We recently connected with Phoenix Bell and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Phoenix, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is Respect My Shoes—a concept that grew out of a domestic violence situation I was in.

I found myself sitting in the middle of the night while he slept after a fight. In the quiet bruised and exhausted, something in me refused to stay broken. I decided to write. As this script evolved through the years, what has struck me after listening to various womens testimonys and how quickly they were harshly judged without the patriarchy and the women who uphold the patriarchy understanding their circumstances. These women felt dismissed, misunderstood for how they communicated, or labeled as angry when in reality they were overwhelmed, under-supported, unheard, or simply trying to survive.

Respect My Shoes was born from that tension—the gap between perception and reality.

The name itself is intentional. It’s a call for empathy, for people to pause before forming opinions and consider what someone else might be carrying. Behind every attitude, every frustrated reaction, there’s usually a story that hasn’t been heard.

Respect My Shoes is a guiding principle in how I want women to feel after experiencing this show. I want women to feel seen, heard, validated, laugh, reflect, and perhaps face a part of themselves they werent quite ready to face.

I am not the same woman who wrote the script, and 10 years later neither is the script. I’ve healed in ways I prayed, cried, and screamed for. Today, I stand in the work not just as the creator but as a living testament of what it means to turn pain into power.

My goal is for women to experience this production and with every fiber of their being to demand that the people in their past and present to put some respect on their shoes.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Phoenix Rise Productions is a visionary theatre company creating original stage plays rooted in mental health awareness, healing, and transformation. Founded on the belief that art is a mirror, our productions are raw, real, and restorative—reflecting the untold truths that shape our lives and the power we hold to rewrite them.
Every performance is crafted to spark conversation, uncover buried wounds, and ignite the journey toward inner healing. Through bold storytelling and community-centered narratives, we give voice to the struggles too often silenced and celebrate the resilience that rises from them.
At Phoenix Rise Productions, we don’t just put stories on stage—we create spaces for liberation, growth, and emotional revival. Because healing isn’t just personal; it’s collective.

Phoenix Bell is a writer, author, poet, educator, and playwright—an unapologetic voice for truth, healing, and transformation. A proud St. Louis native, Phoenix is a graduate of University City Senior High School and Saint Louis University, where her passion for language and expression evolved into a mission-driven career that blends education, mental health awareness, and the arts.

Her love for writing began at just 13 years old, when her Uncle Gerald gifted her a copy of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. That book opened a door, not only into the world of poetry, but acknowledging her own voice. Inspired by the power and vulnerability in Maya Angelou’s and Shakespeare’s work, Phoenix began crafting her own words with the belief that storytelling could liberate both writer and reader.

In 2015, Phoenix wrote her first original theatre production, Respect My Shoes, which sold out a 500-seat house at Lux Theatre. It was here that she met Joel P.E. King, and together, they deepened the vision behind Respect My Shoes, a powerful, woman-centered story that sparks dialogue and amplifies voices too often ignored. That moment ignited her career and established her as a powerful creative force in St. Louis theatre.

Since then, Phoenix has written, directed, and produced several impactful works, including Black Magic Moments, 50 Shades of Pink, Inhale, and Enigma: A Family Bound by Secrets, which debuted in 2019 at Emerson Theatre. Each production is rooted in emotional honesty and mental health awareness, designed to mirror life’s struggles while offering space for reflection, reconciliation, and healing.

Behind the scenes, Phoenix is equally powerful. Her technical experience includes production management, stage management, prop mastery, set design and construction, script writing, sound design, and wardrobe styling. She understands theatre from every angle on stage and off making her a rare and multifaceted creative.

Outside of theatre, Phoenix is a dedicated community mental health supporter where she focuses on individuals living with mental illnesses reach goals where they can live independently successfully. Prior to she was an education with St. Louis Public School where she started a student theatre club. She’s collaborated with local organizations including JPEK Creative Works Theatre, Unity Theatre Ensemble, The Black Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and several church-based theatre ministries. Her work fuses education and art to empower the next generation of creatives and critical thinkers.
Phoenix’s flagship production, Respect My Shoes, has catapulted her vision onto new stages, including Atlanta, where it drew audiences and creators such as Resa Tesa. In a proud milestone, Drea Kelly—ex-wife of R. Kelly—joined as brand ambassador, adding national momentum to the message behind the movement.

Phoenix also partners with mental health professionals, community leaders, and educators to ensure that their work doesn’t just stir emotions, but provides pathways to support and real world resources. Their commitment extends beyond the theatre into classrooms, community centers, and conversations, wherever healing is needed most.
At the heart of everything Phoenix Bell creates a commitment to healing through storytelling. Her company, Phoenix Rise Productions, continues to produce original works that reflect real life and push people toward emotional revival. Because for Phoenix, art isn’t just a performance, it’s a pathway. To truth. To connection. To rising.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There’s a unique perhaps slightly weird kind of fulfillment in watching something started as an idea in your mind take shape through others. Cast members begin to shift and I see and feel it. The words have dissolute and becomes lived experience. Walls come down, conversations open up, and moments that may have once been difficult to face are explored in a safe, creative space.

Then theres watching the audience receive the work—really receive it—is something you can’t manufacture. You can feel when a room gets quiet for the right reasons, when a line hits deeper than expected, or when someone sees themselves reflected in a way they didn’t know they needed. Sometimes it’s in the tears, sometimes it’s in the knee slap laughter, and how the story helped them process something, feel less alone, or look at their own life differently.

That’s the part that stays with me for the long haul, even on days when I question myself. The caveat is I remember the stories and the healing process from cast and audience members.

I don’t tell stories, I create a healing experience.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am still trying. Social media is tough. This is a creative saying that. IF there was an app for writers, I think I would definitely be viral. Humbly. In essence, I’m still building and trying to find my tribe.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.PhoenixBell.com
• Instagram: Phoenix_Bell_Official
• Facebook: Phoenix Bell
• Other: Tik Tok Phoenix Bell Official

Image Credits

Headshot Kyle Alexander