We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Venus Monique a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Venus, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

When God told me to do acting, I knew I needed to go where there were opportunities, so I moved to Austin, TX. I started by using Craigslist to find gigs, and as I did more work and met more people in the industry, I eventually found my acting coach.

Taking classes with Carol Hickey at the Carol Hickey Acting Studio was the best investment I could have made in my acting career. Her goal with her students is to help them become a self-sufficient actor, which I feel she absolutely did for me.

Beyond learning the craft, I met some amazingly talented actors and other industry professionals whom I wouldn’t have otherwise met had I not invested in years of training with her.

For any actors out there just getting into the industry, always see if you can audit a class for free before joining it. That was my approach, and it helped me avoid some classes that definitely weren’t my cup of tea and also find others that were a good fit for a season.

They can be costly, but it’s a wise investment for anyone serious about their acting career.

Venus, 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?

Acting is something I thought I’d NEVER do, to be honest. I had tried it in high school, went to an acting workshop in LA at the encouragement of my then agency – and hated it.

Then, one day in college, I was walking on campus and out of the blue I was hit hard with a thought that wasn’t my own: “I want to do acting! Why am I not getting my degree in theater?”.

I knew immediately that it was from God and that I was to do acting, so I shifted my mind and started pursuing it, which led me to Austin, TX.

It’s been over 15 years, and I’ve been blessed to do a ton of projects, play a lead detective in a major Christian crime drama series, start a business for other Christian women in film called Personal Powerhouse, and win many awards for the work I’ve done.

My goal with acting projects is to be a part of stories that inspire the viewer to make better decisions after they’ve watched it. If we have the ability to influence through media, I’d much prefer to influence others positively, and even more so, have them become curious about Jesus.

The other side of this profession is the human side of growing a career. It’s always fun to let God steer the ship because He can put desires in us that we didn’t even have on our radar. For me, that’s stepping into a producer role, which I had never considered, and our production company is shooting its first film later this year. To see how things have grown from when we started meeting a couple of years ago to now is encouraging, and we’re excited to see what other stories we get to tell in the future.

It’s wild to go from someone who knew NOTHING about the industry and had no connections to now running a company that supports and encourages a community within the faith-based market. When I started my acting journey, I didn’t have a mentor or friends to guide me in what I should be doing, and because of that, I wanted to provide a space where other Christian actresses could pursue their calling and get help along the way from those they trusted.

Our community, the Powerhouse Sisterhood Suite, is carefully vetted and has grown to about 50 women across the country (including Mexico and Canada) who come together to talk business, share audition help, discuss heavy industry-related topics, carpool to events, find roommates for festivals, and so much more.

When I started the community, I thought a handful of ladies might join, but I had NO idea how many women were also desiring true industry friendships with others who understood their journey.

As far as what I’m most proud of up to this point, it’s definitely the times I’ve stood up for myself or set a boundary that resulted in me losing out on an opportunity. It can sting to remove yourself from a project that you’d love to be involved in, but when compromising your integrity is part of what gets you the role, it always feels better to walk away.

When I met with an acting coach to take her class, I let her know what my boundaries were. I thought she might have some sort of rebuttal or tell me I shouldn’t take her class, but she gave me the best advice that I’ve never forgotten: “I think that’s great, because you know what? At the end of the day, you’re the one who has to look back down your own mountain and be okay with everything you’ve done.”

That sticks with me, and I hope it sticks with others as we pursue our careers.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Oh my goodness. I love talking books. I read some books on acting when I started out, but now I read books on excellence, leadership, business, entrepreneurialism, finances, and faith. As a business owner, I want to be sure I’m leading well, so I enjoy gaining insight from others who have gone before me.

One of my favorite books is Excellence Wins by Horst Schulze, the co-founder of the Ritz-Carlton. He gives very practical information on what he did and how he helped his employees be the best they can be. Here’s a quote from chapter 12. Employee: “Well, not every guest acts like a lady or a gentleman. Some of them can be very obnoxious.” Horst replied, “Yes, I know, but it’s not up to us to judge or categorize. They may have made their decision to be cantankerous, but we’ve made our decision to respect them regardless.”

Another favorite book of mine is Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. It’s all about building relationships and remembering that people are important.

Exceeding Expectations by General Bill Looney was also a great read. He share stories of integrity, humility, and leadership and isn’t afraid to mention when he behaved poorly and the consequences of doing so. Here’s an excerpt: “The leader who regards a sense of humility as a cornerstone of his leadership philosophy will almost certainly exceed expectations – and is well on the way to creating a culture poised for success.”

There’s another book that I need to re-read by Joyce Meyer called The Love Revolution. Her work is very conversational and always hits home. She did a great job sharing beautiful nuggets of wisdom on loving others that I want remember as I go about my days.

There are many, many more books, podcasts, and YouTube channels that have given me food for thought, so if anyone wants to have a discussion, I’m always game!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Oh, for sure. When I talk about Personal Powerhouse now, it’s all about actors and community and faith – but what it started out as was TOTALLY different than what it is today!

My initial desire was to help young adults who were stepping into adulthood on their own. I didn’t feel like school did a great job equipping me with information on basic adult necessities – I knew nothing about car insurance, putting down a security deposit for an apartment, folding a fitted sheet, etc.

As I fumbled through my adult years, I realized I didn’t want young adults to have the same experience, so I spent my first years in business building a YouTube channel and a course to help them.

As I grew, I realized young actresses were following me on social, which led to me wanting to help them specifically. After a lot of consideration, praying, and having discussions with my husband, I ended up pivoting completely away from life skills and started the original Powerhouse Sisterhood where young actresses had a supportive community with industry mentors and monthly meetings.

That community eventually morphed into what we have now: The Powerhouse Sisterhood Suite for Christian actresses 18 and over. I just kept moving forward in faith, knowing there was something I was supposed to be doing, and as I stayed the course, God kept shifting things little by little.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.PersonalPowerhouse.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/highfivevenus
• Facebook: facebook.com/highfivevenus
• Twitter: x.com/@venusmonique
• Youtube: youtube.com/@VenusMonique
• Other: IMDb.me/venusmonique youtube.com/@PersonalPowerhouse/videos talktovenus [at] gmail . com