[StrongHome]: You came from a challenging home in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles to pursue your dreams as an entertainer. In the process, you have self-admittedly lost yourself and found yourself again several times, yet through it all, we have watched you over the last eight years remain consistent in one area always…. being unapologetically YOU and fearlessly taking responsibility for your actions! Through your personal evolution, we have always admired your confidence and bravery to be exactly who you are in each moment and allow yourself room to grow.
A: “I don’t live in regret, even when I look back and see how I could have possibly made a different decision. I own my actions and my decisions, and that is how I grow. The reason I can be bold in showing my imperfections is because I have many more strengths than I do weaknesses and a lot more positive than negative that people can glean from . However, that will only happen if they see who I authentically am in my imperfections so that they can also trust their own process and have hope as well to grow themselves. “
Q: Where have you drawn your strength from to be in the public eye and still fearless in living in the freedom of whom you authentically are, and how do you find the courage to be you in the midst of so many opinions and criticism?
A: My strength comes from lessons learned by my grandmother who raised me to be the woman that I am today. I was taught to never gossip, never to “read a book by its cover”, never to judge someone without knowing the truth, and to always be authentically myself. I know who I am, and I love it all. That is more than most women can say about themselves, but it is vital to live a fulfilling life. When people gossip, judge, and condemn others, they often judge themselves as well. Because they are so critical of others, they assume others are just as critical as them.
My grandmother believed in me and gave me all the elements that I needed to be a force in this world. She prepared me for a harsh world. Although some people are cruel in general, being a part of the entertainment world is considerably more difficult because everything that you do is in the public eye, and there are millions of opinions of you made by people whom you do not know and who do not really know you. People will try to tear you down when they don’t understand you or know you.
I sit in my imperfections daily, knowing that I am only human and in life we are all meant to make mistakes. It’s about if and how you choose to continue to grow. That has always been my only option, growth. I live a real life, not an Instagram life. I only choose to share small glimpses of my reality to the public, so it’s silly to take opinions personal when those opinions are based on fragments of the person they think they know. Many of those opinions come from people who are also hurting, struggling, and making mistakes. So, when people think they know me from television or Instagram it doesn’t bother me with what they say because I know who I am; I do not and will not take it personal. Being perfect isn’t real; it doesn’t exist, so I do not strive for perfection, I strive for a fulfilled life while being only “Apryl” and discovering who she is daily.
