Speaker 1: Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. Hey, y'all, this episode is
Speaker 1: It's awesome. I think it's quite fun. I'm just sharing,
Speaker 1: you know, what happened when I was just mine in
Speaker 1: my business.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just keep listening to see what happens.
Speaker 1: Hello there, welcome to Checking In. Hey, it's me Michelle Williams.
Speaker 1: And I'm so glad that every week you decide to
Speaker 1: take time out of your day to listen to what
Speaker 1: I have to say or what.
Speaker 2: One of my amazing guests have to say.
Speaker 1: I love that.
Speaker 2: The guests have been passionate.
Speaker 1: They have showed how they can overcome something. They displayed resilience.
Speaker 1: Did I say the word passion. I'm gonna say passion
Speaker 1: because doctor Sabine Hazen, she was a guest a few
Speaker 1: months ago. She's passionate about gut health. She is passionate
Speaker 1: about studying your poop. Okay, she really believes and I
Speaker 1: believe it too. She believes that everything that's with our health,
Speaker 1: obviously is because of what we take in, what we
Speaker 1: what we digest or then we had doctor Joe Tutman
Speaker 1: on last week, who's been making the rounds promoting his amazing,
Speaker 1: phenomenal book that has had me in a chocol called
Speaker 1: The Fight to find Yourself, his story and his journey.
Speaker 1: There is something that we can learn, something that we
Speaker 1: can that I know stuff resonates with me.
Speaker 2: O m G.
Speaker 1: Learning what anger evenually produces in you and how that
Speaker 1: could maybe be a hindrance to success, good health, healthy relationships.
Speaker 1: And so thank y'all for tuning in and being open
Speaker 1: to a variety of people that I have, I had
Speaker 1: cast home and who you know her expertise is in
Speaker 1: all things the psychology of play and how we need
Speaker 1: to play a little more. And so I'm really thankful again,
Speaker 1: thank y'all for tuning in and just.
Speaker 2: Going with the flow. You know. This year, you know, we.
Speaker 1: Focused, We have focused a lot, you know, on you know,
Speaker 1: solo episodes.
Speaker 2: You know again, I've just been really.
Speaker 1: I guess selective too on guests because I remember when
Speaker 1: I started checking in. I have to always go back
Speaker 1: to to my why, and so my why has been
Speaker 1: to make impact in the land of podcasts and making
Speaker 1: impact by talking to people, whether you're a recording artist,
Speaker 1: an actress, an author, a pastor, a doctor. I just
Speaker 1: want people who stories. Just I know that once at
Speaker 1: least one person that listens, they will be helped. Like
Speaker 1: I just want people to be helped. I want people
Speaker 1: to know that they're not alone. You know what I mean,
Speaker 1: You're not alone. That's one thing, you know. The good
Speaker 1: thing about social media is that you can scroll through
Speaker 1: something and you can read something and you're like, man,
Speaker 1: I'm going through this, or man, I overcame this. I'm
Speaker 1: so glad to know that this person you know is
Speaker 1: on their journey too. But the downside of social media
Speaker 1: is that, depending on how your algorithm is, you can
Speaker 1: just be scrolling and just it seems like no one
Speaker 1: else is talking about what you're going through or talking
Speaker 1: about what you overcome. It's like, you know, I want
Speaker 1: social media listen. I've been following a lot of food places.
Speaker 1: I love food. Speaking of food, I know my heart
Speaker 1: has been going out to people who have possibly you know,
Speaker 1: been affected lately, and from what I'm gathering, hopefully that
Speaker 1: ends shortly.
Speaker 2: I'm excited to partner.
Speaker 1: With some ministries to make sure that, hey, that I
Speaker 1: do my part because while I'm talking about I love food,
Speaker 1: which is my business, but you can't be tone deaf
Speaker 1: either and not realizing yet there somebody else loves food,
Speaker 1: but they don't know how they gonna get food, you
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. So hoping that I've been enjoying
Speaker 1: even researching various food pantries and ways to donate and
Speaker 1: you know, just help people in need or just where
Speaker 1: people can drop off canned goods and things like that.
Speaker 1: So I know my home church in Rockford, Illinois, my
Speaker 1: aunt sent me all the information needed, and so you
Speaker 1: can always drop off canned goods to local churches and
Speaker 1: find out that finding out too there are churches who
Speaker 1: have partnered with local food pantries as well. I think
Speaker 1: that that is incredible. And if you're like, hey, you know,
Speaker 1: I want to keep my green beans, It's amazing what
Speaker 1: ten dollars twenty dollars can do. So hopefully you can
Speaker 1: find some people locally who need something. So yeah, anywhom
Speaker 1: I got some good news, Okay, minding my business. I
Speaker 1: was minding my business, y'all, And lately I have been
Speaker 1: putting my phone on silent throughout the night because y'all,
Speaker 1: I have an amazing group chat of family, and sometimes
Speaker 1: my phone is going off at like four in the morning,
Speaker 1: six in the morning, eight in the morning, and I'm like, yo,
Speaker 1: what is going on? Or there could be a store
Speaker 1: that's sending me a text twenty percent off do this,
Speaker 1: do that, and I'm like, it was doing the most
Speaker 1: and it was basically it was affecting my sleep. And
Speaker 1: I've been noticing on you know, to keep good quality
Speaker 1: mental health for.
Speaker 2: Me, my sleep cannot be.
Speaker 1: Interrupted by jarring like text noises and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: So because my phone was on silent and I slept
Speaker 1: in a little bit, I had messages and missed face
Speaker 1: times and I was like, oh my god, what is
Speaker 1: going on y'all? I had basically forgotten that the Grammys
Speaker 1: were going to be announced that day, the nominations for
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty six Grammys were going to be announced.
Speaker 1: So they were announced on this past Friday, and I
Speaker 1: was pleasantly surprised by my manager and y vetnol Shure
Speaker 1: and Kelly and friends and Lowe Cunningham, who's one of
Speaker 1: the procers of death becomes are just like, yay, we
Speaker 1: did it. And I'm like, what nominated for a Grammy?
Speaker 1: Nominated for a Grammy. I was like, I what the
Speaker 1: kids say? I know You Lion, we were nominated.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna get the correct category.
Speaker 1: Okay, Best Musical Theater Album.
Speaker 2: Who won't You do It?
Speaker 1: I am actually looking at something that my hometown wi
Speaker 1: fr dot com. Rockford native Michelle Williams nominated for Grammy Award.
Speaker 1: A Rockford native known for her work as part of
Speaker 1: Destiny's Child could snag her second Grammy Award. In twenty
Speaker 1: twenty six, Michelle Williams and The teen behind Death Becomes
Speaker 1: Her are nominated for Best Musical Theater Album. After twenty
Speaker 1: years of not being recognized by the Recording Academy, Williams
Speaker 1: finally gets another shot at a gilded Gramophone. Her last
Speaker 1: nominations were in two thousand and six, when Destney's Child
Speaker 1: was nominated for Best Contemporary R and B Album, Best
Speaker 1: R and B Song, Best R and B Performance by
Speaker 1: a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best Rap Slash
Speaker 1: Song Collaboration.
Speaker 2: Previously, the group received nominations in.
Speaker 1: Two thousand and five for Best R and B Performance
Speaker 1: by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In two thousand
Speaker 1: and two, the group was nominated for Best R and
Speaker 1: B Album and Best R and B Performance.
Speaker 2: By a Duo or Group of Vocals. They won the.
Speaker 1: Latter for their song Survivor. While Destney's Child did win
Speaker 1: Grammys in two thousand and one for Say My Name.
Speaker 1: Williams was not a part of the group at that time.
Speaker 1: Uh in two thousand and one, I was, But I
Speaker 1: see what you're saying.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: See, I was not a part of the recording of
Speaker 1: Say My Name, but I was definitely in the group
Speaker 1: in two thousand and one.
Speaker 2: So yeah, AnyWho, Oh, that's so cool that my hometown. Yay,
Speaker 2: I love that.
Speaker 1: Okay, So anyway, best musical theater album. What a joy,
Speaker 1: And I know y'all gonna let me have it because
Speaker 1: I was like, you know, definitely the past ten years
Speaker 1: since my last solo album will probably eleven years or however.
Speaker 2: Long it's been, I was like, yeah, I think I'm good.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm.
Speaker 1: Finding other things that I'm more passionate about, and I
Speaker 1: think when you're passionate about something, you'll be more consistent
Speaker 1: in what you're passionate about.
Speaker 2: So I'm.
Speaker 1: Minding my business and ended up going into the studio
Speaker 1: to do you know, the cast album for Death becomes her,
Speaker 1: especially when you do an original Broadway production. Honey, I'll
Speaker 1: never forget folks for waiting on that cast album for
Speaker 1: Death Becomes Her. Y'all were like, when is this song
Speaker 1: coming out? What is going on? So I'll never forget,
Speaker 1: you know, recording the cast album and went on about
Speaker 1: my business. We did a cast signing, went on about
Speaker 1: my business. You know, Tony Awards have come and gone.
Speaker 2: When about my business?
Speaker 1: I love performing and Death Becomes Her so much that
Speaker 1: everything else has been like, oh that's great, Oh cool,
Speaker 1: I get to do an interview about this, or oh
Speaker 1: go to the Tony Awards.
Speaker 2: Hey.
Speaker 1: To me, I just love just the impact of live performance.
Speaker 1: What it does for me and what it does for
Speaker 1: the people who spend their money to come to see
Speaker 1: the show, to laugh their butts off for two and
Speaker 1: a half hours. That's most important to me. But being
Speaker 1: a voting member of the Recording Academy and how much
Speaker 1: fun I have had for years being in those.
Speaker 2: Rooms or.
Speaker 1: Getting the ballot in the mail. Now you can do
Speaker 1: them online. Now finally we have an app where we
Speaker 1: can just vote, you know, with our devices. So it's
Speaker 1: a joy. Yes, I'm voting this year. I have voted.
Speaker 1: I probably voted in all probably except for like two
Speaker 1: that I can maybe recall, but I am so excited.
Speaker 1: There are friends who are first time Grammy nominees, like
Speaker 1: Darryl Walls. You know, he's a Grammy nominated artist. I
Speaker 1: want to say for Contemporary Song in the Gospel category him.
Speaker 1: He did an album. PJ Morton produced an album for him.
Speaker 1: That album is insane. I love that album. Darryl Wall's
Speaker 1: Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance, Slash Song and Best Gospel Albums.
Speaker 1: So do yourself a favor and go listen to Darryl Walls' album.
Speaker 1: He is so deserving of that Grammy nomination. There are
Speaker 1: two I'm excited. I'm managed by Jonathan Alzoo, CEO of
Speaker 1: Culture Collective. Leon Thomas and John Patiste are two of
Speaker 1: my fellow manager buddies who have been nominated for Grammys
Speaker 1: this year. I think Leon's got like six or something like.
Speaker 2: That's incredible. Sheesh man.
Speaker 1: Well, he won his first Grammy for Best R and
Speaker 1: B Song with for Siss with Snooze.
Speaker 2: I believe he's.
Speaker 1: A writer on that goodness as they say, goodness, gracious,
Speaker 1: great balls of fire. So yeah, that's that's incredible. He
Speaker 1: is a leading Yeah, he's among the top nominees. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I think that's incredible. Congratulations to everyone, Congratulations to the
Speaker 1: principal vocalist and Death becomes Her Torrian Everett, Josh Layman,
Speaker 1: Christopher Seber, Meghan Hillty, Jennifer SamArt and myself. What a
Speaker 1: freaking combination. I do have a bone to pick, but
Speaker 1: I ain't gonna say it yet.
Speaker 2: Only one person knows this bone that I have to pick.
Speaker 2: I may share it. I'm gonna get a little wisdom.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna talk to other people who have a little
Speaker 1: more wisdom than I do.
Speaker 2: Or I guess what.
Speaker 1: Some stuff you just need to keep it to yourself. Okay,
Speaker 1: a baby. These vocalists in Death Becomes Her sing down.
Speaker 1: You hear me every single performance that they It's it's incredible,
Speaker 1: Meghan and Jennifer SamArt, Meghan Hillty and Jennifer SamArt Honey,
Speaker 1: incredible and freaking credible. So I was totally blown away.
Speaker 2: By a nomination.
Speaker 1: I did put it on my vision board in twenty
Speaker 1: seventeen though, for at me, which is crazy because it's like,
Speaker 1: you ain't really want to do music no more, so,
Speaker 1: then why did you put a Grammy on your vision board?
Speaker 1: I've always wanted one in my solo career, and I'm
Speaker 1: thankful to be where I'm valued. I feel valued, and
Speaker 1: depth becomes her. I know I bring value, all right,
Speaker 1: I show up, I do the work.
Speaker 2: I add value.
Speaker 1: That's I know that, and that's not being cocky or
Speaker 1: ear again. It's like, yo, y'all got to start knowing
Speaker 1: that you add value to people's lives, your work environments.
Speaker 1: Please believe you add value. And I'm shown that I
Speaker 1: bring value. I feel valued, I feel seen, I feel protected,
Speaker 1: I feel whatever I need, it's covered, and so I.
Speaker 2: Will always be here for death becomes her.
Speaker 1: For the director, our associate, our associate director, our choreographers,
Speaker 1: associate choreographers, producers, Jimmy hurt Horowitz, Low Cunningham always, Marsha
Speaker 1: always man down to our company management, down to the
Speaker 1: ensemble who works their butts off eight shows a week.
Speaker 1: So I pray that we take this golden statue home,
Speaker 1: and I'm going to have it in my dressing room
Speaker 1: because I want everybody that comes in my dressing room
Speaker 1: to know you're a part of this, y'all.
Speaker 2: The way I.
Speaker 1: Scream in perfection, I can't do it without them vocalists
Speaker 1: on stage. I can't do it. I can't see imperviva.
Speaker 1: I warned you, baby, the babies be on stage hollering.
Speaker 1: You hear me singing down. Those kids can sing, and
Speaker 1: I love every bit of it. I love every one
Speaker 1: of them. So I am really in just in a
Speaker 1: state of gratitude. My mouth has been a jar. I'm
Speaker 1: excited as well, because you know, you know, as a
Speaker 1: member of Destiny's Child, like yo, I've got a nomination,
Speaker 1: I can say with Beyonce and Kelly, we are all nominated.
Speaker 1: I'm excited. I'm excited. I'm excited for everyone. I'm excited
Speaker 1: for you guys who have supported me in and showed
Speaker 1: me so much love of Over the weekend, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go to the Grammys. Yeah, I'm gonna be there. I
Speaker 1: don't know what I'm wearing yet, I don't I don't know.
Speaker 1: I don't know, but I want to be there. Although
Speaker 1: death becomes or does have a show that day't I
Speaker 1: don't think I'll be there. Speaking of, I'm going on
Speaker 1: vacation y'all. Next week I will not be and death
Speaker 1: becomes her. I am taking a much deserved week long
Speaker 1: vacation I will be away. Shout out to Simone Rose,
Speaker 1: Who's gonna hold it down while I'm gone. I'm just
Speaker 1: in a state of just reflection and how I was
Speaker 1: not even great things can come when you are just
Speaker 1: kind of I'm gonna just say mine in your business
Speaker 1: almost you know, when you surrender. I think I was
Speaker 1: just also in a state of surrender, like literally, like God,
Speaker 1: whatever you have for me.
Speaker 2: I'm not in the rat race. I'm not gonna out
Speaker 2: hustle over hustle and wear myself out.
Speaker 1: I've just been in a place where I'm not saying
Speaker 1: don't work and put the work in. I'm not saying
Speaker 1: don't be prepared, and preparation takes what takes work.
Speaker 2: But I just I just.
Speaker 1: Don't want to even I was just like there are
Speaker 1: certain rooms and places I'm trying to figure out. May
Speaker 1: there's a book about basically like how to work a room.
Speaker 1: That's not the name of the book, but it's like
Speaker 1: there's an art to it. But I don't like going
Speaker 1: places to make transactions. If I vibe with someone that
Speaker 1: works in the industry and we keep in touch, that's great,
Speaker 1: But I haven't yet mastered that where that's the only
Speaker 1: reason why you're going places, and you're only looking for
Speaker 1: certain people who have a certain leg up or they're
Speaker 1: the who's who are? They're this executive, So let me.
Speaker 1: I can't do it. I can't do it. And I
Speaker 1: think the pace of my career is just I think
Speaker 1: the keyword has been preservation. And how some of you
Speaker 1: all may feel overlooked. You might feel like no one
Speaker 1: values you, and that's not true. You better look at
Speaker 1: it as God is waiting to push you when it
Speaker 1: is the right time. That's so important. And I feel
Speaker 1: like I have been preserved. I feel like there are
Speaker 1: some things that I thought I should have had twenty
Speaker 1: years ago. I'm just now getting them. I have no complaints.
Speaker 1: Could you imagine getting everything at twenty six years old?
Speaker 1: And where do you go from there? Yeah?
Speaker 2: You can you but forty six and I'm like, Lord,
Speaker 2: thank you so much.
Speaker 1: You have given me the desires of my heart, but
Speaker 1: not when I thought I should have had them. I'm
Speaker 1: still sitting and living in desires of my heart. Also,
Speaker 1: you can also think, well, you're probably thinking, well, at
Speaker 1: forty six, I'm gonna age out, and maybe I should
Speaker 1: start mentoring.
Speaker 2: Artists or get some type of executive. No no no
Speaker 2: no no no no no no.
Speaker 1: No, You're still gonna perform, whether that's in theater or whatever.
Speaker 2: However you're gonna.
Speaker 1: You're like, you cannot, don't, don't you count yourself out.
Speaker 2: And I think sometimes.
Speaker 1: Out of hurt or exhaustion, or feeling overlooked or like
Speaker 1: people don't pay attention to you, you want to quit.
Speaker 1: But my manager has said something amazing, and I've seen
Speaker 1: that trajectory for a few people that he has managed.
Speaker 1: He said, it takes five years for something to pop.
Speaker 1: Five years, so maybe from five years to the first
Speaker 1: time you release an album. I've seen it happen to
Speaker 1: Lucky Day, I've seen it happen to Corey Henry. We're
Speaker 1: seeing it happen to Leon Thomas. I'll keep seeing it, like,
Speaker 1: it takes five years, so you're gonna release an album maybe,
Speaker 1: and maybe people pay attention to it.
Speaker 2: Maybe they don't.
Speaker 1: There are some people who just they put out an
Speaker 1: album for the first time and it just does wonders,
Speaker 1: massive success, Grammys, tours. But sometimes that's slow and steady.
Speaker 1: Five years. I think that's like a magical number, and
Speaker 1: I think it also separates the real from the people
Speaker 1: who maybe have wrong motives for wanting to do something.
Speaker 1: Because if you really are like about your music and
Speaker 1: your passion them five years, when you look back, you're
Speaker 1: gonna be like man, I also believe five years and anything.
Speaker 1: When you're being an entrepreneur, you know, you open up
Speaker 1: a business and your dream is to do six digits
Speaker 1: in that first year, you probably not gonna do six
Speaker 1: digits in that first year. I remember, I think I've
Speaker 1: told you all the story. I won't say any names,
Speaker 1: but I was basically kind of do a verbal proposal
Speaker 1: to someone and just kind of giving them the trajectory
Speaker 1: of what I think they would see within five years
Speaker 1: of opening up this business. I said, within five years,
Speaker 1: you will profit six digits. This person did not have
Speaker 1: the patience, and they like five years.
Speaker 2: Ain't nobody got five years? All right? Now, It's just crazy.
Speaker 1: I look back and I see there are like two
Speaker 1: similar businesses that are like These people are millionaires. Millionaires
Speaker 1: got products in certain stores, got certain series on certain
Speaker 1: streaming platforms about their line of work.
Speaker 2: So five years will go by fast.
Speaker 1: You'll look back and be so glad that you gave
Speaker 1: something five years that you're your passion project right, and
Speaker 1: that's getting with the right mentors and business coaches, whatever
Speaker 1: that is for you do it, do it, invest in
Speaker 1: you go for it. So I've just been really really excited.
Speaker 1: And you know, I have been publicly shamed or publicly teased.
Speaker 1: I remember somebody called me the forgotten member of Destiny's
Speaker 1: child and I'm like, nah, I'm not forgotten. And whoever's listening,
Speaker 1: if you feel forgotten about you're not forgotten. I'm telling you.
Speaker 1: You're being hidden. You're being preserved. And baby, when you
Speaker 1: pop out, it's gonna be something. It's gonna be an
Speaker 1: encouragement to people. It's going to be an encouragement. And
Speaker 1: people who have said things about you, they got to
Speaker 1: eat them words.
Speaker 2: They got to literally go like that, put their.
Speaker 1: Hand over their mouth, and they probably need to ask
Speaker 1: God for forgiveness for putting their mouth on you, literally
Speaker 1: for saying things about you that, yeah, maybe you're emotional,
Speaker 1: I don't know, but especially when you talk about people
Speaker 1: that you don't know. So I am thoroughly encouraged. As
Speaker 1: the old folks say, I am going to run on
Speaker 1: and see what the end is going to be. And
Speaker 1: I hope that you feel encouraged to do not stop.
Speaker 1: Put your head down and mind your business and get
Speaker 1: to work. Hey there, I hope this episode encourages you
Speaker 1: and lets you know that when it's your time to soar,
Speaker 1: to shine, to fly, to have your moment, it's coming.
Speaker 1: When it's your time, it is your time, when it's
Speaker 1: your season, it's your season, and when it happens, be
Speaker 1: a good steward of it. Don't hoard at all. Definitely
Speaker 1: live in the moment, be in the moment, and be present.
Speaker 1: But make sure you be a good steward over the
Speaker 1: things that God has given you. You've worked so hard,
Speaker 1: you've cried, You've suffered so much loss, You've sacrificed a
Speaker 1: lot to be where you are, so make sure you
Speaker 1: take care of it. Make sure that when you like
Speaker 1: get the harvest of the seeds you have sown, take
Speaker 1: care of your harvest much you take care of your harvest.
Speaker 1: I want you to know that I love you, I
Speaker 1: see you, I'm here for you, and thank you so
Speaker 1: much for checking in week after week after week. It
Speaker 1: is a joy to come before you and talk with
Speaker 1: you and just share and I'm excited about the future again.
Speaker 1: I love you so much, thank you for rocking with me,
Speaker 1: and we'll check in again next week.
Speaker 2: Take care.
Speaker 1: Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio
Speaker 1: and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.