Exclusive: Meagan Good On Loving 'What's Next' & Putting Down Roots For The First Time In Her Life
The Intruder. Think Like a Man Too. Jumping the Broom. Roll Bounce. Stomp the Yard. Cousin Skeeter. Eve’s Bayou. These are just a few of the most notable projects listed on the resume of Miss Meagan Good - who is and will always be good in our book. Now, the multifaceted actress with range for miles is returning to our screens for a reprising role as Camille Parks for the second season of Tracy Oliver’s Harlem.
The 41-and-fabulous actress is taking on the second season of the Amazon Prime original series and giving the fans the answers they’ve been waiting for as it pertains to her character Camille. In an exclusive xoNecole interview, Meagan Good shared her thoughts on the power of transition and what moving forward looks like to her off-screen.
Similar to her Harlem character Camille, Good has been experiencing a lot of life transitions including the announcement of her divorce from DeVon Franklin, quitting drinking, and gearing up for new projects including the second season of Harlem.
“I love the what next feeling and I think we feel that often as actors because our literal job is literally a faith walk every single day. When are we going to get our next job? In some cases, are we going to get our next job?” Good shared with xoNecole about the feeling of anticipation amidst transition as it relates to her career. “But I think having that faith of like, no, it's when, and I don't know when, but I'm trusting that it's coming, allows you to kind of always have this hopeful anticipation, this wonder of, I don't know where I'm going to be next.”
From Barcelona and Vancouver to the set of Warner Bros. Studios, Meagan Good tells xoNecole that she’s “lived in that for a majority” of her life as an actress, always on the go between gigs and personal time, if any at all. While she tries her best to keep things in order with routines and regimens, she admits that “if things become too regimented for me, then I start to get a little stir-crazy.”
Good continued, “I need different energy and different vibes, which is part of why I love being on this show because even though there's a regiment to playing the same character, to coming into the same stages, to coming to New York, there's also such a free-spirited [energy of] like you never know what New York's going to bring you.” The excitement of never knowing what is going to come out of a co-star’s mouth, how another will roll up dressed in their ensemble, or what script they're going to read fuels her passion for her career as she feeds off of the adrenaline of moving forward, onwards, and upwards.
Last year in particular was the biggest what’s next moment that Good has ever experienced - buying her first home. “I will say last year, that what's next was a little bit - that was probably the first one where I was like, oh, I wasn't ready for that one. I just bought my first home,” Good shared.
“I picked out the home of my dreams that I've been wanting for the longest time, and I was able to just recently put down roots and start decorating it. And as much as I'm traveling right now and promoting and working, it is wonderful to come home to those roots because I don't feel like I've actually had a home since I was 15,” she admitted, which was the age when she starred in Eve’s Bayou alongside Jurnee Smollett, Lynn Whitfield, and Debbi Morgan. Her breakout role catapulted her career into opportunity after opportunity, which didn’t afford her much time to practice stillness as she ventured into adulthood in the spotlight.
Good continued, “The year before was a lot of nomad-ing around where I was just trying to figure out my life, where am I going to live? What's going on next? But I feel that what next, even when you anticipate it and you're excited about it, is wonderful. Even when you don't anticipate it, even after the storm, it's pretty freaking wonderful because I think it produces so much inside of you that makes you stronger and makes you have more authority over yourself, and makes you more helpful to other people, and just all these wonderful things. So I think what's next is pretty freaking wonderful.”
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Prime Video
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
We all have a dream life that we spend our free time daydreaming about. You know, the one with a loving partner, high-rise apartment, thriving career, and endless abundance. But as much as we can dream about it, there has to be a little extra sprinkle of “magic” to make it become a reality, and that’s when manifestation comes in.
The uptick in manifestation techniques is nothing new to the internet. Since The Secret and the Law of Attraction became available on YouTube in the early 2010s and fast forward to today, where #manifestationtok and #spiritualtok surging in popularity, it’s clear that there are a number of different ways to get what you want out of life with the right action, affirmation, and visualization.
Still, with so many ways to manifest, from scripting to the 3-6-9 Method, it can be hard to know which one to lean into. But there’s one new technique that’s promising to yield “instant results,” and we’re curious about it.
The "I Am Sure" Manifestation
@hothighpriestess Replying to @A I M E E 🖤 lG: hothighpriestess 🤍 this is the “I am sure” method #iamsuremethod
The “I Am Sure” manifestation gained traction this summer by TikTok creator Sara Perl of @hothighpriestess, who initially introduced the method.
In her original video breaking down the concept, she detailed the steps to use the technique for those looking to “manifest overnight.” To do so, start by stating “I am sure,” followed by “your desired manifestation in the present tense.” If there’s a job, promotion, or text from a crush that you want, then you’d say, “I am sure that I got X job,” or “I am sure that I make a $100K salary.” Repeat this out loud 10 times, or for faster results, write them down on a piece of paper and say it back to yourself whenever the desire comes up.
Using your words and speaking in the present tense, affirmatively, “puts you in the frequency that has that desire,” as Perl states. “We know our thoughts create our reality, but our words create our reality even faster.”
No matter how you choose to manifest your dream life, there’s nothing like channeling a powerful affirmation and some faith to get what you desire. In every instance, though, allow yourself to dismiss any doubt that may try to cloud your hopes in good things coming into your life, and don’t hold too tightly onto the “how” or “when.” Trust the process and know that the “thing” that you desire is just waiting for the perfect time to enter your life.
Happy manifesting.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Tassii/Getty Images
