Darlene Brumfield

I attribute my success to the strong women who raised me - my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother - who gave me my wings to fly and never held me back. My great-grandmother was a midwife, shaman, and herbologist from the Lower Muscogee Creek Indians, and she and the other women in my family went through the Great Depression and World Wars. They were tough Southern women who taught me I could do anything in the world I wanted and supported me completely. They let me be myself, of course with manners and being a lady, but they encouraged me to be me. I'm standing on their shoulders today, and whenever anything big comes up for me, I talk to them and say 'Okay, ladies, I need you all.' They gave me my strength and taught me how to move through life, through hard times and good times. They also taught me to give back and be in service to mankind - they would give you the shirt off their back. I learned from watching them, and I know they're proud of me today. That foundation they gave me, combined with my love of human connection and helping people, is what's allowed me to succeed in both my entertainment career and now as a life coach. I'm not a fearful person because of what they taught me, and I approach everyone - whether celebrities or everyday people - as equals, which has been key to my success.

The biggest challenge right now is that we're in tough times and the world is crazy and upside down, but it's upside down in a different way for everyone. A lot of people don't have any hope right now, and that's what I'm striving to address in my work - to give them some hope. People are struggling to settle down and find peace. The opportunity I see is in helping people through transitions, because transitioning and jumping into the void is scary, especially when you've had a successful career and you're starting something new where nobody knows who you are. People are scared about what they're going to do and whether they'll just fade away. But I've learned that retirement and transition isn't the end, it's the beginning - it's just a change. Change can be scary, but it can also be wonderful. The key is meeting people where they are and helping them navigate their specific challenges, whether it's young people entering the film business for the first time or people leaving careers they've had for decades. There's a real need for life coaching right now because life is so hard for many people, and I'm finding my niche in helping people through these transitions.

The most important value to me is human connection and being in service to people. I love helping people and being around people - I'm a people person, and whatever that is, if it's just somebody wanting to call and tell me a story or want to hear a story, I just love helping people. I like to be in service and do what I can. What fills me up completely is seeing their eyes light up, seeing their face light up, and helping them find their way and discover their passion and purpose. If I can help one person, I mean this with all my heart and soul, and see their eyes light up or watch them take a deep breath and exhale and go 'I got it,' then I'm just full as a person. That's what I'm doing for the second half of my life. I also value authenticity and treating everyone as equals - I don't put people on pedestals, whether they're celebrities or everyday people. They're all just people to me, and I approach them that way. I value giving back to the community and helping people find joy and hope. And I value honesty - I can't be anything other than who I am. I'm still that girl from South Carolina who played in the mud and went shrimping, and that's a part of my core that I never want to let go of because she keeps me real.