October 19, 2021 • 43 mins
Michelle and Yvonne have a discussion for trailblazing women! Yvonne shares her experience as a Christian woman in Hollywood, Nigerian culture, knowing the difference between “alone” and “lonely” and learning yourself.
Keep up with all things Yvonne Orji at https://www.yvonneorji.com/
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
My Heart Radio and The Black Effect. This is awesome.
I'm so excited about today. Every week I say I'm excited.
(00:23):
So listen. Anybody with the mom, sister, female, cousin, niece, daughter, wife, girlfriend, friend,
that's a girl, boss, lady, grandma, please listen and share.
I just love how this next guest has found so
much humor in life to continue on during difficult times.
She's also used her faith to manifest where she is now,
(00:46):
to manifest everything that she has now. I just love
watching her glow. I love watching her glow up and
how she has not compromised her faith or who she is.
She is very vocal about her faith, been very vocal
about her celibacy, and she is just someone that we
(01:07):
all can look to. To anybody listening, if you feel like,
do you have to compromise your faith? Absolutely not. Do
you have to compromise what you stand for? Absolutely not.
So Yvonne Orgy is checking in with us today. Among
her mini sterring roles, she has created her iconic character
Molly on television series Insecure. For what she has been
(01:31):
nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and three n Double
A CP Image Awards and countless others. Yeah, this is
gonna be a great conversation, so go ahead. I need
you to get your coffee cups, coffee mugs, whatever you
drink your coffee out of. If you drink coffee, your
green tea. Water, actually water should have been something said first.
(01:52):
I think I need to do a checking in water
challenge because I really could do better with my water intake.
But y'all pulling up at air, put your earbuds in,
come on and check in with us on this new episode.
It's a good one. Are you doing? How you doing?
(02:13):
I am good? I am good. I have been looking
forward to this for a long time. And we have
mutual friends Dr dee De Freeman, Yes, yes, yes, Dr
Deevy Freeman and her family. There are times where I
just love going staying at their house and just resting
(02:34):
and just getting loved on and of course sending them love.
So I'm excited about you know who we know mutually
knowing good people. How have you been, girl? Good like?
I can honestly say really good like. I'm in a
good place. I enjoy myself. I'm enjoying my journey. I'm
(02:58):
enjoying the work that I'm doing, and I know how
to separate my work from my work, and that's been
a blessing. Wow, you said you know how to separate
your work from your worth. Unpacked that because a lot
of people base their identity or their worth on if
they're working, if they're hot right now, if they're doing good,
(03:21):
if they're if they made touchdowns this season, or if
they won an award this season, if they auditioned for
all the roles and got all the roles. It's like
we base our worth on that. Unpacked that a little bit. Yeah,
I mean I think I wasn't dissimilar to that I was.
I'm a Nigerian woman and girl. We hustle hard, we
go in the paint. I have NI generally they've already
(03:42):
last statt it on my arm. So's it's always about achieving, achieving, achieving,
Like you're only as good as the last thing you did.
And I'm in a season now, I'm like, yeah, what's flow?
Like I did all of that, I worked hard, I
got tired, and now I just want to enjoy, like
(04:03):
I want to work and then I want to rest.
And that's okay. Like and in my resting, it doesn't
mean that like don't nobody want me? No, means that
I'm choosing me over everybody else, and that is okay.
And for me it was not. It was hard to
get here. What are we in October? Yeah, it took
the last ten months for me to get here because
(04:25):
what I didn't want this year was to have burnout.
I was releasing a book. We released books the same
I think day the same day, definitely to day. I
was shooting insecure for six months. Do you know what
that is? To have a book, the press tour for
a book, and be shooting fourteen hours sometimes six hour days.
What was so? It was for me, like I told God,
(04:48):
I said, Hey, when I look back up at this season,
I want to enjoy it. I don't want to hear
the end of it and reach a goal but be exhausted.
So fix it. Absolutely, so good and y'all. Among everything
that she is this year, she added author on top
of everything that she has going on. And she is correct.
(05:11):
May twenty five, this year we both did something awesome.
We released a book. We released a memoir. Your book
is called Bamboozled by Jesus how God tricked me into
the left on and how you've never been ashamed to
say the name Jesus. So when I saw that was
the name of your book title, was there some push back?
(05:36):
Did you say, well, let me just say bamboozled by
the Creator, you know, bamboozle by me? You know, I
did my own bamboozlind That was suggested, that was offered,
and I clearly said no. And so yeah, here we are.
I stuck with the title that I was given, and
(06:00):
for better or for worse, it's the title that I have.
You know, I don't think I anticipated church people kind
of being like rubbed, being rubbed the wrong way by it,
because God doesn't bad boost on anybody. God is He
don't trick nobody. I was like, well, then, I don't
think his books for you, because you're not ready to
have a real conversation. He will bamboos all your plans
(06:20):
that you have for yourself, what you're talking about. Yeah,
and I think people like this book is read for
people who like to have a good time with Jesus.
You know, I like to have fun and faith. And
so it's if you are like since the Mary Mary,
and you just uh, you've been saying all your life
and the way you and Jesus, it's cool, God does
everybody likes There's there's everything for everybody. And and this
(06:43):
is not like a celebrity trying to water them about. No.
I have a very good relationship with Jesus. But he
also made me a comedian. And when I thought about
the kind of book that I wanted to write, it
was vulnerable, is very authentic, and I'm like, I have
fun in my real life. I'm not gonna come to
write a book that is a sky like like like
you know, university textbook about faith. No, it's gonna parallel
(07:05):
my life. I'm gonna have DMX references, just like I'm
gonna have Luke twelve references. You know. So it um
it flows, and it's I think for everybody. Dude has
read the book a understand what I was gonna do,
and they got it. And most of the people have said, like, yo,
(07:25):
my faith like has been inspired. Like it's like I
was not doing it all wrong, but like I didn't
know that I could do it like this. And that's
the thing. People don't know that they can actually bring
God into every area of their life, like I'd be
asking him, like, what are we were in today? You
know what? I should? You? Right? That color doesn't okay,
let's do that well, because scripture does say in all
(07:47):
thy ways. It doesn't say in all the ways that
you in the ways you compartmentalize, in all thy ways,
acknowledge God and he directs your path to my Actually,
my favorite scripture propertis three and six, Like where am
I going today? What am I supposed to be talking
about today? Who's supposed to come on my path? And
you have been so unapologetic about your faith. I don't
(08:11):
know if that's cliche or if we're tired of people say, oh,
you're so unapologetic about your faith. It's like, let's normalize
our faith. Yeah, I didn't know. Like when people asked me,
how are you able to be in Hollywood and also
be a Christian? And my answers very simple. I didn't
know how to choose. I wish somebody told me that
I was gonna need to choose that again, you don't
(08:34):
have to choose. I don't have to choose. And it's
also like you also have to like read the room too,
like I'm never going on sets, Like do you know him,
have you met him? And this is like when hold on, No,
that's that's not that's not you Sure you're not going
on stage with You're blessed oil never never never, not.
You're not laying hands on the set of Insecure and
people falling out speaking in tongues. No, that's not a
(08:57):
thing that I have done, um and six years and
you know there's nothing shows over so she put it
both um. So yeah, I know. I think I think
a lot of people mistake how people can see God
in your life. Right, It's not like, oh my God,
look at me, I'm'm Christian. It's just like no, like
do you show up on time? Do you love people?
Do you have a good attitude? You know? Are you
(09:18):
easy to work with? Like that's how people see the
God in you? Like so many people have God and
then they're just like they're just trash individuals. And it's
like I don't mean I don't want your Jesus, but
you don't want more. Um it's so for me, it's
just it's like it's it's lived out. It's lived out.
Like it's like you can't I don't walk around with
(09:40):
Nigerian T shirts all the time. But like you know
who I am absolutely absolutely in your book. You have
titles to your chapters right like faith it till you
make it, and fear is food poisoning, but regret is herpies.
What is the least sin about food poisoning at herpies? Yeah? Okay,
(10:04):
so let me let me definitely clarify. Um. Also, I
just want to let you guys go, this book has
comedy elements. It's so amazing. You know who you find it,
So you're not offended at anything. I'm not, I personally
am not offended. So but what that chapter is talking
about it is like, okay, so their analogy, so I'm
not saying that like if you have herpies, that's like
a regretful thing, like they're they are analogies. So fear
(10:28):
is to food poisoning. Um. And so what that means
is like when you get food poisoning, it sucks, but
you know that as soon as you throw it up
or go to the bathroom, it up and it's gonna
come out of one hole. As soon as it comes out,
you're back to being who you are. And that's what
fear is. Fear, like it keeps you hustled, you're you're
tied to the bathroom. You're tie You're like you still
(10:50):
with anxiety. You don't want to do it, You're you're nervous,
you want to weigh out. Please can please just come
out which hole? Like I just I wanted out of me?
And then once you push past it, once you get through,
once you throw it up and that you know you
need to do anyway, you get the reward. It's temporary,
so fear is temporary, like food poisoning. The herpies is
(11:10):
a permanent disease, so it's regret, So regret is it's perfect,
like as much as you can be, Like how many
times have you met people who get to a point
in their life like man, I wish, I wish I
would have done that different if they get sticks with
you can still go on with your life, just like
you can't but herpes. There's so many medications now, like
you can live a fulfilled life. Every once in a while,
(11:31):
though you will get a flare up. Every once in
a while though you will have a moment just kind
of like we regret, Like you will see somebody living
your dream, married to your man, driving your car, just
you know, decorating your house and you're like, yeah, I
would have pushed past the food poisoning. I wouldn't need
to have gotten here. Only I ast the fear. So
(11:54):
that's what that chapter is really talking about life. Fear
is food poison. It's temporary regret. Listen, it'll spring back
up when you least expected. And that home don't. Okay, okay,
this is so good as far as unpacking the word fear.
And in order for you to live the life that
(12:15):
you live, you ven you have to be fearless. I don't.
I don't think it's fear less. I think I had fear.
I still have fears. Comedies gets the credit of me
every time before I get on stage, like oh my god,
and the day like let's go, okay, yeah, this mean
what's going y'all? Y'all hear from me, That's what's up.
But like five seconds before, I'm just like Jesus and
(12:35):
did be any other way? You know? So fear less
sounds good, right, Like, no, I have fear. My faith
is just bigger than it. Wow. Wow. You had people
like Chris Rock talking about your book and Kerrie Washington,
and then there was some balance of people of faith.
(12:57):
Rachel Hollis like, I think that is so cool to
have that. How did it feel as you're writing the
book and those people that were approached that say, yeah,
of course we want to write about Ivan in this
amazing book. I mean, I'm so grateful to be able
to encompass so many different spaces. And like I said,
(13:19):
it's like, there are people that you won't expect who
are people of faith because so many people of faith
judge other people like if your faith don't look like this,
then you're like, then then you don't really love Jesus.
It's like wait what? Um? And for me, I was
grateful to have people who have seen me you know
Chris and seen me as a comedian, carry has seen
(13:39):
me as an actress, um, And you know who have
seen me and have seen the fruit in my life
and know like I have a symbiotic relationship with who
I say I am and what I do and what
I project out into the world. The day that I
don't take me out because what I'm not gonna be
is a lot. Yeah. So I think that authenticity that
(14:00):
you know, ability to be a chamillion and the Bible says,
you know, we gotta be all things all these not
necess to be all things all people, but like crafty
as a as a surfing wises the dove that part two, um,
and so I think it was it was really a
blessing to have the likes of Carry and Chris, like,
really sac book, They've seen my life. You know, sanction
(14:20):
in the book is almos kind of like sanction understanding,
like your my journey wasn't linear, it wasn't safe at all.
And to have them see and understand what I was
trying to do with the book and like really be like, yo,
you did that and not we appreciate you for that.
So it was great. What was the best part for
you writing the book or promoting the book because you're
(14:40):
a promo journey it seemed fun and on shows like
Ellen and all the amazing fun late night television shows.
For you, what was the best part of the journey. Well,
I I'm a people person. I love people. I'm actually
saddened that we were still kind of in the middle
of a shutdown. Wh know you felt that too, like
(15:01):
you couldn't do the book tours were virtual. Book tours
were virtual, and I love tangible touching people, and I'm like,
you know, and so I'm actually going out on tour now,
Like you know, I have an event at Barnes and Noble.
I have other book events popping up like all throughout
before the end of the year. So I'm I'm like,
(15:22):
giving the book the thing that it deserves. So I
just I love interfacing with this same here, same here.
I did a book signing in Houston the other day,
and I'm like, uhh, like you said, we want to
give this book what it deserves. As you were writing it,
was there anything you were like, yeah, this shouldn't go
(15:42):
in the book. Yeah, I mean I think I put
a lot in the book that maybe some people weren't aware.
Um very transparent. It wasn't. I'm not a sealationous person,
So I wasn't like, Oh, this is gonna be this
is gonna be the part that's gonna be juicy. Let
me add this so that I can really double the sales.
I'm no, it's not like I don't I care about it,
(16:04):
and so I'm not here. This wasn't an expose a
And you know, I'm sure there's some things that some
people read that they were not happy with, but I'm like,
you're part of my journey, and I had to be honest, right,
and I'm not trying to make you look bad, but
this is what happened, and this is how it made me.
I would impact with my journey and that and there's
(16:25):
reason for me including it in the book. Well, I
would tell them you can write your book too. I
just it's funny when people get ambjiate, like I'm like,
if you wanted the story to be different, maybe you
should have done something to maybe. I don't know. I
don't tell you, but um, you know, but I think
for me, writing it was definitely a journey, um, because
(16:49):
I found my voice in the midst. Normally you hope
hopefully you have your voice before you start writing a book. Um,
and I was there, and I'm so glad that I
wrote it myself. Else like you know, you know, obviously
they're like, you're fizzy. You know you're gonna have someone
write it, and I just was like, I want to
write it myself. And as I wrote it, things came
to me, new ideas, new ways of saying things, like
(17:11):
I think only I could write this book, not necessarily
physically right, but like only the way my mind works,
the way my heart is the way my journey was
and it was difficult because there were parts like I
didn't even know that I was like either holding things
back and um I had an editor I was like,
can you tell us more about this part of your life?
(17:32):
And I was like, wow, like that part is like
not the sexical and they were like yeah, but I
just like I know you as the hard worker, I
know you as this, but like I want to know
you and I was like, and so I think the
reason why that was missing was I was still on
the journey of discovering me and so I found it
(17:53):
while I found me while writing the book. And so
that's why the book does feel very personally, does feel
very ish because I was like, oh, hey, here is me,
and like I'm proud of her and she has come
a long way and she still has a long way
to go. It's amazing that you would say she still
has a long way to go, because some people could
(18:14):
look at your life and feel like she's made it
and you have, but you're like, I still have a
way to go. You know what you want to do,
and you know the woman that you can be and
the woman that you aspired to be, and I'm becoming
a new woman now. Like this book like the reason
why I wrote it when I did, because I was like, well,
that's the end of that chapter, and now there's a
new chapter being birth in my life, and I'm I'm
(18:36):
doing things differently the next book. I don't say contradict
this book, because I think this book is for a
specifically then and for a specific person, and for the
person that I was. Are there are elements of the
person that I was in this book that I've since
been like, Okay, well we don't have to do that anymore.
And that's okay because life is, you know, we're constantly growing,
(19:01):
we're constantly evolving, and it's like that actually worked. You
needed to be that, you needed to do that to
get you to where you are now. You don't need
it for the next journey. And it's just like okay, great,
and like that's hard because you're like, what, this works once,
and so many people do the thing that worked once
over and over and over again, hoping that it will
work again. When God is like, yes, it worked once.
(19:21):
But when I'm telling you now is that you drop
that thing and trust me in a new way. And
I'm like, oh, this is scary. But worth it. How
is your trust? It's good, Like I mean, I have
seen him work, so it's easy to I would say
easy to trust, but it's like I know it's going
(19:42):
to work again. And one thing I always help people
with me is check my fruit. Check the fruit. And
so if I can say that about me, it's like, oh,
well then yeah, check god fruit. And when you check
his fruit, I'm like, okay, so yeah, I gotta I
gotta trust you so for me, for the things that
I still want and things that I'm still believing for,
I'm kind of like, oh my gosh, it's gotta be
(20:03):
so good. Yes, I seeming we love these conversations that
you're just like you're have it out loud. I just
think you are absolutely awesome, fun, creative, and I want
to talk to you about that. You talk about your
(20:26):
journey from pre med to what you're doing now and
how it didn't necessarily come easy. And do you feel
though You're Nigerian background, has it helped spark creativity enrich it? Yeah? Do?
Your Nigerine is amazing like it is. It helped me
have the huffle that I needed. It helped me understand
(20:51):
the vision that I wanted to have and what I
wanted to create. It gave me kind of like a
foundation of who I am and you know what I
want it to saying how I wanted to say it.
And in this season, I'm actually, you know, when it
comes to the hustle part, I'm becoming less Nigerian. And
I say that would have Gonna saw it because even
being less Nigerian, my less than less Nigerian is still
(21:13):
like more than the average person. It's like I'm doing
less and my lesson is like somebody else is the most.
You know what I mean. But I imagine being full
throat on Nigeria, You're just like you're you're you're a
jack rabbit. Calm down. And So I appreciate the perspective
that comes from my cultures and I try to infuse
(21:35):
that and most of the things that I do, especially
things that I'm creating. I definitely infused my two worlds
in one and I love that perspective that I get.
While speaking of family, how has it been, how have
they been receiving this success? Like? What is it? Like? Oh?
They love it? My mom My mom is the local celebrity, Okay,
not the international celebrity. She she got recognized in l
(21:59):
A before I did. I was wait. They were like,
look out, we saw your mom and we were we
recognized her with the specially like you saw my mom's
not me. I was like, okay, cool, cool, cool, Hey
mine's after you go home, listen, you know what and
I know my mom. She definitely was not a fan
of me going into music. Um, we were to go
(22:20):
to college, get a degree, because you're gonna get a job.
You gotta get benefits for a one K, retirement, vision, dental,
all of those things. Because she wanted to make sure
that her children that we're okay, we have the things
we need. And it's so good to see. I have
seen my entire family become supportive and so I feel
(22:41):
the same for you, and so congratulations on that. Thank you,
because not even just my family culturally, you know, it's
like so many Nigerian kids in America are like, I
want to be a creative and difference like they're blaming you.
Well now now they're looking to me to be like, hey,
if you done even on GV saw how on that
(23:02):
Jimmy Kimo life, she's in Nigerian gel Okay, if you
want to do this active thing. Maybe if you can
be like you know, So it's kind of like it's
a pipeline because the thing, the reality is similar to
your parents. It's just fear. It's just the fear of
like will they make it? Will they be okay? Like
(23:22):
if they failed, as I mean we feel as a parent.
So it's not like they want to dismantle your dreams
because they're evil. They're just want to protect you. And
so now that you succeed, they're just like, oh my gosh, Okay,
if she can do it, she can create a pipeline
whereby the next person can do it. And so that's
that's what my success has actually done for the community
(23:46):
at large. So I'm grateful because when my mom saw
Lupizza when the oscar, she called me. I was like, this,
your friend has one on us. I'm like, I don't
know the woman. I don't I've never met her at
that point in my life. I was like, I know,
but like another African is successful. Okay, continue on, and
also back in your comedy, as we were talking about comedy,
(24:07):
you address romance when you share that all is fair
and love and food, what if any kind of backlash.
Have you gotten from that moment when you said that
you were if you were hungry, you would just go
on a date to get dinner. I mean that was
that was my best when I was broke. I feel
like most dudes know when they're on a foodie call,
(24:28):
they do, and most girls have done foodie calls. They're like,
that's why everybody was laughing. They were like, oh dang,
why I want a foodie call right now? This is
this tonight is my foody call moment. So while you
calling me out, I'm here for it. Speaking of the
fooding and traveling, I've just been loving the traveling that
you're doing. And if you don't mind, I did follow
your travel agent. Oh hit list, Jonathan, get ready to
(24:53):
get ready to get ready? You figure out how to
curate um some travel experiences because sometimes I travel alone
for work. But I'm like, have I really traveled alone
to see the world and not wait on a boo
or not to wait on a group of girlfriends for
us to go. So when you do travel, do you
(25:14):
ever feel like I want to share this with somebody? Yeah? Like,
um so, Jonathan, my travel a did before we book
a thing, like we're I'm you know, the last trip,
I said, he said, you want to go, and I couldn't.
I'm I'm so intecisive about like where I actually want
to go. I tell him how I want to feel,
because I said I want to feel romantic, and so
(25:35):
he was like okay, and I was like, yeah, I
want to do something on the water and he was
like Italy. I was like, you know, and then we
ended up with Tobino and it was like beautiful and
romantic and sexy. And then I was like, I also
want an element of culture in there, and I want
to be on the continent of Africa. Okay, because I
was gonna ask when you thought of Morocco, what was
(25:57):
the feeling that you wanted when you went there. I
was like, I want I wanted beautiful architecture, beautiful people.
I wanted good food, and I wanted to feel connected
and and then also like travel wives and makes sense.
I'm like, okay, you know it really here in Morocco.
Yeah that's just over there, because you know that that
(26:17):
also played a part, and yeah, you know when I go,
so we set up in the whole itinerary. So basically
I'm just like, let me do what I want to do,
and then I can open it up if people are available,
because on Moe Grew projects, if people are available, they're willing.
I'm like, hit up, Jonathan, he don't tell you where
I'm staying, you know, like he couldn't you like her
friends a different price um price points. So it's just
(26:40):
like it is what it is, and it's like, this
is where we're gonna be at. Some of my friends
were like, I'll meet you in nearly. I wouldn't be
staying at your hotel. I'll be close, you know, or
like I'll join on this part. And it just this
particular trip, it didn't work out like they did. Nobody
could come. Everyone has to make something working out. But
at the end of the day, I was like, if
nobody comes, I'm gonna have a good time because I
already created my enery. If somebody comes, great, we'll have
(27:02):
a good time because I already created my eye. Um.
And so it was one of the you know when
you talk about like do you ever feel like you
have to share things with someone? And yeah, the step
feeling came up and then it made me stop and say,
aren't you someone like you're sharing this with yourself. Are
you Are you in the moment taking it in? Are
you in the moment wishing somebody else was in the
(27:24):
moment with you? Oh? Are you that someone? Oh? Come on?
You know. And it's like I I fall in love
with me as I do like And it sounds like like, oh,
what does that mean? Like No, I'm just like I
I become childlike, like, oh my god, that's so pretty,
Like look at that? Can we go see the titles?
Like it's just like it's just like you you get
(27:45):
whimsical again, Like when as an adult are you able
to like almost have like childlike joy of just like
the little things that make you happy. We're so like
accustomed to be like being the boss and having to
make big decisions, and it's just like, oh my god,
can I have a Oh my god, I want a gelatto?
Wanted they feel good? Okay, I wanna have a gelatto
and sit and just watch the books go by. Oh god,
(28:08):
this is so pretty. Why did I get giddy when
you just you know said that? And it's just like,
and I think it's the more we give that to
ourselves when we do get a boot. It's like, my
favorite thing to do is to get on a boat
and eat gelatto, and like you have more specifics about yourself.
When someone says like, you know, what do you do
for fun? It's not just like oh, you know, I
(28:29):
just like to travel. Well what does that look like?
What does that mean? You know? It's like, oh, you know,
I'm I realized about myself, like I don't like to
be two books, Like I had to learn Nideraan and
me that was you know, poor, and now I got
some stuff. I was always like, you have to make
the most of everything, like so if you go, you
have to And I was like, or I can just
rest in this very expensive hotel and that's also fulfilling.
(28:54):
I need to get myself permission that that was okay,
because you know, we think like, oh, you know, you
can't waste any moment, and it's like, no, this is
not a waste. It's something to be said for women
to have that permission to do just that. Yeah, just
do whatever you want, like and sometimes like I learned
like it's ok to change my mind because sometimes I'd
(29:17):
be like, okay, you don't want to go outside and
just let the sun be on my back, and then
it's like it's okay, not go inside and watch a
movie on that week? Okay. And then and then it's like, okay,
I'm not going to read a book. And it's just
like it changes, like it's all it's like you all
about checking in. It's checking in with myself. Like sometimes
I'm like, okay, solf okay, So if you do feel sad,
(29:38):
what is it you're sad about? Are you sad that
like you don't know if you ever get married or
like that? They're just not here now Okay, I'm back
then okay, really really like okay, cool, do you know
what kind of love you want? All right, let's let's
let's walk quack okay, so what if he was here?
Like where where would you go here to put yourself
(29:58):
in a new vironment to meet somebody? Okay? Do I joined? Bumble?
And it's just like you just keep checking in with yourself.
And then so many, so often we the thing that's
in our mind, we just kind of like put it
in subconsciously. It's affecting us, so we might as well
just like tap into it and be like, hey girl,
what are you like what are you saying back there?
(30:19):
Because you keep talking but you're not really saying nothing,
So like, let me have a conversation with you and
let's get to the root of this. Let's get to
the bottom of this. Enjoy ourselves or we can know ourselves.
And you know, my my sister in love surprised me
because she was in Nigeria. So she was like, girl,
it's a for our flight to Morocco. I'm coming and
so she came for like two days and like that
was a welcome break. But I already by myself like
(30:43):
two and a half weeks, and so it was you
have those moments of like, oh, I got the chair,
and then you meet new people. I posted there was
a black woman who owns a guest house in Morocco
that was like, hey, we have mutual friends. I would
love to invite you to my guest house to eat dinner.
And I was like, you're black woman, and you know,
check with my friends. They're like, she's super cool. Got there.
(31:04):
There was another black woman visiting from l A and
then we all just had dinner toga because then you
made new friends and you're like, oh, this is great.
I think people confused loneliness and the lamp and alone.
I think people are afraid to do things alone because
if in their minds like it's lane, or like, who's
gonna take my pictures? I remember I was I was
(31:25):
visiting one of the places and there was a whole
entire professional photographer that saw my guy taking pictures of me,
and he had his long lands and he was like,
can you sit here? I would take this picture of you.
Looks amazing. I'll send it to you. That was it,
and then I attacked it. He didn't know me, he
did not seek anybody's English um, and he was just
like a dude visiting Morocco and took a picture. So
(31:48):
you're like, who's taking pictures? Like you'll find people? Yeah.
I was in Italy and I was like, do you
mind taking this picture of me with this bridge? Thank you? Yes.
I think I think maybe one of your captions in
my have even alluded to something like that. You did
such a great lesson on what it's like to check
in with yourself, and you said something that maybe say, okay, God,
I need you to bamboos or this doubt that I've
(32:12):
had when you mentioned will you ever get married? I'm
not saying that that's a long lingering thought of yours
or mine but sometimes it does cross my mind, like
am I supposed to be married? Am I enjoying you
know this time and what I consider freedom? But perfectly
in marriage that it doesn't mean bondage, that even more
(32:34):
freedom can happen. So thank you for sharing that. Yeah,
I mean when it comes to relationships and you know,
when you talk about trust, that's kind of what I
was alluding to. It's kind of like, I feel God
helping me become successful in my career is probably harder
than God finding me one man out of eight billion
people on the Earth the planet to connect with. I'm
(32:55):
just like, I feel like making it from like no
name performer to number two and cost you on HBO.
I think that was hard, and I'm like, if he
can do that, I'm pretty certain he can find me
somebody who will love it. Oh my gosh. You know,
I think so many people look at timelines and look
(33:15):
at Okay, well it hasn't happened by this day, so
will it ever happen? It's like what if what if
you're become like I'm not the same person I was,
and so had I met a man in it probably
wouldn't work Right now because I'm I'm a newer, upgraded
version of myself. I love that I turned to my
old lease and so now the things that I want
even now are different. And so I think I'm in
(33:38):
the best space to invite somebody into my life, even
though I probably was like I want to meet somebody.
It's like meet yourself first, and then after you meet yourself,
you can meet your bed and you know, and even
just in slowing down because it's we say things and
we don't do things that connect. Right, It's like I
want somebody when where when you're busy just going going
(34:00):
owned and I was in my hustling grind zone. Now
I'm actually like, oh my god, and not slowing down
to me the man slowing down because I wanted to
and end the slowing down. That's actually when somebody can
like run into me. And it's just like and I
will have time to cultivate somebody running into me. And
so it's it's something to to look forward to in
(34:21):
a way that I'm like, oh God, I'm inviting that.
And now my my energy towards this is not like
a thirsty like are you the one? Should I look
for another? It's like, uh, hi, I'm yeah, I'm interested,
I'm available. Actually, yeah, I can't have lunch on Tuesday. Wow,
oh come on, this is this is so good, y'all.
(34:42):
I'm so happy about this conversation because I know she
is smack dab in the middle of book promo, but
she is so many other things. And I couldn't finish
up the conversation without asking you about your fifth and
final season on the network, in which you said number
two on the call sheet insecure y'all are gearing up. Well,
(35:05):
you've already filmed pretty much the final season. And while
everybody it's sad to see this HBO series go, is
there any clues that you can give us in the
season for Molly Wow, Um, you want me to lose
(35:25):
these HBO checks? No, no, no, you see and see
there's something that you do sign you when you can
in d as you do not disclose. But I just
thought it was just between us two we Yeah, I
think I see the brand recording button like it is.
It is, it is, it is, And thank you for y'all.
(35:46):
She just also let me tell you something you can
always learn from someone because there's always something to be learned.
That was a master curving class. But I will say
we all saw pictures of the tears flowing the hug Xen.
When you see your favorite show, you think it's supposed
to just live forever eighty seasons. You know, we want
(36:09):
to see y'all turn into great grandparents. You know this
is not the show. Was it hard to be like, no,
I think we can go. Let's go to seven. Season
seven is a good number. I think Easter always had
the number in her head and she wanted to go
out on her own terms. You know, some sometimes you
(36:31):
see your favorite shows and you're like, I mean that's
a good series. Season six was like whatever, but like
it picks back up. It's like she never wanted a done.
She was like, we're gonna give the people what we're
gonna give and then we're gonna move on through other things, right,
And sometimes you have to, but you have to respect
a visionary because we selfishly want more. Heck, I'm like,
(36:53):
can we do a movie? And she's like no, the
answer is no, And you know it is because for me,
it's not even because I want more season, because like,
I enjoyed working with these people, I enjoyed tapping into
this character. I enjoyed gonna work. And I know that
I've been told that I'm not gonna speak that into
(37:14):
my life, but I've been told that nothing like that
all the time on set, Like everybody doesn't always get along.
You know, it's not always a family, people just being
their own trailers just like just called me when it's
time is just check Yep, that's it. And what I
don't want to like And I my prayer is that God,
like I know I may not be able to chase
(37:35):
the same high, but God, make it good, make me
have fun like I want to enjoy working. Wow, it
looks every bit of that. And author, actress, comedian, good friend.
I'm sure, daughter, you are also a host now, I
know you can tell us nothing about Insecure, but what
(37:57):
about other projects such as My Mom, I'm Your Dad
and Yearly Departed? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so people
don't know that. Before Um, I became Molly, I used
to host a lot, like in terms of like really
getting my comedy chops, host home Down, I hosted anything
with my baby, showers, funerals, commune, name it. I was there,
(38:18):
Um and that ability to kind of be off the
cuff and just the ability to improv and and connect
with audiences like that's something I do very well, and
so and sometimes you have to like give yourself credits
for the thing you know how to do very well.
And that's my that's fun. And so yeah, My Mom
Your Dad is a reality show where single parents get
(38:39):
hooked up by their kids or nominated by their kids
house where they can find a second chance of love.
And I love love, and so just the opportunity to
have this kind of microcosm of like oh who who
and like, you know, are they gonna repeat the same
mistakes so when they grow whatever whatever. So it's very
fun and then you really the ardent. I'm excited for
(39:01):
that to come out. We had a lot of laughs
on show, so it's me a host of other very
funny either female comedians or female comedy actresses. Um. And
it was written by a writing staff of all women.
It's produced by women. So it was really just like
I loved it because very rarely do you are you
(39:22):
able to work on a set where it's like a
show by black people, written by black people, it's all women,
written by women, produced by women. It's amazing. So yeah,
that was a very fun and very unique experience. And
I can't wait for you, guess to see the in December.
Well you Von, We just thank you so much for
taking time. Um, I know you've got a lot going on,
(39:44):
but I know myself and the listeners here, we just
thank you for checking in. Thank you for having me.
This is a good check. Wow. I just felt so
giddy as we were talking to Ivan. I'm gonna do
some more solo traveling. Um. Sometimes I get nervous because
(40:05):
I'm like, is it really safe to be traveling alone?
But with prayer, I'm just gonna command that the angels
follow me and protect me everywhere I go. I just
have been loving watching Evon's Instagram page as far as
all the places that she's traveled, Like I want to
go to Morocco, but I want to be booed up
when I go to Morocco. I want to go to Italy,
(40:27):
but I want to be booed up when I go
to Italy. And it's like, girl, don't wait till you
booed up. Go now if you can go now, y'all
go somewhere, Go someplace now, as long as it's safe,
because COVID is still lurking in these streets Okay, I
don't want to put fear of nobody, but we got
to be careful. Somebody I know not too long ago
(40:49):
they got COVID and I'm like dog on it. So yeah,
COVID is definitely definitely still lurking. Anyway, this episode, y'all,
I really hope that you were inspired as much as
I was to keep going, to really walk boldly in
those dreams. Go after them, go after them. Your dreams
(41:10):
are waiting for you to say, yes, all right, let's
do this. I want to hear your experiences and testimonies
by this time next year. Did you open that business,
did you go on that audition or did you have
to do something extremely difficult like um, well, opening up
a business and doing auditions. That's difficult too. But matters
(41:34):
of the heart, is there a relationship that you feel
like you gotta let go of. It's not that they're
a bad person, the relationship and the person just isn't
good for you. Maybe there for somebody else. Is there
a friendship that you probably have to you know, taper
a little bit as far as how much time you're
hanging out making the difficult decisions, so that by this
(41:55):
time next year, you can say, Wow, I had to
release the weight that's keeping me from running this race,
from keeping me from winning. Scripture says, lay aside every week,
that will keep you from running the race. So Van,
she was just so inspiring for so many of us
to keep going and really stay laser focused on that goal.
(42:21):
All Right, once again, thank you all for checking in,
Thank you for subscribing. We are growing and it's only
getting better. We're almost at the year anniversary of the
start of this podcast and I cannot do it without you,
so thank you. All Right, I'm looking forward to season two.
(42:41):
I'm speaking that season two of Checking In with Michelle Williams.
We had some great guests and vonn Orgie, I'm so
thankful that you were the guests for today. All Right, y'all.
(43:05):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of I
Heart Radio and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from
I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
My Heart Radio and The Black Effect. This is awesome.
I'm so excited about today. Every week I say I'm excited.
(00:23):
So listen. Anybody with the mom, sister, female, cousin, niece, daughter, wife, girlfriend, friend,
that's a girl, boss, lady, grandma, please listen and share.
I just love how this next guest has found so
much humor in life to continue on during difficult times.
She's also used her faith to manifest where she is now,
(00:46):
to manifest everything that she has now. I just love
watching her glow. I love watching her glow up and
how she has not compromised her faith or who she is.
She is very vocal about her faith, been very vocal
about her celibacy, and she is just someone that we
(01:07):
all can look to. To anybody listening, if you feel like,
do you have to compromise your faith? Absolutely not. Do
you have to compromise what you stand for? Absolutely not.
So Yvonne Orgy is checking in with us today. Among
her mini sterring roles, she has created her iconic character
Molly on television series Insecure. For what she has been
(01:31):
nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and three n Double
A CP Image Awards and countless others. Yeah, this is
gonna be a great conversation, so go ahead. I need
you to get your coffee cups, coffee mugs, whatever you
drink your coffee out of. If you drink coffee, your
green tea. Water, actually water should have been something said first.
(01:52):
I think I need to do a checking in water
challenge because I really could do better with my water intake.
But y'all pulling up at air, put your earbuds in,
come on and check in with us on this new episode.
It's a good one. Are you doing? How you doing?
(02:13):
I am good? I am good. I have been looking
forward to this for a long time. And we have
mutual friends Dr dee De Freeman, Yes, yes, yes, Dr
Deevy Freeman and her family. There are times where I
just love going staying at their house and just resting
(02:34):
and just getting loved on and of course sending them love.
So I'm excited about you know who we know mutually
knowing good people. How have you been, girl? Good like?
I can honestly say really good like. I'm in a
good place. I enjoy myself. I'm enjoying my journey. I'm
(02:58):
enjoying the work that I'm doing, and I know how
to separate my work from my work, and that's been
a blessing. Wow, you said you know how to separate
your work from your worth. Unpacked that because a lot
of people base their identity or their worth on if
they're working, if they're hot right now, if they're doing good,
(03:21):
if they're if they made touchdowns this season, or if
they won an award this season, if they auditioned for
all the roles and got all the roles. It's like
we base our worth on that. Unpacked that a little bit. Yeah,
I mean I think I wasn't dissimilar to that I was.
I'm a Nigerian woman and girl. We hustle hard, we
go in the paint. I have NI generally they've already
(03:42):
last statt it on my arm. So's it's always about achieving, achieving, achieving,
Like you're only as good as the last thing you did.
And I'm in a season now, I'm like, yeah, what's flow?
Like I did all of that, I worked hard, I
got tired, and now I just want to enjoy, like
(04:03):
I want to work and then I want to rest.
And that's okay. Like and in my resting, it doesn't
mean that like don't nobody want me? No, means that
I'm choosing me over everybody else, and that is okay.
And for me it was not. It was hard to
get here. What are we in October? Yeah, it took
the last ten months for me to get here because
(04:25):
what I didn't want this year was to have burnout.
I was releasing a book. We released books the same
I think day the same day, definitely to day. I
was shooting insecure for six months. Do you know what
that is? To have a book, the press tour for
a book, and be shooting fourteen hours sometimes six hour days.
What was so? It was for me, like I told God,
(04:48):
I said, Hey, when I look back up at this season,
I want to enjoy it. I don't want to hear
the end of it and reach a goal but be exhausted.
So fix it. Absolutely, so good and y'all. Among everything
that she is this year, she added author on top
of everything that she has going on. And she is correct.
(05:11):
May twenty five, this year we both did something awesome.
We released a book. We released a memoir. Your book
is called Bamboozled by Jesus how God tricked me into
the left on and how you've never been ashamed to
say the name Jesus. So when I saw that was
the name of your book title, was there some push back?
(05:36):
Did you say, well, let me just say bamboozled by
the Creator, you know, bamboozle by me? You know, I
did my own bamboozlind That was suggested, that was offered,
and I clearly said no. And so yeah, here we are.
I stuck with the title that I was given, and
(06:00):
for better or for worse, it's the title that I have.
You know, I don't think I anticipated church people kind
of being like rubbed, being rubbed the wrong way by it,
because God doesn't bad boost on anybody. God is He
don't trick nobody. I was like, well, then, I don't
think his books for you, because you're not ready to
have a real conversation. He will bamboos all your plans
(06:20):
that you have for yourself, what you're talking about. Yeah,
and I think people like this book is read for
people who like to have a good time with Jesus.
You know, I like to have fun and faith. And
so it's if you are like since the Mary Mary,
and you just uh, you've been saying all your life
and the way you and Jesus, it's cool, God does
everybody likes There's there's everything for everybody. And and this
(06:43):
is not like a celebrity trying to water them about. No.
I have a very good relationship with Jesus. But he
also made me a comedian. And when I thought about
the kind of book that I wanted to write, it
was vulnerable, is very authentic, and I'm like, I have
fun in my real life. I'm not gonna come to
write a book that is a sky like like like
you know, university textbook about faith. No, it's gonna parallel
(07:05):
my life. I'm gonna have DMX references, just like I'm
gonna have Luke twelve references. You know. So it um
it flows, and it's I think for everybody. Dude has
read the book a understand what I was gonna do,
and they got it. And most of the people have said, like, yo,
(07:25):
my faith like has been inspired. Like it's like I
was not doing it all wrong, but like I didn't
know that I could do it like this. And that's
the thing. People don't know that they can actually bring
God into every area of their life, like I'd be
asking him, like, what are we were in today? You
know what? I should? You? Right? That color doesn't okay,
let's do that well, because scripture does say in all
(07:47):
thy ways. It doesn't say in all the ways that
you in the ways you compartmentalize, in all thy ways,
acknowledge God and he directs your path to my Actually,
my favorite scripture propertis three and six, Like where am
I going today? What am I supposed to be talking
about today? Who's supposed to come on my path? And
you have been so unapologetic about your faith. I don't
(08:11):
know if that's cliche or if we're tired of people say, oh,
you're so unapologetic about your faith. It's like, let's normalize
our faith. Yeah, I didn't know. Like when people asked me,
how are you able to be in Hollywood and also
be a Christian? And my answers very simple. I didn't
know how to choose. I wish somebody told me that
I was gonna need to choose that again, you don't
(08:34):
have to choose. I don't have to choose. And it's
also like you also have to like read the room too,
like I'm never going on sets, Like do you know him,
have you met him? And this is like when hold on, No,
that's that's not that's not you Sure you're not going
on stage with You're blessed oil never never never, not.
You're not laying hands on the set of Insecure and
people falling out speaking in tongues. No, that's not a
(08:57):
thing that I have done, um and six years and
you know there's nothing shows over so she put it
both um. So yeah, I know. I think I think
a lot of people mistake how people can see God
in your life. Right, It's not like, oh my God,
look at me, I'm'm Christian. It's just like no, like
do you show up on time? Do you love people?
Do you have a good attitude? You know? Are you
(09:18):
easy to work with? Like that's how people see the
God in you? Like so many people have God and
then they're just like they're just trash individuals. And it's
like I don't mean I don't want your Jesus, but
you don't want more. Um it's so for me, it's
just it's like it's it's lived out. It's lived out.
Like it's like you can't I don't walk around with
(09:40):
Nigerian T shirts all the time. But like you know
who I am absolutely absolutely in your book. You have
titles to your chapters right like faith it till you
make it, and fear is food poisoning, but regret is herpies.
What is the least sin about food poisoning at herpies? Yeah? Okay,
(10:04):
so let me let me definitely clarify. Um. Also, I
just want to let you guys go, this book has
comedy elements. It's so amazing. You know who you find it,
So you're not offended at anything. I'm not, I personally
am not offended. So but what that chapter is talking
about it is like, okay, so their analogy, so I'm
not saying that like if you have herpies, that's like
a regretful thing, like they're they are analogies. So fear
(10:28):
is to food poisoning. Um. And so what that means
is like when you get food poisoning, it sucks, but
you know that as soon as you throw it up
or go to the bathroom, it up and it's gonna
come out of one hole. As soon as it comes out,
you're back to being who you are. And that's what
fear is. Fear, like it keeps you hustled, you're you're
tied to the bathroom. You're tie You're like you still
(10:50):
with anxiety. You don't want to do it, You're you're nervous,
you want to weigh out. Please can please just come
out which hole? Like I just I wanted out of me?
And then once you push past it, once you get through,
once you throw it up and that you know you
need to do anyway, you get the reward. It's temporary,
so fear is temporary, like food poisoning. The herpies is
(11:10):
a permanent disease, so it's regret, So regret is it's perfect,
like as much as you can be, Like how many
times have you met people who get to a point
in their life like man, I wish, I wish I
would have done that different if they get sticks with
you can still go on with your life, just like
you can't but herpes. There's so many medications now, like
you can live a fulfilled life. Every once in a while,
(11:31):
though you will get a flare up. Every once in
a while though you will have a moment just kind
of like we regret, Like you will see somebody living
your dream, married to your man, driving your car, just
you know, decorating your house and you're like, yeah, I
would have pushed past the food poisoning. I wouldn't need
to have gotten here. Only I ast the fear. So
(11:54):
that's what that chapter is really talking about life. Fear
is food poison. It's temporary regret. Listen, it'll spring back
up when you least expected. And that home don't. Okay, okay,
this is so good as far as unpacking the word fear.
And in order for you to live the life that
(12:15):
you live, you ven you have to be fearless. I don't.
I don't think it's fear less. I think I had fear.
I still have fears. Comedies gets the credit of me
every time before I get on stage, like oh my god,
and the day like let's go, okay, yeah, this mean
what's going y'all? Y'all hear from me, That's what's up.
But like five seconds before, I'm just like Jesus and
(12:35):
did be any other way? You know? So fear less
sounds good, right, Like, no, I have fear. My faith
is just bigger than it. Wow. Wow. You had people
like Chris Rock talking about your book and Kerrie Washington,
and then there was some balance of people of faith.
(12:57):
Rachel Hollis like, I think that is so cool to
have that. How did it feel as you're writing the
book and those people that were approached that say, yeah,
of course we want to write about Ivan in this
amazing book. I mean, I'm so grateful to be able
to encompass so many different spaces. And like I said,
(13:19):
it's like, there are people that you won't expect who
are people of faith because so many people of faith
judge other people like if your faith don't look like this,
then you're like, then then you don't really love Jesus.
It's like wait what? Um? And for me, I was
grateful to have people who have seen me you know
Chris and seen me as a comedian, carry has seen
(13:39):
me as an actress, um, And you know who have
seen me and have seen the fruit in my life
and know like I have a symbiotic relationship with who
I say I am and what I do and what
I project out into the world. The day that I
don't take me out because what I'm not gonna be
is a lot. Yeah. So I think that authenticity that
(14:00):
you know, ability to be a chamillion and the Bible says,
you know, we gotta be all things all these not
necess to be all things all people, but like crafty
as a as a surfing wises the dove that part two, um,
and so I think it was it was really a
blessing to have the likes of Carry and Chris, like,
really sac book, They've seen my life. You know, sanction
(14:20):
in the book is almos kind of like sanction understanding,
like your my journey wasn't linear, it wasn't safe at all.
And to have them see and understand what I was
trying to do with the book and like really be like, yo,
you did that and not we appreciate you for that.
So it was great. What was the best part for
you writing the book or promoting the book because you're
(14:40):
a promo journey it seemed fun and on shows like
Ellen and all the amazing fun late night television shows.
For you, what was the best part of the journey. Well,
I I'm a people person. I love people. I'm actually
saddened that we were still kind of in the middle
of a shutdown. Wh know you felt that too, like
(15:01):
you couldn't do the book tours were virtual. Book tours
were virtual, and I love tangible touching people, and I'm like,
you know, and so I'm actually going out on tour now,
Like you know, I have an event at Barnes and Noble.
I have other book events popping up like all throughout
before the end of the year. So I'm I'm like,
(15:22):
giving the book the thing that it deserves. So I
just I love interfacing with this same here, same here.
I did a book signing in Houston the other day,
and I'm like, uhh, like you said, we want to
give this book what it deserves. As you were writing it,
was there anything you were like, yeah, this shouldn't go
(15:42):
in the book. Yeah, I mean I think I put
a lot in the book that maybe some people weren't aware.
Um very transparent. It wasn't. I'm not a sealationous person,
So I wasn't like, Oh, this is gonna be this
is gonna be the part that's gonna be juicy. Let
me add this so that I can really double the sales.
I'm no, it's not like I don't I care about it,
(16:04):
and so I'm not here. This wasn't an expose a
And you know, I'm sure there's some things that some
people read that they were not happy with, but I'm like,
you're part of my journey, and I had to be honest, right,
and I'm not trying to make you look bad, but
this is what happened, and this is how it made me.
I would impact with my journey and that and there's
(16:25):
reason for me including it in the book. Well, I
would tell them you can write your book too. I
just it's funny when people get ambjiate, like I'm like,
if you wanted the story to be different, maybe you
should have done something to maybe. I don't know. I
don't tell you, but um, you know, but I think
for me, writing it was definitely a journey, um, because
(16:49):
I found my voice in the midst. Normally you hope
hopefully you have your voice before you start writing a book. Um,
and I was there, and I'm so glad that I
wrote it myself. Else like you know, you know, obviously
they're like, you're fizzy. You know you're gonna have someone
write it, and I just was like, I want to
write it myself. And as I wrote it, things came
to me, new ideas, new ways of saying things, like
(17:11):
I think only I could write this book, not necessarily
physically right, but like only the way my mind works,
the way my heart is the way my journey was
and it was difficult because there were parts like I
didn't even know that I was like either holding things
back and um I had an editor I was like,
can you tell us more about this part of your life?
(17:32):
And I was like, wow, like that part is like
not the sexical and they were like yeah, but I
just like I know you as the hard worker, I
know you as this, but like I want to know
you and I was like, and so I think the
reason why that was missing was I was still on
the journey of discovering me and so I found it
(17:53):
while I found me while writing the book. And so
that's why the book does feel very personally, does feel
very ish because I was like, oh, hey, here is me,
and like I'm proud of her and she has come
a long way and she still has a long way
to go. It's amazing that you would say she still
has a long way to go, because some people could
(18:14):
look at your life and feel like she's made it
and you have, but you're like, I still have a
way to go. You know what you want to do,
and you know the woman that you can be and
the woman that you aspired to be, and I'm becoming
a new woman now. Like this book like the reason
why I wrote it when I did, because I was like, well,
that's the end of that chapter, and now there's a
new chapter being birth in my life, and I'm I'm
(18:36):
doing things differently the next book. I don't say contradict
this book, because I think this book is for a
specifically then and for a specific person, and for the
person that I was. Are there are elements of the
person that I was in this book that I've since
been like, Okay, well we don't have to do that anymore.
And that's okay because life is, you know, we're constantly growing,
(19:01):
we're constantly evolving, and it's like that actually worked. You
needed to be that, you needed to do that to
get you to where you are now. You don't need
it for the next journey. And it's just like okay, great,
and like that's hard because you're like, what, this works once,
and so many people do the thing that worked once
over and over and over again, hoping that it will
work again. When God is like, yes, it worked once.
(19:21):
But when I'm telling you now is that you drop
that thing and trust me in a new way. And
I'm like, oh, this is scary. But worth it. How
is your trust? It's good, Like I mean, I have
seen him work, so it's easy to I would say
easy to trust, but it's like I know it's going
(19:42):
to work again. And one thing I always help people
with me is check my fruit. Check the fruit. And
so if I can say that about me, it's like, oh,
well then yeah, check god fruit. And when you check
his fruit, I'm like, okay, so yeah, I gotta I
gotta trust you so for me, for the things that
I still want and things that I'm still believing for,
I'm kind of like, oh my gosh, it's gotta be
(20:03):
so good. Yes, I seeming we love these conversations that
you're just like you're have it out loud. I just
think you are absolutely awesome, fun, creative, and I want
to talk to you about that. You talk about your
(20:26):
journey from pre med to what you're doing now and
how it didn't necessarily come easy. And do you feel
though You're Nigerian background, has it helped spark creativity enrich it? Yeah? Do?
Your Nigerine is amazing like it is. It helped me
have the huffle that I needed. It helped me understand
(20:51):
the vision that I wanted to have and what I
wanted to create. It gave me kind of like a
foundation of who I am and you know what I
want it to saying how I wanted to say it.
And in this season, I'm actually, you know, when it
comes to the hustle part, I'm becoming less Nigerian. And
I say that would have Gonna saw it because even
being less Nigerian, my less than less Nigerian is still
(21:13):
like more than the average person. It's like I'm doing
less and my lesson is like somebody else is the most.
You know what I mean. But I imagine being full
throat on Nigeria, You're just like you're you're you're a
jack rabbit. Calm down. And So I appreciate the perspective
that comes from my cultures and I try to infuse
(21:35):
that and most of the things that I do, especially
things that I'm creating. I definitely infused my two worlds
in one and I love that perspective that I get.
While speaking of family, how has it been, how have
they been receiving this success? Like? What is it? Like? Oh?
They love it? My mom My mom is the local celebrity, Okay,
not the international celebrity. She she got recognized in l
(21:59):
A before I did. I was wait. They were like,
look out, we saw your mom and we were we
recognized her with the specially like you saw my mom's
not me. I was like, okay, cool, cool, cool, Hey
mine's after you go home, listen, you know what and
I know my mom. She definitely was not a fan
of me going into music. Um, we were to go
(22:20):
to college, get a degree, because you're gonna get a job.
You gotta get benefits for a one K, retirement, vision, dental,
all of those things. Because she wanted to make sure
that her children that we're okay, we have the things
we need. And it's so good to see. I have
seen my entire family become supportive and so I feel
(22:41):
the same for you, and so congratulations on that. Thank you,
because not even just my family culturally, you know, it's
like so many Nigerian kids in America are like, I
want to be a creative and difference like they're blaming you.
Well now now they're looking to me to be like, hey,
if you done even on GV saw how on that
(23:02):
Jimmy Kimo life, she's in Nigerian gel Okay, if you
want to do this active thing. Maybe if you can
be like you know, So it's kind of like it's
a pipeline because the thing, the reality is similar to
your parents. It's just fear. It's just the fear of
like will they make it? Will they be okay? Like
(23:22):
if they failed, as I mean we feel as a parent.
So it's not like they want to dismantle your dreams
because they're evil. They're just want to protect you. And
so now that you succeed, they're just like, oh my gosh, Okay,
if she can do it, she can create a pipeline
whereby the next person can do it. And so that's
that's what my success has actually done for the community
(23:46):
at large. So I'm grateful because when my mom saw
Lupizza when the oscar, she called me. I was like, this,
your friend has one on us. I'm like, I don't
know the woman. I don't I've never met her at
that point in my life. I was like, I know,
but like another African is successful. Okay, continue on, and
also back in your comedy, as we were talking about comedy,
(24:07):
you address romance when you share that all is fair
and love and food, what if any kind of backlash.
Have you gotten from that moment when you said that
you were if you were hungry, you would just go
on a date to get dinner. I mean that was
that was my best when I was broke. I feel
like most dudes know when they're on a foodie call,
(24:28):
they do, and most girls have done foodie calls. They're like,
that's why everybody was laughing. They were like, oh dang,
why I want a foodie call right now? This is
this tonight is my foody call moment. So while you
calling me out, I'm here for it. Speaking of the
fooding and traveling, I've just been loving the traveling that
you're doing. And if you don't mind, I did follow
your travel agent. Oh hit list, Jonathan, get ready to
(24:53):
get ready to get ready? You figure out how to
curate um some travel experiences because sometimes I travel alone
for work. But I'm like, have I really traveled alone
to see the world and not wait on a boo
or not to wait on a group of girlfriends for
us to go. So when you do travel, do you
(25:14):
ever feel like I want to share this with somebody? Yeah? Like,
um so, Jonathan, my travel a did before we book
a thing, like we're I'm you know, the last trip,
I said, he said, you want to go, and I couldn't.
I'm I'm so intecisive about like where I actually want
to go. I tell him how I want to feel,
because I said I want to feel romantic, and so
(25:35):
he was like okay, and I was like, yeah, I
want to do something on the water and he was
like Italy. I was like, you know, and then we
ended up with Tobino and it was like beautiful and
romantic and sexy. And then I was like, I also
want an element of culture in there, and I want
to be on the continent of Africa. Okay, because I
was gonna ask when you thought of Morocco, what was
(25:57):
the feeling that you wanted when you went there. I
was like, I want I wanted beautiful architecture, beautiful people.
I wanted good food, and I wanted to feel connected
and and then also like travel wives and makes sense.
I'm like, okay, you know it really here in Morocco.
Yeah that's just over there, because you know that that
(26:17):
also played a part, and yeah, you know when I go,
so we set up in the whole itinerary. So basically
I'm just like, let me do what I want to do,
and then I can open it up if people are available,
because on Moe Grew projects, if people are available, they're willing.
I'm like, hit up, Jonathan, he don't tell you where
I'm staying, you know, like he couldn't you like her
friends a different price um price points. So it's just
(26:40):
like it is what it is, and it's like, this
is where we're gonna be at. Some of my friends
were like, I'll meet you in nearly. I wouldn't be
staying at your hotel. I'll be close, you know, or
like I'll join on this part. And it just this
particular trip, it didn't work out like they did. Nobody
could come. Everyone has to make something working out. But
at the end of the day, I was like, if
nobody comes, I'm gonna have a good time because I
already created my enery. If somebody comes, great, we'll have
(27:02):
a good time because I already created my eye. Um.
And so it was one of the you know when
you talk about like do you ever feel like you
have to share things with someone? And yeah, the step
feeling came up and then it made me stop and say,
aren't you someone like you're sharing this with yourself. Are
you Are you in the moment taking it in? Are
you in the moment wishing somebody else was in the
(27:24):
moment with you? Oh? Are you that someone? Oh? Come on?
You know. And it's like I I fall in love
with me as I do like And it sounds like like, oh,
what does that mean? Like No, I'm just like I
I become childlike, like, oh my god, that's so pretty,
Like look at that? Can we go see the titles?
Like it's just like it's just like you you get
(27:45):
whimsical again, Like when as an adult are you able
to like almost have like childlike joy of just like
the little things that make you happy. We're so like
accustomed to be like being the boss and having to
make big decisions, and it's just like, oh my god,
can I have a Oh my god, I want a gelatto?
Wanted they feel good? Okay, I wanna have a gelatto
and sit and just watch the books go by. Oh god,
(28:08):
this is so pretty. Why did I get giddy when
you just you know said that? And it's just like,
and I think it's the more we give that to
ourselves when we do get a boot. It's like, my
favorite thing to do is to get on a boat
and eat gelatto, and like you have more specifics about yourself.
When someone says like, you know, what do you do
for fun? It's not just like oh, you know, I
(28:29):
just like to travel. Well what does that look like?
What does that mean? You know? It's like, oh, you know,
I'm I realized about myself, like I don't like to
be two books, Like I had to learn Nideraan and
me that was you know, poor, and now I got
some stuff. I was always like, you have to make
the most of everything, like so if you go, you
have to And I was like, or I can just
rest in this very expensive hotel and that's also fulfilling.
(28:54):
I need to get myself permission that that was okay,
because you know, we think like, oh, you know, you
can't waste any moment, and it's like, no, this is
not a waste. It's something to be said for women
to have that permission to do just that. Yeah, just
do whatever you want, like and sometimes like I learned
like it's ok to change my mind because sometimes I'd
(29:17):
be like, okay, you don't want to go outside and
just let the sun be on my back, and then
it's like it's okay, not go inside and watch a
movie on that week? Okay. And then and then it's like, okay,
I'm not going to read a book. And it's just
like it changes, like it's all it's like you all
about checking in. It's checking in with myself. Like sometimes
I'm like, okay, solf okay, So if you do feel sad,
(29:38):
what is it you're sad about? Are you sad that
like you don't know if you ever get married or
like that? They're just not here now Okay, I'm back
then okay, really really like okay, cool, do you know
what kind of love you want? All right, let's let's
let's walk quack okay, so what if he was here?
Like where where would you go here to put yourself
(29:58):
in a new vironment to meet somebody? Okay? Do I joined? Bumble?
And it's just like you just keep checking in with yourself.
And then so many, so often we the thing that's
in our mind, we just kind of like put it
in subconsciously. It's affecting us, so we might as well
just like tap into it and be like, hey girl,
what are you like what are you saying back there?
(30:19):
Because you keep talking but you're not really saying nothing,
So like, let me have a conversation with you and
let's get to the root of this. Let's get to
the bottom of this. Enjoy ourselves or we can know ourselves.
And you know, my my sister in love surprised me
because she was in Nigeria. So she was like, girl,
it's a for our flight to Morocco. I'm coming and
so she came for like two days and like that
was a welcome break. But I already by myself like
(30:43):
two and a half weeks, and so it was you
have those moments of like, oh, I got the chair,
and then you meet new people. I posted there was
a black woman who owns a guest house in Morocco
that was like, hey, we have mutual friends. I would
love to invite you to my guest house to eat dinner.
And I was like, you're black woman, and you know,
check with my friends. They're like, she's super cool. Got there.
(31:04):
There was another black woman visiting from l A and
then we all just had dinner toga because then you
made new friends and you're like, oh, this is great.
I think people confused loneliness and the lamp and alone.
I think people are afraid to do things alone because
if in their minds like it's lane, or like, who's
gonna take my pictures? I remember I was I was
(31:25):
visiting one of the places and there was a whole
entire professional photographer that saw my guy taking pictures of me,
and he had his long lands and he was like,
can you sit here? I would take this picture of you.
Looks amazing. I'll send it to you. That was it,
and then I attacked it. He didn't know me, he
did not seek anybody's English um, and he was just
like a dude visiting Morocco and took a picture. So
(31:48):
you're like, who's taking pictures? Like you'll find people? Yeah.
I was in Italy and I was like, do you
mind taking this picture of me with this bridge? Thank you? Yes.
I think I think maybe one of your captions in
my have even alluded to something like that. You did
such a great lesson on what it's like to check
in with yourself, and you said something that maybe say, okay, God,
I need you to bamboos or this doubt that I've
(32:12):
had when you mentioned will you ever get married? I'm
not saying that that's a long lingering thought of yours
or mine but sometimes it does cross my mind, like
am I supposed to be married? Am I enjoying you
know this time and what I consider freedom? But perfectly
in marriage that it doesn't mean bondage, that even more
(32:34):
freedom can happen. So thank you for sharing that. Yeah,
I mean when it comes to relationships and you know,
when you talk about trust, that's kind of what I
was alluding to. It's kind of like, I feel God
helping me become successful in my career is probably harder
than God finding me one man out of eight billion
people on the Earth the planet to connect with. I'm
(32:55):
just like, I feel like making it from like no
name performer to number two and cost you on HBO.
I think that was hard, and I'm like, if he
can do that, I'm pretty certain he can find me
somebody who will love it. Oh my gosh. You know,
I think so many people look at timelines and look
(33:15):
at Okay, well it hasn't happened by this day, so
will it ever happen? It's like what if what if
you're become like I'm not the same person I was,
and so had I met a man in it probably
wouldn't work Right now because I'm I'm a newer, upgraded
version of myself. I love that I turned to my
old lease and so now the things that I want
even now are different. And so I think I'm in
(33:38):
the best space to invite somebody into my life, even
though I probably was like I want to meet somebody.
It's like meet yourself first, and then after you meet yourself,
you can meet your bed and you know, and even
just in slowing down because it's we say things and
we don't do things that connect. Right, It's like I
want somebody when where when you're busy just going going
(34:00):
owned and I was in my hustling grind zone. Now
I'm actually like, oh my god, and not slowing down
to me the man slowing down because I wanted to
and end the slowing down. That's actually when somebody can
like run into me. And it's just like and I
will have time to cultivate somebody running into me. And
so it's it's something to to look forward to in
(34:21):
a way that I'm like, oh God, I'm inviting that.
And now my my energy towards this is not like
a thirsty like are you the one? Should I look
for another? It's like, uh, hi, I'm yeah, I'm interested,
I'm available. Actually, yeah, I can't have lunch on Tuesday. Wow,
oh come on, this is this is so good, y'all.
(34:42):
I'm so happy about this conversation because I know she
is smack dab in the middle of book promo, but
she is so many other things. And I couldn't finish
up the conversation without asking you about your fifth and
final season on the network, in which you said number
two on the call sheet insecure y'all are gearing up. Well,
(35:05):
you've already filmed pretty much the final season. And while
everybody it's sad to see this HBO series go, is
there any clues that you can give us in the
season for Molly Wow, Um, you want me to lose
(35:25):
these HBO checks? No, no, no, you see and see
there's something that you do sign you when you can
in d as you do not disclose. But I just
thought it was just between us two we Yeah, I
think I see the brand recording button like it is.
It is, it is, it is, And thank you for y'all.
(35:46):
She just also let me tell you something you can
always learn from someone because there's always something to be learned.
That was a master curving class. But I will say
we all saw pictures of the tears flowing the hug Xen.
When you see your favorite show, you think it's supposed
to just live forever eighty seasons. You know, we want
(36:09):
to see y'all turn into great grandparents. You know this
is not the show. Was it hard to be like, no,
I think we can go. Let's go to seven. Season
seven is a good number. I think Easter always had
the number in her head and she wanted to go
out on her own terms. You know, some sometimes you
(36:31):
see your favorite shows and you're like, I mean that's
a good series. Season six was like whatever, but like
it picks back up. It's like she never wanted a done.
She was like, we're gonna give the people what we're
gonna give and then we're gonna move on through other things, right,
And sometimes you have to, but you have to respect
a visionary because we selfishly want more. Heck, I'm like,
(36:53):
can we do a movie? And she's like no, the
answer is no, And you know it is because for me,
it's not even because I want more season, because like,
I enjoyed working with these people, I enjoyed tapping into
this character. I enjoyed gonna work. And I know that
I've been told that I'm not gonna speak that into
(37:14):
my life, but I've been told that nothing like that
all the time on set, Like everybody doesn't always get along.
You know, it's not always a family, people just being
their own trailers just like just called me when it's
time is just check Yep, that's it. And what I
don't want to like And I my prayer is that God,
like I know I may not be able to chase
(37:35):
the same high, but God, make it good, make me
have fun like I want to enjoy working. Wow, it
looks every bit of that. And author, actress, comedian, good friend.
I'm sure, daughter, you are also a host now, I
know you can tell us nothing about Insecure, but what
(37:57):
about other projects such as My Mom, I'm Your Dad
and Yearly Departed? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so people
don't know that. Before Um, I became Molly, I used
to host a lot, like in terms of like really
getting my comedy chops, host home Down, I hosted anything
with my baby, showers, funerals, commune, name it. I was there,
(38:18):
Um and that ability to kind of be off the
cuff and just the ability to improv and and connect
with audiences like that's something I do very well, and
so and sometimes you have to like give yourself credits
for the thing you know how to do very well.
And that's my that's fun. And so yeah, My Mom
Your Dad is a reality show where single parents get
(38:39):
hooked up by their kids or nominated by their kids
house where they can find a second chance of love.
And I love love, and so just the opportunity to
have this kind of microcosm of like oh who who
and like, you know, are they gonna repeat the same
mistakes so when they grow whatever whatever. So it's very
fun and then you really the ardent. I'm excited for
(39:01):
that to come out. We had a lot of laughs
on show, so it's me a host of other very
funny either female comedians or female comedy actresses. Um. And
it was written by a writing staff of all women.
It's produced by women. So it was really just like
I loved it because very rarely do you are you
(39:22):
able to work on a set where it's like a
show by black people, written by black people, it's all women,
written by women, produced by women. It's amazing. So yeah,
that was a very fun and very unique experience. And
I can't wait for you, guess to see the in December.
Well you Von, We just thank you so much for
taking time. Um, I know you've got a lot going on,
(39:44):
but I know myself and the listeners here, we just
thank you for checking in. Thank you for having me.
This is a good check. Wow. I just felt so
giddy as we were talking to Ivan. I'm gonna do
some more solo traveling. Um. Sometimes I get nervous because
(40:05):
I'm like, is it really safe to be traveling alone?
But with prayer, I'm just gonna command that the angels
follow me and protect me everywhere I go. I just
have been loving watching Evon's Instagram page as far as
all the places that she's traveled, Like I want to
go to Morocco, but I want to be booed up
when I go to Morocco. I want to go to Italy,
(40:27):
but I want to be booed up when I go
to Italy. And it's like, girl, don't wait till you
booed up. Go now if you can go now, y'all
go somewhere, Go someplace now, as long as it's safe,
because COVID is still lurking in these streets Okay, I
don't want to put fear of nobody, but we got
to be careful. Somebody I know not too long ago
(40:49):
they got COVID and I'm like dog on it. So yeah,
COVID is definitely definitely still lurking. Anyway, this episode, y'all,
I really hope that you were inspired as much as
I was to keep going, to really walk boldly in
those dreams. Go after them, go after them. Your dreams
(41:10):
are waiting for you to say, yes, all right, let's
do this. I want to hear your experiences and testimonies
by this time next year. Did you open that business,
did you go on that audition or did you have
to do something extremely difficult like um, well, opening up
a business and doing auditions. That's difficult too. But matters
(41:34):
of the heart, is there a relationship that you feel
like you gotta let go of. It's not that they're
a bad person, the relationship and the person just isn't
good for you. Maybe there for somebody else. Is there
a friendship that you probably have to you know, taper
a little bit as far as how much time you're
hanging out making the difficult decisions, so that by this
(41:55):
time next year, you can say, Wow, I had to
release the weight that's keeping me from running this race,
from keeping me from winning. Scripture says, lay aside every week,
that will keep you from running the race. So Van,
she was just so inspiring for so many of us
to keep going and really stay laser focused on that goal.
(42:21):
All Right, once again, thank you all for checking in,
Thank you for subscribing. We are growing and it's only
getting better. We're almost at the year anniversary of the
start of this podcast and I cannot do it without you,
so thank you. All Right, I'm looking forward to season two.
(42:41):
I'm speaking that season two of Checking In with Michelle Williams.
We had some great guests and vonn Orgie, I'm so
thankful that you were the guests for today. All Right, y'all.
(43:05):
Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production of I
Heart Radio and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from
I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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