Kimberly Elise

I decided to start embracing and wearing my natural hair, but there was only one problem; I didn't know what to do with it or how to style it. Growing up, all I knew was my relaxed, processed hair, so I had to go through this learning phase.

Thankfully, I was given a strong base by my parents, an understanding of who I was and my strength.

I grew up an athlete. Track and field and dance. In track, I actually went to the Junior Olympics. I've always been very athletic.

Believe it or not, I loved my Jheri curl and thought it was beautiful on me. It actually made my hair grow like crazy. What they didn't tell you back then was that once you get the Jheri curl, there's no way of getting rid of it, so when I was over it, I ended up having to cut off all my hair and start all over again.

Self-esteem is such a challenging issue for young women.

We need happy, productive citizens on our planet for us to survive.

I'm very free with all my emotions, whether it's happy, sad, mad, glad, whatever.

I love seeing my mom and my daughter embrace their natural hair. I'm glad I've embraced it, too.

Making 'Beloved' was an awesome experience.

I live a very joyful life, with a lot of laughter and good times.

A solid sense of self will help a person to lead a full and happy life.

I have a lot of compassion for human beings in life experiences, so I allow myself to feel what these characters are feeling and don't have a problem accepting that.