A 3-Step Guide to Believing in Yourself @TED #ted #shorts

I had this meeting with a

big studio Hollywood casting director.

and he looked at me and he said,

"Everybody knows you're a beautiful, talented Black girl.

But what do I do

with a beautiful, talented Black girl?

Do I put you in a movie with Tom Cruise?

Does he kiss you?

Ugh.

Who goes to see that movie?"

He hurt me so deeply,

I was actually thinking about quitting.

Until ...

I started to think.

He said that everybody knew

that I was a beautiful,

talented Black girl.

So what was meant to break me did not break me,

it built me up.

And I walked out of there giving myself permission

to take up space in Hollywood,

knowing that I belonged there

no matter what anybody thought about me.