(New Post) Happy Father’s Day! A Musical Dedication to My Dad

June 15, 2014 by

Happy Father’s Day!

First I want to give a big shout out to my good friend George Jones and how awesome of a father he is! His love and dedication to his daughter is amazing to watch! Check out his instagram to get just a taste of his love for his lil lady.

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Now I’d like to send love to my own dad, Andre Lewis! I gained my love for food, music, travel and spontaneity in life from my Dad and to top it off I look a lot like him! When I was a kid I was his twin, now I’m bit more like my mom but I still have a lot of my Dad in me. When I think of my Dad I think of music, I was very fortunate to grow up listening to and singing all kinds of music and it was all because my Dad was such a huge fan of artists and musicianship. I learned to appreciate singers (real sangers!) and songwriting from a very early age because of the type of music that played in my home and the car when I was growing up. These influences truly shaped who I am as a woman and an artist and they also made me feel right at home when I was little girl because I’ve always had an old soul.

When I was younger my family always took long driving trips to Boston and New York to visit family and that was the time I felt most at home being able to sit in the back seat and sing along with Curtis Mayfield, The Chi-Lites, Sanchez, Patsy Cline or my favorite Soul Singer, Betty Wright. These moments are truly some of the highlights of my childhood and I have to thank my Dad for filling my ears, head and heart with such amazing and timeless music. I want to share just bit of the music that I grew up listening to with you guys and dedicate this music journey to my Dad, thank you, I love you! Happy Father’s Day!

**To my readers: This may take you awhile but I strongly encourage you to listen to all of these songs, you won’t regret it! Enjoy!**

Patsy Cline – Crazy

Betty Wright – Clean Up Woman

Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions – People Get Ready

The Manhattans – Let’s Just Kiss & Say Goodbye 

Sanchez – Missing You 

Luciano – Its Me Again Jah

Byron Lee – Dollar Wine

Gladys Knight & The Pips – It Should’ve Been Me 

Nancy Wilson – Guess Who I Saw Today 

The Chi-Lites – Have You Seen Her

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(New Video Post) “Embracing Uncertainty” #SelfLove

June 14, 2014 by

EmbraceUncertainty

Happy Self Love Saturday! 

This Self Love Saturday video is inspired by Eckhart Tolle. I recently watched an interview he did with Oprah on “Super Soul Sunday” and he spoke about embracing the unknown and the uncertainty of life. He says that “Fear is no longer a dominant factor in what you do when you are comfortable with uncertainty”. Life is supposed to be an adventure, if we knew everything that was going to happen there would be no room to grow.  “Embracing Uncertainty” has been a constant theme and lesson for my year that I’m still very much learning and trying my best to accept that I don’t always know what the end result is going to look like but that shouldn’t stop me from living and going after my dreams. Along with uncertainty I have to embrace failure and realize that there is always a lesson to be learned in everything we do. I’m sure some of you can relate to this idea and how difficult it is to let go, but it’s important that we try, just be in the moment and let life take us where it wants us to go, it’s an adventure for a reason. Check out this video below on my thoughts on for “embracing uncertainty”.

Happy Self Love Saturday xo

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(New Video Post) “Black Actress Panel: Leveraging Our Personal Brand” Presented by @Besla_Org

June 10, 2014 by

A few weeks ago I hosted a panel in Los Angeles on “Black Actresses and Leveraging Our Personal Brand for Success”. The panel was presented by  The Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association at UCLA Law School and it featured Essence Atkins, Naturi Naughton and Numa Perrier. I wanted to share a portion of the panel with you guys and share some of the topics that we discussed. This was a very interesting panel for me to be apart of, it was different from any other I’ve done because the audience that we were speaking to was a group of lawyers, publicists and agents who were all  currently working in their respective fields. All of us on the panel agreed that as much information that we gave to them, they also gave us to us with their questions and suggestions for us to grow in our own careers. It was an overall great experience and I was very glad to be apart of it. Thanks again to the BESLA Organization, Tony Brackett and Brian Walker for asking me to be apart of this great panel and to Naturi, Essence and Numa for being apart of it, and being so open and honest! And a HUGE thank you to Nicholette Dixon for filming it! Enjoy!

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(New Video Post) “Let Your Dreams Be Your Motivation” #SelfLove

June 7, 2014 by

Happy Self Love Saturday!

Recently I’ve done a few interviews for different blogs and online magazines and I keep being asked the question, “What motivates you?” I think this is a great question and the first time I got it  I was a bit stumped because honestly I hadn’t ever stopped to think about What keeps me going. I realized as I was answering the question that what motivates me is simply my dreams. I have BIG Dreams, like seriously HUGE and they keep me up at night and sometimes distracted in the day from day dreaming and I honestly feel like until these dreams become my reality I have to stay motivated and keep going.

It’s being on My Self Love Journey that has helped me to feel confident in my dreams and to have  a sense of peace and not worry when I think of them because I know I can have and achieve all of them, and in the words of Lupita, “my dreams are valid”.  My dreams are apart of me, I have them for a reason. My dreams are my heart and soul and keeping them in my heart and on my walls, computer screens, phone screens in apart of my day to day conversations is what helps to keep my motivated and truly excited for life! This video below is to encourage all of you to use your dreams as motivation! Keep going, don’t stop until your dreams are real!

Happy Self Love Saturday! 

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(New Video Post) Maya Angelou Dedication #SelfLoveSaturday

May 31, 2014 by

Happy Self Love Saturday!

Today I wanted to show a some love and dedicate this video to the woman who I believe was one of the first to teach us to love ourselves and that’s Dr. Maya Angelou! Her life, words and actions are the truest form of Self Love and living life to it’s fullest potential! I’ve always been inspired by Dr. Maya Angelou but I’ve been overwhelmed by inspiration this week getting to absorb her entire life and all of the amazing things she did and the incredible and diverse life that she lived! Dr. Maya Angelou taught us so much and I appreciate her most for teaching us to love ourselves. Below check out my video dedication and enjoy one of my favorite poems from her. “Phenomenal Woman”

Happy Self Love Saturday!

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
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(New Video Post) LA Vlog – Lunch Meetings [Artist Grind]

May 26, 2014 by

Hey guys!

As you may know I was apart of 2 awesome events recently and did a little bit of traveling to LA & Toronto for them and I decided to Vlog a bit of my journey!

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I was in LA hosting a panel for The Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association on Black Actresses and the panel featured Naturi Naughton, Essence Atkins and Numa Perrier and it was a truly amazing experience! I’ve been apart of a few panels  but I don’t always come out of them feeling like I learned something new but with this one, I learned a lot. The audience was full of lawyers, managers, agents, and publicist and we all were able to learn something from each other to go further in the entertainment business, as I said it was a really great experience! While being in LA I did a lot of lunch meetings, it was one of those trips were I did a lot of brainstorming and connecting with people to talk about strategy and collaborating with one another. I also got a chance to hang out with my friends and have some much needed fun! Then I went to Toronto and I was the featured guest at “The Creative Networking Class: BossHood Edition”. I got a chance to share my story and connect with a lot of my followers in Toronto, Montreal and even some from London England! It was a lot of fun, and I was really glad to be apart of it and my mom and brother got to come with me and ain’t nothing better then a fam jam! Check out the video below of my recent adventures, hope you’re all doing well!

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(New Video Post) Living With Purpose #SelfLoveSaturday

May 24, 2014 by

Happy Self Love Saturday!

How are you guys? Today I want to talk with you about “living on purpose or with purpose”. This has been a common theme in my life and figuring out what it is and how to do it and even though I’m still figuring it out I’m finally starting to understand what it means. I believe living on and with purpose, is finding your “why” to life, understanding why you do what you do and why it is important to you. Finding your passion and rooting your drive in your beliefs and going for what you are meant to be doing. When you know your “why” you can endure any “how” for what you are meant to achieve. Meaning, no amount of problems, challenges or set backs can stop you or take you off of your course because you are living with purpose! Check out the video below for my thoughts on living with purpose.

Happy Self Love Saturday!

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(New Video Post) “Self Love Tank Top Available” [World Wide Shipping] #SelfLoveSaturday

May 17, 2014 by


Happy Self Love Saturday!! 

This year marks two years of my “self love journey” and almost one year of talking about it publicly with all of you! I’m truly blessed to have discovered Self Love and to have started my journey to find confidence, love and acceptance of myself. It hasn’t been easy, it’s taken a lot of discipline, and patience with myself and understanding that life is a journey and every single part of your journey is necessary for making you who you are. As a celebration of my two years of self love I decided to make something I’ve always wanted, a “self love tank top” and I’m making it available for you guys.

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It’s One Size fits all, and trust me it really does, because of the stretch! It’s available for World Wide shipping and it’s only $20! Woop! Whether you’re on a self love journey, thinking about it or just starting it, you’ll appreciate this tank! I thank you all for being apart of my self love journey and sharing your own stories with me through twitter and email. The best thing you can do is love yourself, so please continue to grow and change and be whoever you always wanted to be!

Go to MissAndreaLewis.bigcartel.com to make a purchase

Happy Self Love Saturday 

 

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(New Video Post) “Trust The Journey & Let Your Intuition Guide You” #SelfLove

May 10, 2014 by

Hey guys, Happy Self Love Saturday! 

Today I want to talk with you about trusting your journey and letting your intuition guide you. One of my favorite things to do is reflect on my journey either by myself or with my mom since she’s been with me through all of it. We love to talk about all of the people we’ve met, good and bad and the places we’ve traveled to, the risks we’ve taken and so much more. We always point out that no matter how a situation or opportunity turned out it lead us to the next step, and whether it was a lesson learned or gaining some kind of achievement to add to the resume it all did something and it was all for a reason. It took me a very long time before I realized how important every single piece of the journey was and that no matter how fast or slow my life seemed to be moving that I need to experience everything that I had gone through to get me to this place in my life and to prepare me for what is to come. Trusting the journey is so important, learning to let go and just enjoy it is a lot easier said than done but when you do, you see why you had to.

Along with learning to trust my journey, I had to learn to listen to my intuition a lot more and let it be my guiding voice. When you listen to your intuition you realize it has your back! There’s a reason why it keeps talking to you in the back of your mind or pricks you in your stomach until you respond, it’s telling and showing you something before you realize it! I have many situations from when I was younger that my intuition was trying to give me a message and I just ignored it for whatever reason and looking back on it now I wish I didn’t because I probably could’ve avoided a lot of messy situations. Now I listen to my intuition loud and clear, if it doesn’t feel right I don’t do it! And if it feels right and genuine to me than I fight for it! Your intuition is the real you talking, so listen to it carefully! Check out this video below of why I think Trusting Your Journey and Letting Your Intuition Guide You is very important for Self love! 

Happy Self Love Saturday! 

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(New Video Post) “Let’s Talk About Mental Health” #SelfLoveSaturday

May 3, 2014 by

Hey guys! Happy Self Love Saturday!

Today I want to focus on a topic that is very important to me and it’s mental health. The reason I stress “self love” so much is because it starts with having a healthy mentality for yourself and your life and not only is this important for your overall success but as well your happiness and quality of life.

I wasn’t always in a good mental place, I used to be very depressed and unhappy with my life and who I was. It always felt like nothing worked out for me and everyone was against me. I would easily feel very anxious and uncomfortable and I was truly my own worst enemy. I was fortunate though to have one very slight moment of clarity where I finally felt tired of feeling the way that I did. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do or where to go but I just knew that I didn’t want to feel this way any more and so I started slowly to take steps to move out of this head space and into a place that was healthy and where I could find confidence in myself and my life and learn to take it day by day. This was the beginning of my self love journey and now looking back on where I was I wish so badly that I was able to talk to someone about how I felt, instead of just trying to sweep it under the rug all of the time and put on a front like as if everything was okay. I never voiced how I felt and never gave anyone a reason to suspect that maybe something was wrong. When I heard about the death of Karyn Washington, the founder of “For Brown Girls” it made me think of my own battle with depression and how from the outside looking in, Karyn made life look like it was a breeze and it was all working out but clearly it wasn’t. I wished that I had more personal conversations with her and that I simply just asked her “if she was okay?”. I know what it’s like to put a mask on how you’re feeling but sometimes if someone just simply asked you “if you were okay?” you might not be able to hide it anymore. It’s a simple question but it could reveal so much about someone without you realizing.

Today on this Self Love Saturday, I’m asking you guys a simple favor, and it’s to have a conversation, face to face or on the phone with someone near to you and simply ask them how they feel? Whether its good or bad I think it’s so important to communicate with each other and have an honest and open dialogue with the people around you about what’s going on inside of you! Talking to someone can help so much, to calm you down, give you a new perspective on life or simply to just be an ear to listen. It’s a small gesture that can go a long way, so please find someone today and just talk to them. Let’s take the small steps it takes to bring awareness to mental illness.

Happy Self Love Saturday!

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