Adassa the Voice of Encanto: What if the Detour is the Path

Welcome And Adassa’s Journey

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Welcome to Real Talk with Tina and Anne. I am Anne, and I want to start today with a quote from our guest. This was a dream that I never thought would happen, but I never thought it couldn't. Our guest today, Adassa, a Golden Globe Oscar and Grammy winning artist, who was the voice of Dolores in Disney's Encanto. But you know, she didn't get there overnight. It took her more than 20 years of sacrifice and detours, lots of detours, and heartbreak and lots of faith and relentless persistence. And she writes in her memoir, it took over 20 years to come true, but I never stopped hoping and I never stopped taking the actions that would lead me to be ready when an opportunity like this would arise. Adassa has performed alongside artists like Pitbull and Flowrida and Snoop Dogg and Ciara and Missy Elliott and many more. And she's appeared on the stages of the Oscars and the Grammys, an American Idol stage with the Encanto cast, which I saw by the way, and Disney Stages Around the World. This book is not simply about music and Disney and fame, which we will talk about that as well, but it is a story about survival, about finding your way to where you belong, even when life takes you down roads that you never expected to travel. Right before stepping into her role of Dolores, Adassa battled literal paralysis during COVID. And somehow, even without knowing how she would physically prepare for the role, she just kept going. And in the book, Love Keeps Showing Up. She jokes that she trained like a champ as fast as a sloth, comparing her training to Rocky, only the opposite. And honestly, that humor in the middle of hardship says so much about who she is. She is a mother of seven who learned her worth had nothing to do with performance. And she is still that little girl who once sang in a hairbrush and believed that God had written something bigger for her life. You know, we are so excited to have you here today. You were just that little girl who dreamed of Disney, and I am so excited. Thank you for being on Real Talk with Tina and Anne.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

Thank you so much, and I'm excited to just chat with you and share a little bit about what led me here and how great God is, because honestly, I wouldn't be able to be here without his help.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

You know, I thank him every single day. He is the reason that uh I've gotten as far as I have in life. So I really appreciated that in your book. Um, I have to tell you that we are huge Disney fans in our house, and my kids did run around singing. We don't talk about Bruno nonstop. They did go to uh even events dressed up like you and the other characters. So this is a very surreal moment for my family that you are on. So thank you.

A Disney Moment That Clicked

SPEAKER_00 3:29

You know, when when you watched Disney as a young girl, can you share what it was like for you when you watched The Little Mermaid and heard Jodie Benson? And suddenly something clicked, and you just thought, wait, that's me. And you saw a possibility.

SPEAKER_03 3:45

I remember when I was little, I started singing with my mom and my dad at church. So they were holistic doctors, and I grew up in Seven-day Adventist religion, and so they would, you know, be able to share their messages through music as well. And so I remember singing with them and standing on that stage, and I knew I wanted to be a singer. But when I watched The Little Mermaid, that's when I knew I wanted to be part of that world. What would I give if I could live out of these waters? So for me, being able to meet Jody Benson, ah, that was a dream come true, especially because she was just as kind and honest and true as she is in the film because you feel it, that emotion, that purity. And even after all of these years, she's such an inspiration. And I and she was gracious enough uh to be able to allow us to use up a picture that we took at a Comic-Con together. And I knew since I was very little that I wanted to be a singer. Like some kids are like, I don't know, I don't care what I am. I could be an astronaut or I could be a banker. I knew I wanted to be a singer, and that helped me along so many hurdles during my life. But at the same time, when I was sick, I understood that what I could do and what I had worked towards my whole life wasn't the point of my existence. And it didn't define who I was.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

You know, it is so important for people for us to see ourselves in the stories and be represented. I'm autistic, and so I really appreciate what it's like to be able to see people that are like you in the stories and have dreams that you can see that are possible. So, you know, you were all about dreams and you dreamt of being involved in Disney, like you said, for as long as you can remember. Yes.

Generational Dreams And The Torch

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Music, music was so much about your family, your your grandmother Rosa and your mother, and music connected your generations. Can you talk about how carrying those generational dreams made your own dreams feel even more meaningful?

SPEAKER_03 5:49

For me, knowing that my grandmother wanted to be a singer, and knowing that even though she was born in Colombia and she had a beautiful voice, because of the fact that she didn't come from a means and didn't have connections, she decided to go the practical route and become a nurse. And so my mom, she got us along as far as being able to have a song on the radio in Colombia, in Barranquilla, Colombia, which is the city she was in, and she had a trio, so they would sing and she would play the guitar. And so that was like, oh my goodness, that was awesome. So when it came to me, it wasn't expected for me to be a singer. To the contrary, I think that everybody in my family expected me to go into the medical field because I was exposed to it in such an early age. And because it hadn't necessarily worked out for them, they were very doubtful. They're like, you know, this is not exactly how you can make a living, you know, this is of a dream kind of thing. But like, let's be realistic. You need to pay your bills. And I just was like, no, I'm gonna carry this torch and I'm gonna take it all the way home. And so getting this film, when I was cast and I went in for my audition, uh, especially the callback, that's when I knew I had to tell them about my family because the initial audition was like, okay, give us these kind of things. And I did, and we sent it over. But when I had that callback, I just thought, you know, if I get 10 minutes of their time, I don't want to waste it. I want to tell them who my father was. And he started working since he was six years old, and that's what he did selling arepas and bollos and pan de bono, door to door in Colombia. And now having spent 10 months in Colombia and understanding who my father was, because I saw it in the gentleman that came to sell aguacates and papayas in the morning, I saw what my dad had to do for his family. And so I'm grateful for his sacrifice. And so I feel like it wasn't a oh my goodness, I have to do this for the family. It was like, I'm gonna do this for the family. So it's just been surreal. And to do it in a film that speaks of family, that speaks of generational trauma, that speaks of generational hope. That meant so much more.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Oh, I'm sure it has meant so much to your family. That's amazing that you got to, well, we will talk about the part and how you got it and everything, but Disney was the only option that you saw. You just wanted to prepare for this dream. Even when you moved to Texas, and things seemed like you were just gonna, you know, get detoured. But uh, as we said, you got rerouted and it seemed impossible. But that quote that I said at the very beginning that this was a dream that I never thought would happen, but I never thought it couldn't, is such a powerful mindset because most people stop believing when dreams take too long or they do get detoured. Can you talk about the importance of living like the dream is still possible, even before you have any evidence of it?

SPEAKER_03 8:34

I feel that sometimes when you're walking the path of a dream becoming reality, you're picking up pieces to the puzzle that will make the mosaic of the truth that you've been pursuing possible. So I feel like it doesn't matter if it took me 20 years to get here. I feel like every step that I would take and I would find a mosaic piece, I'm like, this is gonna fit somewhere. So no matter where my life was being detoured, I'm like, this is gonna fit somewhere. And when I wouldn't believe anymore, and I'm just having this like pocket full of pieces, my husband would be like, This is gonna fit. Because it's not like I always thought it would. I my husband was my anchor, and he sometimes would carry the torch of hope with me alongside whatever journey in life, you know, we were taking. And so it didn't just take me, it took two of us to truly believe that it wasn't a wasted step in the journey. But everywhere our lives were moving, all the kids, we had all the detours, the jobs that would, we would get hired and fired, and we would end up here and end up there and like sleeping on people's floors. We were like, this is still a part of it. And now looking back, it's so easy to see how that mosaic came together. And I can see where the pieces were broken and intertwined perfectly, they sink. And so if we carry ourselves in our own personal lives as if we're piece piecing our lives together, like we're piecing that dream that we're pursuing since we were kids, right? We will be able to see it one day. And we just have to trust the process of life.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Oh my gosh, absolutely. And I always say everything is a stepping stone to where we're going. I mean, even if it felt like a dead end, I mean, I really believe that it is a stepping stone to the next chapter. You you talk about something in your book that really resonated with me. I mean, so much did, but when you're up there on that stage, the fears go away, the nervousness, everything goes away. And you did say how you, when you would sing, the music was you, and the audience responded, and even kids singing the lines, you know. I was just wondering what does that feel like for you?

SPEAKER_03 10:42

Oh, it's beautiful when you get up there and then you're about to sing and they go, We don't talk a butt broo, no, no, no, no. And everybody's singing along, we don't talk a bad bro, no. It's a song that resonates because people see themselves as the characters that we play. So some kids may feel like Dolores, like they have these sensitivities that they think that are keeping them from becoming, you know, powerful. But in reality, that is your power. That is your power. And maybe somebody else doesn't understand that you have that power. And it is a responsibility for others to be able to acknowledge that, not as a defect, but as their super-earned magical gift. And so, as some people may identify with Luisa or Dolores, or, you know, they say this is me, or I'm Bruno, I can see into the future and I can believe when no one else believes. Some people feel like Mirabel, like, okay, I've got drive, I've got yearning, and I have no idea how I'm gonna get this done, you know, because they don't know what their gifts are. And those are the people that sometimes um others doubt, but we should admire even more because when you don't know what your power is, you don't know what your gift is, you walk along with such confidence, and that confidence is at because like I may have had the hope that I would be a singer all my life and and have that drive. But some people that are like, I don't even know what my gift is, but I'm walking that that takes a lot of bravery, like that takes a lot of skill to be able to still believe.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Oh my gosh, you are not kidding. I mean, you have to walk like you believe every single step that you take, even though it appears as if it's not going to happen at all, you have to believe.

The Viral Video With 300 Views

SPEAKER_00 12:22

And I I really think that every chapter was a new place that you were living. I just wanted to say that every single chapter, because I read your book and it just seemed, okay, now she's here, now she's here, now she's here. But when you you finally got to the point where the dream did arrive, and Disney knocked on your door. So I would love to hear this story because it's such a great story, including the spam part. I mean, there's it's such a great story.

SPEAKER_03 12:52

So I had um every time I have a baby, and we have seven children, six of which I gave birth to, and one that I'm his Latin mama, um, I would get into shape by doing a new collection of music. And so the last baby, my husband and I worked on some music because I'm like, that's the way I get to bounce back. I just can't just stand there and be like, ugh, on the treadmill. I'm like, I need a goal, I need a purpose, I need a direction, I need to be facing something. And so we did this music and I explored a new tone in my voice. It was like very intimate. Hablame claro, dime porque acabo lo de nosotros fue más de una noche de simple passion. So that like low, like rappy tone. And uh, and then my husband was like, Well, the baby's got a few months on her, so let's just take a little break. Let's go to Miami. And wherever we travel, I always travel with like a small setup of like a microphone. My husband brings a camera. So we were gonna go to the beach and just like enjoy a couple of days of just like being out there and just being him and I. And we wake up in the morning and he goes, You know, the light is coming in so nicely through the window. Why don't we shoot a video for that song? And I'm like, baby, I just want some tacos and I want to go to the beach. And he was like, Look, just hear me out. Let's just shoot it one time. I won't even ask you first, I can take it. And I was like, Okay, okay. So I put on my clothes, he sets up the camera, and uh, and I start going at it at the camera. And so then I do it, and then we forget about it. Gabriel puts it up on our YouTube channel, and then we we were just like, All right, there it is, it's out in the universe. And we go to the beach and we eat our tacos and we go back home. And a few weeks later, I get this email and and it says we'd like to get a hold of Alaska for an opportunity. And this was, mind you, I had my phone got damaged during the trip. So we had to get new phones and like everything, you have to put in all the passwords, and my YouTube channel had a password, I forgot it, and so I reset the password, so all these emails came up. So it wasn't like the top one of like the only one that I had. It was like I had hundreds of emails popping up. But I clicked on it and I said, you know, well, you can read Adasa's manager at this email. And I acted like I was my own assistant, and then I forgot about it. And then within minutes, my husband's like, you need to come down to the studio. It's Disney. And I was like, no way. And what had happened was that that video called the attention of one person, and that's the thing about social media, guys. Don't focus on the numbers. The video only had like 300 views, but one of those views was Grace Kim, which is the casting director assistant to Jamie Sparrow Roberts, the casting director for Wreck It Ralph, for uh, you know, so many of the films that we love, and Frozen and you know, Moana. And so I can go on and on. She's amazing. And they had gotten a hold of us through that video that only had 300 views. And I have videos that have millions of views, but that particular one that did it. So we immediately responded, and um then they told us to send in our audition. And that same night, after I put the kids to bed and everything, I recorded the audition and uh I was like, okay, this is it. This is this is the moment. And so my husband sent it in, and there was one thing in particular in the email it said, in case of emergencies only, here's a phone number, you can contact us because they said that we would hear back within 24 hours. And so 10 hours go by, 15 hours go by, we're in the 20-hour market. My husband's like, we need to call. And I was like, No, you never call. If you call, then they know you want it. And plus, if they don't call back, it's because you didn't get it. You need to accept that you did that. You know, I mean anybody in acting and in this world of music, you know, you don't hear back, you know, good job, but yeah, it's done. It wasn't, it's not you. So my husband, he wouldn't take no for an answer. And I was just sitting over here being all embarrassed, and so he calls in the number and they're like, Hi, how you doing? He's like, Yeah, it's Gabriel, I'm Adasa's manager. We just want to confirm you got the audition. And they were like, What audition? And we both were like, Oh, and so he's like, Um, yeah, I sent in the audition yesterday. And so she goes, Please wait a moment. And this was Grace Kim. And she looked and she's like, Oh, we just found it. It went to spam.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

I can't believe that. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 17:17

Spam. So uh they dug it out of the spam and they were like, Okay, we're gonna take a listen and we'll let you know. And so it was a funny from there on because communication was just via like phone for the next few days until we got whitelisted into the Disney fam.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

You know, that just proves that you should go with your gut because you know, what did you have to lose at that point when he called to see if you know if they had received it, even though you were like, no, they said no, but the time was ticking and he just went with his gut. You know, I mean that's really amazing sometimes that we just need to, and I know you were embarrassed, but thank God, right?

SPEAKER_03 17:58

Because I know I you you're we're so easily like I think when you want something so bad and you're just so sad about being rejected, and honestly, rejection should be your best friend in this business, but that particular thing was something that I've wanted since I was nine because I am a lover of Disney. Like, even after I was cast in the film, I'm like, you guys know you left like a Disney fanatic just come in here, right? I'm like, I love Disney. That's how I fell in love with Disney. My parents were little, even though my parents didn't have like a lot of money, they always saved up and they would take us on a family trip to Disney. So I grew up going to Disney multiple times. And so that's where I was just like, if just a princess just turns and just looked at me, I was like, you know, and so now when I do like Comic Cons or special events and I put on the Dolores, I feel like I want to give back to the kids that same feeling, that same joy, that same awe that I experienced when I was nine, 10, 11, 12 years old.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

You know, that's just so beautiful that you're doing, you know, you have that mindset and you haven't forgotten that little Adassa. You know, I mean, she's still with you. Do you ever when you went on the American Idol stage or the Oscars or the Hollywood Bowl or worldwide performances, did you ever have moments like that little Adassa, the little girl singing into the hairbrush, dreaming of Disney? Was she on those stages to you don't ever stop being that person?

SPEAKER_03 19:33

I think a lot of people that they're like, they feel like they're frauds, or you know, oh no, I, you know, people are gonna see it. It's like, no, you need to embrace that you're still that nine-year-old, even though, you know, I'm in my 40s now. That's part of the joy that you bring to the stage. Because if you acted so nonchalant and like nothing mattered, you know, what's sad? That would be sad. I think that people need to see that wonder in your eyes because that's what made brings the excitement. So no matter how many times I sing, we don't talk about Bruno, for me, it's the first time, and I still can't believe I was part of it. So when if I'm in Taipei, Taiwan with Susan Egan and you know, and these incredible Broadway stars, or if I'm on the Hollywood Bowl, or you know, when I was at the Oscars and I'm literally looking at Will Smith and John Travolta, and they're right there in front of me, and I'm going, How did I get here? This is just such a miraculous thing. But I embrace it, and yes, I sing it as if it was the first time because I am living it for the first time with those people, so it doesn't matter how many times I sing it, I know it's in YouTube people.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

That's a good way of looking at it, and your phone blew up when the Oscars came through, too. I mean, that was also amazing. You're like, wait, what?

SPEAKER_03 20:45

It did. I had just gotten off a flight, I was gonna get my um my bags, and we started getting congratulations, congratulations on the Oscars. And we knew that dos or being considered. And so I thought, oh yeah, dos or it's the heart of the film. This is the moment where Mirabel and grandmother finally have that heart to heart, and you understand where grandma's coming from. She's not trying to control anybody, she's trying to protect them. And where Mirabel's coming from, a free spirit who just wants to please her grandmother. And she's doing the best she can, but she doesn't understand why there's this apprehension from her. And it's because you didn't live the life she did. She was literally chased out of her home with her babies, had nowhere to go, and then miraculously this casita came to life, you know, and so she's always been protected. And when you're coming from, I think that place, and that's where a lot of family trauma comes from, is like if we understood the past that our parents' grandparents have lived in our current situation, that's where the disparity happens. That's where the misunderstandings happen. It's because no, I never had air conditioning when I was young. Yes, I had to have a job when I was six. So, like if I ask you to pick up your Socks and you're 15 years old, why are you crying? You know what I'm saying? Like a parent that had to go through that is like, why are you crying? And then a 15-year-old is like, why should I be picking up my socks? Like, I live in the United States, you know, or whatever it is. And it's that disparity of understanding really that causes those, I think, rifts or separation sometimes from families. Um, and I was so glad that I was able to not just live it in Colombia, but then have that in my family to have those conversations, to have those healing moments, even with my own mother, you know, because my my grandmother is no longer alive, but I understood my mother and my father a lot more. And so I see them a lot more like surviving warriors than I feel like nagging parents, you know?

SPEAKER_00 22:45

Oh, we all go through that stage in our teens and maybe even our younger 20s, you know, where we're like our parents are our enemies. Which I think, you know, that we get to the point where we come around and we do kind of we see them as a warrior. And it is the it is generational. I mean, our generations were so different before us, and they really did have a lot more hardship, especially, you know, if you put culture or where they came from and things like that, that they endured as well. I mean, there's a lot of trauma within the families.

SPEAKER_03 23:16

You know what? Real talk, Anna, because this is real talk people. I think that there is a different war going on. Our parents experienced a lot of physical, like physical war. Like there's you have to, you know, get up at the crack of dawn, have a job, and then go to school if you even finish school. Like, do you even finish high school? Like for parents and grandparents, it just sometimes wasn't even a possibility. They had to double, triple, time it, you know, they had to go to work in the morning and then go to school at night and then take care of the family during the day. And you could do it off of one paycheck. That's what they got to experience. But now I feel like the war is a lot more emotional and mental for our kids. Like, yeah, you have the abilities to have so many things, but then now social media, like just on a daily basis, their emotional attack is so great. And so I feel like even as a parent now, understanding the wars that my parents went through and how they had to win that war and became warriors in that time. I have to be a warrior now in this time with my children, when the attack is so emotional. And like, I'm like, who do I hit? Like, I got my chancla. Who do I throw it at? It's like this invisible thing that I'm trying to fight against. And so I think that now we have to have so many more conversations with our kids, spend a lot of more physical time like hugging them and like letting them know that I love you. Like, no matter what you're being bombarded with on a daily basis, I'm sure for you. And so being able to be in this point in time where I also had the physical wars that I had to go through. And now with my kids experiencing these emotional and mental wars, it's like, wow, I don't even know what's gonna happen 20 years from now. Like, I literally don't even know what we're gonna be fighting against. I think at that point we're like fighting AI. I don't know. There's gonna be robots everywhere, and I'm gonna be like, put my breakfast down.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

You're not lying. I mean, it could absolutely happen. And I know, I mean, we're kind of fighting the invisible or the or the bully across social media, you know, and it's really scary because our kids are up against things that we didn't even really know about. And I'm older than you, so I mean, it you didn't even know about it. It has really progressed too fast. Yeah, it's incredibly fast. Yeah, it's really scary. And I always tell my kids, and we've talked about this on the podcast before, but to create a space where they can come to us and talk to us about anything, and they're not in trouble, there's no consequences, and I just want them to be real and there's no judgment because they have to have a safe place. We have to be safe for them.

SPEAKER_03 25:47

Yeah, that's it. They that's all they have. Um, and then we have to respect when they choose differently than we do, because you know, not every kid is gonna choose what you you have laid before them, and so that I've had to also understand, you know, with our oldest kids, they're off making their lives, they have their communities, they have their friends, and it hurts sometimes because it's like, well, I wish we could have a better communication, but even now I'm like, but that's part of life, it's to endure things. And so when I was being cast in this film, there's so many layers to it that were happening because from the moment of like not wanting to react, like with my husband and like say, Yeah, I'll pick up the phone, and he did it. And if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have even gotten that call back because I wouldn't have known the thing went to spam. And so when he did that and we kind of left it in the universe, great, they received it. That's it, we let it go. It's not ours. But I knew that if I ever got a call back, I wanted to tell him about my family. And so after I did that audition, I was like super excited. Weeks later, my husband is with one of his students. He does a production music masterclass. He's a songwriter and a producer for Warner Chapel for film and TV. And literally on his live, we get the Bing Disney and call back. That was it. Those two words. And I was like, ah so immediately we schedule it. And that was the moment I showed him the pictures of my grandfather and my grandmother and my dad and my mom and told him the stories. And I just went off. Like, I don't even remember if I said hi. Literally, I was just like, if we got two minutes, I'm gonna let them know who they are. And then they were like, Great. So are you gonna sing for us? And I was like, Oh, yeah, let's do that. And so I did it, I sang, and I remember I did a piece from Hamilton, and uh, I was so excited because I was like, so, so, so, so this is what it feels like to match with someone at your level. What the hell is a catch? It's the feeling of freedom of seeing the light. It's been frankly with a key and a kite. You see it, right? And so I did my audition and I sang a little and I did all by myself by um Celine Dion, and then we were like on cloud nine.

COVID Paralysis And Getting Cast

SPEAKER_03 27:57

But there's always a fly in the soup, like my husband says. Um, I had been feeling a little sick, and my family and I had had gotten COVID a few months prior. And so I told my husband, I don't know if it's COVID-related or if I'm pregnant. And because with our second child, I took all the pregnancy tests at home, they all came out negative, got a blood test, and they came out positive. I was like, I'm just gonna go to the ER, get a blood test, we'll know for sure, and then we'll see what the next treatment plan is, you know? And so he's like, Well, I'll come with you. And I was like, nah, baby's like 15 minutes up the street, whatever, just stay with the kids. So I fed the kids and left him in charge, and then I drove myself to the hospital. Within minutes of getting there, I was starting to shut down. Like I was slurring my words. And so they gave me something for the dizziness and the feeling of nausea that I had. And then I started shutting down piece by piece, like I couldn't feel a foot, then the other foot, then my whole leg went numb, then my arm started going numb. And so I barely was able to get the phone and dial my husband. And then I couldn't say anything, it was just like the day before I gave an audition, singing Hamilton at lightning speed, and then I couldn't even say my name. And so, because it was still COVID restrictions, my husband races there, they wouldn't let him in. They ran CT scans, MRIs, blood work, everything under the sun. And then I decided to sign myself out because I thought I was gonna go home to die.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I mean, that is just so terrifying.

SPEAKER_03 29:32

Oh, especially when I go, you know, I up to that moment, I had been praying and reading my scriptures, and I homeschool my kids, so like doing the homeschooling and baking and doing all then. I'm going, why is this happening? Like, this is the moment like all my kid dreams came true. Like, right, why? And so my husband literally wheels me out. We leave the car there. I drove myself there and he wheels me on a wheelchair because I couldn't move. He picks me up, he puts me in the car, we go home, and then we have some visiting teachers from our church that's just so happened to pass by our home teacher, and he's like, you know what? I was an EMT, and I'm like, And he's like, I think you may be having a stroke, and so let's go to Vanderbilt's. So he said, Let's get get in my truck and let's go to Vanderbilt to get a second opinion. And so we do, because I live in Nashville. 14 hours, more MRIs, more CT scans. I mean everything. And then at the end, a neurologist came through and he said, Look, there are so many unknowns with COVID, we don't know when or if your symptoms will pass. We can run a spinal tap and try to figure out if maybe it's Guillaume Beret syndrome because you have those symptoms. Uh but other than that, we just give you something for the pain if you're in pain, and that's all we can do.

SPEAKER_00 30:54

So and you had you had been uh born premature. I was so that uh you that shot, if you would have had that in your back, it would have affected you. So you didn't want to have it.

SPEAKER_03 31:06

Yeah. So the only one that I took, um, which was my very first kid, that I had some numbing uh medication when I had her, and the rest I didn't want to take the chance. So I would always have them no medicine, no nothing, just one IV port, because even the IV would make me feel funny. And so I was like, I don't want to run the risk of being paralyzed just to find out if I have Guillain Baret syndrome. And so I just went home, I wrote my will, I hug my kids, I had friends come and sign so they can be my witnesses for my will. And and that was it. Every day was just like hoping I would wake up the next day because when the paralysis, it would come and it would go. At first, it was major, just many, many hours of paralysis, like to where I just couldn't move anything. And sometimes it would just be like, if I try to walk and talk, I would shut down. So then I could only do one thing at a time. So I had to start to whisper. I had to sit really, really still and be like, hi kids, thank you so much for doing this. Like, oh, could you bring me a glass of water? Oh, you did so good on your homework. And I had to sit still because if I tried to walk and talk, my body couldn't handle two things. And so we started praying and praying and trying things and fasting, and our our ward family started fasting, and then it came a moment that I was just laying down my head on my husband's lap, and he was just stroking my hair, and we get a phone call, and he answers the phone, and it's Jamie Sparer Roberts. Congratulations, you got the part. And my husband is like, he literally is like, Well, hold, please, and he puts his hand over the phone and he's like, You gotta tell him you can't take it. We don't even know if you're gonna be alive. And I'm like, You call him if I'm dead, I'm taking this, and he's like, Well, not y'all, but you gotta get it together. So he's talking to her, and oh my gosh, and we don't want to tell him yet anything because we don't know what's going on in life, you know. So then uh he's discussing, you know, where where she's gonna have to record because of code restrictions. They're like, Well, you can do it from your studio at home and through everything, just going through the conversation. At one point, Jamie's like, Okay, so can I speak to Adasa? And he's like, Good question. We're about to find out. And I took the deepest breath imaginable, and I'm just like, Thank you so much. When do I start? And I literally almost hit the floor, and they were like, three weeks. Oh my gosh, three weeks.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

And that's where this training like a sloth thing came in.

SPEAKER_03 33:42

Yes, sloth speed ahead because I had to train like Rocky and Slow Mo I was like, I'm gonna make it from here to the door and not faint. And so it was like I'm seeing stars, and so like that was my training, and then miraculously, three weeks later, I was with Jared Bush and Byron Howard recording the lines for Dolores.

SPEAKER_00 34:10

Oh my gosh. You know, you spent so much of your life believing that your value came from what you did, you know, the things that you could do, you what you could sing, how hard you could work, how much you could carry, and then suddenly you couldn't do any of it. I'm sure this changed your perspective.

Worth Beyond What You Do

SPEAKER_03 34:33

Oh man, there was one particular moment that I never never remember I can never forget. Um I told my husband I was gonna take a bath. And I'm like, I just want to relax. I just want to relax, I just want to forget. This is all real. And uh and I started and the bath, and he's like, You want me to sit with you? And I'm like, No, it's fine. And he went to the kitchen and the water started rising, and I started feeling so calm and so relaxed, and then I couldn't feel my legs, and then I was like, Oh no, it's starting to happen. And then I tried to shout and I couldn't, it was just like and the water kept rising and rising, and my whole body just started slipping because my feet I couldn't use my feet, and so there was nothing for me to do except allow this to happen. And as I started sinking and the water kept rising and it went over my nose, and I just I was like, this is it. I am going in the bath like Winnie Houston. This is it's over, and and as the water went over my nose, and I knew this was the last breath I was gonna take, my husband, like a knight in shining armor, just pulls the curtain and he like picks me up and takes me out of the bath and lays me on the bed, and I'm wet. And then as as my body slowly came to, I just started crying. And I told him, I am worthless, I am worthless, I'm a head in a bed. What good am I now? I can't wash a dish, I can't sing, I can't do anything. And he just looked at me and he was just he is my soulmate. It goes beyond this world, the kind of love that he has for me and for our kids. Because he just said, you know, if you can't talk, I will learn to read your lips. Figure it out. If you can't go up the stairs, we'll figure it out. Just and he never saw me as less, like he never saw me as broken and shattered as I felt. And so as he left me there to be able to rest and went to get me something warm to drink, I just stared at the ceiling and I just was saying, Why? Why now? Why, why, why? And then it hit me. Yes, I'm asking the wrong question. Yes, it should not be why. Yes, and then I just said, What? What do I need to learn from this? What is it that I cannot see? And I did the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. I shut up, I stopped talking, and I just started listening, and I just felt love pour over me. And I understood in that moment that my value did not come from being able to sing or make a mean plate of enchiladas or clean my house or any of the things that I had been working my whole entire life to achieve. It didn't have anything to do with my value. I was loved. I was loved by my husband, I was loved by my family, I was loved by my heavenly father. And that's all I needed to be. I needed to exist. And so many people think their value is upon how much money, how much power, how much everything. And when it came down to it, it was like, no, it's just because you are my child. It's just because you are alive. It just stay hopeful because life has so much more to give, regardless if you ever get out of this bed. And so when I understood that I have value regardless of what I can do, it changed my perspective. So every conversation I would have became meaningful to a depth that I never had before. And the things that I could do, that list cut real short because I didn't have a lot of stamina. So I understood what truly took priority in my life. And by the way, for all the moms out there, kids can do stuff on their own. Like I am a Latina mom that I'm like, I get to do everything, I can wash the dishes, I can do the things. You don't have to do anything, I can do it 10 times faster. And when I couldn't, I understood my kids were helping each other and they were being of service one to another and so kind and loving. Were things perfect? No, but they were doing things out of their own heart and out of love for each other and compassion for one another. And so our family grew in different ways and then accepting help. Oh, and let me tell you, that is horrible because people came to take our kids on play dates and to sometimes clean my home or bring a meal, and yeah, to just know that so many people in my community and and that were just standing behind me and beside me and holding me up when I couldn't stand, that meant so much. And I had to have the humility to accept that. So the Lord wasn't taking something away from me, He gave me more than I ever had before.

SPEAKER_00 39:30

Amen. That's so beautiful. You know, when I pictured you on that bed and you were saying the prayer, and you actually stopped listening or stopped talking, you said and started listening. I tried this because you are right. We so often ask God to speak to us, but then all we hear is our own noise. And I was like, no, no, don't no thinking, no thinking. You gotta stop. Okay. And then I would just calm myself, and for the first time, I was actually able to make my brain shut off. And I felt him so much. It's just so interesting how we ask him to talk to us, but all we do is hear us talking to ourselves, and some of it's not so good.

SPEAKER_03 40:24

I know that's usually not, and the still small voice of which they speak, it's like, dang it, you know, if you were a Latina mom, I would hear you better, but like you have to be so calm and so quiet to hear it, and then it's but it's so much more soothing and more gentle, and so because our so you know, the way that our Heavenly Father speaks to us is in a gentle manner, he's never gonna yell. So if there's yelling going on, you know it doesn't come from him. That's something we're bringing on ourselves. And so when I went through this experience, number one, I didn't know I was gonna be able to make it out at one point after we did meet with Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and even after singing, we don't talk about Bruno, I did have to come clean with the casting director because it came to a point that they were like, all right, we're gonna have the premiere in LA. And by this time I was doing so much better, but I couldn't get um vaccinated because my doctors were advising against it. They were like, We don't even know how you're standing and able to function at all. We don't want to move it. And so I had to tell them, I had to tell her, I was like, I I'm this is a situation I've been going through. I don't know if I'm gonna be alive to see the premiere. I understand if you want to recast me. Like, we had to be so honest with Jamie. And Jamie, to the contrary of being like, you should have told us before or whatever. She was like, Don't worry about it. We're gonna figure it out, we're gonna do everything we can. Do you we if you need doctors? We're gonna get the best. I mean, she was just so kind. And um, and with her, and through the help of her and Yvette Merino, which was one of the producers, I was able to be there. Now they treated me like I was glass, like I was getting tested every five minutes almost. I felt like that. Like every room I would go into, they're like, let's test you, let's test you. And I had just protective gear, like I was going to a football game and I was four years old. And um, they were so kind and they took such good care of me. Now, after and I got better and I was able to get vaccinated, and then you know, we did the Oscars and all of that. But during that period, that's why I think that that picture when the whole cast was there and we walked out carpet means so much to me. I even have one. Let me let me upload that one out. That we all got our own framed versions. Um, everybody from from Disney got uh our own framed picture of Encanto together because it meant so much. I was smiling like I had just graduated high school. I was like, look at me!

SPEAKER_01 42:47

Look at me, oh my goodness, I'm alive.

SPEAKER_00 42:51

It's bigger than high school graduation, it really was.

SPEAKER_03 42:55

So, you know, to be able to be there, and it was the first time we had all been there together because during COVID and even during recording of this film, we were in different parts of the world. Some people were Colombia, New York, LA. I was, you know, Miami, I was here in Nashville, and we recorded my husband himself, he was the engineer who recorded my vocals. So when you see the credits, you'll see Clarksville, Tennessee. That's like right there, our studio, Doncan Diani Productions, because we recorded from here. So, what this film did was give me the hope. And with my family behind me and beside me, I wouldn't have been able to survive this. But I knew that if I were to get through it, I could no longer stay in the Christian closet because it's so easy to get canceled these days. Right? It is beliefs. Oh my gosh, or whatever it is that you believe in. It doesn't even have to be because I believe in Christ or Jesus or God in general. It's just like it's so easy to get canceled. And I was always so afraid of stepping on anyone's toes or taking any stance on any issue. Like, I'm like, why can we just all get along? Like, that's my personality. Personality, but I understood that if I was saved, I was saved for something. So I just testify of what is true to me. And what is true to me is that God is good. And I have an eternal family, which I love. And I have kids. Is my family perfect? No, it is not. But that's the joy of being alive. I'm

Faith, Principles, And Saying No

SPEAKER_03 44:20

alive to see it. I'm alive to love another day.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

You know, I really love that part of your story is that you stood true to who you were and your faith. And your nose led you to bigger things. And that was just so amazing that you just stood up for what you're believed in scripts or you said standards over scripts, I think. Yeah. And that just meant so much. And I think that God really honored that. And it took you to right where you were supposed to be.

SPEAKER_03 44:49

It really did. Because afterwards, after doing the film, and then we did get the Grammy and we got the Oscar and we got the Golden Globe. And it was just like breaking billboard charts here and there. It was crazy. I was offered a lot of roles and that didn't align with my principles. And that is the thing. You know, you have to be ready to say no to an opportunity that's not for you. Because if it doesn't align with who I am, then it's not something that I should miss. Because it's like if you're allergic to chocolate and all there is is chocolate cake and they keep offering you chocolate cake, you're like, that looks delicious. And for someone who's not allergic, I get it, they would love it. But I'm like, do you have any vanilla back there? Mass sprinkles. I'll take some strawberry, I'll take blueberries on it. Just I just can't, you know, I don't do chocolate because that's that's for me, you know. But anybody else could do it. Go ahead. And so, but I didn't know what I was getting saved for. And then later on, I had the opportunity to go on the world tour with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. And we went to Mexico City, where my husband had served his mission. And um, and then I went to so many amazing places and met so many people, you know, to Peru, to Florida. I literally went to the city I was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with them. And so I got to experience things that I might not have otherwise been able to experience because I was ready spiritually to be there and to do it with an open heart and a clean conscience. And so sometimes money is going to be the determining factor in which could take you spiritually away from where your principles lie. And so that is some of the tests that we're gonna get in this world. It's like, do you really truly believe what you do, or does it have a price? And when you say yes to the price, then that means that you could be bought, that you don't truly believe. And so sometimes that's gonna be the question. And especially in this world of entertainment, the question is gonna be what are your principles worth?

SPEAKER_00 46:44

You use a line in your book that says stepping into purpose. You know, I just could you talk about that? Because purpose was used throughout your book. And I just want to preface that with saying that, you know, we always end our podcast every single time, every week, with there is purpose in the pain and there is hope in the journey. And in your book, you said that there's purpose in the pain, purpose and pauses and detours, and purpose in becoming who we were always meant to be. And it just really spoke to me. But when you said that there is you stepping into purpose, I mean, I was like, girl, you are talking my language. Could you talk about that?

SPEAKER_03 47:27

A lot of people are afraid of stepping into their purpose because purpose is scary, it's unknown, it's like a blind box. If you've ever bought a little blind box toy for a kid, they're so excited to see what's inside. Is it what you want? You don't know. And life, it's 10x that. And so some people are just they're safer on the other side. They they will look at the water and see everyone else taking their step into purpose and just go, I'm just afraid of water. And I'm so afraid, I'd rather stay where I feel safe. And then they don't live any experiences. And what happens is when you get into that age where you look back and see what your life has become, you don't see a lot of what you wish you would have done. And so I always tell my kids, don't live in the shoulda, coulda, woulda's. And so when you step into your purpose, you're accepting the blind box, you're accepting the things that you don't know, you're accepting the trials that may come, the pain that you may experience, and the joys that come with taking that first step. So don't be afraid to step into purpose if you want to live a life worth looking back on and saying, that was a great ride.

SPEAKER_00 48:31

You know, it was interesting too, is that the softness in your voice from when you were weak from paralysis was the exact voice that they wanted for Dolores. So I mean, talk about what if the detour is the path all along? And what if what is if the suffering had not been wasted?

SPEAKER_03 48:51

It wasn't in the weirdest of ways. So when I was finally there with Jared Bush and Byron Howard, they were like, okay, so here are the lines for Dolores. And I just started giving them different interpretations. The speed was different, you know. So I was like, the only one worried about the magic is you and the rats talking in the walls. The only one worried about the magic is you. And then I did the only one worried about the magic is you and the rats talking in the walls. And that tone was the one that that just that was it. That was where like uh Byron Hauer was like, that's it, right there. And that tone was the one that I had only been able to speak to to my children during that time. Because when they were trying to find the sound, they were like, Well, we were, you know, we were thinking that Dolores was a soft spoken character. And I'm like, I know exactly what you're probably wanting. And that's where I went to in my mind, the place there I was. So even during my trials of training sloth speed ahead and being like rocky in slow motion and surviving every single day, you know, with my kids, that was the sound that was training me into what became Dolores. And so, and even when I sang, we don't talk about Bruno, I have four octaves of vocal range. All I could sing was that range of grew to live in fear, Bruno stuttering and stumbling. I can always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling. I associate him with the sound of falling sand. Literally, that's all I had in my tank. Yeah, and so what you hear even in that recording, that was all I could give in that moment in time. And now I hear it and I can hear this like, oh my gosh, the strain of me, like knowing that's all I got, you know? And now I'm in a better place, I'm strong, I know what what my body needs, and I'm very careful with this engine that I've been given and this avatar that I get to live in, and being very careful with it and treating it with respect and love and care and the right foods and the right drinks. Um, because I know it's not mine, not even my talent is mine. So if I'm allowed to sing another day, I will always find a way of trying to sing about the positive things in life, even of the pain. And and even when I sing of the pain, I know that there's always hope behind my words because that's just my life. There's always hope.

SPEAKER_00 51:11

I can just feel this in my spirit.

Willing Hearts And Hard Truths

SPEAKER_00 51:14

You know, one of the most powerful sections in your memoir for me was when you wrote, God doesn't call the perfect, he calls the willing. I mean, I can feel that, even just saying that. I mean, not healed enough, I'm not smart enough, I'm not ready enough, I'm not good enough. You and you talked about how you didn't feel the confidence, but you just kept showing up anyway with all the negative voices. You know, it it really takes a very strong person to push out those doubts.

SPEAKER_03 51:49

I'm very I know that whatever I am is because of his grace. And so why should I doubt what he can see and I cannot? And so with my husband's love and care, and sometimes I tell him, I wish it was you doing these interviews because I I am not a scripture scholar, I am not super well-versed. Like, I am not. I just like give me a microphone and I'll sing. That's me. I'll sing all day, but like to share my testimony and to share my knowledge of life and whatever, I'm like, I'm not a perfect person. Like, why should I even write a book? Like, even with the book, I was like, I don't know why I'm feeling like I need to do this. But uh it came to a point where I understood my life is not perfect. I am not a perfect mom. And and my winding road of craziness has been insane from the beginning. But you know what? If there's somebody else out there believing that only the good get chosen, congratulations! You just met me, and I'm telling you, I've had this success and I've had these opportunities, not because I'm perfect, but because I'm willing. So have a willing heart to share your story because there's so much fakeness going on right now in social media and everything that everybody's acting all perfect. You know what? Who do we go and watch in the movies? Do we watch someone that everything is perfect and he gets the same thing and all every single day it goes exactly his way? No, we want to see the warrior, we want to see the underdog, we want to see a person that had to work and strive and go through pain and they lost family and they and they didn't have money, but they still and so use your truth. Your truth really truly will set you free. And so I was always afraid of sharing our truth because yeah, I had my first kid at 18. Is that a great example for the kids out there? Not really. And I'm telling you, I got lucky because I have a good man, but I even say it in my book because I'm like, girl, sit down. If I could talk to myself and I was like, sit down, calm down, there's a hundred other ways this could have happened. Unfortunately, I chose the path that I did, but 29 years later, I'm still with the man that lights me up every single day and he's the love of my life. But it worked out for me. I'm not saying it'll work out for everyone, but I told my truth because sometimes my skeletons were keeping me from truly embracing who I was. And so if you're out there doubting that your life has any value, thinking that your story doesn't matter, to the contrary, it does. It's the fear that's keeping you paralyzed. So let go of that fear, embrace who you are because people right now need truth more than ever.

SPEAKER_00 54:23

Yeah. You had a little bit of a a part in your book where you know it was hard for you, and you almost uh you almost were really giving up. And uh, but you woke up and you what's really amazing is that you said that you really you would have missed out on who you became, or you would have missed out on becoming you. And it was really beautiful for you to come to that realization. It was very hard, but what about that, Adasa that looks back and says, you know what, I would have missed out on who I became.

SPEAKER_03 55:04

Ah well, my um my publisher, which isn't they're just been so supportive, Shadow Mountain Publishing. I had the person that has been my guide, Lisa Mangum, and she she was always like, just tell your truth and we'll make sure that we'll bring it together, you know? And one of those days where I had already proofread the book and I said it's good to go, I had a conversation with my now 16-year-old. She was 15, and she had a hard time. She was having a hard time with friends. And and I didn't notice how on the line of like what's the purpose of life she was in until I sat down and I listened to her. And then I told her about my experience of trying to commit suicide when I was a kid because I got to that point where I was like, there is no point in life. I don't even know why I am alive. I had a very um tumultuous relationship with someone, and yes, I was dating at that point, and it should not be dating at no 15 years old. It's not a relationship status thing. I'm just saying it it was one of those decisions that changed the course of my life, and so um he there was some physical abuse that happened, and so I was just like, I want to end it all. So I took Tylenols and I played Boys to Men, End of the Road.

SPEAKER_02 56:20

Although we've come to the end of the road, still I can let you go.

SPEAKER_03 56:32

It's soon and true. So that was playing in my background, and I was like, This is it. I came to my end of the road, I wrote letters to my family telling them it wasn't their fault. I'm like taking full responsibility over my actions and I love them all. And I threw down all the pills and I started going to sleep, and then I woke up the next day, and I was angry. Honestly, I was angry. I was like, man, God, I couldn't even get that right. Literally had a conversation with him because I was like, dang it, you know, I just wanted gone. And then I tried to drink a glass of water and I couldn't, and then I started throwing up and I was like, uh. And then I ended up in the hospital. That's when I ended up finding out that I had all these cysts and um they ended up operating. That's when they told me I had PCOS and that I probably would never have children. And all of these things that did were discovered during that time, and I wouldn't have known were from that experience. And so when I met my husband, who is now my husband, I told him, I was like, Look, I've been told I have like less than 5% chance of ever having kids. I want you to know that. And and he was like, No, if that's our truth, then that's good. And so the Lord had other things in plan because when I was pregnant with our first, I was like, I don't even want to buy any baby clothes because in case I lose this baby, I don't want all of these reminders of what could have been. And then we had our first child, and then there were 10 years between the first and our second, and then after that, it was like the third and the fourth and the fifth, and it was like, okay, I don't even know what's going on. Even my doctors were like, You have unhospitable territory in there. We don't even know how you're getting pregnant. Like, it was like that, and so wow, and so um I just look back now, and that's what I'm telling you guys. Don't be scared of your cliffhanger moment, those moments in which you were like, This is it. I'm gonna close the book, I'm gonna burn it. I don't want to keep going. That indeed may be the moment in your story in which you will rise like a phoenix and you will conquer the world if you only believe that you should turn that page. So don't be afraid of turning the page in your lives. Because if I look back now and I said, if I would have succeeded, okay, if I would have succeeded in what I wanted, I would have missed on having an eternal family and having the man of my dreams, my children, the success of being able to travel the world and share my testimony through music, all of these things. I would have missed out on everything. So if you could read your own story, and if you could do that, you would want to tell that warrior, that person, don't give up, keep going. So, first you need to be your own cheerleader. Believe that you have a story worth telling, and know that your cliffhanger moment will be your triumph.

SPEAKER_00 59:16

You know, you compared your life to a bull, and you said when it bucks hard, you hold on tighter, and the tougher the trail, the stronger the writer. And you went into the song of the writer, which I listened to every single one of your songs on the album Drink It Up. And in the song, you say, you know, because I'm claiming this song is mine. Good, please do. You dig up every wrong I've done. Try to turn my truth into a loaded gun, but I see you now. You're just a voice, an echo of my own worst choice. I know you, and your name is doubt. You have no claim over my joy. I mean, preach it. This is wonderful. It's it really spoke to me. And your book, both of them together as a companion, you know, and it it's um a country and it's a mix of faith and it's rap and it's all together. I mean, it it really is an amazing message.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:14

Thank you. And um, it was a difficult album to write because I wanted to tell a certain truth, and we had a record label that was ready to stand beside us, and they wanted me to do a little bit more Latin because I'm too 100%. I'm 100% Latina and I'm 100% American. I was born in Port Latida, Florida. I was born in the South, right? But my family is Colombian, so those roots are within me. That blood runs through my veins, but I'm both, and so when it came to writing this book, my husband and I, no matter how hard we tried to try to throw it in the Latin vein, we'd like, no, this needs to be a gritty album with guitars. And he started forming this sound and he started writing with me, and we were like, this is what the story needs to be. And so at the end, we decided to turn down the deal because we were like, no, I'm not gonna change the music. This is what the music needs to be, this is how the words need to be sung. This is the beat that it needs to be on. And so we decided to take the album out ourselves. So, guys, if you like the music, support it because this is truly the companion to this book. Every single song was written as a chapter in my book, and then the music is there in poetry form. So when you're flipping through the pages, like you just did, Anna, you can read the lyrics because I was a poetry writer and Gabriel was the one that told me, you know what, you could put these into songs. I mean, when we met, you know, first record deal I ever had. And so he was the one that taught me how to become a songwriter. And so for me, songwriting is very personal. It's the moment that I get to open my heart and say, This is who I am. And the writer, that's why you start the whole book. The whole book is first not letting fear stop me from doing what I need to do. So that's why I had to start with the writer. It was like, no, doubt is not gonna stop me. No words are gonna stop me. This is what I'm doing. So that's what I wanted to write. When life bucks hard, I'll hold down tighter, dig my heels in, cause I'm a fighter.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:06

I've been pulled, I've been thrown, I've hit the wire, but I'm tumble. I climb up higher, the rope of the tray. The strong of the rider.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:23

You have just blessed my soul. Oh my goodness. That song does, and I have listened to it several times, and uh it speaks to me every time, but I just got it right in the flesh. So that was awesome. Thank you so

Music, Marriage, And Moving Forward

SPEAKER_00 1:02:39

much for that. We are gonna wrap soon, but I did want to mention your husband, who he just seems like an amazing man, and you guys really are each other's cheerleaders. I just absolutely love the story of you two being together at the beginning and eating the pineapple upside down cake bot with CoinStar pennies. It made me laugh so hard. And I'll tell you, it what it did is it showed joy in the middle of hardship, you know, and perspective is everything, isn't it? And I think the two of you did that for each other. I mean, your perspectives just come together and you keep each other on course.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:22

Oh gosh, yes, all the time. He is a lot more uh relentless in his pursuit of joy. Sometimes I feel the waves hit so hard. I have to hold on to him because he can steer the ship, even when I'm just like, I'm so afraid. And so many times, and there's so many other stories we didn't even tell. Like once um uh we had no money, and somebody asked him if he would take pictures of horses, and we had a production company that did film and TV for special events, and we were like, sure, we could take pictures of horses, like we take pictures of weddings in Quince United and anything, and uh we didn't know it was a clandestine uh horse race, and so we had to take the winning shot, and I was scared out of my mind because all of these like uh you know Mexican people with like guns, like pow pow pow in the air, and we're like taking the winning shot, you know that somebody's gonna be pissed, you know, like we so we had to take that nose crossing the finish line. And my husband never doubted that we could do it and that we could like you know, know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, know when to run. So every time we finish, we like click, print, done, let's get out of there. And so there's so many stories that I didn't even get to in the book that I have survived with my husband because he's willing to never give up. And so he can see that anything is possible if we don't stop. And I will tell you that, like as a closing, real talk people out there, if you want something unexpected and beautiful to happen in your life, you need to move because you staying static will not make it happen. You wishing it would happen does not make it so. You can hope, you can dream, but you need to walk. You need to walk the walk. Because if you're just hoping that one day someone's gonna knock on your door and say, Hey, I've read your mind and I know you can sing songs, or I know that you wanted to start a business, like because I felt it in my life. No, it's like you need to put yourself out there on social media or try things. And yes, the failing is part of the journey because it's gonna teach you. So don't take it as I failed. It's like I learned, I learned not to do that. I learned that I should do more of this, I learned that I should try something different, but don't give up because you won't learn anything in staying static except watching everybody else go by and then wishing it was you.

Grace Shows Up In The Mess

SPEAKER_00 1:05:48

You know, I loved your visual that you gave of grace, just walking in unannounced and dropping its bags down in the middle of the mess, and basically saying. Bam. Don't mind me. I'm staying. I mean, so many times we think that we have to get rid of all the mess before we can invite in the Grace. I could actually see here I am. I'm sitting in the mess, and bam, Grace just came and sat down and uninvited sometimes because we just want to sit in our mess. Let's admit it. And uh, but it says, nope, I'm gonna be here for you no matter whether you invited me or not. And that was just so beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:32

We want everyone to believe we're okay, and it's all right to admit that we're not, and that's what I loved about Grace and feeling that because Grace did that in my life so many times, and it still does. Like it drops its bags unannounced, and that's sometimes we want to sit in our sorrow and sit in our pain or sit in our oh gosh, I just I just want to suffer for a little bit. And it's like Heaven Father's like, why? I'm here. Don't even throw me any water. I got it, I know where the fridge is. Like, you know what I'm saying? And it's like, okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:04

Yeah, we feel like we deserve it. Like we're not, we should sit in it. Like we, if we don't, then you know, we didn't take our consequence or something.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:13

Exactly. And that's what Grace is. It's like, no, I took I'm taking this for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:17

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:17

Like just take take a breath and I'm gonna wash the dishes while you're while you're getting better. Or do you need a hug? I'm coming with the hug. I come in with the hug. And you're like, I don't need a okay. I can I hold on a little tighter, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:30

You know, yeah. Yes, I mean your book just it did so much for my soul, like I said.

Final Takeaways And Goodbye

SPEAKER_00 1:07:39

And um, you know, I needed it. I needed the book. So, Adasa, this book is powerful. Not because your life was Disney perfect, but because you showed the mess and the miracles together. You reminded people in the purpose that it's hidden inside of the hardest seasons, that waiting is not wasted, that detours are not always dead ends, and that faith is not pretending life is easy. It is trusting God in the middle of the hard. And I truly believe listeners are going to walk away from the conversation feeling less alone. So thank you so much for being here. And friends, the book is called Love Keeps Showing Up. Her country album is Drink It Up. And I promise you, this is not just a memoir about fame or Disney. It's about faith and grace and purpose and learning that even the pain may be preparing us for something greater. So thank you, Adassa. I really appreciate this. And as we always say at the end of every episode, there is purpose in the pain and there is hope in the journey. And we will see you next time.