We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elani Kay a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Elani, appreciate you joining us today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Many years ago I was working for a man. I was in charge of Operations and I had a quite a bit of responsibility. I was not properly compensated and so I started to grow tired and discouraged about the situation I was in. One day I was venting to a close person in my circle and he said to me that I could be my own Boss. He gave me a long speech about believing in myself and that I didn’t have to work for someone as that was not my only option. He empowered me, boosted me up, and made me feel like I could actually be my own Boss at the end of that conversation. Some months later I had the opportunity to purchase a business. The idea was 100% inspired by what was told to me about being my own Boss. I shared with him the idea I had and how I wanted to purchase this business and make it my own. He of course supported the idea of me being my own Boss, but he wasn’t completely sold on the actual idea and business model. I still decided to push forward with the idea. I needed a little more capital than I had access to and I shared this with him. Although he didn’t fully agree with the business model, he wanted to support me and show me he was standing behind me, so he invested in me by giving me the capital I needed. This act of kindness was truly meaningful to me because he did it to show me he believed in ‘me.’ He took a chance on me and put his money where his mouth was. It was a true act of selflessness which I will never forget.
Elani, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My oldest son started acting at the age of 8. For pilot season, we would travel back and forth from Northern CA to Southern CA a few times a week for auditions, callbacks, and bookings. After he booked a National commercial and we saw a high paying check, I decided it was time to actually move to Southern California. During this transition I was offered a position with an entertainment company. I worked for that company for a few years and then purchased my own company. As a Momager I saw things from the perspective of the working actor and I dealt with the agents, casting directors, directors, producers, and managers. I had experience now on all sides of the spectrum when it came to entertainment. My company 4000 WEST grew in to something that is for everyone working in the entertainment industry. I have a production space to use for business, to create, to film, to shoot, to record, to write in, to have meetings in, to conduct business in. I have clients like Netflix, Amazon, Bravo, BET, and more. Of course, we love all of our independent creators as well. From there I formed partnerships and other companies like ‘Talent Agency Guide,’ a company that helps working and aspiring actors either start a professional acting career or develop their craft as well as ‘Frenzee Broadcasting,’ a media company that produces all original content. The Elani Kay brand is also about fusing my passion and gifts together. As an energy life coach I work with clients to transform their lives. It’s absolutely rewarding to see my clients lives take a full 360 and raise their entire quality of life through the power of life coaching. I am also an international best selling author. I have four anthology books that I have been a part of that share parts and pieces of my life story to inspire, to teach, and to encourage others. Elani Kay is about contributing to bringing more light to the planet. I hope to do that by the opportunities I provide for others, my coaching, my writing, my healing, and my speaking.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of the words I would use to describe myself would actually be ‘resilient.’ I do believe that everyone has a story. We’ve all had to overcome some sort of hardship. I used to feel so alone and think that I would be so severely judged for my choices that I thought I needed to end my life. I was still struggling with post partum depression and facing the reality that I had made some poor choices. The choices I made led to an assault, led to me having to raise a child on my own, and ultimately led to me having to buckle down and take back the peace in my life. I am not saying that I am victim shaming myself, but I do take accountability for making certain choices that led to the awful predicaments that I found myself in. I wasn’t always a strong or independent woman. I used to fear going anywhere alone. I always had others do things for me to help me. Through the challenges though I was forced to be resilient. I used resources to mentally and emotionally cope. I called hotlines, I called anonymous support lines, I found free counseling services, just so I could repeat the same stories and the same problems I was already telling my friends about. I knew that the more I talked about what had happened to me, the more I would be able to release and let go. I was alone living in a different state with no family, but I had no choice but to fight. I ultimately rose above what could have broken me.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Some of my favorite books are “Secrets of a Millionaire Mind,” by T. Harv Eker, “The Alchemist” by Paolo Coelho, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, and “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elanikay.com // www.talentagencyguide.com // www.4000west.com // www.frenzeebroadcasting.com
- Instagram: @elanikay //@talentagencyguide // @4000west_ // @ceitatv // @frenzeebroadcasting
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/elanikay // www.facebook.com/talentagencyguide // www.facebook.com/frenzeebroadcasting
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@talentagencyguide // https://www.youtube.com/@FrenzeeBroadcasting
Image Credits
Omar Guerra
Make-up : Yovieglam