March 4, 2022 • 42 mins
Erica Ash is a comedian, actress, singer, and model. She has been on MADtv, Survivors Remorse, and In Contempt.
She talks about her journey in the entertainment business.
Host IG: @itstanyatime
Guest IG: @theericaash
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, money Movers, Welcome back to Money Moves, the daily
podcast determined to give you the keys to the Kingdom
of financial stability, wealth and abundance. Erica, I am so
excited to have you on the show today. I literally
(00:22):
cannot contain my excitement. You know, one of the things
about our Money Moves podcast is no, not only do
you want to encourage people to make money moves, but
career moves, because career moves will get you to the
money moves. So super excited to have you on the
show today. How are you and welcome. I'm doing great.
I'm actually recovering. We just finished shooting my show Sacrifice
(00:44):
in New Orleans, so I got back the day before yesterday,
and the day I stepped into town, I think, my
god daughter, she's six, she can smell me. So she
was like, I'm coming over. We're having a sleep over.
I was like, got to get to sleep. She's like, no,
I love this. I actually, you know what, I'm a
huge fan of, like the six year old sleepover parties.
(01:06):
They're actually really intense, super fun and you won't get
any sleep. Yes, Auntie, life is the thing to be.
I get it. I have a two year old niece
and a sixteen year old and I love the auntie life. Okay,
so it is it is fun. So Erica. You know,
many people know you from your days on Survivor's Remorse.
I love love that show. I loved your character on there,
(01:29):
you know, and clearly you're just an overnight sensation because
that's what everyone assumes. But we want to know the truth.
Tell us about your journey, because it's never overnight. Um
in the world of entertainment and comedy. Tell us where
it really started and just the real tea. Okay. So
it started at Emory University with a pre mid um
(01:54):
track really to be a doctor from the time I
was in the room and it was, you know, something
that I was good at, but not something I was
really super interested in. So I literally took a break
between graduating undergrad pre med and going to medical school
so that I could just get my head together and
(02:14):
recoup before going into the other, you know, leg of
becoming a doctor. And it was during that time that
everything changed. Went to Japan, ended up falling into a
background singing gig. You know. The plan was to teach
English for a year, something simple and you know, just live.
I fell into a background singing gig my first week there,
(02:37):
and then that led to a modeling gig, which led
to an acting gig, which led to all these things.
It was just this weird, um organic experience that happened
that shifted me into performing arts. And I looked up
one day and I was modeling and acting and singing
and dancing, and I thought, I don't want to do
anything else. This is like I can express itself in
(03:00):
a completely different way. Paid off my school loans that
first year. I was like, oh, so I can make
money doing this too. I never looked back. So that
became my new career path. And then I moved back
to the States continued it. Um. I went to Broadway,
did TV shows, got into film, and then it's kind
(03:22):
of been. You know, it's been a process and I've
been learning on the job, which is really amazing. And
something that I know is, uh, it's it's a blessing. Look,
it's a miracle because a lot of people's paths aren't
quite like my. But I know that it's what I'm
meant to do that present. As I take the step,
(03:45):
the ground appears underneath. So oh, I love that you're
actually kind of giving me chills because it's you know,
I completely understand. I grew up in a very medical
family where it was like you're going to be a doctor,
and that's what you're gonna be, and oftentimes we just
sort of move along through life following the path of
like least resistance. But your story is so different, Like
you actually took went yolo and you were like, I'm
(04:07):
just gonna try this, and that takes a lot of courage. Um.
But then at the same time, the way you framed
it by saying like every step I took, the ground
just rose up behind me, like trusting yourself. That's beautiful.
And it didn't come. I mean, it didn't come immediately,
like I'm I'm giving you the cliff notes version. Yes,
there were a lot of like sitting in the corner trembling,
(04:28):
crying and that's like, oh my god, I'm broke. What
am I gonna do? There were a lot of those times,
and there were times where you know, the work didn't
come when I saw it it was gonna come, so
you're kind of scared. You're like, oh, okay, so the
money's run out. I didn't handle this quite well, so
you know, you're learning along the way. But I've I've
learned to embrace the journey, and I've learned to increase
(04:51):
my faith, and I've learned that the ground appears whenever
you take the step, even if it feels like you're
you know, like it's not there, it's not there, it's
not where. Oh you know. And I think my new
my philosophy, it's not new. It's been with me for
guiding you a long time. I feel now, Um, my
philosophy in life is you have to you have to
(05:16):
live the life that you'd want to read about when
you're old. Because your kids are not going to visit you. Listen,
I don't have any kids. I have two god children,
a godson a god daughter. Great I can give them back,
But those kids, they're not going to visit their parents.
You know who you're gonna visit. They're gonna use it
me because I gave them candy with them, we had fun.
(05:36):
Parents just told them what they had to do. Right.
So like, you can't trust that your children are gonna
do what you think your children are gonna do. You're
not gonna necessarily support you. You might be in like
a crappy old folks home, and then what are you
going to have? You're only gonna have your memories. So
I am so glad to have you today because I'm
(05:57):
creating this book for myself that I'm going to mentally
read when I'm old and don't feel like talking to
other old people. I love this. How important do you know?
I feel like I'm learning the older. I get all
these things, and I sometimes I look back and I
wish someone told me when I was younger, like you're
saying the fun Auntie who was like, be intentional about
what you want. And I think there comes a time
(06:18):
when you start to realize, like, as a young person,
you're just doing what you're supposed to do because this
is what people told you. And then when you actually
take the time to sit down and sort of choose
an intentional pathway for yourself, like that part becomes so
much more important. And people say it, but when did
you actually get it? Um? Okay, So I started doing
(06:41):
it when I was about twenty. I got it when
I was twenty six and from that point on because
it was like, you know, I was doing it, but
I was doing it in secret because I didn't I
didn't tell my parents until I was in it, until
I had something to show for what I was using
to do. So I had to wait until you kind
(07:02):
of get my feet under me. And then I realized
I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I can
just live for me. And that's what that's the realization
that came at about twenty six. So that's why I'm
sort of perpetually. Oh. I love that I'm always celebrating
my twenty six birthday because that's when I really felt
(07:22):
I came into my own that I was the most
free and I was like, I have money and I'm
still cute. I can go on the beach in a
string bikini and feel really great about that. You know,
they're like, yes, you make your money first, then you
can enjoy life. Well, people are decrepit by the time
(07:45):
they follow the norm. You know. It's like, sure, you're
you're a millionaire, but you're also sixty. You're also totally
nobody's looking. Yes, you know what I mean? Yes, And
I love this at Perpetual Eternal six And you know,
this is why we do this podcast so that you
guys can understand from as young as possible, or maybe
(08:05):
you get it at sixty and you make it work
for you either way. But like, these are the lessons
that you know your aunties will tell you. But we
were right. We were absolutely right. That's right, and it's
it's it's it's interesting because you know you have people
who are like, well, you're giving up family, you're giving
up having a husband, you're giving up having kids. And
(08:25):
I don't necessary what we see myself giving up anything.
I'm embracing the life that you created and shout Auntie,
who's popping and clicking all over the world. And then
I drop in give the kids how to dollars each
and they're all excited, and I leave again for another
three months, the aunty next time. It's wonderful. If that
(08:50):
stuff comes later, fine, I'll embrace it. But right now
I'm I'm loving me and I appreciate this candor. You know,
especially for black women. You know, the narrative is always
like when are you going to settle down and get
a husband and get kids because you'll regret it later.
So I think having these conversations are so important, especially
(09:11):
because you know black women are you know, some of
the are, without question holding some of the biggest businesses
we are the founding more small businesses. We are creating
wealth for ourselves and this idea that you know, we're
not successful or complete until we decided we've had our kids,
our husbands. Like, the more we talk about it, just
we can break away from those myths and misconceptions, because
(09:34):
I just think it's a bar that like someone created
that we're supposed to uphold ourselves to and it's kind
of false. It is kind of false. And I mean, like,
think about this, and and let me preface this by
saying kudos to everyone who has decided to become a
mother and bring forth life and you know, keep human
beings going. I salute you, like with my god children.
(09:59):
The fact I have one day maybe a week that
I see them and I'm exhausted, and not only that
they do that full time. Hats off to you. Congrat Listen,
you're amazing. That being said, what am I really giving
up by not having kids dress, looking older before my time,
(10:22):
not taking or having the time to take for myself
being completely you know, worried about someone seven having to
give to them before I give to me. All these
things that you're striving to do that take away from
the things that you can be doing for yourself. Again,
(10:44):
I appreciate people who are doing that. That's just not
my ministry. I love it. I love this gospel, and
I just I appreciate it so much because you know,
we could go on forever about this, but I I'm
gonna see us to a couple of different things because
I really want to be able to highlight your career
arc and the trajectory that you've taken. You know, and
(11:06):
a lot of people know you For Mary Charles, your
character was just phenomenal and just something so bright and
shiny on TV that I think a lot of people
hadn't seen. UM and Survivor's Remorse, which was also filmed
here in Atlanta. UM, talk about you know what brought
you to that point, because you talked about Broadway, all
these other all these other places that got you there.
(11:27):
But let's dive into Survivor's Remorse, UM and talk a
little bit about that. Okay, Well, when I first auditioned
for Survivor's Remorse, I auditioned for the Missy character. See yeah,
she's the one, Yeah, the cousin. Um, that's what they
sent me first. And I just knew, you know, I
(11:49):
was going to nail that maybe the night they sent
me the week in advance, and then the night before
the audition they were like, oh, also we want you
to read this character and I writ and I was
like Mary Charlotte what? I was like, okay? So, I
mean I literally learned it like spur of the moment,
and I was focused on Missy. So get into the
(12:10):
room sitting with Vick Levin, who was the person who
auditioned me, and I nailed Missy like I nailed it.
I was like, it's hard for us probably to picture
this in our brain because we see you was married
Charles and there's such different characters, which is also testimony
to your acting. Chops, thank you, I will appreciate that.
Um so yeah. So, like I auditioned for both and
(12:32):
then I didn't hear from them for like a couple
of months. So I was like, oh, well, I guess
I didn't get that role. You know, then they can't.
They called me back and they said, hey, remember that project.
They want you to come back in and read again
for married Charles. I was like, a what project? Because too,
(12:53):
you know, like with the actors, you gotta just keep going,
you know, we hear no every single day, so it's
like you gotta like rush it off and keep going
and keep it pushing. So I had forgotten about it,
and then when they said Mary Charles, it didn't ring
a bell because I was so focused on Missy for
that particular project. So I came back in um audition
(13:15):
for Mary Charles and I was like, so, like, what
about like missing? They were like, oh, yeah, we really
see you as more married Charles. And I was like,
can I pull that off? Because it was my first,
you know, real lesbian role, and I was like, I
don't think people are going to believe that I'm lesbian.
People still stop me and they're like can I get
(13:36):
your number? And they're like you want to go out?
And I'm like no, I'm really like I played a character. Yeah,
I was, so I just I really didn't think that
I could pull it off. I was like, nobody's gonna
ever believe. That's how you know you nailed it when
you're getting all the women's numbers, all of them still
like they're still in my d M, Like so for real,
(13:58):
stop playing. I'm like, okay, girl, I don't know what
to tell you, but yeah, And so I ended up
I ended up becoming um Mary Charles. And it's funny
because Roenrico Lee and I, who coincidentally went to this
Dame High school. He's the older same high school. Um.
We were the first two to be cast. So they
(14:21):
were at you know, they brought us in for chemistry
tests with the other characters, and we met um you know,
at the chemistry test, and we were just talking and
we were like, well, these guys are from Boston and
I was like, He's like, well, I was thinking about
doing the Boston act. And I was like, oh my god,
me too. And then like are we gonna do it
(14:41):
at the table read. I'm like, yes, I'm totally gonna
do it. He's like, I'll do it if you do it.
I was like, I'm gonna do it. We get to
the table read, his character goes first and he speaks
with the regular act and I was like, this dude
played me. I was like, I don't care. I'm going
for it. So I did it with my Boston accent.
(15:02):
And then at the end they were like, who was
that chip with the Boston accent? I was like maybe.
They were like keep it, we love it, and I
was like, ah, but you knew it in your gut.
This is your whole thing, right, You're like, I'm doing
this with the Boston accent. Okay, those people over there
they didn't do it, but I know what I have
to do to get to like I feel that about
you for sure. Yeah. And it was interesting because people
(15:25):
were like, how are you the only one with the
Boston accent. I was like, if you see Braxton family values,
all the all the Braxton sisters, all of them have
different accents, like they're all from different families. Just listen
to them, you know. So I'm like, it works, it works,
it works really great. Um. So talk a bit more
like going back. You know, you came from you went
(15:47):
to med school, and you sort of took this left
turn to go pursue acting in comedy. What were some
of the pitfalls that you learned? You talked about being
broke and now you get these great jobs and roles
if you look back, can you tell us some of
them major pivotal steps that were crucial to your success? Absolutely? Um,
and I have to correct you. I didn't go to
med school and yes, because you know, people stawed me
(16:11):
like where'd you go to med school? I'm like I
didn't say that. I said before med school, I found
that you can probably do um. So I think some
of the major pit fault, some of the major pot
faults I was able to avoid because I'm I'm very
observant and I always watched around me and see what
(16:33):
people are doing, and I fall in step. And that's
one of the benefits of being an army brat. You
kind of, you know, pick up in the surroundings and
figure out what you know, what other people doing, and
you fall in line pretty quickly because you're only in
each spot for three years. Right. So one of the
things I saw a lot and still see a lot
with actors, and I wish they would just have classes
(16:54):
for this is there's this notion that soon as you
become an actor, you're automatically rich. So then you have
all kinds of cousins, fam they see you on a
Guico commercial, Suddenly you've got a million dollars, you know,
So you've got family asking for cars and houses and
(17:16):
I need to be and somethings, and the actors feel
like they have to live up to that standard. And
then it's buying this for this person, that for that person,
and then the next thing, you know you're broke. So
that's the first thing I learned is saying no, and
that you know, um, there are a lot of there's
(17:37):
a lot of backlash, and I think that crosses so
like you know, for a lot of us that our
first generational wealth, or they've sort of made it, or
they've taken elevated their status, you know, to the next
level then perhaps they had with their family. This is
tough because you want to do more for people, but
you have to be conscious that you can only do
so much with so much. And this keeping up with
(18:00):
of Jones is I have to be famous and look
the part. Just say no, right, say no. Say no
to giving your money to family and friends, that's the
first thing. And also say no to having a zillion
people on your team. My gosh, not everybody can be
Candy Birth. She got a job for everybody, but it's legit,
(18:23):
like she can afford to employ everybody. I always think
about I always think about Ditty and Faunsworth Bentley. He
had somebody who holds an umbrella for him. When you
get to Ditty status, you can have someone to do everything,
but until then you put your own shoes on you're
not Beyonce. You have to put lotion on your own legs.
Absolutely absolutely, even you know, like having like the styles
(18:47):
and the publicist and the manager and the agents and
the lawyer and you know, all these team members whittle
it down to something that makes sense to you. And
it's a lot to keep up with. I mean, I
don't have this big, tremendous team because I don't need it,
Like in reality, what is the point. So that's that's
the second thing I learned. The third thing I learned
(19:10):
is find ways to make your money grow. Actors have
a shelf life, whether we'd like to admit that or not.
And there are a few exceptions to the rules. When
you look at actors over the age of you know,
sixties seventy who are black women, there ain't a lot.
(19:32):
There isn't a lot. You need to make sure that
you're putting your money in something, whether it be real estate,
which is you know that's my bag, or stocks or
you know these these bitcoin you know, um, the cryptocurrency. Yeah, like,
find find the thing that resonates with you and you
(19:53):
don't have to do what everyone else is doing, like
everyone is into the cyberpoints. I don't really necessary really
fully get it. But I really really get real estate.
So that's what I'm putting my money into. So that's great.
That's a really good example. So what drew you to
real estate? And talk about some of the investments. Are
you commercially investing just buying homes? Um? I love that
(20:16):
you have the foresight and vision to protect your cash
erica cash. Yeah, no, it's you know, I I do both.
So I have um residential properties and UM some are
bigger scale, some are smaller scale, and I just you know,
(20:38):
and I rent them out. Some of them I rent out,
some of them I own with other people. UM, come on, mogul,
you know, just a just fuel building. You don't have
to be shot here. We uplift you, black woman, thank you.
I mean, at the end of the day, you're going
to have to figure out how to take care of yourself.
I think that's everyone's charge to figure out how to
(20:59):
take care of yourself and be the absolute best person
that you can be, because even if you're married, that's
the thing. I think people rush to get married so
they can have this person who's going to take care
of them and do everything. But you need to be
just to even say you did it. Be self sufficient,
be able to pay your own bills, be able to
(21:20):
take care of yourself in the long run. If something
happens to your significant other, you know, as we saw
unfortunately with Kobe Bryant, you know what happens to the
family that you leave behind if that person isn't savvy
enough to at least understand how to pay those bills,
take care of things, understand where the money goes, wise
(21:42):
investments so that the money can grow and can appreciate
those investments. All those things really matter. And so for me,
you know, um, I invest in a few different things,
like I have stocks, and you know, I know the
people who are investing my stock. We invest together. We
(22:03):
love this my money to someone and say okay, do
this thing and then walk away. Now I need to
know what they're investing in and why they chose this
over that stock, and you know what what is going
to be the outcome of that? How soon will I
see returns? You know, and then make decisions wise decisions
(22:26):
with them. I liked informed consent. I love this because
you know, for so you're you're talking about the plight
of so many people who are wealthy or famous who
just think, let me just have somebody else manage it.
But the key to making your money grow is to
be actively involved and to put your money into things
that you're interested in. If it's just sitting over there
(22:47):
in something where somebody told you to do it, you
have no passion for it, you have no time. You
don't want to deploy your extra two seconds that you have,
you know, on something that you're not interested in. But
this is how you really can foster your money to
grow on its own. This is how you make money
when you sleep, absolutely absolutely, And I'm a huge supporter
(23:09):
of that, I really am. And I've and this is
a trial and error thing, you know, I've I've made
the mistake of giving my money to someone and not
really understanding what they were doing with it, and having
that money go away and me being devastated because it
was a nice chunk of change. Um yeah, yeah, but
(23:30):
I find him, Um but yeah, no, you know, And
then I've and then I've learned from that mistake, and
then I've seen other instances where someone's done something amazing
with my money and made it grow substantially. And then
you know, I've invested and I've put my money into
things and made it grow myself and that gives me
such a feeling of satisfaction. And you know it's it's
(23:53):
all trial and error, but you learned from to take
the jump. Yes. Um, so let's go back specifically again, um,
with some pointers for you know, those of us in
the Money Moves audience that are looking to get into
entertainment art. What were some of the key people that
helped to mentor you or what should people look for
when they're trying to sort of make their break into entertainment.
(24:16):
Is it, you know, key people that took you to
the next level? Was it education? Was it classes? What
were the career moves that really stood out to you?
That's a great question. Um. I think be willing to
allow all kinds of people to be your teacher. That's
(24:37):
one thing. Uh, I think even before that, make sure
you love it because acting is not this super easy
glamorous thing to fall into that people assume. You know,
it's long days, long hours. I mean when I had
my show in Contempt, I was working six days a
(24:57):
week in Canada, and I know I really enjoyed in
Toronto was amazing, But you know that it was. It
was a lot of work. You know, six days a week,
twelve to twenty two hours a day, and you know
you're getting up and you're learning pages and pages of dialogue.
(25:20):
You're having to remember that, remember where you're supposed to stand,
make sure you hit the camera at this on this
particular word, match your you know, match your last take it.
And and also you ever been in an argument, yes,
and then after the argument you're like exhausted. Yes, that's acting. Yes,
(25:41):
you're literally it's it's like arguing all day. It's a
heightened sense of emotion. Right, you're conveying this story that
someone has written or you have written, but you're doing
in the way that's heightened from what we normally do
in everyday life. So that takes a different kind of exertion.
(26:02):
That's a lot of work athletes in the sense of physical,
but we're certainly emotional athletes, and so it takes a
lot out of you and you have to really really
take care of yourself. Um. There were lots of people
that helped along my journey in the sense of being
the example, whether they knew it or not. I didn't.
I've never had a mentor that I've asked to mentor me.
(26:25):
But I've certainly watched everyone that I've worked with two
you know, to glean from them things that could help me,
you know, whether it was acting um little uh sort
of things that could boost my acting career, or if
(26:46):
it were things that could boost my financial career outside
of acting. You know, I just kind of watched and learn.
For example, when I was in the line king, there
was a guy there who, yeah, I was not in
the line king, it's um. There was a guy in
my company who invested in Section eight housing just slowing away,
(27:09):
and he was the person that turned me on to
getting into real estate. He literally had a house in
every city that we would travel to because I was
on tour with them, and I thought that's really cool.
And he just he was so easy and so secure
and settled, whereas there are other people in the company
(27:30):
who had been in the company for like ten years
before I got there, who were living paycheck to paycheck.
I mean, that's a lot of America, no matter what
industry you're in, right, because it's like when does it
I mean, what if you break a leg right exactly?
And that and I did Actually I actually parked my
ankle on Survivors and yeah, yeah, I know there was
(27:53):
a there was a season where towards the I want
to say it's either three, yeah, I think it was
the third season. Towards the end of it, all of
my scenes were sitting down, like being the living room
or being the Judy parlor. But I was sitting down
every single episode from like maybe the last the last
(28:13):
third of the episode. And it was because I had
broken my ankle working around it. And see those are
little fun tips you guys that you would never know
unless you tuned into the Money Means podcast to find out. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
this is the first time I've ever mentioned that and
on an interview. So okay, Erica, you are sort of
(28:33):
this incredible jack actress of all trades. You know, you're smart,
you went to premed, You're into comedy, dance theater, you
can sing and you can dance. What was it about
this Either you're just so super talented that acting was
going to be your birthright or yes that's the answer.
I agree, I agree, But I want you to be
(28:54):
able to tell us some stories about you know, it
feels like you were open to exploring so many opportunity
needs as opposed to being sort of tunnel vision and
there's only one way that I'm going to get to
where I want to get in terms of my acting career.
So how do you sort of frame this for yourself?
It's so funny that you that you brought that up.
I remember when I first started out. I was in
(29:15):
Japan and I had some friends. Friends. I made these
business cards and it said Erica Ash actress thing or
model dancer, and they were like over the who and
every time they would seeing my card, they would laugh
at me. But I was like, I am all those
(29:36):
things right, like okay. So now it's funny because they,
you know, like they'll they'll find me on on social
media and they'll be like, wow, you like really did
all of these I'm like I told you back and
day that I'll get check chack chat thing. You never know.
Most people know me as an actress, and then they
(29:57):
find out that I used to model, then they find
out that I used to dance, they find out that
I was on Broadway, they know me as the TV
film actress. But I always say, you never know how
your path is going to turn out, so you have
to be open and willing to do all the things.
I mean, reason right, like you don't wanna you don't
(30:20):
wanna do something that's like morally unsound or that's gonna
hurt other people. But even if it's something that you
can't see the direct connection to what you ultimately want
to do, do the thing, and do that thing. Well.
There are so many people and I have a few
people who still remain nameless, but people in my life
(30:44):
who they see where I am right now and they
think I want that, which is completely fine, but they
want they'll turn down everything that could be leading them
to this because it's not this. And I'm like, even
I did get here right away. I did all those
things that you keep turning down, you know, like I
(31:06):
remember one time I was a a prop master and
in a show. I remember, um, I was an extra
one time. I remember um I was part of an
ensemble once, you know, before I became not in the
Lion King, I did all those things that led to
(31:28):
me becoming the actress that you now know. And people,
you know, it's like nobody wants to rule up their sleeve,
but they want these dishes done, they want these beautiful
play settings, and I'm like, you have to take the
time to set it up. And if you don't do that,
then you're not going to get to where you want
to go. I don't care who you are. Beyonce did
(31:51):
it like Obama did it. There are things, there are
steps along the way, and I you know, people look
for this quick fix, in this easy way. But you
know they say life is a journey. You're telling me
you just don't want to live life at all. You
just want you just want to be there, And that's
not what the universe is here to do. Because all
(32:12):
those things along the way, that's what teaches you and
bring you to the place that you need to be.
Absolutely it gives you the experience that you can use
as an actor. Had I not done all the things
that I have done before, had I not tried all
these various jobs, met all these people who were not
(32:33):
on the top, you know, and shared our experiences, I
wouldn't have those things to draw from as the actor
that I am today. So it's really I always say,
the power of yes is so amazing. Say yes two
things and then and then go like, let your faith
guide you. You know, I didn't think that I was
(32:54):
going to be an actor. I thought I was going
to be a doctor. So even when I went to
Japan and I said yes to a singing gig, I
didn't see how that was going to leave me to
being a doctor. But sometimes the universe like nudges you
in ways that you don't can't even imagine, and that's
just the beauty of it. And I think the younger
people figure that out the better. You know, it's about
(33:16):
exploring those things that you might not even dreamed about,
and then your dreams just get bigger and bigger and bigger. Um.
There's a great book I don't know if you've ever
read a Shawnda Rhymes, you know she's just incredible, Um,
The Year of Yes. And it's just about saying yes.
We're so conditioned to be hesitant and fearful and like
well what if and with anxiety, but just say yes, yolo, Yes, absolutely,
(33:40):
It's it's super important. Um. And I also think that
there's a fear that if they say yes to this
other thing, it will take them down the road that
they didn't plan for themselves. But that's exactly what life
is supposed to be. Yes, you know, you can't stop
saying yes, happen to take me down the road of acting. Right, Yeah,
two people looks super glamorous and it's this amazing thing.
(34:04):
But that's not what I had in my mind. I
was going to be a doctor, which you know, I
know doctors do this, doctors make this. After this certain time,
it was a very set lifestyle, right, and saying yes
to all those things took me in this direction and
now I'm living something way better than I could have
(34:27):
ever imagined. Now, imagine you're thinking about being an actor,
but you say yes to all these various things and
next thing you know, you're the producer, you're the director,
you're the person giving the actors the job, and you're
making even more money. Sometimes, you know, it's just you.
I think you have to be willing to release your dreams.
(34:50):
You know what they are. You set your attention, you
give it to God, the universe, and then you allow
the universe to guide you to what you're best self.
So this happens to be my best self. But acting
is not for everyone. It's just glamorous, yes, right, but
(35:11):
there are so many ways to to be on a platform.
I mean, look at all these people who do these
ted talks. You know, absolutely to be in the spotlight
if that's what you're craving, but not necessarily to be
an actor. You can do hosting, you can do so
many engagement you can you can be a motivational speaker
(35:31):
on your own Instagram. I mean, there's so many different
ways to do it. And you know, I think one
of the keys that I'm learning more and more is,
you know, sometimes your dreams will surprise you, and sometimes
you actually have to ask the universe to like allow
yourself to dream even bigger than you can even imagine.
There's this quote it's like, if your dreams don't scare you,
(35:52):
you're not dreaming big enough. Like that's how you tackle life. Um,
and they should be scary, says um. God will do
exceedingly and abundantly above all you could ask or think. So,
you know, if acting is the biggest you can think of,
just just wait, like imagine the kind of you know,
(36:13):
what you can be, because you can't even imagine imagine
as much as you can, because you won't be able
to imagine the blessings that will come to you once
you step out on that fagge. Yes, this is so
like I just want to shut off all the cameras
and get back to work because I'm so excited and motivated.
I mean, I am working. I don't know, but if
this is the beauty of that when you're working and
(36:34):
you're like, is this work? Pinch me? It's really good. Okay.
So I have a couple more questions because I was
a huge fan of Survivor's Remorse. I loved that TV show,
So like, please tell us the t on where Mary
Charles would have been now, because you know, and if
you've gone on to other things, what is Mary Charles doing? Oh?
(36:55):
If I had my brothers, I really think Mary Charles
was on her way um to being a boss. Like
I think that Mary Charles would have her own business.
You know. I loved that character because it was a
young black girl from the wrong side of the tracks,
just good. And that's the thing that drew me in.
(37:18):
You know, she was she was rough around the edges,
but she was using the opportunities that were in front
of her to try to better herself. She ended up
in school, you know, she ended up being really good
friends with the owner of the teams, and I think
that with those two things, she would have scored a
(37:38):
fantastic job, possibly started her own pr firm or something similar.
And you know, she probably had a few girlfriends. I
don't think. I don't think that Mary Charles was the
was the family type, but she might you know, she
might have or one main girlfriend, you know, something like that.
And but I do think that she would be very successful,
(38:00):
you too. I think she was just really grounded. Okay,
And so tell us, now what's coming up for you,
Erica ash Um. I'm excited. Um, Paula Patton and I
just completed, uh the taping of our first season of
our new series called Sacrifice. And you take that in
(38:22):
New Orleans. In New Orleans, Okay, So tell us about that. Yes,
but it takes place in Los Angeles. The world is
set in Los Angeles, but you know, everything's in Atlanta
on the worlands these days. Um, and I play kind
of a nemesis, like my mother would ask me. She's like,
are you a good guy or backgam like kind of boat.
(38:43):
So Paula is you know, Paula is the star. I'm
her nemesis. So we're kind of, you know, squaring off
a lot in the show. Um. But I'm on the
right side of the law. Okay, I played, I know, right,
I like district attorney and she's a lawyer. Um for
(39:05):
the quote unquote bad guys, So you kind of have
to decide from episode to episode who's a good guy
and who's the bad guy. I like this dynamic, Okay,
I like it. I like really good and she's definitely
a worthy opponent. So so I thought it was really
a lot of fun playing opposite her. You just finished,
you have some downtime. Now, are you just right back
(39:25):
up and running? I am actually right back up and running.
As a matter of fact, I was sending some things
off while I was on the plane. Um. But it's
good because I'm sort of it's an easy it's an
easy thing that I'm doing now, So I'm able to
kind of rest and work a little bit, and I'm
(39:47):
back in my space. So that always makes life easier
for me because I'm amongst my own things. Everything is familiar,
and you know, I can be a lot more relaxed
when I come home. Eric, guys think so a pleasure
talking with you. As we go out, I'm gonna ask
you a couple of questions. So what do you do
to unwind, relax, relate, release. Um, Now that you've got
(40:08):
some downtime between projects. I like naps a lot, so
I'm a big napper. And and I like to travel.
I like going from places off the grid so that
you can't reach me, you know, unless I decide to
go into a cafe that may or may not have internet.
That sounds great. Yeah. And I just and I just
(40:31):
like I like like and dressing down. So like my
perfect vacation is somewhere like you know, Thailand or you know, um,
just south of the border where I could just wear
move some Thai pants and nothing. That's it. Yeah, something easy,
you know, um, that's my or beach somewhere. Okay, that
(40:52):
sounds great. So as we close out, please tell us
where we can find our next projects, When are they
going to be released, and where can we look to
find more of your magic on screen? Well, Sacrifice is
going to be streaming on b et plus. Um. I
do have a couple of other projects that are coming
up that I can't speak going just yet, but I
will be posting on my social media as soon as
(41:13):
they give us a green light along with the release
date for the first season of Sacrifice. All that can
be found on at the Erica ash t h e
E R I C A A S H. And that's
on all social media Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Um, yeah, so
follow me at the Erica ash and I'll keep you posted.
(41:33):
Thank you so much. You have been incredible. Thank you
for dropping so much wisdom, perspective, and I hope you
guys took notes so that you can also live your
most infinite and abundant life. Um, as we move forward
on the Money Moves, dropping some career moves and all
this excellent and black Girl Magic Erica, thank you so
much for having us. Thank you so much for being
(41:55):
here today. I feel like you had me here. This
was fun. I really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you,
Thank you, and Money Movers please stay tuned. We'll have
more coming up next. Thank you so much for tuning
in Money Moves audience. If you want more or a
recap of this episode, please go to the bank Greenwood
dot com and check out the Money Moves podcast blog.
(42:22):
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Hey, money Movers, Welcome back to Money Moves, the daily
podcast determined to give you the keys to the Kingdom
of financial stability, wealth and abundance. Erica, I am so
excited to have you on the show today. I literally
(00:22):
cannot contain my excitement. You know, one of the things
about our Money Moves podcast is no, not only do
you want to encourage people to make money moves, but
career moves, because career moves will get you to the
money moves. So super excited to have you on the
show today. How are you and welcome. I'm doing great.
I'm actually recovering. We just finished shooting my show Sacrifice
(00:44):
in New Orleans, so I got back the day before yesterday,
and the day I stepped into town, I think, my
god daughter, she's six, she can smell me. So she
was like, I'm coming over. We're having a sleep over.
I was like, got to get to sleep. She's like, no,
I love this. I actually, you know what, I'm a
huge fan of, like the six year old sleepover parties.
(01:06):
They're actually really intense, super fun and you won't get
any sleep. Yes, Auntie, life is the thing to be.
I get it. I have a two year old niece
and a sixteen year old and I love the auntie life. Okay,
so it is it is fun. So Erica. You know,
many people know you from your days on Survivor's Remorse.
I love love that show. I loved your character on there,
(01:29):
you know, and clearly you're just an overnight sensation because
that's what everyone assumes. But we want to know the truth.
Tell us about your journey, because it's never overnight. Um
in the world of entertainment and comedy. Tell us where
it really started and just the real tea. Okay. So
it started at Emory University with a pre mid um
(01:54):
track really to be a doctor from the time I
was in the room and it was, you know, something
that I was good at, but not something I was
really super interested in. So I literally took a break
between graduating undergrad pre med and going to medical school
so that I could just get my head together and
(02:14):
recoup before going into the other, you know, leg of
becoming a doctor. And it was during that time that
everything changed. Went to Japan, ended up falling into a
background singing gig. You know. The plan was to teach
English for a year, something simple and you know, just live.
I fell into a background singing gig my first week there,
(02:37):
and then that led to a modeling gig, which led
to an acting gig, which led to all these things.
It was just this weird, um organic experience that happened
that shifted me into performing arts. And I looked up
one day and I was modeling and acting and singing
and dancing, and I thought, I don't want to do
anything else. This is like I can express itself in
(03:00):
a completely different way. Paid off my school loans that
first year. I was like, oh, so I can make
money doing this too. I never looked back. So that
became my new career path. And then I moved back
to the States continued it. Um. I went to Broadway,
did TV shows, got into film, and then it's kind
(03:22):
of been. You know, it's been a process and I've
been learning on the job, which is really amazing. And
something that I know is, uh, it's it's a blessing. Look,
it's a miracle because a lot of people's paths aren't
quite like my. But I know that it's what I'm
meant to do that present. As I take the step,
(03:45):
the ground appears underneath. So oh, I love that you're
actually kind of giving me chills because it's you know,
I completely understand. I grew up in a very medical
family where it was like you're going to be a doctor,
and that's what you're gonna be, and oftentimes we just
sort of move along through life following the path of
like least resistance. But your story is so different, Like
you actually took went yolo and you were like, I'm
(04:07):
just gonna try this, and that takes a lot of courage. Um.
But then at the same time, the way you framed
it by saying like every step I took, the ground
just rose up behind me, like trusting yourself. That's beautiful.
And it didn't come. I mean, it didn't come immediately,
like I'm I'm giving you the cliff notes version. Yes,
there were a lot of like sitting in the corner trembling,
(04:28):
crying and that's like, oh my god, I'm broke. What
am I gonna do? There were a lot of those times,
and there were times where you know, the work didn't
come when I saw it it was gonna come, so
you're kind of scared. You're like, oh, okay, so the
money's run out. I didn't handle this quite well, so
you know, you're learning along the way. But I've I've
learned to embrace the journey, and I've learned to increase
(04:51):
my faith, and I've learned that the ground appears whenever
you take the step, even if it feels like you're
you know, like it's not there, it's not there, it's
not where. Oh you know. And I think my new
my philosophy, it's not new. It's been with me for
guiding you a long time. I feel now, Um, my
philosophy in life is you have to you have to
(05:16):
live the life that you'd want to read about when
you're old. Because your kids are not going to visit you. Listen,
I don't have any kids. I have two god children,
a godson a god daughter. Great I can give them back,
But those kids, they're not going to visit their parents.
You know who you're gonna visit. They're gonna use it
me because I gave them candy with them, we had fun.
(05:36):
Parents just told them what they had to do. Right.
So like, you can't trust that your children are gonna
do what you think your children are gonna do. You're
not gonna necessarily support you. You might be in like
a crappy old folks home, and then what are you
going to have? You're only gonna have your memories. So
I am so glad to have you today because I'm
(05:57):
creating this book for myself that I'm going to mentally
read when I'm old and don't feel like talking to
other old people. I love this. How important do you know?
I feel like I'm learning the older. I get all
these things, and I sometimes I look back and I
wish someone told me when I was younger, like you're
saying the fun Auntie who was like, be intentional about
what you want. And I think there comes a time
(06:18):
when you start to realize, like, as a young person,
you're just doing what you're supposed to do because this
is what people told you. And then when you actually
take the time to sit down and sort of choose
an intentional pathway for yourself, like that part becomes so
much more important. And people say it, but when did
you actually get it? Um? Okay, So I started doing
(06:41):
it when I was about twenty. I got it when
I was twenty six and from that point on because
it was like, you know, I was doing it, but
I was doing it in secret because I didn't I
didn't tell my parents until I was in it, until
I had something to show for what I was using
to do. So I had to wait until you kind
(07:02):
of get my feet under me. And then I realized
I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I can
just live for me. And that's what that's the realization
that came at about twenty six. So that's why I'm
sort of perpetually. Oh. I love that I'm always celebrating
my twenty six birthday because that's when I really felt
(07:22):
I came into my own that I was the most
free and I was like, I have money and I'm
still cute. I can go on the beach in a
string bikini and feel really great about that. You know,
they're like, yes, you make your money first, then you
can enjoy life. Well, people are decrepit by the time
(07:45):
they follow the norm. You know. It's like, sure, you're
you're a millionaire, but you're also sixty. You're also totally
nobody's looking. Yes, you know what I mean? Yes, And
I love this at Perpetual Eternal six And you know,
this is why we do this podcast so that you
guys can understand from as young as possible, or maybe
(08:05):
you get it at sixty and you make it work
for you either way. But like, these are the lessons
that you know your aunties will tell you. But we
were right. We were absolutely right. That's right, and it's
it's it's it's interesting because you know you have people
who are like, well, you're giving up family, you're giving
up having a husband, you're giving up having kids. And
(08:25):
I don't necessary what we see myself giving up anything.
I'm embracing the life that you created and shout Auntie,
who's popping and clicking all over the world. And then
I drop in give the kids how to dollars each
and they're all excited, and I leave again for another
three months, the aunty next time. It's wonderful. If that
(08:50):
stuff comes later, fine, I'll embrace it. But right now
I'm I'm loving me and I appreciate this candor. You know,
especially for black women. You know, the narrative is always
like when are you going to settle down and get
a husband and get kids because you'll regret it later.
So I think having these conversations are so important, especially
(09:11):
because you know black women are you know, some of
the are, without question holding some of the biggest businesses
we are the founding more small businesses. We are creating
wealth for ourselves and this idea that you know, we're
not successful or complete until we decided we've had our kids,
our husbands. Like, the more we talk about it, just
we can break away from those myths and misconceptions, because
(09:34):
I just think it's a bar that like someone created
that we're supposed to uphold ourselves to and it's kind
of false. It is kind of false. And I mean, like,
think about this, and and let me preface this by
saying kudos to everyone who has decided to become a
mother and bring forth life and you know, keep human
beings going. I salute you, like with my god children.
(09:59):
The fact I have one day maybe a week that
I see them and I'm exhausted, and not only that
they do that full time. Hats off to you. Congrat Listen,
you're amazing. That being said, what am I really giving
up by not having kids dress, looking older before my time,
(10:22):
not taking or having the time to take for myself
being completely you know, worried about someone seven having to
give to them before I give to me. All these
things that you're striving to do that take away from
the things that you can be doing for yourself. Again,
(10:44):
I appreciate people who are doing that. That's just not
my ministry. I love it. I love this gospel, and
I just I appreciate it so much because you know,
we could go on forever about this, but I I'm
gonna see us to a couple of different things because
I really want to be able to highlight your career
arc and the trajectory that you've taken. You know, and
(11:06):
a lot of people know you For Mary Charles, your
character was just phenomenal and just something so bright and
shiny on TV that I think a lot of people
hadn't seen. UM and Survivor's Remorse, which was also filmed
here in Atlanta. UM, talk about you know what brought
you to that point, because you talked about Broadway, all
these other all these other places that got you there.
(11:27):
But let's dive into Survivor's Remorse, UM and talk a
little bit about that. Okay, Well, when I first auditioned
for Survivor's Remorse, I auditioned for the Missy character. See yeah,
she's the one, Yeah, the cousin. Um, that's what they
sent me first. And I just knew, you know, I
(11:49):
was going to nail that maybe the night they sent
me the week in advance, and then the night before
the audition they were like, oh, also we want you
to read this character and I writ and I was
like Mary Charlotte what? I was like, okay? So, I
mean I literally learned it like spur of the moment,
and I was focused on Missy. So get into the
(12:10):
room sitting with Vick Levin, who was the person who
auditioned me, and I nailed Missy like I nailed it.
I was like, it's hard for us probably to picture
this in our brain because we see you was married
Charles and there's such different characters, which is also testimony
to your acting. Chops, thank you, I will appreciate that.
Um so yeah. So, like I auditioned for both and
(12:32):
then I didn't hear from them for like a couple
of months. So I was like, oh, well, I guess
I didn't get that role. You know, then they can't.
They called me back and they said, hey, remember that project.
They want you to come back in and read again
for married Charles. I was like, a what project? Because too,
(12:53):
you know, like with the actors, you gotta just keep going,
you know, we hear no every single day, so it's
like you gotta like rush it off and keep going
and keep it pushing. So I had forgotten about it,
and then when they said Mary Charles, it didn't ring
a bell because I was so focused on Missy for
that particular project. So I came back in um audition
(13:15):
for Mary Charles and I was like, so, like, what
about like missing? They were like, oh, yeah, we really
see you as more married Charles. And I was like,
can I pull that off? Because it was my first,
you know, real lesbian role, and I was like, I
don't think people are going to believe that I'm lesbian.
People still stop me and they're like can I get
(13:36):
your number? And they're like you want to go out?
And I'm like no, I'm really like I played a character. Yeah,
I was, so I just I really didn't think that
I could pull it off. I was like, nobody's gonna
ever believe. That's how you know you nailed it when
you're getting all the women's numbers, all of them still
like they're still in my d M, Like so for real,
(13:58):
stop playing. I'm like, okay, girl, I don't know what
to tell you, but yeah, And so I ended up
I ended up becoming um Mary Charles. And it's funny
because Roenrico Lee and I, who coincidentally went to this
Dame High school. He's the older same high school. Um.
We were the first two to be cast. So they
(14:21):
were at you know, they brought us in for chemistry
tests with the other characters, and we met um you know,
at the chemistry test, and we were just talking and
we were like, well, these guys are from Boston and
I was like, He's like, well, I was thinking about
doing the Boston act. And I was like, oh my god,
me too. And then like are we gonna do it
(14:41):
at the table read. I'm like, yes, I'm totally gonna
do it. He's like, I'll do it if you do it.
I was like, I'm gonna do it. We get to
the table read, his character goes first and he speaks
with the regular act and I was like, this dude
played me. I was like, I don't care. I'm going
for it. So I did it with my Boston accent.
(15:02):
And then at the end they were like, who was
that chip with the Boston accent? I was like maybe.
They were like keep it, we love it, and I
was like, ah, but you knew it in your gut.
This is your whole thing, right, You're like, I'm doing
this with the Boston accent. Okay, those people over there
they didn't do it, but I know what I have
to do to get to like I feel that about
you for sure. Yeah. And it was interesting because people
(15:25):
were like, how are you the only one with the
Boston accent. I was like, if you see Braxton family values,
all the all the Braxton sisters, all of them have
different accents, like they're all from different families. Just listen
to them, you know. So I'm like, it works, it works,
it works really great. Um. So talk a bit more
like going back. You know, you came from you went
(15:47):
to med school, and you sort of took this left
turn to go pursue acting in comedy. What were some
of the pitfalls that you learned? You talked about being
broke and now you get these great jobs and roles
if you look back, can you tell us some of
them major pivotal steps that were crucial to your success? Absolutely? Um,
and I have to correct you. I didn't go to
med school and yes, because you know, people stawed me
(16:11):
like where'd you go to med school? I'm like I
didn't say that. I said before med school, I found
that you can probably do um. So I think some
of the major pit fault, some of the major pot
faults I was able to avoid because I'm I'm very
observant and I always watched around me and see what
(16:33):
people are doing, and I fall in step. And that's
one of the benefits of being an army brat. You
kind of, you know, pick up in the surroundings and
figure out what you know, what other people doing, and
you fall in line pretty quickly because you're only in
each spot for three years. Right. So one of the
things I saw a lot and still see a lot
with actors, and I wish they would just have classes
(16:54):
for this is there's this notion that soon as you
become an actor, you're automatically rich. So then you have
all kinds of cousins, fam they see you on a
Guico commercial, Suddenly you've got a million dollars, you know,
So you've got family asking for cars and houses and
(17:16):
I need to be and somethings, and the actors feel
like they have to live up to that standard. And
then it's buying this for this person, that for that person,
and then the next thing, you know you're broke. So
that's the first thing I learned is saying no, and
that you know, um, there are a lot of there's
(17:37):
a lot of backlash, and I think that crosses so
like you know, for a lot of us that our
first generational wealth, or they've sort of made it, or
they've taken elevated their status, you know, to the next
level then perhaps they had with their family. This is
tough because you want to do more for people, but
you have to be conscious that you can only do
so much with so much. And this keeping up with
(18:00):
of Jones is I have to be famous and look
the part. Just say no, right, say no. Say no
to giving your money to family and friends, that's the
first thing. And also say no to having a zillion
people on your team. My gosh, not everybody can be
Candy Birth. She got a job for everybody, but it's legit,
(18:23):
like she can afford to employ everybody. I always think
about I always think about Ditty and Faunsworth Bentley. He
had somebody who holds an umbrella for him. When you
get to Ditty status, you can have someone to do everything,
but until then you put your own shoes on you're
not Beyonce. You have to put lotion on your own legs.
Absolutely absolutely, even you know, like having like the styles
(18:47):
and the publicist and the manager and the agents and
the lawyer and you know, all these team members whittle
it down to something that makes sense to you. And
it's a lot to keep up with. I mean, I
don't have this big, tremendous team because I don't need it,
Like in reality, what is the point. So that's that's
the second thing I learned. The third thing I learned
(19:10):
is find ways to make your money grow. Actors have
a shelf life, whether we'd like to admit that or not.
And there are a few exceptions to the rules. When
you look at actors over the age of you know,
sixties seventy who are black women, there ain't a lot.
(19:32):
There isn't a lot. You need to make sure that
you're putting your money in something, whether it be real estate,
which is you know that's my bag, or stocks or
you know these these bitcoin you know, um, the cryptocurrency. Yeah, like,
find find the thing that resonates with you and you
(19:53):
don't have to do what everyone else is doing, like
everyone is into the cyberpoints. I don't really necessary really
fully get it. But I really really get real estate.
So that's what I'm putting my money into. So that's great.
That's a really good example. So what drew you to
real estate? And talk about some of the investments. Are
you commercially investing just buying homes? Um? I love that
(20:16):
you have the foresight and vision to protect your cash
erica cash. Yeah, no, it's you know, I I do both.
So I have um residential properties and UM some are
bigger scale, some are smaller scale, and I just you know,
(20:38):
and I rent them out. Some of them I rent out,
some of them I own with other people. UM, come on, mogul,
you know, just a just fuel building. You don't have
to be shot here. We uplift you, black woman, thank you.
I mean, at the end of the day, you're going
to have to figure out how to take care of yourself.
I think that's everyone's charge to figure out how to
(20:59):
take care of yourself and be the absolute best person
that you can be, because even if you're married, that's
the thing. I think people rush to get married so
they can have this person who's going to take care
of them and do everything. But you need to be
just to even say you did it. Be self sufficient,
be able to pay your own bills, be able to
(21:20):
take care of yourself in the long run. If something
happens to your significant other, you know, as we saw
unfortunately with Kobe Bryant, you know what happens to the
family that you leave behind if that person isn't savvy
enough to at least understand how to pay those bills,
take care of things, understand where the money goes, wise
(21:42):
investments so that the money can grow and can appreciate
those investments. All those things really matter. And so for me,
you know, um, I invest in a few different things,
like I have stocks, and you know, I know the
people who are investing my stock. We invest together. We
(22:03):
love this my money to someone and say okay, do
this thing and then walk away. Now I need to
know what they're investing in and why they chose this
over that stock, and you know what what is going
to be the outcome of that? How soon will I
see returns? You know, and then make decisions wise decisions
(22:26):
with them. I liked informed consent. I love this because
you know, for so you're you're talking about the plight
of so many people who are wealthy or famous who
just think, let me just have somebody else manage it.
But the key to making your money grow is to
be actively involved and to put your money into things
that you're interested in. If it's just sitting over there
(22:47):
in something where somebody told you to do it, you
have no passion for it, you have no time. You
don't want to deploy your extra two seconds that you have,
you know, on something that you're not interested in. But
this is how you really can foster your money to
grow on its own. This is how you make money
when you sleep, absolutely absolutely, And I'm a huge supporter
(23:09):
of that, I really am. And I've and this is
a trial and error thing, you know, I've I've made
the mistake of giving my money to someone and not
really understanding what they were doing with it, and having
that money go away and me being devastated because it
was a nice chunk of change. Um yeah, yeah, but
(23:30):
I find him, Um but yeah, no, you know, And
then I've and then I've learned from that mistake, and
then I've seen other instances where someone's done something amazing
with my money and made it grow substantially. And then
you know, I've invested and I've put my money into
things and made it grow myself and that gives me
such a feeling of satisfaction. And you know it's it's
(23:53):
all trial and error, but you learned from to take
the jump. Yes. Um, so let's go back specifically again, um,
with some pointers for you know, those of us in
the Money Moves audience that are looking to get into
entertainment art. What were some of the key people that
helped to mentor you or what should people look for
when they're trying to sort of make their break into entertainment.
(24:16):
Is it, you know, key people that took you to
the next level? Was it education? Was it classes? What
were the career moves that really stood out to you?
That's a great question. Um. I think be willing to
allow all kinds of people to be your teacher. That's
(24:37):
one thing. Uh, I think even before that, make sure
you love it because acting is not this super easy
glamorous thing to fall into that people assume. You know,
it's long days, long hours. I mean when I had
my show in Contempt, I was working six days a
(24:57):
week in Canada, and I know I really enjoyed in
Toronto was amazing, But you know that it was. It
was a lot of work. You know, six days a week,
twelve to twenty two hours a day, and you know
you're getting up and you're learning pages and pages of dialogue.
(25:20):
You're having to remember that, remember where you're supposed to stand,
make sure you hit the camera at this on this
particular word, match your you know, match your last take it.
And and also you ever been in an argument, yes,
and then after the argument you're like exhausted. Yes, that's acting. Yes,
(25:41):
you're literally it's it's like arguing all day. It's a
heightened sense of emotion. Right, you're conveying this story that
someone has written or you have written, but you're doing
in the way that's heightened from what we normally do
in everyday life. So that takes a different kind of exertion.
(26:02):
That's a lot of work athletes in the sense of physical,
but we're certainly emotional athletes, and so it takes a
lot out of you and you have to really really
take care of yourself. Um. There were lots of people
that helped along my journey in the sense of being
the example, whether they knew it or not. I didn't.
I've never had a mentor that I've asked to mentor me.
(26:25):
But I've certainly watched everyone that I've worked with two
you know, to glean from them things that could help me,
you know, whether it was acting um little uh sort
of things that could boost my acting career, or if
(26:46):
it were things that could boost my financial career outside
of acting. You know, I just kind of watched and learn.
For example, when I was in the line king, there
was a guy there who, yeah, I was not in
the line king, it's um. There was a guy in
my company who invested in Section eight housing just slowing away,
(27:09):
and he was the person that turned me on to
getting into real estate. He literally had a house in
every city that we would travel to because I was
on tour with them, and I thought that's really cool.
And he just he was so easy and so secure
and settled, whereas there are other people in the company
(27:30):
who had been in the company for like ten years
before I got there, who were living paycheck to paycheck.
I mean, that's a lot of America, no matter what
industry you're in, right, because it's like when does it
I mean, what if you break a leg right exactly?
And that and I did Actually I actually parked my
ankle on Survivors and yeah, yeah, I know there was
(27:53):
a there was a season where towards the I want
to say it's either three, yeah, I think it was
the third season. Towards the end of it, all of
my scenes were sitting down, like being the living room
or being the Judy parlor. But I was sitting down
every single episode from like maybe the last the last
(28:13):
third of the episode. And it was because I had
broken my ankle working around it. And see those are
little fun tips you guys that you would never know
unless you tuned into the Money Means podcast to find out. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
this is the first time I've ever mentioned that and
on an interview. So okay, Erica, you are sort of
(28:33):
this incredible jack actress of all trades. You know, you're smart,
you went to premed, You're into comedy, dance theater, you
can sing and you can dance. What was it about
this Either you're just so super talented that acting was
going to be your birthright or yes that's the answer.
I agree, I agree, But I want you to be
(28:54):
able to tell us some stories about you know, it
feels like you were open to exploring so many opportunity
needs as opposed to being sort of tunnel vision and
there's only one way that I'm going to get to
where I want to get in terms of my acting career.
So how do you sort of frame this for yourself?
It's so funny that you that you brought that up.
I remember when I first started out. I was in
(29:15):
Japan and I had some friends. Friends. I made these
business cards and it said Erica Ash actress thing or
model dancer, and they were like over the who and
every time they would seeing my card, they would laugh
at me. But I was like, I am all those
(29:36):
things right, like okay. So now it's funny because they,
you know, like they'll they'll find me on on social
media and they'll be like, wow, you like really did
all of these I'm like I told you back and
day that I'll get check chack chat thing. You never know.
Most people know me as an actress, and then they
(29:57):
find out that I used to model, then they find
out that I used to dance, they find out that
I was on Broadway, they know me as the TV
film actress. But I always say, you never know how
your path is going to turn out, so you have
to be open and willing to do all the things.
I mean, reason right, like you don't wanna you don't
(30:20):
wanna do something that's like morally unsound or that's gonna
hurt other people. But even if it's something that you
can't see the direct connection to what you ultimately want
to do, do the thing, and do that thing. Well.
There are so many people and I have a few
people who still remain nameless, but people in my life
(30:44):
who they see where I am right now and they
think I want that, which is completely fine, but they
want they'll turn down everything that could be leading them
to this because it's not this. And I'm like, even
I did get here right away. I did all those
things that you keep turning down, you know, like I
(31:06):
remember one time I was a a prop master and
in a show. I remember, um, I was an extra
one time. I remember um I was part of an
ensemble once, you know, before I became not in the
Lion King, I did all those things that led to
(31:28):
me becoming the actress that you now know. And people,
you know, it's like nobody wants to rule up their sleeve,
but they want these dishes done, they want these beautiful
play settings, and I'm like, you have to take the
time to set it up. And if you don't do that,
then you're not going to get to where you want
to go. I don't care who you are. Beyonce did
(31:51):
it like Obama did it. There are things, there are
steps along the way, and I you know, people look
for this quick fix, in this easy way. But you
know they say life is a journey. You're telling me
you just don't want to live life at all. You
just want you just want to be there, And that's
not what the universe is here to do. Because all
(32:12):
those things along the way, that's what teaches you and
bring you to the place that you need to be.
Absolutely it gives you the experience that you can use
as an actor. Had I not done all the things
that I have done before, had I not tried all
these various jobs, met all these people who were not
(32:33):
on the top, you know, and shared our experiences, I
wouldn't have those things to draw from as the actor
that I am today. So it's really I always say,
the power of yes is so amazing. Say yes two
things and then and then go like, let your faith
guide you. You know, I didn't think that I was
(32:54):
going to be an actor. I thought I was going
to be a doctor. So even when I went to
Japan and I said yes to a singing gig, I
didn't see how that was going to leave me to
being a doctor. But sometimes the universe like nudges you
in ways that you don't can't even imagine, and that's
just the beauty of it. And I think the younger
people figure that out the better. You know, it's about
(33:16):
exploring those things that you might not even dreamed about,
and then your dreams just get bigger and bigger and bigger. Um.
There's a great book I don't know if you've ever
read a Shawnda Rhymes, you know she's just incredible, Um,
The Year of Yes. And it's just about saying yes.
We're so conditioned to be hesitant and fearful and like
well what if and with anxiety, but just say yes, yolo, Yes, absolutely,
(33:40):
It's it's super important. Um. And I also think that
there's a fear that if they say yes to this
other thing, it will take them down the road that
they didn't plan for themselves. But that's exactly what life
is supposed to be. Yes, you know, you can't stop
saying yes, happen to take me down the road of acting. Right, Yeah,
two people looks super glamorous and it's this amazing thing.
(34:04):
But that's not what I had in my mind. I
was going to be a doctor, which you know, I
know doctors do this, doctors make this. After this certain time,
it was a very set lifestyle, right, and saying yes
to all those things took me in this direction and
now I'm living something way better than I could have
(34:27):
ever imagined. Now, imagine you're thinking about being an actor,
but you say yes to all these various things and
next thing you know, you're the producer, you're the director,
you're the person giving the actors the job, and you're
making even more money. Sometimes, you know, it's just you.
I think you have to be willing to release your dreams.
(34:50):
You know what they are. You set your attention, you
give it to God, the universe, and then you allow
the universe to guide you to what you're best self.
So this happens to be my best self. But acting
is not for everyone. It's just glamorous, yes, right, but
(35:11):
there are so many ways to to be on a platform.
I mean, look at all these people who do these
ted talks. You know, absolutely to be in the spotlight
if that's what you're craving, but not necessarily to be
an actor. You can do hosting, you can do so
many engagement you can you can be a motivational speaker
(35:31):
on your own Instagram. I mean, there's so many different
ways to do it. And you know, I think one
of the keys that I'm learning more and more is,
you know, sometimes your dreams will surprise you, and sometimes
you actually have to ask the universe to like allow
yourself to dream even bigger than you can even imagine.
There's this quote it's like, if your dreams don't scare you,
(35:52):
you're not dreaming big enough. Like that's how you tackle life. Um,
and they should be scary, says um. God will do
exceedingly and abundantly above all you could ask or think. So,
you know, if acting is the biggest you can think of,
just just wait, like imagine the kind of you know,
(36:13):
what you can be, because you can't even imagine imagine
as much as you can, because you won't be able
to imagine the blessings that will come to you once
you step out on that fagge. Yes, this is so
like I just want to shut off all the cameras
and get back to work because I'm so excited and motivated.
I mean, I am working. I don't know, but if
this is the beauty of that when you're working and
(36:34):
you're like, is this work? Pinch me? It's really good. Okay.
So I have a couple more questions because I was
a huge fan of Survivor's Remorse. I loved that TV show,
So like, please tell us the t on where Mary
Charles would have been now, because you know, and if
you've gone on to other things, what is Mary Charles doing? Oh?
(36:55):
If I had my brothers, I really think Mary Charles
was on her way um to being a boss. Like
I think that Mary Charles would have her own business.
You know. I loved that character because it was a
young black girl from the wrong side of the tracks,
just good. And that's the thing that drew me in.
(37:18):
You know, she was she was rough around the edges,
but she was using the opportunities that were in front
of her to try to better herself. She ended up
in school, you know, she ended up being really good
friends with the owner of the teams, and I think
that with those two things, she would have scored a
(37:38):
fantastic job, possibly started her own pr firm or something similar.
And you know, she probably had a few girlfriends. I
don't think. I don't think that Mary Charles was the
was the family type, but she might you know, she
might have or one main girlfriend, you know, something like that.
And but I do think that she would be very successful,
(38:00):
you too. I think she was just really grounded. Okay,
And so tell us, now what's coming up for you,
Erica ash Um. I'm excited. Um, Paula Patton and I
just completed, uh the taping of our first season of
our new series called Sacrifice. And you take that in
(38:22):
New Orleans. In New Orleans, Okay, So tell us about that. Yes,
but it takes place in Los Angeles. The world is
set in Los Angeles, but you know, everything's in Atlanta
on the worlands these days. Um, and I play kind
of a nemesis, like my mother would ask me. She's like,
are you a good guy or backgam like kind of boat.
(38:43):
So Paula is you know, Paula is the star. I'm
her nemesis. So we're kind of, you know, squaring off
a lot in the show. Um. But I'm on the
right side of the law. Okay, I played, I know, right,
I like district attorney and she's a lawyer. Um for
(39:05):
the quote unquote bad guys, So you kind of have
to decide from episode to episode who's a good guy
and who's the bad guy. I like this dynamic, Okay,
I like it. I like really good and she's definitely
a worthy opponent. So so I thought it was really
a lot of fun playing opposite her. You just finished,
you have some downtime. Now, are you just right back
(39:25):
up and running? I am actually right back up and running.
As a matter of fact, I was sending some things
off while I was on the plane. Um. But it's
good because I'm sort of it's an easy it's an
easy thing that I'm doing now, So I'm able to
kind of rest and work a little bit, and I'm
(39:47):
back in my space. So that always makes life easier
for me because I'm amongst my own things. Everything is familiar,
and you know, I can be a lot more relaxed
when I come home. Eric, guys think so a pleasure
talking with you. As we go out, I'm gonna ask
you a couple of questions. So what do you do
to unwind, relax, relate, release. Um, Now that you've got
(40:08):
some downtime between projects. I like naps a lot, so
I'm a big napper. And and I like to travel.
I like going from places off the grid so that
you can't reach me, you know, unless I decide to
go into a cafe that may or may not have internet.
That sounds great. Yeah. And I just and I just
(40:31):
like I like like and dressing down. So like my
perfect vacation is somewhere like you know, Thailand or you know, um,
just south of the border where I could just wear
move some Thai pants and nothing. That's it. Yeah, something easy,
you know, um, that's my or beach somewhere. Okay, that
(40:52):
sounds great. So as we close out, please tell us
where we can find our next projects, When are they
going to be released, and where can we look to
find more of your magic on screen? Well, Sacrifice is
going to be streaming on b et plus. Um. I
do have a couple of other projects that are coming
up that I can't speak going just yet, but I
will be posting on my social media as soon as
(41:13):
they give us a green light along with the release
date for the first season of Sacrifice. All that can
be found on at the Erica ash t h e
E R I C A A S H. And that's
on all social media Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. Um, yeah, so
follow me at the Erica ash and I'll keep you posted.
(41:33):
Thank you so much. You have been incredible. Thank you
for dropping so much wisdom, perspective, and I hope you
guys took notes so that you can also live your
most infinite and abundant life. Um, as we move forward
on the Money Moves, dropping some career moves and all
this excellent and black Girl Magic Erica, thank you so
much for having us. Thank you so much for being
(41:55):
here today. I feel like you had me here. This
was fun. I really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you,
Thank you, and Money Movers please stay tuned. We'll have
more coming up next. Thank you so much for tuning
in Money Moves audience. If you want more or a
recap of this episode, please go to the bank Greenwood
dot com and check out the Money Moves podcast blog.
(42:22):
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