The Right Path Doesn't Always Look Like You Expected - Shari Rigby & Danielle Ricci

WEBVTT
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:18.320
This podcast is a celebration of women who are shaping culture, influencing the world, and boldly stepping into the entertainment industry to create God-honoring content across all media platforms.
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.239
I'm your host, Sherry Reapy.
00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:25.440
Grab your coffee, settle in, and join me for an inspiring ride.
00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:29.920
Hey everyone, welcome to the Women in My World called as Creatives.
00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:30.960
I'm so excited.
00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:33.200
Today is going to be a very special show.
00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:40.079
Today I'm joined by actress, writer, producer, singer, and entrepreneur, wife and mom, Danielle Ritchie.
00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:47.920
Originally from New York and now based in Atlanta, Danielle has built an impressive career both in front of and behind the camera.
00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:54.399
She's currently writing, producing, and acting in the wildly popular Country Wayne Skits.
00:00:54.640 --> 00:01:12.959
Recently appeared in the film Winter Set alongside of her husband, Ben Gavin, and most recently lent her voice and talent to our upcoming immersive audio drama, Defiant Ones, where she portrays Revolutionary War heroine Prudence Cummings Wright.
00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:23.439
Today we'll talk about her creative journey, balancing family and career, and why telling the stories of the courageous women like Prudence Wright still matters today.
00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:26.959
Please welcome my friend Danielle Ritchie.
00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:27.920
Hello.
00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:29.359
How are you?
00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:30.719
I am doing well.
00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:32.079
I'm happy to be here today.
00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:34.159
I am so excited to have you on.
00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:43.519
The last time we were together, we were sitting in this very place that I'm sitting in today, and we were recording our upcoming series Define.
00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:44.799
I know.
00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:47.519
We're so excited and so excited.
00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:50.400
And I'm so excited to share and talk a little bit about that.
00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:54.799
But but first, I want to dive in to ask you a few questions.
00:01:54.879 --> 00:02:01.359
I want you to share about who you are, a little bit about your background and some of the incredible things that you're working on.
00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:05.680
And how did you find yourself in the world of entertainment and media?
00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:08.400
Well, I guess it all started with my mom.
00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:18.080
So my mom was a nationally recognized, back when women weren't nationally recognized for anything, volleyball player in Indiana.
00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:22.639
And when I came around, she was like, I do not want you in volleyball.
00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:27.360
She had arthritis in her hands and she was like, You're gonna go into dance.
00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:35.039
So it was the day that I turned three, I was in ballet and tap and and then jazz, and it blew up from there.
00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:39.680
And I went into singing lessons and we realized I had a real talent for opera.
00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:42.319
So my mom was quite thrilled.
00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:51.759
And you know, I I was very blessed to have a mother who not only put me into the arts, but then continued to support me throughout my entire life.
00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:52.639
I love that.
00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:56.159
So talk a little bit about then just that performing.
00:02:56.240 --> 00:03:00.479
I mean, opera, that is a whole nother ballgame than just even singing.
00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:05.120
I mean, that is that is certainly a skill that most people I I'm trying to think of.
00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:09.439
I think I may know one other person that actually sings opera.
00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:13.039
What does that look like for you in your career and what kind of journey has that been?
00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:17.199
I I really think that opera is the reason that I became the actor that I am.
00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:29.199
Being a young adult and having a teacher that it wasn't just about singing from the diaphragm and the notes, and and she wanted me to know what I was singing in different languages that I did not understand.
00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:32.639
And I'm like, I know Italian because I am Italian.
00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:51.520
You know, I grew up with with my great-grandmother and my dad's side of the family, German and French and and all of these languages, and having to do the research and then sing something that you have to find the emotion behind what it is you're saying because it's it's not a pop song, it's an aria.
00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:54.159
And pop is amazing.
00:03:54.479 --> 00:04:18.560
I'm not saying anything about pop, but there there was just something being a 14-year-old kid and trying to find the true meaning and emotion behind loss and grief and love and drama that opera kind of showed me what I wanted to take into the theater that I began to do and the film and even the modeling career that I had.
00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:19.199
Wow.
00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:19.839
Wow.
00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:30.480
Is that where you think that you found even more so the love for storytelling and then realizing that performance wasn't just something that you enjoyed, but it really was something that you were called to?
00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:31.759
Yes.
00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:32.399
Yes.
00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:33.839
Nothing is an accident.
00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:35.600
God is very intentional.
00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:45.279
And uh He he was intentional in my life with the experiences that I had and the upbringing I had, and I think opera was one of those things.
00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:56.720
Gosh, just it's such it's such a beautiful thing to think about being able to have that talent and to take it into so many because you not only the singing part of it, just but the actual studying and the learning that you talked about.
00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:04.079
I mean, there is a lot of obedience and training that you must walk through and go through in order to be able to excel in an area like that.
00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:17.199
Part of what I love, though, about you as a creator in so many ways, I've learned that you have also created a youth theater program for the underprivileged children in your college and that you started your own business and you're a working actress.
00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:19.279
I mean, all these incredible things that you do.
00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:22.480
So not only are you serving the community, you're an entrepreneur.
00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:28.639
First and foremost, though, I love that you're mom and your wife and you know, you bring so many special qualities.
00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:32.720
I can tell when you walked in through the room, it wasn't that you were just walking in as an actress.
00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:39.040
You were bringing all of these things that you do day in and day out, who you are to this character that you were getting ready to play.
00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:40.720
So I want to talk a little bit about that.
00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:46.079
And what inspired you to start a youth program for the underprivileged children serving?
00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:50.800
And how have you incorporated that skill into the projects and the things that you're doing today?
00:05:51.040 --> 00:06:08.319
So I actually read something recently that when you are given an opportunity to help someone else, whether it is you're employing them or you're giving them an opportunity, like the youth program, to be creative, God is working through you to answer other people's prayers.
00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:10.879
Man, do I think that that's true.
00:06:11.120 --> 00:06:16.000
And I feel like I have benefited so much from that, even with the project that we got to do together.
00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:21.920
So when it came to the I went to Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and I actually walked in.
00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:27.279
There had been a few students ahead of me that were graduating that had started to put together this program.
00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:35.600
And uh without me and a few other people being able to prop it up, it would have dissipated.
00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:40.959
And so we walked in, and I was the sole choreographer for like 35 children.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:41.839
Wow.
00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:42.399
Wow.
00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:44.560
I was like, where's my assistant?
00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:46.639
And and it was it was incredible.
00:06:46.720 --> 00:07:02.319
It was the most incredible experience for me because I will never forget there was a little girl who was special needs, and people would come from all over different communities in the area, come to be able to be part of this because it was free.
00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:06.560
We were putting it on, we were putting up the budget through the college.
00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:11.759
And there was a little girl that was special needs who all she wanted to do was be the star.
00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:15.439
But she couldn't see very well and she couldn't hear very well.
00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:18.399
And so we were putting on Annie Jr.
00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:25.360
And there's that role where the star comes in into New York City with her bags and she has this big song.
00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:28.560
And I cast her as that role.
00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:32.079
And I did it all via like visual cues.
00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:36.160
So all of the background dancers would be a little bit pushed forward.
00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:43.120
So when their arms were up, she would know that she needed to come upstage or when they come down, you know, with all these visual cues for her.
00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:55.040
And I remember her mom coming up to me afterwards and just telling me, you know, she doesn't know if she'll ever be able to have an opportunity like that again, and that it was one of the most incredible experiences they have had.
00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:56.560
And that's why you do it.
00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:04.319
It's the seeking of that to work with others, create and create opportunities where we can all offer something to the world.
00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:05.920
Yeah, absolutely.
00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:12.560
Yeah, and that that I love that you you did that because, you know, those are the things that make the world go around, right?
00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:13.360
I always think about that.
00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:21.199
Whenever I'm talking to anybody or when I'm discipling or working with somebody or mentoring, you know, always talking about, you know, how are we serving others?
00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:28.560
Inevitably, that's what really elevates us in such a way that we could never ever have even thought before, right?
00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:36.639
I think that just hearing you tell that story is we always think about how we're gonna go in and we're we're doing something and it's gonna change something.
00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:43.360
But I'm sure her story and how you encountered and took on that journey has changed you for the better.
00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:48.000
And it and and it's brought something to your life that I'm sure really enriched it.
00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:51.440
And also probably with you being a mom as well.
00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:57.919
Yeah, I um I'm very blessed that I have a healthy and a happy almost three-year-old.
00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:06.639
And I just I want her to meet and greet and participate with people who offer her those opportunities.
00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:13.519
And and as a mom, looking back on that experience, I'm so happy I was able to do that for her mom and for her.
00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:15.600
And you're right, it makes the world go round.
00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:16.000
Yeah.
00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:17.279
It's all cyclical.
00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:27.360
It is, and you know, I think that's something that's so special is that we get to look back and to see how we had a moment in time to answer because you obviously answered a call, right?
00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:31.679
That was very specific to you being put in that place for for a reason.
00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:43.279
And and I love how God's plan is always in motion, you know, and you said yes to tackling something that was a very, very big, um, a big endeavor that was placed in front of you, but you did it.
00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:48.720
And uh I want to talk to you a little bit about because there's so many different things I want to tackle with you.
00:09:48.879 --> 00:10:00.000
But one of the things that I know uh that I've learned recently about you is that you moved from California to Georgia and want to talk a little bit about how did you find yourself leaving?
00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:01.919
Because my husband and I did the same thing.
00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:04.159
We left California, we moved to Georgia.
00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:08.320
What brought you here and what has that season been like for you?
00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:13.519
And how are you currently finding yourself and and what you're doing here in the state of Georgia?
00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:18.639
So, first of all, I love Georgia, even though I'm from New York, I grew up in Westchester County.
00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:24.480
So we had grass and hills and land and so much of Georgia, except for the humidity.
00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.559
Yes, I wouldn't agree with you.
00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:27.679
And the mosquitoes.
00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:29.440
Don't forget the mosquitoes.
00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:30.000
I don't know.
00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:33.360
I didn't grow up with mosquitoes, so oh yeah, those mosquitoes.
00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:36.720
But so much of being here feels like I've come home.
00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:43.039
And my parents live in Naples, Florida now, so it we're drivable and we can still go to the beach.
00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:49.200
And uh, you know, there there's something very special about about being here and living here.
00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:55.200
And God has shown me that because uh we my husband and I moved here about a year ago.
00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:57.919
He got a job on Beyond the Gates.
00:10:58.000 --> 00:10:59.840
It's a new soap opera on CBS.
00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.240
Yep, and that job brought us here.
00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:05.519
We were like, okay, here we go.
00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:07.039
I mean, it's not our plan.
00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:09.039
You just you ride the journey.
00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:16.480
I was a little afraid because I'm here with a little baby now, thinking, how is the move gonna work?
00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.559
What is the work gonna be like?
00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:23.919
We were actually in Dallas for a little pit stop long enough before we left California.
00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:26.240
We went California, Dallas, Georgia.
00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:30.799
And we left California and I had built up two big businesses there.
00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:36.720
And I was feeling nervous about leaving something that I had built with my whole heart.
00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:39.600
But I knew it was the right thing to do.
00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:55.519
We were newly married, we wanted to have kids, and you know, like I said, I grew up in Westchester County, New York, where I had a big yard and a tire swing and woods that we could just walk into because there were no phones and be like, hey, we're gonna pretend like that rock is an island.
00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:56.000
Yeah.
00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:57.120
Yeah, absolutely.
00:11:57.279 --> 00:11:58.879
And it did become one, right?
00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:00.159
Yes, and it did.
00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.279
The creativity.
00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:03.679
And I wanted that from my daughter.
00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:11.840
And in LA where we were living, I'm just like the quality of life was not there for the budget that we were living on.
00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.080
And we thought, you know what, it's time.
00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:15.519
I like to be comfortable.
00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:17.919
Yeah, it's a scary thing, change.
00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:23.200
However, the way that God changes your life is that he pushes you.
00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:23.600
Yeah.
00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:31.360
Sometimes when you don't want to be pushed, absolutely and and he plants a little seed in your head, and then he keeps pushing you towards that seed.
00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:37.679
And it's then your job to listen to what he is saying and follow the road.
00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:41.120
Because he can only show you the light, you know, you have to take the footsteps.
00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:48.399
Even though I knew leaving California was gonna be kind of tricky with my companies and the things I was doing, I knew it was the right thing.
00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:56.799
And we left and and I feel like we are on that course that he he put for us because you cannot be fearful.
00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:58.080
Right, right.
00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.039
You you take the risk and you go for it.
00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:03.519
And and that's what we're doing.
00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:04.879
Yeah, and so good.
00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:10.960
I remember when my husband and I, we we were called to California back in 2009, we were in Arizona.
00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:25.679
And uh at that time, 2008 had happened and it crashed, you know, we had just had we had built our dream home and we had so many things that were really happening around us that we believed that were moving in the right direction for us there in Phoenix.
00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:29.759
And all of a sudden, it felt like the Lord was just peeling everything back.
00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:37.279
And I remember getting into the beginning of spring of 2009 and sitting with my husband and saying, Okay, God, you know, where do you want us to go?
00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:42.879
And then when I was sitting with my husband, I just kept saying to him, you know, I really believe that God is calling us to California.
00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:48.720
And at the time it was so funny because I kept feeling like, well, of course he's calling us to California.
00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:53.279
He wants to make me this movie star and navigate the industry and become this big superstar.
00:13:53.360 --> 00:14:13.759
And and then what I realized really quickly was that when I got there, he was actually calling me to his women and to really navigate a ministry, the women in my world, and to disciple and educate and on-the-job training and what's been shaped and formed into this place and space of telling these female stories.
00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:21.039
But what I saw happen as a family was that God wasn't only taking me there for a reason.
00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:22.879
He was taking us there.
00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:33.519
And not only was I growing and where he was wanting me to excel in and to dig roots in at that time, but he was also doing that with my husband.
00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:37.919
He was really partnering us together, like I believe that the Lord does for us.
00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:42.720
And he was giving at that time what I believed my youngest son needed.
00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:56.080
And then it was so amazing to me, Danielle, because the moment that God was like, okay, 12 years later, we had a great business, we had all of these things going, but all of a sudden there was a turn.
00:14:56.399 --> 00:15:07.440
And my husband and I started to pray about what God was doing, and we started to feel this kind of like like a tugging, you know, and we couldn't quite figure out what that was going on.
00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:13.200
And all of a sudden it was like in the moment God just said, Okay, you're gonna leave here, you know.
00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.639
And I and I just kept thinking, oh my goodness, you know, how are we gonna do that?
00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.679
We've got businesses, we've got all these things, you know.
00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:25.759
And and thank God the youngest at that point was had just graduated from high school and he was in the South already.
00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:27.759
And he loved the South.
00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:35.120
And so when we decided that this is where God was calling us, I'm telling you, it was like that moment we walked into Georgia.
00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:38.000
I went, Southern hospitality is real.
00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:53.840
And Lord, you are so good because not only once again did you bring us both here, we're both flourishing and growing, but you're doing something in this plan that that inevitably when you call us both out, you've called us both out.
00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:57.360
When you put us both in, we see that around us.
00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:01.120
And and and I'm assuming that you're seeing the same thing.
00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:05.759
Not only did your husband end up, you know, booking this role on this show.
00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:15.120
And I mean, I've got to imagine, Danielle, that you are just thriving as a mother and still growing in your in the acting and producing and writing and everything that you're doing.
00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:21.519
And I want to talk a little bit about too the entrepreneurial spirit that you have and growing your businesses.
00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:26.080
So has that something now that the Lord has called you both into Georgia?
00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:30.399
Do you feel like you're also now thriving here too, alongside of your husband?
00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:35.679
And and how are you doing that, not only in motherhood, but also now as an entrepreneur and an actress?
00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:40.720
So a a big part of what I needed to learn was the letting go.
00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.279
You know, the idea, like you said, about moving to LA and being this movie star.
00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:49.600
I was like, I'm gonna go to LA and you know, in a year I can buy that Maserati I want.
00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:52.240
Yes, yes and yes.
00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:52.639
Yeah.
00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:55.279
And God brought me there so he could humble me.
00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:57.919
And so he could show me what was really important.
00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:00.879
And it's it's it's not what you think success is.
00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:13.519
It's it's living your life to the fullest and then providing those opportunities to other people so that you can participate in making other people's lives better and not just your own.
00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:22.559
I feel like so many people focus on me and what is my journey and what is just my calling, but really everyone is interconnected.
00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:22.960
Yeah.
00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:33.200
And even this interview, we are supposed to be here telling this story so that other people can hear it and they can feel something through the movement of my life, bringing me here.
00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:44.400
When I started my businesses, when we moved to Dallas, when we moved to Georgia, all of these things that were momentous, they were all born out of some of them necessity.
00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:50.160
When I first moved to LA, I'm very proud of my moral compass.
00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.680
I know who I am, I know what I will do and what I will not do.
00:17:53.839 --> 00:18:02.480
And I had many an offer to do several things that could have put me much further along in the career that I was like, oh, I want this career.
00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:03.920
But I said no.
00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:08.880
And even though people around me, agents, managers, friends, were like, no, just do it.
00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:13.200
Like, yeah, it's just, it's just, I'm like, no, something doesn't feel right.
00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:20.000
It's my gut, it's it's the tugging, it's God telling me something different is is pulling you.
00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:21.200
Don't do this.
00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:23.839
And listening to that intuition.
00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:24.720
Yeah.
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:28.720
And when I started my first company, I had moved out to LA.
00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.759
I had thought, man, I'm just gonna be so successful here.
00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:33.680
And I struggled.
00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:36.160
I had a very hard time.
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:41.759
Um, I had moved from New York, where I had been living with my family, working in the city.
00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:47.599
I I was a working actor, I was booking modeling jobs all the time between Boston and New York.
00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:50.720
And I just thought that, oh, it's naturally gonna follow me.
00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:51.599
And it did not.
00:18:51.759 --> 00:18:56.079
And it showed me the kind of hard work you need to do.
00:18:56.400 --> 00:19:02.079
And that's how I ended up developing my first company because I didn't want to work in bars.
00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:03.440
I'm a morning person.
00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:09.440
You know, I I I don't want to be, uh I'm up at 6:30 in the morning, even before my daughter gets up.
00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:13.759
I'm like, hmm, when I first met my husband, I was like, hey, I'm going to yoga at 7 a.m.
00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:14.880
You can do whatever you want.
00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:17.039
Like, this is what I do.
00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:23.279
Um, so I was feeling very depressed with what was being offered to me.
00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:27.920
And then I got into the world of events and I started a staffing company.
00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:42.559
So I started hiring myself and other actors and models and musicians who needed work to do catering jobs and then um working in people's homes as busers and servers and bartenders and things like that.
00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:52.880
And I developed this company where, you know, I was hiring 60 people a year and and providing them a way to pay the rent and and myself.
00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:53.759
Wow.
00:19:54.319 --> 00:20:02.079
And that was, you know, I had to go through all of these things in order to get there to realize, okay, none of this is within my control.
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:06.640
I need to let go and I need to follow the path and the light.
00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:09.920
And not only is it gonna bring me, it's gonna bring everybody else.
00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:11.519
Mm-hmm.
00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:12.160
Mm-hmm.
00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:13.119
I love that.
00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:19.440
So I think that what I'm hearing you say too is just what God has been teaching you in this current season of life.
00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:26.640
I mean, go the course with him, know your moral compass and and and how you're standing on that today.
00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:31.599
I think it's such a it's such a quality that so often we don't see that anymore.
00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:39.440
I I really believe you have to make the decision in advance of getting into this industry, what you're going to do and what you're not going to do.
00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:42.160
Because you're going to be presented with everything.
00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:52.799
And if you don't know that in advance, you are going to have things that are going to come across, you know, in front of you that you're going to think, man, this looks really good.
00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:54.720
This could advance my career.
00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:57.119
And all of a sudden now you're putting yourself in jeopardy.
00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:07.359
You're putting yourself in a way, you know, in a place that just the the moral compass, you have to continue to navigate that every time you make a decision in the industry as an entrepreneur.
00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:13.200
Because inevitably, like I said, things are going to come across to you and you're going to have to say yes or no.
00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:16.720
And I'm telling you right now, I know you know this as well as I do.
00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:24.960
There are a lot of times things have come across, just like you said, that, you know, everybody's t telling you that, hey, this is going to launch your career.
00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:28.559
And you have to make a decision to say no.
00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:34.079
But I really, really do believe that God inevitably has something better for you.
00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:37.519
His plan is always better to prosper you.
00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:47.519
And I know that just in so many ways of my own life and hearing what you're saying and so many others, and even just for him to say, you know what, you've got a creative spirit in you.
00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.720
And that's gonna, that's gonna go into entrepreneurial ship.
00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:52.640
It's gonna go down this road.
00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:55.920
That's gonna teach you what you're gonna take into this next phase of life.
00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:57.440
I just love how God does that.
00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.759
But again, it also, I'm sure, just the integrity.
00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:14.960
Part of it is something that even as being a business owner, you go in and you're like, I will absolutely not lower my standard to this, or I will not do things that are against my moral compass, or treating people a certain way, whatever that might look like.
00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:26.160
And so, gosh, I so do you still have that company now that you've moved here, or is that something that you've you still working at, or I do.
00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:26.720
I do.
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:30.000
So I actually I have two companies.
00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:33.279
One is called Staffing by Danielle, and that's the events company.
00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:39.599
And through that company, one of my clients is Molly Sims, who is the most incredible woman.
00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:48.400
She supports other women, she she lifts you up, she puts you out to the internet and is like, this is a good company, hire them.
00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:50.960
And I'm all on the inside, I'm like, thank you.
00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:51.359
Yeah.
00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:53.839
She like, tell people, be the word.
00:22:54.160 --> 00:23:05.440
And so I remember before COVID, when I was so busy with the staffing company, I had a few celebrity clients that I would do freshly juiced cocktail mixers for.
00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:07.599
And it all started because of Molly.
00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:15.279
Because she came up to me one day and she was like, So you staff all my people on the bar, and I don't like these mixers that I buy.
00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:16.960
So can you just make me a paloma?
00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:18.000
And I'm like, Yeah.
00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:19.680
And she goes, Can you make it skinny?
00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:20.640
And I go, Yeah.
00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:21.680
And then she walks away.
00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:22.240
I get on my phone.
00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:23.599
I'm like, what is a paloma?
00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:25.839
This is before Palomas were the rage.
00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:27.440
And I'm just like, I don't know what this is.
00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:28.480
Is it a grapefruit?
00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:28.880
Yeah.
00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:32.240
Um and I've always been a yes person.
00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:35.839
I'm gonna say yes, and then I'm gonna figure out how to make it work later.
00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:48.400
And lo and behold, during COVID, when all of my staffing uh clients had to cancel, and my husband and I, we actually found out we were pregnant and unfortunately we miscarried.
00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:50.640
But you know, all of it is God's plan.
00:23:51.279 --> 00:24:12.400
And in that moment of desperation where I find myself pregnant and scared of the world and what's happening, and with no work thinking we're gonna roll through all of our savings, I put together a quarantine cocktail mix menu and everything what is non-alcoholic, so you can drink it with club soda or or whatever your favorite liquor is.
00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:14.240
And I emailed it to everybody.
00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:19.839
I was like, if you're my client, if you ever thought about being my client, if you're my friend, here's like 500 people.
00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:20.880
I'm gonna email you.
00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:26.559
And within two weeks, we were doing 150 bottles a week.
00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:27.519
Wow.
00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:43.680
And it blew up, and it was this amazing thing that I didn't know how it was gonna come out of COVID because everybody's at home and drinking, and we have all of these wonderful celebrities that were backing it and pushing the name out there.
00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:46.480
And I I was like, oh my gosh, but what's gonna happen?
00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:47.759
How's this gonna transition?
00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:50.319
And it naturally did for parties and events.
00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:59.119
So and now we ship nationwide, and I have a hub and a rep out there who makes it in a commercial kitchen and does all the deliveries for me.
00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:06.319
And then I'm out here and I have some help and we shop the farmer's market freshly juice and then ship it right to your door.
00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:12.880
Ultimately, in order to keep those businesses, it's all about finding help.
00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:13.519
Yeah.
00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:14.000
Yeah.
00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:15.920
It's about asking for help.
00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:21.680
It's about knowing when you need help because my parents always made fun of me as a child because I was always that kid.
00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:23.200
I can do it myself.
00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:24.000
I got it.
00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:24.480
I can do it.
00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:25.440
No, I don't want help.
00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:26.160
I can do it myself.
00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:27.200
Now my daughter does that.
00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:29.119
And I'm like, no, no, no, ask for help.
00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:31.599
Please learn, learn from my lessons.
00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:32.559
Oh gosh.
00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:33.680
I get that though.
00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:34.319
I get that.
00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:39.279
But but it's also, you know, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm a type A kind of person.
00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:45.119
I like to be able to get my hands in there and I want to see it and feel it and and really understand it.
00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:49.680
And when I can do that, then I know that I can, well, okay, then I'm just gonna do it.
00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:51.279
You know, I might as well just do it.
00:25:51.519 --> 00:26:04.559
And and it does take a lot to be in a position to say, hey, I need your help, or sharpening, you know, and working with so many incredibly talented people around me and I'm sure you as well, right?
00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:20.000
I mean, you're talking about them right now that you have to trust them and you have to believe that they are the in the the best person for the best position and and how they're going to continue to, you know, basically they're representing you and your company.
00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:21.119
Represent the business.
00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:21.759
Yeah.
00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:22.240
Yeah.
00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:23.279
And that's a big deal.
00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:24.640
It's a huge leap of faith.
00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:25.759
Huge leap of faith.
00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:27.599
Well, first of all, I love Molly Sims.
00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:32.160
Every time I watch her skincare stuff, I just go, okay, I need her whole line.
00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:33.519
Oh, I'm obsessed.
00:26:33.839 --> 00:26:35.039
I'm obsessed with it.
00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:37.119
I'm like, oh, I need your exfoliation pad.
00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:37.440
Yeah.
00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:39.839
And it's called like your favorite X pad.
00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:41.519
And I'm like, yep, yep.
00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:42.240
I need it.
00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:42.720
I need it.
00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:43.039
I know.
00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:48.559
I was, I was just watching her recently talk about just the, you know, why she's doing what she's doing.
00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:53.839
And I just thought it's brilliant because it's the first, she's authentic, and I'm sure that's what she saw in you as well.
00:26:54.079 --> 00:27:00.640
And this need to be healthy and to what we're putting on the interior of our body, absolutely to the exterior of it.
00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:02.319
And I love, you said mocktails.
00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:03.680
I'm a mock tail girl.
00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:06.400
And so I'm always looking for something special.
00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:14.640
So you and I are gonna have to get together so you can teach me what I need to know so that I can have a good, good summer mocktail always in my hand.
00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:19.279
Hey friends, if you're enjoying today's episode, we'd love your support.
00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:35.200
Hit like, subscribe, comment, and share this video, which helps us grow the channel that directly supports the women in my world and our mission to develop, educate, and launch Christian women in the entertainment and media industry.
00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:39.759
Every action you take truly makes a difference in our ministry.
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:45.759
And now we'd like to share a brief video about the heart and mission behind the women in my world.
00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:48.960
Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey with us.
00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:52.640
Hi, I'm Sherry Rigby, the founder of the Women in My World.
00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:55.359
Our goal is simple but powerful.
00:27:55.519 --> 00:28:00.400
We focus on developing, educating, and launching Christian women in entertainment and media.
00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:13.119
Our aim is to train up emerging talent, empower them to craft impactful, God-honoring content across various platforms, and contribute to positive global change through leadership roles.
00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:20.160
We invest in women by providing opportunities to learn essential skills in their desired field.
00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:29.599
Through hands-on education and on-the-job training, we build a community of like-minded women who shepherd others to grow and flourish in their careers.
00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:42.559
The Women in My World has helped support and launch women into key positions, such as producers, group supervisors, production and costume designers, directors, makeup and hair artists, and so many more.
00:28:42.799 --> 00:28:52.400
These women have gone on to expand their resumes and their relationships, which have provided opportunities to work on major network television shows and feature films.
00:28:52.799 --> 00:29:02.480
Due to the small percentage of Christian women in decision-making roles and entertainment, believers must invest in their training, mentoring, and discipleship.
00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:13.839
These women can then become a voice to change in the negative narratives influencing our culture and shed light on topics we desperately need to tackle from a biblical worldview.
00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:26.079
The women in my world is honored to help support women and their careers in entertainment and media as they bring redemptive stories to life and uplift, encourage, and influence the world for Christ.
00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:27.279
You're incredible.
00:29:27.359 --> 00:29:36.960
And I remember you walking into the house into the studio that day, and everybody was just first and foremost, you're just beautiful and beautiful inside and out.
00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:43.359
And all the producers and writers and everybody here, I mean, you just shine extremely bright.
00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:50.079
And it was we were just so grateful to have you with us and just to hear you bring the stories to life.
00:29:50.160 --> 00:29:51.519
And I want to get to that.
00:29:51.599 --> 00:29:53.200
I could talk to you all day long.
00:29:53.359 --> 00:30:01.039
I I I want to go back though, just a little bit before because I because now my brain is ticking on this like, what are we doing with the revolutionary woman party?
00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:10.880
But I want to go into, I want to, you said this back a few minutes ago, but one of the things that I always ask is how do you define success?
00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:14.960
And I think it's a really important question for all of us to approach.
00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:18.880
And so I'd love to ask you, how do you define success?
00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:22.799
So throughout my life, I have looked at success very differently.
00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:40.319
And there was a time where I felt like success is, you know, the bank account you have, or success is your credits on IMDB, or success is showing everybody that you can do it yourself and that you're gonna be able to handle everything.
00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:48.799
And I've I've realized with this precious gift of life that I've been given, that money does not make the man happy.
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:52.000
And money will not make you happy.
00:30:52.400 --> 00:31:03.279
And the amount of projects that you do are not gonna make you happy, and that the only way that you can really be happy is if you listen to the call and you generate from within.
00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:17.200
So, you know, when I wasn't booking that work in Los Angeles, when I wasn't getting the acting career that I I thought I deserved, which you don't deserve anything, you work and and you never give up.
00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:21.279
And when you never give up, you eventually will find that success.
00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:23.839
And it won't look the way you think that it's going to look.
00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:28.880
But it ends up being exactly what you need, and and in order to feel fulfilled.
00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:29.119
Yeah.
00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:35.359
So success to me is being happy and feeling fulfilled and worthy on a regular basis.
00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:43.359
And so much of that comes from being a mother and and never giving up on the things that I've created or the things that I want.
00:31:43.759 --> 00:31:47.359
So when I wasn't booking the acting work, I started writing.
00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:53.920
And the very first script that I ever wrote, I was like, everybody kept telling me, you write your first five scripts and you throw them away.
00:31:54.079 --> 00:31:55.599
And I was like, no, no, no.
00:31:55.759 --> 00:31:59.119
My first script is gonna be a blockbuster.
00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:00.000
It's gold.
00:32:00.160 --> 00:32:00.960
I know it's gold.
00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:03.440
I still had that same mentality.
00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:06.880
I'm with the Maserati, and I'm like, Danielle, learn the lesson.
00:32:07.119 --> 00:32:13.519
Now, however many scripts later, I'm I'm writing and producing for this the country Wayne Skits.
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:20.799
And I'm I have a movie that I just finished writing that we want to start pitching out called My Big Italian Christmas.
00:32:20.960 --> 00:32:25.440
I'm working on a book and I have a children's book that's in my daughter.
00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:31.680
So my my daughter, when she couldn't even speak yet, was obsessed with the moon.
00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:36.160
The moo, moo, moo, like during the day when she could see it.
00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:41.039
And we saw a macaroon cookie one time, and she was like, Mommy, it's the moon.
00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:52.880
And so I started writing this children's book called Macaroon Moon, which teaches children through this story of my daughter buying a cookie and eating it, the different phases of the moon.
00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:53.519
Wow.
00:32:53.680 --> 00:32:54.640
That's what I'm talking about.
00:32:54.799 --> 00:32:58.000
God is so intentional because I've always wanted to write.
00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:05.119
I have always like I took I took poetry and all of those classes in college and high school, and I excelled at them and I loved them.
00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:07.519
But I thought, no, no, I'm gonna be an actor.
00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:10.880
And then I was like, no, no, I'm gonna be a writer.
00:33:11.039 --> 00:33:14.880
I'm gonna be a little bit, you have to wear every hat to be successful.
00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:16.079
Yeah, you do.
00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:16.480
Yeah.
00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:17.599
I love that.
00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:34.880
And I love that just that entrepreneurial because I keep saying that word, but I do believe that that's fully on you because it's it's one of those things that I think is so beautiful to see that the Lord is always doing something new, right?
00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:37.759
He says, you know, behold, um, I'm doing something new.
00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:39.039
Will you perceive it?
00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:47.440
And I think it's our job to seek it out and to when he gives us a passion or desire to see how we can actually navigate what he's put in front of us.
00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:49.279
And so I love that you've done that.
00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:55.279
You've tapped in, whether you're acting or producing or starting a company and you're doing all of these great things.
00:33:55.359 --> 00:33:57.440
And I love that you're doing children's books.
00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:03.279
I mean, I just keep going, okay, you need to come back over and we need to sit down at the table and we just need to talk more.
00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:13.840
I want to talk to you a little bit about the series that we just did because thinking about you being in Los Angeles, my experience a lot of, you know, similar but different.
00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:15.920
I too felt like I was gonna go there.
00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:22.079
I was gonna be this huge movie star, and God was gonna open up every door, and that's exactly what was gonna happen.
00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:29.920
And I remember just thinking, you know, three months into the journey that I was done, I was quitting, I didn't know what I was doing there.
00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:37.760
And then when, you know, I sat in this room where I was at an acting studio and God said, No, you're here for my women, I thought, okay.
00:34:37.920 --> 00:35:02.239
And so all of these years later, that was, you know, 2010, and here I am now in a position where writing, producing, acting, but I really felt several years ago that I was supposed to start to create women's content, stories that would inspire, encourage, and empower women to really be encouraged by other women's lives and how how important that is for us to tell these stories.
00:35:02.400 --> 00:35:08.960
And so the series that we're doing right now, which is Defiant Ones, the Bravest Women of the Revolutionary War, you were part of that.
00:35:09.119 --> 00:35:20.239
And I remember sending out, you know, to to agencies looking for what was who was going to be the ones to be chosen to play these characters.
00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:34.719
And, you know, I always tell people this that when I'm directing or when I'm in that position now, I'm always usually I'm watching a character, I'm watching a person and seeing how they line up with another person or, you know, how does this all come together?
00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:37.280
Chemistry reads and, you know, character life.
00:35:37.360 --> 00:35:52.719
And and this time around, as we do the audios, I have to listen to what the character is going to sound like and not only how the character is going to sound tone and style, but also how the character is going to line up with other characters.
00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:55.440
And so it's a really interesting process.
00:35:55.519 --> 00:36:08.320
And I remember starting to get the auditions were rolling in, and casting sent me over your recording, and I just I listened to it and I went, that's prudence.
00:36:08.960 --> 00:36:12.079
Like in all of these women, that's prudence.
00:36:12.320 --> 00:36:31.440
And because knowing who she she was, and I didn't know who you were, obviously, I didn't know your story or your background or really anything about you, but she had tenacity, she had a spirit of just engaging and fighting, but she had a powerful spirit and a hunger for God and her family and for doing the right thing.
00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:38.159
And so not only do I feel like we found the right woman with the voice, we also found the right woman with the spirit, right?
00:36:38.320 --> 00:36:39.039
Which is you.
00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:45.840
And I want you to talk a little bit about what is it like to audition as a voiceover actress.
00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:50.800
And then did you know anything about Prudence Cummings right before you played her character?
00:36:50.960 --> 00:36:54.079
And how did you prepare for this audition?
00:36:54.320 --> 00:36:54.559
Wow.
00:36:54.800 --> 00:36:56.239
That's a big thing.
00:36:56.480 --> 00:36:56.960
It's loaded.
00:36:57.039 --> 00:36:57.360
I know.
00:36:57.440 --> 00:36:58.480
I'm like, it's loaded.
00:36:58.639 --> 00:36:59.280
It's loaded.
00:36:59.440 --> 00:37:20.880
Well, first, I just want to say I think what you're doing, you were talking about producing these women's stories, and I just wanted to hit on that and just tell you that the calling that you do is so large and so important because now in today's day and age is when women need to hear these stories, and you are working like you are the funnel for God.
00:37:21.599 --> 00:37:26.400
So he is telling you something, and you are doing and I feel that way about playing prudence.
00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:31.039
You know, I feel I felt so blessed to be able to be in that room.
00:37:31.280 --> 00:37:47.920
Being a voiceover actor, I feel like the biggest portion of that is really buying into what it is you're doing when you're the only one in the room with the mic, you need to see it all in front of you and and believe in it 150%.
00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:48.719
Yeah.
00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:55.599
And when I read that, the sides for the audition, I cried because I'm a mother.
00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:58.800
In the audition, you had, you know, the opening scene.
00:37:58.880 --> 00:38:01.119
I don't know if we're allowed to talk about it.
00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:03.039
Yeah, we can talk about it.
00:38:03.119 --> 00:38:09.599
It's it's it's yeah, Prudence Mother was a right of of quite a few kiddos, and but yes, let's talk about it.
00:38:09.760 --> 00:38:10.000
Yeah.
00:38:10.719 --> 00:38:24.000
But being a mother myself and and having to do any scene where your child dies or is injured or is lost is heart wrenching.
00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:24.559
Yeah.
00:38:24.880 --> 00:38:25.280
Yeah.
00:38:25.519 --> 00:38:28.800
And you know, I I didn't know anything about Prudence.
00:38:29.119 --> 00:38:30.079
Prue, as I call it.
00:38:30.320 --> 00:38:30.559
Prue.
00:38:30.719 --> 00:38:31.360
I know, I know.
00:38:31.840 --> 00:38:35.360
She had the best nickname out of all of these characters.
00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:38.800
Prue had a she prudence had a great nickname, but yes, yeah.
00:38:39.039 --> 00:38:40.559
Uh I didn't know anything about her.
00:38:40.639 --> 00:38:56.239
And when I started researching her, reading about how she was this patriot defender, bringing women together to try and make a difference and dressing up in in you know, men's clothes and going out at night so that they could defend this bridge.
00:38:56.320 --> 00:39:01.039
And yeah, I think I read something about um how they were nicknamed like the Minute Women.
00:39:01.199 --> 00:39:01.360
Yeah.
00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:05.840
I just thought to myself, yes, like that is what I want to be doing.
00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:13.679
That those are the stories I want to be telling because people needed to hear about women and how they have impacted history.
00:39:13.760 --> 00:39:14.000
Yeah.
00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:17.760
And playing Prue was that opportunity to do it.
00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:23.119
So I I just I was I was shining when I walked in there because I was happy to be there.
00:39:23.360 --> 00:39:26.400
Well, she was so she's such a strong, brilliant character.
00:39:26.559 --> 00:39:34.079
So they've coined it as the minute women, and then they also have it also listed as that she formed the guardians of liberty.
00:39:34.320 --> 00:39:40.079
And, you know, to me, she formed this group of women, this militia who goes out, right?
00:39:40.159 --> 00:39:42.800
And they actually stand guard at this bridge.
00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:47.039
And, you know, she is is fighting for liberty.
00:39:47.199 --> 00:39:56.960
And she knows that without the courage and without the sacrifice and without these women coming together to do this, that all could be lost.
00:39:57.119 --> 00:40:04.559
And I just think she was, she had so much tenacity, she had so much courage about who she, who, who she was.
00:40:04.719 --> 00:40:07.519
She knew who she was and what she had to do, what she was called to.
00:40:07.840 --> 00:40:08.719
She saw the mission.
00:40:08.960 --> 00:40:10.480
Yeah, she saw the mission.
00:40:10.719 --> 00:40:19.440
What what stood out to you probably the most about her and and just the the way that she was tackling what she was getting ready to do?
00:40:19.599 --> 00:40:21.360
What stood out to you about her?
00:40:22.079 --> 00:40:25.760
Well, in your life, you were presented with opportunities.
00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:29.280
And some of them might seem silly at first.
00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:35.280
And you're being called to something that so many other people will pass judgment on or say, that's not your place.
00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:50.239
And I felt like revolutionary wartime, many people thought that is not a woman's place to be able to say, you know, even though my two brothers support the king, here I am, I'm gonna be different and I'm gonna do what I think is right.
00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:55.840
And not only am I gonna do that, I'm going to input that into my child's life, into my family home.
00:40:56.639 --> 00:41:03.920
And, you know, I can think of so many instances in my own life where people told me, stay in your own lane.
00:41:04.159 --> 00:41:04.400
Yep.
00:41:04.559 --> 00:41:08.239
And I, you know, now back in the day, I was like, okay, I'll stay in my lane.
00:41:08.320 --> 00:41:11.920
And now I'm like, no, no, you don't decide where my lane is.
00:41:12.239 --> 00:41:17.679
Like God gets to decide, and then I need to figure out where that lane is, and I will take it.
00:41:17.760 --> 00:41:19.440
And I felt like that was Prue.
00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:19.679
Yeah.
00:41:19.920 --> 00:41:26.639
Prue was like, you're speaking to me, even though so many people think this is not where a woman should be.
00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:27.039
Right.
00:41:27.199 --> 00:41:28.159
She's like, you know what?
00:41:28.400 --> 00:41:31.199
No, not only am I gonna be there, I'm gonna captain it.
00:41:31.360 --> 00:41:32.320
Yeah, yeah.
00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:33.280
That's so good.
00:41:33.440 --> 00:41:37.599
It's you know, she was just such a strong, ambitious woman.
00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:43.599
I I think one of the things that I would also just thinking about who she was, how did you prepare for her?
00:41:43.760 --> 00:41:51.599
Because I know you came in and you just you brought the entire essence of Prue into the room with you.
00:41:51.920 --> 00:42:04.400
And I think it was so apparent to everybody who was sitting in this room with the other actors and the producers and some of the women who were able to come in and be part of this moment.
00:42:04.960 --> 00:42:06.400
How did you prepare for her?
00:42:06.639 --> 00:42:09.440
Oh man, it's giving yourself permission.
00:42:10.480 --> 00:42:10.800
Yeah.
00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:17.039
There's so much to be said for giving yourself permission to see what it is that you need to do.
00:42:17.920 --> 00:42:29.280
And I read that script so many times, and my husband, God bless him, was like, I will keep reading it with you because I I'm an auditory person and I like to see things and I like to hear things.
00:42:30.159 --> 00:42:40.960
And I'm looking at the page and I'm listening to my delivery and what I'm getting from Ben, my husband, and thinking, Prue is this courageous woman.
00:42:41.199 --> 00:42:48.719
What is it inside myself that I feel like I can I can pull from, that I can derive the emotion that I can bring in that day?
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:58.079
And it was it was really allowing myself to go there and not being afraid of being too big.
00:42:58.320 --> 00:43:03.840
Or so many actors, and especially women, think, oh no, I don't want to be too loud.
00:43:03.920 --> 00:43:14.639
I don't want to be too emotional, I don't want to be too big because there's this stereotype that a woman shouldn't be that, that she should be quiet and she should listen and and you know, the whole barefoot in the kitchen thing.
00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:16.719
And there's so like I love that.
00:43:16.960 --> 00:43:17.760
I am that.
00:43:17.920 --> 00:43:18.880
I love being in the kitchen.
00:43:19.039 --> 00:43:34.480
I'm cooking, I'm barefoot, and I have my daughter, and you know, but there is this other side of being a woman where you know what, you deserve to be loud and emotional and full of this courage to to be yourself.
00:43:35.679 --> 00:43:54.559
And that is exactly who Prue is to me, and from the research I did, and I just thought to myself, I need to walk in and I need to live in the moment, be present, trust in what I've done preparation wise, and really give myself permission to go there.
00:43:55.039 --> 00:43:55.599
I love it.
00:43:55.760 --> 00:43:56.880
Well, you definitely did.
00:43:56.960 --> 00:43:59.760
You walked in the essence, you completed.
00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:01.280
Completely embodied her.
00:44:01.440 --> 00:44:10.960
I also loved your work ethic and I I could tell you knew exactly who she was, where she was going, because you were you were navigating her.
00:44:11.039 --> 00:44:14.719
You were navigating the story in a way that you had prepared.
00:44:14.880 --> 00:44:20.159
And it was so apparent to me just being able to be in the room with you.
00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:33.920
And, you know, that that's something that as a director is such a gift, and as a writer, and just knowing these scripts and inside and out to go, wow, you know, um, this woman walked in and she absolutely exceeded all expectations.
00:44:34.159 --> 00:44:44.239
And so I just want to thank you because your your preparation and your work ethic met all at one time and it was really apparent in the room.
00:44:44.639 --> 00:44:45.199
Thank you.
00:44:45.440 --> 00:44:46.400
Absolutely.
00:44:46.719 --> 00:44:52.079
I um I tell my husband this all the time because as an actor, you get audition after audition after audition.
00:44:52.239 --> 00:45:10.480
And so many, so many young actors when they're first thinking, Oh my gosh, this is my series regular role or whatever it is, yeah, they get wrapped up in the lighting or the background or the emotion they want to bring instead of being present and knowing this is already within me.
00:45:10.719 --> 00:45:10.960
Yeah.
00:45:11.840 --> 00:45:17.360
Like all I have to do is dip into this because it's the letting go of control.
00:45:18.079 --> 00:45:27.760
Even if your self-tape isn't very good, God is going to find within you what it is that the director needs to hear because that role is destined for you.
00:45:27.920 --> 00:45:28.079
Yeah.
00:45:28.320 --> 00:45:29.679
So it's not up to us.
00:45:30.079 --> 00:45:31.599
The lighting is not gonna matter.
00:45:31.920 --> 00:45:32.239
Nope.
00:45:32.400 --> 00:45:32.559
Yeah.
00:45:32.880 --> 00:45:37.840
It's the essence you bring to it, and that is being the conduit for the message.
00:45:38.480 --> 00:45:39.280
Absolutely.
00:45:39.679 --> 00:45:42.880
So that's kind of yeah, that was a big part of it.
00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:44.719
No, I and it's so great.
00:45:45.119 --> 00:45:50.639
What what do you hope that audience will learn from Prudence Cummings Right Story?
00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:57.440
And what do you think young women can take away from this example of these revolutionary war women?
00:45:58.000 --> 00:46:02.159
Be courageous, be a yes person and figure it out later.
00:46:02.639 --> 00:46:07.760
Tell yourself and give yourself the permission to do what it is that you think is right.
00:46:08.800 --> 00:46:14.639
Listen and don't allow other people judgments of you to impact how you feel about yourself.
00:46:15.440 --> 00:46:24.480
You know, if you want to be a strong woman like Prue in the Revolutionary War era, that was her time.
00:46:24.559 --> 00:46:26.719
We look back on that, we're like, oh, it's history.
00:46:27.039 --> 00:46:31.920
It doesn't seem real sometimes because we don't live in those same circumstances.
00:46:32.079 --> 00:46:33.679
We don't live in that time period.
00:46:33.760 --> 00:46:34.079
Yeah.
00:46:34.719 --> 00:46:40.320
But being a woman and being told this isn't your job or this isn't your place, that has not changed.
00:46:40.800 --> 00:46:47.679
You know, yes, we are starting to find this brand new world where we're given opportunities, but you need to fight for them.
00:46:48.400 --> 00:46:51.119
And you need to say, no, that's my spot.
00:46:51.360 --> 00:46:52.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:46:52.320 --> 00:46:54.719
No, it's I decide where my lane is.
00:46:54.800 --> 00:46:55.119
Yeah.
00:46:55.440 --> 00:47:03.119
And I get to, I I hear, I hear the I feel the tug, I hear the message, and I'm gonna move forward whether you like it or not.
00:47:03.199 --> 00:47:09.360
And I don't care if you judge me, I I'm not gonna compare myself to other people because that's the thief of joy.
00:47:09.519 --> 00:47:16.000
You know, you can't be successful in this world if you don't completely buy into who you are.
00:47:16.239 --> 00:47:16.480
Yeah.
00:47:16.800 --> 00:47:17.039
Yeah.
00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:25.039
People need to figure out who they are, buy into that, and then decide now I'm gonna move forward, because that is when people see you.
00:47:25.840 --> 00:47:37.119
Well, and she was such a she was such a unique character because she was strong and courageous, and she was a mother and a wife, and she had all of these things, and she was like, I'm gonna say yes to risk no matter what.
00:47:37.199 --> 00:47:38.639
And and it's so inspiring.
00:47:38.719 --> 00:47:55.599
And I I really do hope that so many women take that away from the story to say, for such a time as this, I am going to say yes to what God has placed in front of me, and I'm gonna do it to be strong and courageous, and I'm not going to shriek back because somebody else tells me that I can't do it.
00:47:55.760 --> 00:47:56.800
And I love that.
00:47:56.960 --> 00:48:01.920
I think her story is such the perfect story for that to influence so many.
00:48:02.000 --> 00:48:04.719
And I'm just excited for them to hear you in the storyline.
00:48:04.800 --> 00:48:06.159
I can't wait for you to hear it.
00:48:06.400 --> 00:48:08.159
Oh, I was gonna say, I can't wait to hear it.
00:48:08.400 --> 00:48:09.440
I cannot wait.
00:48:09.519 --> 00:48:10.960
You are gonna be blown away.
00:48:11.119 --> 00:48:20.800
And uh but with that, I want to know what's next for you creatively, and uh are there any dream projects or stories that you would like to tell in the future?
00:48:21.119 --> 00:48:28.079
I um right now we have been filming every day for these these skits that we're writing and producing.
00:48:28.400 --> 00:48:39.760
And I uh I get to act with my husband, which is so incredible because not only do we have the chemistry, but we have the understanding and the love and and it's and it's fun.
00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:51.039
And so we've been doing this and uh trying to input the messages that we think the young people need to hear when maybe marriage isn't going so well or there are trust issues.
00:48:51.199 --> 00:48:58.559
You know, we're trying to speak to people on a level where you know it's entertainment, but it's a message, and we're having so much fun doing that.
00:48:58.639 --> 00:49:01.920
And I would say ultimately the dream project.
00:49:03.280 --> 00:49:03.840
I have two.
00:49:04.400 --> 00:49:07.440
Okay, I I love it because I might have three.
00:49:07.920 --> 00:49:11.280
I always have my hand in a honeypot, and there are lots of honey pots around.
00:49:11.360 --> 00:49:11.599
Yeah.
00:49:11.920 --> 00:49:17.599
Because when inspiration strikes, I don't want to be just working on one story.
00:49:17.679 --> 00:49:17.920
Yeah.
00:49:18.159 --> 00:49:25.199
So I have like five scripts that I'm working on, and then my book, and then a couple of children's books that you know I would love to get published.
00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:36.000
But coming from such an Italian family, I grew up with my daughter is named after her great-great-grandmother who came over from Italy with nothing.
00:49:36.239 --> 00:49:44.239
And back when the US didn't really have the roads that it did, her husband was a truck driver, and they had to build a life from for themselves here.
00:49:44.400 --> 00:49:50.079
And I like to think a lot of the tenacity that I have that I gave to Prue comes from that family line.
00:49:50.320 --> 00:49:50.559
Yeah.
00:49:50.719 --> 00:49:55.840
And my mom's family line, can't forget the Irish, but but I grew up with the ones.
00:49:56.239 --> 00:49:56.960
Oh yeah.
00:49:57.199 --> 00:49:59.039
But you know, somehow.
00:49:59.519 --> 00:50:05.280
And so, you know, I grew up with all the Italians, and so I wrote this script, My Big Italian Christmas.
00:50:05.519 --> 00:50:13.119
And it is funny and it's heartfelt, and it surrounds this large Italian family that just can't get out of each other's way.
00:50:13.280 --> 00:50:25.280
And, you know, this woman who's going through heartbreak and needs to find a date for her her parents' big Christmas Eve party, and then, you know, ends up falling for, of course, her best friend.
00:50:25.440 --> 00:50:26.159
And, you know.
00:50:26.400 --> 00:50:34.480
And at first it kind of sounds like, oh, I've heard this story so many times, but I wanted to write an Italian story where it's just not about the mob.
00:50:34.719 --> 00:50:35.599
Yeah, it's not.
00:50:35.760 --> 00:50:38.719
I'm like, come on, let's have a little something else.
00:50:38.880 --> 00:50:45.519
And they've started peppering in, like, I think I saw on Netflix something called the Nona's, and like, you know, whatever.
00:50:45.760 --> 00:50:47.360
And I'm so happy to see that.
00:50:47.599 --> 00:50:53.920
But this movie has so much heart, and I've written in so many little characters that kind of exist in my family.
00:50:54.079 --> 00:50:59.679
And so now that I've finished the script, we've decided we're really gonna start going after and pitching this.
00:50:59.920 --> 00:51:06.960
And so having something like that come to life on a bigger, grander scale.
00:51:07.440 --> 00:51:13.760
That that is kind of, you know, the dream right now, and then publishing my book.
00:51:14.079 --> 00:51:14.880
I love it.
00:51:15.039 --> 00:51:15.440
I love it.
00:51:15.599 --> 00:51:18.639
Well, those are not out of reach because when God has a plan.
00:51:18.880 --> 00:51:22.559
So I'm gonna be praying that both of them come at the same time.
00:51:22.639 --> 00:51:27.760
And it's just a fantastic lead-in to all these things that you're putting your hands to.
00:51:28.000 --> 00:51:28.880
I'm excited for you.
00:51:29.119 --> 00:51:35.280
And I I love that you're doing this with your husband too, because I think that God does create us and our partnerships.
00:51:35.360 --> 00:51:38.480
And man, it's so good when we can do those things together.
00:51:38.639 --> 00:51:45.760
And whether it's moving, whether it's what you know, entrepreneurial, whether it's raising our families, it's just it's so good.
00:51:45.840 --> 00:51:48.639
My husband and I just celebrated 29 years this year.
00:51:48.800 --> 00:51:50.480
And congratulations.
00:51:50.800 --> 00:51:51.280
Thank you.
00:51:51.440 --> 00:51:51.760
Thank you.
00:51:51.920 --> 00:51:57.280
And I just keep going, wow, I mean, I really like you, and it's getting better right now.
00:51:58.559 --> 00:52:02.079
And I love to see what God has now, you know, every season.
00:52:02.320 --> 00:52:04.239
So I just love that for you.
00:52:04.559 --> 00:52:14.320
Tell us how people can follow you, stay connected to you, and also leaving some words of inspiration for our listeners.
00:52:14.639 --> 00:52:17.199
I'm on Instagram, it's Danielle Richie.
00:52:17.599 --> 00:52:19.599
I kept that Italian last name.
00:52:19.920 --> 00:52:22.480
That's my work name is Danielle Ritchie.
00:52:22.719 --> 00:52:25.280
My home name is Danielle Richie Gavin.
00:52:25.360 --> 00:52:34.079
I try and limit my social media as much as possible just because we don't really share the photos and videos of our daughter actively.
00:52:34.320 --> 00:52:35.679
And that is my whole phone.
00:52:35.840 --> 00:52:37.840
But all of my projects are out there.
00:52:38.000 --> 00:52:40.159
Uh, my movie Winter Set is out.
00:52:40.320 --> 00:52:44.960
You can rent or buy on Amazon and I think a couple of other platforms, Apple TV.
00:52:45.119 --> 00:52:49.440
And then on the Country Wayne Skits, you can follow my husband and I, Ben and Danielle.
00:52:49.679 --> 00:52:51.280
And it's Country with a K.
00:52:51.679 --> 00:52:58.880
The thing that I want to leave your listeners with is something that it took me a very long time to tell myself believe in yourself.
00:52:59.760 --> 00:53:09.360
When you show up to those auditions and there are 50 people there that look exactly like you, and then you start thinking, oh, my nose is too big, or my profile, it's not as good as that person.
00:53:09.599 --> 00:53:10.960
You know, they're gonna book that person.
00:53:11.199 --> 00:53:17.039
Get out of your own head because God puts you in that chair in that waiting room for a reason.
00:53:17.199 --> 00:53:17.440
Yeah.
00:53:17.679 --> 00:53:20.719
You need to not only believe in yourself, but you never give up.
00:53:20.880 --> 00:53:26.639
Because if it's something you really want, you never give up because it will happen for you.
00:53:26.800 --> 00:53:38.639
Whether you want to be a mother, whether you want to be an actor, whether you want to be a writer, whatever it is, wherever you want to live, whatever you want to do, God is going to send you a message.
00:53:39.599 --> 00:53:44.480
Try and be open to that message and follow it, even though it's scary.
00:53:45.679 --> 00:53:50.960
Even though it's change, even though you think, oh my gosh, I can never do that.
00:53:51.519 --> 00:53:52.239
Don't wait.
00:53:52.400 --> 00:53:53.119
Start today.
00:53:53.280 --> 00:53:53.519
Yeah.
00:53:54.079 --> 00:53:57.599
Don't get in your brain about it and think, I could never finish a script.
00:53:58.159 --> 00:53:59.519
Start writing on a page.
00:54:00.559 --> 00:54:02.719
Just just who cares what comes out.
00:54:03.280 --> 00:54:03.440
Yeah.
00:54:03.760 --> 00:54:10.800
Because eventually, when you can put everything else aside, the thing that you will do and you will create is beautiful.
00:54:11.039 --> 00:54:22.000
And people want to see who you are in this world where everybody thinks, oh, I want to look like this celebrity, or I want to be skinnier, or I want to be bigger, I want to be more muscular, or I I need my lips to look a certain way.
00:54:22.239 --> 00:54:26.000
People are so obsessed with how they look and what they own.
00:54:26.159 --> 00:54:28.320
And that is just not it.
00:54:29.039 --> 00:54:33.199
If there's something you want, you need to actively pursue it and believe in yourself.
00:54:33.599 --> 00:54:36.159
So that would be that would be what I want to leave people with.
00:54:36.400 --> 00:54:36.960
I love that.
00:54:37.119 --> 00:54:43.039
Well, that's so that's so encouraging, and you're so you're so right on with everything that you just shared.
00:54:43.199 --> 00:54:44.079
Thank you so much.
00:54:44.239 --> 00:54:53.679
And first and foremost, thank you so much for being who you are and taking the time today to share your story, your journey, all the things that you're doing.
00:54:53.840 --> 00:54:59.280
But I have to say thank you so much again for bringing prudence coming right to life for us.
00:54:59.440 --> 00:55:06.239
And I am just so very excited to just to stay connected and watch your journey and how you continue to grow.
00:55:06.480 --> 00:55:14.880
First and foremost, I'm gonna say as a mom and a wife, because that to me is just that's really the icing on the cake and everything else that you're doing.
00:55:15.039 --> 00:55:18.960
And it's just, it's just been such a beautiful conversation with you today.
00:55:19.039 --> 00:55:26.239
And thank you for inspiring me and all of the listeners to be reminded that no matter where God has you, he has a plan for your life.
00:55:26.400 --> 00:55:35.920
And if we're willing to say yes, then he is willing to take us wherever it is that he has planned for us to go, and it is far greater than our expectations.
00:55:36.159 --> 00:55:40.880
I want to say thank you to you because you gave me the opportunity to come bring Prue to life.
00:55:41.360 --> 00:55:43.840
And I loved being a part of this project.
00:55:44.000 --> 00:55:50.800
It is extremely special, and I know so many women are going to feel connected to this entire anthology story.
00:55:51.039 --> 00:55:51.599
Thank you.
00:55:51.760 --> 00:55:52.320
Thank you.
00:55:52.559 --> 00:56:02.239
Well, it was so good to have you on today, my friend, and I hope that you and I get to grow even more so together and throughout projects and all the things that are happening in life.
00:56:02.480 --> 00:56:05.199
Thank you again for joining me, and I'll look forward to seeing you soon.
00:56:05.360 --> 00:56:06.159
Thank you, Sane.
00:56:06.639 --> 00:56:09.360
We hope today's episode inspired you.
00:56:09.519 --> 00:56:19.199
If it did, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share with somebody in your world so we can reach more and more amazing women in entertainment and media.
00:56:19.440 --> 00:56:20.800
We'd love to hear from you.
00:56:20.960 --> 00:56:22.880
So drop us a comment below.
00:56:23.119 --> 00:56:28.480
Your support truly means the world to us and it helps us keep doing this important work.
00:56:28.800 --> 00:56:34.639
Also, don't miss out on signing up for our newsletter and you get our acting prep guide for free.
00:56:34.800 --> 00:56:37.760
It's packed with tips to help you step into your purpose.
00:56:38.000 --> 00:56:42.400
If you feel led, also please consider donating to support our ministry.
00:56:42.559 --> 00:56:44.880
All the links are in the show notes below.
00:56:45.039 --> 00:56:48.880
We can't wait to hear from you to join us next time.