I can remember being very little at a family gathering where my aunt and uncle would compete to entertain with jokes, tricks, and gags. My grandparents would practice their skits at home before going to bowling night every Wednesday to entertain their friends. My mother was in the choir and was the director of the children’s choir at church. Being on stage and entertaining was just what you did in my family. Not that anyone made money doing it, no! It was just part of life.

I started modeling accidentally when I was 15 at the prom. The photographer said I was photogenic and asked to take photos just of me for his portfolio. Though I had been performing my whole life, this started to open new doors that led to pageants and then spokesmodeling.

Despite all of this, I still struggled with feeling good enough as I inevitably compared myself to more successful women than I and frequently got bullied and teased growing up. When I dressed up people would call me pretty but not intelligent, so when it came to getting into sales, I struggled with making a great first impression.