ADVICE FROM THE START
THE DREAM IS FREE, the hustle is sold separately! Find your passion and follow your dreams. There are no failures in trying. Success comes to those who don’t give up. Take all the beautiful memories, successes, obstacles and hardships so you can grow and become stronger, but don’t miss out on all the amazing things in the present or the things to come because you’re stuck in the past or focused on what didn’t work out.
BE OPEN TO CHANGE. Obstacles are really assets, and they’re not here to defeat us but to strengthen us. It’s OK not to be perfect – no one is, so embrace being imperfectly perfect and believe in you. There is only one you. That is your superpower, so never forget that. Know your worth. Learn to forgive, not for them, but for you so you can move on. You are your only competition.
LIFE ISN’T EASY, and it isn’t always fair, so how we learn, grow and handle things will be our greatest strength. If you feel like you’re jumping out of a plane and assembling the pieces on the way down, you’re doing it right. Jump! You’ll assemble quickly. I wear so many hats and am quite overwhelmed most of the time and have come to realize I will never be 100% ready, so trust the process and trust you will be OK.
ACHIEVEMENTS + ACCOMPLISHMENTS
CREATING MY OWN COMPANY JRR Enterprises and the trademarked brand and show “Sexxy” from the ground up gave me purpose at a time when I lost who I was and didn’t know what direction my life was taking – or if I’d ever be able to perform again after being dropped and my kneecaps shattered. I found strength I did not know I had and learned to embrace me and the beauty in growing and transitioning.
I FOUND HEALING AND HELP through helping others, the support of my family, finding love and companionship and love for myself again and nd figuring out who I was and who I’m becoming to be a better version of me to inspire others. Life’s had its ups and downs, from being a top academic student, gymnast, athlete, instructor and dancer traveling, touring and performing all over the world doing countless TV shows and racking up career highlights.
TO SUFFERING CAREER-ALTERING INJURIES, surgeries, divorce, eating disorders, auto-immune issues and emotional, personal, professional and financial struggles. To then finding my fire again and again to start over, start my own company, become a Las Vegas headliner and produce multiple successful shows – including “Sexxy,” “Exxcite” and “Red Velvet Burlesque” – with my face, name and brands I own and work for lit up for all to see in the greatest entertainment city in the world.
MY BIGGEST PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT is that my parents get to share this all with me and how proud they are. There have been many times this little girl from Minnesota, who said she wanted to be a dancer one day and chose to follow that ream, has rethought this lifestyle and career and many times where I have fallen, or the course has changed, but they continue to believe in me and aren’t afraid to tell it to me straight at times.
ALWAYS SHINING
I HAVE AN UNDYING PASSION for the art of dance and music. This is how entertainers tell our stories. We are constantly putting ourselves out there to be judged, and we must constantly reinvent ourselves while trying to stay true to ourselves with honesty, integrity and hard work. We sleep, eat, breathe and dream our craft. It’s not a job; it’s a way of life.
I LOVE THE RUSH OF BEING ONSTAGE, and that will never go away. That is my passion. This is when magic happens. I leave my heart on the dance floor. I am trying to still find ways and new adventures and experiences in life to fill my passion as I begin the next chapters of my personal growth and professional journey. We learn and grow every day, and I’m beyond blessed, grateful and thankful for the journey thus far, and I know I am just getting started. Stay tuned!
Photo by Steve Bagley.
