Recently, it was my honor to interview Time Magazine cover girl Laverne Cox in New York City at the Opportunity Agenda’s Creative Change Awards. Watch my dialogue episode below with the producer of “Free CeCe.” You can also read it in its entirety on my Mommy Noire column…

Abiola: Well, thank you for portraying Sophia as a noble and human character. How did you, Laverne, learned how to love yourself? Because so many people from any background are struggling with basic self–love.

Laverne: It is an ongoing process, the process of self-love, and it is something that I have to practice. I used to think that one day I would wake up and if I read enough, if I prayed enough, if I put on enough makeup, that I would wake up and I would have the answer and I would love myself. Self-love is something I have to practice. It is something I have to do every day. It is something I have to be really cognizant in terms of the messages I tell myself about myself. Self-love for me is really about how I take care of myself, really being careful of negative self-talk, who I surround myself with, what situations I put myself in. It’s about everything I do, really. It’s about action.

Watch Laverne’s Dialogue with Abiola

Abiola: My new book is named “The Sacred Bombshell Handbook of Self-Love” and I’m reclaiming the word ‘bombshell’ to mean a woman who has agency, who believes in herself, mind, body, spirit. What makes you a bombshell, Laverne?

Laverne: I love that. You know, I think it’s really about me learning to be lovingly self-critical. Being critical of myself allows me space to grow. It’s really about me giving myself space to grow but by doing that with love so that I’m not beating myself up or tearing myself apart. I’m doing it with love that Laverne is okay, [as in] “You are exhausted now. You might do this not imperfectly.” And really giving myself permission to proceed imperfectly in life but know that my imperfections are what make me beautiful and make me a bombshell!