Tell us how growing up in Gaffney shaped who you’ve become.
Gaffney is a small, working-class town filled with colorful characters and although I found its smallness stifling when I was a teenager, as an adult, I fully appreciate how Gaffney and all its colorful characters shaped my soul.
My childhood was saturated with family and Friday night football, Jesus and jacked-up trucks, creeks and crawdads, Duke’s mayonnaise and manners, tractor pulls and tiaras and lots of clogging and country music. Most everything I write is from a small-town perspective and no matter where I live on earth, I always call Gaffney home.
What led to your success?
As for mindset, I attribute any strength I have to being raised in the South by parents who worked hard to teach me both grit and grace. On some level, my grit is written in my southern DNA. My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles all had incredible work ethic. I was raised with the knowledge that luck favors the backbone, not the wishbone. And of course, grace has certainly come in handy as 99 percent of show business is rejection. Anybody can win. But a real winner knows how to lose with grace.
As for what literally led to my success, I’d say it was fully embracing my southernness. The truth is, I never even realized how southern I was until I moved to New York to pursue acting. I worked hard to disguise my accent and eccentric southern ways — as I was repeatedly told that was necessary for success. But I was miserable. I felt like a fraud. I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin because I wasn’t embracing my authenticity.
Once, I unapologetically embraced my southern roots and leaned into my uniqueness, success began to slowly unfold. My first big break was being cast in the original cast of Broadway’s revival of “Annie Get Your Gun.” My clogging skills and southern accent literally landed me that job. I decided then to start writing in my southern voice and to look for and create as many opportunities as possible to act in my southern accent. This led to screenwriting and working on southern project’s such as Netflix’s “Country Comfort,” my You Tube channel, my southern books, “Talk Southern To Me” and “Embrace Your Southern Sugar,” and a ton of fun acting on TV shows such as “The Closer.” More importantly, embracing my true southern nature led to self-acceptance, which is way more validating than any career success.
You’ve said many times that Charleston is your favorite city. Why? Do you have favorite places you visit each time?
Charleston is just “gawjus,” honey! The Spanish moss, the marsh, the food, the historical architecture, the beaches, the food, the vibe, the ghosts… Did I mention the food?
Also, I graduated from University of South Carolina in Columbia, so several of my Chi Omega sorority sisters live in Charleston and I love to visit them. I always eat at Husk and Obstinate Daughter and grab a cocktail at my friend Amy Timmons’elegant bar on King Street, The Belmont. I love all the beaches, but really enjoy slurping oysters at Bowen’s Island Fish Camp on Folly. My friend Connie and I also like to tool around in her boat, see local theater and watch sunsets from her stunning home in Mount Pleasant. I just moved back South after living in Los Angeles for 23 years. I would’ve loved to move to Charleston, but wanted to be closer to my Mama and ’em in Gaffney, so I moved to Greenville. Plus, Greenville’s closer to my hubby’s new job. He just started teaching film at Clemson… And I’m a Gamecock. God clearly has a sense of humor.
What is next?
I’m still trying to get settled in Greenville and discover all this wonderful city has to offer. My home is still in need of furniture and décor. I need new doctors, a new church and most importantly, I’m on the hunt for a new hairdresser! Career wise, I’m shopping a script I adapted from the southern novel, “Whistling Past the Graveyard.” I’m developing a southern television show with director/producer Howie Deutch, who is currently the producing director on “Will Trent.” I’m excited to find a new agent in Atlanta and start auditioning in the southern film and TV market. Of course, I’ll keep making videos for my YouTube channel as long as folks keep watching.
This is our entrepreneur edition. What advice do you have for women with a dream?
My advice is quite simple – dreams don’t work unless you do. My favorite Dolly Parton quote sums it up, “If you want the rainbow, you gotta be willing to put up with the rain.”
What’s your favorite southern saying?
“Bless your heart.” There are various ways to deliver this phrase- some earnest and heartfelt, some judgmental and insulting. I teach proper heart blessing skills in my first book, “Talk Southern To Me.” Sometimes things are so bad you can’t even utter the full phrase; sometimes “bless it” is all that is required. I did a series of videos on my YouTube channel called, “The Blessers,” which is a comedic exploration of how many ways and how many times southerners can use the word “bless” in a conversation.
What is next for your brand?
I’m working hard to grow my YouTube and social media following. If you’re a fan of my videos, please subscribe to my YouTube channel (which is free) and follow @southernwomenchannel on social media. That’s the best way to support my art and the hard work of all the southern actors featured in my videos. The folks in my videos are all the talented southern friends I collected in New York and Los Angeles because I was so homesick for the South. Now that I’m living back in the South and surrounded by organic inspiration, it’s inevitable I’ll be exploring more creative ways to entertain.
