25: ...Insecures' Yvonne Orji on Why You Should Always Bet on Yourself | An Alphababe Spotlight
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Babe, are you ready to stop playing small and Get Yours?! Emmy-nominated Actress & Comedian Yvonne Orji - best known as Issa Rae's BFF Molly on the HBO series, Insecure— joins Zuri for today's Alphababe Spotlight and dishes on the secret to unapologetically standing in your truth and why we need to read her new book: Bamboozled By Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams (Ummm, sign us up for that!)
Buckle up for this rollercoaster of a convo that will literally have you LYFAO! Yvonne shares a hilarious retelling of how she prepared for the steamy sex scenes in Insecure; inspirational gems on why we need to stop people-pleasing & show up for our damn selves!; and then Z + Yvonne, take a wild ride down the world of birth charts, enneagrams, karaoke, and womb healing?!
Yvonne gets candid on why she's waiting until marriage to have sex; what's she looking for in her dream guy (take notes!); what her love language is (and why she refuses to be shamed for it!!); and drops the mic on why she won't compromise on her Christian faith!
Let us know your favorite part of the convo: @ZuriHall + @HotHappyMess.
RESOURCES + LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE
Yvonne Orji is a Nigerian-American Emmy-nominated actress, comedian, and writer who continues to display her versatility and passion with each project she takes on. On television, she stars in HBO’s critically acclaimed comedy series Insecure. A distinguished standup comedian, Yvonne previously opened for Chris Rock on various stops of his Total Blackout Tour and headlined her first comedy tour, Lagos To Laurel, at the top of 2020.
She subsequently debuted her first one-hour HBO standup special, Momma, I Made It!, on June 6, 2020. Additionally, Orji’s faith-based advice book, Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams, is due out May 25th, 2021.
In September 2018, Yvonne made her feature film debut in Universal’s Night School alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. She is also the co-host of the podcast Jesus & Jollof alongside Luvvie Ajayi.
Outside of her creative work, Orji is dedicated to her charitable efforts. In 2008 she spent six months working in post-conflict Liberia with Population Services International (PSI), an NGO that utilizes social marketing in the adoption of healthy behaviors. While in Liberia, she worked with a group of talented youth to help build a mentoring program as well as a weekly talk show that helped educate and prevent teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Orji has brought her work with the youth community back to the states, where she is currently involved with (RED) campaigns and faith-based youth ministries.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Yvonne earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master's of Public Health from George Washington University.
Connect with Yvonne: Instagram | Preorder Her New Book: Bamboozled by Jesus
Rapid Fire Facts:
The superpower that Yvonne would like to possess?
Mind Reading
What's Yvonne's Love Langage?
Acts of Services, Physical Touch, Words of Affirmation, & Gifts
What show is Yvonne loving?
Couples Therapy on Showtime
Recent episodes: if ya feel like bingeing!
ICYMI: Listen to Episode 23: How I Made It: Zuri Hall's Career Story ICYMI: Listen to Episode 21.5:I Bought a House (Bonus Episode) ICYMI: Listen to Episode 15: Meena Harris on Being Too Ambitious, Cooking with her Aunt Kamala Harris, and more! ICYMI: Listen to Episode 13: Bachelorette Tayshia Adams on Finding Love, Her Dream Wedding with Zac, and Embracing her Biracial Identity! ICYMI: Listen to Episode 8: Beauty Boss Jackie Aina is a Forvr MOOD | An AlphaBabe Spotlight ICYMI: Listen to Episode 6: Is It Time for You to Pivot?! (ft. Deepica Mutyala) | Happiness + Peace
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WANT MORE, HOT HAPPY MESS?!
If you loved this podcast episode, you’ll also love our first episode in our Protect Your Peace Series: Episode #1: How To Be Happy
Come listen, laugh, and maybe even learn a lil something’ -- with new episodes of Hot Happy Mess dropping every Monday on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!
PS. Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be spotlighted in an upcoming episode of HHM!
YOUR HOST:
Zuri Hall is an Emmy award-winning TV host (Access Hollywood, American Ninja Warrior) and is the executive producer & host of this millennial-focused podcast that will empower women to avoid “best life burnout” through candid conversation, expert panel discussions, and real-life, human interest stories from everyday women.
Follow @ZuriHall and @HotHappyMess on Instagram to keep the good vibes going.