171. From Nebraska to Broadway: Q Smith's Journey as a Performer Navigating Motherhood and a Performing Career

Summary: Q Smith, a Broadway performer, shares her journey of becoming a performer and the challenges she faced along the way. From growing up in Nebraska to discovering her love for musical theater, Q's path to Broadway was not a traditional one. She shares the importance of representation and the impact it has on young performers of color. Q's journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and following your dreams. In this conversation, Q Smith and Alicia discuss Q's journey as a performer and mother, and how she navigates the challenges of pursuing her dreams while raising a child. Q shares her experiences of auditioning for Broadway shows and the disappointment of not booking certain roles. She also talks about her role in the Broadway production of Come From Away and the impact it had on her career. Q emphasizes the importance of gratitude, mindset, and choosing joy in the face of challenges. Keywords: Broadway, performer, journey, challenges, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, representation, dreams, performer, motherhood, pursuing dreams, Broadway, auditioning, disappointment, Come From Away, gratitude, mindset, choosing joy Takeaways: The journey to Broadway is filled with hard work, perseverance, and challenges. Representation on stage is important and can inspire young performers of color. Following your dreams and staying true to yourself can lead to amazing opportunities. The path to success is not always linear, and it's important to embrace the unexpected twists and turns. Motherhood can strip you down and make you vulnerable, but it also strengthens you and gives you a sense of invincibility. Having a strong support system and community is crucial when juggling motherhood and a performing career. Mindset is key in pursuing a career in the performing arts. Talent is important, but having the right mindset and perseverance is equally important. Choosing joy and gratitude can make a significant difference in how you navigate challenges and setbacks. It's important to be flexible and willing to take on different jobs and opportunities to support your family and pursue your dreams. Sound Bites: "Dreams come true every day." "I'm here Broadway, I'm here to stay." "I knew that I was making a change." "I thought they were gonna fire me. And they said, can you have a seat? I said, yeah. And the writer sat down on the piano and he said, you know, we met with Hannah today, or Hannah last week. Hannah is the person that I played. And he's like, we were inspired to write a song. We want you to hear it." "This little brown, round girl from Omaha, Nebraska, on those dreams coming to life in front of her eyes." "I need to work. And I'll sing again, and I'll do it again, but right now, sister, we need to support our family." Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Reunion 02:09 Q's Journey into Performing 05:26 Q's Broadway Debut in Les Misérables 10:15 Impact and Representation on Stage 22:18 Q's Journey in Come From Away 24:05 The Challenges of Pursuing a Performing Career 27:30 Booking the Role in Come From Away 31:37 The Story Behind Come From Away 36:32 Gratitude and Joy in Life and Career 40:33 Juggling Motherhood and Dreams 46:58 The Power of Mindset in Pursuing Dreams Stay connected with Q! Website: https://www.qdotsmith.com/ Subscribe to The Eating Me Podcast on YouTube!! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@aliciachristian9226?si=lndTSV7K9miNuetj⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stay in contact with Alicia! Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.aliciachristian.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/Divaleesh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thealiciachristian/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thealiciachristian?lang=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠