Checking In w/ Vanessa Simmons

Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. Hey, everybody listen. I love I love, I love my podcast Checking In as I love the variety of amazing, powerful, extraordinary guests. This young lady comes from hip hop royalty, right, but she herself did not follow in the footsteps of hip hop royalty. As far as the that side of the art, she is on the entrepreneurial side as it relates to legacy

Thank you.

Hand hand claps, handclaps, hand claps.

I like to say I'm an extension of hip hop. You know, I was inspired by hip hop. I grew up hip hop, That's all I knew. But I wanted to add to the legacy in my own way, and that's what I really strive to do.

Yes, but why didn't you go onto the stage? As far as hip hop.

Is concerned, I've always wanted to forge my own path. I've always been a girl who's interested in acting. I know, being in front of the camera is something that I'm passionate about since I've been a schoolgirl and I've been doing school plays.

So I always I.

Knew I wanted to be in front of the camera, and I was always really I guess sometimes you can say overly ambitious. I've always just wanted to make my mark in you know, the legacy that's already been built within the Semis family. So so always just been my goal to forge my own path and be able to add to the legacy in my own way.

Yes, now, listen, this is my first time being able to speak to you in this capacity, and I know you have probably been asked this question. I'm going to get to your love of stage acting and disclaimer, and we do know that we are in a sag after a strike, and we will respect that, but I definitely want to get into you, Like she said, her love of stage acting, that's a whole different beast. Like if you can do stage plays and theater, you are a lot of the greats started in theater, and we will

You know what, I've never felt the pressure to do exactly what he's doing, but I felt the pressure to, like like I said earlier, just add to the legacy, such huge shoes to fill. And I've always knew I wanted to be in entertainment. I know, I've always wanted to do exactly what I'm doing right now, but come on, the pressure to necessarily be on stage in that capacity.

Yeah, yeah, I was like, I can just imagine growing up like wondering where people trying to put microphone, not not your family, but where people like, okay, you can do this, and even trying to take advantage of who you are, you know, in that in that in that state. So I'm glad to know that you were like, no, there is pressure to be great, and I'm glad it's like acknowledging those huge steps to feel and you've done extraordinarily well. You mentioned stage acting in stage plays all

You early on?

I would say in elementary school I started doing plays. I remember in the eighth grade I was cast as Anna and the King and I and it felt.

Like so much pressure to have this you know.

Huge role and still maintain myself schooling and everything else going on. But man, after all the work that we put in and all the rehearsal, the way I felt on the stage putting on that show, and it just inspired me and I was like, this is what I want to do now. What I didn't know is how difficult it would be to pursue as a professional career. And I've gone through my set of challenges, you know,

I love acting.

So my love of acting started on the stage, and I'm happy to say I'm going back on the stage in a stage play. I'm doing a play called Rotten Apple with some heavyweights in the industry, people i've watched growing up on the you know, silver screen, acting in sitcoms, and I'm excited to join them.

It's an amazing.

Story and I'm excited that I still get to pursue these endeavors and be creative because it's definitely a passion of mine that fuels me, makes me feel alive, Like.

Well, congratulations. Is this stage play going to be stationary or will it tour?

It's going to be in the markets of Maryland. We're going to be in Bouie, Maryland, and in Greensboro, North Carolina. So it's for two weeks only. Hopefully we'll be able to expand and go out to more markets. But you know, I'm excited to just get.

On the stage.

Like you said, we are in the middle of the strike, so things have been, you know, just a little bit different. While we support the sag after strike because I do believe that we deserve certain rights that they're fighting for, but to be able to still pursue and act and be on the stage, it's it's honestly a dream come true of mine.

Yes, yes, coming from where you come from, even my background, I have done acting on stage and on screen. Do you feel it's more difficult or people expect more out of you because of who you are?

One hundred percent, I'm expected to be a unicorn, you know, and I've had to really grow.

I've had to be a student of the craft.

I've been knocked down endless times, had to get myself back in class.

I'm still in class.

I'm always learning because people do expect a different level of excellence out of me because of my background, which can be incredibly tough at times. But I feel like at the same time, it's made me stronger, It's made me pursue it even harder, and just, you know, continue to be a student of the craft. I think that that is very important in anything you pursue, is to

Well in order to be and continue and to maintain being a great actress. You said something that might be shocking to people. What's that you said? You still are taking classes?

Oh yeah, one hundred percent.

I'm always looking up new teachers, new methods, new things I can add to just strengthen myself. You are never done studying with something like acting, or like I said, anything being a business person, being a singer, or being anything. You always have to study. You always have to be strengthening your tool. And in my case, my tool is you know, the craft of active so I have to always constantly strengthen it. It's a muscle that you have

Yeah. I love that. There are so many people that I talk to and I love how one of the tools to success everybody is to all ways be a student, whether that's actually literally in the classroom of whatever your craft is. Like, say, for if you're in a nursing or in education, you are constantly having to go to refresh your workshops or things that keep your license fresh. You have to get resoarchdify it. So even in acting on music, yes, there are still classes you gotta take.

Wait, wait, wait, what you gotta do it? You want to be great, that's the price. You gotta keep learning. You don't know, you don't know it all, and you gotta admit that to yourself. You don't know it all. So I'm gonna keep on studying. I'm gonna keep on pushing, I'm gonna keep on striving. No matter how high on or how successful you are. That's the people that are successful, the people who continue to grow in some way and learn, so that's where they strive to be.

So there are some of us who have no excuse. I know so many talented people that won't go outside of their just talented. They don't like to rehearse, they don't like and it's like, Okay, we'll sit and be mediocre, sit and be average. Yes, this is me judging you. I don't care. On the entrepreneur side of things, I'm a lover of all things hair and I have Yummy Extensions. Yes, you've been in business also with your younger sister and

Well, see Yummy Extensions. People always think that I like own Young Extensions. I'm just a partner in Yummy Extensions. I've been a spokesperson for the last Jesus like seven years or so. And I think as black women like hair and taking care of our hair is a form of self care. I always say self care is how you love on yourselves.

And you know, through being.

Able to change my hair and just you know, look in the mirror and feel good about myself, I feel like that is a form of self care. And I just love being able to switch it up every now and then and you know, feel good about myself.

To be in partnership with the company that long though because some partnerships contractually sixty days ninety days a year, maybe maybe three years, but seven years as a partner with this extension brand is pretty amazing, which means you believe in the product. It's amazing, it's great product. Because there else she wouldn't you wouldn't be the partner for seven years.

It's a great product. And I also connect heavily with the owner. She's always up in her marketing game. She inspires me as an entrepreneur. And it's more than just hair, it's a lifestyle. And I love being connected to them. Their product is great and what they see for even more aligned so with exactly like who I am and everything.

So it allows in connecting and aligning.

Every partnership I have is always going to align with like my values and beliefs beyond. Yeah, it's important because so many things get thrown at you in this business to you know, product, promote or endorse this or that.

You have to make sure you align with everything.

And I completely align with Yummy the entrepreneur and of course the hair, Like I get to do this every day. It's it's amazing. I to switch it up.

I just have braids two weeks ago. It's it's an incredible.

Right looking absolutely amazing. Okay, Vanessa is is about all things self care? Now before we get going on this amazing new wellness platform you have. I just wanted to say I was telling Shay before you logged in Finess. I was like, man, I just love how it. I said, this is just from somebody sitting back observing. Okay. I was like, Vanessa just seems like she is just about definitely all things wellness. Drinking water, yes, and.

Minding how business and being located drinking my water, minding my business, lots of self care.

I am here for it. You know you are a mother.

Yes.

And it's just like people don't understand the moves that are made in silence. That's where the volume is. Being loud, is making the moves in silence. People feel like you've got to be loud or I read in an interview that you did about even balancing everything as it relates to social media. So I just want to say kudos to you, because I don't think people understand like people being out here working, drinking water, minding their business, praying and running businesses and their households.

Yeah, still making there is power in the silent moves.

For sure, there is power the silent moves. Well, this next move, ladies and gentlemen, that she has made ain't gonna be too silent because who she is the founder and CEO of you four euh but it's spelled you for I Ay, yes, all right. It is a business that is here and we are so excited about your new wellness platform, Euphoria. It is a wellness website, blog, and marketplace that offers the ultimate guide to healthy living, especially for people of color. I mean, you are into yoga,

Thank you.

Yeah, I mean, the inspiration behind this community came from my passion about mental wellness, and I have experienced moments of depression and anxiety and have had to come to realizations of like you said, checking in with myself self correcting and finding what's not aligning and how I could be more authentic and be more in the moment.

And this community is really all about that.

The true inspiration where I said I'm gonna put this out there, I'm going to you know, really spotlight and put the attention on wellness came in twenty twenty. We were all locked inside. We were fearful for our health. I had a friend who were quarantining by themselves. They

And I'm even working.

With an emotional intelligence curriculum called speak Life that helps peel back layers of trauma so people can really connect with their authentic self and without judgment, really be mindful and really connect back to why we're really here.

Yes, we need money to.

Live, Yes there's bills, Yes there's challenges, but how do we really spend our time to reconnect with ourselves? And so I'm excited to you know, partner with businesses and curriculums like that, and then also just giving people the information products they need so that they could be living their best self. And it makes me excited because this is stuff that I'm genuinely into.

This is what I'm talking about.

Every day, I drive my man crazy like, well, did you have your greens this morning before you had your coffee?

And did you do this?

Because I want us to be our best possible self and I'm passionate about it, and I feel like it needs the spotlight to start conversation for other people to, you know, really start thinking about it. Having preventives through the pase, you know, what we're even giving to our children, the how we're speaking to ourselves. It's just so many factors, but really simple things we can be implemented into our lives to really just make our lives shine.

And I'm passionate about it.

I'm excited, and I'm just hoping to spark information, spark conversations, give information, and get people talking and interesting and wellness.

And you absolutely will, especially for I know it's not limited necessarily to women of color, people of color, black people, brown people, you know, because we got to start having these conversations about wellness. We have to. We have to, we have to, we have to. It's just now I'll never forget as it relates to the topic of mental health and even going to therapy. I've said this and people have laughed at me, But I thought that that was just something for like rich white people.

Yeah, a lot of people.

You know, and it absolutely is not you. Four Ia now dot com is the website. You can go there right now, and subscribe and register. It's all things wellness. I love. She's talking about gut health. How to ease yourself. This was the key word for me that I saw safely out of depression.

Yeah, just how to ease it.

How we can approach it daily and in a practical, practical manner.

You know, we can be doing to ease it.

And people are struggling every day with life's challenges.

It gets difficult. I've been there. I go there sometimes and I got to.

Kind of real myself back in and you know, focus absolutely.

I want to get people hope.

How did you come up with the name.

Oh, I'm a marketing person. I love marketing.

That's even how me and my sister started pastry. Like my love of marketing started in college. I went to Saint John's for Communications and business and I fell in love with it. And so when I was thinking of what I would name this company, I was just like, well, what do we want to promote?

What do we want to push? And I was like, we want people to live their most euphoric life.

And I just got really unique and creative with the way to spell it, so it can just be a little bit different. Tapped into my marketing skills there and Euphoria was born to live almost euphoric life and without breaking the bank, because that's important.

Yes, making it definitely affordable, because it does not have to be I mean taking a walk, you know, in a park. Yeah, it's free, unless you got to pay a dollar for parking. I know sometimes a certain public. Okay, you might have to pay for parking. But paying for parking can save your life, even as far as heart health, even what getting that heart rate up, what it can do for the mind, what it can do if you are suffering with depression, getting some sun. I am not

Yeah, we're going to be touring and bringing these type of methods and workout classes to people across the country. Coming up Hobably twenty twenty four, we'll get more into that. I just want to make it accessible and practical for people to live a better life.

Wow, Okay, question will you have retreats?

I want to Yes, that is the goal. We want to have retreats. We want to start our conversation. We want to bring in healthcare professionals, skincare enthusias, just all the right people to give us the information we need to thrive. So yes, absolutely, from the lists, tours on the list, I.

Mean I am.

I'm steady building and just really trying to build a an impactful community for people.

M HM. As a woman of faith, do you feel that some people could be resistant to this conversation because maybe the church because of the church or is it getting better the conversation getting better.

I want it to get better.

So I want to bring it full circle because I'm a woman of faith and I know that some people do have some beliefs that may be like, well, you know, is that an alignment?

But it is because God wants us to live our best life.

It's as easy sometimes as just not shallow breathing, breathing from your stomach. That's godly, and then you can add prayer into that. So I want to bring the conversation to be had for everybody. It's not a question of it is a question of faith. Actually, this is faith and action taking care of yourself.

Well, you mentioned breath, shallow breathe, and it reminds me of the word called ruoc and ruoc means wind. It does mean breath. And so every time, you know, we have to stop making things so uh, I would say so like mystical or deep or demonic breathwork is used to even ease anxiety. It is used as a practice in therapy when people are processing trauma.

Yes, yes, these are the type of practices I feel like God.

Put is giving to us. It's not demonic, it's not you know, some kind of scary thing. It's using the body God gave us to actually optimize our health.

Like I said, you can breath, you can pray, pray to God while you're breathing, but He wants us to optimize our way, ourselves in that way. And you know, just taking deep breaths in the morning before you connect your day, it's powerful and it will help ease depression, anxiety and just put you in a more present state, which is how we're gonna be able to live our most successful lives, be our best selves. Is being present, and there's something sinister about that at all.

MM hmmm hmmm, absolutely, y'all. I just love the conversations among the topic of balance. Y'all know, I'm always gonna scream about mental health from the rooftops. I'm gonna always talk about healing any time that I can, especially having the audience. I know my assignment and I certainly know my purpose. I was doing some browsing on your website and you were sharing that you're even gonna be doing affirmations. Can you talk to us about the importance of the things that we say to ourselves.

Navigating negative self talk is one of the key things to actually being your most confident itself.

You know, it can get difficult.

We're gonna have challenges that are going to come up and kind of you know, maybe.

Distract us or deter us. But speaking positively to yourself.

Is literally faith and you know, giving yourself your best possible version of yourself. So affirmations are key to look yourself in the mirror and say I am enough, to look yourself in the mirror and say I am powerful. You know, I am in alignment. Those are things that are really going to feed our soul and it's literally speaking life into you.

So how you navigate.

How you talk to yourself is going to be your outcome the world that you see around you. So affirmations are our key affirmations to something that I literally live by. When I'm starting to feel low or like I'm out of whack, I resort back to it. You've got to go inside and reconnect with yourself, and affirmations is one of those ways to bring that up. Like it's so

Because you say that.

Enough, you're gonna trick your mind into believing it and that everything else is gonna follow that way. So you really sometimes gott to trick your mind, and you do that through affirmations.

It's funny that you should say that, because sometimes you get tired of the routine. Okay, let me wake up and do my affirmations, But I promise y'all. The other day I started saying, all those affirmations that are on my white board. Yes I have the white board, and you do. You do start smiling because I really believe. I even I feel like your feet will take you to whatever your mom says. If your mom says, oh my gosh, here we go with this whole horrible day,

What you focus on is gonna fester, is gonna matterfest. So the things you focus on, you focus on something bad. I guarantee you more bad things are gonna come your way. But you try to find the silver lining and the positive in those things, that's what's gonna come your way, that's gonna be track. What you focus on will grow, So focus on the positives. I mean, you know, worrying will not take away the problems.

Come on, we are you always a person of affirmation or did you have to times where you felt like I haven't been speaking so well of myself.

One hundred percent.

This is why I came to the realization of how powerful affirmations were because I had times of doubt. I had times when I was attaching my self worth to the opportunities that were coming to me, or you know, how my career was going and not not living. You have to really find who you are authentically inside without all of those outside circumstances, and try to find the hope for yourself. So yeah, affirmations is something that I

You don't want to stay dark.

Sometimes you need to have a moment, have a day, lay down, close the world out, but don't sit in that feeling for too long.

Come out of it.

And just when I was about to ask her about what she does us to help reduce stress or anxiety or technique or do you have anything that helps you. I think she just gave us what we all need to be doing. Vanessa. I'm so thankful for you. I'm so excited about Euphoria and everything that you have been doing. Everything that's coming your way, y'all, even stuff we can't talk about because of this strike, but we definitely were so excited to highlight euphoria now. So go to Euphoria

You do change happiness.

Yeah, Vanessa, thank you for checking in.

Thank you for having me. This was an amazing thank you.

You're so are welcome. Thanks again. Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.