When my grandparents passed away in 2015, I grew depressed. I was angry and worried about our “new normal” as a family. My grandparents had been married for nearly seventy-two years and died ten months apart . . . to the day. As I mourned their losses, my mother encouraged me to revisit an important outlet that had always brought me healing, joy, and peace.

Writing.

I have always been a creative at heart. As a child, I would get underneath the dining room table and write for hours. I would write plays and make my cousin and brother act them out with me. I wrote poems and children’s stories — and I won contests while growing up in Nashville, Tennessee. After college and graduate school, I took a creative writing and publishing course in the evenings.

As my first children’s book was set to launch in the summer of 2016, my aunt — who was like a second mother to me — passed away. I reflected on the fact that, in a year and a half, I had lost three influential people in my family. It was heartbreaking. However, that same summer, a college friend from Hampton University and my future business partner asked me to write the screenplay for his first short film. At thirty-seven years old, I had never written a screenplay and I was a little nervous. Anxious and seeking an escape from reality, I stepped out in faith. I relied on my God-given gift as a storyteller — and I did it.

I come from a big, supportive, strong, Christian Black family and one thing we don’t do is back down from a challenge. I am so glad that I didn’t give into the fear of failing because, as it turns out, the film was a success. But still . . . the most unbelievable blessings were yet to come. 

In early 2019, I attended an acting class. On the first day of class, I made a major declaration. I stood up and introduced myself to a room full of strangers and stated, “I am a writer.” Honestly, I wanted them to have very little expectations for me as an actress. I kept thinking, I’m older. I can be shy. Oh, and I have a slight fear of failure. Well, God had other plans. I stayed in the class and I honed my dramatic, comedic, and improvisation acting skills. I also learned that acting made me a better writer and overall filmmaker.

My classmates and partner kept pouring into me, and that little creative girl inside of me came bursting out. I was so focused on my new craft that by October 2019, I had agreed to do one of the scariest things I had ever done in my life. After weeks of rehearsing, crying, second-guessing myself, and finally finding my confidence, I participated in an Advanced Acting Showcase in front of a live audience comprised of casting directors, agents, fellow actors, acting coaches, and friends. I was proud of myself and felt so alive on stage!

When the showcase ended, a major talent agency approached me and invited me to audition for them. I started to wonder, Do they know how old I am? I mean, Black don’t crack but I am definitely not in my twenties. Truth be told, I had just gracefully exited my thirties three months prior. But none of that mattered. They saw my talent and, just one month later, I was signed as an actress.

The very next year, I booked my first commercial. Over the next few years, I acted in more commercials, short films (one of which is the award-winning short film Glitter Ain’t Gold), a web series, and an episode of ABC’s The Wonder Years. In 2023, I made my big screen debut as Olivia, Celie’s daughter, in The Color Purple.

I am a witness to the statement, age ain’t nothing but a number. Life doesn’t stop because you hit a certain age. As long as you have breath in your body, passion in your heart, and a gift to share, you owe it to yourself — and those who will be inspired by your story — to step out in faith and try.