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>>> WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. THIS BREMERTON NATIVE WAS 16
YEARS OLD AND LIVING IN A
FAMILY VEHICLE WITH HER MOTHER
AND SIBLINGS, DETERMINED TO GET
THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE.
COLLEGE. AFTER GRADUATING FROM HOWARD
UNIVERSITY SHE FOUND SUCCESS IN
THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD BUT JOB
CHANGES AND OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
LEFT HER HOMELESS AGAIN.
SHE WAS SLEEPING IN THE
BATHROOM OF A HOTEL LOBBY IN
LOS ANGELES THEN MADE A LIFE-
CHANGING DECISION.
CHANGING DECISION. SHE'S HERE TO CHANGE MORE ABOUT
HER STORY.
HER STORY. IT'S SO GOOD TO MEET YOU.
YOUR SO BEAUTIFUL IF I MAY
SAY.>> YOU SO CAN.>> YOU HAD
SUCH A TOUGH START AND YOU MADE
IT TO COLLEGE.
COULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS PART OF
YOUR LIFE?>> DEFINITELY, IT WAS
HARD ESPECIALLY LIVING IN MY
CAR WITH MY PARENTS, THAT WAS
THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW MY
MOTHER CRY BECAUSE SHE IS A
VERY STRONG WOMAN.>> WAS IT JOB
LOSS?
LOSS?
LOSS? WHAT HAPPENED?>> SHE HAS
SARCOIDOSIS SO SHE WAS NOT ABLE
TO WORK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
BEING A SINGLE PARENT WITH WE
FELL INTO THAT SITUATION.
I ALWAYS HAD A MINDSET OF, WHAT
CAN I DO TO GET OUT OF THIS?
WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DWELL ON
IT.
IT.
IT. LOOKING FOR APARTMENTS, I WAS
WORKING WITH MY SIBLINGS TO GET
OUT OF THIS.
>> YOU STARTED AT OLYMPIC, YOU
WENT TO HOWARD.>> YOU STARTED
YOUR CAREER DOING WHAT?
>> I STARTED DOING JOURNALISM
THAN PRODUCTION SO I WORKED FOR
SHOWS ON MTV, ALL KINDS OF
SHOWS.
SHOWS.
SHOWS. >>
SHOWS. >> BUT YOU ENDED UP IN
HOMELESSNESS AGAIN THROUGH WHAT
CIRCUMSTANCES?>> I WAS WORKING
FOR ONE ARTIST BUT I DIDN'T
LIKE THE CORPORATE STRUCTURE
BECAUSE I'D WORKED SO MANY
PLACES SO I WAS THINKING, I
WANTED TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR
JOURNALISM.
JOURNALISM. THEN IT CAME DOWN THAT THE
COMPANY WAS HAVING SO MANY
CHANGES SO I LEFT, WHEN I LEFT
I DIDN'T HAVE THE FINANCES TO
MAINTAIN WHERE I WAS LIVING.
LOS ANGELES IS EXPENSIVE.
THERE'S THIS NICE LOFT
APARTMENT I WENT FROM THAT
SITUATION TO SLEEPING IN A
BATHROOM STALL.
BATHROOM STALL. >> IN A HOTEL LOBBY.
SO THERE WAS A NIGHT WHEN YOU
MADE SOME REALIZATIONS AND YOU
WERE THERE.
WERE THERE. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT WAS
AROUND YOU AND WHAT YOU WERE
THINKING?>> MY WHOLE THING WAS
LIKE, I HOPE I DON'T GET CAUGHT
IN HERE.
IN HERE.
IN HERE. I WONDERED IF THEY WOULD NOTICE
ME WALKOUTS BECAUSE IT WASN'T
BUSY.
BUSY.
BUSY. I
BUSY. I WONDERED WHAT TIME THE
CLEANING LADY WAS GOING TO COME
AND I WONDERED HOW I ENDED UP
IN THIS SITUATION.
PRIOR TO THAT IT WAS MY FIRST
TIME BUILDING MY OWN STEPS
TOWARDS MY OWN APARTMENTS AND
PAYING MY BILLS.
I THOUGHT I'D MADE IT THEN I
GOT FROM THAT TO THE SITUATION.
THINKING WHAT I COULD DO TO
MAKE MONEY.
MAKE MONEY. I SAT THERE AND I BUDGETED
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. I STARTED MY OWN COMPANY, YOU
GET THE MONEY THAT YOU NEED AND
DESERVE, FROM THERE I WAS LIKE
YOU KNOW IT, NEXT TIME I GET
ANY KIND OF RECORDING CHECK I
WILL TAKE IT AND START MY OWN
COMPANY.>> JUST GO FOR IT AND
WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WAS
INSIDE OF YOU THAT MADE YOU?
YOU WERE SHOOTING FOR ONE OF
THE HARDEST THINGS STARTING
YOUR OWN BUSINESS, WHERE DID
THAT COME FROM?>> I ALWAYS
WORKED WITH PUBLICISTS.
YOU CAN LEARN THIS.
THERE ALWAYS PITCHING TO YOU
AND I HAD FRIENDS I WAS HELPING
BEFORE.
BEFORE.
BEFORE. I
BEFORE. I REALIZED I WAS GOOD AT IT SO
I COULD MAKE MONEY FROM IT.
SO IF THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT
DEFINITELY THEN McDONALD'S.>>
BUT THEN YOU END UP WORKING
WITH ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE DOING
ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
YOU INVESTED IN YOURSELF AT
THAT POINT AND YOU WORKED
REALLY HARD.
REALLY HARD. TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR
CLIENTS AND WHAT YOU'VE BEEN
ABLE TO DO.>> YEAH.
I WORKED WITH A LOT OF CLIENTS.
JAMES CORDON, I LOVE THAT SHOW.
I GET TO -- I GOT TO SUPPORT
SEAN COMBS.
SEAN COMBS. I WAS KIND OF ALL OVER DOING
DIFFERENT KIND OF EVENTS,
BIRTHDAY PARTIES, HERE I AM A
BILLBOARD, THAT'S MY BROTHER.
REALLY PROUD OF HIM.>> WHEN YOU
WERE STANDING THERE IN FRONT OF
THAT STEP AND REPEAT IN THE
FRONT -- IN FRONT OF BILLBOARD
WERE YOU THINKING OF THE WAVE
?>> I WAS AND I WAS THINKING IT
IS SO HOT.
YOU DID WHAT YOU NEEDED TO DO
IN THE MOMENT.
AND YOUR MOM OH -- AND YOUR
MOTTO IS SHINE BRIGHT.
SHINE BRIGHTER MEANS WHAT TO
YOU?>> TO DREAM BIGGER.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO GO
AFTER THEIR DREAMS THEY ARE
DISCOURAGED OR THEY THINK THEY
CAN'T DO IT.
YOU HAVE TO DREAM BIG, IF YOU
DON'T DREAM THEN YOU WON'T GET
RESULTS SO THAT IS WHAT MY
MOTTO IS ABOUT.>> IT'S SUCH AN
IMPORTANT MESSAGE BECAUSE WE
INGEST SO MUCH NEGATIVITY ABOUT
OURSELVES.
OURSELVES. KEEPING THOSE VOICES OUT OF
YOUR HEAD IS TOUGH. YOU ARE
GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND
DIVERSITY ON THURSDAY NIGHT.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MESSAGE.>>
I'M GOING TO USE THAT, I'M
GOING TO TALK ABOUT MY
TESTIMONY OF DIVERSITY.
EVERYONE SAYS IT TAKES A
VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD.
EVERYONE IN MY COMMUNITY HERE
THEY HELPED ME.
IT WAS EVERYONE.
IT'S ABOUT HAVING AN OPEN MIND.
IT'S OKAY TO DISAGREE BUT NOT
DISRESPECT OTHERS OPINIONS.
THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE
TALKING ABOUT.>> THAT'S A GREAT
NOTE INTO BEEN THROUGH THESE
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES SO I
THINK YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE
DIVERSITY IN TERMS OF
EXPERIENCE AS WELL.>>
ABSOLUTELY WHERE PEOPLE COME
FROM.
FROM.
FROM. THERE'S PEOPLE FROM EVERYWHERE.
EVEN WASHINGTON.
EVEN WASHINGTON. OH WELL, THEY HAD A WASHINGTON
STATE CLUB.
STATE CLUB. EVEN WITHIN THAT THERE WAS SO
MUCH DIVERSITY.
MUCH DIVERSITY. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT TILL I GOT
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. IT'S EVERYTHING IN THE
WORKPLACE, WOMEN VERSUS MEN,
EVEN IN THESE INDUSTRIES, IT IS
ALL OVER.
ALL OVER.
ALL OVER. ACCEPTING EVERYONE, IT'S EASY
TO CLASSIFY AND GENERALIZE A
GROUP BUT YOU'VE GOT TO SIT
DOWN AND MEET EACH OTHER
INDIVIDUALLY.
INDIVIDUALLY. >> EVERYONE'S GOT A SEAT AT THE
TABLE, FAMILY, COMPANY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
SHE WILL BE THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
AT THE OLYMPIC COLLEGE
DIVERSITY CONFERENCE THIS
THURSDAY, JUNE 21.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE
DETAILS.
DETAILS.
DETAILS. AFTER THE BREAK THE MOST
HELPFUL SERVICES AND HEALTHCARE
SCREENINGS THAT AREN'T REALLY
NECESSARY.
NECESSARY. WE WILL BE