were debating

00:14:59a very big point

00:15:00in the story

00:15:01and everything

00:15:02and there was,

00:15:03it was just,

00:15:03and I wanted to get in there

00:15:05but I didn't know

00:15:05how to jump

00:15:06into the discussion

00:15:07and so I literally

00:15:09just wrote

00:15:10what he would say

00:15:12on the back

00:15:12of the script

00:15:13and then I finally said,

00:15:16well,

00:15:16and I uniquely kind of,

00:15:18you know,

00:15:18Ralph,

00:15:19I have something

00:15:19and Ralph saw

00:15:22that I had it written

00:15:23and I read it

00:15:25to the room

00:15:25and it was really silent

00:15:26and I was like,

00:15:28oh no,

00:15:28I mean literally

00:15:29I probably could have

00:15:30bobbling it right there

00:15:31and then Ralph was like,

00:15:33see,

00:15:34while we up here arguing,

00:15:35blah, blah, blah, blah,

00:15:36the trainee up here doing it

00:15:38and I,

00:15:40at that moment,

00:15:42I knew

00:15:43there is no return for me,

00:15:46there was no return for me

00:15:48that my mentor,

00:15:49I silenced the room,

00:15:51my mentor acknowledged it,

00:15:53he was also a mentor

00:15:54who told me,

00:15:56you know,

00:15:56back in the day,

00:15:57you know,

00:15:58because of the business,

00:15:59you might,

00:15:59black people might not get

00:16:00a lot of opportunities

00:16:01but your opportunity

00:16:02is going to come

00:16:03so you have to be ready for it

00:16:04and I knew I was ready

00:16:06for it in the moment.

00:16:08This very important,

00:16:09pivotal thing,

00:16:10time,

00:16:11you know,

00:16:11when TV is going,

00:16:13TV is almost like an army,

00:16:15it's really,

00:16:16it's brutal,

00:16:19the time,

00:16:19you've got to be artistic

00:16:21with no time

00:16:22and so anyway,

00:16:23I landed the moment,

00:16:25it got debated,

00:16:26kicked around

00:16:27and even though,

00:16:29I think,

00:16:29but I think about 60%

00:16:31of what I wrote

00:16:33is on that screen

00:16:35and anyway,

00:16:35I saw Lorenz

00:16:36and I was able to tell him,

00:16:37he remembered it,

00:16:38I wish he was here

00:16:38to help me remember

00:16:39the moment in the story

00:16:40but that,

00:16:43and then to see him

00:16:44perform it,

00:16:45right,

00:16:4660% of your words

00:16:48but really 100%

00:16:50of your understanding

00:16:52of what the story needed

00:16:53and how it was going

00:16:55to shape the show,

00:16:56shape the character,

00:16:57shape everything

00:16:58that I knew intrinsically.

00:17:03From there,

00:17:04I went to,

00:17:04Boesha,

00:17:05my second point,

00:17:06you still have to learn

00:17:08how to pitch in the room

00:17:09and I was nervous

00:17:11and it was funny

00:17:11because,

00:17:13you know,

00:17:13not trying to be braggy

00:17:15but I come from good genes,

00:17:17I have really good skin

00:17:18because I come from good,

00:17:20I'm giving it to my grandparents

00:17:21and my mom and them

00:17:22but this time,

00:17:24it was like connect the dots

00:17:25on my face

00:17:25because I had a lot of acne

00:17:27because I was so afraid,

00:17:30I was so afraid

00:17:30and my,

00:17:31though I had a stoic face,

00:17:33my nervousness

00:17:34was showing up in my skin

00:17:35and so,

00:17:37I'm like,

00:17:38oh God,

00:17:38I was like,

00:17:39just from a vanity perspective,

00:17:40I gotta figure this out,

00:17:41I have to learn how to pitch

00:17:42and I started pitching

00:17:45in Kim's voice

00:17:47so that,

00:17:50I stopped being Mara

00:17:51in the room,

00:17:51I had to learn

00:17:53how to get in there

00:17:54when I was scared to death

00:17:56and I started pitching

00:17:58in the characters' voices

00:18:00and that's how I got,

00:18:02and then I kind of

00:18:03owned the room from that.

00:18:05A lot of Kim jokes

00:18:06and Moesha,

00:18:08I was like,

00:18:08chicken,

00:18:08get your chicken here.

00:18:09I used to say that

00:18:10all the time.

00:18:12See?

00:18:14And so,

00:18:15that little secret actor

00:18:17in me,

00:18:18I used it,

00:18:19I used it in the writer's room

00:18:21just to give,

00:18:22you know how like,

00:18:22Beyonce got Sasha Fierce

00:18:24so Mara had,

00:18:25I had this alter ego

00:18:27in the room

00:18:28to serve me

00:18:29and my skin cleared up.

00:18:31How old were you

00:18:36on the first opportunity

00:18:38where you were a trainee?

00:18:40I was,

00:18:40oh,

00:18:40when I was a trainee,

00:18:41I think I was 23.

00:18:44Baby Mara.

00:18:45Yeah,

00:18:45Baby Mara,

00:18:4623,

00:18:46and I was 25

00:18:48in Moesha's writer's room,

00:18:50yeah.

00:18:51What I want to highlight

00:18:52before we move

00:18:53to the next portion

00:18:54is you placed your,

00:18:57you put yourself,

00:18:58excuse me,

00:18:59in a position of service

00:19:01and the whole world

00:19:02opened up to you

00:19:03and I want to say

00:19:05that service breeds purpose

00:19:06and if you can find

00:19:08an opportunity

00:19:08to serve someone

00:19:09greater than you,

00:19:10the world will truly open

00:19:12and she was sitting

00:19:14across from Gina Prince

00:19:15and neither of them

00:19:17at that time

00:19:18could do anything

00:19:19for the other

00:19:21and that has to be key as well.

00:19:23We can't try to network

00:19:24with the Mara Brock Akil's

00:19:25in the world,

00:19:26we have to network

00:19:27with who's sitting

00:19:27to our left and our right

00:19:28because you're sitting

00:19:29next to the future.

00:19:31So at the end,

00:19:33if they'll permit pictures,

00:19:34do that,

00:19:35but also meet someone.

00:19:37Be intentional

00:19:38about meeting three people

00:19:39that you do not know

00:19:40because the future

00:19:41movie writers,

00:19:41screenwriters,

00:19:42they're sitting right here,

00:19:43you're John Singleton's,

00:19:44you're Mara Brock Akil's.

00:19:45So I just wanted

00:19:45to highlight that.

00:19:47I love that you were

00:19:47in a position of service

00:19:48and the world

00:19:50opened up to you

00:19:50and now thanks

00:19:51to that service mindset,

00:19:53we've got the Maraverse.

00:19:54I've been writing

00:19:58for a minute.

00:19:59You've been writing

00:19:59for a minute

00:20:00but I want to know

00:20:01did you write,

00:20:02now you can't

00:20:03score a point

00:20:04so get your booty

00:20:05on the floor

00:20:06because you ugly.

00:20:07But you ugly.

00:20:09You know that line

00:20:10from Kim and the Parker,

00:20:11I mean Moesha.

00:20:12I don't think,

00:20:13I'm not going to take

00:20:13full credit for that

00:20:14but I probably

00:20:16pitch you ugly

00:20:16because I always

00:20:17talk about you.

00:20:19You G L Y.

00:20:21You ain't got no alibi

00:20:22because you ugly.

00:20:23That's what we did

00:20:25in school

00:20:25and that was

00:20:26always funny to me

00:20:27so I probably

00:20:27pitch you that.

00:20:28Oh man,

00:20:28this sounds like

00:20:29a drop

00:20:30and it is

00:20:31but it's not.

00:20:32In my book

00:20:33I actually talk about

00:20:34Let them know.

00:20:37Yay.

00:20:38We don't let them know

00:20:39who's going to know.

00:20:40I know that's right.

00:20:41In my book

00:20:42available on Amazon,

00:20:45Walmart,

00:20:45and Target,

00:20:46I talk about

00:20:48living and growing up

00:20:50in Ohio

00:20:50and upstate New York

00:20:51and reimagining

00:20:53myself in Los Angeles

00:20:55through your work

00:20:55in particular

00:20:56Moesha was the TV show

00:20:58because I went to

00:20:59a Caucasian

00:21:00which we love everybody

00:21:02and since it's

00:21:02a multicultural platform

00:21:03we love everyone.

00:21:04Amen.

00:21:05But for me

00:21:06it was actually traumatic

00:21:08being one of only

00:21:09two African Americans

00:21:10as my dad

00:21:12climbed up

00:21:13the corporate ladder.

00:21:15And so I

00:21:15was teased

00:21:17and taunted

00:21:17and caught every N-word

00:21:18and everything else

00:21:19in between

00:21:20but it was your work

00:21:21that spoke to me.

00:21:22I saw myself

00:21:23going through

00:21:23the corridors

00:21:24of Crenshaw High School.

00:21:26I went to school

00:21:27with Brandy

00:21:28and all of those people

00:21:29in your TV shows

00:21:30and then I got to move

00:21:31to Los Angeles

00:21:32because of the work

00:21:33and the safe space

00:21:33you provided

00:21:34and I got to meet you all

00:21:35and work with you all.

00:21:36And so I just want

00:21:37to let you know

00:21:37that I'm a beneficiary

00:21:38of the work

00:21:39that you did

00:21:40and so is everybody

00:21:41in this room

00:21:42and when I say that

00:21:42I mean it.

00:21:43It's not just a line

00:21:44to sound pretty

00:21:44but I thank you

00:21:45for the work

00:21:46and the sacrifice

00:21:46and things that

00:21:47we'll never know

00:21:48that you'll never share

00:21:49because you are integral

00:21:50but I know

00:21:51that there have been

00:21:52moments in your career

00:21:53where you've had

00:21:54to go without

00:21:54and you've advocated

00:21:55on our behalf as well

00:21:56which segues

00:21:58into my next question.

00:22:00Are there moments

00:22:01that you can share

00:22:02with us

00:22:02that you had to fight

00:22:04or advocate

00:22:04whether it was

00:22:05for a particular line

00:22:06a scene

00:22:06an actor

00:22:07maybe someone

00:22:08didn't want this person

00:22:09or maybe it's just

00:22:10a difficult moment

00:22:11that you had

00:22:11in selling a TV show

00:22:13anything that you

00:22:13can offer us

00:22:14that you had to overcome

00:22:16and then prayerfully

00:22:17there's a victory

00:22:18attached to it

00:22:19on the other end.

00:22:21Yeah.

00:22:22Wow.

00:22:23I think

00:22:23I think what's important

00:22:25to understand

00:22:26is that

00:22:27as a showrunner

00:22:29as someone

00:22:30a creator showrunner

00:22:31which I am

00:22:32I am an artist

00:22:34in business.

00:22:36So I come to it

00:22:38understanding

00:22:39it is going to be

00:22:40a lot of fight.

00:22:44I think that's

00:22:47and I want to

00:22:48it comes with

00:22:49the job

00:22:49it comes with

00:22:51the understanding

00:22:51because

00:22:52they want

00:22:56what they want

00:22:57I want

00:22:57what I want

00:22:58and part of my job

00:22:59is to bridge

00:23:00that gap

00:23:00so often times

00:23:01I will say

00:23:02I speak many

00:23:03different languages

00:23:04to make my shows

00:23:05but I only speak

00:23:06English

00:23:07and what that means

00:23:08is I have to find

00:23:10ways to communicate

00:23:11with every faction

00:23:13of the wheel

00:23:14of making

00:23:15a television show.

00:23:19When Girlfriends

00:23:20was there

00:23:21Tracy Ellis

00:23:22they

00:23:23they wanted

00:23:24Tracy Ellis Ross

00:23:25to wear her hair straight

00:23:26blown out

00:23:28kind of like

00:23:28the way

00:23:29my hair

00:23:30well

00:23:30it's changed texture

00:23:31but for the most part

00:23:32I was a wash and go

00:23:33curly girl

00:23:34and so they're telling

00:23:36someone who's wearing

00:23:36their hair natural

00:23:37that that's not

00:23:38a look

00:23:39basically

00:23:40and though it's

00:23:43though it's

00:23:44it's hard

00:23:47like it's a

00:23:47I heard a gasp

00:23:48yes

00:23:49it's horrifying

00:23:49it's not an emotional

00:23:52moment for me

00:23:53at that moment

00:23:53I've got to figure out

00:23:55how to talk to them

00:23:57to get them

00:23:58to understand

00:23:59what I need

00:24:00of course they don't know

00:24:02and they don't care

00:24:04I've got to figure out

00:24:06how to do that

00:24:06so one of the things

00:24:08I often do

00:24:09is try to take

00:24:10the emotion out of it

00:24:11and if I can't

00:24:12that's why

00:24:12the village around you

00:24:13is important

00:24:14who can you call

00:24:15to take the venom out

00:24:17before you go in there

00:24:18and do the job

00:24:19and so for me

00:24:20I needed to speak

00:24:21their language

00:24:22in that time

00:24:23I said okay

00:24:23let's do it your way

00:24:25if we do it your way

00:24:26Tracy Ellis Ross

00:24:27hair changes

00:24:28are going to take

00:24:28two hours per episode

00:24:30you know

00:24:30that's money

00:24:31and time

00:24:32wash and go

00:24:34she can do it at home

00:24:36show up work dry

00:24:37and she's on set

00:24:38they understood that

00:24:40now Tracy Ellis Ross

00:24:43has a whole

00:24:44beauty line

00:24:45of hair care products

00:24:47we also

00:24:48and I knew

00:24:50now this is what

00:24:51my

00:24:51this is what

00:24:52I was protecting

00:24:53is I was protecting

00:24:55what I knew

00:24:56the impact

00:24:57of seeing that hair

00:24:58on that screen

00:24:59would do

00:25:00meanwhile

00:25:01while I was making room

00:25:02for natural hair

00:25:03I also wanted

00:25:07to take down

00:25:08the venom

00:25:09that was around

00:25:10black women

00:25:11from black men

00:25:12about weaves

00:25:13so we talked

00:25:15about that

00:25:16we talked about

00:25:17the things

00:25:17that I wanted

00:25:18to sort of

00:25:19protect for

00:25:20in that case

00:25:21black women

00:25:21and the conversations

00:25:22around our beauty

00:25:24and our beauty standards

00:25:24which are energy draining

00:25:26for the most part

00:25:26they take a lot of time

00:25:27energy

00:25:28blah blah blah

00:25:28so that was a fight

00:25:30and that's what

00:25:31I was protecting

00:25:32in as recent

00:25:34as forever

00:25:35she's segwaying baby

00:25:40we was getting there next

00:25:41go ahead Mara

00:25:41as recent as forever

00:25:44you know

00:25:45there was a

00:25:46and this is where

00:25:47partnership comes into play

00:25:49there was a discrepancy

00:25:50about

00:25:51the time

00:25:53jumps

00:25:53that we take

00:25:54in the episode

00:25:55and they thought

00:25:56should it only be

00:25:57in

00:25:58one year

00:26:00and what you're

00:26:01dealing with

00:26:01is not

00:26:02though I am

00:26:03frustrated

00:26:03what I realize

00:26:05is most executives

00:26:07most people

00:26:08will return

00:26:09to what they know

00:26:10that's not who I am

00:26:12so I have to remind them

00:26:13that's not what I do

00:26:15that's not who I am

00:26:16when you

00:26:17when you work with me

00:26:19I'm going to chart

00:26:21a new path

00:26:22I'm only interested

00:26:23in a stretching

00:26:24a new canvas

00:26:25I'm not interested

00:26:26on not even

00:26:27what other people

00:26:28have done

00:26:28I'm not even interested

00:26:29in what I have done

00:26:30so how do we bridge this

00:26:33and in that particular case

00:26:34we just did not

00:26:36see eye to eye

00:26:37and

00:26:38we had to

00:26:40and at that point

00:26:41what I do know

00:26:42is if you start

00:26:43to do a TV show

00:26:44band-aiding

00:26:45people's

00:26:46then you will have

00:26:48a bad TV show

00:26:49a bad film

00:26:50when you start

00:26:51band-aiding

00:26:51let me give them

00:26:52let me give them

00:26:53one

00:26:53give

00:26:54we're fundamentally

00:26:56not on the same page

00:26:57of the way

00:26:58to tell this story

00:26:59and you risk

00:27:00losing the show

00:27:01you risk

00:27:03losing the show

00:27:04and so we were

00:27:04at that point

00:27:05but we had

00:27:06to sort of

00:27:07talk about

00:27:08this is the

00:27:08this is what it is

00:27:10and there's some

00:27:11very tough

00:27:12conversations

00:27:13but just like

00:27:14in relationships

00:27:14sometimes you

00:27:15you've got to

00:27:16get to the core

00:27:17of something

00:27:18because as the train

00:27:19moves

00:27:20you can lose

00:27:21your show

00:27:22you can lose

00:27:22your relationship

00:27:23you can lose

00:27:24a lot

00:27:24so that took

00:27:25and what that took

00:27:26was a changing

00:27:29of the guard

00:27:30and you reset

00:27:32the table

00:27:33so a lot

00:27:34of what took

00:27:34forever

00:27:35I had to

00:27:36reset the show

00:27:37often

00:27:38until we

00:27:39we were on

00:27:40the same page

00:27:41and and hold

00:27:43on to it

00:27:44and the you know

00:27:45the vision of it

00:27:46all the way

00:27:46so that

00:27:47and and then

00:27:48thankfully

00:27:49I will have to say

00:27:49to her credit

00:27:50the executive

00:27:52that we made

00:27:52the change

00:27:53came back

00:27:54and said

00:27:54you know

00:27:54I didn't see it

00:27:55and that's also

00:27:56you can't

00:27:57you're not me

00:27:58I'm a visionary

00:27:58you're an executive

00:27:59that's my job

00:28:03that's your job

00:28:04and I'm trying

00:28:04to tell you

00:28:05doing the comfortable

00:28:06thing is not

00:28:07the reward

00:28:08that we're looking

00:28:09for

00:28:10and so

00:28:10that's what I'm saying

00:28:12and sometimes

00:28:13it's nervousness

00:28:15around

00:28:15you know

00:28:16that

00:28:16even when they

00:28:18that you could

00:28:19lose

00:28:19at any point

00:28:20your show

00:28:21can be pulled

00:28:21at any point

00:28:22but but I think

00:28:24it's important

00:28:25back to

00:28:26reminding people

00:28:28why we want

00:28:28to tell the story

00:28:29why it's important

00:28:30what we're doing

00:28:31let's reset

00:28:32let's go

00:28:33I heard a lot

00:28:36and I love you

00:28:37right up here

00:28:37because your

00:28:38ums and ah

00:28:39are making me

00:28:39dig in and lean

00:28:40in deeper as well

00:28:41Mar you are

00:28:43in the spirit

00:28:44of Clubhouse

00:28:45dropping gems

00:28:46and we love

00:28:46to hear

00:28:47y'all remember

00:28:48Clubhouse

00:28:49y'all was there

00:28:49during the pandemic

00:28:50R.I.P.

00:28:52not a mourn

00:28:55anymore

00:28:56but I love it

00:28:57Mar I want to

00:28:59actually give the audience

00:29:00some advice you gave me

00:29:01I came to you

00:29:02when I had a show

00:29:03on OWN

00:29:04and you had a show

00:29:05on OWN

00:29:05and I'm unscripted

00:29:07and I came to you

00:29:08about just a challenge

00:29:09that I was facing

00:29:10at the network

00:29:11and Mar said to me

00:29:13stand up for yourself

00:29:14I'm paraphrasing

00:29:15advocate for yourself

00:29:16because

00:29:17these executives

00:29:18don't have it

00:29:20they will always need

00:29:21what you have

00:29:21as a creative

00:29:22there will always

00:29:23be work for you

00:29:23and I went

00:29:25up in there

00:29:26and marched up

00:29:26in OWN network

00:29:27with all the courage

00:29:29I can muster up

00:29:30and I probably

00:29:30did it afraid

00:29:31and I advocated

00:29:32for myself

00:29:33and I got

00:29:33what I needed

00:29:34and that was

00:29:35because of you

00:29:36and so when I hear

00:29:37that you advocated

00:29:38for that moment

00:29:39I just wanted to share

00:29:40yes there's a time

00:29:41for everything

00:29:41sometimes you're gonna

00:29:42have to take one

00:29:42on the chin

00:29:43but if you believe

00:29:44in it

00:29:44go hard in the paint

00:29:45and if you lose

00:29:45it's really a win

00:29:46Mar I just

00:29:49I just

00:29:50I wish I could

00:29:51pick up these flowers

00:29:52and just package

00:29:53them up for you

00:29:53I mean

00:29:54my goal

00:29:55and my intention

00:29:56since I've met

00:29:57has always been

00:29:58to just shower you

00:29:59with the flowers

00:29:59that you deserve

00:30:00all of the shows

00:30:02within the Mar Inverse

00:30:03have touched each of us

00:30:04in a different way

00:30:05Being Mary Jane

00:30:06Any fans of that show?

00:30:10Love is

00:30:11Justice for Love is

00:30:15Girlfriends

00:30:16And now we've moved

00:30:19into forever

00:30:20I will be remiss

00:30:22for my fellas

00:30:23not to mention

00:30:24the game

00:30:24excuse me

00:30:25How about a round

00:30:30of applause

00:30:31Standing ovation

00:30:34Y'all know that scene

00:30:36Mar thank you

00:30:39I could keep going

00:30:41It was actually

00:30:49Irv for me

00:30:50in that scene

00:30:51Irv

00:30:52Please

00:30:53Oh man

00:30:58I couldn't stand him

00:30:58I love to hate him

00:30:59because we all know

00:31:00one of those

00:31:01high ups

00:31:01I'm going to stop

00:31:04this is being recorded

00:31:06I'm going to behave

00:31:07Mar thank you

00:31:07for depicting humanity

00:31:08in ways that inspires us

00:31:10and speaks to us

00:31:11right where we are

00:31:12and it also speaks

00:31:13to our future selves

00:31:14as well

00:31:14I love everything you do

00:31:16but talk to us

00:31:16about forever

00:31:17you broke records

00:31:18within five days

00:31:20you received a renewal

00:31:21and rumor has it

00:31:23on the sixth day

00:31:23you were able to rest

00:31:25Mara

00:31:27that show

00:31:28it is connected

00:31:29with the masses

00:31:30around the world

00:31:31number one

00:31:32talk to us about

00:31:33why you created forever

00:31:35and do you want it

00:31:37to be around forever

00:31:38are we going for five seasons

00:31:39what we're doing here

00:31:40well

00:31:43it's interesting

00:31:44well

00:31:44how it's

00:31:44I don't think

00:31:45how it's answered

00:31:47these questions

00:31:48forever

00:31:51my

00:31:52process

00:31:54in

00:31:56attaching myself

00:31:57to a story

00:31:58is

00:31:59just that

00:32:00what is attached

00:32:01to my heart

00:32:02in the time

00:32:03and at the time

00:32:05I was

00:32:06Dawn

00:32:07thinking a lot

00:32:08around

00:32:08my oldest son

00:32:10I have two boys

00:32:11beautiful sons

00:32:12but the first

00:32:13is your first

00:32:14and you go through

00:32:15a lot

00:32:15and you make

00:32:16a lot of mistakes

00:32:16you have a lot of worry

00:32:17on that first kid

00:32:18God bless them

00:32:19and I was thinking

00:32:21about all the things

00:32:22primarily thinking

00:32:23that the choice

00:32:24of putting him

00:32:25you mentioned it

00:32:26about for yourself

00:32:27putting him

00:32:28in private white

00:32:29institutions

00:32:29was that the best

00:32:30thing

00:32:31you know

00:32:32I told you

00:32:32how I was raised

00:32:33we're raised

00:32:34fundamentally different

00:32:35you know

00:32:36and

00:32:36what impact

00:32:38did that have

00:32:39on him

00:32:40did we sacrifice

00:32:42anything

00:32:42so I was

00:32:43obsessed with that

00:32:44but I was also

00:32:46obsessed with the idea

00:32:47and I've been thinking

00:32:47about this

00:32:48and I want all of us

00:32:49to think about this

00:32:50a little bit more

00:32:50there's not a lot

00:32:52of space for children

00:32:54in our world

00:32:55there's not

00:32:56a lot of place

00:32:57for them

00:32:58to be in community

00:32:59without expense

00:33:01to

00:33:02I mean I remember

00:33:03just going to the mall

00:33:04no money

00:33:05you know

00:33:06just going to the mall

00:33:07and you know

00:33:09and people can say

00:33:11no they get together

00:33:12if you really think

00:33:13about it

00:33:13to get them

00:33:15to where they want

00:33:16to go

00:33:16it's either

00:33:17uberly expensive

00:33:18no pun intended

00:33:19there

00:33:19but like

00:33:21it's really expensive

00:33:22or they're just

00:33:23the space

00:33:24doesn't exist

00:33:24and if that doesn't

00:33:25exist

00:33:25their ability

00:33:27to reflect

00:33:28again

00:33:28see themselves

00:33:29see themselves

00:33:30against each other

00:33:31against their own

00:33:32peer group

00:33:33to experience

00:33:35having a crush

00:33:37or an understanding

00:33:40just how do I

00:33:41even negotiate

00:33:42this feeling

00:33:43in real time

00:33:45in real life

00:33:46I'm concerned

00:33:50about those

00:33:50so these are

00:33:51the things

00:33:52that are

00:33:52sit in my basket

00:33:53meanwhile

00:33:54Judy Bloom

00:33:56who

00:33:58by the way

00:33:59you know

00:34:00I say

00:34:00we become writers

00:34:02as readers

00:34:03and I read

00:34:04all of her work

00:34:05and a lot

00:34:06of my voice

00:34:07has

00:34:08I have

00:34:09you can see

00:34:10the texture

00:34:11of hers

00:34:12in mine

00:34:12and here I am

00:34:16and

00:34:16she's allowing

00:34:17her body of work

00:34:18to be

00:34:19adapted for screen

00:34:21and at the same

00:34:22time

00:34:23so

00:34:23and then I heard

00:34:25that

00:34:26I was like

00:34:26where's

00:34:27are you there

00:34:27guys

00:34:27need Margaret

00:34:28again

00:34:29I want the best

00:34:30for myself

00:34:30and that was

00:34:31my favorite

00:34:32favorite book

00:34:32of Judy's

00:34:33and at that time

00:34:34it was already

00:34:34taken

00:34:35James L. Brooks

00:34:36was producing it

00:34:37to film

00:34:38so I said

00:34:39okay can I see

00:34:39the list

00:34:40and I didn't see

00:34:41forever on there

00:34:42and I said

00:34:42oh shoot

00:34:44who got forever

00:34:44and they were like

00:34:46oh no

00:34:47she didn't put it

00:34:47on the list

00:34:48and I said

00:34:48oh

00:34:48what

00:34:51she's like

00:34:52forever on the list

00:34:52why

00:34:53and

00:34:54Judy didn't believe

00:34:56that

00:34:56the nature

00:34:57of first love

00:34:58and first time

00:34:59having sex

00:34:59would translate

00:35:01to modern day

00:35:02because

00:35:02modern day

00:35:03is like

00:35:04well ahead

00:35:05of what the

00:35:06sort of

00:35:06innocence

00:35:07of that book

00:35:07is

00:35:08so I re-read

00:35:09the book

00:35:10to see

00:35:12if she was right

00:35:12and all

00:35:14of those

00:35:14concerns

00:35:15I had

00:35:16about

00:35:16my firstborn

00:35:18and his generation

00:35:20they literally

00:35:21you can literally

00:35:22almost

00:35:22if it was an image

00:35:23it was almost

00:35:24like I poured

00:35:25everything in this bowl

00:35:26into the foundation

00:35:28of that book

00:35:29and it immediately

00:35:30hit

00:35:30I was like

00:35:31okay if I flip

00:35:31I'll just flip

00:35:32the families

00:35:33you know

00:35:33of course

00:35:33I'm going to make it black

00:35:34if I flip it to

00:35:36if I make

00:35:37Catherine

00:35:37Justin

00:35:38and I make

00:35:39Keisha

00:35:39Michael

00:35:40and I make

00:35:41bring Keisha's

00:35:43Michael's

00:35:43like

00:35:43you only get to know

00:35:45Michael in the book

00:35:46like 30 to 40 percent

00:35:48but it's all

00:35:48through Catherine's

00:35:49point of view

00:35:50like oh wait

00:35:50if I give her

00:35:51a 50-50

00:35:52if I give her

00:35:52her own point of view

00:35:54if I

00:35:55oh I'll get to talk

00:35:57about two different

00:35:57types of black

00:35:58family styles

00:35:59that I'm very familiar

00:36:00with

00:36:00oh I can do

00:36:01above the 10

00:36:01below the 10

00:36:02that in of itself

00:36:03is problematic

00:36:04for any relationship

00:36:05in Los Angeles

00:36:06many relationships

00:36:08have broken up

00:36:08over the 10 freeway

00:36:09in LA

00:36:10I'm like okay

00:36:11so that's going to be good

00:36:12and they won't have

00:36:13they won't have cars

00:36:14and that will be that

00:36:15and oh okay

00:36:16then I can do

00:36:16and it literally

00:36:17just the joy

00:36:19and that's what I love

00:36:21to speak about today

00:36:22that what moves me

00:36:24is now I'm lost

00:36:26I'm joy

00:36:27and next thing I know

00:36:29it's almost like

00:36:29I got paint

00:36:31on my

00:36:32I got the clays

00:36:33on my shirt

00:36:34I'm just

00:36:35I'm in the studio

00:36:36and it just sort of comes

00:36:38and then I

00:36:38and then I said

00:36:39I would love to chat

00:36:40with her

00:36:41and we had a conversation

00:36:43and one of our biggest pieces

00:36:46was why would I make

00:36:47Justin Catherine

00:36:48and I

00:36:50and in the book

00:36:51it was written in 1975

00:36:53the birth control pill

00:36:55just came out

00:36:56it was also

00:36:57a time in which

00:36:59also Judy's daughter

00:37:02was even wondering

00:37:03why when a young girl

00:37:04has sex

00:37:05she ends up dead

00:37:06in narrative

00:37:08and so Judy wrote the book

00:37:10in

00:37:10for her daughter

00:37:12to show that

00:37:13wow

00:37:14now with your future

00:37:15secured

00:37:17in a sense

00:37:17or safe

00:37:18with this birth control pill

00:37:19white families

00:37:21can do what they do

00:37:22more

00:37:23and we have more independence

00:37:24now around their girls

00:37:25right

00:37:26she had

00:37:26if you look at the family

00:37:28in

00:37:28in the book

00:37:29Catherine has a lot of freedom

00:37:32and so one of the fun things

00:37:33Judy and I talked about

00:37:34I was like

00:37:34well that's not in a black family

00:37:35and certainly

00:37:37in this time

00:37:38and she asked why

00:37:39and I said

00:37:40well it's interesting

00:37:41Catherine

00:37:43is the most vulnerable

00:37:44of that time

00:37:45I would posit

00:37:46that black boys

00:37:47are the most vulnerable

00:37:48when at times

00:37:49they have sex

00:37:50one

00:37:51sometimes you have to talk

00:37:53about rape

00:37:54with your son

00:37:55before they can even

00:37:56talk about

00:37:57their emotional self

00:37:58they don't even

00:37:58you have to talk to them

00:38:00about the horrors

00:38:02of things

00:38:03because of racism

00:38:04in our country

00:38:05so they are robbed

00:38:08of their natural

00:38:09rite of passage

00:38:10to enter into

00:38:13who they are

00:38:14they have to

00:38:15we have talked about

00:38:16the violence

00:38:17that their presence

00:38:18can bring

00:38:20or if

00:38:22you know

00:38:23it was an interesting

00:38:26conversation

00:38:27to have with

00:38:28someone that you see

00:38:29as an icon

00:38:30and she

00:38:31and I had a really

00:38:32a really great conversation

00:38:34I think Justin

00:38:35would be the most

00:38:36most vulnerable

00:38:38and so we changed that

00:38:40and then with Keisha

00:38:41in the book

00:38:44a lot of

00:38:45Michael and Catherine

00:38:46swam through

00:38:47the problems

00:38:48of teenage life

00:38:49of that time

00:38:50and I decided

00:38:51to put what I think

00:38:52is the most problematic

00:38:54modern

00:38:55issue

00:38:59in the center

00:39:01of the couple's

00:39:02journey

00:39:02as opposed to

00:39:04the out

00:39:05you know

00:39:06sort of like

00:39:06the supporting characters

00:39:08having

00:39:09the worst of it all

00:39:10right

00:39:11let's put the worst of it

00:39:12in the middle

00:39:13of this couple

00:39:13and see how

00:39:14they survive it

00:39:16and to me

00:39:16that is one of the

00:39:18most interesting

00:39:19opportunities for love

00:39:21is to see

00:39:22who you are

00:39:23in troubled waters

00:39:25and so

00:39:26that's

00:39:27that was how

00:39:27that's

00:39:28and that's how

00:39:28I created forever

00:39:29I could listen

00:39:33to you talk forever

00:39:34flowing

00:39:35just bars

00:39:36just bars

00:39:37but it's interesting

00:39:37you probably can notice

00:39:39when I tell the story

00:39:40my energy even comes up

00:39:41I think that's what

00:39:42I would enjoy

00:39:43and would impart

00:39:44is that

00:39:44that's what you have

00:39:46to pay attention to

00:39:47what makes

00:39:49what

00:39:49and that's where

00:39:50good friends

00:39:51reflecting back

00:39:52to you

00:39:52will do for you

00:39:53is like

00:39:53you seem to be excited

00:39:54when you talk about this

00:39:56or when you are

00:39:57in this space

00:39:57when you lose time

00:39:59like

00:39:59and I'll be very honest

00:40:00when I write

00:40:01and I finally get in the chair

00:40:02and I'm locked into an idea

00:40:03you know

00:40:04I'll be very honest

00:40:06like I can start

00:40:06I can go 8-12 hours a day

00:40:08I could

00:40:09and typically

00:40:10my schedule is

00:40:11I typically don't eat a lot

00:40:13when I'm

00:40:14and you

00:40:14and you're not hungry

00:40:15because you're full

00:40:17it's an interesting thing

00:40:18about creativity

00:40:19there is

00:40:20I really believe

00:40:21God meets you

00:40:22in the seat

00:40:23but you gotta get

00:40:24in the seat

00:40:24and then

00:40:25and

00:40:30it's

00:40:30I was like

00:40:31you know

00:40:31in a lot of religious texts

00:40:32you know

00:40:32Christian

00:40:33Muslim

00:40:34you fast

00:40:35there's something

00:40:35about creativity

00:40:37that you naturally fast

00:40:38I'm very rarely hungry

00:40:41but then I also

00:40:42which is interesting

00:40:43I always plan

00:40:44for

00:40:45you know

00:40:46a meal

00:40:46you gotta eat

00:40:47at some point

00:40:48and so

00:40:48that's how

00:40:49I plan my day

00:40:49I have a little

00:40:50walking routine

00:40:51I have a walking

00:40:52writing routine

00:40:54I journal

00:40:55I go get my matcha

00:40:56I journal

00:40:57I walk

00:40:59I drink a lot

00:41:00of green tea

00:41:00I bring it all back

00:41:02I may eat some watermelon

00:41:03or yogurt

00:41:06but mainly watermelon

00:41:07and then I sit in the chair

00:41:09I lock in

00:41:10somewhere around 5

00:41:12I make a dinner reservation

00:41:13I make a plan

00:41:14around 6 or 7

00:41:16I stop

00:41:17I take a shower

00:41:18I get in

00:41:19I go

00:41:20I have community

00:41:21I have joy

00:41:22typically something

00:41:24when you run back outside

00:41:26something will then

00:41:27spark the thing

00:41:29so when I get back

00:41:30in the seat

00:41:30the next day

00:41:31it is joyful for me

00:41:33it is very joyful for me

00:41:36and I

00:41:36when I recognize that

00:41:39then you know

00:41:40that's yours

00:41:40that doesn't mean

00:41:41that it's always easy

00:41:42to do

00:41:42but that it should

00:41:44encourage you

00:41:45to keep figuring it out

00:41:46and that's what

00:41:48I would want people

00:41:49to pay attention to

00:41:50not only in yourselves

00:41:52but in your children

00:41:53in your nieces

00:41:53in your nephews

00:41:54in your grandchildren

00:41:55pay attention

00:41:57to what

00:41:59naturally

00:42:00is joyful to them

00:42:02and where do they

00:42:04lose time

00:42:05that's probably

00:42:06where

00:42:07you should dig

00:42:08and figure out

00:42:10some things

00:42:10beautiful

00:42:13a point that you

00:42:14brought up earlier

00:42:15I do believe

00:42:16that we are most

00:42:17like God

00:42:17when we are in a space

00:42:19of creation

00:42:19and I believe

00:42:21that we are co-creators

00:42:22with God

00:42:22and I know

00:42:23from the experiences

00:42:24that I've had

00:42:25with your shows

00:42:26I know you co-created

00:42:27those with God

00:42:28because they touched us

00:42:29in a special way

00:42:30that only he could

00:42:31and I think I was blessed

00:42:32that I was able

00:42:33to make it my occupation

00:42:34right

00:42:35I think creativity

00:42:37can also be

00:42:38not for sale

00:42:39I think it

00:42:41you know

00:42:41that there might

00:42:42be a way

00:42:42to manage

00:42:43the job

00:42:45that's maybe

00:42:45not inspiring

00:42:46but

00:42:47be so freaking

00:42:49grateful for it

00:42:50because it does

00:42:51provide a roof

00:42:52it does provide

00:42:53education

00:42:54it does provide

00:42:55food

00:42:55it does

00:42:56and then you take

00:42:57that energy

00:42:57and you make

00:42:58space for

00:42:59the knitting

00:43:00you want to do

00:43:01or the meal

00:43:03you want to come

00:43:04home and cook

00:43:04even for me

00:43:06sometimes

00:43:06when I cook

00:43:07like

00:43:08I make it a thing

00:43:10like I like

00:43:11what outfit

00:43:12am I wearing

00:43:13to the grocery store

00:43:13but it's like

00:43:14no seriously

00:43:16especially

00:43:16farmer's market days

00:43:17I got a cute

00:43:18you know

00:43:18I got a look

00:43:19I got a whole vibe

00:43:20you know

00:43:22and then I'm

00:43:24you know

00:43:24finding my

00:43:25what am I gonna cook

00:43:26and I bring it home

00:43:27and I lay it out

00:43:28some people follow me

00:43:29I'll even take a picture

00:43:29of it and show it to you

00:43:30it's like

00:43:31as you lay it out

00:43:32and you turn

00:43:32your music on

00:43:33and shoot

00:43:35you don't have to

00:43:35drink wine

00:43:36I do drink wine

00:43:37but you can

00:43:37you can pour

00:43:38your juice

00:43:39in your wine glass

00:43:40and be cute

00:43:41you know

00:43:41like

00:43:41you know

00:43:42I got Anita Baker

00:43:43playing

00:43:43and I'm making

00:43:45this meal

00:43:46and you know

00:43:48what's gonna happen

00:43:48more creativity

00:43:51my journal sits

00:43:52over there

00:43:52I jot it down

00:43:54joy

00:43:55joy

00:43:56joy

00:43:57it can be

00:43:57in the

00:43:58in the way

00:43:59the way you live

00:44:00your life

00:44:01can be

00:44:02also the creativity

00:44:03of it

00:44:04in a conscious way

00:44:05like you all

00:44:06like my point is

00:44:07you know

00:44:08okay

00:44:09I'm creating this

00:44:13with you

00:44:14God

00:44:14as an offering

00:44:16as a joyful thing

00:44:17whether you're doing it

00:44:18for your family

00:44:19maybe you

00:44:19you know

00:44:20we have

00:44:21and here's the thing

00:44:23I want to say

00:44:24we probably

00:44:25are doing it

00:44:25the shift

00:44:27I'm suggesting

00:44:28is the consciousness

00:44:29of it

00:44:30the

00:44:33like

00:44:34you know

00:44:35because

00:44:35I mean

00:44:35like even funny

00:44:36it was fun

00:44:37in forever

00:44:38showing our culture

00:44:40right

00:44:40around

00:44:41how we will just

00:44:42go out

00:44:42all out

00:44:43on these

00:44:44prom

00:44:44these

00:44:45the champagne parties

00:44:46but in a way

00:44:48you kind of wonder

00:44:49is that the way

00:44:49that we

00:44:50is it

00:44:51is it innately

00:44:52like a debutante

00:44:54type of ball

00:44:54that we don't

00:44:55typically get invited to

00:44:57or is it

00:44:57what is our instinct

00:44:59about

00:44:59but

00:45:00that aside

00:45:01there are some

00:45:02beautifully produced

00:45:04champagne parties

00:45:05and if you're

00:45:06the

00:45:07the

00:45:08event planner

00:45:09for the family

00:45:10the joy

00:45:12and the creativity

00:45:13of that

00:45:14is

00:45:15is also

00:45:16creativity

00:45:17and in the

00:45:18offering of that

00:45:19how it then

00:45:21will open up

00:45:22your life

00:45:22and your pathway

00:45:24and your alignment

00:45:24for all the other

00:45:25things you want

00:45:26in your life

00:45:27because I feel like

00:45:28when we are

00:45:29creating with God

00:45:30God wants you

00:45:31to do it more

00:45:32that's the joy

00:45:33for God

00:45:34God cannot be seen

00:45:35except through us

00:45:36yes

00:45:37so if he

00:45:38and so that's

00:45:39the way he gives you

00:45:39more because

00:45:40you keep doing more

00:45:41and that's what I feel

00:45:42like I would

00:45:43I think that's what

00:45:44I like to project

00:45:45in my stories

00:45:45even though it can

00:45:47be complicated

00:45:48relationships

00:45:48twists and turns

00:45:50and drama

00:45:50but really

00:45:51if you look at

00:45:52the body of my work

00:45:53it's all about

00:45:54still looking

00:45:56for the joy

00:45:57the happiness

00:45:57the goals

00:45:58the this

00:45:59I'm not saying

00:45:59we're not going

00:46:00to stumble

00:46:00and fall

00:46:01and that's what

00:46:01the relationships

00:46:02are for

00:46:02and either

00:46:03they're going

00:46:04to grow us

00:46:05and you've got

00:46:06to get rid of them

00:46:07or whatever

00:46:08just how we're

00:46:09continuing

00:46:09but

00:46:11let me be

00:46:12clear about that

00:46:13we get to know

00:46:15ourselves

00:46:15in relationship

00:46:16I believe

00:46:18the creation

00:46:19process

00:46:19allows us

00:46:20to be

00:46:21in relationship

00:46:21with ourselves

00:46:23and from that

00:46:24place

00:46:25we will then

00:46:26have better

00:46:26relationship

00:46:27so I do

00:46:30want to be

00:46:31a big advocate

00:46:32today

00:46:33about

00:46:33my

00:46:34ability

00:46:36to create

00:46:37over 400

00:46:38episodes of

00:46:40television

00:46:40to be

00:46:41like a winner

00:46:42again

00:46:43be in the winner

00:46:44circle again

00:46:44I'm telling you

00:46:45I'm doing it

00:46:46with God

00:46:48with the consciousness

00:46:49of trying to do

00:46:50it that way

00:46:51because

00:46:52I

00:46:54recognized

00:46:55in fifth

00:46:56or sixth

00:46:56grade

00:46:57writing

00:46:58was joyful

00:46:59for me

00:47:00I always

00:47:00had a

00:47:01hello kitty

00:47:01journal

00:47:02I did

00:47:04I don't know

00:47:05anybody rocks

00:47:05with hello kitty

00:47:05but anyway

00:47:06but

00:47:08I had that

00:47:09in fact

00:47:09a lot of

00:47:10Moesha ideas

00:47:11came directly

00:47:12out of the

00:47:13I brought it

00:47:13to the writer's

00:47:14room

00:47:14and let those

00:47:15lemons be

00:47:16my lemonade

00:47:16but I really

00:47:18would encourage

00:47:19the exploration

00:47:23of what

00:47:23brings you

00:47:24joy

00:47:24and if you

00:47:26don't know

00:47:27ask somebody

00:47:28when do you

00:47:28see me happy

00:47:29when do you

00:47:29see me

00:47:30acting a

00:47:32certain way

00:47:33I found that

00:47:34in writing

00:47:35I also

00:47:37want to

00:47:37advocate

00:47:38one way

00:47:38to find

00:47:39these things

00:47:39is journaling

00:47:40I really

00:47:40do believe

00:47:41there is

00:47:42so much

00:47:43in

00:47:44the meditative

00:47:45practice

00:47:46in the

00:47:46journaling

00:47:47practice

00:47:47that

00:47:48just

00:47:49journaling

00:47:50every day

00:47:50things are

00:47:51going to

00:47:51bubble up

00:47:51it's almost

00:47:52like I

00:47:52use my

00:47:53pen

00:47:53and my

00:47:53paper

00:47:54as a

00:47:55fishing line

00:47:55into my

00:47:56soul

00:47:56so when

00:47:58you do

00:47:59that

00:47:59things

00:48:00bubble up

00:48:01just from

00:48:02things you

00:48:02might want

00:48:03to do

00:48:03and this

00:48:03is like

00:48:04you just

00:48:04might want

00:48:04to go to

00:48:05the art

00:48:05gallery

00:48:06whatever

00:48:07and nobody

00:48:08wants to

00:48:08go with

00:48:09you

00:48:09I would

00:48:09say

00:48:09thank God

00:48:11because then

00:48:13they're going

00:48:13bug you

00:48:13go by

00:48:14yourself

00:48:15go by

00:48:16yourself

00:48:17that may

00:48:18be

00:48:18you might

00:48:19meet

00:48:19someone

00:48:19then

00:48:20you're

00:48:21in

00:48:21banking

00:48:21or

00:48:21whatever

00:48:22and then

00:48:23dang

00:48:23I met

00:48:24this

00:48:24person

00:48:24and blah

00:48:25blah

00:48:25I'm telling

00:48:26you

00:48:27that's how

00:48:29I've been

00:48:29living my

00:48:30life

00:48:30that's how

00:48:30I've been

00:48:30creating

00:48:31this work

00:48:31that's how

00:48:32I've been

00:48:33that's how

00:48:34I think

00:48:34I've been

00:48:35it's coming

00:48:36through me

00:48:37it's not

00:48:37all

00:48:37these ideas

00:48:38are coming

00:48:39through me

00:48:39they're coming

00:48:40through me

00:48:41you're a channel

00:48:41or a conduit

00:48:42a divine

00:48:43conduit

00:48:44it's like

00:48:45oh she's sitting

00:48:45in the chair

00:48:46she's open

00:48:46I got some

00:48:47stuff

00:48:47that only

00:48:48Mara could

00:48:48tell

00:48:49her way

00:48:49let's go

00:48:50do it

00:48:51I mean

00:48:52even shooting

00:48:53the Martha's

00:48:53Vineyard

00:48:54guys

00:48:55that is a

00:48:57very difficult

00:48:58place

00:48:59to shoot

00:49:00all the

00:49:02other

00:49:02Vineyard

00:49:03like

00:49:03movies

00:49:04even

00:49:04Jumping

00:49:04the

00:49:04Broom

00:49:05which

00:49:05I've

00:49:05been

00:49:05Selim

00:49:06directed

00:49:07they didn't

00:49:09shoot that

00:49:09on the

00:49:10Vineyard

00:49:10the last

00:49:13and I think

00:49:13this is in

00:49:14the 50

00:49:14year anniversary

00:49:15the last

00:49:16movie

00:49:17like we

00:49:18shot

00:49:19we were

00:49:19there the

00:49:19month of

00:49:20May

00:49:202024

00:49:20we shot

00:49:23tech

00:49:23we prepped

00:49:24for 10

00:49:25days

00:49:25shot for

00:49:2510 days

00:49:26what I

00:49:28know to

00:49:28be true

00:49:29is that

00:49:29Forever's

00:49:30production

00:49:30was the

00:49:31most

00:49:32was the

00:49:33was

00:49:34was

00:49:35was the

00:49:36second

00:49:37big

00:49:38production

00:49:38on the

00:49:39island

00:49:40since

00:49:40Jaws

00:49:41narrative

00:49:44now that

00:49:45they've done

00:49:45some

00:49:45non-scripted

00:49:46I'm not

00:49:46talking

00:49:46non-scripted

00:49:47that's a

00:49:47different

00:49:48way to

00:49:48produce

00:49:48I'm

00:49:49talking

00:49:49about

00:49:49to give

00:49:50you

00:49:50those

00:49:50images

00:49:50to bring

00:49:51that

00:49:51to bear

00:49:52to shoot

00:49:53in those

00:49:54conditions

00:49:54to build

00:49:56an infrastructure

00:49:57while you're

00:49:58making

00:49:59and then

00:50:00someone shared

00:50:00to me

00:50:01I think

00:50:01one of the

00:50:01journalists

00:50:02from

00:50:02thank God

00:50:03for

00:50:03journalists

00:50:03shared

00:50:04with me

00:50:05that

00:50:05when they

00:50:06shot

00:50:07Jaws

00:50:07that the

00:50:08cast

00:50:08hated

00:50:09it

00:50:09there

00:50:09they

00:50:10hated

00:50:11it

00:50:11because

00:50:11it

00:50:11was

00:50:11just

00:50:11so

00:50:12difficult

00:50:12anyway

00:50:13my

00:50:13point

00:50:13is

00:50:14I'm

00:50:14very

00:50:14proud

00:50:15of

00:50:15being

00:50:15able

00:50:16to

00:50:16do

00:50:16that

00:50:16and

00:50:17that

00:50:17I

00:50:18had a bigger

00:50:19point

00:50:19I got into

00:50:19the details

00:50:20but it

00:50:20was really

00:50:22for me

00:50:22oh I know

00:50:27what I wanted

00:50:27to say

00:50:27it marvels

00:50:29me

00:50:30that

00:50:31I wanted

00:50:33to do it

00:50:34and got

00:50:34nothing but

00:50:35support from

00:50:36Netflix

00:50:36nothing but

00:50:38support from

00:50:39Nei

00:50:39Ebong

00:50:40and Bella

00:50:41they wanted

00:50:42us to go

00:50:43there

00:50:44whereas

00:50:45so that

00:50:46to me

00:50:46feels very

00:50:47divine

00:50:47it's hard

00:50:49all this

00:50:50time but

00:50:50then it's

00:50:50easy for

00:50:51me

00:50:51you know

00:50:54what I'm

00:50:54saying

00:50:54it's mine

00:50:56when I

00:50:58wanted

00:50:59black love

00:51:00I was

00:51:00you know

00:51:01when I

00:51:01was

00:51:01I remember

00:51:03saying

00:51:03I knew

00:51:05they needed

00:51:06to have

00:51:07sex on

00:51:07Martha's

00:51:08vignette

00:51:08I wanted

00:51:09them to

00:51:09lose

00:51:10their

00:51:10virginity

00:51:11on Martha's

00:51:11vineyard

00:51:12because I

00:51:12wanted them

00:51:13to have

00:51:13a blue

00:51:14lagoon

00:51:14moment

00:51:15I remember

00:51:17watching that

00:51:18back in the

00:51:18day and I

00:51:19was just like

00:51:19and I don't

00:51:21get mad

00:51:22this is like

00:51:22I didn't get

00:51:23emotional

00:51:24I just want

00:51:26that for

00:51:26myself

00:51:27so X

00:51:28amount of

00:51:28years later

00:51:29when I

00:51:30had an

00:51:30opportunity

00:51:31I was like

00:51:31and that's

00:51:32how I sold

00:51:33it

00:51:33I was like

00:51:33it has

00:51:33to be

00:51:34on the

00:51:34vineyard

00:51:34because

00:51:35Justin and

00:51:36Keisha need

00:51:37a blue

00:51:37lagoon

00:51:37and just

00:51:38like you

00:51:38went like

00:51:38that

00:51:39they were

00:51:40like

00:51:40yep

00:51:40and then

00:51:41they protected

00:51:41it for

00:51:42me

00:51:42and Netflix

00:51:44got us

00:51:44there

00:51:45they were

00:51:45like

00:51:45okay

00:51:45we see

00:51:46it

00:51:46let's

00:51:46go

00:51:47we're

00:51:47with

00:51:47you

00:51:48and that

00:51:49to me

00:51:49is when

00:51:50you know

00:51:51it's hard

00:51:53over here

00:51:53but then

00:51:54it's easy

00:51:54for you

00:51:55that's your

00:51:55path

00:51:56that's your

00:51:56way to go

00:51:57you're in

00:51:57flow

00:51:58you're in

00:51:58flow

00:51:59so I

00:52:00have a lot

00:52:01to say

00:52:01I have a lot

00:52:03to say

00:52:03if you guys

00:52:04have some

00:52:04time

00:52:05Essence

00:52:05has permitted

00:52:05us to go

00:52:06a little

00:52:07overtime

00:52:07if you have

00:52:08time to

00:52:09stick with

00:52:09Mara

00:52:10are you

00:52:10guys

00:52:11getting

00:52:11fed

00:52:12up here

00:52:13because of

00:52:16you I

00:52:16had the

00:52:17honor and

00:52:17privilege

00:52:18of seeing

00:52:19myself

00:52:19reflected

00:52:19through

00:52:20Moesha

00:52:20and then

00:52:21I came

00:52:22to Los

00:52:22Angeles

00:52:23and I

00:52:23became

00:52:23friends

00:52:24with

00:52:24Moesha

00:52:24and I

00:52:25really

00:52:25wanted

00:52:25to be

00:52:25down

00:52:26it was

00:52:26crazy

00:52:27and

00:52:28once again

00:52:30Brandy

00:52:32who is

00:52:33Moesha

00:52:34through your

00:52:34pen

00:52:35you and

00:52:35Ralph

00:52:35Farquhar

00:52:36one of the

00:52:38first gifts

00:52:38that Brandy

00:52:39gave me

00:52:39I was just

00:52:40going through

00:52:40a difficult

00:52:40time

00:52:41and one

00:52:42of the

00:52:42first gifts

00:52:42she gave

00:52:42me as

00:52:43a friend

00:52:43because it

00:52:45was hard

00:52:45for me

00:52:45to become

00:52:46friends

00:52:46with the

00:52:46girl

00:52:47who I

00:52:47had her

00:52:47poster

00:52:48in my

00:52:48locker

00:52:48it was

00:52:49kind of

00:52:49wild

00:52:49so we

00:52:51had to

00:52:52unpack

00:52:52and deconstruct

00:52:53that

00:52:54but once

00:52:55we got

00:52:55past that

00:52:56she gave

00:52:56me a

00:52:57journal

00:52:57and my

00:52:58automated

00:52:59response

00:52:59was okay

00:53:00Moesha

00:53:00what am I

00:53:01going to do

00:53:01with that

00:53:02and I don't

00:53:02know that

00:53:03journaling

00:53:03is a

00:53:04practice

00:53:04that most

00:53:05men dip

00:53:05into

00:53:05but I

00:53:06wanted to

00:53:07highlight

00:53:07what you

00:53:08brought

00:53:08out

00:53:08it is a

00:53:08meditative

00:53:09practice

00:53:10active

00:53:11meditation

00:53:11oh I'm

00:53:13going to

00:53:13go do

00:53:13yoga

00:53:14all those

00:53:14things are

00:53:15great

00:53:15but if

00:53:15you can

00:53:15get that

00:53:16pen to

00:53:16paper

00:53:16something

00:53:17magic

00:53:17happens

00:53:18when you

00:53:18begin to

00:53:19commit

00:53:19your ideas

00:53:20to paper

00:53:21and even

00:53:22in the

00:53:22Christian

00:53:22faith

00:53:23they say

00:53:23write the

00:53:24vision

00:53:24and make

00:53:24it plain

00:53:25there's

00:53:26something

00:53:26to that

00:53:27journaling

00:53:28every day

00:53:29for 10

00:53:30years after

00:53:30Moesha gave

00:53:31me that

00:53:32journal

00:53:32I said

00:53:33I want

00:53:34a book

00:53:34deal

00:53:35and then I

00:53:36said

00:53:36and I

00:53:36want it

00:53:37with Harper

00:53:37Collins

00:53:37and that's

00:53:39where it

00:53:39ended up

00:53:3912 years

00:53:40later

00:53:40with Harper

00:53:41Collins

00:53:41and I

00:53:42attribute

00:53:42that

00:53:43to that

00:53:44meditative

00:53:44practice

00:53:45so I

00:53:45just wanted

00:53:45to highlight

00:53:46that moment

00:53:46to those

00:53:47of you

00:53:47who are

00:53:48taking notes

00:53:48and I

00:53:48love you

00:53:49all for

00:53:49taking notes

00:53:49I'm watching

00:53:50and I

00:53:51thank you

00:53:51guys for

00:53:51being engaged

00:53:52I also want to

00:53:52stress about

00:53:53the pen

00:53:53to paper

00:53:54there is

00:53:54something

00:53:55you can

00:53:55look it

00:53:55up

00:53:56probably

00:53:56chat

00:53:56GPT

00:53:57it

00:53:57but there's

00:53:58there's

00:54:00scientific

00:54:00proof

00:54:01around

00:54:02what happens

00:54:03to our

00:54:04brains

00:54:05with the

00:54:06practice of

00:54:06writing

00:54:07to

00:54:07paper

00:54:07and that's

00:54:08another thing

00:54:09please

00:54:09get our

00:54:12children

00:54:12with that

00:54:13pen to

00:54:14paper

00:54:14we cannot

00:54:15lose

00:54:15our

00:54:16connection

00:54:16yeah the

00:54:17phones are

00:54:17going to be

00:54:17helpful

00:54:18but don't

00:54:20forget that

00:54:20there's

00:54:20something that

00:54:21happens

00:54:22and I

00:54:22really do

00:54:22believe it

00:54:23is the

00:54:23fishing line

00:54:24to the

00:54:24soul

00:54:25which is

00:54:27where I

00:54:28tapped

00:54:29into God

00:54:30and you

00:54:32know it's

00:54:32funny I

00:54:33keep bringing

00:54:34this up

00:54:34but

00:54:35it's

00:54:37interesting

00:54:37we need

00:54:39I think a lot

00:54:40of times

00:54:40when I was

00:54:41growing up

00:54:41God kind

00:54:42of stayed

00:54:42in the

00:54:42church

00:54:43in the

00:54:43mosque

00:54:43you know

00:54:44what I'm

00:54:44saying

00:54:44the

00:54:45conversations

00:54:45were very

00:54:46sort of

00:54:46we need

00:54:48God

00:54:48everywhere

00:54:49and we

00:54:51and I

00:54:52think also

00:54:52we also

00:54:53can be

00:54:54all the

00:54:56colors of

00:54:57who we

00:54:58are I

00:54:58think that's

00:54:58my body

00:54:59of work

00:54:59too I

00:55:00like to

00:55:00shade us

00:55:01in we

00:55:01are good

00:55:02we are

00:55:03bad we

00:55:03are in

00:55:04between and

00:55:05I think

00:55:05for us as

00:55:06people and

00:55:07more specifically

00:55:08black people

00:55:08for us to

00:55:10accept the

00:55:11fullness of

00:55:12who we

00:55:12are the

00:55:14light and

00:55:15the dark

00:55:16I also

00:55:17really don't

00:55:18believe in

00:55:18positive

00:55:18images

00:55:19I actually

00:55:19think that

00:55:20they can

00:55:20be just

00:55:20as damaging

00:55:21as negative

00:55:22images

00:55:22and because

00:55:24my humanity

00:55:25is not in

00:55:26those polar

00:55:26extremes

00:55:27and neither

00:55:28is yours

00:55:29it's in

00:55:30the middle

00:55:30and that

00:55:31allow us

00:55:32to embrace

00:55:33ourselves

00:55:33and we've

00:55:35been tricked

00:55:35into being

00:55:36perfect in

00:55:37order to be

00:55:38accepted in

00:55:38a racist

00:55:39society

00:55:39and what

00:55:41that means

00:55:41is that

00:55:42you're not

00:55:42perfect and

00:55:43so that we're

00:55:44going to judge

00:55:44our relationships

00:55:45on other

00:55:46people's

00:55:47imperfections

00:55:48and so

00:55:50that's a

00:55:51lot of

00:55:51what I'm

00:55:51also loving

00:55:52to talk

00:55:53about and

00:55:53I think

00:55:53that's what

00:55:54love can

00:55:54do

00:55:55love can

00:55:56and by the

00:55:58way I also

00:55:59don't believe

00:55:59love means

00:56:00you've got to

00:56:01be married

00:56:01forever either

00:56:02or you've

00:56:02got to be

00:56:03friends forever

00:56:03or you've got

00:56:04to be whatever

00:56:05what

00:56:06but love

00:56:07can exist

00:56:09I think that's

00:56:09one of my

00:56:10favorite things

00:56:10about

00:56:11the end

00:56:12of forever

00:56:13it did

00:56:14two things

00:56:14for me

00:56:15I was

00:56:16excited that

00:56:17Justin and

00:56:19Keisha could

00:56:19model for

00:56:20us how

00:56:22to

00:56:22okay who

00:56:24hasn't seen

00:56:24it before I

00:56:25give a spoiler

00:56:25everybody who

00:56:28has not seen

00:56:28it step

00:56:29outside of the

00:56:30room

00:56:30you should have

00:56:32did your

00:56:32homework before

00:56:33you came up

00:56:34in this

00:56:34mother

00:56:34do y'all

00:56:35want to know

00:56:36the two

00:56:36things in

00:56:36the end

00:56:37okay

00:56:39plug your

00:56:39ears

00:56:40but what

00:56:41it did

00:56:42for me

00:56:42is I

00:56:42thought

00:56:43that the

00:56:43young people

00:56:45show us

00:56:45the way

00:56:46on how

00:56:47you can

00:56:47hold on

00:56:48to love

00:56:48and also

00:56:50walk away

00:56:51that was

00:56:53one thing

00:56:54and the

00:56:54second thing

00:56:55for me

00:56:56personally

00:56:57is having

00:56:58had

00:56:58canceled shows

00:56:59in my

00:57:00career

00:57:00what it

00:57:01has done

00:57:02for me

00:57:02is I've

00:57:03learned how

00:57:03to write

00:57:04so whether

00:57:05or not

00:57:05the show

00:57:05came back

00:57:06or not

00:57:07I was

00:57:07good

00:57:07so

00:57:09if you

00:57:10I feel

00:57:11for me

00:57:11and what

00:57:11I love

00:57:12about being

00:57:13a artist

00:57:14in the

00:57:15business

00:57:15we are

00:57:18we are

00:57:19in relationship

00:57:20we are

00:57:21in conversation

00:57:22so to me

00:57:23I want to

00:57:24A thank you

00:57:25because we've

00:57:25been in conversation

00:57:26for a long time

00:57:27over a long

00:57:28period of work

00:57:29but if we want

00:57:30to stay in

00:57:30conversation

00:57:31I need you

00:57:31just as much

00:57:32as you need me

00:57:33and so

00:57:33I just say

00:57:34please keep

00:57:35showing up

00:57:35and showing out

00:57:36and until

00:57:38this day

00:57:38I would

00:57:39love for

00:57:40forever

00:57:40to take

00:57:40over the

00:57:41summer

00:57:41the rest

00:57:41of the

00:57:42summer

00:57:42I mean

00:57:42Netflix

00:57:43is happy

00:57:43as season

00:57:44two

00:57:44but I don't

00:57:44think why

00:57:45we should

00:57:45stop

00:57:46I'm here

00:57:47to keep

00:57:48advocating

00:57:48for the

00:57:49show

00:57:49and also

00:57:51meet the

00:57:52audience

00:57:52that has

00:57:52met me

00:57:53constantly

00:57:53but please

00:57:55keep watching

00:57:56it

00:57:56please keep

00:57:57talking about

00:57:58it

00:57:58I think

00:57:58we had

00:57:59a lot

00:57:59of conversation

00:58:00starters

00:58:01I think

00:58:02in forever

00:58:02and I think

00:58:03that has

00:58:04brought me

00:58:04a lot of

00:58:05joy

00:58:05to witness

00:58:06and see

00:58:07back

00:58:07to also

00:58:08want to

00:58:08say thank

00:58:08you

00:58:08so those

00:58:09are my

00:58:09two things

00:58:10I've had

00:58:13to learn

00:58:14how to

00:58:14craft

00:58:14even better

00:58:15to protect

00:58:17my own

00:58:17heart

00:58:17and so

00:58:19and then

00:58:20also

00:58:20to talk

00:58:22about

00:58:22what could

00:58:23love

00:58:23look like

00:58:24and besides

00:58:26a couple

00:58:27of goals

00:58:28again

00:58:32essence

00:58:32has

00:58:32permitted

00:58:33us

00:58:33some

00:58:34overtime

00:58:34and I've

00:58:35also

00:58:36negotiated

00:58:36on your

00:58:37behalf

00:58:37a Q&A

00:58:38and so

00:58:39that does

00:58:40not mean

00:58:40get up

00:58:41and run

00:58:41to a

00:58:41microphone

00:58:41still be

00:58:42present

00:58:43I want

00:58:43to pivot

00:58:44Mara

00:58:45before we

00:58:46get to

00:58:47the proper

00:58:48wrap up

00:58:48I want

00:58:49to pivot

00:58:49it's not

00:58:49on my

00:58:50note cards

00:58:50I can

00:58:50throw them

00:58:50on the

00:58:51ground

00:58:51I am

00:58:52distracted

00:58:53in doing

00:58:54this Q&A

00:58:55because you

00:58:55fine

00:58:56you are

00:58:56beautiful

00:58:57I just

00:58:59keep having

00:58:59these out

00:59:00of body

00:59:00experiences

00:59:01like

00:59:01and then

00:59:02her eyes

00:59:03the color

00:59:03of the eyes

00:59:04the gray

00:59:04sexy

00:59:05I'm just

00:59:05like

00:59:05what's

00:59:06going on

00:59:06and I

00:59:09had to

00:59:09figure out

00:59:09a way

00:59:10to acknowledge

00:59:10that

00:59:10because I

00:59:11know

00:59:11y'all

00:59:11all felt

00:59:12it

00:59:12even

00:59:14the toes

00:59:14but I

00:59:17actually

00:59:17want to

00:59:17use

00:59:18hey

00:59:19thank you

00:59:21that was

00:59:21a beautiful

00:59:21compliment

00:59:22that I

00:59:22received

00:59:23did anybody

00:59:24video that

00:59:25no

00:59:25damn

00:59:26I

00:59:27actually

00:59:27want to

00:59:28use

00:59:28your

00:59:28beauty

00:59:28as an

00:59:28opportunity

00:59:29to

00:59:29go a

00:59:31little

00:59:31deeper

00:59:31you

00:59:33could

00:59:34have

00:59:34done

00:59:34anything

00:59:34you

00:59:35could

00:59:35have

00:59:35been

00:59:35a

00:59:35model

00:59:36you

00:59:37could

00:59:37have

00:59:37went

00:59:37many

00:59:38directions

00:59:38that

00:59:38beauty

00:59:39could have

00:59:39taken

00:59:39you

00:59:39around

00:59:39the

00:59:40world

00:59:40as a

00:59:40supermodel

00:59:41Naomi

00:59:41Campbell

00:59:42Tyra Banks

00:59:43Mara Brock

00:59:44you feel me

00:59:44talk to us

00:59:46about your

00:59:47commitment to be

00:59:48more than

00:59:48pretty

00:59:48that was a

00:59:50conscious decision

00:59:51because you

00:59:52were afforded

00:59:53just based off

00:59:55how you look

00:59:55you could have

00:59:56did anywhere

00:59:56you could have

00:59:57went anywhere

00:59:57you could have

00:59:57did anything

00:59:58what was that

01:00:00commitment like

01:00:01to be more

01:00:02than

01:00:02pretty

01:00:03that is a

01:00:06question

01:00:07I want to say

01:00:09two things

01:00:10I won't say

01:00:11too much on the

01:00:12first one but I

01:00:13will be honest

01:00:13about it

01:00:14pretty for me

01:00:18has been

01:00:18dangerous

01:00:19so

01:00:22I needed

01:00:23people to see

01:00:24my brain

01:00:25for a way

01:00:26to survive

01:00:27so I'll leave

01:00:28that there

01:00:29secondarily

01:00:32I also

01:00:38want

01:00:39I also

01:00:39actually thought

01:00:41I could be a

01:00:41model

01:00:41and this is

01:00:43about paying

01:00:44attention to

01:00:45just paying

01:00:46attention

01:00:46I remember

01:00:4717 magazine

01:00:48came to the

01:00:49mall

01:00:49and we had

01:00:50this little

01:00:50contest

01:00:50and I'm in

01:00:52Kansas City

01:00:52and I'll never

01:00:54forget this woman

01:00:55I was like one

01:00:57of the favorites

01:00:57but then the

01:00:58official woman

01:00:59from you know

01:01:01model world

01:01:01said that my

01:01:04butt was big

01:01:05now you have to

01:01:07mind me

01:01:08I didn't weigh

01:01:09much of anything

01:01:09back then

01:01:10and I just

01:01:13want to take a

01:01:13pause here

01:01:14but it stuck

01:01:16with me

01:01:17and at

01:01:20this point

01:01:20I also

01:01:21had a

01:01:22because of

01:01:23the first

01:01:23point I

01:01:23made

01:01:24I had a

01:01:24really great

01:01:24relationship

01:01:25with God

01:01:25my relationship

01:01:26with God

01:01:27came out

01:01:27of pain

01:01:28but it

01:01:30is the

01:01:30greatest

01:01:31it is the

01:01:33greatest

01:01:33relationship

01:01:33and I

01:01:34would never

01:01:34change my

01:01:38life as a

01:01:39result

01:01:39and that's

01:01:40it

01:01:40I allowed

01:01:41it to be

01:01:41my life

01:01:42so when

01:01:43that woman

01:01:43made that

01:01:44comment to

01:01:45me

01:01:45on a

01:01:47practical

01:01:47note

01:01:48it just

01:01:48kept sticking

01:01:49with me

01:01:49so I

01:01:49say this

01:01:50what I

01:01:51believe is

01:01:51what sticks

01:01:52to you

01:01:52is yours

01:01:53too

01:01:53even if

01:01:55it's a

01:01:56bad thing

01:01:56or whatever

01:01:57it's yours

01:01:57to contemplate

01:01:58to look

01:01:59and figure

01:01:59out

01:02:00and I

01:02:02remember

01:02:03there was

01:02:04never going

01:02:04to be a

01:02:05chance

01:02:05that someone

01:02:06could

01:02:06objectify

01:02:08me

01:02:09and make

01:02:09a decision

01:02:10about my

01:02:11beauty

01:02:11that my

01:02:12beauty

01:02:12was enough

01:02:13that this

01:02:14white woman

01:02:15could say

01:02:15that my

01:02:16beauty

01:02:16was not

01:02:18worthy of

01:02:19being

01:02:19and I

01:02:19didn't like

01:02:20that

01:02:20at the

01:02:24same time

01:02:25she's really

01:02:28on his

01:02:28journal

01:02:28but

01:02:29I journal

01:02:31about it

01:02:32it's in

01:02:32the Hello Kitty

01:02:33diary

01:02:33it's in there

01:02:35and I just

01:02:37kept writing

01:02:37and then in

01:02:38English class

01:02:39fifth grade

01:02:40there was

01:02:40this assignment

01:02:41and it woke

01:02:42me up

01:02:42and I

01:02:44and then

01:02:45that's when

01:02:45I started

01:02:46mapping

01:02:46a life

01:02:47for myself

01:02:48because

01:02:49I also

01:02:51based on

01:02:52that first

01:02:52comment

01:02:53I needed

01:02:54to make

01:02:55sure I

01:02:55could go

01:02:56take care

01:02:56of myself

01:02:57so I

01:02:58need to

01:02:59map out

01:02:59a career

01:03:00and I

01:03:01thought the

01:03:01best way

01:03:02that I

01:03:02could do

01:03:02it

01:03:03was be

01:03:04a

01:03:05journalist

01:03:05and I

01:03:07wanted to

01:03:07go to the

01:03:08best

01:03:08I was going

01:03:08to be a

01:03:09journalist

01:03:09and write

01:03:09a couple

01:03:10of novels

01:03:10in fact

01:03:10people

01:03:11oh you

01:03:11should be

01:03:11on TV

01:03:12because you

01:03:12know

01:03:12you should

01:03:13be a

01:03:13but I

01:03:15also was

01:03:15very nervous

01:03:16speaking

01:03:17I

01:03:18stuttered

01:03:19a lot

01:03:19I

01:03:20stumbled

01:03:20over my

01:03:21words

01:03:21but

01:03:22writing

01:03:23made me

01:03:24feel good

01:03:25made me

01:03:25feel safe

01:03:26writing

01:03:26I get to

01:03:27rewrite

01:03:27until I

01:03:28can say

01:03:28it right

01:03:29when you

01:03:30start to

01:03:30talk

01:03:31you got

01:03:31to be

01:03:31on

01:03:32and that

01:03:32makes me

01:03:33very nervous

01:03:33like even

01:03:34now

01:03:34like I'm

01:03:35getting better

01:03:35at it

01:03:36but I

01:03:36don't

01:03:36really like

01:03:37always

01:03:37just talking

01:03:38because like

01:03:39I'll be

01:03:39driving home

01:03:40like damn it

01:03:40I should have

01:03:41said that

01:03:41with writing

01:03:43I can do

01:03:44that

01:03:44I can

01:03:45write

01:03:46until I

01:03:46am ready

01:03:47to deliver

01:03:48it to you

01:03:49and that

01:03:50journey

01:03:51that story

01:03:52of me

01:03:53is how

01:03:55pretty became

01:03:56less interesting

01:03:57and the

01:03:59world that I

01:03:59was building

01:04:00inside were

01:04:01far more

01:04:01beautiful

01:04:02and far

01:04:03more worthy

01:04:04of my time

01:04:04and effort

01:04:05to get there

01:04:06beautiful

01:04:09before we

01:04:10open up the

01:04:11Q&A

01:04:12when you

01:04:12talked about

01:04:13God being

01:04:13everywhere

01:04:14I just

01:04:15want to

01:04:15acknowledge

01:04:16and thank

01:04:16you once

01:04:16again

01:04:17one of

01:04:18the most

01:04:18transformative

01:04:19moments

01:04:19for me

01:04:20in your

01:04:20work

01:04:21where God

01:04:21showed up

01:04:22unexpectedly

01:04:22was

01:04:23girlfriends

01:04:23season one

01:04:24or two

01:04:24Joan

01:04:25had broken

01:04:27up with

01:04:28Tony

01:04:29and they

01:04:31met up

01:04:31at the

01:04:32altar

01:04:32and Donnie

01:04:32McClare

01:04:33can get

01:04:33back up

01:04:33again

01:04:34was

01:04:34happening

01:04:34and that

01:04:35moment

01:04:36really spoke

01:04:37to me

01:04:37as I believe

01:04:37a college

01:04:38student at

01:04:38that time

01:04:39like you

01:04:40can include

01:04:40God

01:04:40everywhere

01:04:41this doesn't

01:04:41have to be

01:04:42a gospel

01:04:42or faith

01:04:42based moment

01:04:43because God

01:04:44is everything

01:04:45and you

01:04:46included him

01:04:46in that

01:04:47moment

01:04:47and they

01:04:47reconciled

01:04:48I believe

01:04:48before they

01:04:49fell out

01:04:49again

01:04:49because of

01:04:50God

01:04:51and so I

01:04:52just love

01:04:52to hear you

01:04:53talk and

01:04:54then be

01:04:55reminded of

01:04:55moments where

01:04:56we experience

01:04:56that so thank

01:04:57you for

01:04:57bringing God

01:04:58into everything

01:04:58because he

01:04:59is everything

01:04:59we're gonna

01:05:00take three

01:05:00questions from

01:05:01this side

01:05:01of the room

01:05:01and I'm

01:05:03gonna try

01:05:03three from

01:05:04this one

01:05:04and then

01:05:04we'll wrap

01:05:05two and

01:05:07two

01:05:07whoever she

01:05:11saw raise

01:05:11their hand

01:05:11first

01:05:12I know

01:05:13that's right

01:05:14in the green

01:05:14shout out

01:05:19to our

01:05:19producer

01:05:19nope it's

01:05:24just two

01:05:25questions from

01:05:26here and two

01:05:26questions from

01:05:27there there's a

01:05:27there's a mic

01:05:28over here as

01:05:28well so we're

01:05:29just taking two

01:05:30here and two

01:05:30here we'll be

01:05:32short

01:05:32hello my name

01:05:34is Janiel and

01:05:36I get the

01:05:36privilege of

01:05:36calling you

01:05:37Soror so

01:05:37thank you

01:05:38but thank

01:05:39you

01:05:39and thank

01:05:41you for

01:05:41what you are

01:05:41to our

01:05:42culture thank

01:05:43you for

01:05:44what you are

01:05:45what you've

01:05:45been to my

01:05:46black experience

01:05:47as a black

01:05:47girl growing

01:05:48up having

01:05:49watched your

01:05:50shows I see

01:05:50myself in so

01:05:51many different

01:05:51characters when

01:05:54I think about

01:05:54forever as an

01:05:55adult I see it

01:05:56from a different

01:05:57number of

01:05:58perspectives

01:05:58I see the

01:06:00adultification of

01:06:01black girls I

01:06:02see how important

01:06:04it is to have

01:06:04the conversation

01:06:05about the

01:06:06interactions with

01:06:06the police as

01:06:07a young black

01:06:08male and so

01:06:09so much we've

01:06:10seen in season

01:06:11one I'm I'm

01:06:12curious to know

01:06:13what are the

01:06:14earlier like if

01:06:15you can give us

01:06:15an exclusive look

01:06:16what are the

01:06:17conversations about

01:06:18the themes that

01:06:19may appear in

01:06:20season two

01:06:20you know I'm

01:06:24actually not

01:06:25going to answer

01:06:26that question

01:06:26I'm going to

01:06:27tell you why

01:06:27and why I

01:06:28think it's

01:06:28important I'm

01:06:30an artist and

01:06:32my artistic

01:06:33expression my

01:06:34ideas are my

01:06:35current and I

01:06:39need time to

01:06:41a craft them but

01:06:43giving them away

01:06:44kind of diminishes

01:06:48them in a lot of

01:06:49ways and I'm

01:06:50learning and being

01:06:51more in practice

01:06:52also to hold

01:06:55them in their

01:06:56rightful place

01:06:57let them stay

01:06:59cocooned let them

01:07:00stay because if I

01:07:01say it publicly

01:07:02it's part of my

01:07:03ego going to feel

01:07:04like well I gotta

01:07:05say I gotta do

01:07:06that because I

01:07:06said that you

01:07:08know even a

01:07:09little bit even

01:07:10though I might you

01:07:11know professionally I

01:07:12can talk myself out

01:07:13of it but I

01:07:14really and I

01:07:15I think I would

01:07:16like to share that

01:07:17as you think about

01:07:17your own artistic

01:07:18work how much of

01:07:21us talking about

01:07:22what we're gonna do

01:07:23influences the

01:07:24making of what we

01:07:25do just go make

01:07:28it just go make

01:07:30it next question

01:07:31hi I'm Kiara nice

01:07:34to meet you and

01:07:35thank you again for

01:07:36sharing your

01:07:36perspective on

01:07:37beauty both surface

01:07:38level as well as

01:07:39the beauty within I

01:07:41think we're in a

01:07:41time a certain

01:07:42season where all

01:07:45of us have light

01:07:45every black person

01:07:46in here every

01:07:47person in here has

01:07:47some light that

01:07:48inherently exudes

01:07:49from them but we're

01:07:51in a time and a

01:07:51space where we're

01:07:53continued to be

01:07:54asked to dim it

01:07:55and our light

01:07:56oftentimes will

01:07:58attract other

01:07:58light but also

01:07:59darkness so can

01:08:01you speak to how

01:08:02you navigate that

01:08:03you're a person

01:08:03that wherever you

01:08:04go light comes

01:08:05with you just

01:08:05inherently based on

01:08:06who you are what

01:08:07advice would you

01:08:08give us on how

01:08:09to not allow our

01:08:11lights to be dimmed

01:08:12or not allow that

01:08:12darkness to stop

01:08:13us from whatever

01:08:15we're pursuing

01:08:15beautiful question

01:08:19I think it starts

01:08:20and it restarts

01:08:21every day I make a

01:08:23I make a commitment

01:08:24to myself every day

01:08:25to get up and face

01:08:28myself my my look

01:08:31for the light in me

01:08:32first and sometimes

01:08:34I didn't do it very

01:08:35practically how I

01:08:37treat myself like I

01:08:38drink lemon water

01:08:39every morning and I

01:08:41notice the times that

01:08:42I don't I'm like

01:08:42dang it I was off I

01:08:44didn't treat myself

01:08:44my best and the

01:08:46reason I do lemon

01:08:46water because it

01:08:47reset it alkalines the

01:08:48system it helps you

01:08:50when you alkaline the

01:08:51system the choices I

01:08:53make throughout the

01:08:53day help fortify my

01:08:55health that makes

01:08:56sense when you mess

01:08:58and you miss that

01:08:59moment I think that's

01:09:00when people around

01:09:01you your co-workers

01:09:02you know other people

01:09:03around you can help

01:09:05reflect light back to

01:09:06you you can draft off

01:09:08of their light and

01:09:08be reminded by yours

01:09:10so sometimes your

01:09:11smile to someone

01:09:12actually does help

01:09:14them re-engage with

01:09:16their light saying

01:09:17good morning to

01:09:18someone and then

01:09:19gratitude I think is

01:09:21the best way I think

01:09:22is the easiest way for

01:09:23me to do it when I

01:09:26light does attract

01:09:27darkness and what I've

01:09:30learned how to do this

01:09:31has been more recently

01:09:32is sometimes I just

01:09:33stay quiet and I

01:09:36silently pray for them

01:09:38in that moment I

01:09:40pray for them I I

01:09:42might just whisper I

01:09:43love you I love and

01:09:44not say it out loud but

01:09:45I might just I love you

01:09:46I love you I love you

01:09:47and sometimes it's a

01:09:48fun game to see how

01:09:49long it it repels them

01:09:53away from me it's kind

01:09:55of fun actually I

01:09:56really highly recommend

01:09:57that one and really but

01:10:00mean it like I love

01:10:01like almost looking at

01:10:02them with compassion

01:10:03almost like they're

01:10:04wounded like to see

01:10:05someone with a like a

01:10:06imagine seeing somebody

01:10:07with a broken leg and

01:10:09you can't do anything

01:10:10you're not a doctor you

01:10:11know all you can do but

01:10:12just feel sorry feel not

01:10:15sorry I don't like that

01:10:16either but just have

01:10:17compassion for them that's

01:10:19a lot to handle if they

01:10:21need to project their

01:10:22darkness onto you so

01:10:23that I would say have

01:10:24compassion gratitude meet

01:10:27yourself with healthy

01:10:28routines in the morning and

01:10:29just commit to the light

01:10:31daily awesome briefly

01:10:35quickly

01:10:35based off of shows like

01:10:46yours I I've been doing

01:10:49it for quite some time

01:10:50since I got out of

01:10:51college but I would like

01:10:52to know what is a way

01:10:54that I could show up more

01:10:56resilient and assertive in

01:10:58places that aren't

01:11:00necessarily fostered for

01:11:02myself

01:11:03I'm trying to understand

01:11:07the question in general in

01:11:08life or in sort of like

01:11:10just in okay so I I have a

01:11:14college I'm a scientist and

01:11:16then I also have a business

01:11:17and then I also have so

01:11:19being a multifaceted person

01:11:20sometimes it's hard for

01:11:22people to digest me and you

01:11:27can take that on so I'm

01:11:28asking in what ways if I'm

01:11:31in a space that doesn't

01:11:32necessarily foster my growth

01:11:34or foster what it is that I

01:11:35need but I'm not in a

01:11:36position to move how do I

01:11:39show up more resilient in

01:11:40that

01:11:41you know what I would

01:11:43I would take a first a deep

01:11:44breath and I would also

01:11:46give yourself compassion and

01:11:50the vulnerability to be

01:11:52lonely to be isolated to be

01:11:55hurt I don't I think before

01:11:58you become resilient I

01:11:59think it's okay for you to

01:12:00be hurt I think it's okay

01:12:03for you to be mad and allow

01:12:06for those feelings to

01:12:08actually think have you guys

01:12:11here about therapy they'll

01:12:12say sit in it sit in it

01:12:14you guys like I should go

01:12:16again journal about it and

01:12:19watch I also I would ask in

01:12:22the second thing I would this

01:12:23could also have in the

01:12:24journaling is ask God for

01:12:27direction that I don't think

01:12:30that I don't ever operate

01:12:33that God wants us to suffer

01:12:34but we do need to ask and so

01:12:38maybe you're you know and then

01:12:42you can also ask yourself the

01:12:43question why are you in a place

01:12:46why do you think you can't get

01:12:49out of that situation why do you

01:12:51think that there's not something

01:12:52better for you well and so I

01:12:55would just sit in that and then

01:12:57you can maybe turn the question

01:12:58to you know it's not really the

01:12:59answers my mom talks we talk

01:13:00about this it is it's not the

01:13:02answers it's the questions and a

01:13:04lot of times you think that place

01:13:05is the answer so you're staying

01:13:07and needing to be resilient in

01:13:09order to be in that place but

01:13:10maybe that's not your place maybe

01:13:11it's the question about where as a

01:13:15scientist I can thrive where as a

01:13:17you know person I think that's it I

01:13:19think we can all learn from that

01:13:21awesome thank you final question

01:13:22briefly please we are over time

01:13:25okay so my name is Riley I'm 15

01:13:28years old and I'm a huge fan of

01:13:30forever my question is was it hard

01:13:32for you to like write a story based

01:13:34off of teenage love like in this

01:13:36generation and you're from like a past

01:13:38generation you said your name is Riley

01:13:43yes ma'am I don't oh yes ma'am it was

01:13:50not hard I was nervous to be honest

01:13:53with you I was nervous to get you guys

01:13:55right because I was concerned that you

01:13:58would write it off not would not feel

01:14:01it was authentic enough for your

01:14:02experience and may not watch it I so I

01:14:06did the question before I did a lot of

01:14:09journaling praying and said hey God if

01:14:11I'm gonna do this hey I need some help

01:14:15so but what I did is I revisited myself

01:14:19I revisited my 15 year old self I

01:14:23revisited that time I was able to lock

01:14:27back in to remember that first love in

01:14:29fact I want to say this ask forever

01:14:31though we're talking about teenage love I

01:14:32think we all want to feel that kind of

01:14:35way about love and I think it's okay for

01:14:37us to say I want that too you say I want

01:14:40to feel that too I want to keep that so

01:14:43what I did was I revisited my own drama

01:14:46back in around 15 16 17 I also had it

01:14:50well documented number two I because I

01:14:56was wanting to meet your approval I had to

01:15:01get my game up and then you also have to

01:15:03staff yourself or and who I surrounded

01:15:05myself with to help me make sure it was

01:15:08right but I my first audience the

01:15:10outside of myself was my son who was and

01:15:13so I also trusted that trusted that if I

01:15:16can I can press him I'm doing all right but

01:15:20I wanted you to know Riley I really cared

01:15:25about you and your generation and I think

01:15:29what you might also be feeling is my

01:15:31heartfelt sincerity about wanting to make

01:15:36some space in the world for you and your

01:15:39peers because I really do believe you guys

01:15:42deserve your rite of passage you deserve not

01:15:45to be adults before you can be children and

01:15:48not just about your sexuality but about your

01:15:52future I want you to have enough space and time and we as a culture as a

01:15:58society need to make room and thoughtfulness around your future and I

01:16:03and I wanted us to be thinking about that so thank you for watching thank you and thank you for those beautiful reflections back awesome to the scientists to the gentleman who we didn't get to I'm so sorry to you was it Riley meet me at the stage I got free books for you guys one of the chapters on nuance and it's going to help you and the rest of you guys I got 20 books to do giveaways I don't know how we're going to do it because we run out of time

01:16:31because Mara likes to share and we are appreciative of everything that she poured out today no it's no need to apologize if we could do one fun thing before we leave and if you could pull out your cell phones I want to do I want to document this moment with Mara Brock

01:16:48I'm not killing everyone everyone in the room it's 25 years of what so you guys already know what I'm going to ask you to do Mara just taking a look can you guys help me sing

01:16:58my girlfriend's my girlfriend's there through thick and thin my girlfriend's there through anything my girlfriend's

01:17:19I'm going to ask you to do it by Mara Brock

01:17:21we love you I love you shout out to Angie Stone rest in peace Angie Stone you guys tweet about this

01:17:30Hollywood house hashtag Hollywood house at Mara Brock

01:17:34I kill if you've got your cell phones out I'm gonna give you one more moment with the legendary screenwriter

01:17:38director producer Mara Brock I kill let her feel the love

01:17:43I

01:17:49you

01:17:52you

01:17:54you

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