0:00

Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams,

0:02

a production of iHeartRadio and The Black

0:04

Effect. Hey,

0:18

y'all, you have no idea

0:21

what people go through and what they've

0:23

had to push through in order

0:26

to get to the place in life where

0:28

you see them now, where you see them

0:31

shining. But you don't know

0:33

the things that they've had to carry,

0:36

the dark moments they've had to endure.

0:39

But that's why I'm so eager to introduce

0:41

y'all to my next guest coming

0:43

up right here on Checking In

0:46

with Michelle Williams. Omg

0:54

omg, omg. I'm

0:56

not going to get too comfortable here because

0:58

this is someone whom I had nicknamed

1:02

Sunshine, but she's

1:04

a respected industry veteran

1:06

and is one of the top top

1:09

creatives in the PR business

1:11

for people such as

1:14

Mariah Carey, Prince Destiny's

1:19

Child individually and collectively,

1:22

and so many more.

1:25

Please welcome Powerhouse Publicists

1:28

and CEO of Sure Media Group,

1:30

Evet Noel.

1:31

Sure, Thank

1:36

you, thank you. Sell. That's

1:38

a sweet that's a street.

1:40

Listen twenty two years

1:44

and time you soar

1:47

higher heights. But

1:49

you I've called you Sunshine

1:51

for years because you exude sunshine. Evenings,

1:54

even amidst pressure, even

1:57

amidst just having to tell somebody off,

2:00

Yeah, because they disrespected one of your clients.

2:03

And I'm named off some

2:06

amazing, amazing folks in

2:08

the industry. But there's more to you

2:10

just holding hands walking.

2:11

Down spread carpets.

2:14

Yeah. Yeah.

2:15

Now we're in the era of social media where

2:17

everything is for the gram. Yeah,

2:20

and you were doing this before the ground.

2:22

Yeah, the grit before the gram

2:24

is what they call it. Yeah,

2:28

you know, things have changed, you know

2:30

that. I was telling someone the other day

2:33

that I remember being on the carpet with

2:35

Destiny's Child and being

2:38

in the middle and a photographer

2:41

yelling at me, be mad, take your

2:43

hand out of the phone out, you know, because

2:46

I had forgotten to let you

2:48

have.

2:49

Have you posted that picture of something

2:51

where your handle. We've seen that photo

2:53

where your hand.

2:54

Yes, it's always in it. It's always

2:56

in it. And it's crazy because all those

2:59

years later, one of my favorite

3:01

photos is me holding

3:03

hands with Chloe

3:06

and Hallie and I was on a carpet

3:08

with them and I said, oh my god, before the

3:10

photographer yelled at me, let me let go.

3:12

Because all those years later, I

3:15

think what it is I have been

3:17

blessed to work with

3:19

artists pretty much from the inception,

3:22

and so I've gotten to

3:25

work with artists when they were

3:27

young people, young men,

3:29

mostly young women. And

3:33

I can't help it that I came into the business

3:36

first and foremost as a mom, but

3:38

also because I'm just somebody that loves

3:40

people, and you

3:42

know, going back to Destiny's Child, being

3:45

trusted by the label, of course,

3:47

but being trusted by the

3:49

Noles family. And at

3:52

the time, the first

3:54

four members were fourteen and fifteen

3:56

year old when I met them,

3:59

you know, and when you

4:01

came in, you were like twenty years old,

4:04

right, l.

4:06

Yeah, ninety twenty years old.

4:08

So to me, to me, that's a baby,

4:10

because I'm still twenty years

4:12

ahead of the members of Destiny's

4:14

Child. So I may not need to be mommy,

4:17

but I'm gonna be Auntie.

4:18

I've read out of all these things award

4:20

winning publicists, at

4:23

least a few times a year, we're seeing where

4:25

you are being honored by someone.

4:27

But let's not also fail

4:30

to mention that you are a mother and a

4:32

wife, you are someone's sister,

4:34

you are someone's aunt, and somehow

4:36

you even balance all of

4:38

that. But I think it's the mama

4:40

bearing you. Like you said, some folks

4:42

you've been dealing with since they've been fourteen and fifteen

4:45

years old, so you can't help but to be protective,

4:48

and mostly women whom

4:50

you have a woman protect in a

4:52

male dominated which is shifting.

4:54

As far as those stats on who are executives

4:57

and who are calling the shots, there are some women

4:59

there calling the shots. I mean you were one

5:01

of them as vice president of publicity

5:04

at Sony at one time. In my correct

5:06

yes, yeah, yeah, absolutely absolutely, but

5:09

you had to be protective, and us

5:11

as clients, we don't mind.

5:13

You know. My whole thing was, there's

5:15

never a time that you're going to look bad. There's

5:17

never a time that you're going to look bad. I will

5:20

not let the client look bad. I will

5:22

refuse the situation. I will handle the situation.

5:24

No one had to tell me that. I didn't read that in

5:27

any sort of manual that Sony gave

5:29

me, and I certainly didn't read that in journalism

5:31

school or in any of my public relation classes.

5:34

It's just innate. It's just who I am.

5:37

And you know, like you said, I

5:39

mean, I wasn't born as a sixty

5:41

year old. You know, I

5:43

lie Hondy.

5:44

You know, I lie, honey, she just

5:47

celebrated a milestone birthday

5:49

of turning sixty.

5:52

And this is a long time in the

5:54

industry. But you didn't start off as

5:56

a publicist though, No.

5:59

I started at as a journalist. I

6:01

went to college to become a journalist.

6:03

Actually I wanted to be a combination

6:06

of Barbara Walters

6:08

and Oprah Winfrey. So I really

6:10

really was concentrating on broadcast

6:13

journalism. But it's

6:15

better now. But back in the day, I

6:17

had really really bad asthma

6:20

and just horrible upper respiratory

6:23

issues, and so my nostrils

6:25

were always so nasaled.

6:28

It always sounded this as though there was something

6:30

stuck in it. Oh.

6:32

So the first time I actually recorded

6:34

myself to hear what it would sound like on television

6:37

or radio, ooh, honey,

6:39

I said, I'd better learn to do print journalism

6:41

because I sounded so bad. Yeah.

6:44

So I concentrated on writing, to be honest

6:46

with you, and not really on the voice. But

6:48

that's what I studied, and I ended

6:50

up going to Black Beat Magazine and

6:54

staying there for quite some time. Quite

6:56

some time, I think I would say, like nine years,

6:59

and then over to By

7:01

the way, I did it because I

7:03

love it. I did it because I loved

7:06

it. I loved the artist, I loved music,

7:08

I loved writing. I

7:10

didn't do it for the money, because,

7:13

honey, if I did it for the money,

7:15

somebody needed to like put the dumb

7:17

scap on me. The money was

7:20

so bad after college,

7:22

and I knew that I was a brilliant person.

7:25

I mean, I'm not should you should

7:27

not be ashamed to say that you're

7:29

brilliant. I knew I was well read.

7:31

I knew I had discernment. And

7:33

what they were paying me to be the editor of

7:35

that magazine it was just a joke, but

7:39

I always knew that it would be the

7:41

best stepping stone. And I

7:44

learned so much. I was already

7:46

working with artists for a minute. Let's

7:48

forget the artists. You know what, Blackbeid

7:51

gave me the training for to

7:53

be around publicists. I had

7:55

to deal with them to do my job. I

7:58

had to call a publicist in order to

8:00

get an interview with an artist. So

8:03

I learned how publicists work. I

8:05

didn't want to be one because I felt

8:07

they were whoa, they get so crazy,

8:10

whoa whoa wooh. You know, But

8:12

then I said, maybe I could be

8:15

a different one. Maybe

8:18

I wouldn't be so harsh with journalists.

8:20

Maybe I will give people grace. Maybe

8:23

I will be respectful of their

8:26

time and deadlines, and

8:28

maybe I will do just a little bit more research

8:30

on who that person is so I

8:32

could deal with them from a human standpoint,

8:35

Because I think for now.

8:36

You sure you want to give away the secret to some of

8:38

your sauce.

8:39

Oh, I do, because at some point

8:42

our expiration comes and

8:45

you want to know that you have given a little

8:47

gem after you're gone. And I'm

8:49

not even talking about death. I'm talking about, yeah,

8:52

absolutely doing

8:54

something else, you know, wearing a bikini

8:56

until I'm eighty years old on the beach in Grenada.

8:59

You know. Yeah, you have to teach

9:01

those secrets. You have to teach that. And it

9:04

doesn't matter what work you do. You

9:06

have to give another human

9:08

being grace. And I never

9:11

wanted to be the person that worked with a

9:13

big artist and felt that I was better

9:15

than others so treated people badly,

9:18

because then I'm not really

9:20

giving the client grace. Imagine

9:23

I'm taking you Michelle on the carpet

9:26

and somebody acts the fool. Yeah,

9:28

I'm going to be firm with them, but

9:30

I'm not going to take away the humanity. I'm

9:33

not going to take away the humanity because what

9:35

am I doing is I'm also embarrassing

9:37

you, right, so I would probably

9:39

give you a head up. Okay, Michelle, I got this. I'm

9:42

gonna take care of this, and I'm going to say, Okay,

9:44

don't yell at them. I'm going to tell them

9:46

to come over to you. And they're going

9:49

to come. They got to look right into your

9:51

camera and they're going to give you time. But

9:53

you can't yell at them. And please

9:56

don't take the photo from the side profile

9:58

that you know you're not going to You're

10:01

coming to you. They're coming

10:03

to you, and they're going to look right into

10:05

your lens so you could get the photo

10:07

you want, but you have to do that with

10:11

honoring the person and telling them I'm

10:13

trying to make this better for you.

10:16

But I've seen the opposite. I've seen publicists

10:18

yell at people and oh my, I

10:22

know. I'm going to be firm and I'm

10:24

going to be I'm going to be protective

10:26

of my clients, but I will not take

10:28

away someone's humanity.

10:30

Which is definitely a key to

10:33

I believe your longevity and why

10:36

everybody from the cameraman to

10:39

host, the person,

10:43

lighting and the rigging, they

10:45

love when you're there.

10:48

Oh that you.

10:50

Know that, you know that.

10:52

That's so sweet.

10:54

And I think a lot of people when

10:56

you book clients on certain shows,

10:58

they already know that client is going to come

11:01

respected. They it's like they get excited

11:03

eve that book this client. Oh we we're

11:05

good. We're good, We're good. And especially

11:08

for them that's been here so long, I think they

11:10

beam up when they see you there and how you're

11:12

still the same but still

11:14

fears amazing light.

11:17

Like you said, you give people what they need. I

11:20

think that's very telling of how people

11:22

see you too. You know, a

11:24

publicists that it's not just the

11:27

client getting the love, but you deserve

11:29

that too.

11:30

You do well, you know, Michelle, Listen

11:32

when I get up in the morning, before

11:35

I'm Michelle Williams

11:37

publicist, Beyonce's publicist, John

11:39

Legend's publist, whoever I'm working with, whoever

11:42

I am Dennis

11:44

and ConL Noel's daughter.

11:48

I am a child of God,

11:51

I am an immigrant. I have all of

11:53

these other titles before I take on that

11:55

title, So I have to show up

11:57

first as myself respect,

12:00

myself respect the people

12:02

who raise me and love me. I

12:04

always say, I show up to finish the work that my mother

12:06

and my father couldn't finish. And my mother

12:09

and my father would never walk into a room and disrespect

12:11

someone, Right, So

12:14

I come in first with those

12:16

other titles. When I put on

12:19

the hat of your publicists, I

12:21

have to represent you the way you

12:24

want to be represented. There is

12:26

no way you're going to feel good

12:28

about the situation if I come

12:30

in like a bull in a china shop. Yeah,

12:33

no, no, no. You want somebody fears to represent

12:35

you. You want somebody with knowledge, You want somebody

12:38

but confident. But you want

12:40

those folks to call again and not say,

12:42

ooh, we love Michelle.

12:45

That's true. That is so true.

12:48

And I'm so glad that you went into

12:51

who you're the daughter of, because

12:54

people can also get so excited

12:56

about what you do, who you work with,

12:59

and it's like, wait a minute, you

13:01

just said that you are the daughter of immigrant

13:04

parents coming from Granada

13:08

to New York. And

13:11

when I gave you the copy of checking

13:13

in, you had definitely

13:16

told me. Yes,

13:20

you had told me some things about your

13:22

mother in the past. You know, we've gotten to

13:25

know each other and have some personal moments.

13:27

Y'all.

13:27

I've called event on what

13:30

do I do in this relationship? Because I think I

13:32

talked too much and I'm gonna run this man away.

13:35

We've done that, We've had those

13:37

personal moments. But you

13:39

told me something about your mother.

13:42

Because y'all have this, I don't want this episode

13:44

just to be about, Oh, they gonna spill

13:47

some tea about some of our clients. No,

13:49

this ain't the podcast.

13:50

This is not the podcast.

13:52

This ain't the podcast for that. But

13:54

you were telling me about your mother, who was

13:56

diagnosed with being bipolar, and how

13:58

she was made fun of by

14:01

family members. People didn't understand

14:04

and they isolated her.

14:06

Can you give us part of that and how that prepared

14:09

you for life?

14:11

Oh gosh, I mean I think I got

14:13

my doctorate on being her

14:15

daughter. Really, it was the lessons

14:18

of life from day one. I'm

14:20

going to go back to when I was probably

14:22

about ten. I always get it wrong because I

14:24

probably could have been about nine. But

14:27

it was when my mother tried to commit suicide,

14:30

and you know, I

14:32

didn't know what that meant. I didn't know what that is.

14:34

I didn't you know all I know is they were

14:37

trying to pump her stomach, and then they took her away

14:39

to the hospital. She had come to visit Granada

14:42

after she had been in America for a while, and

14:44

I think something clicked then and there that

14:47

something is wrong with my mom and

14:49

if she comes through this, I have to

14:51

take care of her. And that's

14:54

a big burden for, you know,

14:56

a preteen. So I started paying

14:58

attention, you know, after she left and went

15:00

back to the US, I started paying attention to what

15:03

actually is going on. And I would hear women

15:06

talking about, you know, that crazy lady,

15:08

that crazy lady, that crazy lady, and

15:10

I realized that it was my mom they were

15:12

talking about. Now, they were women in the

15:14

village who were

15:16

so good to my mother, but they were

15:19

people who they themselves didn't

15:21

understand what that was, you know, So now

15:23

I could forgive them. But then it was

15:25

very very hard. When I came to

15:27

America, I was fourteen,

15:30

and my mother had gone in

15:33

between you know episodes.

15:35

You know, she was good one year, she wasn't one

15:37

year. But when I arrived,

15:39

she was very, very very well,

15:42

and then she got very sick, and

15:44

she was sick for like two or three years.

15:47

So at fourteen is

15:49

when it really was that

15:51

is going to be my job. And when do I talk

15:53

about it? Well, I don't. I don't.

15:56

So most of my high

15:59

school I didn't

16:01

join too many clubs or anything

16:03

like that because I had a responsibility. I

16:05

had to go to the G Building, which

16:08

was at King's County Hospital in Brooklyn, to

16:10

see my mom. I did my homework there.

16:12

It was as though she was in jail because it

16:15

was like bars, you know, and they would

16:17

let me in and I would sit, I would

16:19

do homework, and then I would comb

16:21

her hair or help her brush her teeth or

16:23

whatever. And then when she was well,

16:26

she was the most brilliant person I knew. It

16:28

was like a thirty stems of poem that my

16:30

mom would just recite, you know.

16:33

And she knew all of the Catholic prayers

16:36

like by heart. She just knew

16:38

all of those, She knew every song,

16:40

she knew what was happening in the news. She just

16:42

had a brilliant, brilliant mind. But

16:45

bi Polar is

16:47

a monster in that it really is

16:50

up and down literally by polar.

16:53

By Polar, it's like hot too, yep,

16:56

pole up down,

16:58

It's like extremes you know, like and

17:00

it could all happen within like an hour. I

17:02

could be sitting having like a real important

17:05

conversation with mommy, and then the next minute she doesn't

17:07

know me, or I can go visit her thinking she's having

17:09

a good day, and then she start yelling

17:12

and screaming like there's a stranger in her room, and

17:14

it would be me, you know. So I

17:16

never knew which mom I was going to get, but I was

17:18

always prepared. I

17:21

was always prepared, you know why, because

17:24

the love never

17:26

shifted. I loved my mother in

17:28

the throes of a horrible episode,

17:31

and I loved her when we were having a beautiful

17:33

conversation, you know. And

17:36

then I learned. I learned, I asked

17:38

questions, I read books, I

17:40

looked at what medications went with what

17:42

medications, and I questioned whether or not

17:44

this dosage was too strong because she was sleeping

17:47

too much or something. And

17:49

then my husband and I, David

17:51

and I decided that we're just going to take care

17:54

of her. So we took her out of Brooklyn and we brought her to

17:56

live here, and as my travel started

17:58

getting really, really plentiful, we

18:00

found a home for her so

18:03

that they could really monitor her medication.

18:05

Now, the good thing about my mother's mental illness

18:07

is that she got better as she got older.

18:10

There were years as she got older that

18:13

she was just now dealing with physical

18:16

ailments of getting older, So we have to monitor

18:18

her pressure. But she

18:21

went years without episodes, and I

18:24

really know that medication

18:27

absolutely helped and therapy

18:30

absolutely helped. But I

18:32

can't have any of those without love.

18:34

I was attention and

18:37

attention. You got to be present, you

18:40

got to show up. I would come off planes

18:42

and go see her. If I was on

18:45

the town on the road for a long time, my husband

18:47

would go. My brothers and my sisters, like,

18:50

you have to be present. But I

18:53

learned responsibility at a very very

18:55

young age. Years later, when

18:58

I left high school, I was out of college and everything

19:00

already, I had a full career. I

19:02

was asked to come back and speak to my graduating class,

19:05

and I was a keynote speaker, and

19:07

I finally revealed in

19:09

that keynote address why I was running

19:12

from school every day. I

19:14

finally told them that I didn't

19:16

make a lot of friends in high school because

19:19

of my responsibility to

19:21

take care of my mother. That I was the first

19:23

person at the corner of Flatbush

19:26

Avenue and Church Avenue in Brooklyn, waiting

19:28

for the number thirty five bus to

19:30

let me out to go see

19:32

my mom, and I will get

19:35

out and walk across the

19:37

clockson Avenue and go

19:39

and stay there, and wouldn't leave there until probably

19:42

like three point thirty seven, you

19:44

know, to take care of her. And you're

19:47

talking about a sixteen

19:49

year old. And I took care of my mother

19:52

until twenty sixteen.

19:55

You were present, Yeah, had

19:57

to be remember all of that, and

19:59

you you were on world tours

20:02

and multiple clients

20:04

at a time, but still making time for

20:06

your mother. But even I know that there are some

20:09

listeners here who I would say that they're

20:11

caregivers as well. Was there

20:13

any human part of you that was like

20:17

I can't do this or how

20:20

do I keep going?

20:21

Absolutely? What I

20:24

mean, there were so many

20:26

wives.

20:28

Girl.

20:28

I would sit down and say, lord,

20:32

let's just have a conversation. First

20:34

of all, why am I doing all

20:36

this? Why can't I be

20:38

a booster or cheerleader? Why

20:40

can't I go and just hang

20:44

out? Why do I have to be the

20:46

responsible one?

20:47

Isn't that? Why

20:50

do I have to be the responsible one? Can

20:52

go beyond people that are just

20:55

maybe caregivers or right now you're the

20:57

breadwinner, or right now you are the caregiver.

21:00

Yeah, so that question lingers

21:02

for millions of people. Why

21:04

do I have to be the responsible one? Do

21:06

I want to just go out and have a good time, have me

21:09

some drinks and go to bed,

21:12

But I can't because I can't be drunk and take

21:14

care of you.

21:15

That's right, that's right.

21:16

Or I can't stay out with my boo.

21:18

But think about that, Michelle, think

21:20

about that. My

21:24

mother's illness gave

21:26

me responsibility, but

21:28

it also saved me. What

21:32

would I have been? I

21:34

don't know. It's

21:36

that question that linga's. Without

21:39

the responsibility to take care

21:41

of my mom, would I have been a different

21:44

person?

21:44

Well, this is what I'll say. I feel like when

21:46

you say gave you responsibility, you

21:49

were able to take care of her and some of her most

21:51

fragile, vulnerable,

21:54

tender, private,

21:57

maybe even someone embarrassing moments,

22:00

which prepares you for what you do today. You

22:03

take care of people in their most

22:05

tender, vulnerable, embarrassing

22:09

moments that should just be left private. You

22:12

are there. A matter of fact,

22:14

one of your clients passed away. You

22:17

had to write that press release of

22:19

their passing away.

22:21

The hardest thing I've ever had to do

22:23

was to tell the world that Prince had

22:25

passed away. First, I had to digest

22:27

it first.

22:28

I was just like, you know, just as a

22:30

human, as a fan consumer.

22:32

Yeah, and as somebody who had gotten to know him.

22:34

I actually thought that it was

22:36

a hoax because I was on a flight. I

22:39

was in between two flights. When I landed,

22:41

I noticed that I had missed I

22:43

don't know how many calls could be recorded,

22:46

but I had to have missed about one hundred

22:48

calls. And then as I kept looking at it, I

22:50

saw that my husband had called about ten times. But

22:53

I was like, why is he calling? He knew I was on a flight,

22:55

so I immediately thought, oh my gosh,

22:57

my mom, even though she was

22:59

just elderly, she wasn't really sick,

23:02

right, But I thought, maybe it's my mom.

23:05

But then I said, like, it would

23:07

be my husband, then the New York Times,

23:10

then the LA Times. Then you still say

23:12

it press then DNN.

23:13

I'm just like, wait a minute, wait

23:15

a minute, yeah, because as

23:17

you're telling this story, y'all, y'all

23:19

can't see us, but my hands are in front

23:21

of my eyes and she's telling the story because

23:24

I'm just imagining you and your heart's fluttering,

23:26

really heart seeing in la times

23:29

who did something? What happened?

23:31

Because that's what I was thinking. I was like, if it's not my

23:33

mom. And then I quickly said, it's not

23:35

my mom because there weren't

23:37

any calls for my sisters or

23:40

my brothers. So I said, it's

23:42

not my mom. But oh my gosh,

23:45

it's probably something happened to one of

23:47

my clients. But I was not thinking

23:49

death at all. I

23:51

was thinking somebody accused them of something,

23:53

something I just you know. So

23:56

I called my husband back first, and he said,

23:58

call Phedra, who

24:01

was a wonderful woman that was Prince's

24:03

business manager. Princess died.

24:06

I said, what do you mean. I'm

24:08

like, no, no, no, no, no no. The

24:11

last thing I did before I left was

24:13

to send a message for Pedra, telling Prince

24:16

I'm going away and when I come back, we're

24:18

going to do the cover of the magazine. He wanted to do. What

24:20

are you talking about? I called

24:22

her and I said, what is this hoax? Why are

24:24

we giving into a hoax? She's like that the

24:27

world is waiting for you to

24:29

tell them officially. I

24:32

said, it's true? How

24:34

is it truth? And

24:37

then I asked her a few details,

24:39

and then I said, let me start writing. But

24:41

I'm writing it on my phone and calls

24:44

it and text are still coming in. And

24:46

my daughter was traveling with me and she saw

24:48

me crying and she took my phone

24:50

away from me and she put it back

24:53

in airplane mode and she said, Okay, now you

24:55

can write. I

24:58

said, oh, that's why, I said, did you just

25:00

school you actually know how to do that? Yes?

25:02

But you know what, can I say this to folks that

25:04

are listening now. None of my listeners

25:07

wouldever do this, but do

25:09

y'all hear the anguish, the

25:13

despair, events, blood

25:15

pressurizing. So that means not only

25:17

for the family members of

25:20

these horrible hoaxes,

25:23

but for the people that work so closely.

25:25

EV's just not his publicist, that was a

25:27

friend. So I think that's

25:29

why hoaxes are horrible,

25:32

because it gets everybody in

25:34

a up and you got to hear

25:37

your one know it's not true, because hoaxes

25:39

are pretty normal nowadays, and

25:41

it's like, no, it's not true. Then then

25:43

your whole spee. You're

25:46

already done.

25:46

You've already done the physical damage

25:48

to someone, you know. It's like, it's just

25:51

listen. I was at an airport in Trinidad.

25:53

I was literally on the

25:56

floor, literally sitting

25:58

on the floor called

26:00

Piaco Airport in Port of Spain, Trinidad,

26:03

writing this, and then

26:06

I said, you know, I'm only going to send it to one

26:08

person. I'm just going to send it to the Associated Press

26:10

and a Casta Moodie who's now at the Hollywood

26:12

Reporter, and I'm going

26:15

to just let her tell the world.

26:18

And I called her and we're both choked

26:21

up on the phone because she was one

26:23

of the last people that

26:25

Prince agreed to do an interview with, a

26:28

guy who didn't used to do interviews. And I'm just like,

26:30

the whole thing is just spinning, like, oh my goodness,

26:33

you know. And I sent

26:35

it to her and minutes later, literally

26:38

I'm walking out of the airport and

26:40

it's already on the screens at the airport.

26:43

We have official word Princess spokespersonally

26:45

that Noel Sure has just released

26:47

a statement. I said, oh

26:50

my goodness, not only is this real

26:53

there, it is the tickling on

26:55

the airport stuff there, it is

26:57

right there. Yeah, yeah, it was very

26:59

sad, very very sad. And

27:01

of course, only three weeks later,

27:04

I'm back on the tour, you know,

27:07

the Formation World tour, and I

27:09

get a call that I need to go home

27:11

because my mom is not doing well.

27:14

And it was Mother's Day weekend.

27:17

I get home on Saturday, I spend

27:19

all day with her. Sunday, I know that

27:21

that's it. I'm not going to see her anymore. And

27:25

she leaves the world like right

27:27

after she has Mother's Day with us.

27:29

And I just thought that

27:31

is appropriate because to the end, the

27:34

thing she wanted to do better,

27:37

the thing she wanted to have more time

27:40

to do and perfect, was

27:43

to be a mother. So she would

27:45

not die until Mother's

27:47

Day was over. She just would

27:49

not. She died two am going

27:52

into that Monday morning. She just

27:54

would not. I was with her until

27:57

but the almost midnight. Yeah,

28:00

and I should have stayed. The regret

28:02

is that I wish I had stayed with her. I wish I had

28:04

held her hand. I wish I would

28:07

think she.

28:07

Would have left with you still being

28:09

there.

28:09

Though, No, No, she

28:12

would have held on. She would have held on until

28:14

I fell asleep, okay,

28:17

and then when I woke up, she would have been gone because

28:19

she did not want me to see her. She didn't

28:21

want me to see her. Yeah, yeah,

28:24

I felt really, I

28:26

don't know. I felt I didn't come

28:29

through for like two days, honestly,

28:31

but I felt when when we finally

28:33

let go of her, I

28:36

felt that her journey was her

28:39

life journey was exactly what

28:41

it meant to be because to this

28:43

day, all of the lessons

28:46

that she taught me, a lot of it were

28:48

in her illness, were in her act. Like you

28:50

said, her most vulnerable moments were

28:53

the most teachable moments for me.

28:58

Talk about so much loss. We

29:01

talked about the loss of

29:03

one of the most amazing

29:06

icons, Prince.

29:07

There will never be another like him now?

29:09

But will they will never be? No

29:13

one like your mom. There is no one

29:15

to replace her. And at the

29:17

same time, if I'm not mistaken, you had

29:19

another death in the family

29:22

not too long after that.

29:24

My aunt. Yes, but

29:27

my mother fixed it that I was there for her to

29:30

see there. I

29:33

was like, Mommy, what are you doing? I

29:36

don't want to be there, but I was there.

29:38

Isn't that something you

29:41

want to talk about loss and how you're

29:43

still present? But

29:47

I get concerned about just the human side

29:49

of you, and of course you do well as

29:51

far as you're vulnerable in public, you'll

29:53

do a transparent post.

29:56

But I'll later exactly

29:58

so, I was to say, you

30:01

know.

30:01

What is the overriding lesson to folks

30:03

listening as it relates to loss, But one

30:06

of it is dance five minutes later.

30:09

You know, it depends on the loss. I would say, how do

30:11

you dance five minutes later to loss?

30:14

I think I've gotten to that age, or

30:16

at this time in my life where I realize

30:20

that the circle of life includes

30:22

death. The circle of life

30:24

includes loss, and

30:27

to truly honor those

30:29

we love who have left us, we

30:32

can only stay in

30:34

a place of sadness

30:37

for a short period of time, because

30:39

to honor them, we have to also

30:41

remember the good, the

30:43

ups, and all of the great things

30:45

they've done for us. I'm

30:48

very transparent with my emotions, and

30:50

it takes me a while to sit

30:53

and write what I want to

30:55

say to the world, and what I

30:57

want to say to them is that we are

31:00

this sort of convoluted

31:03

people, and we have this mixed

31:06

way of seeing things. We're not

31:08

all the same, we all process

31:10

things differently. I go into

31:13

a very very still

31:15

place when I'm sad.

31:18

It takes me to a place

31:20

where nothing in my body

31:22

works. I'm paralyzed.

31:25

I don't need food, I don't need

31:28

water. I don't even need to go to the bathroom.

31:31

I could just sit in my stillness

31:34

for two days. I did that when

31:36

my mother died. I get

31:38

very like you see the

31:40

films, and this is still and everything

31:42

is passing by. That's what That's

31:44

what happens with me.

31:46

Is that also how you deal with stress?

31:49

Would that be called depression or

31:51

just or more conscious? I'm

31:54

still and this is just what happens when I'm still? Is

31:56

that what I'm hearing you say?

31:57

I need to put a title on

32:00

it. I don't know that I've ever really

32:02

felt the press, so I don't know if that is

32:04

true depression. But

32:06

I know that I get really

32:09

really sad now I've told

32:11

you.

32:11

Which is a human response. By the way, I don't

32:13

want to make you put a title on something

32:15

now, but I haven't naturally after.

32:17

Loss, I've been searching for

32:20

a title because just lately

32:22

it wasn't about a physical loss

32:25

of you know, someone dying, But

32:27

when I think about it, I did lose somebody

32:29

that I just really, really really loved. I

32:32

saw her as a mentor, a

32:34

lady from my village in

32:37

Grenada. I did not expect

32:39

to react to her loss the way I did.

32:42

I was really,

32:44

really sad, and I think it's because

32:47

I broke my routine. I have a routine

32:49

when I go home, there's a number of people that I

32:51

must see, even if it's for three seconds.

32:54

But in COVID and coming out of a

32:56

coming out of a spike in Grenada, I had to

32:58

stay in my bubble. So I only

33:01

sort of stayed with the people who were going to

33:03

attend my birthday party

33:05

because they were all vaccinated,

33:08

all declared by the health department.

33:10

So we kind of stayed in that bubble. And I

33:13

was never going to ask anybody

33:15

outside of the bubble, are you vaccinated? I just

33:17

knew I was going to stay in the bubble. But I

33:20

decided not to visit a lot of people, and she was

33:22

one of those people that I always visit. And then

33:24

she passed away pretty soon after I

33:26

got back, right after the holidays,

33:28

and it really bothered

33:31

me. It really really bothered me. And

33:34

I think the fact that I didn't go back for

33:36

her funeral that bothered me. But I

33:39

think beyond that. I

33:43

was coming down, like I said in my post,

33:45

from a high that

33:47

happened for my birthday, Like literally,

33:49

I planned my birthday for five years and

33:52

it was beyond expectation. It

33:54

was huge. It was just my

33:56

emotions everything, and I think that

33:59

in the weeks following it,

34:02

I had to do this oooooo

34:05

and it was a little

34:08

bit of a legdown

34:11

that I had to come back into my world.

34:13

I have to work, I have to pitch, I have to make calls,

34:15

I have to do things that go to the supermarket, I have to go to the cleaners.

34:18

I have to get my nails done. All of those things

34:20

were like ah, I didn't want to do any of

34:22

that. I just wanted to be in

34:25

that place that I was

34:27

for thirty days with the

34:30

most incredible

34:32

love I've ever felt.

34:36

It was intense and beautiful.

34:39

So that is a kind of loss too,

34:42

when you don't want

34:44

to step away from where you are

34:46

into what is a little bit more reality.

34:49

Right. So I literally

34:51

want to coin a phrase because

34:53

people don't talk about Okay,

34:56

there are situations where

34:58

you're planning a wedding,

35:01

or women who are getting ready

35:03

to give birth. After

35:05

they give birth, there is a sadness

35:09

that people can't explain. And

35:11

it's because the baby is no longer

35:13

just your baby. That baby now

35:15

belongs to the world, belongs to your partner, belongs

35:18

to your family, and it's

35:20

difficult sometimes to share something that was

35:22

so I mean, it's a physical thing.

35:25

That baby was in you. You felt

35:27

everything up the baby. So, you

35:29

know, I really understand postpartum

35:32

blues, I completely, but I didn't understand

35:34

what it's like to come back from something

35:36

very very happy into reality

35:39

when you saw reality as mundane and

35:41

not giving you the kind of love that you had,

35:44

you know, in abundany.

35:45

I'm sitting here trying to figure it out

35:47

that now you got me wanting them. I

35:50

got therapy in two days, so I can ask the therapy

35:53

please and let me know. But we were, you know,

35:55

trying to figure out when

35:57

everything is high or it's like a

35:59

performing that you perform,

36:02

or ee event, you've had such a great

36:04

achievement and then you come back to your

36:06

room two days later.

36:09

Yeah. Yeah, but I think it happens

36:11

to performers. If they're honest, they

36:13

will tell you that there was that adrenaline

36:16

that pumps you.

36:17

Know, yesterday,

36:19

I've seen you no, no, no, no, this

36:22

wasn't even a perfellment. For

36:24

three days straight, I was in Columbia, South

36:26

Carolina at a very high powered

36:28

women's conference, and it was

36:31

everything I needed was affirming, confirming.

36:33

It was like, Okay, I've got the tools

36:35

to go and do the next thing that I want to do, or it

36:38

was confirmed that you should do this, You're not

36:40

crazy. And then yesterday

36:43

I was like, I'm

36:45

alone, It's just me and these rec's

36:47

PC Candy

36:50

com and so

36:56

I was like, when you were talking,

36:59

there is a term for it.

37:01

I've heard it be a term. There is a

37:03

term even.

37:03

When preachers preach if they're a high

37:06

because the audience is yes,

37:08

yes, yes, and then they get back into their office

37:10

or they go home. I promise you

37:12

be I'm gonna get the term for it. There is a

37:15

game for exactly what you are

37:17

describing.

37:18

But think about it in your line

37:20

of work. Not the author, not the

37:22

great speaker, but the performer, Michelle.

37:25

Think about what happens you're

37:28

on stage, you're performing either by yourself

37:30

or you're with the group, and the audience

37:33

is screaming, everything is crazy everything, and

37:35

then two and a half

37:37

hours, three hours later, you're

37:39

in the car and you're going

37:42

back to the hotel or back to your

37:44

apartment. There is a little

37:46

bit of sadness. If we're

37:48

really honest with each other, there

37:51

is a little bit of sadness because

37:54

for two and a half three hours, twenty

37:57

thousand, thirty thousand, eighty thousand

38:00

people, it's unfair for

38:02

anybody to think that a normal

38:05

human being could come down from that

38:08

energy force without feeling

38:10

something has shifted, which is where

38:13

I think about it more.

38:14

Yes, which is where I think addictions

38:16

and habits formed.

38:18

That's right, that's right. Or because they want to constantly

38:20

hear that clop when you want to.

38:22

Constant beyond that high or

38:25

your room. You know you've had

38:27

ours where their rooms always are constantly

38:29

filled with people entourages.

38:32

They don't want to be alone.

38:33

They don't want to be alone because they know

38:35

that feeling all too well versus

38:38

saying, Okay, I just poured out my

38:40

heart, soul and guts

38:43

to the world. How

38:45

in a healthy way do I replenish

38:48

post performance let down? It's

38:49

what ah

38:51

wow, we just

38:54

found out there's a term post performance

38:56

let down.

38:58

Well, what we're gonna call it PPL.

39:00

Post performance let

39:03

down, y'all. This is live, so we

39:05

are finding out and

39:07

how it could possibly that

39:10

instead of feeling proud and successful, you're feeling

39:13

depressed and lethargic. You're suffering from

39:15

a post trace letdown, a common malady

39:18

among athletes after the culmination of

39:20

months of work, which is why Olympian

39:23

athletes feel depressed. You

39:25

done worked all those years for five.

39:27

Minutes out of the track meet, and then what, yep,

39:30

yep.

39:31

You've worked all this time, all

39:33

these years for this birthday.

39:35

Five years, for this birthday, for this birthday.

39:37

One day.

39:38

It lasted one day, and

39:40

then you gotta come back home and deal with us.

39:43

Then I got I gotta make some phone calls.

39:45

Then I gotta be like, Michelle, can you do this? Yeah?

39:47

That's but y'all, that you don't understand

39:50

where you were served

39:52

for weeks in Grenada. Matter

39:56

of fact, you took time off, by

39:58

the way, to have

40:00

a vacation to do what you

40:02

needed to do for your mental health.

40:05

Everybody is serving you, honey,

40:07

your outfits, honey, those custom

40:10

outfit wherever honey, the

40:12

performers, honey. And

40:15

then.

40:20

I learned my closet expecting the Soca

40:23

star to come out and

40:25

start performing. He wasn't

40:27

here.

40:28

Wow, Angela, thank

40:31

you for letting us know what

40:33

this term. So

40:37

this will help me. Then to

40:40

you play a lot of tennis? I

40:42

do?

40:43

I do?

40:44

So when you say that, I was gonna say,

40:47

you've always been active, which is probably

40:49

why, like you said, you you probably don't really

40:51

know what it's like to be depressed,

40:54

or you have just found healthy

40:57

ways and you've got great people around

40:59

you that yah. Let me tell you. Somebody

41:01

bet when event needs to cry,

41:03

she's gonna cry. Oh yeah, what's

41:06

wrong with a lot of us

41:07

in.

41:09

The ugly cry in public. I

41:11

will do it in boardrooms.

41:14

I will do it on planes, I will

41:16

do it on red carpet. I

41:18

will do whatever I need to

41:20

do to get the emotion out

41:23

because but you know what, Michelle,

41:26

Michelle, don't forget

41:29

that I watched the woman I

41:31

love the most in this world

41:34

not let out her emotions and

41:37

then scream it out

41:40

when she was in a mental institution.

41:43

Okay, I have that

41:46

mirror in front of me every day. Do

41:48

you know what I say? Every day? Not today,

41:50

not today, not today, not today.

41:53

I just wake up. I thank the Lord that

41:55

my heart is beating in my chest and I said,

41:58

not today, we will not. Let's say and

42:00

get to us today. We're going to work this through.

42:02

We're going to work this through. Some days

42:04

are harder than others.

42:07

I was saying to Edwin, my work

42:09

husband, Edwin, Yeah, saying to

42:11

him that going

42:13

to Disney last week was

42:17

the universe gave that

42:20

to me. It was like Kelly

42:22

was going, I was going to

42:24

go, and it was like, oh my god,

42:26

this book came for Kelly just in time, because

42:29

Disney's a really happy place for me. Duh

42:32

it is. But I

42:34

was surrounded by people who

42:36

are friends as well

42:38

as clients, right, and it was

42:41

like our little circle. And I

42:43

got them to come play tennis with me. Two

42:45

days in a row. We woke up early. Oh

42:47

my my god, Orlando is so hot, and we

42:49

played tennis and it

42:52

was just a release, just let it out,

42:54

just let it out. So I think

42:57

for me, I'm not saying I'm perfect.

42:59

There are gonna be days I'm going to be very sad. But

43:01

I find that three things

43:04

get me out of a situation that I

43:06

can't handle. I have to dance.

43:08

I'm the world's worst dancer, but

43:10

I have to put on some kind of soca

43:13

music or African sounds or something,

43:15

and I have to dance. I

43:18

absolutely need to pick up a

43:20

racket. I need to pick up a racket and

43:22

just go and hit a ball someplace. And

43:25

then I have to feed my

43:27

body with something from the

43:29

God's green earth. I have

43:32

to put something that will give

43:34

me energy, veganariat.

43:38

I am one hundred percent vegan right now. I

43:40

don't see myself going back to anything

43:42

that bleeds for a.

43:43

Long time from Grenada and

43:46

not eat some of the

43:48

world's freshest

43:51

maybe stock, I guess no,

43:53

I won't do livestock.

43:55

Maybe in a weak moment

43:58

that that fish. A man comfort the

44:00

sea with some fish, maybe

44:06

yeah. But for now I'm doing a detox

44:09

with food. I am really going and

44:12

looking at foods that give me energy

44:15

and realizing that there are some foods

44:17

that even WHI I love, it takes away my

44:20

energy.

44:20

So they are linking gut health with our

44:23

mental health.

44:23

That's been the cool. But

44:26

we keep everything here though, we keep everything

44:28

in the core. Everything comes from

44:30

the core. Think about it already,

44:33

Your emotions are there? What do we say? Oh

44:35

my stomach hurt, Oh my god, I feel nervous, Oh

44:37

my stomach day.

44:39

Yeah, right, and then.

44:41

On top of it, you're going to put toxic foods

44:43

in there. We don't need to do that because

44:45

the emotions that we're going through is already putting

44:48

all our intestines like this, right, and.

44:50

We don't detox. You know, the livers

44:53

good to detex because it detaxes all

44:55

of those hormones and all that stuff that makes

44:57

us exactly balanced. Okay, yeah, so

44:59

we Okay, She's given us

45:02

tons and tons of gems.

45:05

I will say I had kale

45:08

for the first time because Evet

45:10

made it. And I had eaten kal

45:12

in a long time because I was like, I can eat events

45:14

kale, but I don't eat

45:16

kale. But now I do eat kale. But my

45:19

first time having kale was

45:21

because event made it.

45:23

Now.

45:24

Earlier in the podcast,

45:26

we talked about how I've

45:29

called you for personal relational

45:31

advice and you love

45:33

your husband, David.

45:35

I can't nobody tell you not to.

45:38

And if you try to, and you try to cross

45:40

some you will get the event that was on that red carpet

45:42

at the Grammys that yes, you might get

45:44

a little but it might be a little more

45:46

unfiltered. True,

45:51

And y'all the one

45:56

from Granada and

45:59

one of the secrets to

46:01

long lasting love as someone

46:04

you travel in this industry. What

46:06

I do know is David and your children are constants.

46:09

That's what I know for sure.

46:10

Yeah, for sure. You know, be

46:13

yourself, like be honest,

46:15

like I tell David exactly

46:18

what I want, exactly how I'm

46:20

feeling. Just because you're with somebody

46:22

for all those years they did not

46:24

study mind reading in

46:26

school, couples

46:29

are making us assumptions about

46:31

you know, while you're growing as a

46:33

couple, don't forget

46:36

you're growing as an individual too.

46:39

The seventeen year old that David fell in

46:41

love with, man,

46:44

I've had some rebirts throughout

46:46

the years. He's had to wake up to

46:49

a different girl sometimes, Like who

46:52

are you well? Because I just

46:54

made an arc. I'm thirty

46:56

now, I'm not the seventeen

46:58

year old you fell in love with. I'm forty

47:01

now. I'm not the thirty year old you were

47:03

learning about. I'm fifty now, I'm

47:05

not the forty year old you thought you knew. I'm

47:07

sixty now. Hello, it's a whole

47:10

other woman here. You have to

47:12

have grace in your relationship, and

47:14

you have to have those conversations.

47:16

Because you know the other there's growing and it's.

47:18

What they're growing too. We're growing as individo.

47:21

Your partner is growing. So that's

47:23

why I don't believe in the term we

47:25

grew apart.

47:27

God forgive me, because I don't want to put anybody

47:29

down.

47:29

I promise you.

47:31

I just think people get Investment

47:33

takes time and work. Like

47:36

when you put money in Wall Street, you check

47:38

on it all the time, you call your broker, you do it all

47:40

the time. Well, invest in your

47:42

relationship, you got to check on it, you

47:44

got to work on it.

47:45

I guess you can grow apart

47:48

if you don't be conscious that

47:50

the other person is growing too. Exactly

47:52

and your word from earlier, grace, Yes,

47:56

each other is growing. So

47:58

it's like, Okay, you have a period where you're

48:00

growing and they're just kind of you

48:02

know, they're chilling. Yeah, then they're

48:04

growing. But you're like, Okay, I guess I better.

48:07

Yeah, but that's supposed to push you. That's

48:10

supposed to push you, and we're supposed to respect

48:12

that, you know. I mean, I

48:14

don't know how many people will admit

48:16

to that, but we've all been embarrassed

48:19

by the way we hear a couple

48:21

that's supposed to be in love talk

48:24

to each other even out in the street. You're

48:26

like, whoa, what do they say to each other

48:28

behind closed door? They

48:31

just keep it real with they just keep it away. At this point,

48:34

I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

48:36

But that's not the person I'm

48:38

going to turn my like, oh,

48:40

they're they're awful. I'm

48:42

saying that person is being real. Some is not

48:44

right. Let's talk about it. Let's talk

48:46

about it. Let's not make assumptions.

48:49

From the day I met my husband, I

48:52

have been so vocal with

48:54

what I want. And I was only

48:56

seventeen. I was only

48:59

seventeen. From day one, I've

49:01

asked and for patience with me because

49:04

of all the responsibilities I've had. Yes,

49:06

you know, because of all the things I've had

49:08

to do. And we still look at

49:10

each other and he says to me, Wow,

49:14

I did not know the

49:16

ride I was going to get on when I walked

49:18

into Burger King and

49:20

asked for your name. He

49:23

got some girl in a brown polyester

49:25

suit at seventeen. And now

49:28

he woke up one dan and he's like, who is

49:30

this Caribbean woman

49:33

up in this house? Who is like

49:36

wow. But it

49:39

has been an incredible

49:41

journey of ups and

49:43

downs where interracial

49:45

couple. I should say, We've had

49:48

a lot of things said

49:50

to us done to us.

49:52

I've been disappointed that he

49:54

came from a family that just didn't

49:57

have any I don't know, they just

49:59

never I don't know they've ever seen black people before

50:01

they met me, and it was such a strange

50:03

thing for them. And you

50:05

know, because he loved me, so he wanted

50:08

to forsake them. But I had too much

50:10

love for my family, so I said, you can't

50:12

do that. Hey, I'm

50:14

going to Brooklyn every Sunday

50:17

get my rights and feed so I'm not you

50:19

better not be forthaking your family because

50:22

I'm not forsaking mine, you know. And

50:24

worked with him so he could work with them. I

50:27

said, they may never love me,

50:30

they may never understand if

50:32

they don't want to grow, but you were

50:35

born into that family, and you've

50:37

got to teach them what you know.

50:39

Even you, that's unheard of.

50:42

That's unheard of because it could have been

50:45

they don't love me, well, why do you need to love them? The Bible

50:47

says cleave and leave.

50:49

No no, no, no no no. Michelle, Instead

50:52

I got myself a pen. I

50:55

took out all the checks he had signed,

50:58

and I learned how to sign

51:00

his name. I bought Eastern

51:02

cards, Mother's Day card, Father's Day card, Christmas

51:05

cards, every kind of card, Birthday

51:07

cards, and I sent them

51:10

for years when he didn't want to talk to them. And

51:12

then one day he came and he said, that's

51:15

it. We're going to go see them. They're

51:17

going to understand what this love is,

51:20

and they're going to meet their grandchildren. By now, we have

51:22

three children that they haven't met yet.

51:24

Right, And somewhere

51:27

between New Jersey and Pennsylvania,

51:30

somewhere at that border, I

51:32

was no longer angry. I

51:34

left home angry. You didn't want to go. But

51:37

somewhere between New Jersey and

51:39

Pennsylvania, I remember

51:42

reaching to the back of my husband's head and

51:44

telling him it's going to be okay.

51:47

And then pretty much right after

51:49

that, his father passed away, and

51:51

his mother I could have predicted

51:53

that because when we met him he was at

51:56

the beginning stages of Alzheimer's

51:58

and I said, man, he missed out on so much.

52:01

But when his father

52:03

passed, his mother said

52:05

to me, I am

52:08

not following him in

52:10

the grave. I'm going to stick around

52:13

to get to know you and my grandchildren.

52:16

And almost to the hour

52:20

ten year anniversary of his passing,

52:23

she left. She gave us ten

52:26

years.

52:27

It's like you live in love, grace and forgiveness

52:29

daily.

52:30

I have to you know, first

52:32

of all, I got these kids

52:35

who they didn't ask to be here,

52:37

and they're here. And they also didn't

52:39

ask to be in this complicated, racist

52:42

world, and they're here, and

52:45

so I needed to at least

52:47

let them know the other side of who they

52:49

are, even though I thought the Grenada side

52:51

was better, but I.

52:54

Got a little more spiceless.

52:57

Bye. Yes, yeah,

52:59

but I mean, you know, I just I

53:01

come from what I come from, and my people

53:04

give people grace.

53:05

Absolutely grace, love and mangoes

53:07

and mangoes every time.

53:10

When you get to Grenada, Michelle, I've got to

53:12

get me a mango.

53:12

I've got to get you to Grenada.

53:15

I got to get you to listen.

53:17

I am ready,

53:21

girl.

53:21

We were like ready, please let me shows,

53:23

please, let me show schedule workout, please

53:25

let me show you. Yeah, but it's okay,

53:27

We'll get you to Grenado. I've

53:30

got I'm going to get to Grenada. I'm

53:32

gonna get you. I'm gonna get thee

53:34

I'm gonna get Kelly, I'm gonna get mess

53:37

Tina, I'm gonna get all of you. The grenada.

53:38

We are going and we

53:41

have to get there, and we we gotta get

53:43

there for you. You are

53:45

just a jewel, a joy, and.

53:48

We're trying to come to my funeral. You

53:51

ain't getting the grenada for my funeral. You come

53:53

in Tornaday Carnival.

53:56

We can make carnival.

53:57

Absolutely, that's like eighty

54:00

years from now. We're

54:02

talking about a word about that.

54:05

So I'm sure the listeners

54:07

are, including myself, We're

54:09

gonna walk away like there's more

54:11

to event. And I

54:13

know I've got some of the Beehive on

54:16

here. Okay,

54:19

if you don't learn something, but

54:21

what I'm saying about the bee Hive, they probably knew

54:23

all this stuff about you, honey, because they will dig,

54:25

Honey, They're going to dig and

54:28

get the information. But thank you

54:30

for today, thank you for.

54:33

Let me say, let me say, show up for

54:35

you. I want to Chelle,

54:37

you knew this was coming. You knew this was coming, I

54:40

want to say, and I think your

54:42

listeners already know this. But Michelle

54:45

is consistent. The Michelle

54:48

that is here has been through

54:51

so many things, good, bad,

54:53

whatever, And Michelle is

54:56

Michelle is Michelle,

54:59

the young woman who walk into

55:01

Destiny's Child that I took aside

55:04

and I said, I am here. You

55:06

have a question, you ask

55:09

anything you want to know. I'm

55:11

here. I will make the time for you, Michelle

55:15

Williams. I will make the

55:18

time for you until

55:21

time runs

55:23

out for me, because

55:26

you've been there for

55:28

me and things that we don't

55:30

even talk about. You

55:32

know. The other day I went to

55:35

the back of

55:38

my pantry where I

55:40

still keep a little box that was burnt

55:42

in my fire in two thousand

55:44

and eight. It was a bunch

55:47

of photographs that just got burnt and they're all

55:49

sort of tangled together. And

55:51

I don't know what the scientists will

55:53

tell you, but when you open

55:55

that box, you still smell the fire.

55:58

Wow, all those years later.

56:01

But instead of me getting sad

56:03

about it, when I open it, I

56:06

think about you. I

56:08

think about you in your stilettos

56:11

coming out of that suv. You

56:13

can so the press.

56:14

Day that I had said on you, we

56:17

was like, what's going on. We're on the.

56:18

Way, came to my lawn.

56:21

You and Courtney Andersma I'll never forget it.

56:23

And you were there. You helped

56:25

me put together my closet,

56:28

which is my linen closet that I still

56:30

call Michelle's linen closet. You

56:33

are grace,

56:36

love and friendship personified.

56:40

You keep me in business. You

56:42

let everybody know I'm doing a project

56:44

you might call you back. I

56:46

am so grateful for you.

56:49

I'm grateful for checking in with you. I'm

56:51

grateful for working the press

56:53

with Sarah, with you and that and Edwin,

56:55

we had the best time. You reminded

56:58

all of us to check in so

57:00

importantly with God and with ourselves

57:02

and those we love. And I

57:05

just want to say that you

57:07

have been a blessing in my life, and

57:10

I thank God for the Destiny's Child journey

57:13

that I got to meet you and know you

57:16

and got to meet your family and

57:18

your late dad, who was so handsome.

57:20

He had the best hair in the world. Best hair Evett.

57:23

Knows how to bring get

57:25

the tear ducks VI.

57:28

I just had to say that, because you know you doing

57:31

this podcast, you checking in with everybody.

57:34

You checking in with everybody, and we have

57:36

to remember to check in with you. And

57:38

for those people who are constantly

57:40

giving we have to give back,

57:43

you have to get. So I'm giving you. I'm giving

57:45

you always you.

57:46

Have given us, You've given

57:49

us so much love.

57:51

Today y'all got to listen to this

57:53

episode to give and just take notes of

57:55

what resonates with you and some of the

57:58

lessons of life that events spoke

58:00

with us today. Even promise us you'll come back again.

58:03

What are you kidding you? Don't you have to act

58:05

again?

58:06

And prayerfully, I don't know when there's a

58:08

book or three or five or

58:10

seventy you.

58:15

One of these days, but it will be about my

58:17

mom. It will be about mom. It

58:19

will never be about this distance. It will be

58:21

about my mom, absolutely,

58:24

because I pride myself

58:26

in protecting my clients

58:29

to the end. So anybody

58:31

who's looking for the book on my.

58:33

Pad, tell a good luck.

58:35

It's not coming.

58:36

It's definitely not definitely, definitely

58:39

not coming. But like I said, I mean,

58:41

there's way more to you than

58:43

what the public knows as far as just your work,

58:46

you know, so we would be delighted to

58:49

have a book from you about your

58:52

mother and the responsibility that

58:54

you had at such a young age. So I know there's

58:56

some there's some listeners on here who probably

58:58

have that same responsibility, and so I'm

59:00

glad you were able to share with us today.

59:03

And you can't wait for you to come.

59:05

Back, you bit, I can't wait, and I

59:07

can't wait to see you in person. I missed you. I missy

59:10

show.

59:11

I know I know, all

59:14

right, Sunshine, I'll talk to you. I

59:16

love you again.

59:26

As I stated in the beginning, that you

59:29

never know the people

59:31

that you look up to and people

59:33

that you say you want to be like,

59:36

well you just can't want to be

59:39

like them when they're shining and when they're

59:41

bright. When you pray for a person's

59:43

life, you're praying for

59:45

the good and the not so good

59:48

that it's come with it. Now

59:51

I know that things that are bad

59:53

can be turned around for your good.

59:56

So it's kind of like, Wow, some

59:59

of y'all have known Eyvet.

1:00:01

You've seen her in pictures, you've seen

1:00:03

her in red carpets with some of

1:00:06

your quote unquote faves,

1:00:08

not knowing what she went through

1:00:10

as a little girl and what she went through

1:00:12

as a teenager and high school,

1:00:15

college and in her adulthood.

1:00:17

So I'm so glad that we had a chance to

1:00:19

talk about I want to say perseverance,

1:00:22

whatever it is that you might be carrying

1:00:25

right now. You might be the caretaker of

1:00:27

someone in your family, and you just think you're

1:00:29

just going to be stuck with this forever.

1:00:32

I really hope that yvet story inspires

1:00:35

you and encourages you. Don't forget

1:00:37

about yourself in the process.

1:00:41

Yvette had dreams, aspirations

1:00:44

and goals, and I

1:00:46

think the results have probably gone

1:00:48

above and beyond anything she could

1:00:50

ever think or imagine.

1:00:53

Right, So don't forget

1:00:55

about yourself, That's

1:00:58

all I want to say. Don't forget about you

1:01:00

if you're put in a position where you're

1:01:02

like, Okay, I've got to care for someone

1:01:05

right now. You know I've got I'm the oldest

1:01:07

sibling, and you know I've got to take

1:01:09

care of my younger siblings until it's time

1:01:11

for me to go to school or college. So just

1:01:13

be encouraged by events,

1:01:15

testimony and her like. I

1:01:18

am so excited that you guys continue

1:01:20

to tune in every Tuesday

1:01:23

to new episodes of Checking

1:01:25

In. I'm thankful. I say

1:01:27

it every episode. I'm thankful for you guys,

1:01:30

because if I don't have no listeners, I

1:01:32

don't have a podcast. iHeartRadio

1:01:34

Black effect could be like, all

1:01:37

right, even so we're gonna have to let

1:01:39

you go. But that's not the case, because

1:01:42

you guys continually check in

1:01:44

and you download and you refer

1:01:46

other people. I got a DM that

1:01:48

said somebody sent them the Nicole

1:01:51

Lynn episode and how inspired

1:01:54

they were. So thanks to those that are

1:01:57

even referring people to the podcast

1:01:59

and send episodes their way, as they

1:02:01

say, sharing the episodes. All

1:02:03

right, well we'll see you again. Know that you

1:02:05

are loved. Checking

1:02:20

In with Michelle Williams is a production of iHeartRadio

1:02:23

and The Black Effect. For more podcasts

1:02:25

from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio

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1:02:31

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