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Speaker 1: Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebine, a space where no

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Speaker 1: question is off limits and storylines become lifelines. The views

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Speaker 1: shared by our guests are meant to inform, entertain, and empower,

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Speaker 1: from the laughs to the lessons. Just remember tough times

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Speaker 1: don't last, but professional home girls do enjoy the show.

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Speaker 2: What's up y'all? Aeshagara Ebine here, and I hope all

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Speaker 2: is cute, y'all. Can y'all believe? Like we are two

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Speaker 2: days away from Christmas, which is crazy, but I'm not

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Speaker 2: gonna hold y'all. Holiday season is my favorite time of

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Speaker 2: the year, Like y'all. I love holidays, Like I'm the

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Speaker 2: girl that gets excited about Saint Patrick's Day, Like I'm

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Speaker 2: that type of person. So I am super excited. And also,

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Speaker 2: for the first time in forever be home in Memphis

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Speaker 2: for Christmas, So I'm super excited about spending time with

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Speaker 2: my loved one and my friends, my childhood friends, my

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Speaker 2: new friends, and just being at home in Memphis. And

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Speaker 2: also it's a lot warmer down there, which I'm like

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Speaker 2: ecstatic about because it is brick up here. Okay, So

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Speaker 2: I'm super excited about that. Make sure you follow me

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Speaker 2: at the Professional Homegirl and at pretty private podcasts because

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Speaker 2: I will be posting pictures of my holidays and Memphis.

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Speaker 2: And also I'm just feeling really good right now, like

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Speaker 2: I'm really looking forward to the new year. Is anybody

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Speaker 2: else feeling good about twenty twenty six? You know, email

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Speaker 2: me and hello at the phgpodcast dot com. I do

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Speaker 2: respond back to my emails. It may take me a

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Speaker 2: little minute, but I will respond back and just let

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Speaker 2: me know. What are your goals for twenty twenty six? Like,

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Speaker 2: what are my Professional Homegirls working on for the new year.

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Speaker 2: I'm going to share a couple of things in the

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Speaker 2: new year of what I've been working on. But one

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Speaker 2: of the things that I'm super super excited about is

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Speaker 2: volume four of the Professional Homegirl coloring book. So I'm

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Speaker 2: super excited about this. If you have not purchased Volume

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Speaker 2: three or any of my other coloring books, please please

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Speaker 2: please make sure that you support by clicking the link

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Speaker 2: in the show notes below. Volume three has been getting

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Speaker 2: so much love, and I truly appreciate all the amazing

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Speaker 2: reviews and listen when I tell y'all, Volume four is

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Speaker 2: so fire like baby. The way my graphic illustrator pushed

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Speaker 2: her pen with these illustrations like it is so spicy

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Speaker 2: and Volume four is strictly for adults, okay, like it

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Speaker 2: is Chef's Kiss. Okay. However, I might even drop a

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Speaker 2: little sneak peek for my YouTube members, So if you're

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Speaker 2: not a member of my YouTube channel at the Professional Homegirl,

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Speaker 2: please make sure you sign up and support your girl. Okay. Now,

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Speaker 2: I am super excited for you all to hear this

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Speaker 2: week's episode because I am sitting down with the trailblazer,

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Speaker 2: Jennifer Jones. She us the first black rocket. Okay. Jennifer

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Speaker 2: takes us behind the curtains of one of the most

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Speaker 2: iconic stages in the world and shares what it truly

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Speaker 2: meant to break barriers in a space that wasn't built

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Speaker 2: with her and mind. Her journey is about more than dance.

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Speaker 2: Is about courage, discipline, and being a first when there

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Speaker 2: was no road map. So we talk about perseverance, we

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Speaker 2: talk about representation and just the quiet shrenth it takes

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Speaker 2: to walk into history while simply chasing your dreams. So

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Speaker 2: get ready, y'all, hands down, this is one of my

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Speaker 2: favorite episode. I also got a little emotional what you

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Speaker 2: would hear in the episode as you listen, but please

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Speaker 2: please get ready. I was the first Black Rocket with

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Speaker 2: Jennifer Jones. Starts now and also Merry Christmas everyone. Oh

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Speaker 2: my god, I am super excited about today's episode. I was, okay,

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Speaker 2: a little nervous, and I haven't gotten nervous but about

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Speaker 2: having a conversation with somebody in a very long time.

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Speaker 2: But today we are joined by a true trailblazer, Miss

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Speaker 2: Jennifer Jones. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much

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Speaker 2: for coming to the show. She is the first black Rocket.

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Speaker 2: How are you feeling. How are you doing.

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Speaker 3: I'm blessed today. I'm feeling good. Thank you so much

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Speaker 3: for having me on your show.

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Speaker 2: Yes, gud okay, So take us back. What was your

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Speaker 2: introduction to dance and when didn't you know that this

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Speaker 2: was your calling?

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Speaker 3: Growing up, my parents always had my older sister and

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Speaker 3: I involved in some type of activity, whether it was

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Speaker 3: dance or baton twirling, gymnastics. We were always involved in

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Speaker 3: some kind of extra curricular activity. I always loved to dance,

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Speaker 3: but it wasn't until my fourth grade recital when my

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Speaker 3: teacher picked me to be one of the leads in

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Speaker 3: a fourth grade recital doing a nineteen forties dance and

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Speaker 3: I'm not quite sure why he picked me. I was

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Speaker 3: the shyest child in school. I never talked, I never

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Speaker 3: raised my hand. But that first experience being on that stage,

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Speaker 3: there was something about it that felt magical to me,

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Speaker 3: and I fell in love with it. And at the time,

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Speaker 3: my parents were also big Broadway goers, and they would

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Speaker 3: see all the latest and greatest Broadway shows Ben Veren

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Speaker 3: and Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar.

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Speaker 2: I remember that one.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And when The Whiz came to Broadway with an

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Speaker 3: all black cast with Stephanie Mills and Mabel King and

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Speaker 3: the Powerhouses Hidden Battle, they took my sister and I

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Speaker 3: to see it and not once, not twice, but five times.

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Speaker 3: At what time, it was ingrained in me that this

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Speaker 3: is what I want to do. I want to dance

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Speaker 3: on a grand stage and I want to walk out

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Speaker 3: of the backstage door. And that's kind of where the

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Speaker 3: seed was planted.

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Speaker 2: Okay, so I'm jumping ahead, But have you ever met

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Speaker 2: Stephanie Mills?

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Speaker 3: I haven't.

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Speaker 2: Oh, yeah, because you speak about her a lot in

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Speaker 2: your book and I'm like, I heard if she ever

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Speaker 2: met her before?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I've never met her, but she was. She really

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Speaker 3: inspired me. My parents got the cast album and I

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Speaker 3: would my sister and I would act out all the songs.

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Speaker 3: I mean, by the by the fifth time I saw

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Speaker 3: the Whiz, I was Dorothy.

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Speaker 2: Right right, I think I was Dorothy too. So one

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Speaker 2: thing I love about your book is because a lot

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Speaker 2: of parents, like your parents were very hard working. And

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Speaker 2: when I was reading your book, you know a lot

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Speaker 2: of parents from the generation even to this day, they

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Speaker 2: just don't understand being a creative and like using your

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Speaker 2: talents to be as a skill. So I can only

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Speaker 2: imagine how many times you heard them say you need

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Speaker 2: to get a real job. So how did those comments

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Speaker 2: shape your drive or doubt? In the beginning In the.

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Speaker 3: Beginning, through throughout my high school and the beginning of

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Speaker 3: my college years, my parents were accepting of me going

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Speaker 3: into the city, taking dance classes, kind of learning the

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Speaker 3: ropes of how to audition, what to expect. It wasn't

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Speaker 3: It wasn't until maybe my second semester they kind of

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Speaker 3: were like, you know, we're gonna cut you off it

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Speaker 3: it's time for you to get a job. I had games, yes, yeah,

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Speaker 3: so and you know, I look back and most of

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Speaker 3: my friends were already in college, they had their majors,

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Speaker 3: and all I had was this passion of being a

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Speaker 3: Broadway star and that it was. It came to a

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Speaker 3: point where I had to make a decision. Am I

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Speaker 3: going to stop dancing and get a nine to five

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Speaker 3: job something that doesn't resonate with me? Or am I

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Speaker 3: going to continue and follow my dream of dancing and

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Speaker 3: not live in regret. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: But I feel like when you first started dancing, and

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Speaker 2: you like sell it through, you were really hustling, Like

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Speaker 2: you were traveling back and forth, going to New York,

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Speaker 2: you were trying to find a place to stay. Like

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Speaker 2: it was like the grind was real.

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Speaker 3: Right, I mean it was challenging, you know, I had

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Speaker 3: to work for my dream, and I think that's where

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Speaker 3: the growth comes in. If you don't have that challenge,

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Speaker 3: if you don't have that pressure, there's no growth. You

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Speaker 3: have to take those leaps of faith for your own self,

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Speaker 3: you know, for your own worth in the world, your

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Speaker 3: own gift to come out. It's never handed to you.

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Speaker 3: It's always hard work.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. And another thing I love about your story is

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Speaker 2: because you were very transparent about your relationships, and earlier

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Speaker 2: on you were saying how you saw this music video?

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Speaker 2: And you were saying like I want to do that.

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Speaker 2: I want to do that. And then the guy was

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Speaker 2: with he was like, you would never be in a

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Speaker 2: music video.

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Speaker 3: Oh he left at me. Yeah, he left at me.

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Speaker 3: And that kind of fueled me to see to say

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Speaker 3: watch and that was the first thing I did. The

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Speaker 3: first thing I did was a music video.

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Speaker 2: You're not trying to find it, right?

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Speaker 3: Did you find it? You look it up some more.

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Speaker 3: I'll send you the link.

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Speaker 2: I'm going to include in a show. But yeah, you

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Speaker 2: were saying that he was discouraging you because you were

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Speaker 2: saying how you wanted to be in a music video.

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Speaker 3: It was something that I saw MTV had just come

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Speaker 3: out and it was a Zzy Top you know, music video,

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Speaker 3: and I was like, oh my gosh, that is I

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Speaker 3: would love to do something like that. And I was

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Speaker 3: actually expressing something that was close to my heart and

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Speaker 3: some one of my dreams. Someone laugh and walk out

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Speaker 3: of the room was not a reaction that I was expecting,

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Speaker 3: and so that just kind of fueled me to let

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Speaker 3: go of that because of him, because I wanted to

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Speaker 3: keep going and you know, fuel my passion.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, what did I experience teach you about choosing the

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Speaker 2: right partner that supports your dreams. Because I had that

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Speaker 2: was like a very important lesson that you learned early on.

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Speaker 3: Yes, it's I think it's different for everyone. You know,

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Speaker 3: I was married and I got and I was I've

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Speaker 3: divorced my first husband, I'm now remarried, and I think

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Speaker 3: it's an evolutionary process of finding the one. Some people

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Speaker 3: find their sweethearts in high school, some find it in college.

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Speaker 3: Everyone's growth journey, relationship journey, karmac journey is different.

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Speaker 2: Well, one thing I will say, miss Jennifer, you stay

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Speaker 2: with a man.

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Speaker 3: Yes, that is true. That is true. I stick it

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Speaker 3: out right, I stick it out.

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Speaker 2: So for the listeners who may not know, can you

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Speaker 2: explain the legacy of the rock Gets and what makes

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Speaker 2: them so iconic.

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Speaker 3: So the Rockets were founded in nineteen twenty five by

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Speaker 3: Russell Market and Saint Louis, Missouri, and his idea of

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Speaker 3: a dance troup was based off the British Tiller Girls

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Speaker 3: and he thought if he can get an American group

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Speaker 3: of ladies that could do intricate tap steps and high

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Speaker 3: kicks at the end, that he would knock the American

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Speaker 3: people's socks off. And I don't think if he was

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Speaker 3: here today that he could even fathom this line of

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Speaker 3: one hundred years that's now so iconic and the threat

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Speaker 3: of American you know, American traditions. But in nineteen twenty five,

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Speaker 3: black people were not allowed to dance on the same

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Speaker 3: stage as white people. That's just how it was. But

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Speaker 3: you would think in nineteen eighty seven, under the backdrop

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Speaker 3: of New York City, there would have been a black dancer.

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Speaker 2: Right.

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Speaker 3: So we've birthed a lot of, you know, beautiful black

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Speaker 3: dance companies like Dance Theater of Harlem and Alvin Ally

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Speaker 3: and Twilat Tharp. But still it did take the Roquettes

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Speaker 3: Radio City a long time to diversify as much as

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Speaker 3: they have.

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Speaker 2: So tell us about the moment when you found out

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Speaker 2: that you became a rocket.

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Speaker 3: It was my first big job. Violet Homes had called

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Speaker 3: me and asked me if I wanted to do a

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Speaker 3: Super Bowl twenty two halftime show. I was nineteen twenty

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Speaker 3: years old, and I asked her if I could call

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Speaker 3: her back because I was so nervous. I took a

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Speaker 3: walk around the block and about a half hour later,

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Speaker 3: I called her back and I accepted the job. But

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Speaker 3: at that point I still hadn't known. They didn't tell

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Speaker 3: me I would be the first black woman to break

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Speaker 3: the race barrier, and you.

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Speaker 2: Didn't notice that there were no other like people of color,

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Speaker 2: Like did you think, cause I'm just thinking that at

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Speaker 2: the time. I'm like, wow, like you were really like

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Speaker 2: the first black woman to ever be a part of

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Speaker 2: this history, and I'm just like, I don't know. I

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Speaker 2: just think it's kind of crazy how that never stood

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Speaker 2: out in the beginning, because I feel like you were

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Speaker 2: just so like, I'm just gonna dance, dance, dance, like

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Speaker 2: it even hit you.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I didn't realize it. Even when I went to

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Speaker 3: the audition, I noticed that there wasn't, you know, another

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Speaker 3: black dancer on the line, and I thought, I know,

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Speaker 3: I did think about leaving. I thought I can make

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Speaker 3: my favorite jazz class, but there was an inner voice

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Speaker 3: that kind of pushed me back in the line and

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Speaker 3: told me to stay. It wasn't until my callback where

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Speaker 3: I would see another black woman. And at still at

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Speaker 3: that point, I had no idea of the Rockhead's history.

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Speaker 3: I didn't even when I went to the audition, I

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Speaker 3: didn't even know who the rockheads were. I didn't know

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Speaker 3: what Radio City was or the Christmas Show. My parents

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Speaker 3: never took me to see that Broadway, so it was

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Speaker 3: just all new and I was trying to learn the

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Speaker 3: ropes to become a Broadway star.

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Speaker 2: So tell us about the first time you perform a

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Speaker 2: Radio City music hall, because that had to be like

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Speaker 2: overwhelming in a good way.

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Speaker 3: It was amazing. I was actually surprised to be called

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Speaker 3: back for the Christmas Show because my first job was

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Speaker 3: Super Bowl twenty two, which was January February third, January

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Speaker 3: thirty first, nineteen eighty eight. So I had a whole

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Speaker 3: year of not really knowing if I was going to

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Speaker 3: be called in for the Christmas Show or not. And

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Speaker 3: when I was called again, those nerves came in, but

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Speaker 3: I knew this time it was an immediate yes. I

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Speaker 3: was not calling back, And it was a learning process

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Speaker 3: because it was my first really big job and there

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Speaker 3: were nerves there. I was still learning rocket precision and

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Speaker 3: language and terminology and towing the line, and I was

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Speaker 3: learning up to eight numbers. That I was a lot,

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Speaker 3: a lot for a ninety minute show. But you know what,

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Speaker 3: I loved rehearsing eight hours a day, and I loved

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Speaker 3: walking out of the backstage door of Radio City Music Hall.

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Speaker 2: What's up, y'all, it's Shagara m and A here, and

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Speaker 2: be sure to follow me on and TikTok at pretty

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Speaker 2: private podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube

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Speaker 2: channel at the Professional Homegirl. Now let's get back to

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Speaker 2: the show. Okay, So this might be a stretch, but

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Speaker 2: you started in nineteen eighty seven, and when I was

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Speaker 2: a little girl, my grandma used to take me to

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Speaker 2: go see the rock ass And when I was preparing

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Speaker 2: for our conversation and I was reading your book, I'm like,

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Speaker 2: I remember my grandma telling me. And it could be

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Speaker 2: a stretch, but I feel like I saw you on

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Speaker 2: stage when I was a little girl.

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Speaker 3: Probably yeah, probably yes, because we always got good seats.

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Speaker 2: And she's like, she was like, there's only one, she said,

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Speaker 2: there's not there's hardly any black girls on stage, she said,

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Speaker 2: but there's one. And I was like, well, where is she?

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Speaker 2: And I could have sworn she pointed to you, And

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Speaker 2: I feel like I remember seeing you when I was

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Speaker 2: a little girl.

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Speaker 3: Oh n no, And that's what I was like.

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Speaker 2: I'm like, I didn't want to cry and get nostalgic.

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Speaker 2: But I'm just like, wow, like it's just so crazy

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Speaker 2: how life is like circle.

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Speaker 3: Yes, yes, it is amazing. There's Actually we were celebrating

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Speaker 3: the Rockets one hundredth anniversary and I got together together

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Speaker 3: with some Rockettes of color and one of the ladies

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Speaker 3: came up to me and she said her father was

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Speaker 3: watching the Thanksgiving Day parade one year when she was

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Speaker 3: a little girl and I was performing, and he called

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Speaker 3: her in and he said, look, they hired a black

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Speaker 3: woman and she watched and she said that encouraged me

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Speaker 3: to go an audition and perform because I saw you,

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Speaker 3: and I think that's so important that we have representation

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Speaker 3: on that stage. So any child can say I can

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Speaker 3: do that too.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's so cool. Friends with missus Jennifer Jones. So

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Speaker 2: what are some of the challenges you face stepped into

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Speaker 2: this space, because I feel like when you are the

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Speaker 2: first or when you are pioneer, it's a lot that

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Speaker 2: comes with it.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely. I think a lot of people think that, oh,

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Speaker 3: once you've made it to be the first of anything,

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Speaker 3: that you've got it made. But within organizations with firsts,

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Speaker 3: there comes challenges at resistance with change, so there were

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Speaker 3: some ladies on the line who did not want me there.

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Speaker 3: It was so to you, I know, I know, I

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Speaker 3: just wanted to keep dancing, and I was I was

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Speaker 3: by myself, yeah, and so I just had to I

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Speaker 3: just held onto my dream. And there were people within

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Speaker 3: the organization who made it clear that they did not

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Speaker 3: want me there. And it was my sheer love of dancing,

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Speaker 3: wearing those costumes with the rhinestones under the lights and

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Speaker 3: red lipsticks and lashes and walking out of the backstage door,

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Speaker 3: out of you know, from dancing all day. I was

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Speaker 3: living my dream and I got to dance on the

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Speaker 3: same stage they did. I got to do the same choreography,

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Speaker 3: wear the same costume, and walk out of that door.

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Speaker 3: And so I felt good. I felt confident, yeah, and that.

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Speaker 2: But I feel like there was no room for error

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Speaker 2: when it came to you, because if you messed up, like,

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Speaker 2: they really pointed it out. And even like when I

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Speaker 2: think about some of the situation that you've been in,

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Speaker 2: like even with one of the dancers putting on dark foundation,

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Speaker 2: doing blackface, or even when you were saying how you

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Speaker 2: wanted the stockings to match your skin tone, and that

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Speaker 2: was a problem too, and I'm like wow, Like I

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Speaker 2: just couldn't imagine like being in that space and being

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Speaker 2: the only one having this stand up for yourself and

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Speaker 2: then you heard girls talking about you when you was sleeping,

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Speaker 2: like she got to start cursing these people out.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it was a lot, and you know,

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Speaker 3: I was by myself a lot. Of course, there were

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Speaker 3: some ladies who were on the line who were very

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Speaker 3: nice and very friendly and taught me how to be

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Speaker 3: the best rock cat possible, and I thank them for that.

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Speaker 3: But I didn't have like the close you know friendships

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Speaker 3: where people would go out to lunch in between shows

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Speaker 3: all or we didn't have cell phones back then, but

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Speaker 3: you know, go to you know, each other holiday parties

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Speaker 3: or things like that. So I was by myself, but

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Speaker 3: I was living my dream. And it took me a

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Speaker 3: long time to really figure out, you know, my fifteen

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Speaker 3: year tenure and opening the doors for other black women

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Speaker 3: to call themselves radio city music Hall rockets because that title,

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Speaker 3: as soon as I got it was taken away from me.

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Speaker 3: So it took me a long time to like own

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Speaker 3: this power and realize that this does matter.

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Speaker 2: What do you mean? It was taken away from you.

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Speaker 3: I talk about this in the book, where like I said,

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Speaker 3: there are people people within the organization who did not

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Speaker 3: want me there. And right before I for before the

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Speaker 3: Super Bowl halftime show, I was pulled aside and I

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Speaker 3: was told that I'm old news, nobody cares about me

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Speaker 3: or own a pr lady yes, and I'm lucky to

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Speaker 3: be there. And I thought she was right, and so

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Speaker 3: I muted myself. I dimmed my light, and I thought

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Speaker 3: nobody cared.

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Speaker 2: Well, you wrote this book and you go back and

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Speaker 2: you share these stories. Have anybody from the organization reached

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Speaker 2: out to you or like no, oh wow, well no.

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Speaker 3: I was actually surprised when I went to see the

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Speaker 3: one hundredth anniversary show this year. They did a film

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Speaker 3: beforehand and asked rockheads throughout the decades to come and

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Speaker 3: talk about their journey. They did not ask any of

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Speaker 3: the first ladies who broke the color barrier. They did

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Speaker 3: not ask the first Asian latina or myself to speak

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Speaker 3: in the video which is playing throughout the Christmas show.

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Speaker 3: And my thought process is and what I've kind of

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Speaker 3: been told from like other people that I share this

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Speaker 3: experience with, which is very hurtful that they've been trying

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Speaker 3: to whitewash it kind of blended, saying we've always been diverse.

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Speaker 3: They don't want to bring up the past for some reason.

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Speaker 3: They don't want to acknowledge my journey or any of

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Speaker 3: the other ladies that are first.

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Speaker 2: Dang, and I was gonna take my niece to go

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Speaker 2: see it.

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Speaker 3: So there goes there. It's a wonderful show.

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Speaker 2: We're not going.

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Speaker 3: No, it's a great show. And the ladies that are

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Speaker 3: on the line today, it's a different vibe from when

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Speaker 3: I was there. The ladies on the line are very

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Speaker 3: inclusive and respectful of each other. When I was on

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Speaker 3: the line, the thoughts I believe still are very antiquated

391
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Speaker 3: and are still back in the nineteenth sixties and fifties.

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Speaker 3: But it's Radio City, Madison Square Gardens decision not to

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Speaker 3: acknowledge me.

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Speaker 2: So where do you get this grace from? Because I

395
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Speaker 2: feel like not because I feel like you've been through

396
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Speaker 2: so much and like you broke barriers, Like if it

397
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Speaker 2: wasn't for you, there wouldn't be any other African American rockets.

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Speaker 2: So like, where do you think that comes from? Because people,

399
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Speaker 2: a lot of people in have felt a way. I'm

400
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Speaker 2: pretty sure when people just here and it's just like wow,

401
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Speaker 2: like they try to erase your history.

402
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Speaker 3: Yes, that's exactly what they're trying to do. And you know,

403
00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:35,679
Speaker 3: and I speak publicly about it because they're they're not

404
00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:37,919
Speaker 3: going to do anything about it. But it's the truth.

405
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Speaker 3: And I want, I still want girls and boys to

406
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Speaker 3: go see the show because it is iconic, it is

407
00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:50,400
Speaker 3: a part of history. It's a part of our Black history,

408
00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:53,800
Speaker 3: is a part of our American history, a part of

409
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Speaker 3: dance history, and it's important. And the ladies that are

410
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Speaker 3: performing on the stage today, they want to encourage black

411
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Speaker 3: and brown children to follow their dreams, no matter what

412
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Speaker 3: it is, whether it's being a chef or an astronaut

413
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Speaker 3: or a race car driver, just to show that you

414
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Speaker 3: can whatever you put your mind to, that you can

415
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Speaker 3: do and that's the important thing.

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Speaker 2: Do you still think that there needs to be more

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Speaker 2: work done in the performing arts when it comes to diversity.

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Speaker 3: Yes. Absolutely. I think that representation, diversity, inclusiveness all need

419
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Speaker 3: to be expressed, and I think that, especially in today's climate,

420
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Speaker 3: it needs to be acknowledged and I think there should

421
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Speaker 3: be representation for all in the arts and creativity.

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Speaker 2: Wow, that really just.

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Speaker 3: So sorry.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So talk about how you made the transition from

425
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Speaker 2: being a rocket to now working on Broadway, because how

426
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Speaker 2: long were your rocket?

427
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Speaker 3: For? Fifteen years?

428
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Speaker 2: Okay? And he stopped doing it because you got pregnant,

429
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Speaker 2: so you took him maternity.

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Speaker 3: Leave, yes, And then when I came back, I did

431
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Speaker 3: one more year of the Christmas Show. And at that

432
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Speaker 3: point they were Madison Square Garden had bought the Rockheads

433
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Speaker 3: and they were breaking the roster, and the roster consisted

434
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Speaker 3: of thirty six women who had full time health benefits

435
00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,520
Speaker 3: for oh one k job security. I could take a

436
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Speaker 3: leave of absence, maternity leave and come back to my

437
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Speaker 3: job on the line. And Jim Dolan wanted to break

438
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:39,040
Speaker 3: the roster, and he did so successfully. I kind of

439
00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,320
Speaker 3: thought to keep it because it helped me in my situation.

440
00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,439
Speaker 3: So when it was broken, I was cast in a

441
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,879
Speaker 3: Broadway show, and I chose to leave the Rockheads and

442
00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:54,639
Speaker 3: continue on Broadway. Oh man, But I have to say

443
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,680
Speaker 3: when he did break the roster, the Rockets want for nothing.

444
00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:02,960
Speaker 3: They are very well taken care of. They're given everything

445
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,480
Speaker 3: that they need that they want, so he does take

446
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:09,399
Speaker 3: care of them in that respect.

447
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:12,200
Speaker 2: Did you make it like good money? Doing it back

448
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:12,399
Speaker 2: in the.

449
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:18,280
Speaker 3: Day during the Christmas run, which is the biggest money

450
00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,440
Speaker 3: maker for Radio City, you know, the Rockheads and the

451
00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:25,280
Speaker 3: Christmas Show. It was anywhere from thirty five to forty

452
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:27,000
Speaker 3: thousand dollars. Those are real.

453
00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:30,480
Speaker 2: Cute, especially being single. And he was able to open

454
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:32,600
Speaker 2: up your own studio. You was an entrepreneur.

455
00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:37,320
Speaker 3: Yes, I owned Jennifer Jones Dance and Fitness Studio, which

456
00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:40,920
Speaker 3: was an aerobics studio and there was another small room

457
00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:44,960
Speaker 3: with some fitness machines and some weights and step aerobics

458
00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:49,280
Speaker 3: was really big back then. Gave step classes and I

459
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:54,800
Speaker 3: was I also taught dance to the underprivileged kids from

460
00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:57,480
Speaker 3: Easter Seals and United Way, which was nice.

461
00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:00,639
Speaker 2: Oh do you hate like, do you have any regrets

462
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:02,800
Speaker 2: when it comes to selling your business looking back?

463
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,840
Speaker 3: No, it was time for me to sell and I

464
00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,320
Speaker 3: went on tour with the Rockheads. I'm glad I did it.

465
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,760
Speaker 3: I'm glad I had the experience, but I'm not upset

466
00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:14,720
Speaker 3: that we sold it.

467
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,520
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, so talk about your time on Broadway.

468
00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:23,320
Speaker 3: So I got to live my childhood experience of performing

469
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:27,119
Speaker 3: on Broadway, which was forty second Street, The musical The

470
00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:31,960
Speaker 3: Revival and I danced in that from beginning to end.

471
00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,479
Speaker 3: And I loved doing eight shows a week and getting

472
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:40,879
Speaker 3: that family for all those years, seeing the same people

473
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:45,000
Speaker 3: day in day out, the stage hands, the musicians, the dancers.

474
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:50,920
Speaker 3: It was really beautiful, something that I really enjoyed. Yeah.

475
00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,239
Speaker 2: Eight, Oh my god, I'm just thinking, like, how did

476
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:54,400
Speaker 2: you have time to do anything else?

477
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:54,480
Speaker 3: Like?

478
00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:55,320
Speaker 2: Were you not tired?

479
00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:02,199
Speaker 3: My body was tired, But I that I love to

480
00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:04,919
Speaker 3: do it. I loved to dance. I loved to be

481
00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:09,320
Speaker 3: on stage. I loved to sing. I loved the live audience.

482
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,200
Speaker 3: It was something that was just innate in me that

483
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:14,800
Speaker 3: I never it never grew old.

484
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:20,240
Speaker 2: Have you seen Alicia Keys play I Have Not So Good?

485
00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:21,880
Speaker 3: Really so good?

486
00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:23,760
Speaker 2: You will like it, you will love it. Actually, yeah,

487
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,240
Speaker 2: it's so good. Yeah. What's your favorite Broadway shows?

488
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,400
Speaker 3: I haven't seen a Broadway show lately. The last show

489
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,200
Speaker 3: I saw was Jersey Boys, and that was off Broadway.

490
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:37,760
Speaker 3: The last show I did see was Radio City the

491
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,080
Speaker 3: Christmas Show, and I have to say, you know, it

492
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:42,880
Speaker 3: was amazing, all right.

493
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,960
Speaker 2: I guess if you say it's amazing, I think about

494
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,240
Speaker 2: taking my knees clude you like that would have been

495
00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,520
Speaker 2: like so like historical to have you the first Asian

496
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:53,240
Speaker 2: and that first Latina.

497
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:58,879
Speaker 3: Like, yeah, they just didn't want us there. They do

498
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:03,680
Speaker 3: have you know, blacklea that speak and Asian ladies that speak.

499
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:04,719
Speaker 2: But it's not y'all.

500
00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:07,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, So.

501
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,440
Speaker 2: Can you talk about the feeling and why breaking barriers

502
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:12,679
Speaker 2: doesn't always come with security or stability, because after you

503
00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,440
Speaker 2: left Broadway, you know, you talked about your journey with

504
00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:17,119
Speaker 2: like just trying to find a career and stuff, and

505
00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,560
Speaker 2: I'm like, damn, like it was like kind of it

506
00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,879
Speaker 2: was sad, and no, it was because it's just like

507
00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:25,600
Speaker 2: you push your all into your passion. You was the

508
00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,280
Speaker 2: first black Rock get you performed, You're part of a

509
00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:31,560
Speaker 2: Tony Award win Broadway team. You was also Miss Jerks

510
00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:32,760
Speaker 2: my not Miss Jersey, but Miss.

511
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,000
Speaker 3: Morristown, Miss Morris County. Yeah.

512
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,600
Speaker 2: I'm like, you had all these accolades and I'm just like, damn,

513
00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,600
Speaker 2: Like it shouldn't have been a hard Yeah.

514
00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:46,080
Speaker 3: Well, after Broadway, you know, auditioning doesn't pay the bills.

515
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,640
Speaker 3: My children were very young, I was going through my divorce,

516
00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:52,040
Speaker 3: so act.

517
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,160
Speaker 2: Like that, are y'all cool?

518
00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:00,240
Speaker 3: Now? No? I mean I am with him, He's not me,

519
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,440
Speaker 3: you know, but for whatever read the book.

520
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, because I was like, Wow, you just really don't

521
00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:06,360
Speaker 2: know people.

522
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:12,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, so, you know, I really had to provide for

523
00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:15,520
Speaker 3: my children, so I had to, you know, find a

524
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:20,680
Speaker 3: way to make money and navigate a nine to five job. Yeah.

525
00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:22,719
Speaker 2: How what are you feeling like? Did you feel like like,

526
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:24,480
Speaker 2: I don't know, if you feel like just giving up?

527
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:30,440
Speaker 3: You know, the pr woman's voice always resonated in my head.

528
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,720
Speaker 3: You know, nobody cares. You know my you know, your

529
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:36,800
Speaker 3: story is old. I was lucky to be there. I

530
00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:41,920
Speaker 3: wasn't talented enough, So yeah, I did feel defeated. I

531
00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:45,080
Speaker 3: didn't think that anybody cared, but I just knew I

532
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:47,200
Speaker 3: had to put food on the table and close on

533
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:48,440
Speaker 3: my kid's back. Yeah.

534
00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:50,520
Speaker 2: Have you ran into her lately or have you seen her?

535
00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,520
Speaker 3: No? I don't. I don't know where she is. I

536
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,720
Speaker 3: even after when I was during my tenure there, at

537
00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,840
Speaker 3: some point she left, so to be honest, I don't

538
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:08,080
Speaker 3: even really remember her name, but she was gone. Yeah.

539
00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:09,960
Speaker 2: And then you mentioned at the age of fifty, you

540
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,280
Speaker 2: noticed that your body was changing, but you push your

541
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:14,520
Speaker 2: concerns to the side. So what were some of those

542
00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:16,920
Speaker 2: signs that you realized that you was noticing, but you

543
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,280
Speaker 2: just felt like, you know, I'm just gonna worry about

544
00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:23,560
Speaker 2: it later. Well, I wanted to do delay on ecanum.

545
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,680
Speaker 3: Okay. So the symptoms that I was feeling was like

546
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:31,960
Speaker 3: my stomach was, you know, felt like a little irritated.

547
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,600
Speaker 3: I was a little gassy and bloated. I would eat

548
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,400
Speaker 3: something and I just wouldn't feel right. So I thought

549
00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,560
Speaker 3: it was maybe a gluten allergy or now I'm lactose intolerant.

550
00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,920
Speaker 3: There was always something, you know. I didn't see a

551
00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:52,080
Speaker 3: doctor immediately because I was going through an interim of

552
00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:56,400
Speaker 3: health insurance, so I had to wait for health insurance

553
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,200
Speaker 3: to kick in right and as soon as it did,

554
00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:00,719
Speaker 3: I did go see a doctor.

555
00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:04,320
Speaker 2: Yeah. And then also when you was talking about going

556
00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,600
Speaker 2: to visit the first surgeon, I was like wow, like

557
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,000
Speaker 2: they were just so me and dismissive towards you.

558
00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,600
Speaker 3: Yes. So when I when I finally went to see

559
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:18,760
Speaker 3: the gastro enterologist, I told her I'm not feeling right,

560
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,840
Speaker 3: and I would like I had just turned fifty and

561
00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:26,160
Speaker 3: at that time, colonoscopies were at fifty years old, so

562
00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:30,760
Speaker 3: I was right on time. And she was just like, ugh,

563
00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:35,680
Speaker 3: you're healthy. You know you're vegetarian. You know my scheduler

564
00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,200
Speaker 3: will schedule you when I have time. Wow. I sat

565
00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:41,960
Speaker 3: down with the scheduler. Can you please put me in

566
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,239
Speaker 3: as soon as possible? She was like two weeks, So

567
00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,200
Speaker 3: I had another two weeks of waiting. And after I

568
00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:54,160
Speaker 3: came out of my endoscopy and colonoscopy, I was coming

569
00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:58,120
Speaker 3: out and she delivered the news that I had coorectal

570
00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,960
Speaker 3: cancer and she gave me five years to live. Wow.

571
00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,120
Speaker 2: And the way she said it was just so cold.

572
00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:11,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, And that brought on shame and embarrassment. I was

573
00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:15,240
Speaker 3: the healthy one in my family. I didn't tell my

574
00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,520
Speaker 3: family for a month and I went to do screenings

575
00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:25,240
Speaker 3: and lab work all in private. So that was another

576
00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:32,960
Speaker 3: layer of work that I had to do, and not

577
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,760
Speaker 3: only changing my jobs, but now my life was changing

578
00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:37,440
Speaker 3: with this cancer diagnosis.

579
00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:39,640
Speaker 2: Did it bother you when people were saying they were

580
00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:41,960
Speaker 2: just so surprised you had cancer because you were you

581
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:43,720
Speaker 2: were a healthy one.

582
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:49,600
Speaker 3: I think during that month of my shame and embarrassment,

583
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:55,400
Speaker 3: I did a lot of reflecting. And when I came

584
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:59,000
Speaker 3: out to my family with this, they of course immediately

585
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,920
Speaker 3: had had my back and told me to go to Sloan,

586
00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:05,880
Speaker 3: and at that point, no matter what anyone said, it

587
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,600
Speaker 3: was just a concern for me to get better.

588
00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,520
Speaker 2: Yeah. But also both of your parents had cancer too.

589
00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,520
Speaker 3: Right, Yes, my father had prostate and my mother had breast,

590
00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:19,239
Speaker 3: but no one in my family had colon cancer. And

591
00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:25,200
Speaker 3: I did the genetic testing and it doesn't run in

592
00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:29,240
Speaker 3: my genes. But at the time, I'm telling you, I

593
00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:36,560
Speaker 3: was stressed out to ten. And I think stress levels

594
00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,760
Speaker 3: and the way we care for ourselves has a lot

595
00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:41,440
Speaker 3: to do with that.

596
00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:43,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, Because when I was reading your book, I'm like, Wow,

597
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,240
Speaker 2: if she wasn't so stressed up, maybe this wouldn't happen.

598
00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:47,120
Speaker 2: Like do you think about that?

599
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:50,280
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, all the time. All the time I had

600
00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,520
Speaker 3: to like really do a complete one eighty of my

601
00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:59,200
Speaker 3: life and let some situations go, let people go, just

602
00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:04,280
Speaker 3: like kind of drop anything that didn't really matter, wasn't

603
00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:10,560
Speaker 3: didn't matter to my life. Yeah, And I still carry

604
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:15,319
Speaker 3: that today. But I think stress is a big contributor

605
00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:21,120
Speaker 3: to cancer and other ailments.

606
00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,120
Speaker 2: Yeah. So talk about your recovery journey, because I know

607
00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:27,040
Speaker 2: when you went to the second doctor at Sloan, like

608
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:29,080
Speaker 2: for you, it was like I don't want the bag

609
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,399
Speaker 2: I don't want and I'm like, nobody wants to slow bag.

610
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,400
Speaker 2: But tell us about that, because I feel like you

611
00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,279
Speaker 2: were just so like very adamant, like you said, you

612
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:40,960
Speaker 2: change everything, and even the doctors were very surprised that

613
00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:44,440
Speaker 2: you were healing fast because I guess the cancer was

614
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:45,240
Speaker 2: like shrinking.

615
00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:51,840
Speaker 3: Yeah, so they my doctors had Sloan tattooed where the

616
00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:58,440
Speaker 3: tumor was, and they put me on a kpox chemotherapy treatment.

617
00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:05,400
Speaker 3: And after four rounds of chemo, and after four rounds

618
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:09,920
Speaker 3: of reflection and adding more juicing to my diet and

619
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:16,360
Speaker 3: whak grass shots, they did another Lookxie, and both of

620
00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:21,120
Speaker 3: both my oncologist and my surgeon came in and they

621
00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,279
Speaker 3: just looked at me and they said, what are you doing?

622
00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:26,800
Speaker 3: And I said, what do you mean? And they said,

623
00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:31,200
Speaker 3: the tissue is almost all healed. You can't even really

624
00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:33,920
Speaker 3: tell where the tumor is. It's just that we know

625
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:37,680
Speaker 3: because that's where it was tattooed. And I just told them,

626
00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:41,400
Speaker 3: you know, my reflection and the changes that I was making,

627
00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:46,160
Speaker 3: and I thought, great, I'm done with chemo, no more,

628
00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,320
Speaker 3: I don't have to have surgery. I was going to

629
00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:52,279
Speaker 3: walk out scot free and they said, we need you

630
00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,840
Speaker 3: to do another four rounds of chemo, and you do

631
00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:58,480
Speaker 3: need surgery to take the tumor out. So I did.

632
00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,160
Speaker 3: I did four more and I had my surgery.

633
00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:04,600
Speaker 2: And you're six seven years cancer free.

634
00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:07,480
Speaker 3: This January will be seven years.

635
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:10,359
Speaker 2: Wow. How do they feel like the fact that they

636
00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,880
Speaker 2: gave you five years to live like it's like they

637
00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:14,040
Speaker 2: wasn't even trying to help you.

638
00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:19,160
Speaker 3: They Yeah, we really have to advocate for our own health.

639
00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:24,920
Speaker 3: I have friends who have sadly passed away because doctors

640
00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:31,040
Speaker 3: did not identify the colorectal cancer soon enough. And if

641
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:35,279
Speaker 3: they had given him a colonoscopy, they could have identified

642
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:38,320
Speaker 3: it and he could have been treated. And they're finding

643
00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,720
Speaker 3: coorectal cancer in younger and younger adults and they don't

644
00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:46,399
Speaker 3: know why. So if anyone is feeling off with their

645
00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:49,880
Speaker 3: bowel movements or their stomach, they really need to go

646
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:54,359
Speaker 3: to a gastro entrologist and tell them that they want

647
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:59,439
Speaker 3: a colonoscopy. They have to advocate for themselves. Unfortunately, could

648
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:04,200
Speaker 3: you have food? I don't think so, because I did you.

649
00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:05,720
Speaker 2: Know black people trying to get a check.

650
00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:09,880
Speaker 3: Like that?

651
00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:13,920
Speaker 2: Sue, what you was going to say?

652
00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:18,080
Speaker 3: I don't think I could sue, but because she did

653
00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:22,680
Speaker 3: see me and she did diagnose me. And the first surgeon,

654
00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:26,000
Speaker 3: like you mentioned, I was not a fan of. I

655
00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:29,920
Speaker 3: was his next family vacation. And so you really have

656
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:32,960
Speaker 3: to find the doctor that you fit well with, who

657
00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:38,600
Speaker 3: really cares about your best interest. And when that happens,

658
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:40,560
Speaker 3: you're already halfway cured.

659
00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:44,120
Speaker 2: And then when you got back from being cancer free,

660
00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:45,839
Speaker 2: you went back to work, but then you was having

661
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:49,600
Speaker 2: problems with your employees or your coworker. Should I say, Look,

662
00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:51,640
Speaker 2: I didn't understand it. Why day was coming at too.

663
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:56,680
Speaker 3: I was I was the new kid on the block

664
00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:03,000
Speaker 3: in this nine to five job. Yeah, and I was.

665
00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:06,320
Speaker 3: I was taking time off for my chemo treatments. And

666
00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:10,640
Speaker 3: my boss knew, and HR new, but they I wasn't

667
00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:18,160
Speaker 3: comfortable telling these strangers about my personal prognosis, and they

668
00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:22,239
Speaker 3: felt a need to document when I was in the

669
00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:26,960
Speaker 3: office and when I was out of the office, and

670
00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:29,000
Speaker 3: when I went back to work, I was called into

671
00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:33,400
Speaker 3: HR and they wanted me to, you know, tell these ladies,

672
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:38,120
Speaker 3: these white ladies, why I was out. It was just

673
00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:40,320
Speaker 3: like just tell, just tell them that you have cancer

674
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:45,839
Speaker 3: or you know, I was like no, right, So you know,

675
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:50,920
Speaker 3: it was the whole process of me even still fighting

676
00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:53,680
Speaker 3: and I just coming back from surgery. It took me

677
00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:55,759
Speaker 3: a good year and a half for my body to

678
00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:59,879
Speaker 3: like get fully healed. So I'm healing, I'm fighting, and

679
00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:07,200
Speaker 3: and you know, just trying to provide for my family still. Yeah,

680
00:39:07,239 --> 00:39:08,000
Speaker 3: it was a battle.

681
00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:08,719
Speaker 1: Yeah.

682
00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:10,040
Speaker 2: I feel like you could have got a check from

683
00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:13,760
Speaker 2: them because you did try to go to a lawyer.

684
00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:17,880
Speaker 3: I did, Yeah, I did, and and they back down

685
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,600
Speaker 3: that my I've been you know, my attorney never had

686
00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:24,400
Speaker 3: to contact them, but they did back down, and I

687
00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:27,080
Speaker 3: was able to I was treated like one of the

688
00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:27,800
Speaker 3: ones again.

689
00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:32,200
Speaker 2: Yeah, And during the entire process, I was thinking about

690
00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:35,400
Speaker 2: your husband now, because when y'all met, he has just

691
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:37,160
Speaker 2: lost his wife, or maybe a couple of years ago

692
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,240
Speaker 2: before y'all met, he lost his wife to brain cancer.

693
00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,000
Speaker 2: So I can only imagine like what he was going

694
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,000
Speaker 2: through throughout this journey.

695
00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:47,239
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, And you know, I say I say in

696
00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:49,360
Speaker 3: my book that when you know, he was one of

697
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,520
Speaker 3: the first people that I told and I did not

698
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:54,799
Speaker 3: even know if he was going to stay because that

699
00:39:55,080 --> 00:39:57,680
Speaker 3: journey that he had gone through, I can imagine was

700
00:39:57,719 --> 00:40:00,960
Speaker 3: so horrific. Yeah, he could not even go through it again.

701
00:40:01,719 --> 00:40:07,040
Speaker 3: So he is a lifeline not only for his late

702
00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:07,920
Speaker 3: wife but for me.

703
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, now tell us about you telling you a story

704
00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:13,759
Speaker 2: to Lifetime because I'm like, I feel like they missed

705
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:17,280
Speaker 2: out on a big opportunity, like they come back around.

706
00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:23,879
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, Lifetime is not interested. You know. I am

707
00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:26,880
Speaker 3: still trying to find the right home for my book,

708
00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:30,840
Speaker 3: whether it's a documentary or I think it could be

709
00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:34,520
Speaker 3: a great TV series or even just the idea of

710
00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:40,640
Speaker 3: a dance troupe, you know, day in and day out

711
00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:43,440
Speaker 3: of what it's like in the life of a quote

712
00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:47,399
Speaker 3: unquote rocket could be very interesting. Just trying to find

713
00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,239
Speaker 3: the right home and that I understand that always takes time.

714
00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:52,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, but why didn't they go with it? Because at

715
00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:54,160
Speaker 2: first it seemed like they was interested because you changed

716
00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,200
Speaker 2: your pitch, Like what was that process?

717
00:40:56,280 --> 00:41:02,640
Speaker 3: Like they wanted a book out first, and so, but

718
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:05,239
Speaker 3: I always wanted to put my story in black and

719
00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:13,080
Speaker 3: white and and and document my legacy, my journey because

720
00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:15,719
Speaker 3: as you know, Radio City, Madison Square Garden is not

721
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:18,640
Speaker 3: going to talk about it. Yeah, so I needed to.

722
00:41:18,800 --> 00:41:21,399
Speaker 3: I needed to. I needed to write it down no

723
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:25,360
Speaker 3: matter what no matter what lifetime was thinking or wanted.

724
00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:27,520
Speaker 2: So what I aspire you to share your story like

725
00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:29,440
Speaker 2: it was because I know this year was one hundred

726
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:31,880
Speaker 2: year for the rock Ast, But there's something else inspire you,

727
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:33,480
Speaker 2: like it's time for me to tell my story.

728
00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:38,280
Speaker 3: I always wanted to tell my story. I always wanted

729
00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:42,640
Speaker 3: to share my legacy. And I had picked up the

730
00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:46,040
Speaker 3: pen and paper so many times and started writing, and

731
00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:49,680
Speaker 3: it wasn't the right time. It wasn't the way I

732
00:41:49,719 --> 00:41:52,960
Speaker 3: wanted to say it. But I think the universe always

733
00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:57,160
Speaker 3: is working with us, and it just turned out to

734
00:41:57,200 --> 00:41:59,560
Speaker 3: be the right time for me to to find a

735
00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:02,520
Speaker 3: writer to help me put the words out on the paper,

736
00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:06,840
Speaker 3: the right publisher, the right literary agent to come along

737
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,440
Speaker 3: and push for my book and push for my legacy,

738
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,240
Speaker 3: and everything works in divine timing.

739
00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:14,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, And what has been a feedback And how has

740
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:18,360
Speaker 2: it made you feel? Because this is history and that

741
00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:19,320
Speaker 2: part of y'all.

742
00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:24,520
Speaker 3: The feedback has been very positive, and I've been very

743
00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:28,680
Speaker 3: fortunate to have people reach out to me and let

744
00:42:28,719 --> 00:42:32,480
Speaker 3: them know, let me know how inspiring the book has

745
00:42:32,560 --> 00:42:35,640
Speaker 3: been for them. And just being able to speak at

746
00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:41,200
Speaker 3: different venues and moderated discussions and telling my story and

747
00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:48,080
Speaker 3: getting questions from the audience has been very fulfilling, and I'm,

748
00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:51,560
Speaker 3: you know, so thankful people are interested in the history,

749
00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:56,040
Speaker 3: and I'm glad that I can pay it forward. And

750
00:42:56,280 --> 00:42:58,520
Speaker 3: you know, if someone else is going through a challenge,

751
00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:00,480
Speaker 3: hopefully my story can help them.

752
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:02,919
Speaker 2: Do you feel like the industry give you, give you

753
00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:04,360
Speaker 2: your flowers?

754
00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:05,440
Speaker 3: No?

755
00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:08,279
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't feel like it either, Like I feel

756
00:43:08,280 --> 00:43:11,000
Speaker 2: like they should have you everywhere and you still look good.

757
00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:16,400
Speaker 2: It's like you still like do the moves and stuff.

758
00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:21,600
Speaker 3: I mean, I mean, I'm very active. Of course, I'm

759
00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:26,040
Speaker 3: always dancing in my kitchen and at weddings. I'm a runner,

760
00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:32,400
Speaker 3: I practice hot yoga all the time. Yeah, it's it's

761
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:37,640
Speaker 3: it's hurtful, especially with Radio City when you go on

762
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,640
Speaker 3: to their social media websites and they bring in all

763
00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:50,040
Speaker 3: of these people Amanda Klutes, former Rockets, Jennifer Gardner, Jordan Childs,

764
00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:53,600
Speaker 3: Sierra just to promote and do dance moves and everything,

765
00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:56,200
Speaker 3: but they'll never ask one of the firsts.

766
00:43:56,520 --> 00:43:58,080
Speaker 2: You know, well, you never know. We have a lot

767
00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:01,360
Speaker 2: of people listening, so I have to change that tone.

768
00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:03,400
Speaker 2: Just having on stage I can just duel it this.

769
00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:07,960
Speaker 2: Do you have any regrets looking back over your journey, Like,

770
00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:09,520
Speaker 2: is there anything you would have done differently?

771
00:44:12,520 --> 00:44:19,000
Speaker 3: I don't think that I could ever go back and

772
00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:22,400
Speaker 3: say I would have done something different because that wouldn't

773
00:44:22,440 --> 00:44:25,560
Speaker 3: put me to the place where I am today. I

774
00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:29,840
Speaker 3: think I knew what I knew at that point, and

775
00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:34,600
Speaker 3: I made the best decision possible in that mindset. I

776
00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:37,160
Speaker 3: think looking back, I would have been like, yeah, maybe

777
00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:40,279
Speaker 3: I would have, you know, changed my mind. Yeah, But

778
00:44:40,360 --> 00:44:43,719
Speaker 3: I'm older now, I'm not twenty years old, I'm not

779
00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,440
Speaker 3: twenty five. I think I always made the best decision

780
00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:50,839
Speaker 3: possible in any circumstance that I was in, So I

781
00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:56,040
Speaker 3: can't say that I am regretful, but as an older

782
00:44:56,120 --> 00:45:00,920
Speaker 3: and wiser person, which I was not back then, I

783
00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:02,800
Speaker 3: did my best when I could.

784
00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:06,640
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm just curious. What do your kids think about you? Like, like,

785
00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:08,720
Speaker 2: I think it's so cool you're they have a rocket

786
00:45:08,719 --> 00:45:09,279
Speaker 2: as a mom.

787
00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:11,400
Speaker 3: Thank you?

788
00:45:11,880 --> 00:45:15,360
Speaker 2: Yeah, my kids, they kids don't be caring.

789
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:19,719
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, they were born into into me being a rockhead,

790
00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:23,440
Speaker 3: so they kind of My son came with me to

791
00:45:23,560 --> 00:45:26,520
Speaker 3: the one hundredth anniversary celebration and he loved it. My

792
00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:30,279
Speaker 3: sister came with me and she loved it. Yeah, but

793
00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:33,680
Speaker 3: they're my family, and I think they just kind of

794
00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:35,680
Speaker 3: look at me as Jen Jones.

795
00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:37,239
Speaker 2: And what about your mom and dad?

796
00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:43,000
Speaker 3: My mom and dad are proud. Uh. My mom, I know,

797
00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:46,160
Speaker 3: is very proud of me. My father, he lives in

798
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:50,120
Speaker 3: Saint Croix. I don't really get to see him as often,

799
00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,279
Speaker 3: but I know that he is very supportive of all

800
00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:54,600
Speaker 3: of all of my endeavors.

801
00:45:55,200 --> 00:45:57,120
Speaker 2: You know, I know this book is a memoir, but

802
00:45:57,239 --> 00:45:59,240
Speaker 2: I really do feel like this is a love story

803
00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,400
Speaker 2: to those who want to just chase their dreams. Like

804
00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:05,640
Speaker 2: I really really because I'm in like with my passion

805
00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:07,239
Speaker 2: things that I'm doing, and like you say, it's not

806
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:11,480
Speaker 2: always easy and it's also not always affordable. And so

807
00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:13,920
Speaker 2: just reading your story and just like seeing all the

808
00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:15,520
Speaker 2: things you went through and talking to you, like it's

809
00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:18,279
Speaker 2: really inspiring. And I really do hope that you get

810
00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:21,120
Speaker 2: to smell your flowers from me and everybody else that

811
00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:23,640
Speaker 2: really really grew up watching you, because like I think

812
00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:25,240
Speaker 2: you're just it's just iconic.

813
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:29,200
Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank you. That means a lot. And I

814
00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:33,120
Speaker 3: love that you equate that my book to a love story.

815
00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:34,919
Speaker 2: Yeah that is.

816
00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:40,520
Speaker 3: Yes, I love that and thank you for saying it's

817
00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:44,640
Speaker 3: inspirational because no matter who you are in life, and

818
00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:48,920
Speaker 3: no matter what happens, there are challenges. And at the

819
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,840
Speaker 3: end of my book, I equate us all to diamonds,

820
00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:56,440
Speaker 3: and diamonds are formed under pressure and you're scraped and scrubbed,

821
00:46:56,480 --> 00:46:59,759
Speaker 3: and those are the challenges. But that's only making us

822
00:47:00,040 --> 00:47:04,759
Speaker 3: shine brighter. So that's fostering growth. And that's what we

823
00:47:04,840 --> 00:47:07,279
Speaker 3: all need to share our gift to the world. And

824
00:47:07,360 --> 00:47:10,360
Speaker 3: everyone has their own unique gift and even though it

825
00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:13,279
Speaker 3: looks like we are all doing the same thing, we

826
00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:16,120
Speaker 3: all have our own uniqueness to bring to the world.

827
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:20,319
Speaker 3: So never compare yourself because your gift needs to be

828
00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:23,880
Speaker 3: shown not only for you, but as a community. We

829
00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:27,120
Speaker 3: need to see it and and and live from that.

830
00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:30,960
Speaker 2: Yeah. And last, but not least, what does Jennifer Jones

831
00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:34,000
Speaker 2: want the world to remember remember about Jennifer Jones?

832
00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:42,200
Speaker 3: Oh? Well, I would love them to remember that the

833
00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:45,120
Speaker 3: ladies that are dancing at Radio City Music Hall, the

834
00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:48,279
Speaker 3: the black ladies. I open the door for them. And

835
00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:49,320
Speaker 3: I'm so proud.

836
00:47:49,120 --> 00:47:57,719
Speaker 2: Of you open the door for the ladies exactly.

837
00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:01,719
Speaker 3: And and im and I'm glad that they're relishing in

838
00:48:01,840 --> 00:48:06,399
Speaker 3: all of their successes and just for people in general. Never,

839
00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:09,680
Speaker 3: like I said, never compare yourself to anyone else. We

840
00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:13,600
Speaker 3: all have our own unique gift and journey for the

841
00:48:13,680 --> 00:48:16,200
Speaker 3: world at large, and we all need to see that.

842
00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:19,680
Speaker 3: And once we all know that there are pressures and

843
00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:23,440
Speaker 3: challenges in life and that fosters growth, to not shrink

844
00:48:23,480 --> 00:48:25,239
Speaker 3: from that, but to lean into that.

845
00:48:25,840 --> 00:48:28,080
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh my god, how much my grandma was here

846
00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:31,319
Speaker 2: to see this. I'm so excited. I cannot wait for

847
00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:33,600
Speaker 2: everyone to hear it is. This has been definitely one

848
00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:35,680
Speaker 2: of my favorite episodes. So thank you, thank you, thank

849
00:48:35,719 --> 00:48:37,520
Speaker 2: you so much. Let everybody know where they can buy

850
00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:39,279
Speaker 2: your book, how we can support you, where we can

851
00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:41,200
Speaker 2: follow you at all those good things.

852
00:48:41,880 --> 00:48:45,640
Speaker 3: Yeah. So you can buy my book Becoming Spectacular, The

853
00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:48,920
Speaker 3: Rhythm of Resilience, and my children's book On the Line,

854
00:48:49,400 --> 00:48:55,279
Speaker 3: The Story of Becoming the First Black Roquette anywhere HarperCollins, Amazon,

855
00:48:55,440 --> 00:48:59,520
Speaker 3: Barnes and Noble. You can find my Dancing gen doll

856
00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:06,480
Speaker 3: at Walmart Marketplace. That's just a tangible reminder for kids

857
00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:09,480
Speaker 3: that thoughts become things and to never let go of

858
00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:14,120
Speaker 3: your dream. And you can find my website at www.

859
00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:17,440
Speaker 3: Rockheadgen dot com and you can follow me on social

860
00:49:17,560 --> 00:49:22,160
Speaker 3: media Instagram, Rockhead, Underscore, Gen, j E n N.

861
00:49:22,840 --> 00:49:24,400
Speaker 2: Okay, I think you follow me because I know I

862
00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:27,840
Speaker 2: follow you. Yeah, okay, she's not gonna follow y'all, but

863
00:49:27,880 --> 00:49:28,440
Speaker 2: she follows me.

864
00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:31,160
Speaker 3: But thank you so much.

865
00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:33,160
Speaker 2: I'm so so so excited that we were able to

866
00:49:33,160 --> 00:49:35,600
Speaker 2: do this, and then hopefully soon I know it's a holiday,

867
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:37,520
Speaker 2: so definitely even the new year, we are going to

868
00:49:37,600 --> 00:49:38,880
Speaker 2: link up and then I'm going to treat you to

869
00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:40,880
Speaker 2: coffee and I can get my autograph in my picture.

870
00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:43,680
Speaker 3: Of course I would love that. I can't wait. We're

871
00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:45,040
Speaker 3: too close not to link up.

872
00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:47,080
Speaker 2: Yes we are, Yes we are so thank you so

873
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Speaker 2: much into the listeners. If you have any questions, comments,

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00:49:49,360 --> 00:49:51,320
Speaker 2: or concerns, please make sure to email me a hello

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Speaker 2: at the phgpodcast dot com. And until next time, everyone,

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Speaker 2: Later you're gonna say.

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Speaker 3: Bye bye, thank you.

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Speaker 2: Pretty Private is a production of the Black Effect podcast Network.

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Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:20,760
Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Don't forget

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Speaker 2: to subscribe and rate the show, and you can connect

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Speaker 2: with me on social media at pretty private podcasts,