Today on the blog we are kicking off our first interview in our new monthly collaboration series where we are giving creators, entrepreneurs, activists, and more a platform to share their voices even further. The start of a new year brings a new beginning and what better way to kick off this series than with one of my favorite voices taking the internet by storm! This interview will give you tips on how to step into your best self in 2023 with Janell Roberts.

Janell is a woman of many talents, and you may have come across her content on TikTok (that’s where I discovered her!) or through many of her other platforms like her #1 best-selling book, IG, Youtube, or her new podcast, To All The People.

She is creative, inspiring, and a voice for those who need someone to look up to. And we just are so excited to have her share her wonderful advice today on how to become your best self. With that, let’s welcome Janell to the blog!

Introduce yourself to The Page Avenue audience. We want to know everything!

Hi Page Avenue, My name Is Janell Roberts, but people call me “Jay.” I am a #1 Best Selling Author, Creator, podcaster, and Entrepreneur. My mission has always been to help women like me learn to turn their pain into art. On my digital platform, I often showcase my journey of overcoming depression, learning forgiveness, and becoming my sense of self-love.

I love the theme of season 1 of your podcast, To All The People, about being an F.O.D. Can you explain what that is?

The term F.O.D. is coined by Producer and well Renowned writer Shonda Rhimes (she wrote greys anatomy, Scandal, and Bridgerton), so I must give her flowers. F.O.D. is about being the first, only, and different. It highlights tokenization through the lens of being in rooms where you’re the only one. 

Being the “only one” often looks like being the only P.O.C. in the room, a first-generation graduate or American; it could even mean being the first in your family to break free from Toxic Generational Cycles. 

These stories are often overlooked, and the “To All The People Podcast” has been fortunate to feature amazing stories such as; being a 23-year-old politician, A woman of Color working on Wall Street, and Being the first in your family to Graduate – so I wanted to create a podcast that embodied all of these things. 

If there are readers out there who come from traumatic backgrounds like us, what’s the biggest piece of advice you would you give to help them free themselves and break the cycle? 

Wow, this is an amazing question…

Focus on inner-child healing by learning to parent yourself. I have a few podcast episodes solely dedicated to inner-child healing. When we consider all of the nuances that have made us who we are, it started in our childhood. 

Think about it, when we go to therapy or read any self-help book – the first few conversations or chapters will be centered around childhood. Children are the only people with no Civil Rights, and you must show compassion to that inner child who often suffers. It may be hard to relive many of those moments, but I think with the right therapy and books, it could help you “let go.” 

When we look at our childhood – for some, there may have been a lot of feelings of loneliness and neglect. Some of us may have had abusive parents who inflicted harm – and some of us have no recollection of our childhood because we chose to forget. Some of us may have been forced to problem solve on our own as children, where we either had to grow up too fast -and become “little adults” being a little adult robs us of our childhood, making us tired in our adolescence. 

 I recommend getting real about where your hurt may stem from. One thing I did to help me was change my screensavers to a childhood photo of me. A picture of me with a snaggled tooth with a big grin planted across my face. It’s my reminder to be kind to her, to love on her – because it’s her that needs me. 

You can give yourself the love that your parents never did, so if you can, take that trip to Disney World, Go play in the Rain, and treat yourself to that Chocolate Shake.  

Where did you find the motivation & grit to keep going? 

My life started at the bottom; there was a lot of sadness in my childhood home. I spent most of my high school career sleeping in cars and hotels with my mom and sisters before going to school with kids who drove Range Rovers and BMWs as their first cars (the identity crisis was real, haha). My life had already imploded, so I learned to adapt. I had already experienced so many lows and heartaches that my only motivation was to succeed. I wanted to see the other side of it. Being homeless motivated me; my inspiration stemmed from no longer wanting to be in “survivor mode.” I always knew that I didn’t have the leeway that most kids I went to school with did – so succeeding wasn’t much of a choice – but instead a testimony. I was motivated by Trauma, and trauma motivation helped me get a full-ride scholarship to American University; it helped me become a best-selling author. I am just now – learning to be motivated by love and not by Trauma. And operating from a place of love has helped me heal from my internal battles. 

What steps did you take to become the creator, #1 best-selling author, podcaster, and entrepreneur that you are today? 

I had to be consistent and rigorous. Becoming a creator and entrepreneur meant taking the time out to create. I knew that if I wanted something, I would have to treat it like a full-time JOB. 

When I wrote “To all the People I Loved before loving Me” during covid, I sunk into this nasty sad depression where I didn’t leave my home for nearly six months. (In my previous answer, I talked about being fuelled by trauma). The depression I had felt during that time was a depression I had forced myself to ignore — That depression led me to where I am now. It pushed me to operate from a place of love. I compiled all of the sadness I felt as a teen and posted it to my 1600 followers, and it became a bestseller. 

What’s your method for leveling up in your life? How do you step into your best self?

My method for leveling up is to treat yourself like YOU ARE THAT GIRL RIGHT NOW. My mother always says, Stay ready, so you don’t have to get prepared. If you want something and want to be something, you can level yourself by moving just as that right now. Eventually, you will become everything you’ve always wanted – it’s an easy manifestation hack, a practice, a belief system. 

I’ve learned to remove any ideas that I’m not enough just as I am by empowering myself through it. When I gained 40 pounds during covid, instead of beating myself up about it, I had an entire photoshoot with my new body. You can empower yourself – but changing your perspective. All it takes is one thought. 

Are there any go-to books that you recommend that have changed your life? 

I was waiting for this question! Here are Books that have completely obliterated my mind, broken me into pieces, and put me back together again: 

1. Amy Morin: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do 
2. Karyl McBride: Will I ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers 
3. Janell Roberts: To all the People I loved Before Loving me (I hate myself for including my book, but I had to, haha; perfect for healing your inner child)
4. Bessel van der Kolk: The Body Keeps the Score The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma 
5. bell hooks: all about love

What are you working on right now? Tell us what you’re passionate about & how you spend your time.

I am currently in the process of writing another book, A collection of long-form personal essays. And in the next few months, I will be moving into my HQ to launch my new business venture (I would love to go into more detail about this, but I will have to keep it under wraps until everything is finalized). I spend my free time going on long walks with my Dog Banks and Fiance Luke; if we’re not binge-watching A24 films, we’re building our dream home on Pinterest or planning our next Europe excursion. 

How did you know that this was your calling in life? What advice would you give to others struggling to step into their true selves?

Oh wow, I want to say that dreams do change and that’s okay. As of now, this is my calling, but it could change in the future. I have always known that I didn’t want people to feel how I had felt at low moments. There were a lot of times when I felt completely isolated in my experiences and encountered a lot of intrusive thoughts. When life felt too much – these feelings made me a serious empath, and I knew that If I could do anything, it would be to create a platform where people like me didn’t have to experience their struggles alone. 

My advice for anyone struggling to step into their true selves is to accept the failure that comes with it. Apart from finding your voice will require you to fail sometimes. I learned to look at failure as a rough draft – not as the final copy. And I encourage anyone trying to step into their true selves to accept failure as the process. Remember that, If you aren’t failing, you aren’t trying. 

Where can everyone find you? Drop allll the handles!

My Personal Handles are 

IG: Janell_Roberts

TikTok: Janell.Roberts 

Youtube: Janell Roberts 

To All The People Social Handles 

IG: toallthepeoplepodcast 

TikTok: toallthepeoplepodcast

Book: 

“To All the People I loved Before Loving me” Is available on BNB and Amazon

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We hope you loved the real talk and inspiration shared from Janell as much as we did! If you have any other awesome wishlist guests you want to see featured, let us know!

xo – Kaelyn Page