There are so many reasons creatives should look up to Issa Rae. She constructs amazing stories and characters, is unapologetically herself and is a real-life example that if you work hard enough, you can truly have it all. But, one of my personal favorite things about the mogul is the way she constantly creates opportunities for others. In a recent interview with CBS This Morning, the actor, producer, and entrepreneur sat down with Gayle King and had a full-circle moment where she opened up about the final season of Insecure and why it's only the beginning.
This is not the first time we've seen Rae and King together. In 2016, when Issa Rae was most known for the still-hilarious and popular web series Awkward Black Girl, she shared her feelings on what it's like to truly live the title with King. "It's [awkwardness] just within me, it will never go anywhere. Like, I've always related to just feeling uncomfortable and out of place." Now, five years later, she admits that while that feeling is still there, she has changed a bit since the 2016 interview.
She tells King, "I feel more confident that I belong here. In Hollywood as a storyteller there's a sense of like, 'I know what I'm doing.'"
Well, I think it's safe to say we definitely agree with her because Issa has racked up so many wins. And Gayle King made a point to list a few of them aloud, like, a plethora of magazine covers, starring and producing in multiple films, securing the bag with an eight-figure exclusive Warner Media deal, and marrying her bae in a secret wedding! But through it all, Issa feels her and the cast's true mission is to create opportunities for others. And when making Insecure, she was intentional about doing just that.
At the start of the series Issa wasn't sure it would be successful but wanted to make sure that regardless, it was helpful to the cast and crew. "At least the people who worked on our show would've had experience. Which is like, the excuse that Hollywood always gives for why they don't hire people of color, and Black people specifically." She continues, "At least they could say 'we worked on one season of an HBO show,' and hopefully get another job, but we were fortunate enough to get five seasons, and watch people grow."
King also made a point to note that Insecure gave many of the actors, staff, and crew their first opportunity at a show on this level, to which she inquired if Issa marvels at that at all. Rae responded beautifully, saying:
"We changed each other's lives. So in that way, I'm just appreciative to have grown with them, to be in the trenches with them, and we have so many memories. We all have the mission to open the door and keep the door open–to make sure that we create a pipeline."
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO
It's encouraging and inspiring to see a Black woman who truly understands our stories and is telling them in such an authentic and engaging way, and it's why so many of us root for her, the same way she's "rooting for everybody Black." When asked how she feels about setting examples for creatives, she replied, "It means everything, because I know what it meant for me to watch those shows from the '90s and aspire to that and think like, 'Oh this is possible for me to do.' And these are stories that people care about, matter, and shape me. So to be able to do that for another generation, I'm extremely proud of that."
I'll be honest, I'm really going to miss Insecure Sundays, but it's encouraging to know that Issa has so much more in the works.
"I still feel like a beginner in many ways. I have so much more to do," she says firmly.
Featured image by Emma McIntyre/WireImage
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
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Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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