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- [00:01]
A
Calling all my sweeties to the forefront. I'm your host, Krista Renee Hazelit, and this is the Keep It Positive Sweetie Show. Welcome to another episode of the Keep It Positive Sweetie Show. A safe space where we heal, love, and grow together. I'm your host, Kristin Renee Hayslett, and I'm super excited about this episode because I get to talk to one of my new favorite people, Lee Vassey. Lee is a triple threat singer, songwriter, and actress who is shattering genre barriers with her unique blend of Christian and R and B music. The incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and actress Lee Vassey hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina, beginning her career in entertainment at the age of nine years old on Broadway as young Nala in the Lion King. Lee has since released multiple singles, making her one of Christian music's most exciting new stars. And Amazon Music naming her as the 2025 Artists to Watch. Guys, I am so excited she's here. Welcome, Lee. Thank you so much for coming.
- [01:02]
B
Thank you for having me.
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A
You look beautiful.
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B
Thank you.
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A
How you feeling?
- [01:05]
B
I feel great. How you feeling?
- [01:07]
A
I'm good. I'm good. Yeah. It has been a long week. We just finished with Fashion Week.
- [01:11]
B
Yes.
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A
That was my first one. Was that your first one?
- [01:13]
B
Yeah, it was my first one.
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A
Girl, when I say exhausting, girl, I'm.
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B
Not built for that no more. I gotta get back up there. You know what I'm saying?
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A
You really had to, like, the same way you get ready for tour. I feel like you had to be prepared for Fashion Week because it is a marathon.
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B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a whole production.
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A
But it was great, though.
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B
I loved it.
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A
How was your first experience?
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B
You know, it was full of surprises. I had no expectations, but it was great. I got to meet people like you, and it was awesome. I'll definitely do it again. How was yours? Me too.
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A
It was amazing. But the first day we got there, Delta lost my luggage. So, yes, all my day one looks were left in Atlanta. No. Yes. You should have seen this girl. We were literally, Ashanna and I, we landed and the guy came out and he's like, yeah, I'm only seeing six bags. And we were like, well, there was definitely seven. And so as we're running close on time because I had press here in Atlanta for bet. So I hopped on the plane. We only had like, maybe three hours before Sergio Hudson show got in the car. I was like, we have to head towards the hotel. So I'm literally in the back on top of suitcases, unzipping to see what made It. Cause I didn't know what my stylist or my assistant Herman had put into each suitcase. And I was like, it's not in here. We opened it. I was like, it's not in here. I was like, we got one more, and then if not, we gotta figure this out. So the pivot is powerful. And Ashanna ended up calling a girl at Bergdorf. She had, like, one piece of Sergio Hudson. She literally threw it in the car as we were driving past Bergdorf, headed to the hotel to get ready.
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B
I love the. Honestly, I love the drama of it all. It's like, you know, you can't beat a good memory, so. And it worked out.
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A
You look fab without that.
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B
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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A
Thank you. So, yeah, it was fun. It was a lot of fun. I've met a lot of amazing people like you. Like, this is my first time meeting you. I was first introduced to your music on Instagram.
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B
Okay.
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A
We had a viral moment with gps, which I absolutely love that song. Aw, thank you. Everybody was posting, and I was like, oh, my gosh, I love this girl. And then when Simone was like, oh, she's one of my clients. I was like, oh, my gosh. I was super excited to meet you and happy that you are on the show.
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B
Yeah, man.
- [03:17]
A
Thank you for having me. Absolutely. I want to know more about you because this is our first real chit chat, because everything in New York was, like, so, like, hey, girl. Hey, girl. Yeah, yeah. But I want to really learn more about you and your journey. So you're from Fayetteville, North Carolina?
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B
I am, yeah.
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A
How was that growing up? Isn't that where J. Cole is from?
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B
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm a huge, like, J. Cole fan. Definitely was hometown hero growing up, but, yeah, originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina, but also kind of spent a lot of time in New York as a kid, chasing my dreams and, you know, doing things. So. But, yeah, I'm from Fayetteville.
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A
And then you did Broadway.
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B
I did.
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A
In New York. How old were you then?
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B
I was nine. I was nine when I booked it, and I did it until I was 11.
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A
And was Nala your first? Was that your first role?
- [04:00]
B
It was my first professional role, but I was definitely theater kid growing up. I started performing with my siblings, actually at the local theater when I was 7, and my brother actually used to get me ready for auditions, and he actually found the Lion King audition, and I ended up booking it off an open call. I didn't have an agent or anything at that time, and so, yeah, Pretty quickly, it turned into my career and.
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A
What I was pursuing, I'm always interested, what is that as a child? Because I know Broadway can be a very rigorous schedule, demanding, and it's not as glamorous as people think it is. Like, you get to TV and film, you have hairstylists and makeup artists, and you're just kind of sitting there learning your lines. And it's still a lot of hard work. But with Broadway, you have to do everything. It's not like you don't have, like, the team of people. How is that at a very young age?
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B
Well, so I actually did have hair and makeup.
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A
Oh, you did?
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B
Yeah.
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A
There's your kid.
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B
There's no way I could have done. Because it's also very intricate makeup and hair. Like, they attach a thing to your hair. Like, it's this whole thing for young Nala. So I did have a great makeup and hair team and dressers and everything. So, you know, I love the production of theater. I love, you know, the pace of it. And you have to be on. It's live. It's, you know, eight shows a week. So.
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A
So Tyler, he comes from the theater world, so I understand. Like, we have one shot to get the take.
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B
Yeah.
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A
What is that pressure, like, day in and day out, knowing that you're performing in front of a live audience, and you gotta get it right in that one shot.
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B
Yeah. Well, so I think something that I really love about theater is the preparation that's required. Cause you're doing the same show every night, right? And so you get to a point where it's kind of in your muscle memory. Obviously, you have to improv. And, you know, there's different things that come up every night. You know, maybe a technical difficulty or what have you, but it really just kind of lives in your body at a certain point. And so for me, especially as a kid, it really wasn't pressure because I just felt so prepared, and I loved it. You know, I was really just having so much fun.
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A
What was like. Can you remember what was a moment where it was like, whoa, like, you had your first technical difficulty or you had to improv? Were you kind of like, what's happening? Did you kind of have to learn, like, how to pivot, or was that something that just came naturally?
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B
So actually, the first technical difficulty I had was not in the Lion King. It was in my first show. I did the wizard of Oz. Wow, that's another big one. Yeah. Yeah. In my local theater. So that was my first show. And I was a munchkin and, you know, we were wearing these huge, you know, Munchkin Land shoes, and one of mine came off in the middle of us, like, in a ring around the Rosie situation. And my sister was also in the show with me, and my sister kind of just kicked the shoe off offstage, and so. And I was just so happy to have my sister there for me in that moment, because that was my first time. I was seven. I didn't know what to do. But, you know, you keep going. You keep rolling with it.
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A
Absolutely.
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B
So, yeah, so that definitely was, like, a core memory for me to just keep swimming, you know, Just keep going.
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A
Keep going.
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B
Yeah.
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A
I had a moment like that my first pageant. I wasn't as young as you. I was probably, like, 13, and I did my first pageant, and I was such a tomboy growing up, but you know how, like, they do, like, the parade where all the girls walk out, all the contestants, and I literally lost my shoe, and I had to, like, stand on a hip, like, on my tippy toes, on one foot, and had.
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B
To keep going and make it work.
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A
My friend, she was behind me, and she kicked the shoe out of the way, like, similar to yours. So that is funny. But that's good that you had the wherewithal. Just keep going.
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B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's life, man. Yeah.
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A
No, that is something you can literally take with you for the rest of your life. Just keep going. I love that you ended up. How long did you continue this, Pursuing this career as you got older?
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B
I kind of, like, never stopped. I just shifted my focus. So when I was in the Lion King, I became interested in songwriting.
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A
Okay.
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B
And I was, like, a huge, like, music nerd since before I can remember. And so I used to watch all the MTV VH1, like, behind the. You know, music, like, those kind of episodes. And I'm a huge Mariah Carey fan. I was really big on Neo growing up, too, and I was like, okay, they're songwriters, so I need to learn how to write songs. And so I asked for a guitar for my 10th birthday, and I got one, and I started writing songs on my guitar when I was 10. And so that kind of opened the door for me, really, just thinking about music as what I wanted to pursue, because before I was really young, so the world was kind of my oyster. And I was like, I could do theater. I can do movies and music. I wanted to do all of it and still do. But I really started focusing on music when I was 16, and I was like, okay, this is the one thing I'M gonna focus on for now before I branch out, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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A
That is dope. You talked about how once you got a little older, you took a hiatus from everything. What prompted that shift to be like, I need to take a beat.
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B
Life just started life in. And I didn't know how to manage it. Right. And I think that because I was so young and in this constant pursuit, right. Of my goals and of these visions that God had really shown me about what my life would look like, you know, I got kind of lost in that at a point. And, you know, God didn't show me all the mess that would happen in between.
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A
He does not.
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B
Right. And so, you know, I was at a really tough place with my mental health. I kind of was ending up in toxic relationship after toxic relationship. You know, things got tough in my career and I just didn't really know what was next. I just felt like I was kind of on this downward spiral that I couldn't see the end of how to stop it, you know, and so I had to, like, make a decision to take a beat. And it was tough to kind of come to that place of like, you know what? This isn't working out. But God used it, you know, and so, yeah, there was just kind of like a whirlwind of just messages. Yeah.
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A
Oh, my goodness.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Do you mind sharing? Because I like for our audience to see that, like, we are just like them. A lot of times they see us in the spotlight and think, oh, they don't go through anything. Are you comfortable with sharing anything that you were going through in that moment that may help someone else?
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B
Sure. Yeah. So it was really just a combination of, honestly, like, being naive.
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A
Yeah. Right.
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B
I was young, really, like when I was, when I went to college is when everything kind of just fell apart.
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A
You know.
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B
And I think that I also, in the midst of all of these things, you know, happening in my family life, like things, you know, that were really traumatic happening in my family. And then me, you know, falling in love for the first time in my life and maybe falling in love with the really wrong people to fall in love with, you know, I was just. I didn't have the tools spiritually to like, understand that what I was going through was spiritual warfare and I needed. And I was at an age where I thought I knew everything and nobody could tell me nothing.
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A
You know, we are the same person, right? That was me, girl.
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B
I was like, girl, I got it. Like, don't.
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A
Uh, uh huh.
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B
And so, yeah, so there were some tragedies that happened in my family that I kind of leaned into partying to try to figure out how to cope with. And then that, you know, world that I was in led to some really toxic and abusive relationships. And it just became a cycle and it started to kind of normalize in my life and I was like, okay, like, this is just being grown, you know. Right. And, you know, I kind of accepted that as truth until I just couldn't accept it anymore, you know.
- [11:45]
A
So my question, did you have like an upbringing where you're raised in the church where you. Cause a lot of times, like, for me, I was raised in a church. My mother was a pastor. We were there every time the doors of the church opened, got to college and I was buck wild, like rebelled, you know, I was the prodigal daughter. Ok. You know, and I literally, like, same thing, partying, drinking, when I got to college with the wrong guys, you know, it was just like down this path of destruction.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Was there a moment in your childhood where you had something to reach back to, knowing like, I gotta get back to the foundation?
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B
Yeah. Yeah. So my parents definitely gave me that foundation. We weren't, I wasn't a church girl, you know, like, we would kind of be in and out of church at different times growing up. But when I was 14, I did do the altar call at a Bible study and I gave my life to Christ, but I did it kind of out of fear because I didn't want to go to hell.
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A
Let's talk about it, you know, Like.
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B
I didn't do it because I really like understood who Jesus is or like even maybe at that point even really cared to know who Jesus is, but I just didn't want to go to hell. And so I was like, okay, I'm gonna do this altar call, I'm gonna be saved. And that's cool. But I, you know, then went into high school and went into college and wavered, you know. And as a kid, I wouldn't say, I wouldn't say that anything kept me restricted. But me, I was so focused as a kid and so rigid towards myself.
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A
Wow.
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B
Had a lot of negative self talk because I was so just goal oriented. And I didn't party in high school. I didn't have a huge social circle. Like I was just at the house. I would go to school and go home and songwrite and that was it, you know. And so I think for me then when I got to college, I was like, okay, well I did the thing, like I'm, you know, I'M back in New York, and I'm, you know, pursuing what I want to be pursuing, you know? And I went a little. I went wild, you know, and it wasn't because of necessarily a rebellion from the church, but I think I was rebelling against, like, myself.
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A
Yeah. Your own structure. Yes. Yeah.
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B
Like, I was tired of being so structured, and I wanted to know what it felt like to just kind of, like, be free. Be free. I feel you, you know, and ended up thinking that all of these things that were keeping me free or making me free, I came to realize these are actually bondage, you know? And so I do thank my parents that they gave me the foundation of Jesus, you know, because then a couple years later, when I was like, I need to just completely reset and deconstruct to reconstruct who I ran to was Jesus. And at that point, that's when I figured out what a relationship with the Lord is and who the Lord is.
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A
So, yeah, people often think that a relationship with Jesus is just so cookie cutter, and it is far from that. It is ever evolving. It's like when they say the daily bread is literally like, you die daily and you wake up for. It's literally like, every day.
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B
Every day.
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A
And there are seasons where you go through spiritual warfare. There are seasons where you're really locked in. There are seasons where you're knocked off your rocker. And. And for me, I know I can. I've been very vocal about my walk. And sometimes Christians aren't the easiest to be open with. You know, in my mind, I'm like, God knows the truth, so why am I gonna fake it for y', all, you know?
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B
Yeah.
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A
And I was very honest about moments where I backslid, you know? And now I'm on the path where I'm really, really in tune and intimate and really pursuing that intimate relationship with God. And some people just don't get it. They're just like. You know, I had somebody ask me, like, I mean, if you've been doing it, like. Like, why now? Like, why would you just stop doing. I'm like, because the Bible says, like, once you realize you going, don't you turn away from that. You don't keep going down the path of destruction. Like, what sense does that make?
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B
Yeah.
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A
And I feel like where we are now, just the state of the world. I feel like God is pulling his children near and pulling his clothes. Have you noticed that? Like, every conversation you have. For me, every conversation I've had since the beginning of 2025, Jesus has come up at Some point.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Like, it just ran. Like, a lot of people don't really. They kind of stay away from the topic of God and don't really want to, like, step on any feet or, like, ruffle any feathers. But I feel like everyone. He's, like, tugging on everyone. And the other night, we had, like, this really bad storm, and I literally thought God was back. I thought. I was like, lord, is that you?
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B
Right? I was like, yes.
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A
Like. And I was like, why am I scared? You know what I'm saying? And it was such an aha moment. I was like, ooh, girl. Like, I don't want to be scared. I want to be like, thank you. Come on, wrap me up. Let's go. Like, I don't want to. I don't want to be like, oh, my God. And I recently just, like, God had been convicting me on sex. And as I was reading, I just. I posted something the other day about every time I read the Bible, sexual immorality would just, like, literally jump off the page. I'm like, okay, Lord, I get it. Yeah, yeah. And when that happened, and I was thinking about it the next day after the storm, and I was like, I don't wanna be somewhere where my legs caught back and God come down, girl. Can you imagine, girl? And then be like, hold on, Lord. Girl.
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B
Right, right, right.
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A
I'm gonna be like, no, you keep that same energy. I'm going over here. You know, I don't want. Like, it's that real. It's like, when you put it into that perspective. Cause, like, my parents were like, think about it. Like, when God comes back, what do you want to be doing? And it's not until this big age where I was, like, taking it. Ooh, what do I want to be caught doing, girl? Isn't that crazy? Like, you think about it, and people don't think about it like that.
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B
I feel like I feel you.
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A
When that thunder roared the other night, I said, oh, no, is he here right now? I was like, legit scared. And I don't want to be scared. I want to be like, let's go. Yeah, I don't need no bags. I'm ready. You know what I'm saying? I want to be ready. So I feel you. I've definitely had those moments where I, like, wavered and it's ever evolving. And I wish people understood that, because it's not perfect. And he doesn't expect us to be perfect.
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B
Exactly. Yeah. He has grace for it. Right. He has expectations of us as his children. He does Want us to live righteously. But I think that as I've come to know the Lord for myself more, it's like he wants us to live righteously because he loves us so much and is trying to protect us from all of these things that we think. Like how I used to. Like, this is where my liberation is. No, that's your bondage, baby girl.
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A
That's the bondage.
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B
And he gives us these, you know, these. These commandments.
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A
Right.
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B
Not to restrict us, but to. To protect us and to prepare us for when he comes back. Right. And also to, like, live well while we're here.
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A
Yeah.
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B
You know, he doesn't.
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A
I don't need these cards. We talking. I don't need these cards.
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B
Yes, I feel you. I've been there, like, literally with. With. Also with alcohol.
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A
Right. That's the next thing he working on me on, Girl, girl, every time I drink. I took a sip of some wine the other day, and when I tell you this sharp pain went up to my head, I said, what was that? Yeah, I like my little wine now. You can't take everything away from me.
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B
Right. Well, so for me, like, I was. I was using alcohol as a crutch.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And I was using it as a number, you know, And I think also just kind of, you know, I was introduced to alcohol, like, when I went to college, and it was binge drinking, like. Right. It wasn't just, like, a cute little glass of wine here and there. Right. And the Bible is really specific about, like, drunkenness versus. Exactly.
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A
And you have to find that balance.
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B
Right?
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A
Yeah. Because I really don't think there's anything wrong with drinking. It's just the consumption and being responsible. Because, again, that's a boundary that he put in place to what, protect us?
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B
Yeah, yeah.
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A
You know, if people follow that, we wouldn't have the. And the people getting killed from drunk driving or even the diseases that come from it.
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B
That and just, like, being unfocused and.
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A
The choices you made.
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B
Right. And the regret and the shame. Like, God don't want us to live like that. He wants us to be, like, comfy and have a good day and not think about what we did last night, honey, you know? And so I experienced conviction with that.
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A
How are you with that now? Because we just think about it, like, we teeter the line of, like, culture and Christianity.
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B
Yeah, yeah.
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A
We're around it, but we're not consuming it. You know what I'm saying? And I feel like my church, we call, like, what is your street? That God has put you on, like, our street is the street of arts and entertainment, where we take God's light into those spaces where he's normally not talked about. But do you ever feel like when we're out in the clubs and stuff, like, you got to go to these places and meet these people to build these relationships. Does your spirit ever feel convicted?
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B
So I don't drink anymore.
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A
You cut it out.
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B
I stopped.
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A
That's good. I stopped.
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B
And it's God's grace, because so what God actually did because he knows me. And I still got to work on being a little stubborn. But so God put me on a TV fast in 2023.
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A
That's good.
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B
He was like. And we had gone to church, and the pastor was like, ask the Lord to reveal to you, like, things that you're keeping in your life that are keeping you from what he has for you. And. And this was right before I started to release my Christian R and B. Wow. And I asked the Lord, you know, what that thing was for me? And he told me, TV, like, you watching too much TV, stop watching TV for 21 days. Right? Only consume, like, Christian podcasts or Christian content.
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A
Yeah.
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B
And so. So I stopped. I stopped watching the TV and started watching Christian podcasts, and I'm watching Christian podcasts, and I would get my, you know, drink, watch these Christian podcasts.
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A
You know, like, that's not what I told you to do.
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B
Right. But because God knows how to talk to me, right? It's like, because I had taken all the distraction out from all these other sources, and I was only taking in content that was reminding me of him, naturally my spirit started to be convicted. Right? And naturally, after 21 days, like, that habit started to become a thing that I recognized when was keeping me from him. Right. And it's a personal conviction thing, right. For everybody has to go on their journey with it. But. So I stopped drinking alcohol in September of 2023.
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A
I'm proud of you.
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B
And I watched my life change.
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A
Wow, that is beautiful.
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B
And the biggest thing of it for me has been just focus, right? Like, God knew. And it's so funny because the pastor's question was about, like, what is there that's keeping you from what God has for you?
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A
Right.
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B
I didn't know what God had for me on the other side of that obedience, but I just did it. And I watched. I was like, oh, isn't it crazy?
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A
You know how, like, when you literally surrender and, like, before your eyes, you're like, oh, I was just telling Wes the other day. I was like, man, I said, ever since I, like, surrendered sex to God, like, literally, I see doors that were shut. It's just like, now it's multiple options. Like, I'm like, God, like, that's what you do, girl. That's how he. That's how he works.
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B
Yeah.
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A
It's crazy. And like, until you accept experienced it, you don't really understand it. But you're right. You don't know what's on the other side of that, of the obedience.
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B
Yeah, yeah. And so now you know, and I did wonder, like, I was like, okay, how am I gonna. You know, how, like, who am I without drinking?
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A
Right.
- [23:01]
B
Because I started to become a young adult and be the version of myself that I knew, like, drinking, right? I was like, so who am I if I don't drink? Can I still go out? Can I, you know, go to events or, you know, And I really did have a season where it was just really quiet in my life and it was really just like going home, doing my work and talking to God, you know, and didn't feel like I could have the self control or the discernment, you know, to keep up what God had called me to. And so. But now I can, right? Like, now it's not a temptation for me, you know, and it is something that I'm seeing, like, what it means to grow in the fruits of the spirit.
- [23:39]
A
Yes.
- [23:40]
B
Because I'm like, oh, wow. Like, I don't. I'm actually not tempted in this space, in a place where I thought I had to become a shell of myself or a hermit, you know?
- [23:47]
A
Yeah, yeah. Because that's how he wants. He doesn't want.
- [23:49]
B
Exactly, exactly. And I love, like, girl, I'll go get a good mocktail. I love me a good mocktail. I love a little zesty mocktail, you know? You know, like, and you can still go live your life and, you know, and have fun and just represent him wherever you go, you know?
- [24:02]
A
That's it. Yes, that's it. I think that's the part that we miss. I used to always say people think being a Christian is boring. It's, you know, and when you really follow him, you can still have a sense of humor, a clean sense of humor, you know, and there's ways to do it where he's still like, that is honorable. My sight, you good. You know, and ways for us to spread his word and his light, you know, And I remember, like, last year I was going through, like, a really big season of spiritual warfare where people close to me who had like, this really good relationship with God. It literally would irk me. Cause, like, I'm like, yes, I believe in him. Yes, but you doing too much. You know, like, calm down. Like, everything gotta be Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And in this season of Life, I'm realizing that was the devil. He was literally, like, he knew what God was trying to work in me. And I was like, no, like, you know what I'm saying? Teetering that line in entertainment, like, trying to figure out where I fit in and how does this work and how do I keep everything going but not lose myself?
- [25:02]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [25:02]
A
And guys, like, you're not gonna lose yourself if he with me, you know, because that's where the authentic, true you comes out. Come on.
- [25:09]
B
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. I was literally gonna say that. I was like, because who you are in him is the real you.
- [25:14]
A
Yes.
- [25:15]
B
Right.
- [25:15]
A
Yeah.
- [25:16]
B
And we think that when we go to him, that we're gonna. Well, okay, yeah, we do lose ourselves, but we're supposed to, right? Because it's like the self that you're losing is not you. No, it's not you. And he wants so much more for you on the other side and walking with him, you know, I love that for you.
- [25:32]
A
Thank you.
- [25:32]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [25:33]
A
Like, it's so much more peaceful even with music. Like, I did woman evolve this past summer. And even in that moment, I was still, like, struggling because I had just done Lecrae's episode. And I talked about. He's like, I saw where you were having sex before marriage. And I was like, yeah, that was the season of my life. But not being mature. I was still on some milk at that time, so I hadn't gotten to the filet McNaught. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was like. I said, that was a season of my life. And when that this. I'm be honest with you, I thought that, like, okay, God, I'm going to do it your way. I've been doing it my way all my life. I'm going to do it your way. And I just knew my testimony was going to be, y'. All. I did a God's ring. I got a ring.
- [26:13]
B
Okay.
- [26:14]
A
And that did not happen. And I was like, okay, so I'm sacrificing my flesh and what I really want. And then I didn't get what I wanted. So I went back dumb. I went back to my old ways. It was a cycle of still heartbreak and everything. And I realized, like, when I was open about that, the Christian fans of his podcast literally, like, crucified me for Being honest about my transgressions. And, like, you know what I'm saying? Where I was, and it was like an attack. And I'm like, so y' all been perfect your whole life? Like, y' all see I'm trying, you know, And I'm just being honest about my shortcomings. And at that moment, I was like, I'm not doing any other podcast. And I actually cried on stage at Woman Evolved telling it because I was like, I just didn't want to talk about God anymore because. And then, because I knew I was still doing things that weren't pleasing in his sight. I didn't want to feel like a hypocrite, you know? So I was like, I just. Let's not talk about. I want to have fun. Like, you look at the podcast that have millions of views. They got alcohol on the set, they cussing, and they having fun. And it's like you get kind of blindsided. Like, what. What's working?
- [27:21]
B
You know what I'm saying?
- [27:22]
A
The numbers ain't numbering. Like, okay, so I need to go do this. And, like, God had to work on me and be like, nah, baby girl, that ain't. That ain't you trying to run from me? And I noticed, like, in the season that as we started filming, I was like, guys, we want to switch. I want to switch it up. I want more fun. You know what I'm saying? A little risque. And every episode, here come Jesus working his way. I said, oh, you do it. I see what you're doing.
- [27:45]
B
Yeah, okay.
- [27:46]
A
You are not letting me run from you. Okay, let me stop. I'm not a runner like that anyway, so let me sit down. But it was in those moments where I was like, God, show me what you want me to do with this platform. Because I'm trying it. I'm trying to do what I see is working and not reinvent the wheel, but give me the wheel that you want me to run, you know? And I think now I'm finding that. And even with my music, I was telling Wes. I was like, you know, after that, I was so convicted, I was like, okay, I can't curse in my music. And I was talking to my friend, Pastor Brenda. We call her bp. I mean, we call her BP Cause her aunt's been in public, but I call her Pastor Brittany. She hates it. And I was like, you know, I was like, just trying to figure out what to do my music. And she's like, crystal. She goes. She used Major and Stevie Wonder as example. She was like, they don't curse their music. They make great secular music, but it's nothing derogatory. And she was like, you can still find your lane, and it doesn't have to be Christian. But in my mind, I was like, should I be singing Christian music? Like, I just was still trying to figure out how to navigate that. So I love how you found a way. Cause I listened to Corinne Hawthorne's album. Great album, great album. And you couldn't really tell if it was Christian or R and B. But then when you listen, like, oh, she's talking about God.
- [29:00]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [29:00]
A
And I just love how she found her lane, too, within her journey to still talk about God, but make it unique to her walk.
- [29:07]
B
Right.
- [29:08]
A
So when you got to this, like, when you got to that point and you were like, all right, God, I'm gonna do it your way. And you decided to do Christian, R and B, what was that, like, aha moment? Like, were you just in your room, like, writing, and God was like, write about me? Or were you just in that space where you're like, I want to write a love letter to God?
- [29:25]
B
Yeah. So it was a process. So I had quit music. I moved back to North Carolina. I, like, waved the white flag. I was like, okay, well, I was wrong, because I can't. I had no peace. And I was like, I guess all the visions that I saw that God showed me from my life, me on stage and, you know, different things that I would see come to pass. I was like, okay, I guess I read all of it wrong. And so I went back to North Carolina. I got my real estate license. Like, I, like, gave up.
- [29:54]
A
Yeah.
- [29:55]
B
And I was like, okay, God. Like, I would pray to him, like, I want to know you, like, reveal yourself to me because something's not clicking. I still didn't know, like, who God was. For myself. I had only heard what people had told me about him. You know, I had the Bible, so I would, like, go back and read the Bible sometimes when I was like, you know, in the lowest places. But I was like, I still don't feel like I've ever seen your face. I've never. I don't know who you are. And so that was my prayer for about, like, an eight month period. And I was just, you know, I would go and I would watch sermons and, you know, music was nowhere in my mind. I was like, okay, that's a thing of my past. And so I ended up getting an opportunity to move back to Atlanta about a year later. And I was weeping just tears of Joy. The night before, I was moving back because I love Atlanta, and I always wanted to get back here, and it really does feel like home for me, but I didn't know how it was going to work and how I was going to get back here. And so the night before I moved back, I was just praising God for all he'd done for me, all he'd healed me from, walked me through, and the fact that he had revealed himself to me. And I feel like, okay, now I know who you are. And I was like, okay, God, when I go back, like, what do you have for me? And this was the first time that I ever felt redirected by the Holy Spirit in prayer. And the Holy Spirit redirected me to ask the question, God, what do you need from me when I go back?
- [31:35]
A
What do you need from.
- [31:37]
B
And it was like a movie, the way that I then heard the voice of God speak to me. And I'm here because it was right here on my left side that I, like, felt and heard the voice of God say music. And I trembled because I was like, okay, okay, okay, okay. I just heard God. Like, that was God. I know that was God. And he, like, you said music. Like, I don't how. You know, I didn't understand what that meant to do music for him.
- [32:09]
A
Right.
- [32:09]
B
You know, and to. And to, you know, stay walking in the new life that I had, you know, because. Yeah, I just didn't. I didn't know that Christian R and B was an option. And so when I moved back to Atlanta, probably like two weeks later, I reconnected with my manager, who we had met in, like, 2019, when I was kind of hustling out here as a songwriter and trying to figure out, you know, the secular space.
- [32:39]
A
Yeah.
- [32:39]
B
And he now was working in the Christian hip hop space and invited me to some events out here in Atlanta. And so the first events I went to in Atlanta were in this round of my time here were Christian hip hop events. And my mind was blown. I was like, oh, like, completely. Everybody's sober, you know, this is hip hop music, you know, and we're just turning up in Jesus name. It blew my mind.
- [33:08]
A
Yes.
- [33:09]
B
And so, like, with that exposure, I was like, oh, now it's clicking now.
- [33:14]
A
It's crazy how he's like, I'm gonna give you the destruction now. I'm gonna show you what I'm talking about.
- [33:18]
B
Right, right. And so I was like, okay, God, I see you. And so then I got curious about all the different things that are happening in The Christian space, right. There's obviously Christian hip hop, Christian R and B, Christian reggaeton, afrobeats, Christian. Like there's all these. These different genres that I had never been exposed to prior to that. And so I heard him, but I was like, okay. Like, I don't really. I still. I was scared. I was scared to get back to music. I was like, traumatized. I was like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. You know, I hadn't written music in two years. I hadn't listened to music. I wasn't even listening to music during this time of my life. I was quiet. It was just quiet.
- [33:55]
A
Just hearing God's voice.
- [33:56]
B
Yeah. And so then I ended up actually getting health scare in May of that year. That really made me, like, think about death in a way that I had never had to before. And I was like, if I don't make it through whatever this is, I have to go to God and answer why I didn't do what he told me to do. He told me to do music, you know. And so I ended up just going on YouTube, finding some YouTube beats. Because also my manager was like, you know, you have to create new memories around your gift. Right. Like this fear you have of it. This, you know, your gift right now is in kind of this thicket of like, you know, it's in kind of like a clouded forest.
- [34:40]
A
Yeah.
- [34:40]
B
And you have to just break out of it and give new memories to your gift. So go on YouTube. I know how to record myself. And he was so, like, go on YouTube, get you some beats and record yourself. Write you some songs.
- [34:50]
A
Wow.
- [34:50]
B
And figure out that you don't. You can. You can just do it. You don't. You don't need anybody to co sign or you can just do it. So I did that and I, you know, I was kind of finding my songs with God, Right. I was like, I don't know what my new voice is as a writer, as an artist. And I just kind of started pouring my heart out to God. And that became my ep From Me to God. Because I didn't have an audience at the time. Like, I was, you know, I was. I was in my little cocoon.
- [35:16]
A
Yeah.
- [35:17]
B
And then in September of that year, I released My Bad and the rest is kind of history. But it was a really organic kind of flow with God. It's not like I set out to do Christian R and B. I was just setting out to be obedient.
- [35:31]
A
Yeah.
- [35:32]
B
And I ended up in this space and it's a really cool place to be.
- [35:36]
A
It's so cool. And I absolutely love. I'm so proud of you.
- [35:38]
B
Thank you.
- [35:39]
A
I really am. You do you. Okay, you start off with acting and singing. Is that something that you want to kind of get. Get back into? And if so, like, what roles would you see yourself playing now in this new walk of your life?
- [35:53]
B
Yeah, so definitely I want to do all of it. Like, I want to act, I want to write, I want to produce. I want to do all of the things. I want to, you know, I want to do Broadway again. I want to. You know, there was a time when I thought that I had to give up everything. I was wrong about everything. And now I'm in a place where I'm like, oh, now I just have to do everything. Huge for your glory.
- [36:16]
A
That's it, you know? Yes.
- [36:18]
B
So I want to go do all of it. I think roles. So I have some ideas of roles that I would like to create.
- [36:25]
A
Okay. Come on, Creator. I like that.
- [36:29]
B
But yeah, I mean, I think that I would just love to. I'm really big on representations of liberation.
- [36:37]
A
Yes.
- [36:37]
B
And, like, what it looks like to be a modern, liberated woman and. And walking with God in that. And so I think any roles that align with that, that's where I'm. That's where I would like to be. Yes.
- [36:48]
A
I love that it's going to happen.
- [36:50]
B
Yeah, it's going to happen. I receive it.
- [36:52]
A
Yes. Is there anything coming up that our audience can support you on or that you want to let us know? You can give us a little tea on?
- [36:58]
B
Yeah. So I obviously have new music coming out. I have a lot of new music coming out this year. I really feel like I'm making the music that sounds like my soul and how I really have always heard myself.
- [37:09]
A
Yes.
- [37:10]
B
So I'm excited to release more music and some. Some. Some creative business.
- [37:15]
A
Okay.
- [37:17]
B
Adventures as well. And definitely more live shows. I'm gonna, you know, hopefully be able to go out and, you know, do some touring this year too, and really just. Just be with the people. I really love performing. You know, I was a theater kid, so I love to be in person. And, you know, social media is been so great to be able to connect with people from everywhere.
- [37:35]
A
Isn't that crazy reach that you have on social media, like, all over the world? It's crazy.
- [37:40]
B
It's crazy. It's crazy. And so I would love to go see some of those places this year.
- [37:45]
A
Yeah. Good. I love that. I love that. Well, before we get out of here, I want to play a quick game with you.
- [37:50]
B
Okay.
- [37:50]
A
It's a rapid fire game, and it's just this or that. Okay. Praise and worship or Bible study?
- [38:00]
B
Um, okay, I'll say praise and worship.
- [38:05]
A
Okay. Street edge or a church boy.
- [38:10]
B
Come on, Jesus.
- [38:17]
A
Jesus. If I had to say, can I.
- [38:20]
B
Say a church boy with street edge?
- [38:22]
A
Yes.
- [38:22]
B
Okay.
- [38:24]
A
I'm with you on that. Okay. All right. We just did Fashion week, so Chanel or Hermes? Oh.
- [38:33]
B
Maybe Chanel.
- [38:34]
A
Okay. Love it. Classic.
- [38:35]
B
Yeah.
- [38:36]
A
Lemon pepper wings or Caesar salad?
- [38:40]
B
Okay. I'm say lemon pepper wings.
- [38:43]
A
I'm gonna say you in Atlanta, girl. I was trying to be cute with.
- [38:46]
B
It, but no way. Yeah, yeah.
- [38:48]
A
Give me them. Wait.
- [38:50]
B
Right, right. We. And a salad. Yes.
- [38:52]
A
There you go. Balance, baby, balance. Inches in bundles or naturalista.
- [38:59]
B
These are really good questions. These are tough because I really love my natural hair. Okay, Right now I'm gonna have to say bundles because I'm in my boho era.
- [39:10]
A
I love works. I love it. Yes. I feel you. A fun night out or a quiet night in?
- [39:16]
B
Quiet night in.
- [39:17]
A
I love me too, girl. I am a homebody. My social battery be draining so fast.
- [39:22]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [39:23]
A
I'm like, just give me a quiet night in.
- [39:24]
B
I feel you.
- [39:25]
A
Sneakers or heels?
- [39:27]
B
Heels. Yeah.
- [39:29]
A
Acting or singing?
- [39:31]
B
Singing.
- [39:31]
A
Yes. If you could listen to only one album for the rest of your life, not including yours, what would it be?
- [39:38]
B
Okay. The Emancipation of Mimi, baby.
- [39:43]
A
Right. So good. Shout out Mariah.
- [39:45]
B
Shout out Mariah.
- [39:46]
A
So good. Last one. Your favorite Bible verse.
- [39:51]
B
Okay. Psalm 94:19. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.
- [39:59]
A
So good.
- [40:00]
B
Yeah. That verse saved my life.
- [40:02]
A
I love it, Leigh. Thank you.
- [40:03]
B
Thank you.
- [40:04]
A
That wraps up this round of rapid fire questions. Amazing. I love you and I am so proud of you for staying on this journey and finding your place in this world where you can honor God. Thank you for taking time to be with us.
- [40:19]
B
Thank you. I'm so proud of you. I just want to touch and greet. I'm so proud of you. And the vulnerability that you just, like, so freely share with people with your journey matters. It's important. Don't let nobody condemn you. You're doing the Lord's work, and that's all that matters. And I'm so proud of you. Thank you for having me.
- [40:38]
A
Of course. No pleasure. Please come back.
- [40:39]
B
Oh, I would love to.
- [40:40]
A
If you're working on something else, come back. You always have a place on the couch.
- [40:43]
B
Thank you so much.
- [40:44]
A
Absolutely. Thank you. Wow. Today's episode was so amazing. I really enjoyed talking to Lee One of my takeaways from our conversation is that your relationship with God is unique. Your own. We can inspire each other by being transparent about what we're going through in our journeys because we're all going through something, but our relationship is ours and with him alone. So remember that. Don't compare your journey or your walk to anyone else's. You can be inspired by people's journey and their walk, but your relationship with Jesus Christ is yours. Thank you all so much for spending time with me today. I hope today's conversation inspired you all to dream big, break boundaries and be confident in your career and faith journey. You guys can follow me on all social media platforms ovechristalrenee and you can also follow our show at keepitpositive Sweetie. If you want to write into our Positive Outcomes listener letter, you can send us an email to keepitpositivesweetiemail.com in the meantime and in between time, you guys already know what to do. Keep it positive sweeties. I'll see you next time.