WEBVTT - Featuring Wayne Brady 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:06.920 Hey guys, it's Sammy J. And welcome to season three 0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:10.200 of the Letsbie Real Podcast. My goodness, that's weird to say. Um, 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:13.320 you cannot see me, but I have a ginormous smile 0:00:13.400 --> 0:00:16.360 on my face. I am so honored that we are 0:00:16.440 --> 0:00:20.720 launching our third season with the very talented Wayne Brady. 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:23.440 This guy can do it all. And when I say that, 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:26.960 he can dance, he can perform, he can improvise like 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:30.159 no Weddy's business. And I've watched him for years and 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:32.320 I'm so honored that he took the time to come 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.519 on my podcast. And I also just want to take 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:36.760 a quick moment before we get into the episode to 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:40.720 thank all of you for listening, for subscribing to d 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:44.120 m NG, me for just supporting this podcast, because I 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:46.800 honestly never thought we'd be here. I came up with 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:48.760 this podcast when I was going through a really rough 0:00:48.840 --> 0:00:52.840 time and it was to help myself and to help 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:55.000 others if I could. And I'm so glad that you 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:58.320 guys have responded to this podcast in this way. I 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:01.160 hope you guys love this episode. It's the start of 0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:03.760 so many great episodes in the third season. If you 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.800 haven't already, please subscribe to the Let's Be Real podcast 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:09.480 and leave a comment and I will see you guys 0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:14.399 very soon. Enjoy it. Wayne Brady, I am so happy 0:01:14.400 --> 0:01:16.839 you're here. Thank you so much for coming on my podcast. 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:19.680 Thanks for having me let alone the first episode of 0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:24.080 season three, which is so crazy to say. Congratulations. That's awesome, 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:27.720 especially since we did the entire second season during the 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:30.200 global pandemic. Um, which I want to talk to you 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:32.320 about because we're finally seeing the light at the end 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:35.000 of the tunnel, but we've been stuck inside for so long. 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:38.559 I'm gonna talk about how it affected your mental health 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:40.880 in a little bit, But first, how did you deal 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:45.600 with it professionally? Well, my thing is a little different, 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:49.240 I think because I was working straight through the pandemic. 0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:53.680 I was on the sitcom The Neighborhood. When when everything stopped, 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:58.760 then we had to pivot. We started working from my 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:02.640 my home, myself and my my production team, who was 0:02:02.680 --> 0:02:05.360 my ex wife Mandy, who was my partner, and her 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:08.320 boyfriend Jason. We have a production company, so we started 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:12.080 shooting things here. We shot the A Tribute to Little 0:02:12.160 --> 0:02:15.880 Richard for the b ET Awards. UM. We've done four 0:02:16.000 --> 0:02:21.519 national commercials here countless corporate shows. So we were back 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:26.079 at work almost immediately making the hustle happen here. We 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:29.960 resumed production on some things I think early fall of 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:33.919 last year. That was a culture shock because now we 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:37.919 were back around people and everyone's getting tested. It's weird, 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:40.920 but it was really cool, and we managed to do 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.280 a whole season Let's Make a Deal um in a 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:47.639 COVID space and it ended up being amazing. So I've 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:51.560 had a great time working during pandemic. Wow. So was 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:55.639 the audience virtual? The audience for Let's to Make a Deal? 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.000 We have sixteen people that are part of a virtual 0:02:58.040 --> 0:02:59.840 audience for then we had a small group of six 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:02.800 people that that were there with us live. So it 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:06.240 was a small audience, but it was It's so intimate 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:09.480 and still fun and and a great party Vigon. It's 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:12.480 like having a game night with your friends. See. I 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:15.640 feel like we could all use that now, especially I 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:17.600 don't know about Shoo, but I've been when I watched 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:19.480 TVs and movies now and I see people in a 0:03:19.480 --> 0:03:21.840 crowded space, I'm like, why aren't they wearing a mask 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:24.360 or why aren't they social distancing? And the fact that 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:28.000 that's my instinct now is crazy. Well, it's not crazy, 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:31.920 because it's actually a part of of life. It's like 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:35.760 any any event that affects us as a culture, and 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:38.360 it affects us globally. So I think that the good 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.200 shows are the ones that have been able to reflect 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:45.640 real life, to show, hey, this has happened, or this 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:48.880 is happening. Certain shows tend to go, well, we don't 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:51.200 want to bring it up, and we're just gonna pretend 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:53.400 it doesn't exist. And for me, those are the ones 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:55.040 that I get taken out of because I go, wait 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:58.040 a minute, if you're saying that that happened last week, 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:01.360 no way, because people are still walking around in masks. 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:04.600 It's still an issue. That's it's super interesting. Have there 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.600 been any good TV show binges that you've been enjoying 0:04:07.880 --> 0:04:11.440 over the past year. Oh man, I don't even just 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.160 off the top of my head, I don't. I think 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:18.599 the Marvel stuff absolutely. Uh. One Division was a great binge. 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:24.400 Um uh, definitely, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier great binge. 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:27.919 I took this opportunity. I'm an avid reader anyway, but 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:30.599 there were lots of books that I wanted to take 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:33.320 advantage of it, and things I wanted to write and 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:37.280 and and I tried to use this whole period at 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:39.920 the time to get ready. So so I tried to 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:42.560 binge on, binge on the things that I hadn't been 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:46.000 been doing in terms of being a creator. When I 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:48.360 was a senior in high school, I knew that if 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:50.000 I was going to watch show, I would binge the 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:53.560 entire thing. So I made a deal with myself that 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.320 under no circumstances during the fall semester, I would start 0:04:57.360 --> 0:04:59.720 a new show because I knew I wouldn't focus on 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:03.160 a out. Yes, but I'm now happy to report that 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:06.599 as a freshman in college, I am ready to start 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.960 binging many shows. Congratulations, that's what I was telling my daughter. 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:14.200 You know, she she's a senior as well, and she 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:16.560 she got all of her her stuff done. And it's 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:21.840 amazing to see see seniors with with willpower, because I 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:23.640 don't know if I would have been able to handle 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:26.880 it being being a senior, being being stuck at home, 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:31.680 being responsible for for doing home, the homeschooling, and you've 0:05:31.720 --> 0:05:34.840 got to get get your college stuff together while there's 0:05:34.880 --> 0:05:37.479 such a big world of entertainment. Come on, that's hard. 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:40.839 So good job, Thank you. But the one good thing 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:42.560 I will say that out of the pandemic for me 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:44.919 is that the s E T a CT were canceled. 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:47.560 And I'm a terrible test taker, So that was the 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:51.240 one way I was like, thank goodness, because I just can't. 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:54.560 I'm not a test taker. My brain doesn't work that way, 0:05:54.720 --> 0:05:57.919 and not everyone brains does. I mean, that's a whole 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:02.760 different conversation in terms of of the standardized testing. You 0:06:02.800 --> 0:06:05.240 know what what is standard? That's that's what I love 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:09.840 about being a creatively. What is standard? Your standard is 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:12.279 different than mine. I think a different way than you do, 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:15.679 So you cannot be expected to be judged on my level, 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:20.880 nor nor me on you. So judge each person as 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:24.919 as their individual merits come up, especially when when it 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.080 comes to matters of an intellectual nature. If you think 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:31.880 about it, everybody's brain is wired differently, So why are 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:36.240 we introducing things taking tests a certain way for every person? 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:40.679 It just doesn't make sense because some some sometimes people 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:43.359 like a cookie cutter. That's why the you know, the 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:48.480 cookie that shaped differently sticks out. Um. But I find 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:53.360 that that that, especially in what what we do, it's 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:55.800 better to have your own point of view. It's better 0:06:55.839 --> 0:06:57.880 to learn the things that you want to learn. And 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:00.000 that's the only piece of advice that I gave my daughter. 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:03.200 Or she just committed to to a Loyola Marymount and 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:04.960 I said, look, do whatever you want to do. She 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:07.279 wants to study theater, and she got accepted in the program. 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:09.520 It's great to do whatever you want to do, but 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:12.960 just make sure that you are approaching it in a 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:15.960 way that you want because ultimately, at the end of 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:19.520 the day, you know it's your your journey, and be 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:22.360 as different as you can. Don't don't try to walk 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.320 some someone else's path and and stay in the lines. 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:28.200 And that's something I really struggled with. High school is 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:32.280 not my biggest fan ever, um and it was you know, 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.040 when I live in New York City, when you go 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:38.480 to schools, it's what's popular, it's the way things are done. 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:40.680 People were the same things. And I always struggled with that. 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:42.760 And I feel like I'm at a point where I'm 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:46.720 finally starting to embrace and realize that being different and 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:52.880 being myself is actually a good thing instead of a negative. Yes, yes, 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:55.680 being yourself is not just a good thing, it's a 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:59.480 great thing, and I think it's necessary but you know, 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:02.200 this story never changes. I've been out of high school 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.040 a long time and it's the same. You know, it's 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:07.680 the same story. You want to fit in because we 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:11.520 are social preachers, we are social animals. We we we 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.880 like to be a herd. But you can be part 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:16.520 of the herd, and you can enjoy things that other 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:18.840 people enjoy. But at the end of the day, you 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:21.560 don't have to lose your identity. And that's the thing 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:23.800 that high school. I had a problem with in high 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:27.520 school as well, until I started acting and I was 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:31.800 exposed to so much into creativity and two people that 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:35.120 wanted to think differently, that that wanted to color outside 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.199 of the line, that wanted to do crazy characters, that 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:42.480 wanted to have weird conversations that challenged you. That that's 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:44.840 something I think that that you you can take with 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.600 you for for the rest of your life. I always 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:50.840 remind myself if I'm mad or upset with myself. First, 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:53.480 I realized to stop comparing myself, because second I realized 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:56.320 if I wasn't myself, I wouldn't have this podcast. Yes, 0:08:56.920 --> 0:08:59.520 I'm glad for that, and I think everyone should embrace that. 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:02.880 And I think social media also depicts this image where 0:09:03.080 --> 0:09:06.079 especially being a teenager in this time period where we're 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:09.240 all on our phones, we need to just realize that 0:09:09.360 --> 0:09:11.840 it's fake and if we embrace ourselves, that's what's best 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:14.360 for all of us. I think we didn't have social 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:18.080 media when I was growing up, and and and and 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:21.520 I wonder about that because my generation didn't have that pressure. 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:24.240 But what we did have was we still have the 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:27.800 same pressure that social media brings, except it was it 0:09:27.960 --> 0:09:31.080 was oh, what jacket are you wearing? What music are 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:33.600 you listening to? Do you like the same things that 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:38.240 I do? Um? Uh, those same things. But your generation 0:09:38.360 --> 0:09:41.480 is it's so much harder because you've got pictures in 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.360 front of you every day saying this is how you 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:47.160 should look, this is the best way to do your makeup, 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:49.880 these are the artists that you should like. And if 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:53.600 you don't like these things, then I can then you're 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:58.040 not great. And social media is dope. It's a really 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:01.360 wonderful way to disseminate informa shan and and to get 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:06.080 comedy and to share experiences. But that's the downside that 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:08.920 I don't like. And as the parent of a team, 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:12.880 I've seen how it can influence and how it can 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:16.480 cause a lot of distress. Yeah, and it really affects 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:19.000 I think affected my mental health more than ever. During 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:21.960 I think winter break of my sophomore year, I was like, 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:24.920 I need to cut social media out. So for the 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:27.679 entire two weeks I shut my phone off and I 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:30.040 had so much extra time. I taught myself how to 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:32.439 play the ukulele. Because the amount of time I was 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:36.079 on my screen, it like my day opened up. You 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:39.600 taught yourself to play the ukulele. Yes I did, awesome, 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:41.840 Yes I did. It was fun. Do you have the 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:44.760 ukulele with you right now? I don't, but those two 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:49.040 weeks we're so lovely. I was on it. I tell 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:53.439 myself how to play somewhere over the rainbow. That that 0:10:53.440 --> 0:10:57.120 that's a great use of time. I'm inspired now because 0:10:57.280 --> 0:10:59.280 I keep saying that I won't be able to play, 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.720 and then it really well, Like I half heartedly can 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:05.600 play play the piano enough to write. But I thought, 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.880 you know the pandemic, I'll sit down and now really focus. 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:11.800 I didn't learn to play them so so so I 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:14.880 applaud you for your two weeks. Good job. I appreciate 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:17.360 that it wasn't out of a place of like motivation. 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:21.040 It was when my anxiety was at its worst. It's 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:23.360 actually the time I created this podcast because my anxiety 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:26.720 was so bad and I needed to take time out 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:30.480 and really ground myself and think about what inspires me 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:34.520 and honestly, sometimes negative situations. If I didn't have that, 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:36.880 I wouldn't have this podcast. So I think when you 0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:40.160 turn anything to a positive, you don't know what can happen. 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:43.080 And that's what life is. And it's great, big you 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:47.040 nailed it, and and that's why you shouldn't compare, because 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:49.240 you end up, especially in the entertainment business, you see 0:11:49.240 --> 0:11:52.520 someone's journey and you're like, Wow, they've got X, Y 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:55.920 and Z. Why am I not there? You're exactly where 0:11:55.920 --> 0:12:01.320 you're supposed to. The each event that has happened has 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:05.120 led you to that place. Like when I get interviews, 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.439 sometimes folks go, oh, are you saying you dance? You 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:10.600 actually do this pick one? I go no, And it's 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:14.000 not be being coy. It's because truly, if I didn't 0:12:14.040 --> 0:12:16.200 do any of the things that I learned to do 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:18.440 or that are in me, we wouldn't be having this 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:20.720 talk right now because I wouldn't have been able to 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:23.839 do the show that got me to that place, so 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:27.040 that we're doing this, so we just need to embrace 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.959 the things that we've got and keep it moving exactly. 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:33.000 And though I was off social media for this two 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:35.959 weeks completely, I will say I have been on TikTok 0:12:36.040 --> 0:12:38.160 way too much because of this pandemic, and I have 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:42.240 gone down the whole of it. It's possible, it is, 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:45.800 And I will say I love your TikTok. I am 0:12:47.160 --> 0:12:50.800 I am entertained. How would you say that's your favorite 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:55.840 app at the moment for social media app? Um? Yes, yeah, 0:12:56.000 --> 0:13:03.120 TikTok because I like, for someone who I've I've labeled 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:05.880 myself in the past, you know that I'm very much 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:09.600 an introvert and I'm not an incredibly sociable person when 0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:13.000 I'm not on camera or on screen, and and there's 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:15.880 nothing against other people. I just like my own company. 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:20.120 So TikTok opens me to the fact that I love 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:23.920 the TikTok community, Like I like watching people comments on 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:28.079 each other's pictures and for the most part, they're very positive. 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:32.800 People love seeing other people win, and that does something 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:36.240 for me. So that's why I do like that that app. 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:39.720 And if you'd have told me before the pandemic that 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:42.360 I would enjoy TikTok. I would have laughed at you. 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:44.920 In fact, I did laugh when when my daughter first 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:46.600 brought it up to me my league and she said, oh, 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:49.640 let's do a TikTok, Like, what, what the hell's it is? Now? 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:55.080 It's silly, I'm grown right, but but it's fun. It 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:56.960 really is. And I was hesitant for a while because 0:13:56.960 --> 0:13:59.480 when I was like thirteen, I got into musically, which 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:01.760 is like what it was, and I would spend hours 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:04.360 doing these hand motions whatever it was, and it was 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:06.640 just I was hesitant to go back down that hole. 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:09.560 But I'm glad I did because it when you there's 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:11.520 a good and bad to every app of course, but 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.400 when you find the positive side of it, it's so 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:18.800 much fun. The editing is cool and and jumping on 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:22.480 the dance challenges are great, and I love watching people 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:25.920 use it to be creative. I think that's what TikTok 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:30.560 is really exploded into. The Creativity on TikTok is great. There. 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:33.120 The comedy on TikTok is great, and you can find 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:37.360 anything you want. It's almost like if you like battle rap, 0:14:37.760 --> 0:14:41.440 there are people doing battle rap. If you like Polly TikTok. 0:14:41.920 --> 0:14:45.520 Then then then there's an amazing Polynesian TikTok and all 0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:49.560 the cultural dances. If you like modern dance or jazz, 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:54.760 if you like comedy, a news TikTok, the socially conscious feed. 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.680 It's it's really opened my eyes to social media. So 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:01.440 I've stopped being angry and going I'm not going on 0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:04.480 social media blah blah blah. Now I truly enjoy it, 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:07.160 and I will say I've been very inspired on there. 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:09.840 I don't know if you've heard of Emily and Abigail. 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:14.280 They created bridget In the musical where they love it. 0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:16.040 It's great we had so we had them on this 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:20.200 podcast and it's they're doing it all in their house 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:24.080 and they just finished the concept album. I'm like, that's 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:28.080 incredible your generation. I'm telling you, I'm so proud of 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:31.960 you guys. Because TikTok um I was involved in Ratatui 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:34.440 the Musical and it started off the same way. It 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:36.920 was a concept, and all of a sudden, the community 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:39.200 ran with that concept and the next thing you know, 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:42.000 you have something where all these Broadway stars where we're 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:46.960 all online doing Ratitui the Musical, and now bridgets in 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:49.560 the musical has a concept album, and all these people 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.920 have tuned into it. TikTok is changing the way that 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:56.720 we view getting things done. In response to your first 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:59.840 question about handling the pandemic, I think that's the coolest 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:04.720 thing that I've seen. The pandemic has shown me, and 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.720 you're a perfect example of it. Just because your circumstances, 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:13.280 you're stuck here and you can't do something outside, you go, 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:16.080 you know what, I'm going to get this done and 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:20.080 it happens. That's amazing to me. You don't need to 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:24.080 wait for anyone to make something happen, So that's off. 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:27.520 I think one of the biggest things is that for 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:30.920 a lot of people with my generation, we don't necessarily 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:33.520 ask permission to do something. We do it and then 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:38.080 whatever comes from it comes from it. Yeah, we've been 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.120 going through the pandemic for about a year and a 0:16:40.160 --> 0:16:43.440 half now, and the pandemic mixed with social media, it 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:45.960 can affect your mental health in a lot of ways. 0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:48.000 We have to take a quick break, but when we 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:49.760 come back, I want to talk to you about the 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:52.440 cocktail of the pandemic and mental health and how you've 0:16:52.440 --> 0:17:00.760 been dealing with it. We'll be right back, and we're back. 0:17:01.080 --> 0:17:04.120 Let's get into the pandemic and mental health. First off, 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:08.160 how are you doing? I mean, I suppose it's been 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:12.720 like everyone in the sense of I and the rest 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:16.840 of my family. We engage in therapy regularly, so we 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:19.960 have so we make it a point to reach out 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:23.040 to our therapists and we talk. We talked to each other. 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:27.280 We have family therapy and we have individual therapy. And 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:30.639 years ago, I kind of thought that therapy was, you know, 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:34.920 the the old thing is, I'm not sicker, I'm not crazy. 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:39.080 Why do I need therapy? And use those words that 0:17:39.160 --> 0:17:43.080 are very, very rough, you know about therapy, until I 0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:48.320 really realized the therapy it's simply a way of you talking, 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.600 and and the more you can talk and share, you 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:54.080 can lighten that load, not just for yourself but for 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:58.440 someone else. So my mental health, I'd like to think 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:03.959 it was decent because I kept using those tools which 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:08.760 in a place where we were shut down, you couldn't 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:12.000 have any interaction with your friends or family. I didn't 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:14.040 see my mom for a year and a little bit. 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.960 Um it can get dark, and I know that that's 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:20.720 what Whether you're a teenager, you're an adult or whatever. 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:26.960 You need that sense of connection, so we really dug 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:29.639 into the therapy to keep our sense of connection and 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.719 sense of self. I've been going to therapy on and 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:36.600 off since I was I think seven, and I don't 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:39.760 understand why there's a stigma with it, because just like 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:42.960 with exercising your body, it's exercising your mind and becoming 0:18:43.000 --> 0:18:45.399 the best person you can. If you have more strategies 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.000 to help you if you have anxiety or depression or 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.560 O c D, like, utilize those because it can really help. 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:58.680 Well that that wasn't the narrative, you know, the weird narrative. 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:03.480 I think the narrative about your mental health goes hand 0:19:03.520 --> 0:19:07.919 in hand with the outdated thing of telling little boys 0:19:07.960 --> 0:19:13.040 to to act like men. I'm telling girls to to 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:16.520 be a lady. There are all these outdated modes of 0:19:16.560 --> 0:19:20.639 thinking that have been passed from generation to generation, and 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:22.680 the mental health peace was one of it. Is like, 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:26.080 it's okay to be physically strong and to suck it up. 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.600 Man up, that's what you heard a lot, man up? 0:19:29.880 --> 0:19:35.600 Man up? Well what does that mean? What does that mean? 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:38.840 Or like do you play like a girl? It's like, okay, 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:41.800 I what is that supposed to be men sold I 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:46.359 am a girl, right those those those are so outdated. 0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:50.119 So I think I think once again, your generation is 0:19:50.160 --> 0:19:53.360 part of the push to change all of those narratives, 0:19:53.400 --> 0:19:57.080 to show that therapy isn't a dirty word. It isn't 0:19:57.080 --> 0:20:00.080 to be stigmatized. You. You are not to be shunned it. 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:04.960 You shouldn't be afraid of telling your friends, oh, I 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:08.600 may be in mental distress without it being a thing. 0:20:09.400 --> 0:20:12.120 It's it's it's It should be just as commonplace. You're 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:14.600 right as going to the gym, Like I'm gonna go 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:17.200 to the gym, and then after the gym, I'm going 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:19.120 to my therapist because I'm going to work out here 0:20:19.480 --> 0:20:22.720 here and here, you know exactly, And you know, I 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:24.879 remember the thing in the beginning of high school, I 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:27.080 didn't tell anyone I went to therapy, and some of 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:30.639 my old friends their parents um said it was for 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:33.560 the crazy. So if I ever brought it up, it 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:36.000 was for the crazy. So I didn't tell anybody, and 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:39.720 I think that brought a little bit of shame to it. 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:42.560 But when I realized how much I was growing as 0:20:42.560 --> 0:20:46.159 a person and other people weren't, it just made me 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:49.719 realize Okay, I'm doing what's right for me. If they're not, 0:20:49.960 --> 0:20:53.320 that's their issue, right, It's health. Yeah, that's why it's 0:20:53.359 --> 0:20:55.960 mental health. It's so weird to me that there is 0:20:56.000 --> 0:20:59.920 not a stigma in everyone's head about smoking or doing 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:02.640 some something that can damage your body, but there's stigma 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:07.640 about getting health, health and healthy forward for your mind 0:21:07.640 --> 0:21:12.160 and your heart. For example, jeweling right, social media and 0:21:12.720 --> 0:21:14.879 teams they normalize and be like, oh, I'm just going 0:21:14.920 --> 0:21:17.560 to hit the jewel and so that became normal and 0:21:17.680 --> 0:21:20.600 not a bad thing. So why don't we just normalize 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:25.200 therapy whereas actually, because it's that's actually normal, and don't 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:27.800 do that with things that aren't good for you. Well, 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:30.960 you're a part of that conversation by you having this 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:34.359 talk right now, and you're using your platform, you're a 0:21:34.400 --> 0:21:38.239 part of the normalization process to your peer group. So 0:21:38.280 --> 0:21:41.600 that's why why we need conversations like this. Yeah, and 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:43.720 that's what I set out to do with this podcast. 0:21:43.800 --> 0:21:47.320 You know, I feel like there's so much fakeness, and 0:21:47.440 --> 0:21:49.000 you know, a lot of the time there are so 0:21:49.040 --> 0:21:52.320 many media trained answers and things are so protected. But 0:21:52.359 --> 0:21:54.640 if we're just have an honest conversation and it helps 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:56.879 one person feel less alone, Like, think of what that 0:21:56.920 --> 0:22:01.520 could do. Yeah, that's why I just realize. I was like, yeah, 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:04.320 like the name of your podcast, that's the thing, you know, 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:08.639 Let's be real. That's what it is. That that that 0:22:08.680 --> 0:22:11.040 if you can just cut to the chase of of 0:22:11.520 --> 0:22:15.800 be be real with with where where you are mentally, 0:22:16.320 --> 0:22:19.200 be real with the fact that if you need help, 0:22:19.480 --> 0:22:24.440