How does your cultural background influence your daily life and decision-making?
To be honest, it depends on how you look at it. This can be perceived as being sad but to make light of things, my foundation of faith (Christianity) has kept me grounded and always coming back to who I am when I feel lost, overwhelmed or need strength to keep going.
What does wellness mean to you, and how do you prioritize it in your daily life?
Wellness means overall health of mind, body, spirit and soul. I prioritize my mind by letting a balance of valuable and entertaining thoughts and knowledge in. My body by exercising and eating healthy. My spirit by reading, meditating, studying and praying on the Word of God. My soul by eating some good ol’ comfort food from time to time.
Are there specific wellness rituals or practices that you swear by for maintaining balance and harmony?
Praying and spending time with God and having conversations with him gives me harmony in life. Reading inspirational and relatable books and articles, spending time with loved ones, going out sightseeing, to parks and coffee shops brings balance as well.
Describe your relationship with food. Are you a foodie, a health enthusiast, or a bit of both?
A foodie is definitely me! Love trying different restaurants for ambiance and cultural cuisines. There are some hard no’s like snails, octopus, chicken feet and such but still can be experimental. I love and have my stretches of eating healthy as well but can’t say I’m an enthusiast of it.
Do you have a favorite cuisine or dish that holds a special place in your heart?
Oh this is a great question! Holding a special place in my heart is American comfort food like baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens, corn bread, fried okra, black eye peas, etc. You get the jist. It brings memories of my grandma and my mom cooking, especially when my family was close and food brought us together.
Are you a sports enthusiast, and if so, which sports do you follow or participate in?
Basketball, more so NBA and football, more so NFL but I do watch some college as well.
As far as what I played, I love basketball, volleyball and running track.
Do you have a favorite sports team or athlete that you passionately support?
My NBA team has been Chicago Bulls since I was a toddler. NFL team is 1st Pittsburgh Steelers then 2nd New Orleans Saints. College football is Alabama University Crimson Tide. Don’t really have a college basketball team.
What’s your all-time favorite movie, and what about it resonates with you?
Not sure if I have an all time favorite movie. It used to always be Love and Basketball because I felt I could relate to it growing up with my love for basketball, being a tomboy and sharing my life with a love I grew up with like that. But now I’m older, and not so sure. However, another fav is « Their Eyes Were Watching God » with Halle Berry and Michael Ealy. I related to it by it’s innocence, purity, endurance and romantic love that was held strong to the end and not caring what others thought.
Do you have a preferred movie genre, or do you enjoy exploring a variety of genres?
I do enjoy multi-genres of movies. I do lean more to Romantic and comedies. After that I love action movies, adventure, apocalyptic, family, gangster, biopics, old films and documentaries.
Can you recall a film that has had a significant influence on your perspective or outlook on life?
A movie that had an influence over my life is a pretty deep one. I can’t really think of one that truly impacted my life. There are a few movies that I needed a bucket to catch my tears but the experiences and people I met in my life have done that enough.
A Dog’s Purpose with Dennis Quaid was one for the books. I believe a lot of times our dogs and maybe cats are meant to watch over us in a sense.
What is your favorite album of all time?
Sheesh! I don’t think I have one! I love Sensual Journey by Will Downing, Be Good by Gregory Porter, H.E.R self titled album…
But I think if I could pick an album over all, it would be The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Very Impactful in my life.
Tell us about your latest project.
My single, Can I Be Born Again was recently released. It’s about the reflection on life, specifically mine, but I’m sure others can relate. Looking back on my mistakes, decisions I made, people I chose to be around, opportunities I passed up, and where I am now, knowing I should have been further in life. You feel a sense of shame and disappointment. There is also a sense of accepting accountability and knowing a lot of outcomes, you can’t blame anyone but yourself. Even when you thought the choice was right at the time. This single is a part of my upcoming EP reminding us we need to understand what love means again, in different facets of life.
