Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. I'm your host, Coleen Witt, and today we have very special guests. World renowned dancer in the Building and founder owner of wellness brand be Greater Than in the Building, Ashley Everett. Yeah, yes, thanks for having me girl. Yeah, I was here. I was excited. I was on a phone call with a friend and he was like, have you had Ashley on the show? And I was like, actually, what what? And then I heard a little bit of
Beehi was involved. I said, yes, we gotta have her. We gotta find out what your story is. I think just saying you started with Beyonce. Yeah, we should never ever scratch that narrative that never doesn't exist wild right.
Yeah, but seventeen at seventeen seventeen.
Oh my god. I can't wait to get into this story. But before we get into the story, I must know what you're gonna have me eating today.
Oh my gosh, girl, we are making iconic ramen noodles iconic. Yeah, but it's elevated.
It's elevated, yeah, because you know, we don't allow just ramen on the show. We are anti ramen. After what seventy five episodes. No, you can't just submit ramen and beyond package. I literally send an email back like no, no, no, no, what are you doing to the rock? Yeah, we're elevating, So what are you doing to elevate your ramen.
We're adding some chicken. We're gonna like, grill it up, well, skill it, skill it up. And then we're gonna add a harboiled egg if you like eggs. I like to add a little green and they're a little vegetable of some soor either cabbage or spinach. And then we have some corn. I love corn. I hear there's no benefits to it, but I love corn.
I absolutely love corn. And every time someone tries to tell me how terrible corn is and how it doesn't benefit.
Us and do anything, first, it's not bad for us. So either it's not good, not bad, and just I.
Guess it's good. It goes in and out the same way, but or the whatever, not that we want to think about that right now. But I will say that after living in La, the way LA does corn is very unique. I remember the first time someone did the corn with the mao and the butter and the parmesan cheese. I was like, y'all crazy. I took one bite and I say, well, Craig, I know, I get another one.
I know. And it's so popular out here. It's so popular.
I literally like there would be days where I'll be driving through the streets like where are you? Where are yo?
Yo?
And I always tell people like never to haggle the street vendors, because if you do the research on those street vendors, they're not even making like one hundred dollars iron profit, Like they're really struggling.
I know. So I'm always looking it for the passion and yeah, should I get started?
Yes? Started? Okay, got started. So while you're making this elevated ramen, take me back to either when you was eating ramen before it became elevated, you know, before you became the chef of you know, I've had ramen so many times I gotta elevate it. Take me back to what was going on then.
Oh my gosh, well, I mean I've been eating ramen noodles probably like my entire life. You know, I'm a dancers before like anything, you're an entrepreneur before model, actor, any of that.
I'm a dancer. I evehancer since I was two.
Yeah. See. And you know the reason why we're doing ramen is because a lot of people think, like when you're on tour with a superstar and like life is like all this glitz and glam and luxury all the time.
That's what I'd be thinking. I'd be like, what should mean natal show? But like they give you like a don't they give you what do they call it? The little budget?
Every day? Oh?
Per dimn per dim? Yeah, do you get those?
But you but it's like that's for breakfast, lunch and dinner for you to feed yourself every day. So you know, it's like depending on where you are, like a norm p dem is like seventy five to maybe one hundred, maybe one hundred and fifty if you're like overseas somewhere a day, you know, so breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
So they're like simple meals.
You know. Everything else is on your own. And we eat a lot of ramen. We're on tour buses a lot. We're like backstage a lot, but we like live on the tour bus on the roads.
Oh my gosh. And you're limited there, girl.
We don't have all this. We don't have a stove, We only got the microwave, and like, you know, whatever couldie get into the fridge, you know all that. So I ate a lot of Ramen noodles in my early tour days. Wow. So and then as we got older and all that, Like once we got home, I still liked Ramen noodles. You know, that's like a quick go to meal line. But we learned how to like elevate it. Yeah, started adding the kitchen of course. Of course I love hearing people's remakes on ramen.
Yeah. So you started dancing at the age of two. I started when I was too. I'm guessing your mom or who who was the one that was like, we're gonna put your little booty in ballet.
My mom yep, put me in ballet at two two and a half. And she like comes from the art she I say, she like vicariously lives through me. She's like my biggest fan. She's gonna start following you after this. She's gonna be all over reposting everything like she's I love that. Yeah.
Okay, So are you an only childer?
No, I'm the only girl though, okay, and I'm the baby okay, Okay. That's also like why I'm a little tomboyish, you know, Okay, but yeah, so she put me in dance because she always like wanted to dance and wanted to sing, dance, act all of that. I took her to the Michael Jackson musical, which is here.
In La Shall see It? Is it really good?
It's so good, girl, and she loved and she was like, if I could do this right now at my age, I would get up there and sing and dance in this ensemble.
I'm like, oh, I love Dang. I don't even know that's happened. I'm gonna look. I'm gonna look it up now.
Yeah, you gotta go see a girl, it's so good.
Should I start with this? Yeah, go ahead, start start with the chicken. And I'm yeah, you guys, we're just cooking. We're just we're cooking. We're like too homegirls. Yeah, hang, is this on? I don't know did you turn it on?
I did turn it on.
Okay, it's for me. It's electric, it's I know, I don't have that fire girl. Yeah, that's the fans stuff. This was originally when we designed the table, I thought we were just gonna pop up on people's backyards with the table and shoot at they houses and stuff. I didn't really have a full plan on how we're gonna do eating while broke. I just knew we needed a cook top, and uh, that's how we did that. But we're making it work. So your mom's having you do all the arty things.
Yeah. She put me in dance when I was young, and I just like fell in love with it. I started with ballet, and I was like that quiet girl, the student, just like focused, you know, paying attention, like wanting to learn. I loved it, and I think I naturally, like was decent at it. And then when I was like when did I start traveling around like thirteen, No, maybe it was a little younger, like twelve, I started doing summer intensives and that it's like really in ballet
or in ballet modern. I did competitions like growing up too, So that was like where the hip hop and the jazz and the tap and all the other styles came in. So I would do nutcrackers during the winter and competitions during the spring, and that was like my dance life, like reality, you know, it was like my job as a kid.
And your mom was fully invested in taking you around and.
From that Yep, to stay at home mom just in it.
You know, she was in it. She was invested invested. Was it ever hard on you dealing with a mom that was like really that in it?
No, she was never like a crazy dance mom like the abby knees and all that. Yeah, she was never crazy like that. Okay, I'm gonna do just like a few little pieces, okay are.
Yeah you could it for both of us.
They didn't tell you. Yeah, yeah, I mean I don't know. You might be like vegan or something grown now on the one egg so well, that's what I say.
It's that hard boiled egg. So I've pre boiled that right before you came to I was trying to help you out. But no, I get to rate the it's just this, oh lord, yeah, not rating. It's funny because I look at I have a two year old daughter, and I know her little best friend at school does ballet, and I'm like, are they old enough to really understand it that age what they're doing? Yeah, at ballet, you know. But it's interesting you started.
It teaches you like discipline, you know, and like how to follow, and like I just think, yeah, I just think it teaches yah, that's what you know. I have this conversation a lot because I have nieces and nephews. I don't have any children, but nieces and nephews, and
I feel like they're older. They're like in their teens and stuff like seventeen fifteen, and I feel like they don't They're like if they're not into anything, they're like, it's it's crazy, girl, Like they need to be involved in something, you know, so like I already here to tell me that at the other day early or like a sport or whatever teaches them discipline, like and then
once them. I feel like that that's why I'm so disciplined, Like and I can like I know how to like make myself disciplined or like, you know, I'm a hard worker, like I will work hard and blood, sweat, tears, you know, like all of that.
So I didn't know, did you did you ask your mom like was it like she saw you dancing? I know I'm getting all stuck into the details, but I'm genuinely curious. Did she notice you were into like music and then she puts you in or was it like.
No, I want to just put me in it, Okay, Hoping I liked it okay, and I did awesome.
You know. So you're doing all these competitions and you're doing different types of dance.
Yep, this is like all in my younger years, is there?
And were you watching the like, say the Last Dance, Oh my god, all that because those boys would make you want to dance, right.
Save the Last Dance was like wanted, like I that's why. So I don't know if you know this, but I was about to go to Juilliard. Julia was like a dream of mine, and that's like the story of Save the Last Dance. She like wants to go to Julliard, but then like starts doing hip hop and like all this was like a ballet girl. And I'm like that was me because I was like a ballet girl. But then I like would do hip hop. Two and I went to Juilliard summer intensive when I was sixteen.
I auditioned for the college.
When I was seventeen, I got accepted, and then I auditioned for Beyonce's tour and went on tour at seventeen and I was like, oh, okay, so we still in high school. I was still in high school. I went to high school in New York City called Professional Children's School that like it was all professional children like ice skaters, actors, ballet dancers, you know, musicians, and they like allowed us
to leave school to work. And so I got that job and it was like alignment, girl, like boo picked alignment.
Did you have the job before you went to the school or did y'all?
I moved to New York at sixteen. My parents put me in private school for the first time ever. Professional children at school, well made them want to move. You. They saw my potential and they took when they moved, the whole family. Yeah, my well, my parents are in real estate, so just my mom and I moved. My dad like came with us, set us up, and then he moved back home and like kept raising my brother who was eighteen but just had like graduated from high
school and stuff. Okay when I was sixteen, And so it was like the sacrifice of the family for my career.
And they really believed in you. Did you feel any type of pressure with that level of belief in you?
You know, I don't think I realized I did, but maybe I did now looking back, you know, And that's why I like phil like if these kids now I'm like, y'all need to be in something. Don't you want to make us proud? Like, yeah, they wanted to make my parents proud because they believed in me so much. And now that we're having this conversation, I'm like, oh, maybe I was like pressuring myself. Even still, I'm like, I owe them so much.
Yeah, are you getting a most rye? You're now like I can't watch people die. That's the way because I thought about parents growl be like I waited so much for me. That's so sweet.
Well, cooking and crying, this isn't it. This is a show girl cooking cry.
I love when it sounds terrible, but I love when people cry on the show because I think there's it's like you're taking it because you said it before, and I was like, but I think it's because you're like the cool thing about the whole eating while broke experience. It's like, I'm trying to get you back into that like seat of the beginning you are. Really here's a little tissue.
I know, girl, I know I started to thank you so when you started.
So you get into this school, your parents get you into the school, A team effort gets you into the school. Yeah, and they and a book Beyonce. Uh, how what year was that? What what Beyonce album was going on at that time?
Because I this is the B Day album. That's like when I that was.
The whole to the Left to the Left, No, then the box is irreplaceable. It was. Yeah, I think there was a bunch of great records.
It was.
I'm a diehard jay Z fan. So and my twin sister is a die hard Beyonce fan, which is kind of weird because they're together now, but like, I was always a diehard Jane and then he gets with Beyonce and now she's like, you ain't listening to Beyonce record. I'm like, you ain't listen to day Z record?
Yeah? Did you guys go to on the Run?
On the Run? No, I mean I've only been to one jay Z concert. That's it. I mean, I'll be having money. My money is always funny.
Girl. One of the things that I like love the brag about is like I can say I was a jay Z dancer, Like that's.
Cool to me because hell, yeah, you.
Have one of the coolest people. I named my dog after him, like his name is so really Yeah, I think it's like one of the coolest people ever really, so yeah, he's like just so smart too, and like really nice, like a really nice guy.
So yeah. Yeah, and always like been consistent consistent you mean consistent in character. Yeah, and like with me to me personally, because really speaking personally. But yeah, you know I have I brag about I say this on almost every episode, but I have an original, one of a kind painting of jay Z in the lobby, oh my little tiny lobby. You'll look at it afterwards be like, oh, that's true. I got it customized. I got it custom made when I was like twenty four. Yeah, it's huge
by who my mom. I was like, Mom, I'll pay you whatever if you can make this painting on a five foot canvas for me. And then she didn't ship it to me till like four years later after I bought my first house. Oh my gosh. Yeah, so shout outs it's it's one of a kind. She always calls me, you know, Jay would buy it. I'm like, Mom, this is I don't even got real quick. Yeah, yeah, you fast with it.
I'm only doing that amount of chicken how much you want you want some none of I.
Mean it's okay. It's okay because you know what we're going to be hearing your story. You got you. It sounds like you have a lot of stories.
I'll be like, what are YOUULTI tasking girls? Sometimes I'd be like, scatter right.
Where are you when you find out that you? First of all, where are you when you I want to know what's going on in your head when you're auditioning, But I also want to know where you were when you found out you booked it.
I was at home when I found out I booked at home meeting in New York because I had moved to New yor sixteen end of six I'm.
And they knew you were a seventeen year old.
They eventually knew I was seventeen year old. I don't think like when I was first auditioning, they knew once they like wanted to book me and stuff. They like asked me how old I was, and like, you know what my situation was because I lived in New York and they first they asked me to fly to LA and shoot a bunch of music videos and that was the B Day album, my first music video ever in my first job, like with her was they Get Me Bodied music video O Kaind of that song.
How does It Go?
Oh? Were doing me tonight?
I never hurt nobody. I remember that video.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So I'm in that video. And then like two days later, I shot the green Light music video and they put me like right next to her, and I remember on set everybody kept just saying, like, you guys really like resemble each other. Our hair was slicked back in a bun and were like standing like at side by side, like or like in a line profile, and everybody was like, you guys just resemble each other,
Like are you related? And said whatever and so, and I remember her mom saying that she was like on set that was when she was doing wardrobe and stuff like that. And yeah, I just remember them my saying yeah about me on that set. And so after those music videos, I went back to New York and got a call to be a part of the tour. That's like how the tour stuff like started. And then I went on tour. This is at the top of seven,
my senior year of high school. But I went to the professional children's school that allowed me to like leave school and work and go on tour. I came back in June. I graduated, walked in my class, caught up on my school work, went back on tour, and then dropped out of my dream college because tour.
Was oh dream college of Juilliard.
Juilliard, Yeah, get.
The freak out.
Dropped out because I was enrolled, girl, I was enrolled. I was supposed to start like September seventh or something. I remember like very vividly, and I dropped out like the first, like literally a week before. I'm not mad because the spot actually went to a friend of mine who also was another dancer in New York, and I was like, great, that's cool. She is also black. I was like okay, because that's only like one of us
at the time. It's always like one little token. And then I went back on tour for like a month and then was like, now what with my career? Now? What do you do? Oh?
What were your parents saying too? When you're like, were they involved in the discussion of you possibly leaving Juilliard?
And yes they were, you know, and that was like my first like adult decision. They were like, we support you either way. We're here for you. You know, whatever you want to do, we support you, you know. Juilliard is great, great option, Beyonce, you want to keep touring and start your career also great? Eh.
And let's go back to that first. So your first time working with her, what are you? What are your thoughts when you're standing next to her? Are you nervous at all? You just like I got this in a bag, Like, oh.
My gosh, the first time working with her, I mean I was just like so green and like didn't know anything about the industry a but also like coming from the ballet, we're all very like, you know, like discipline, so like.
Ballet requires a lot of discipline. Huh my god.
What girl, maybe like hitting you with rulers and stuff and you're like like tighten up, you know, like it's very like okay, like Russians and stuff.
So yeah, and when you were going to ballet and all that stuff where they're kids that look like you. When I say that black and you know, you know what I'm trying to say, No, are you her mixed? Right?
Yeah?
What are you? Black and white? Black and white? Okay? I'm black and white, do you? Oh? I'm Josh and Jamaican. I have a white father.
I have a white dad too, Okay, okay, cool, which is like it's very rare. Yeah.
I always get the opposite.
Yeah yeah, if there was a little I would put a lid on.
But there's a lid in the back. But it's okay, it's okay.
So just gonna let her simmer down on This is so funny because I know when you're like not cooking in your kitchen, everything's a little different.
Yeah yeah, and you're you're trying to keep it like tidy and all that, and it's not. It's going all over the place. Look at me, see Okay, so you're so take me back to the first time you're working alongside her, like what are your thoughts? Clearly you're very your posture and everything's on point. Actually, and you did practice before, like they make you practice a lot before.
Yeah, okay, yeah, we do a lot of rehearsals. And she this is back like in the beginning of her like.
Branching off from the Destiny Chong.
Chow and all that. So she was like involved and included in a lot, you know, like always in rehearsals, like there all day with us, just like involved a lot and even taking you back a little bit further before I even auditioned. I was training at Alvin Ailey, if to Alvin Ailey before. It's a modern company, like black modern company New York. It's one of the most famous ones. And I was that's the school I was like dancing at, and I thought I was going to
be like in the company there. I thought they were going to recruit me while I was like before I graduated high school or whatever. And Beyonce was rehearsing at the studio because it was one of the nicest, most beautiful, like bigger studios in New York for people to rent out and rehearse at. And she was rehearsing for some awards show at Radio City in New York, and her choreographer was outside of the rehearsal room and he stopped me, like just based on my looks. I was in a
leotardan tights, girl bun whatever. But everybody had heard like Beyonce was there. Yeah, there was a security guard standing out like you know where gets around, especially like a dance studio or whatever. So everybody was like kind of like whispering. I had like a class down there, so I was kind of just like, oh whatever, and the choreographer stops me and it's like, excuse me, Can I talk to you for a second. I'm like yes, And he's like, you're very beautiful, Like do you do more
than ballet? I see you do ballet. I'm like, yes, I do ballet of monter, jazz, hip hop, tap, you know, lyracle, everything I'm training.
You're like, here's my whole rest man. I'm like, what do you want?
And he invited me into the rehearsal space and that was like my first time meeting her ever. And she she was so sweet, so sweet and so like just humble and like she looked like a dancer, you know. Her hair was down and big, and she had no makeup on, she had no shoes on, she was barefoot, just like regular rehearsal clothes and sweating and just working like all of us in that studio, you know, and it was just beautiful. That was like my first like actual meeting with her. And I was like, oh, this
is so nice, you know. And then he took my information and told me he would call me and never call me, very like my introduction to the NDAA. I was like, ah, this is what it's like.
What was he? I hate to ask this, But do you think he was like trying to holliway low key or was he just like a professional?
No? No, no, I think he was actually like genuine because he is like known in this industry for kind of finding and discovering talent.
Wow.
He is still I say, like responsible for discovering me because he's like a mentor of mine.
Kandfather came full circle in the end. Oh wow.
So I the like months later, they're having open call auditions and like all my friends are like, oh, let's go, let's go Beyonce auditions whatever. And the line is literally like down the block, round the corner. This is in New York City, Yeah, six blocks, you know, and this is in November. It's freezing.
Yeah.
I'm like, I'm not standing in this line, Like I'm not doing it. My mom's like my biggest thing.
She like, you all stand in his line. We got the hook.
She's like, girl, we didn't move all the way to New York for you not to stand in this line, So you go ahead and go and stand in this line like whatever. She always would say, what do you have to lose? And I still tell myself that to this day, like anytime I like, am wanting to do something or like taking your risk or like a little scared, and it's like what do you have to lose?
Yeah?
Nothing, you know, if you have nothing to lose, then go.
Yeah.
So I went. I help with some friends stun line for three hours. Still girl freezing. But when I got in there, he Frank Gatson, the choreographer, recognized me from that time in the dance studio. Oh wow, and he was like I know you, and like he's that guy he remembers faces, he like remembers people and all of that, and he's like he kept me to the end. Everybody else was getting cut left and right. Girl like bye.
Think it because it was an open call. It was like people off the street like beyoncely audition, Okay, I want to go, like you know, like Grandma's like.
Let me tell you, I tried dancing for like one I tried dancing out. It was like I was going through a break and I was like, I'm gonna try all the things that I was always interested in that my parents couldn't have. And uh, let's just say dancing is is just you? Definitely, I don't know. It's maybe built for some and not for all, but then you're terrible. This looks like you gotta start at the kindergarten level.
And I mean, you know, it can definitely be taught though, but yeah, I get it. Some people are naturals. And then somebody knew it.
Was some girls that was killing it, and I said, oh, but I couldn't remember stuff. My memory was bad. Uh.
Yeah.
A lot of people ask that, like how do you remember all the steps? It's a muscle in it memory, is it. And then I think you also have to be very comfortable in your body because I'm like always like, even when I see girls do squats and they stick their asshole out, I'm like, I don't know if I'm comfortable doing.
It, being like all the way right for the position to go to the squad?
Do you hit the squad right? You thought was right form, Yeah, But when I see girls do it and I'd be like I try to do it, I'm like, yeah, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that.
I feel it, but I feel like this is like kind of okay, Okay, I know, looks raggedy, give me your ball, okay, a little bit.
So you so you so you make it to the end of the audition, then what happens?
And then I get that call to come to LA and do a bunch of music videos or like you know, basically audition. It was like a big audition in LA of like fifty dancers and she was shooting ten music videos and they didn't know who they were using for what, so like that's what it was like. I came and I stayed for like a week, and we did a bunch of rehearsals and I shot two music videos.
And then and when you're doing this, is your parents have to pay out of their own pocket or is it like on their time? At this point?
At that point, I think I think they did ask me. No. I actually think they flew a group of us from New York out and we stayed at a hotel. Yeah, okay, I stayed with I met this other girl. She was in New York too, have like a roommate and all of that. But a lot of times they will ask you if you're willing to to come out as a local, which means okay, yeah wow, And and when you're.
You better serve yourself a plot too, Yes I am, I am.
And then we have like other like siracha if you want to add who spice? And then the garlic pace also, that's something I got from the restaurants. Okay, at a little garlic in there, isn't it be.
Mm hmm bomb? So you uh so, after you make let's let's skip forward to like your after the tour ends for a month. I hate to skip around on y'all, but we're gonna do it. After you're on tour, you've done the videos, you bail out on Juilliard, you're off tour, You're sitting there like, what's next, chicken? Uh So tell me what happens next?
So then I'm like real life, you know, like here we are, like what do we do now? Because like, tour doesn't mean you're guaranteed a full time job.
You're you know, but they didn't tell you. Did they tell you it was only going to be a month?
Yeah? They said I was getting extended for like another month, and I was like, okay, I'm willing to take that risk.
Yeah. Yeah.
So after that, girl, I mean, I like, I'm very blessed and grateful because I have had a great career of a dance career, especially of consistently working.
Yeah, and you've worked for a lot. So what happens after the tour ends?
So after the tour ends, I'm back in New York.
I go home.
And I think, I think I'm like auditioning for stuff again, just like back to you know.
But now you have Beyonce on your record. I'm on your resume, sorry record.
So now my agents, now I get I'm starting to get a little dose of what it's like to get a direct book, you know, and not have to audition. They're like, oh, we want her in the music video because we recognize her for Beyonce. Okay, that kind of thing.
And then you're saying agents and managers. So at this point after her you get an agent and a manager.
Before, Yeah, because I didn't have an agent before.
Okay. And then how did they get How did they find you? They just from the video. They just reach out and say, hey, I.
Went to them. I said, I just got off tour with Beyonce. I need I need representation, you know whatever. Actually, I think I got an agent like while I was on tour, more than for them to make sure everything was right, because you know, we were doing DVD deals stuff like that. We needed like just people professionals who knew what they were doing. That's what I learned as I got in the industry. I was very thrown in the industry. You know. I didn't know about agencies and
auditions and all that. Like clearly I went to an open call audition. I needn't go to an invited call.
Yeah.
So yeah, I learned by just being in it. But yeah, after tour, girl, So after that first tour, I'm in the grind now, like learning about these other jobs.
I'm still living in New York at the time, so.
I think I actually after that first tour, the year after I did the Radio City Rockets, I was back at Have.
You ever seen that show?
No?
But I feel like I need to I need to stay in tune with all the shows with here's a list of all the things you need to check out.
Okay, the Rockets are the girls who do the kick lines?
Oh oh yeah.
Women okay yeah, yeah, like Candy Cane kick Yeah, people like refer to that.
Yeah.
So I did that for one year and I still to this day say that is like one of the hardest jobs of my life.
Really, why is it?
Because of the rehearsals, the rehearsals and the shows. We were doing four shows max, four shows a day, four four and night.
Oh my gosh in one the first one. And were you eating Ramen Journey these days too?
Yeah?
Oh yeah, that's crazy. So there's like, that's crazy because you have this crazy workout ethic, but are you really fueling your body at the level that No?
I mean most like athletes, dancers, you know, especially dancers, Like maybe athletes probably take better care of themselves. Yeah, so like because they got like coaches and stuff, like we don't.
We just be making it work, you know, stretching. And I'm curious in regards to By the way, out of all the dishes on this show, this by far looks more the most restaurant, doesn't it look at that? I don't know if the cameras I try to like give it a little seat, like literally with all the I don't know what's going on with my mic By the way, it's like looking like it wants to fight me. But this dish looks like you could bite at a restaurant. I don't know. It's so pretty. It's got the green,
the yellow, the chicken looks all seasoned. I can't wait to try this. I feel like I'm loving your story, like absolutely, like live for stories like this because it's like you're carrying me through it. There's a million and one questions I can ask, and yeah, I will trust me. I love it though, I will.
We did, we've even gotten anywhere. I know, we're like twenty twenty.
I can't wait. I can't wait.
All right?
Oh yeah, so let's try this amazing looking dish. It looks good. Let's see if it tastes good. Know what it's gonna like. Yeah, this is not my kitchen. I'm gonna hate a little bit. Yeah, okay, it tastes great. I than the corn. I fucking love corn. I don't know why I don't add corn. So all my dishes with the spinach works. Okay, you over cook the noodle. I know I left them in, but that's because I was talking to you.
I looked over and I was like, these noodles, they soaked up all the water.
Oh yeah, you didn't even dream, right, you know. Yeah, let me tell you some noodles are definitely overcooked. The spinach in the corn. Now that corn has that little crunch. The spinach too. It's just I'm gonna take like two more bites and I can question you a lot. I want to try the chicken.
Too, see, And you know, normally we'd be adding like a lot more season hangs and things and there.
But you know, I love when you kept it's simple today. I promise you Guess will come on the show, oh and they'll start questioning like they're cooking skills. And sometimes it's really good, like this is really good. But Ramen, Yeah, I mean it's like elevated. It's not just some noodles chicken you dig right know you know what saltmn pepper on chittiness in that band.
Yeah, especially if you're trying to be healthier. So and on his longer pieces like this, that's it's not even al I can kill this whole dish. I'm not la. I'm so glad you like it.
Seecram well, now you know how to make it. That is a great way to make ramen. Chicken thinly slice salt pepper, you used alibol and vegetable that used olive oil. Hands down, amazing Ramen ten out of ten.
Thanks.
Even noodles as long as I did the spinach I think really adds to it. I don't know why. I never thought of that, and you just put the spinach in the water while I was boiling. Awesome. I thought you were gonna sell tape for some strange reason.
I actually was thinking you would saute and it would already be saute in here, so you know, I don't had.
It in But you know, the only help you got from me he was boiling that one egg. I don't know why I.
Thought stuff was gonna be like prepped and I just like put it in the plate. No, we're gonna be like, no, you gotta cook a girl.
I'll like it. I'm gonna try to stop eating. Those people get annoyed and were like smacking on the mic, but I know I'll be trying. I don't know why it's so delicious. Doesn't it feel delicious to you?
It does, and it's like am I starving?
Or is it really delicious? I don't know.
I think it's like the weather all too, and it's just like it's.
Perfect, great dish. It looks like restaurant quality, amazing upgrade on the ramen. All right, now, let's go back to your story. I wanted to ask, actually, so when you're you were talking about you were doing the not the Candygate, the radio, the radio City rickets. Yeah, and that was the hardest soul. What is your money looking like while you're doing all these projects?
Well, girl, I mean, first of all, like my first tour, like I said, I had no representation. I went to an open call, like I didn't have anything to compare to. So my first like tour rate was much lower than what it ever should have been.
But I didn't know that, you know, But I was so new, Like you know, do they do tears like the newer you are versus the older you are? Yeah?
Like as as I came like dance Captain, and like you know, by my last year or whatever, I was at like my highest rate awesome and like highest paid dancer because I've been there the longest or whatever. You know, But you gotta fight for the money, girl, every little.
Do you have to fight for it? Every little now? Yes? Now, do you go to your team and tell them to push back or do you.
Oh yeah, damn, that's what the agents are for.
You ask them.
But you know, as I developed a personal relationship, I guess and say it could be in conversation with the right people, but you know, that's what the agents are for.
Yeah, because I've seen some be your managers and agents to be brutally honest, Like I feel like some of them, I don't want to get caught up in this one carefully worded. Some of them kind of just take the first offer, and I'm like, you're lucky to have this offer, so we're gonna take it.
Yeah.
Yeah, So I've seen that side.
And I have too. I have too, and I've been told that, and I have been that. I've been the grateful I'll do it for free.
Yeah, that's how I am still to this dam. I'm like, oh, you're gonna okay, thank you Jesus. I know I kissed the pinky ring.
I know. It's like we're like traumatized a little bit from the way that we were taught to always like be grateful. You're replaceable. You should you know, like yeah, like you are replaceable. That's what I was definitely taught, especially as a dancer, Like you are replaceable. So don't you step out of your line, you know, like shit, we will replace you in a heartbeat, and if you don't take this rate, we'll find somebody who does.
Like yeah, kidding. I feel like that's the industry. That's how the industry moves. Yeah, but you know, I don't know if you saw that thing with Taraji where she was like crying, Yeah, I was great, but I didn't. Gabrielle Union was saying it long before her, like how they starting to just collab on text like we're all a group, stick to this ring.
Yeah, and its Ray always says, like, you know, you gotta. We always are like trying to like work with people who are like up here, up here from us. We have to like collab across you know, across the table instead of like trying to work with Jeff Bezos and stuff like he's not We're sitting here together, so we should be working together, you know what I mean, Like you gotta collab across the table.
When did you realize that you had to start using your voice when it came to like your money and like saying I want more?
Oh my gosh.
When when was that moment when you did it?
Like I mean, way more recently than what it should have been, honestly, Like you know, honestly, but I would say more so like during the pandemic, I really like started owning my my what my rate should be you know, like and learning that people will pay it, you know, the right people will pay it.
So, yeah, are in the pandemic. The pandemic wasn't everything like shut down for you.
Yeah, but that's like when I, like, I started doing a lot more social media stuff during the pandemic, and yeah, I just was paid my rate. Like that's like when I started learning like that my rate could be better in situations.
You know, it was like, oh, what did your parents say when you had the epiphany that, like you wanted more?
Well, my parents, I mean when I wanted more. I think I've always just wanted more. You know. I've always said, like I don't want to be a dancer forever. I don't want to only be a dancer. I don't want to you know. So my parents have always been supportive through like everything. I'm very grateful for their support. They're still married, I take it, okay. Yeah, Yeah, the few that made it, I know they're hanging in there. They are. Not that it's been easy, but they are my whole
life too. It's been great. They're a great example for sure. Definitely want that. Yeah, you know, I think we call want it.
Yeah, I don't know if it's really gonna happen in the New Age, because I feel like the New agees I know for it.
I know, And I'm like, are we like leaning more into like the never get married era?
That's what I think. I tell my twin. I'm like, by the time our kids are old enough, marriage is gonna be Do you have a twin? I have a twin. Yeah, that's why I said. I said. She likes Beyonce and I like Jay and it's weird because we band it up together. That's so cool. But uh so sorry, I don't mean to bounce around your story. So let's go back to when you're doing the Rockets. Yeah, okay, so you're on this strenuous schedule at this point. What's your next biggest play?
Well, okay, so I did the Rockets. I did one tour with Beyonce. I did the Rockets Tour, and that gave me like a very diverse resume. You know, It's like, oh wow, she can do a lot of different things. So that was great, a great look for me, I feel like. But yeah, money was always coming and going, you know, because the projects come and they're they're great, but they only last so long. And then you're like, where's it coming from next?
You know, are you budgeting, living like a budget life, or are your parents just kind of helping the offset? What's going on?
Yeah, my parents were in real estate, so the place I was living in at the time, I didn't have to I didn't have to pay rent, you know, so that was a huge thing. I didn't start paying rent until I moved to LA at twenty one.
Okay, damn, you're all so young. Geez damn, you're making moves for twenty one. You done been around the block at this point.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I did. I mean, yeah, I'm so grateful that, like, like I said, my parents support and then like being able to support me in that way, you know, and so I could save because I was actually my first door. I was really good girl. I used to have like a stack of that pretteem like could they used to could stap it?
Oh?
Yes, I love having Like I was young, I was like I was seventeen, but this is my first like real job.
You're like, I live off ten dollars a day.
I got this Literally, I'm like, I'm just gonna use my card when I need it, and I'm going to collect this cash. I came home and brought my family like a stack of my I'm like, look at the cash that I accumulate. This is the extra. And they were like, you're so good at saving. Great job. And then as you, like, you know, time goes on, then you're like, I guess I'll buy this bag. I deserve it. I've been working hard, you know, and start treating yourself
a little better. You get your nails done, you know whatever, and you grow up and then you spend your money.
So yeah, you realized and you realize you're not really.
Getting paid that much. You're like, hold on, your bills get higher, everything is and you're like, wait a minute now, Yeah, so it all one in La. I moved to La when I was twenty one. This is after I did I did Beyonce Tour, I did Rocket Tour, and then I shot actually while I was on tour with the Rockets.
It's so crazy, So.
Right before I went, this is the thing people don't realize, like the the sacrifices and the like crazy shit that you have to do sometimes in order to make your career work. So like when I was about to do the Rockets, I I was we were getting ready to shoot the single Ladies music video.
Okay, oh yeah, famous thing, infamous.
Single Ladies music video. But I was like a part of like the creative, you know, workshop process of the video. I didn't know I was going to be in it. I like basically kind of auditioned a little bit like the rest of them. Like I I like, well, we were like auditioning people that could match me and her, and then if it didn't work, they were gonna go with short girls and I was gonna be out. So I was like, Okay, well hopefully a tall girl comes along.
That makes sense, you know. And so once they decided on another tall girl and that I was going to be in the video, I had to pretend like I was sick girl for the Rockets because I missed like the first three days of rehearsal.
And the Rockets do not play like they're.
Like, oh it's you drop out, you can never come back, you will X, Y and Z. So I literally had to play like Beyonce was in on it. I've told this story before, so we.
Want to hear he told us it.
I know it's crazy though, because like I know the Rockets.
If you said Beyonce was in on it.
Beyonce was in on it. Like I would get calls while we were rehearsing for single Ladies, and I knew that it was like radio city people calling and I'd be like, you guys, it's STEMP and they and Frank like had a doctor, like write me a note and all that, and they would like.
Go take the call.
Take the call. They cut off all the music and I pretend like I was sick in bed and I'd be like, hey, yeah, and I think I'll be able to come in a day or two. Like the girl was crazy.
It was crazy.
And then as soon as we wrapped that music video, the single Ladies' music video, it was like a twenty hour shoot. It was like three in the morning or something when we wrapped and I got in a car, went straight to like Pennsylvania or wherever we were rehearsing somewhere on the East Coast, but not in New York, and started rocket rehearsal the next day. And everybody thought I was like recovering from an illness, and I was like, yeah,
m hm. I was exhausted because I just shot the music video, the single ads music video of the night before and then like cut to like a month or something later. The video comes out while I'm touring with the Rockets, and everybody's like, is that you with Beyonce? And I was like, oh yeah, we shot that a while ago. Yeah. I was like, oh yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.
They're like, when did you shoot that?
I'm like right before, like you know, like a while before. Here crazy, that's funny.
Yeah.
So that iconic video came out while I was on Rockets tour, and then after Rockets we go straight into another tour rehearsal because she dropped the song single Ladies, she dropped other singles and then the album I Am Sasha fears Wow.
So we got another tour and then I moved to LA after that tour. Okay, and at this point you and her camp are like just obviously family at this point.
Yeah. Well, that like second tour that I did, that's when I got like promoted to dance Captain. That was like my first little like money promotion.
And what is dance camptain mean as dance just for people like met I don't know.
Yeah, well, like the dance captain is kind of like the the leader of the dancers.
Like if he the one with the ruler kind of the rule, you know what I'm saying, Like, you know, yeah, but man, I get that step right.
Yeah. I make sure everybody's like on their p's and q's while we're on the road, because people can get lazy or like do their own thing or you know, like change it up, like do what the job is, you know. But also like if there's any issues, like the voice for the dancers, like oh, okay, come to me and we'll I'll go to management or like, you know anything if management needs to talk to me, your dancers need to X y Z, you know, like the voice, because it's a lot it became a lot of dancers.
As time went on, it was like low was the best part of being on the road.
Mmm. I mean I would say, just like the fans and like the performances, you know, the crowds and the travel experiences. Like I love being in different cities and experiencing the culture and exploring you know, the vibes of the city. So I love that. But the crowds, girl, are like insane. There's nothing like.
Is there ever any drama on the road of course, like do people like cook.
Up and yeah, Oh my god, there's all tour mances. There's tour mancesances, that's what it's called tour mances. There's fights, there's arguments, there's people who don't get along.
You know, like whatever, freak out.
Yeah, it's like college, that's what it feels like. It's like, yes, something, I know. I'm like, I cannot believe a reality show has not shot a tour, Like, I can't crazy because no one wants to expose like the Honestly.
I do like that. Beyonce has been releasing these first of all, I want to say, she's like one of the first to do it, like where she's doing, like the visuals, the visuals behind. I haven't been able to see The Renaissance one yet.
I haven't seen the film either, but I went in at the concert Yeah, and she shouted me out. She was like Ashley, Hey, Gary, we love you, Ashley, and you were like I was like hey, and everybody who thinks there's drama, there's not, so there you go. Yeah, because everybody thought there was drama, girl, and I didn't do this tour. They were like, you got fired and even Beyonce, Beyonce hates you.
I'm like, do you I have this sick thing like if people comment negative stuff for whatever reason, I look at it like I feed off the negative. And then like if someone says, like nice stuff, I'm like whatever, but like negative.
Does it like drive you?
Like you comment back? I don't comment back. I just kind of chuckle because you know, no, I mean goative too, because they don't know nothing nothing.
They don't know nothing. I know how to laugh it off too, But girl, it can get wild. So take me back to all right, so you moved to LA. Moved to La. Yeah, and that's when I was like.
Okay, really, and your parents aren't with you at this now?
My parents aren't with me. But girl, when I first went on tour, like at eighteen, once I turned eighteen, my mom moved back to California with her husband and her other kids. You know, she was like, I'm going back home. So I was in New York like those last couple of years by myself. You must have liked that, Yeah, yeah, it was nice.
I like grew into an adult out there.
You know.
So you're out here twenty one in Calli at this point in Kelly, We're gonna go over time. Jared and we had even got halfway to the store. I'm so sorry, but but yeah, twenty one moved here.
That's like really when I really like started expanding, because at first I thought I was gonna move out here, girl, and I was like, I'm gonna be Bi Colstal. I'm gonna still have my New York place, and I'm gonna come to La like when work needs me, girl. I never I never went back to New York. I like work kept me out here. I was like, oh, I guess this is where I'm gonna be living. So eventually, like I told you, my family owned the condo in.
New York, Yeah, they sailed it.
Oh shoot, so was sad because now I wish we still had it. I'm like I would use it now. Yeah, but I was ungrateful when I was twenty one, you know, and I was stuck out here. I was working.
I was a workaholic. Girls, and you're taking care of yourself, no parents help, You're living on budgets. I'm assuming yeah, and yeah, I mean I kind of wasn't really living on budgets.
I did a good job, like saving you know, I had did a couple of good tours and back then, like touring was where you do save your money, and that's like the biggest.
Thing, oh, because on the road you're not really spending your money.
Right yeah, And I didn't have like I wasn't like paying rent or anything, so like, yeah, you could just save save, okay, and then if you save your pretty m you can spend that he has your little extra stuff. But you spend your money easily on the road because you want to like whine and die in yourself and shop in the different cities and stuff like that. But when I was very young, I was better at saving more money because I was like stingy, yeah you know,
but I wasn't. I still really wasn't making a lot. I just was saving better. Yeah, moved out here, wasn't really budgeting like that, you know. I was kind of like enjoying my life.
And I started.
I had worked with like a bunch of different artists out here, worked with like Neo, toured with him, Usher, another artist, I toured with Sierra, and then every other year basically I was going on tour with Beyonce. So again like on the road, not home, you know whatever, And that was my reality girl up until twenty eighteen.
Okay, and then what happened in twenty eighteen.
Twenty eighteen was the last tour that I did, and then twenty nineteen was I wasn't on tour. I worked on TV shows and other personal things.
And then when you're say TV shows, what were you doing on the TV shows?
I did a TV show called Hit the Floor acting. I was like acting and dancing. Yeah, I had a role called Peyton, but I was a dancer on the show. And then I think I did like Dancing with the Stars, and you know, just other award shows or like TV appearances like what is this that the Morning Show? I shot an episode of that, like just televised stuff that requires dancing.
You know, That's what I do.
When I'm like when I wasn't on tour, it would be like a year on tour and then a year at home doing like TV commercial films.
Are you able to have like a dating life or a personal life or.
Is that I you know, I have always kind of been in a relationship actually, so yeah, from like when I moved to LA I got in a relationship pretty much right away, and that was until twenty eighteen.
And then in twenty nineteen I turned thirty so I was like, can't bring damn girl thirty.
Yeah, you're good, all right, god go think I was trying to figure out.
I wonder I'm like, how old is?
I know? It?
Just like all right, even away, No, that's good. I'm approaching forty.
Oh I don't know nothing like it.
It's because the braids, man, they just pull your head back a little bit, snatch it all up.
I know. Same at the bun give me life, pull it back.
Yeah all right. So you so then twenty and twenty or what have you? Were we at two.
Thousand, yeah, twenty eighteen or something?
Yeah?
Well actually okay, so let me give you this little tea. In twenty sixteen, that relationship I was in, he jumped on stage.
Girl. You can look it up if you just type Beyonce proposal. I think I remember that, gone, that was me. Oh he proposed to you on stage. I remember that. I saw it a couple of times. What you talk about?
That was you?
Yeah?
Okay, So what happened to day.
And then we broke up in twenty eighteen? Girl? Oh yeah, because that whole proposal I mean in general, he did that for him, not for me, Like I'm not even that kind of girl who wants that kind of attention. You know, he was desperate times called for desperate measures. I guess, you know, it very for him. What was the beginning?
Was it like when I was like when Opset jumps on stage recorded me and does the grand and she's like, was he like retrying to coop a mess up or something like trying to make up.
For I think he was just trying to get attention, Like Okay, Literally as soon as it happened.
He was like, we went viral. We got to capitalize off this. I said, Oh, that's what you want to got it?
Oh?
Shit?
Yeah? So it was like that, like you know, and then it was like the next year, everybody was like when's the date? And I was like, I can't even envision myself setting one. So wow, it was very much the beginning of the end, but it was the best, Like I needed that, needed that for it to end that relationship. Because then the next year, like I said, I was turning thirty.
That was like the year I poured into myself and did you do the whole like love yourself thing? Yes? Girl? Like was it hard?
And nineteen was like the year of transition for me. It was great though I needed it. And then twenty twenty I the pandemic hit and I loved it. I was like, yes, we could stay at Oh, it's amazing. And then I just poured more into myself and I was like, I love it.
I love it here and I love it here.
Yeah.
I think it's like the self love thing. I even paid this. This is really embarrassing, but I remember I actually paid for her course online. They never said it to me on like how to.
Do self loving?
That's how ghetto. I was desperateirl, So my brand being greater than yay, look at that pivot go on, please period, We're gonna bring it fold. So this is how God works, because I literally I promise you I paid. I don't I paid. There was like a self love course. I said, I gotta pay for that because I don't. I'm studying this and I don't.
Know coming how to do it.
March, we're doing.
Yeak. We did a soft launch in November Girl in Atlanta, and it went over like better than we could have ever envisioned. You know. Ever, imagine like people were like I didn't know how bad I needed this, Like when's the next one.
Where can we more so, what can people expect for be greater than? And like what was the thing that made you create it?
The thing that made us create it. So it's three of us, three friends who were all on this like self love journey. You know.
Oh I love that you guys were all on the same boat together.
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, and everyone's like timing was a little different. I feel like I started it like before everybody else, and then they saw some things change in my life and like how great it looked. And then they were like I need to love on myself more, you know, and like it inspired other friends and these these are like close friends of mine who are like family, you know. So once they jumped on their self love journey, I was like, yes, I'm so proud of you guys.
And that's like really where the idea started from. The Jazzmine Harper, she's like another founder, one of the other founders, and Randy Bonds is the other one. But Jazz is like a little sister of mine. We dance with Beyonce together. She danced on So you think you can dance?
Actually? Oh okay, Oh that's okay, So that's okay.
Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, b grand then yeah, yeah, yeah, she yeah, so she was from the show she We did Beyonce together, like have been through a lot together, you know, and she was like, I really want to do something for myself, like something that I own, something that I am a creator of, the founder of Da Da Da Da. And she's like, I know, I can't do it alone, like I need I need you, like I need your help whatever.
I was like, I'm with you.
Let's do it, and then we just started exploring. I brought in Randy. He's a publicist. He's been a friend of mine since the beginning of my Beyonce days since nine basically it's when we started working together. We were both nineteen. He found me on Facebook and he was like, I see like your stardom as not just a dancer and he was like, I want to do pr for you and I yeah, okay. And so I've had a publicist also. That's been like something very different about me
than like most dancers. I've had like a publicist or like a manager, you know, most of my dance career, and that has put me in like magazines or like in people's faces that most dancers wouldn't be in their face, you know, like allure or you know, I can't even think of these the magazine's essence and you know, just like tons of outlets, tons and tons of outlets. So that's been like very helpful, I think, and for my career as well and getting my name out there. Where was I?
So we were talking about the inception of be Greater Than Yeah, I'm so curious now, you know, it might have to be like a hundred questions, but yeah.
So me and Jasmine, she she brought it to me, and I was like, let's bring Randy in. He's on this journey too, Let's talk ideas. He's publicist, blah blah. And so the three of us like just explored and you know, talked ideas, and it was it was going to be called be Greater Than Humble because we were always, you know, talking about how we are told to be humble, and we looked up the definition of humble.
Have you ever looked up deaf?
No? What is it?
I feel like Kanye talked about it at some point.
But yeah, other like rappers and stuff have because it's like technically not like something that should be praised. It almost it's basically saying to make yourself less than for others to feel better about them.
Is that what humble is?
Yeah, And it's like so you can feel comfortable.
Basically I used to do that, to be honest, when for a long a long time, even being a twin. To be honest, I'm just sure it's like, you know, you want to make everyone feel comfortable, so you know, And I started doing it in relationships guys, would you? I would like plaques, shoe story And I remember the guy we were engaged, and I just knew he started to hate my accomplishments.
That's why we moved engaged in relationship was too.
Girl and I started to be like anytime there was a plaque or an award, I would literally there was a closet and I would hide it and I just got in yeah, And I remember throwing out all my like like my dad started saying like, you need to start putting your stuff on your wall because you seem to forget all your milestones and I have big posters. And I remember just throwing him in the trash and
his brother being like, why are you doing this? And I just remember being like, well, clearly, it's starting to become a problem. In my relationship, so I would I got in the practice of dimming my life. Well after that, I was like an next relationship, Man, I just want to be me. I just want to be able to be like this is who I am.
Like, you know, it should celebrate, Yeah, it should heighten that, you know, and like brighten my light, not dimn it.
So you guys were looking like you got girl. I'm wet. I'm still learning, but I remember, just I remember there was a I did something for nick Can and I did the whild out like booklet that went into all the CDs or stores, and I remember just hiding it from him. I remember asking for the sea looking at it, and like when he came home, I threw it in the trash. I was still mad to this day that I threw it out. But I was so scared of
him seeing these accomplishment. Yeah, because it just became ub Yeah, of my relationship. That's crazy. Sorry, Yeah, but I love the fact that you guys took the initiative to even look up be greater than because when you first said it be greater than be's like be greater than what? But I love that you eliminated humble.
Yeah, it's like, be greater than your insecurities, be greater than your traumas, be greater than your childhood, be greater than your mistakes, be greater than yesterday, be greater than anything, you know, like anything, it's limitless. So yeah, and that's the brand. It's a lifestyle brand. What you can expect at So far, we've only had one soft launch live activation, so they're Me and Jasmine. Since we come from the dance world, we did a little like dance moment, but
it wasn't even like four dancers. It was more so so you can build your confidence and you know, learn how to like hold your shoulders back and stay with your chest out and be proud, you know, like more of like self confidence Mooster. We had a guy come in who's like a martial arts specialist who taught people how to like break through your traumas. And they kept pounding on this thing until they released their traumas. They had to repeat a saying. I don't know what they
were saying. I was we were teaching the dance class at the same time he was doing that, so I don't remember what they were saying, but they had to keep saying it, and everybody girl, people were breaking down crying, like, you know, in a great way. They were just like, oh my god, I felt so.
Good, Like I needed that.
We had a woman come in who led us through breath work and taught us about the importance of just breathing and remembering to intentionally breathe. You know, we just sit around and like, see, like, I think that's really great, girl.
I love it.
Yeah, thank you, same because it's so important, and you know, we really started this.
I love that.
I can't see people crying girl either, because that makes me go. But like we started this because we pour so much of ourselves into our jobs, our careers, other people. We forget about ourselves. We forget about ourselves, and it's like, don't forget to pour into you. We have the power, We possess it all whatever we want. And I'm sorry this episode people are gonna be like, we can't even understand you. Stop getting here each other.
Thank you.
But yeah, don't worry about yourself, you know, quarantine you. Yeah.
So they So that's some of the stuff. And you guys thought through every different angle from traumas to confidence.
Yeah, self confidence to breathing to feeding yourself from the inside. Out with healthy things. We had a girl's share her juices and her recipes and the reason why she's vegan, and you know why we should go on fast every now and then and just take breaks from meats or you know, processed foods or whatever. Just education, you know, and inspiration and relatable people like just people, you know, not somebody who we like look up to and feel like we can never get to.
That level, you know, just like every like.
Yeah, so it is it a couple of days or how it was one day? The one in March we're planning for one day as well. It was like an eleven to five o'clock kind of thing, I'll.
Know, And how do people sign up for it? We're gonna I want gonna be I'm gonna be on the list.
Yeah, you're gonna be on the list. But we're gonna sell some tickets.
Yeah you know, no, no, no, I'll to buy a ticket. I just make sure I get to buy one before it sells out.
Yeah, we got you, grown, But yeah, we want we want people to be able to like have access to this and pour into themselves and you know, remember the
importance of that. And it's a community, you know, and we'll continue to hold each other accountable and our other dreams and all of that, and same with holding each other accountable, you know, be greater than once to eventually expand into like clothing and you know, like online courses and stuff like that too, but one thing at a time because it's a lot.
Yeah.
Yeah, so yeah, that's awesome. And then so the next one will be probably in March.
In La yep, yep in La mm hmm, and we're doing it in women's history months, so it's gonna be for the.
Women, but everyone. Now, have you gotten sponsors that have tried to get be a part of it or.
We have not yet? Girl, because we did that stops watch just like we were like, we'll just invite like ten people, and then like because we like knew some people, it became maybe like twenty, but it was great. And then we have like press and stuff. So now we're going to like get put it out there. But we have not gotten sponsors yet, but we plan on yeah, plan on it. Yeah, and I think that people will.
Align with it. Is it is it going to be just for women or is it going to be for It's for everybody? And we eventually want to do it for kids or like.
You know, yeah, I think it's a start early, right, we need this, Like I feel like we're all learning this too late, you know, like if we were doing this in our twenties, Like, yeah.
I realized, like I I'm very rarely ever single, you know what I'm saying. Like, I'm like, I think the longest I was ever single was like barely made it a year, and that was me going I was still technically dating pub this is lose. We don't have the title. Yeah, I could make it a year, but yeah, it's like you're constantly distracting yourself from yourself in a way when you're in these relationships or you're taking on some you know, I don't drink or smoke or do any of that stuff.
I'm not saying it's bad or anything. I just it doesn't do anything for me. Never has. Yeah, But I'm like, you know, maybe this is this scape that's not benefiting me at all at this point. Maybe I need to like me myself and I so and that's kind of the road you came to, right Yeah, Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I mean, yeah, I was in long relationships and yeah, God in relate felling them, you know, like that's how it turned into yeah or whatever. So by when I was turning thirty, girl, I was like, I need to pour in to me, like self love first. Whoever doesn't align with me loving on me gotta go. Okay, you know like literally my whole circle of friends changed.
Even your friends changed. Uh huh yeah, I'll my whole sirg Now, did you ever struggle with boundaries or anything?
Yeah? Of course, okay, of course, I'm I still work.
On I'm like, uh, my producer shout out to him, like he's reading books. I don't mean to put your business out there. I love my team. Yeah, but yeah he's like reading books and I'll be, oh, let me you know, like yeah, I'll let you trick it out afterwards. But like I love that he's at his age, like even reading books on boundaries of stuff and like just even learning that word. Yeah yeah yeah. And I heard with little kids when they're little, you have to be
careful because kids organically have boundaries. But then we as adults who are like, well, no, allowed this or share this or did it and just like really shouldn't do that with with their they got their little voice. Even though we're looking out for them. But that's kind of where the boundaries start.
Little starts a childhood and then we have to like reteach ourselves everything in our adulthood.
And it's that's why it's called a journey, you know. It's constant, girl, constant. Your journey was constant. So take me back to the pandem So you enter the pandemic single.
Technically, actually no, okay, So twenty eighteen, I left that relationship where it was at twenty nineteen, I'm pouring into me. Part of pouring into me is personal training, and I'm now in the gym. I'm working out fall in love with fitness, and then.
I actually can't fall in love with fitness. I keep trying to convince myself that, but gone.
I think you can, Yeah, you definitely can. And you know, for me, I feel like it was really like the mental benefits, Like it put me in such a better space, you know, and it made me make better choices throughout the rest of the day, you know, and just have more inspiration because it was me pouring into me, you know. And then everything else from there helped remind me to pour into me, you know. But during that I met my current boyfriend now because he's a personal trainer. Okay,
so it's crazy because he was so professional too. I like we were like literally just client and and trainer for so long. And then I would like ask him, like what do you do out here? Like do you have friends?
Do you hang out? Do you have fun?
Do you do anything at night? You know? You want to come out with me and my friends? Like whatever? So I like had to drag him out. Basically, I invite him out like three times he always turned me down, and finally, like that third he came and hung out and like that's when we like started our friendship, you know, and then.
Eventually it became a relationship.
Okay, nice, but he you know, he's I feel like he was like sent to me because yeah, he helped me the timing and everything, and he has always been like an advocate of me, pouring into me. You know, it's nice. I like it. I like that.
And then and now we take you up to here where you're writing this be greater.
Then be greater than company business.
Now are you are you still dipping your toe every once in a while into Dan still or yeah?
I am, I am, But I pick and choose where you know, Unfortunately, I still feel like dancers are like the like lowest paid and the least respected in this industry.
So it's.
Hard, like you know, like sets and stuff sometimes that we have to be in our situations that it just makes it hard for me to be like, yeah, I want to go do that. Now I've done it also.
Bajillion times of the negative side, yeah, I mean like just like, how did you see that interview recently where the cast of The Color Purple was talking about and co signing with Taraji about how they didn't have like dressing rooms or anywhere to like sit down, and they were like that like where they had to like she had to ask them for like a ride to set or some.
Food or whatever, like we don't have any food in our rooms?
Can we get snacks?
You know?
And you're on set, locked it on all day, you can't leave, right, Yeah, Dancers get treated like that a lot.
You know, we don't have if we have a holding room, there's no chairs where we're just on a dusty, dirty floor. You know, there's no snacks, where's the water we're dancing, we're sweating, you.
Know, like wow? And then are they usually contractors so there's no like labor laws or anything, right because it's contract work. Get the freak.
That's why television, that's why I started falling in love with that too, because that's sag. There's a union, there's a representation, you know, like people look after you, there's rules, there's you can't if you work overtime, you're paid for it. You know.
Like but now when you're a dancer and you're on contract and you have rehearsal, do they consider the rehearsal? Do they help nothing?
Is it?
Like it's scary out there because you look at these dancers in the videos and you look at them on tour and you're like, that's amazing, what an amazing opportunity.
But you don't think them like sitting in a room, yeah, just starving to daddy of be eating one thing or like yeah I'm not drinking water or freezing maybe all day or something like depending on the settings.
Yeah, it's crazy.
And then yeah, it's all based on like those kind of contracts if they're not a set like music video rate, like rehearsal rate is this, and then the shoot rate is that, and the eye out is that you can negotiate whatever. You know, if it's a tour rate and you're like I want three thousand a week, like you can negotiate that. But a lot of times they're like we only have X, yeah, and it's either take it or leave it, you know. So the industry is crazy.
It's crazy, and a lot of times they'll take that main rate and cut it in half for rehearsals like that. Then that's your rate, weekly rate, no, well like daily, yeah, you rate.
Yeah. So I'm going that people are starting to speak out about it because it's starting to like humanize, Yeah, the industry for all these people that are on looking like you're a turagi or you're you're.
No, yeah, And that's why like even me myself, like I'm like I'm in the working smarter not harder era, you know, Like I've been a dancer for professional dancer for like twenty years almost and I've done literally everything, worked very hard for it, and like we shouldn't have to always work that hard, Like we should be taken
care of. We shouldn't have to beg for water, we shouldn't have to beg for you know, certain things or like a seat or a cushion or like not dance on concrete or something, you know, like, but it happens
all the time. And then like social media comes around, and you know, the rates are crazy and brands are paying influencers crazy hundreds of crazy amount of money, treating them like superstars, flying them out to this place in that place, and it's like, wow, we can't even like get that in the industry.
You know, I got some friends that are influencers in the money they make is crazy.
I make more as an influencer than a dancer or an actor or wow.
Wow. Yeah, the world has definitely flipped. Yeah, it's definitely flipped.
Yeah.
Crazy. That's a big reason why I didn't go on this tour. Yeah yeah, you know, it's like work smarter, not harder, guys, It's not always and I think too in this age, like people are getting caught up in the likes and the followers. It's like, oh, I have three hundred thousand. It's weird. It's like some people don't even have that much in their bank account and they're like,
I'm a superstar because I have fifteen thousand followers. Like, yeah, I wouldn't say humble yourself, but do live in reality.
Do live in reality, Yes, and be aware and yeah, have a sense of humility.
You know, but definite in reality. I always tell people before you look at your likes and your followers, like, also assess. Also assess your bank account along with it. Yeah, sorry, because you have to.
You have to.
Your bank account still matters at the end of the day.
It does, and you have to be smart. Like rich people are where they're at because they were smart with their money. You know, a lot of them, Yeah, unless they.
It was just this is kind of random, but I'm I'm deathly curious. Do you read a lot? I know we're almost done. I don't know if they're that's not even for us, But uh, what books do you read? Are you a reader?
You know, I am not a big reader, but I am trying to be so if you have recommendations, I'm a reader because I'm that's the era I'm in now. I'm like, I need to learn, and like you know, I'm always telling people be a sponge, like always learn learn, learn from everyone, So please, I'm a booker.
I'm a booker. But well, i'll tell you off camera. But there's a couple of favorite books I have. But yeah, I definitely like to read if I have an opportunity now that I have a two year old. Every time I open a book, she like rips it out of my hand and she's like reading. I'm like, that's for me, and then it's like the rip war and so she wants to read it. Yeah, so unless it's like the bear and the squirrel get along, like I basically have to hide my books.
Yeah, you like a physical book too. I like the audible love physical.
I've been getting into audio lately with her because otherwise there won't be that much reading. But I've been doing more of a like it's you know, I used to be all into business books, but now I'm all into like self help, please save me from myself, well and your.
Mom, you know, And that's you know. Jasmine also has a two year old who I'm her godmom, and that's what made her pour into her was having to prioritize her daughter and herself better and not be like a dancer who's just like jumping around from rehearsal rehearsal at someone else's time whenever they asked for you. Like, she had to like prioritize her daughter and like work different, you know, and like so she was like, I want to create something that makes sense for me as a mom. You know.
Yeah, I remember I try to get all these like books on like stay at home mom work or how to balance your schedule. But I think having I was married going through a divorce, but one of the things I learned was like I was taking care of everyone but me, and like I was always the last. It got to the point where I'm making my daughter's lunch and I make it like psycho level. I'm that parent that's fruit, vegetables, snack.
Cheese like layers.
They open the lunch box and they're like, your daughter, for one, doesn't eat out of this stuff. But I'm like, you never know what mood she's gonna be. Yeah, but then I'll have all these healthy options for her. Right And as many times as I do her thurrows chips and I'm eating none of this stuff that's in the house, and I'm like, do you know what I mean? Like what about you? Like why can't you eat a blueberry or BlackBerry or cutting out eat some of the apples
you're cutting? Yeah, you know, And I realized that I'm everybody else and I'll work thirteen million jobs to make sure that every bill is taking care of and everyone's comfortable. I mean, not only sucky addiction kind of is I like to drive nice cars, like my only thing. That's like, but you know, once she's okay, yeah, but.
They all have that's not a bad one.
It's literally the only thing. Like I switched them out like every three years. But I will say that, like, it's still not enough to just be like, Okay, I got the car that I want for the next three years or however long you know, the new one comes out. But that's not really enough to say I'm taking care of myself. That's just like, that's just that's a.
Nice luxury thing girl that you just that's like it's like like like you deserve that, you know.
But but where can people keep up with? Be greater than and and shout out how people can keep up with Ashley.
Be greater than is on Instagram, be greater than Underscore and then myself Ashley C M. Everett Yeah, on all social media platforms.
All right, So guys, if you want to keep up with Ashley, go ahead, and thanks for listening to another episode of Eating While for more Eating While Broke from iHeartRadio and the Black Effect, Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.