
Dominique Fishback Opens Up About How She Uses Journaling As A Manifestation Tool

Dominique Fishback shares how the practice of journaling has been instrumental in shaping her life and her career.
The star --whose passion for acting began in elementary school-- has been involved in the entertainment industry since 2014 after receiving minor roles in various projects, including television shows and music videos.
Fishback's career skyrocketed in 2017 when she became a regular cast member on HBO's The Deuce, which aired on the network for three seasons until 2019. The actress' success didn't stop there. In addition to the hit series, Fishback solidified her spot in the entertainment industry through her critically acclaimed roles in The Hate You Give, Project Power, Judas and the Black Messiah, and most recently, Swarm.
In the cover story for Essence magazine, Fishback recalled her life journey, the struggles she faced before becoming an actress, and how journaling each moment helped manifest her dreams into a reality.
Dominique On Journaling
During the June interview, the 32-year-old shared that her love for the arts began in second grade after discovering TADA!, a theater company for children. Fishback revealed that although she auditioned numerous times to join the program, she got denied.
Despite the rejection, Fishback continued to look for other ways to accomplish her goals. One of which included applying to LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York when she was 15. The Night Comes On star's efforts again fell short when she didn't get into the prestigious school.
Instead of giving up, Fishback searched online for "free acting programs in New York City." After finding a company that met her requirements, she began attending classes. Fishback claimed that the overall experience would ultimately change her life because she went on to study theater at Pace University and graduated in 2013.
Throughout this journey, Fishback journaled everything from the setbacks to what she wanted to achieve in her career. In the discussion with Essence, the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts star disclosed that having the physical proof of what she aspired to be and speaking it into existence showcases how powerful words are.
"There's something about having proof that you spoke your life into existence or you manifested your dreams," she said.
"It's one thing to tell people, 'Oh, yeah, I thought about this. I talked about this when I was a kid,' but it's another thing to have the evidence, in written form, that you did speak into being the specific thing that you are now experiencing. It just contributes to the power of the mind, the power of the written word, and it's also a tool to reflect and say, 'See where I've grown, and how I've grown?'"
Dominique On Why She Also Journals About Her Characters
As the topic shifted to Fishback's memorable roles, including Dre in Amazon Prime's series Swarm and how she connects with those characters to bring them to life onscreen, the actress explains that she goes through the entire process by journaling.
Fishback claimed that she often tries to find similar interests between herself and the characters but said it was difficult in her recent role in Swarm -a psychological thriller about a crazed fan-- because the pair had different morals.
"I approach all my characters similarly—I try to find the through line of what I have in common with them. But Dre is harder because we morally don't agree," she stated.
Fishback added that despite the differences between her and Dre, she tried to connect with her by focusing on what the character loves.
"So I had to discover another connection—which is love. I know what it's like to love my sister. I know what it's like to love an artist. Not in the way that she does, but love is still love," she said. "If I can grab onto that, that means that the audience can grab onto that. I also had to journal, as myself, to remove any blocks or fears that I had about playing this character—because I didn't want the camera to pick up a war between Dominique and Dre."
Toward the end of her interview, Fishback also shared that another thing that has been helping her deliver the true essence of her characters is by praying.
"Every time I take on a role. I always pray that I can be a vessel, a clear vessel for the energy and truth of that character to come through," she stated.
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Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
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You Don’t Have To Choose: How Black Women Can Care For Others Without Self-Sacrifice
One of the primary instructions we receive before a flight takes off is to prioritize putting on your life vest first if there’s an emergency, even before assisting others. It’s funny how this rule rarely translates to the daily routine of women.
As women we are taught, directly and indirectly, to put others first. Whether it’s our romantic partners, kids, parents, friends, or even our jobs. Mental health survivor and founder of Sista Afya Community Care, Camesha Jones-Brandon is challenging that narrative by using her platform to advocate for Black women and their right to self-care.
Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
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“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
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While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
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