I had an amazing time at my cover shoot and interview with Rolling Out Magazine and realized I never shared the full interview with you guys! Hope you were able to grab the issue while it was out. I’m just putting some of my fave snippets of the interview here…Go to Rolling Out now to see the full interview XOXO
How do you classify and define a best friend?
First and foremost, I have to be able to fully trust you a thousand percent to allow you into my space with my family. The friends who I call my best friend, I can count on one hand. I only have a few and they are generally trustworthy. What I’ve experienced throughout the years are friendships that you grow out of, things happen. I trust my girlfriends with anything I talk to them about. They have been really supportive of everything I have gone through. The ups. The downs. The good. The bad. That’s important to me.
What is your secret to staying sexy?
I am not going to front. I try my best to eat right. I work out three times a week. I feel like I should be doing more. I am 40 and things slow up and kinda fall … all that good stuff. I do need to be a bit more physical. Having a child after 22 years is fulfilling, and it’s a lot of work. I try balancing workouts, taking care of my son and my household, and filming. I do the simple things like eat right and try to get that cardio in.
Is Leo talking now?
Girl! He’s talking now and everything I say he repeats. I have to watch the sh–s and those words that slip out. He has a lot to say and he’s very opinionated, a very strong personality. I am not surprised. Carl has a very strong personality and so do I.
Who are your role models in the industry?
I really look up to Iyanla. She has been a great presence in my life. She’s always been consistent. Obviously, she’s the person who brought a lot of things to my attention and has helped me change to become a better person. We have a great relationship. Of course, I look up to Oprah and have to ask myself, “Am I having a conversation with her right now?” I am inspired.
Do you have a favorite Beyoncé song?
I am a huge Beyoncé fan. When the tickets went on sale for her upcoming concert, I had three computers going and knew I was going to make it to this concert. I can’t just pick one song. She’s another one that inspires me, as well as JLo [Jennifer Lopez]. These chicks are doing it. They have kids, look amazing and are strong, positive. I went to the JLo concert for my 40th birthday. It was my gift to myself.
Where do you find that you are most active when it comes to social media?
I am active on everything and have everything linked. When we started “Basketball Wives,” years ago, I had my Twitter. I love Instagram because I love to post pictures. I manage my own Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
So you actively interact with your fans on those platforms?
I try to respond to everyone and especially women who are reaching out and want to share. Recently, a woman was tweeting me about her struggles conceiving. I make it a point to share my personal struggles publicly because there are so many women having these same experiences and they never talk about them, whether they are in an abusive relationship or dealt with a miscarriage. I don’t know what it is but I feel a lot of women are embarrassed to talk about it. I want to share my story and help them go through the process.
I was looking at my Instagram after an episode and one woman left a long message on my page. She shared her gratitude and that she was in an abusive relationship where she lost all her back teeth. Her boyfriend gouged them out with an instrument. I started following her and really connected with her. I wanted to help her. I talked with my dentist and we flew her in. She had no idea what our plans were. She thought she was coming to hang out with me. We surprised her and literally fixed her entire mouth. It made her day. She was happy and confident. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.
This has been such a wonderful interview. You were really open. Thank you.
I am an open book. I am always transparent. I think that’s why OWN wanted to do a show with me on my life [and] based on my interview with Iyanla [Vanzant]. I will say this, I had other offers to do other shows but I was like no, no, no. When this opportunity came, it felt like [the] right fit [considering] where my life is. I am very protective of my family and my kids. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to do something positive. I will never forget Iyanla saying, “Why don’t you use this platform to do something positive for a change?” I thought to myself, “How can I do something positive on the show that I am on?” I will never in life knock anything that I’ve done. All my actions and where I was at that time [in life] led me to where I am today. I have no regrets. I will say, I decided to do the show because I wanted to add positivity to the world. That’s been my main focus in doing this docu-series on my life.
Make sure to go to Rolling Out for more of this interview!