From Homeless to the Oscars: Dedrick Bonner on Resilience

How do you overcome adversity and build a successful creative career from nothing? Creative director and vocalist Dedrick Bonner shares his journey from being a Black gay man raised in a Pentecostal church in Alabama to working with Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, and performing at the Oscars with the cast of Sinners. Dedrick opens up about experiencing homelessness during high school, finding resilience in rock bottom moments, and discovering that the most successful people share one common and vital trait. From church rejection to making history as the first-ever musical performance at the SAG Awards, this conversation explores gratitude despite struggle, the beauty found in failure, and why rock bottom is actually a blessing in disguise that clears space for something greater.In this episode they explore: The heartbreaking reason Dedrick chose to triple major in collegeWhat Beyoncé, Dolly Parton, and Aretha Franklin all have in commonHow a pastor’s kid from Alabama made history at the SAG AwardsThe real meaning of resilienceHow to find the joy in your creative work againWhy "self-made" success is a complete myth (according to someone who's seen it all)Dedrick Bonner:IG: @dedrickbonnerAlso mentioned:How To Spot A Gatekeeper (Even If It’s You)Our episode on women in HollywoodYou can also watch the episodes on YouTube.If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram and TikTok. Cesar Cardona:Receive his newsletter Insights That MatterGet guided meditation from Cesar on his website Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and SpotifyFoster Wilson:Buy her poetry book Afternoon AbundanceLearn about her postpartum servicesReceive her newsletter Foster’s VillageCreated & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster WilsonExecutive Producer: Glenn MilleyEditor: Bessie FongSpecial Guest: Dedrick BonnerThis episode is brought to you by Arlene Thornton & AssociatesSend us Fan Mail