Podcast Summary: Keep it Positive, Sweetie

Episode: Career, Personal Growth + Residuals w/ Jacob Latimore
Host: Crystal Renee Hayslett
Guest: Jacob Latimore
Date: April 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This engaging episode of Keep It Positive, Sweetie features multi-hyphenate talent Jacob Latimore, known for his roles as an actor, singer, and songwriter. Host Crystal Renee Hayslett and Jacob share an open, energetic conversation about the grind of show business, personal growth from childhood stardom, maintaining a positive mindset amid fame, the nuances of choosing and balancing projects, protecting personal boundaries, managing survivor’s remorse, and being honest about relationships and solitude. The episode is laced with candor, humor, and real-life lessons for creatives, performers, and anyone striving for personal and professional fulfillment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Realities of Working in Film and TV

• Jacob’s Long Shoots and Staying Ready

  • Jacob discusses the lengthy, unpredictable nature of filming The Chi, emphasizing preparation and adaptability.
  • "If I'm not on set, I'm just at home studying those lines. Always staying on call, because you just never know." (01:15 – Jacob)

• Comparing Work Environments:

  • Crystal shares her experience with Tyler Perry’s fast-paced production style, contrasting it with Jacob's extended on-set time.

2. Childhood Ambitions & Multifaceted Growth

• Early Decisions and Atlanta’s Influence

  • Jacob shares he chose music over acting at 8, only to later embrace acting after moving to Atlanta and being exposed to creative peers.
  • "You gotta be in an environment where you can thrive... Be around other people that inspire you and make you check yourself, like, 'Oh, I’m overthinking.'" (03:30 – Jacob)

• Learning through Experience and Mentorship

  • Jacob emphasizes the importance of acting classes, improv training, and hands-on mentors like his first agent, Joy Purvis (03:22), and the self-tape studio culture in Atlanta.

3. On-Set Lessons and Icon Encounters

• Working with Legends & Staying Grounded

  • Jacob recounts his experiences with Will Smith and Jamie Foxx, sharing both awe and crucial takeaways:
    • "You just seeing it up close, and you're like, whoa—how famous do I want to be?" (06:35 – Jacob)
    • Will Smith’s habit of greeting everyone and bringing positive energy to set inspires Jacob to do the same (07:18).

• Humanity Behind Celebrity

  • Both discuss the pressures of being "on" for fans, grace toward others in the industry, and the challenge of always meeting expectations, even on bad days (09:56).

4. Consistency, Hustle, and Setting Boundaries

• Balancing Multiple Hats

  • Jacob walks through his packed schedule and how love for the craft fuels him:
    • "When you just love what you do, you kinda just... make time for it." (10:49 – Jacob)
  • Both highlight the crucial role of consistency in achieving and sustaining success.

• Curating Your Circle

  • Jacob and Crystal stress the importance of surrounding oneself with consistent, growth-minded people, and letting go of those who don’t align:
    • "If people around me aren’t consistent...we gotta cut you off." (13:02 – Jacob)

• Giving Advice, Survivor’s Remorse, & Saying No

  • Jacob opens up about learning to let go of guilt around saying no, especially when helping family:
    • "It took me a while to let go of that survivor’s remorse and that guilt of just, like, feeling like I have to help everybody." (17:42 – Jacob)
  • The duo discuss the reality that increased income brings higher expenses and more responsibility (18:14).

5. Navigating Family, Solitude, and Relationships

• Family & Business Boundaries

  • Jacob describes coming from a close-knit family but recognizing that not everyone can come along in his new professional world.
  • "When it works, you gotta keep it at that...my business is a whole another arena." (22:50 – Jacob)

• Solitude as Strength

  • Jacob reframes loneliness as recharging and being intentional about alone time—for personal peace and focus (21:32).

• Dating in the Public Eye

  • Both discuss the complications of public relationships, privacy boundaries, and the lessons of waiting for the right person before “popping out” (44:09).
    • "Honestly, me, personally, at this point, I wouldn’t pop out until it’s my wife." (44:20 – Jacob)

• Jacob’s “Dream Girl”

  • "A godly thinking woman... not perfect, but always feeling that conviction… someone who’s striving to be better." (45:13 – Jacob)
  • Also values fitness, style (which can "be taught"), emotional support, and open communication (40:16).

6. Craft, Growth, and “Making It”

• Choosing Roles & Leveling Up

  • Jacob shares that at this stage, he chooses material that moves him, considers the project’s team, and looks to work among “greats”:
    • "I want to be next to seasoned actors... I want to strive to be a great." (27:54 – Jacob)

• Creative Flexibility & Challenges

  • He discusses stretching himself with roles unlike himself, the vulnerability of auditioning, and learning to accept directorial feedback—even criticism for being “too smooth.” (30:05–31:00)

• Growth Through Discomfort

  • Both reflect on the necessity of stepping outside your comfort zone for true development, in work and in life:
    • "Growth: uncomfortable." (61:12 – Jacob, rapid fire game)
    • "Manhood: everyday learning curve. I don't never feel like I'm there." (61:24 – Jacob)

7. Music, Vulnerability & Independent Hustle

• The “Residuals” Moment & Musical Vulnerability

  • Jacob describes the nerves and eventual reward of participating in the “Residuals” singing challenge, urging confidence in showcasing his musical side (36:00–37:16).
  • On creating authentic, personal music as an independent artist:
    • "I’ve been dropping heartbreak music... now it’s just a lot more eyes on my next project." (39:14)

• Major Label vs. Indie

  • He recognizes the freedom and challenges of being indie, and wanting to return “major with leverage”:
    • "It’s gotta be worth my while." (40:36)

8. Mental Health, Therapy, and Self-Knowledge

• Emotional Wellness Tools

  • Crystal and Jacob discuss therapy, journaling, sleep, and being honest with what you carry—with Jacob begrudgingly confessing he needs to get back in the therapy chair (46:39).

• Journaling & Goal Setting

  • Jacob talks about journaling infrequently and focusing on financial and real estate goals, including investing in turnkey properties and wanting to try flipping (54:02–54:27).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Staying Ready:
  "Even on your off days, you never know if you bump something up, you gotta be ready." (01:23 – Jacob)

• On Growth:
  "You gotta be in an environment where you can thrive... Be around other people that inspire you and make you check yourself..." (03:30 – Jacob)

• On Fame:
  "You just seeing it up close, and you're like, whoa—how famous do I want to be?" (06:35 – Jacob)

• On Survivor’s Remorse:
  "It took me a while to let go of that survivor’s remorse and that guilt of just feeling like I have to help everybody." (17:42 – Jacob)

• On Boundary Setting:
  "I just don’t want to look good. I want to be good." (19:06 – Jacob)

• On Public Relationships:
  "At this point, I wouldn’t pop out until it’s my wife." (44:20 – Jacob)

• On the Value of Consistency:
  "That’s the name of the game with anything you want to be successful in—you just gotta be consistent." (11:52 – Jacob)

• On Learning Through Auditioning:
  "[Auditions] are a good exercise…for me to tap into different characters and stuff." (16:24 – Jacob)

• On Purpose:
  "Purpose. It's divine. Almost don't even understand it... you just—we still trying to figure it out." (61:36 – Jacob)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Early Career: 00:30–04:07
• On-Set Lessons & Mentors: 05:10–08:11
• Dealing with Fame & Boundaries: 08:47–10:34
• Balancing Work & Consistency: 10:41–13:23
• Relationships & Survivor’s Remorse: 16:27–19:44
• Family, Solitude, and Business Boundaries: 21:32–24:49
• Choosing Roles & Creative Growth: 27:24–34:36
• Music & Independence: 36:00–42:25
• Dating & Dream Girl Qualities: 42:31–48:19
• Self-Care, Therapy, and Growth: 50:55–54:27
• Rapid Fire Game: 60:28–62:21
• Listener Letter (Positive Outcomes): 55:10–60:12

Listener Letter: "Positive Outcomes" Segment

Letter from Nalijah Williams: On leaving a long-term relationship and seeking God, struggling with flesh vs. spirit.

• Advice from Jacob: Encourages fighting for family unless there's detriment, acknowledges nuance as Crystal clarifies Nalijah's spiritual shift.
• Crystal’s Take: Urges pursuing a relationship with God and separating from anything that blocks that journey.
  "You have to separate from anything that's pushing you away from [God]." (60:11 – Crystal)

Tone, Vibe, and Takeaways

The entire conversation flows with openness, mutual respect, worked-in humor, and relatable anecdotes. There’s emphasis on both technical/industry survival and soulful, interpersonal healing—tying directly into the show’s movement of fostering uplifting, honest dialogue.

Main Takeaways:

• Growth requires discomfort and intention, both in craft and in life.
• Setting boundaries isn’t selfish; it’s crucial for personal and creative sustainability.
• Vulnerability—whether in relationships, music, or career—is powerful and necessary.
• Consistency, authenticity, and community are indispensable.
• Fulfillment is about more than looking good—it’s about actually being good.

Memorable Closing:
"I just don’t want to look good. I want to be good." (19:06 – Jacob)

For listeners who missed the episode—expect wisdom bombs, laughter, industry real talk, and motivating reminders to keep it positive, sweetie.