Tabitha Brown: Because That's Your Business!

be discussing embracing a career you didn't choose. Joining me today is actress, mom, motivational speaker, vegan food blogger, boss and Everybody's auntie Tabitha Brown. Hello there, So are you looking for like a raw inspired meals that you can eat for breakfast, lunch? Maybe a good snack? I got you. Let's make chipped red bill peppers, chopped purpla and you some chopped men and cucumber. Put it all in the bowl.

Get some outside of the record on there like so like that, get your little olive okay, but you use whatever you want consens your business okay. For those of my listeners who may not know Tabitha, she gained immense Internet popularity with her online video content, which incorporates veganism, humor, and motivational speaking. But Tabitha's original career plan was to

be an actor. And I just want to tell you, Tabitha that my girlfriend Wendy was the one who termed me what to you originally because she said you gotta look her up on Instagram. She is so funny. So welcome to positively gam Tabitha. Thank you for having me, honey, and thank you Windy for looking out for your girls. I'm telling you, and she was absolutely right. You are such a personality. But you know, I read that you

were inspired by Rudy on The Cosby Show. That's what made you want to get into an acting career as a little girl. You know, I didn't know what it was to be an actor when I was five, right, And I'm from a small town in North Carolina. I've

never seen acting. But I remember as a family every Thursday we would watch the Coffee Show, and I remember telling my mom, I want to be Rudy's free and to ring the doorbell Nick and come in the house, you know, go and play with rude I said, no, I just want to go in the TV do my thing and then I'm gonna come home. I was trying to explain to her, I want to be an actor like Rude, and that was my first introduction. So yeah,

that's how I started. So tell me about your acting career journey, because you moved from North Carolina to l A. Right, I did that two times, but the first time don't really kount because I didn't move to l A. You know, when I was in high school, I've always wanted to act my entire life. I always wanted to, and I

remember my mama telling me. She said, you know, I know you want to be an actress, but you don't know anything about Nobody in our family were was actors, as she was like, but I also used to make clothes in high school. She was like that you make clothes and you do that, well, why don't you go to school profession design so you have something to fall back on that can help you pursue your dream. And it wasn't that she was trying to, you know, detour me.

She just was going off what she knew, you know, And so I thought, well, that's a good idea. So I had got accepted to this college down in Miami International Fire North, So I went there when I graduated high school, and I remember I was there for the first semester. Then I woke up. It was a Wednesday night in the middle of the night, and all I can think about was I'm supposed to be an actress. I was like, school was going great, you know, I was part of it. I had good grades and everything

was good. But I'm supposed to be an actress. And I called my daddy and like one in the morning, woke came up. I said, there to listen, I'm there here wasting your money. You need to come get me. I'm supposed to be an actress and I'm kids girl. He said, well, I gotta work at the meal on Friday. When I get off, I hear dren because it was fourteen hour drive. He came to pick me up on Saturday morning, and when he came, I was like, Okay, now I gotta figure out how am I gonna get

to this acting. And I was back in my hometown of Eden, and I decided to apply for Plumbia College in Chicago. Was thinking, oh, it's gonna be hit me and my mama flew out there felling over the school. Fell in over with Chicago because it was spring won't win them. And I was like, oh, man, I'm about to go to school here. Two weeks before the time ago, I got the letters that said, oh, due to your financial aid from the school in Miami, we cannot your

financial aide, so I couldn't go to school. So I just said, you know what. My mom had a friend that lived out there in California that had told me one time before, if you ever want to come to California, you could come and rent a room for me. And I thought, oh, I wonder if that lady still will allow that. I called her and she said, yeah, you're gonna come out here. So within two weeks I made that decision and I said, I'm gonna go to California. I'm just go to see my dreams. I'm nineteen. Now.

What lady and Tammany was she was crazy and she was gonna take out my money. She left that part out. Girl said nothing about that, all right, and I want in l A. I was down in Horns, down in Laguna the gale. It was beautiful, but I won't know where in Hollywood. And my husband was my boyfriend at the time. So I had been out there for a couple of months and then his The plan was he was gonna move out and then we get our own place.

I didn't tell him how bad it was, so when he got there, he said, this is crazy, but likely taking all your money. We're in Orange County, you're working two jobs. You ain't doing nothing to where you could do no acting. We ain't even in l A or even close to it. We need to go back to North Carolina, save up for one year, then moved to l A where you can really pursue your dreams. And I thought, okay, that sounds like a good, you know,

good good plan. So we ended up saving up and went back to North Carolina, and the one year plan turned into five years, a baby, marriage, house calls, jobs, and a forgotten dream. If I got pregnant and had my door to after we moved back, I thought, man, I missed outing my opportunity. I can't pursue no acting now I got a baby. You know, from you stake your little regular life, and that's right. And so I

literally believed that for a long time. And then one morning something shook my bed and woke me up, and it felt like I had had an earthquake in Brienceburn, North Callina, and I woke up and I heard a voice that sounded like thunder, and the boy said, this is not the life I planned for you. And it scared me, and I got on my knees and I started printing. I said, now, Lord, I this is you speaking to me. I need you to show me a sign today. If not, I'm about to go admit myself

into the hospital because I'm hearing stuff. And I told my husband what happened, and of course he thought I was a little losing it too. He was like, okay, I said, but I didn't ask the Lord to show be a signed today. And later the day, we were on our way to the mall and on the radio, that DJ's name was Buster Brown. He had a radio show that came on and said, Hey, I got a new TV show on the b I'm looking for a female co host and I'll be holding audition this girl

out towards the cart up. I've been here five years and there was never ever an audition in Greensbury, North Carolina. And I told my husband that's my sign, that's my job. And I went to that obviously and I booked it. Wow, and I was like, you know what, it's time now, it's time. It's time to go. And I've been here ever since. And that's when I got here and started my journey into acting. But of course it didn't start as soon as I got here as I planned, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Well let's let's jump ahead a little bit. Did you have any idea that the videos that you were posting online would go viral? Oh? Girl, No, I didn't even want to do videos. Like what even made you think about doing that? Well? I had, you know, I was sick for a year and a half. When I fell into depression and anxiety. I got to a place where I didn't believe God heard me anymore. Right, And you know, I grew up in the church. I'm a woman of faith, but I really was like, God, you brought me all

the way this far, just the least be here. And I had had my coming to Jesus moment, it's what I call it. One day in my bathroom and I got in the mirror and I was really in searching my soul and I was like, they said, way you can see that, it's through your eyes. I don't know if it's because my eyes are so being a girl, It was right scary when I got it in the mirror, I like, oh Lord, But but I prayed and I told God, I said, God, you know I have been

habitually praying, not believing what I prayed. But right now I'm giving my my final call to me. If you heal me, you can have me. And I won't try to do this life my way no more. I simply do whatever you ask of me. And I meant it. That day, I really like left the old tab in the bathroom right. And about two weeks later, I had a dream. And in that dream at what you should also know about me is, ever since I was a little girl, I've always had dreams that come to past.

My mom always said I had to give the dream. So in the street, I saw myself on a TV show, like a show of some sort, and my hair was like a little short afro because I always wear my hair long and straight, because that's what my agents and stuff used to tell me. I always cover my accent because I was always told to. But in the dream, I was completely free. But I just had like a

little sort of afro. But I was happy, and I woke up and I said, there, Lord, I'm not audisin, I'm not doing stand up because I used to go out and do stand up trying to get a TV show. Right, And I was like, but what was that revealed that to me? And I heard a voice and said start doing videos. And I said, start doing videos. Oh no, Lord, you ain't talking to me. I'm literally my floord. Happened this conversation with God. And again he said start doing videos.

I said, why would I do a video? He said, look, when you're out doing stand up trying to get a show, you would reach fifteen maybe thirty people at night. You start doing videos, you reached thousands and minutes. And I said, but lord, that's where I got you, because I ain't even got thousands of followers to reach you a minute.

So just don't even make no sense, right. And again he said start doing videos and I said, I'm not doing And he said, remember two weeks ago in the bathroom, he said, if I heal you, I can't you do whatever I asked. I said, Lord, hath Verston caught me on a bad day. But I did say that so to be obedient. And I was started doing videos. So when I first started doing videos, I would be a

sit down comedian. It's like called myself because I would still be in my bed or sitting on my couch telling the same stories I would tell on stage when I was doing stand up as a wife, as a mom. And then as time went on, I had ended up, you know, going vegan. The day that I decided I'm gonna be vegan, the same voice that I had heard that told me to start doing videos whispered in my ear and said, now tell people what you're eating. And I was like, oh God, you want me to do what? Lord?

You want me to tell people what I'm eating? You know. I had also shaved off all my hair in this process, and I was really just trying to become free, you know, And yeah, it was crazy from a small town. Well, I want I want to interrupt you for one minute because you're talking about when you decided to go vegan.

What made you decide to go vegan? I was sick, right, So when I was sick, I woke up in January and I had this headache in the back of my head and the headache rest it there every single day for one year, in seven months, and it would not go away. It was accompanied by chronic pain throughout my body. Chronic fatigue all when I walked what was happening, and it was pretty east like a light bulb for me.

I started talking about all diseases and not have Yeah, you know, the same thing happened, well, not the same thing happened, but I was ill as well. I was ill as well. I had a hepatitis scene. And while I was going through one treatment program, you know, you're taking all of these medications that are really really you know, because it's a chemo theory. It's it's like it's like having a cancer, all right. And I remember that at one Christmas, my grandson who is vegan, well he was

at the time. He's now I think considers himself vegetarian, but he is vegan back then, and he asked us to watch what the hell and And I'm telling you that had a profound effect on me as well. It was really really sick of seeing it. And I right, yeah, both absolutely, I was the same, but it was it was that message for me because my mom dit a of a ls A disease. They can't tell you what causes and there is no cure. My daddy just turned

sixty nine last month. He's the oldest man living at sixty nine, and so disease is running the family, as I thought, right, But it's the eat habits that of running the family. I went vegan in to two thousand, right, and I was living in Nevada at the time, so I went vegan there, and I just have to tell you, I just have to be honest, Tabitha. It was one of the hardest things to do because everything has eggs, everything has gluten, everything has dairy almost and it was

just so challenging. Plus I was sick, so I didn't have a whole lot of energy to be and I don't like to cook, so let's just say that out front too. I was in a whole situation because I don't like to cook, so basically, and if we went out to eat, I was just getting a plate of vegetables and some mashed potatoes, right, And so it was

really really boring. And then we ended up moving back to Maryland, and I was like, Okay, I'm not even gonna play this game with myself because Maryland, of course is known for their seafood, and I love eating crabs like that is that is an event, that's a social event, you know, And I just wasn't gonna play the game. So then I went pesketarian. So I've been pesketarian or for many, many years now. But one thing I like about you is that you don't you don't try to

force your eating style onto anybody else. If we decide that we're gonna have piece chicken. Because let me tell you something. A couple of weeks ago, I went to I don't know if if if people that are listening, no re Red in our family. We have a blended family. And re Re is Will's first wife. Let me tell you, re Re gets down. She can cook. She can't cook for real. And I went over to her house the other day because she had let me tell you something,

I stopped by. Then she had macaroni and cheese. She had she had fried chicken. Then, let me tell you something. I can't remember the last time I had fried chicken. You hear me, I cannot remember, but I had it that day. I had that stuff looked so good. That chicken looks so Listen, and I said, you know what, I'm not gonna feel bad about myself. Grown Okay, I'm not gonna feel bad about And I said, yes, I had. I told Will, oh yes, I had a piece of I check it at what now you do most of

your videos? Most of them are on TikTok, right, because I don't even have it to TikTok account, Like I don't know anything about TikTok. No, you know, I just started on TikTok in March. But my my original platform is Facebook. I started uh Facebook in two seventeen when when God first told me to started doing videos. I would cook live in my kitchen on Facebook. It would be thirty people watching, and I'd be like, Lord, you said thousands of minutes where they're a god. And I

was consistent. I did it every day, every day. But I was broke because I've been on disability for over a year. My savings was gone, and I was, you know, just struggling trying to figure it out. But I had started to feel better, and so I told my husband. My husband is my partner, not my provider, right, And so I said, listen, I'm feeling better now, I need to get back out there and and start making some money. Started auditioning again. I said, So I'm gonna go drive

Uber because I got a plan. I said, when I go out here and drive Uber, I'm probably gonna get discovered in my car and I'm gonna pick up the director of producer or cast erector. They're gonna love me, and I'm gonna just call you from the set. That's literally what I thought, right, And so I was dropping somebody all by a Whole Foods on December thirty of the seventeen. You know, I'm still just a couple of months into my Beagon journey at that point, and Whole

Foods always got vegan options. So I was like, I'm gonna go ahead, give me some breakfast. And I went in there and got a sandwich and it was called a t T l A. It was like a beacon bacon sandwich that I had never had that before. I said, a beacon bacon girl. Yeah, let me get there to add a pickle, babe. I come to you real quick, honey, real quick. I stopped the Whole food now I know they'd be having some vegan options. They got a tee teeth in l A And that's a tempting bacon, tomato,

lettuce and avocado sand Yeah. When I tell you, I told myself. I said, I'm gonna eat half now and half laid Honey, I gotta take another by just so y'all can see Ord have mercy, don't northing, but just the baby's sing old food. But I get home terminifications on Honey and my phone was going off like an amber alert. I was like, what what's going on? And the video had over, uh like fifty thousand views, and

I was like, who was watching this? Facebook is where I first went Bible January, and that's where my audience started growing. So I had from that day. He was always thousands of people watching in minutes, and my videos would always get millions of views on Facebook for the last two years. That's that was my my original fan base and platform. And I just got on TikTok in March of this year. Okay, so yeah, so that's not really what you had planned for yourself, but it kind

of worked out. And I can relate to that as well because I'm a nurse by training and so I've been seen since. And then I had to kind of retire because Jada needed me to help her with children. Because every time when they were doing films wherever Will was working, we packed up the whole family and we went with him to do this film. It really really started from me. When I really had to just retire for real was when she got Matrix and we had to move to Australia and we were in Australia for

like a year and a half. So I totally understand, like, that was not what I envisioned for myself, but that's exactly what I ended up having to do. And then, of course now I've landed here, which is, you know, not something that I saw for myself, but certainly a blessing. So how how have you settled into this, this career of yours right now? Because it's huge? How do you feel about that? Blessed? I'm so very grateful and and now I'm very much so a lot like you. And

the fact that it definitely was not my plan. I never ever wanted to do anything for food ever. I like to eat, I like to cook for my family, but me cooking it was never a part of my plan. That's how, you know, God got a sense of human He be like, oh, you think you're gonna be okay, I'm gonna show you right. Yeah, And so it feels amazing because of the responses I get. You know, I have helped thousands and thousands of people that I would never meet, and to know that my purpose is greater

than just me being here. It's to help others. And I've always loved to perform, and I still do, but to be able to have a purpose on my life, it's just, you know, I feel like this is where I was supposed to be all alone, even though it wasn't my plan, but it opened the doors to my dreams. And speaking of your husband and your your family, and you are now are doing videos with your family, what does that? You know? My family, they're my foundation, right,

and so I don't exist without them. They are part of me. So when last year, when my daughter graduated high school, she told me she didn't want to go to college and she really didn't like school. And so she said, you don't want to be an entertainment I want to be you know, modeling and all these things. And I said, okay, well listen. And she scorgeous by the way, she looks just like you. Yeah she does.

She's beautiful, thank you. And so I just told her, I said, well, look all right, I don't believe in forcing nobody to do nothing. My family is everything. Is an amazing thing. To be able to work with them and do things like that. All right, So I want to get back to Apatha, to some of your vegging recipes, because you know I have watched some of them. Oh girl, which one girl, because that foold be good and stuff of them don't look all that tasty to me. Have

to the shrimp, the shrimp, the big biggest shrimp. I was like, girl, I do not want to taste that. I do not want to taste that. Well, you know why, because you are a real seafood lover. But just like me, Oh my goodness, we'll see, I don't have the miss seafood because I'm Presketerian. The vegan thing was just way,

way too hard for me. I have to say though, that I am really trying to eat more plant based, and I want to go back to the to the fact that you don't you don't push your eating style onto your your family, because I know I have tried desperately in numerous ways to get my husband to eat more healthfully and it's been difficult. And it's that way

with eating an exercise. He has um high blood pressure and he has a very strong history of heart disease in his family, and I really feel like a different eating style and regular exercise would be so beneficial for him. But at the end of the day, he's a crown ass man, you know what I mean. And a lot of times I feel like you gotta just step back and let people figure out their own situation because that's their business. I always tell people this, listen to your body.

Don't listen to me. Listen to your body. And if you don't, that's also your business. Okay, then we keep for it. We keep on using all your sayings. We have to talk about them to Havatham because I love them all. It's what I can if I want to, because it's my business, and I love the I love the one that you use at the end of your video. So talk to me, how do you How did you

come up with these catchphraises? And by the way, while you're talking about them, you need to come up with a catchphrase for me, okay, because I'm telling you they are so funny. So I just love them. So how did you come up with them? Tell people you know, do it like this contential business? I do it like this because it's my business. Like you know, I don't put with recipes. I cook from the spirit, because that's my business. You put as much as you want to

in your kitchen. And I remember when I would go back and read the comments people will be putting that in quotations. I said, why do they keep saying that? Why did they keep typing that? Because I wouldn't watch. I just go live and be God. One day I was in the jim I said, let me watch this studio to see what they talk about. And I must have said, because it's my business. Thirty times I said, Lord, have mercies say that a lot, and it's just it's

just how I am got it. That's wonderful. What would you say to to listeners out there who are going to work every day but you know, had the same

dreams that you have living Bill's character? If I had never lived my life and went to those jobs that sometimes I hate it and sometimes stay were all right, would never build the care to within myself on how to play different characters right, how to be relatable in certain you know, circumstances, and to just not give up to just use those two steppings on their part of

your story. But you also just have to remember to stay focused on the fact that it is temporary and you've got a bigger goal that you're trying to reach. But that's all right, It'll pass, right, And all experiences are lessons. They're just lessons, not even failures. I used to work for a manufacturing company like cosmetics and hair products all this where they were making and distribute, manufacturing and distribute. Can't nobody to tell me because I already know.

And I was like, oh, that's why you had me there. God, Okay, I used to work for UPS for five years in North Carolina. You can't tell me that you don't know how to ship no package. And I can tell you how to stupid package for the business. I can tell you how to pack it. I can tell you the international post all of that stuff, you know. And I also was a nurse. I d SENNA work, and so I'm very empathetic. I have a very very big part

of my heart for the elderly. And I just am always, you know, sympathizing with people with being caregivers and understanding that and being able to talk to people about that. So every single job, it's it's for a reason, absolutely absolutely all right. As we wind down and wrap it up, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. What are you fixing for Thanksgiving dinners? Because I'm a strong believer that now. Like I said, I I eat like peskyterian ninety nine

point nine percent of the time. But when it comes to holiday time, I have a sweet tooth. That's that's that is My biggest struggle is that sweet tooth. But other than that, when it's holiday time, I don't worry about eating mac and cheese. Like I want mac and cheese with real cheese. I don't want vegan cheese. I want mac and cheese. You know what I mean. I'm gonna eat a roll. Yeah, you know, I'm still gonna stay away from the meat. Yeah, i wanna eat like

it's the Hollywood. I'm gonna eat just like the holidays too. I'll tell you this. I made back and cheese this morning for Steve Harvey and he said this ain't vegan. Wasn't vegan? Wow? My recipe. Everybody who comes and they tried, They're like, I'm not he was vegan. I said, I am. There's a way to do everything. I didn't go vegan because I ain't like how No I'm vegan food tapes Okay, yeah, I need the same feeling. I need the same tape,

and I had to figure it out. But we have mac and cheese, we have greens, we have yams, we got dress and I got potato salad. I'm gonna slice my tomatoes. I'm gonna put my vinek in salt and pepper. I'm gonna do all of that, and you know, every now then we'll do a celebration roast, you know, which is like the veacon turkey or whatever substitute. But I have everything that I've always had, with the exception of any me. Let me ask you, this is my last

stupid question. Do you have any design to do a cookboy? I actually writing one. Yes, I am. It's gonna It's gonna be a while because I'm writing two books at one time. I'm doing an inspirational book and I'm doing a cook book. I want to feed the soul first and then with be the stomach. Okay, well, I need copies of both, so just make sure you don't forget about gams. Send them my way. That mac and cheese

that you describe it sounds really, really good. I might be able to get rere a break on our mac and cheese if yours is better, all right, we're gonna wind down. We're gonna rhun down and roll on out of here with our rapid fire questions for you. Tell me what book you're currently reading. I'm well, I'm writing one, so I'm not reading any because I don't like to be this way, so I'm not reading in there, but

I am writing. Okay, Well, I will accept that. And you already said you're you're writing this spiritual inspirational book and the cook Okay, so we're gonna look forward to that one thing you want to get off your chest, Tabitha. You know, stop judging people period, right. I feel like I'm seeing that more and more every day, especially on social media. Perfect strangers who will never me have a whole lot to say about each other, and it's sickening to me. And I think that we should not do that.

You know. I even wrote a song about that last week. I just honestly feel like I'm gonna do me because it's my business. You do you because that's your business. But I'm gonna do because I'm free, and I want people to to do the same. Yeah. I think it would the world would be a better place spread more love than hate. That is fact that is fact. No, really that Yeah, people have a whole lot to say about somebody never laid eyes on, a never met. That's

very easy to do. Meet me out in the street, exactly, exactly. Okay, what's a model that you live by? Tabatha? I am enough. I am enough just as I am however God created me. She's enough. I'm enough. I love that. Yeah, thank you so much, Tabatha. You are a joy. Thank you. I appreciate you are enjoy and I look forward to your spiritual your inspirational book and your cookbook. And thank you so much for joining us. Please tell the audience where

they can find you on social media. Absolutely, you can find me on social media and I am tapped at the brown just about everywhere. TikTok, Facebook, uh, Instagram, YouTube, tapped at the ground right. Thank you so much for joining positively gay. You know we have to close it out right. They're gonna bout your business and have yourself a good day. But even if you can't have a good don't you they're go messing up. Nobody else is here.

Thank you, Ti, I love you and thank you for having me appreciate So here are my takeaways from my conversation with Tabitha. Number one, remember your why, don't just follow what's trending when it comes to your food choices. Number two, you don't need to force your choices onto anyone else because that's your business, not theirs. And number three, if you're not quite where you want to be in

your career path, it's only temporary. Don't give up. Let every experience be part of the lesson and part of the journey. Thanks for listening, everybody. I hope you enjoyed Tabitha Brown as much as I did. Rate, review, and follow the show. Share your thoughts on the episode and let me know what you're cooking for the holidays. Follow me on my Instagram at Adrian Bandfield Norris using the hashtag positively GAM. I'm here, I'm talking, and I'm listening

and remember y'all stay grateful. Positively Gam is produced by Westbrook Audio. Executive producers Adrian Vanfield Narris, Jada Pinkett Smith, Amanda Brown and Fallon jethro Co. Executive producer sim Hoti, Segment producer Ash Francis, Associate producer Erica Ron, editor and mixer Calvin Bayliss. Positively Gam is in partnership with Art nineteen