E13: Building Resilience for Success in Business and Life with T’Mil Curtis

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to She's Big Time Now, a podcast for women who are refusing to play small.

[00:00:06] My guest today is to Mill Curtis.

[00:00:09] She's a veteran music industry executive who has overcome incredible challenges to achieve success.

[00:00:16] Despite being diagnosed with the chronic pain condition, she has built a thriving consulting agency

[00:00:23] and recently accepted the role of General Manager at Vegan Bay Music Group, a multi-genre

[00:00:29] record label in Houston, Texas to mill continues to define the ox and walks to the beat

[00:00:35] of her own drum.

[00:00:37] On the show she shares what it takes to make it in the music industry, how she discovered

[00:00:42] that music was a part of her destiny.

[00:00:45] Why she had to shift her mindset in order to go after her dreams and she reveals the daily

[00:00:51] mantra that's helped her rise to the top.

[00:00:54] Let's get into the show.

[00:01:01] I'm excited about my guest too is on the show to Mill Curtis and thank you so much for coming

[00:01:27] on the podcast and just sharing all of your wisdom with us.

[00:01:31] Thank you so much for having me, Joy.

[00:01:33] I'm excited to be here with you.

[00:01:34] Well, one of the premises of this podcast is really helping women to stop playing small

[00:01:40] in their life.

[00:01:41] For example, you have done some great things in your life, persevered in spite of some

[00:01:45] challenges and are really playing what I like to say big time.

[00:01:50] So I want to dig into your journey.

[00:01:52] One of the first questions I often ask people when I first start out is what do you feel

[00:01:57] is the secret behind your success?

[00:02:00] Why have you been so successful in the things that you've endeavored to do?

[00:02:05] My resilience and my drive.

[00:02:07] I'm at a, especially now, I'm at a place in my life being in my 40s where no's don't stop

[00:02:14] me and life doesn't stop me.

[00:02:19] So that no mic happened.

[00:02:23] The situation may not go the way that I had kind of like mapped it out in my mind, but

[00:02:27] my resilience says, go to sleep, cry yourself, sleep if you need to, and wake up in the

[00:02:33] morning because it's a whole other day and a whole other opportunity to shine.

[00:02:36] I love that.

[00:02:37] And why do you think resilience is so important for a lot of people?

[00:02:41] Because I do think it's easy to get discouraged, it's easy to get not down when you're

[00:02:46] trying to pursue your dream is easy to say, well, maybe this isn't meant for me.

[00:02:50] So why do you think that that resilience is so needed?

[00:02:54] I'm, I think for me, it's needed being that I'm a believer and so resilience to me

[00:03:00] is my way of saying, God, I trust you.

[00:03:03] Right?

[00:03:04] When it doesn't go to play and like I said, when things happen, life's been life's been,

[00:03:09] you know, we, we three years still in a pandemic somewhat.

[00:03:13] And so those uncertainties are there, but being able to be fortified in your faith,

[00:03:20] I think helps, especially us as a women to be able to say, hey, you know, we got a super

[00:03:27] power and that's super power is who we are and being able to use that and being able

[00:03:32] to tap into the greatness that we are and knowing that we were created with everything

[00:03:37] that we need to get in done, right?

[00:03:40] So we are more than enough.

[00:03:41] We are more than capable and just allowing ourselves to be that I think it's one of

[00:03:48] the greatest joys of being a woman and doing all that I do.

[00:03:52] You know what I was interesting about that I love to tell you talk about that we had a super

[00:03:56] power that we as women have a super power.

[00:03:58] How long did it take you to grasp that?

[00:04:01] Aren't you know that for yourself?

[00:04:03] I'm surprised that I'm pretty early because my very first hero is my mom, all right?

[00:04:11] And so I watched my mom just navigate rules when she put walking in, she commanded the

[00:04:19] rule.

[00:04:20] I would watch her, you know, the the stubborn people or the people that everybody else didn't

[00:04:25] want to work with, they always wanted to work with her.

[00:04:28] She never met a stranger and so seeing how she was, you know, of course we all go through

[00:04:35] that those growing pains but it was really easy to say I'm that because I come from those

[00:04:43] roots and now I'm her tree leaving legacy and so let me help those that are attached to

[00:04:50] me to be the branches until it's time for me to be their roots and and things so I'm

[00:04:55] learned it pretty early and I kind of grasp it pretty early.

[00:04:58] It was just a matter of believing it was possible for me.

[00:05:02] Why do you think that's a difficult for more most people?

[00:05:05] Yeah, you know, I always knew that there was something different about me.

[00:05:09] I've always been the weird, the nerdy girl, you know but it was actually coming to realize

[00:05:18] that everything that I was helping everybody else do, I could actually get it done for myself,

[00:05:25] everything that I was being for everybody else, I could actually be that for me and be

[00:05:31] successful. And so when that confidence collided, you know with the confidence that my mom

[00:05:38] had gazed me, I think the sky is the limit now. Oh, I love what you said that you had to believe

[00:05:44] that it was possible for you. Why do you think so many of us struggle to believe that it's possible

[00:05:50] you said, you know, I was showing up for other people. I was making other people help them and

[00:05:54] pursuing their dreams but a lot of times we struggle with that why do you think it's so

[00:05:59] difficult for many of us to believe that it's possible for us without like getting in trouble.

[00:06:05] I think one of the biggest things are the things that we hear early in life.

[00:06:12] Being an African-American woman, I was told I had to work three times as hard.

[00:06:17] Right? I was told that, you know, it's a doggy dog girl. It's a man's world and you know all

[00:06:24] of those things, it let me to becoming probably one of the best number two that has ever existed.

[00:06:32] Right? I can get behind somebody else's mission. I could get behind their vision and their

[00:06:37] goals and I can help them get the results that they want. But it was like that that fight of

[00:06:46] me knowing I'm good but believing I was good enough for me to be number one.

[00:06:52] Ooh, that's good. And I think a lot of times we do a disservice in those things as opposed to just

[00:06:58] simply building and affirming without the negative connotations on attached to it.

[00:07:04] And so a lot of it had to do with perspective, a lot of it had to do with mind killing if you

[00:07:10] were. Okay. A lot of it had to do with inner soul healing and work and like I said believing

[00:07:18] that the success that I was helping everybody else get, I can now have it for myself. And so I came

[00:07:23] up with a little saying that mind meant my intellect needed delivery. Okay. Right? From, you know,

[00:07:32] our intellect is usually based on our surroundings and our experiences and where we come from

[00:07:40] you know, how far we go. But oftentimes that is so limited in our view especially in a huge world.

[00:07:49] Right? I am a girl from the hood. I am from the south side of Chicago. I'm grateful for my mom.

[00:07:56] You know, teaching me about Broadway and making sure that I was a part of some type of music

[00:08:01] something and some type of art, something and some type of science. But I'm a girl from the hood.

[00:08:06] And so based upon that, what I saw was that by 18 as a young lady, I would either drop out of school

[00:08:14] because I was pregnant or you know, I would have multiple children. I broke that status quo. Right?

[00:08:20] She actually see being able to survive and move outside of the area code. And, you know, I was probably

[00:08:27] one of the first from my area in that time that actually left Chicago to go to school.

[00:08:33] Not community college in Chicago, where you're still at home and just getting on a bus or

[00:08:39] a train. No, I went to a whole other state in city at 16 years old when I graduated because again,

[00:08:46] my mom always had that you can try anything and at least you tried it. And so even with the experiences

[00:08:53] I was having, I was still limited to that girl from the south side of Chicago. So I would see

[00:09:00] all these other people doing. And I realized my intellect needed to be delivered like I needed

[00:09:06] to see beyond my comfort zone. I needed to be able to operate outside of what was familiar

[00:09:13] to me. I needed to be willing to take risk and be vulnerable and just see what the world had

[00:09:20] to offer me. And so once I grasped that, I was able to say, oh no, I'm more than enough already.

[00:09:27] So with the confidence that you have, bro, you come out like a firecracker and I'm just wondering,

[00:09:32] did that happen over time or was it just a light bulb moment that you're like, no, no, no,

[00:09:36] I don't who I am. I think it happened in stages for me. I'm starting to realize

[00:09:44] how much of my mom I am. She just transitioned. It's been six months since she transitioned.

[00:09:51] And it was like at that moment while grieving something just kicked in on the inside of me.

[00:09:59] Like something something came alive that I don't think I realized was there and was necessary

[00:10:05] and was needed that I think that's what it is. You know, I love that and I think about you talking

[00:10:11] about your mom and going back to your childhood. I want to go there for a minute. Did you have

[00:10:16] big dreams as a child? Or did you know what you wanted to be? As a child, I either wanted to be a lawyer

[00:10:23] or an astronaut as a child. I've always loved all things science and so I'm talking about preschool,

[00:10:31] kindergarten up until 4th grade. I made a double from 4th to 6. I went to state champions every year

[00:10:39] in science and so I was so into science and planetary beings and all of that total trekky as a

[00:10:49] kid, I thought maybe I could be an astronaut, right? But I was like, hmm, yeah, I can't see myself

[00:10:56] going up and out of space like that. So I really didn't. I mean, I don't know best for me.

[00:11:03] I don't know if that would end for me. I mean, I probably would do it now if the opportunity was

[00:11:08] there like Scotty and be me up. I'm there. But I think it was just a think of again circumstances

[00:11:16] and surroundings, the situations. You know, like I look at my younger brother, it's only three

[00:11:21] out of I believe it was 14, 15 in his graduating class and he's eight years at young gonna meet

[00:11:27] that it's still alive and not in jail, right? So when you have certain statistics and

[00:11:34] statuses, that against you, I really didn't hit dreams until I was 19. 19 is when I went to see my

[00:11:44] very first Broadway production. It was Joseph and the amazing technical a dream coat and Danny

[00:11:50] Osmib was playing Joseph. I will never forget it. It was at the Chicago theater and while sitting

[00:11:55] there in that environment and watching everything that was on on stage and how it was happening

[00:12:02] in the lighting, and listening to the sounds, that's when the dreams came alive. Not for me to

[00:12:09] necessarily be on stage but I want to know how to operate this stuff. I want to know the inner

[00:12:16] workings of this. You know, I want to see what this is like and so I think at 19 is when I actually

[00:12:23] started dreaming, if you will. You know and that's so powerful when I think about

[00:12:28] and I keep saying that we're powerful so that must be attached to you. So I'm like

[00:12:32] but when I was thinking about that how you're in an environment, how exposure,

[00:12:39] changes perspective, how exposure changes opportunity and makes you experience or see

[00:12:45] something that you would never thought about before. So here you are sitting in this Broadway

[00:12:51] and it changes the whole trajectory of your life of what you decide you want to be.

[00:13:00] When I hear that, that's just amazing to me because I really believe God is strategic,

[00:13:04] you know? Absolutely. And that he sets us up for opportunities to be in certain positions

[00:13:09] where you didn't even experience that. Right. And no, I'm destined for something different.

[00:13:15] So how did you go from seeing that in 19 to becoming a veteran music industry executive?

[00:13:24] I know that's a whole girl. I know that's a whole timeline but if you could take me through maybe

[00:13:28] what were three critical steps that you took to go from that dream to where you are now?

[00:13:35] Three critical steps would be at 28. I was tired of the church.

[00:13:40] By the age of 28, I had been an executive pastor, a youth pastor and a system pastor, a pastor

[00:13:46] of worship. I was teaching doctoral candidates as it relates to the Estatology and the Pauline

[00:13:53] letters at 23. So by the time I was 28, I was burned. I was tired of it. I was over it.

[00:14:01] Like they know the weather that you know when viral, I'm sick of this church. That was me.

[00:14:05] And so at 28, the opportunity came for my nephew to play young symbol on Broadway. See that

[00:14:14] time? Here I am like I'm sick of church. I'm sick of being here. I'm over all of this. The

[00:14:21] institutionalized stuff and just everything. And my sister had two other boys. And so I went

[00:14:28] on the road with him at the time he was the youngest to play a young symbol. And I started as his

[00:14:34] Wrangler. Went from me, band, his Wrangler which means I'm responsible for making sure he's at school,

[00:14:41] for his tutor. I'm responsible for making sure that things happen. And I'll never forget a Jeff

[00:14:47] Kaiser there. Came to me one day and he was like, have you considered working, you know,

[00:14:52] in merchandising? I'm a church girl like my degris is in Christian education and pastorial.

[00:14:58] You know, counselor what are we doing over here with marketing? Then this type of thing.

[00:15:04] And so I started out as a program girl. You know, get your program, get your program here.

[00:15:09] And within two months I was a supervisor in merchandising. That opens the door for marketing

[00:15:15] for me to really learn the marketing aspect and sales. And you know, I realized and all of this

[00:15:22] stuff that I did not know, right? That was at 28. Then at I would say 32 is when my life

[00:15:30] drastically changed and I was diagnosed with trigeminal neurology. It's a extensive neuropathy

[00:15:38] situation. The three nerve branches on the right side of my face, the trigeminal nerves are all

[00:15:44] damaged. And so at 32 I actually went through my contemporary paralysis where I couldn't walk a

[00:15:51] kitten talk. None of that. My then boyfriend was absolutely amazing to take care of me. So I went

[00:15:59] from working for Broadway and doing all this stuff for in a half years to come in off the road,

[00:16:05] boom, it'd be a properly diagnosed because it flared up a little in my 20s, but they thought

[00:16:11] it was like TMJ or stuff like that. I was probably diagnosed at 32 and so I couldn't work for nobody

[00:16:18] from a liability. Like I can go from having an amazing day and at 12 o'clock,

[00:16:23] fame hits and I'm in the bed or you know when the weather is tricky like this, everybody is

[00:16:28] celebrating that it feels like it's spring. No, I can feel that like people with rheumatoid arthritis

[00:16:34] can tell you it's got a rain. I feel it. And so I started diving back into music music has always

[00:16:41] been a part of my life because of my mom and my dad. And so I started like just looking at things

[00:16:47] and realized how far behind gospel music was from the rest of the world. So all these strategies

[00:16:54] and things that I learned at 28 kind of broad and all know over here with me at 32 and at 33

[00:17:01] when I was kind of getting back up on my feet, I started working with independent artists and helping

[00:17:07] them at that time, cities were still very popular and they might have distribution but it's just

[00:17:13] in a catalog and a 50 page catalog you might be on page 12 and the story doesn't know anything about

[00:17:19] you so I started marketing artists to the mind pop stores like hey, joy listen you want Jason

[00:17:26] else's new project because it is absolutely amazing just gonna get the five order the five

[00:17:31] from Central South and then you know we got into the social media age and my space has started

[00:17:37] doing the music players and figuring all of that out that those two situations let me

[00:17:46] into saying okay I probably can't do this even though I didn't want to be an entrepreneur. I'm

[00:17:52] probably can be good at this so let's figure this out trial and error that has now let me

[00:17:59] into the space where I am the general manager of the combat music group and the

[00:18:05] figure of a studio based in Houston Texas so it was like the love for Broadway opened up

[00:18:12] a whole other world as far as production and management that then going on the road open

[00:18:18] up a door to marketing and sales that that led me to win I couldn't work I now have skills I can

[00:18:28] follow back all in that has carried me the last decade up until this place. Wow girl that is a

[00:18:36] story so when you look at where you are now what is it like I know there's the entrepreneurial side of

[00:18:43] you but you're also you know general manager working in this capacity what is that like where

[00:18:49] your days like now it still the ability to be me just with a little more power and what I mean by

[00:18:55] that is shout out to Anthony Hall and one of my dearest friends Dominic side I've been with

[00:19:01] them since they would like I helped them to form the label and and I was done with music I was like

[00:19:08] I can have this I'm over it right and I have been trying to get Dominic to do at least a Christmas song

[00:19:16] for years she has one of the prettiest voices ever as so soothing and so I had helped her start her

[00:19:24] vegan market and put that together so it was probably like a year later coming into 2020 she said um hey

[00:19:33] I read it in a music now and I need you because of my heart for her sure cool down to you

[00:19:41] Stan met Anthony you know this real energetic nothing's impossible person like joy you can tell

[00:19:49] Anthony you know what I think I want to go to the moment oh sure we come on to the moment

[00:19:58] like we're gonna get the Dominic right then as me's gonna build it right and next to you know you

[00:20:03] have this fully functional rocket ready to go to the moment and so just zoom to coming together

[00:20:11] they in the three years they haven't really made moves without you know consulting me I was still

[00:20:17] like their advisor while I was doing their marketing they were called to me what do you think of this

[00:20:22] what do you think of that and so um right before my mom died she was in rehab but I was sitting on her

[00:20:27] bat and I was like mom I don't like what I'm feeling so she's like what are you feeling I was like

[00:20:32] I feel like I should step up a little more with vegan bay because you know Anthony is this

[00:20:40] multi serial entrepreneur and creative and artists and producer and songwriter

[00:20:47] and then there's Dominic right that this artist but but a serial entrepreneur I mean she's the only

[00:20:53] African-American what a serrucy escrow business right and so all of these components

[00:21:00] maybe I should handle this part of them to free them up to do other stuff

[00:21:06] so it was not 10 minutes later like you said got a strategic they face time period about a

[00:21:12] situation Anthony's driving I tell them you know what's what and he just goes you need to come and take

[00:21:17] this over and I look at him and I look at my mom and then I'm looking back at the face time

[00:21:26] and I'm looking at my mom like and and so what are those times of my intellect needing delivery

[00:21:33] and forgetting about the past hurts and broken promises and the amount of labels or artists

[00:21:41] that I have worked with that would conveniently leave me out of the credits and I had to get over

[00:21:47] all of that stuff and heal enough to realize this situation is not that and clearly music is a

[00:21:54] part of my destiny working with vegan bay it's in my destiny to do so just exhale and step up

[00:22:04] and so I've been still flying back and forth but I'm in the process now of transitioning to Houston

[00:22:10] and I know that it was solidified when I actually got an office at the studio that's what

[00:22:15] we got real like it was like I have an office in a building outside of the home to come to work

[00:22:24] okay this is real this is yeah girl that is you know and it's just interesting you're having

[00:22:30] this conversation with your mom you get this message on face time next thing you know you're

[00:22:36] in this role and you said you realized that music was part of your destiny so what is it like to

[00:22:44] wake up every day and operate in your destiny what you know in your heart your destined to do

[00:22:51] it's peace and I know that's a simple answer but hmm should I have had a place in my life where

[00:22:58] I feel like there's nothing broken and there's nothing missing and and because I'm able to still

[00:23:06] do the other aspects of who I am while doing this you know I'm still learning to navigate it

[00:23:13] is fresh you know we're just coming into the second official month so still getting acclimated to some

[00:23:20] things but it's so much peace there that even if a challenge happens I remember my why

[00:23:30] and my why is this is part of my destiny I literally was created for this I was burst in the

[00:23:36] earth ram in 1973 and so there's just a piece in how everything is kind of unfolding

[00:23:48] that's good that's good and just I want to go back to this second just for people to understand

[00:23:53] the magnitude of what you do because they hear general manager and they're like oh we know that

[00:23:59] sounds like a big deal when you're you know working for a music company but explain to me that

[00:24:04] really what that is and the power and the ability in you know what you're able to do and the

[00:24:09] impact you're able to make. I'm as a general manager I pretty much run the label and for me I'm

[00:24:17] really focused right now on strategic partnerships which is joining with other you know

[00:24:24] smart ability style labels like Vivid Music Group or artists you know giving them the

[00:24:29] opportunity be it by way of distribution or marketing and my real focus is that the strategic

[00:24:35] partnerships and keeping everything is float right like if it was to bottom out right now it would

[00:24:41] be my fault like that's the magnitude of responsibility and so just making sure that it runs

[00:24:48] like a needs to run and it operates the way that a needs to operate I think we currently have

[00:24:53] it's either seven or eight artists that is signed to the label so I am responsible for eight

[00:24:59] people's career right now and making sure that they are getting in front of the people they need to

[00:25:05] get in front of their music is being heard by new who it needs to be you know hurt by I wouldn't love

[00:25:11] this year to expand even the more into television and movie as far as scoring is concerned

[00:25:17] and soundtracks because Vivid Music Group is a one-stop shop we have everything from engineers

[00:25:24] to songwriters to producers, vocal producers, music producers working on something that

[00:25:31] bring in a music supervisor we have the vocals that's necessary all the equipment in the world

[00:25:38] and we don't just do music right we do videoography also so imagine the 18,000 square foot building

[00:25:45] that is a multimedia complex is what the studio is so we have a cycle that is you know on site

[00:25:54] um we now have the only atmosphere certified studio by Adobe that's in the state of Texas

[00:26:03] so it's keeping up with the technology is keeping up with all the things that are happening as far

[00:26:09] as music and videos are concerned we have full backline we have a live room the chicken recording

[00:26:16] we have this to auditorium I call it church in a box that you can come in and do but then we have

[00:26:21] the live theater space right we have the podcasting space we have the photography suite

[00:26:29] like literally 18,000 square feet of creative that is girl that's huge what I think about

[00:26:36] that huge space of creative that you're able to not only nurture but put these artists out there

[00:26:43] but also I know there's gotta be a part of your job where you're discovering talent

[00:26:47] so how do you come across how do you know did you also realize that you had a gift for finding

[00:26:54] people because I always think like how do people find votes how does this all happen

[00:26:59] here's a thing about me I have two unique gifts one I can hear a song and know that that song is

[00:27:05] a hit and I've been like that since I was a kid and two literally wait wait wait you can

[00:27:09] hear something and initially know literally I can hear a song if if I could neck to what a song

[00:27:16] to the point that it moves me to tears that is a hit any genre because I'm able to feel the

[00:27:23] story of the song there's something about the sequence of the song that connects to me and I'm

[00:27:30] like that's a hit it has never failed but I can hear and be like that's a hit when it comes to talent

[00:27:40] for me it goes beyond the skill set a start to me has character so I don't care if you can do

[00:27:48] every rift and every run and you sound like edgy James or you sound like people Bryson I care

[00:27:54] how do you treat people when you come off the stage I care do you show up one time right I care you know

[00:28:00] if we send you out are you gonna be a good representation because I think the skill of singing

[00:28:07] can be taught but character can't really oh absolutely if a person is gifted to sing you can always

[00:28:14] get a vocal coach right that can stretch you and kind of find two some things help you find your

[00:28:21] niche you know what keys work good when you sing it up I think you know singer should know

[00:28:27] if I think E flat is like my natural key but if I'm horrors I need to be able to adjust you know

[00:28:34] and things of that nature that stuff can be taught we can't teach character right we can help

[00:28:39] develop character we can help nurture character but you really can't teach character and so that's what

[00:28:47] stars are to me it's that person that can shine that person that has personality because music is

[00:28:55] actually only 10% of the overall pie of what an artist can potentially make right people by now looking at

[00:29:02] your brand they're looking at if you have merchandise and they're looking at if you have visuals

[00:29:07] they're looking at if you are right and do you have a journal do you have some type of digital product like

[00:29:12] it's so much more than just that selling of the single or the CD mm-hmm that that's what helps

[00:29:18] me determine you know what they have starlight quality and how are you finding people because

[00:29:23] are you going on the internet do people find you and submit themselves what do you think is the

[00:29:29] the norm in the industry now for finding people I don't think it's a norm thanks to social media

[00:29:34] you know before you had to physically go to a venue and an event or whatever there are a couple of

[00:29:40] people that I trust them Jamal Smith Jerome Opie and we call her Duke Nicole they will post about artists

[00:29:51] just people they come across there's people that think come across people that they've met believe

[00:29:56] it or not I still have soundcloud I'm constantly looking at soundcloud and seeing what's new

[00:30:02] what's been uploaded you know that type of thing and I think we're in a time where

[00:30:08] it's not necessarily who's discovered but who has time come around for again and what I mean

[00:30:15] by that is I think there is some exceptional talent if I was to use church jargon I think there is

[00:30:21] some annoying to tell it that we're either before their time or they didn't have the right

[00:30:28] resources to back them that time has come around to them again to give them a shot and so

[00:30:36] I will be more inclined if you will to kind of like lean in that direction because it's not as much

[00:30:41] development that needs to happen or I'm looking at that new person who was singing along while

[00:30:49] I was in the Uber and I didn't tune out with their singing tool and I'm listening to them and so

[00:30:56] asking questions and wait you found some people in Uber before? It's been one young man and

[00:31:02] he drove Uber you know just on the side in Atlanta and just so happened stumbled upon him

[00:31:10] because of that and it went to one of his shows amazing talent I think it's just a matter of being

[00:31:16] open because there is no one size for the all now of what works what doesn't work where you find

[00:31:22] the man which is why I tell any creative, any artists if you are an author whatever it is

[00:31:30] should do if you have a product and services type situation if you are a culture or consulted

[00:31:36] your social media needs to reflect who you are because you never know who will stumble upon you

[00:31:43] and then they're going to vet and look so as I look back on your journey I want to give you know

[00:31:48] people some wisdom from your journey so what would you say is necessary to make it in the music

[00:31:56] industry? What do you feel like you need? You talked about character you know that but if you were looking

[00:32:01] at it for somebody who wants to maybe even follow in your footsteps what would you say they need

[00:32:07] or would be some of those attributes. For someone who wanted to do what I do and that's being a

[00:32:12] set first and foremost you cannot be weak that what I mean by that is a person that's easily

[00:32:18] swayed as the wind blows because the music industry has a lot of uncertainties like you have to

[00:32:25] know that your purpose to do this and you have to remember that why. You have to be someone that is

[00:32:32] confident and not necessarily a yes person right be able to stand on your own and be able to

[00:32:38] defend what it is to believe in be able to defend the artist that you believe in and

[00:32:45] like literally stand for something don't being one that's willing to compromise a lot of your

[00:32:51] morals and things like that especially if it's a woman that's listening to me you do not have to sleep

[00:32:58] your way to the top right you do not have to compromise who you are. If you happen to enjoy sex

[00:33:07] enjoy it outside of your career you know you don't have to be a match in someone's belt to get there

[00:33:13] and be sure that this is what is supposed to be because again the music industry is very uncertain

[00:33:22] so so you need to know your why why are you doing this it has to be more than trying to be popular

[00:33:28] and whatever I believe you know part of my purpose even in this position is from me to change

[00:33:34] the world in some capacity to help reshape some things in the industry to help write some

[00:33:40] wrongs and so anytime you are a advocate for something you're gonna face opposition you're gonna

[00:33:46] have challenges you're gonna have a versity so you gotta remember your why which is why I go

[00:33:51] back to the beginning you cannot be weak minded you cannot be weak mentally or emotionally you cannot

[00:33:58] be weak spiritually and you need to have core people that should thrive that will hold you down

[00:34:03] when the days happen that you want to quit you know the days that you want to give in

[00:34:08] you need to have core people that I got you I believe in you I support you how can I assist you

[00:34:15] all of that matters and want to impact somebody there's a him that says if I can help

[00:34:24] somebody as I travel along if I can share someone with a word or song if I can show someone

[00:34:32] that they're possibly traveling wrong and at that point I know my living is not in vain

[00:34:37] and so every day be it somebody comments on a social media post or they call what they send

[00:34:44] an email or a sentiment person when someone says thank you I know I've done what I'm supposed to

[00:34:50] drop speech I'm serious got to touch me in a way just hearing that like you know you're living

[00:34:58] is in vain and so the final question I'll always ask people on my show is what is the best piece

[00:35:04] of advice that you've received on your journey? My mentor Gina Waters Miller she started a campaign

[00:35:12] and that's also when that confidence kicked in and that was beautiful girl you are more than

[00:35:19] that that one little thing beautiful girl you are more than enough and then at the top right

[00:35:26] before the pandemic I started saying a little mantra of trust your delpiness and so I've put

[00:35:33] those two things together a beautiful girl trust your delpiness because you are more than enough

[00:35:40] I think that that would be it that's enough said I think that who I could feel that you know

[00:35:46] I don't know why but it touched me when you said that I could feel that like beautiful girl

[00:35:50] you know talking about your don'tness and you are more than enough and so you have left us

[00:35:56] to mail with so many golden nuggets from today I just thank you for your time I thank you for

[00:36:02] sharing your wisdom for us wisdom with us thank you for having me and I'm excited to see some of

[00:36:08] these artists you know on your record label we'll make sure to you know drop it in the notes

[00:36:13] so if you're listening to this you know how to follow to mail in what she's doing and

[00:36:19] some of the great artists that she's bringing to the world because as she said it she's on a mission

[00:36:22] to impact the world through the gift that God has given her what was your biggest aha moment from

[00:36:27] today's show for me it was trust your don'tness and for me that means I don't have to question

[00:36:34] whether I'm good enough I don't have to prove that I'm good enough I don't have to outperform

[00:36:41] just to prove I am enough trust your don'tness mmm that is a word all in and of itself

[00:36:51] I hope today's episode reminds you the girl you got it going on and if you're inspired by the

[00:36:57] women you hear my podcast please share this with the friend subscribe to the show and leave a review

[00:37:02] your support will help more people find us to learn more about our guests visit she's bigtimenow.com

[00:37:09] thank you so much for listening and thank you for being a part of season one of the show

[00:37:15] I can't wait to see you again on season two