Deciding to work for yourself is often cited as the best decision folks in our community have made. Hearing the same response over and over led us to ask them about the next best decision folks have made and we’ve shared their responses with you below.

Olivia Webb | Actress and Producer

In the most simplest terms I would say that putting my health, happiness and wellbeing first has been the most important decision. That may sound so obvious and cheesy (potentially) but I do not think that it is said or spoken about enough with actors who aren’t in the famous few. We are doing a job that requires so much of us physically, mentally and emotionally so why should the most important part of our craft (ourselves) not be respected as much as we respect our craft or jobs? I wouldn’t say that this is something that I have perfected yet nor something I have been doing long enough to really give advice on etc, outside of just recommending my friends to do it, but it has changed my work immensely. Whether it be just working out, making sure I get 6-8 hours of sleep, meal prepping, giving myself space to do nothing for a whole day, eating a slice of cake on a bad day or just watching one of the Transformers movies in a dark room alone, I do not view the changes as big or overly time consuming, but for me they work! Because at the end of the day I still have a job to do haha. Read more>>

Rochelle Sugawa | Generational Medium, Spirit Educator, Psychic Counsel

The most important decision I have made in Brown Bruha is to anchor everything I do in authenticity. As a solo business owner, there really is no separation between my business’s “brand” or “persona” and who I am. Read more>>

Olivia Martini | Actress, Director, Producer

I really love being around people. Truthfully, a little too much. Deep down I’m always seeking acceptance and this caused a lot of pain for my heart over time. The most important decision I made for myself was to make an effort to overcome my fears around acceptance. I think the best thing you can do for yourself is to constantly do things that scare you. The times in my life that have been filled with the most success and joy, I would actually make lists of everything that terrified me and then I would do them. I remember in my fifth grade ballroom dancing class, someone told me that I danced like a rag doll. After this moment, anytime I danced in front of anyone all I could think about was what other people were thinking about me. I was so scared of it, I thought ballet classes would be probably the scariest possible thing I could do. So of course, I went and did it. I found out quickly that I loved it more than anything because I did not have time to worry about what my instructor thought. If I spent my energy thinking about the people watching me, I would miss the cue or I couldn’t land my grand jete. I keep that principle in my head a lot. I still worry about what people think of me, but I try to not let it stop me from landing my next jump. Read more>>

Cyrum Ramirez | Production designer for film

Attending the American Film Institute Conservatory was a very transformative chapter that widened my creative horizons and awakened my abilities as a designer. While I already had a voice and vision, AFI acted as a catalyst, molding my approach to design into a more refined and impactful way. Read more>>

Vera Wu | Model, Yoga Teacher, Wellness Practitioner & Proud Dog Mom

I would say that is being selective in choosing whom I surround myself with.

I believe our attention/energy is very sacred so how we direct them is how we form our reality. Therefore, by being around with my small group of friends who genuinely love each other and share similar visions in life truly helps me feel inspired, grounded and supported throughout the process to reach my dreams. Read more>>