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A Vision Board Helped 'Glow' Actress Sydelle Noel Manifest Her Best Life
There is power in having a plan. Being intentional about your vision is key in manifesting the life of your dreams, just ask Sydelle Noel. The would-be actress once dreamed of becoming a track star and had her eye on the Olympics until her dreams were stifled by a critical injury. When her ambitions of being a world-class athlete were ruined, she was clueless about her next move.
After working a number of unfulfilling jobs, she felt lost and unsatisfied. It wasn't until her manager mentioned sports modeling that she even considered a career in the industry. Sydelle went from being in sports commercials to starring in one of the biggest box office hits of the year, Black Panther. Now, Sydelle is the newest cast member, Glow and says that this is only the beginning.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Sydelle does all of her own stunts, and says that her roles in Glow and Black Panther didn't come from sheer luck or by coincidence. Her big break through her very meticulous manipulation of the laws of attraction. The 32-year-old said that it's pretty much impossible to attain success when you haven't visualized success as it relates to you personally. She told Madame Noire:
"I feel like it's one thing wishing for something, but I feel like you can't just say, 'I want to be an actress.' I feel like you need to be very specific in what you want because you can be an actress, but what you're doing as an actress may not be what you wanted to be."
We all have goals and aspirations. The difference between the people who reach their goals and the ones that don't is usually clarity. Anyone can be rich, or own a business, but the person who understands that life is in the power of the tongue always wins. With the help of a friend, Sydelle literally spoke her dreams into existence.
The actress said that before she could manifest her best life, she had to be more specific as to what happiness really meant to her. Thanks to the suggestion of a homegirl, Sydelle created a vision board that encompassed some of her wildest dreams:
"So I would literally put exactly what I want on my vision board. It's not even a board right now. It's literally a hallway. If you walked by my wall, you would see pictures, you will see everything, and it's exactly what I want. I'm very specific in my dreams and what direction I want to go and I would say that to everybody. Like I tell my friends, when you're doing the vision board, be specific. You can't just say I want this, I want that, because it's truly the direction you want to go."
One by one, she's seen the images from her vision hallway manifest in her real life, but it didn't happen overnight. It's important to remember that having a plan doesn't mean bypassing the pain that comes along with self-discovery. Making your vision a reality will not be easy, but Sydelle says it's worth it.
"It didn't come easy for me. I mean there were times where I didn't know how to pay my rent. There were times that I was really, really struggling and, you know, had to call my mom and be like, 'Hey, I don't have my rent this month.' So I don't take that for granted at all."
Growing up in a Catholic household, Sydelle says that her perseverance is rooted in faith. Even if you aren't particularly religious, you have to understand that the laws of attraction allow you to have anything in this world that you can imagine and then some. Anything that you speak, you will have.
A little more than a decade ago, Sydelle had been offered a full ride to the University of Georgia on a track scholarship. Her athletic training and career-ending injury put her on track to become our generation's first and only black female action star.
"My entire goal in this entertainment business is to be an action hero, because literally, I can't really name an African-American female that's an action hero. ... Where do you have one that's constantly being used like the Rock or Charlize Theron? You don't have one that's constantly known as an action hero, and that's my total goal for this entertainment business."
Sometimes our goals have the potential to scare us into paralysis, leaving us to wallow in complacency and wonder "what if" for the remainder of our natural born lives. If you really want it, visualize it, write it down, and watch it come to fruition.
Once you believe in the power of your own ambitions and create a plan, nothing in this world can stop you, girl.
Featured image via Sydelle Noel / Instagram
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."