Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business): Finding Our Way to Joy, Love, and Freedom: Summary & Key Insights

I grew up in Eden, North Carolina, in a family that didn’t have much money but had plenty of love. My mama and daddy taught me to dream big, to keep faith even when things got hard. From the time I was a little girl, I wanted to make people smile — that’s where my passion for acting began. I imagined myself on TV screens, telling stories that made folks feel seen. But after high school, when I moved to Los Angeles to chase that dream, I ran headfirst into rejection, struggle, and disappointment. The life I envisioned for myself was slow to come together, and somewhere in the process of trying to make it, I started losing who I was.

There were nights I cried on my bathroom floor, wondering if I’d made the right decision leaving home. Bills piled up, auditions didn’t lead anywhere, and I wore a brave face while fear sat heavy on my chest. But even in those dark moments, I could hear my mama’s voice: “Keep on trusting God, baby.” It was that faith, the memory of how rooted I was in love, that carried me through my hardest days. I understand now that those early years were the soil in which my purpose was planted. Even the drought seasons were preparing me for the harvest that would come later.

Years into my struggle in Los Angeles, my body began breaking down in ways I didn’t understand. I developed chronic pain so severe I could barely function. My headaches were constant, my energy disappeared, and I felt trapped in a body that was betraying me. For five long years, I went from doctor to doctor, searching for answers. No one could explain what was wrong. I tried pills, diets, treatments — nothing worked. The frustration was deep and lonely.

Then one morning, I broke down in prayer. I told God I couldn’t live this way. I asked for a sign, and this peace came over me, almost like an answer whispered straight into my spirit: try something new. Not long after, a stranger’s recommendation led me to the Netflix documentary *What the Health*. I watched it with tears streaming down my face because something clicked. It wasn’t just about what we eat — it was about what we allow in our lives. And in that moment, I decided to give veganism a try, not out of trend but out of desperation and faith. I told God, “If this is what will heal me, I’ll do it.” Within thirty days, I felt better than I had in years. It wasn’t magic. It was alignment. It was my body finally saying, “Thank you.”