Artist Spotlight: Star of "Starry Road to Freedom: The Life of Frederick Douglass" w/Darius Wallace

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Hey, hey, hey, Podcast Nation. It is your girl, KANDIDLY KRISTIN, and this is The Kandid Shop, your number one destination for Kandid conversations. If you're new here, welcome to the show. If you're a regular listener, welcome back and thanks so much for your support. So today I'm sitting down for an artist spotlight chat with speaker, coach, and star of the one man show, The Story Road to Freedom, The Life of Frederick Douglass, DARIUS WALLACE. I am super duper excited to welcome Darius to the Kandid Shop. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

DARIUS WALLACE: Thank you. It's an honor to be here. And I'm just glad to be here to tell my story or whatever you want me to do or to say.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: All right. Well, I have a couple of questions for you. But first, I just want to know who DARIUS WALLACE is, like, separate from your coaching, your acting, your speaking. Tell me about 12, 13-year-old Darius, his hopes, his dreams, struggles. Who are you?

DARIUS WALLACE: Oh, OK. Yeah. I'm glad you put it that way, because most times when people say that, I go, right, well, I'm an actor, speaker, coach. But at 13, actually, it was a very pivotal time in my life. If you saw me, and I think you can see me, of course the audience can't see me, but I've been the size that I am, about 5'11", I think I was 165 pounds at that time, maybe 170, had a deep voice and sideburns and hung out with seniors in high school, because everybody thought I was a senior, even though I was only in the eighth grade. And I gained some confidence through martial art. But I inside myself, I didn't have much confidence still, I would say I probably was more like 11 inside as opposed to 13. And so I was very shy, I didn't communicate well, but I did communicate well with my fist.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Okay, gotcha..

DARIUS WALLACE: I can't argue with you but I can fight you. And unfortunately, some gang members took note of it. And in the city, there were kids that were getting jumped by gangs. And I was on the list. So I ended up joining so that I wouldn't get jumped. And at 13 years old, found myself doing things that I wouldn't want. My son is 21 now, but I just think about what I was doing at 13. Man, if my son were doing those things at 13, wow. It was just a really hard, scary period of time in my life. But then there was some intervention. My middle school teacher. Mr. Bronson got involved, and there was a weapon that I had. A kid called another gang member a name, and the gang member was going to go after him with a weapon. And the vice principal saw him chasing him. He gave me the weapon. I put it away. And to make a long story short, I called into the office, and he says, you can either continue the way that you're going and go to jail juvenile, or I could tell your daddy. Or you can do what I know you love to do, which is theater. Now, let me be clear. You can send me to juvenile, you can send me to jail. Just don't tell my daddy.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: OK, right. Where did you grow up?

DARIUS WALLACE: Yeah, I grew up in Flint. So that sent me on the road to, you know, doing what I love to do.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Okay. So that was kind of your pathway to becoming an actor or a performer.

DARIUS WALLACE: Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. That following year, I had a lead role in a play and did really well. And in the matinee, the gang was called the Top Dogs. They were in the audience. And walking home from school, they pulled up in the car, told me to get in. got in the car and they said to me, we saw the play out of Utah. We don't want you to go this route. And let me out of the car. And that was the last of it. That was the end of it.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Wow. That's unusual, but fortunate for you. Yeah.

DARIUS WALLACE: Yeah. It was very, uh, from that moment on, I, I continued, continued on the path toward, uh, theater and didn't look back. And so good, good. That was my journey. Mm hmm.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Got you. So I know you've you've done some some TV acting, but I really want to talk about your one man show, The Story Road to Freedom. I saw a one man show a long time ago when I was a kid. My grandma took me and I thought that it was the most amazing thing to watch one person perform. So talk to me. And then I realized in doing a little research into you that you also wrote it. So talk to me a little bit about the why. Yeah, about the why of writing the show and then performing it as a one man show.

DARIUS WALLACE: Yeah, well, you know, just to kind of give you a little bit of a backdrop. My first one person show was on Malcolm X. OK. And what happened was I was out on my own for the first time. Oh, should I just say my daddy kicked me out at that time? And so I was renting a room, and I got my first play, a professional play. And it was The Tempest. Shakespeare's The Tempest. To make a long story short, I was also working security. at the university. And at that time, I had a goatee and I had it was the 90s. So I had the high top fade. And I had these Malcolm X glasses, kind of like glasses. And And the head guy was Muslim. And he said, you know, you look like Malcolm X. You ever thought about doing a play on Malcolm X? And I thought about it. I was like, ding. Oh, one person showing Malcolm X. So I ended up writing it and the theater produced it. So I wanted to keep working as an actor. But when I got into studying Malcolm X, some other things opened up about the transformational power of the written and spoken word. Decades later, I'm in the South now. I'm in Memphis. And I'm wanting to continue to be creative, work as an actor, make an impact. And I had always wanted to do something on Frederick Douglass. And so when I read his autobiography, to see the transformation of the power of the written and spoken word within him, and that he was a man that was 200 years ahead of his time, and all the amazing and massive things that he achieved, I really originally wanted young people to experience that. And I wanted them to experience because he was born into limitations he didn't ask for. He didn't ever want to become a slave, you know. He was born into it, but he didn't let it stop him. He was able to find his own way out of it in his mind first, and then his body, and went on to do phenomenal things. And I wanted young people to understand that.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Okay. All right. So acting in general, right, has got to be tremendously demanding. It requires, you know, a unique set of skills, especially in doing a one-man show. So what does that process look for you? How do you prepare physically, mentally, emotionally? What does that look like before we go on stage?

DARIUS WALLACE: Well, you definitely, what people could take for granted when they see a one-person show is the stamina that it takes. And so you really do have to be in shape. And so I had to get in shape in order to be able to do it and get healthy, be healthy. And so definitely being in shape physically. And then as far as preparing, the preparation really starts with pre-rehearsals where you're trying to come to understand who the character is. And in a one-person show, you may be playing more than one character. as I do. And so you want to understand who are these characters that are surrounding Frederick Douglass's life? How do they sound? How do they move? What is their attitude toward life, toward Frederick Douglass, and vice versa? And so discovering what that is and then recognizing the power of storytelling and that it's not just that I'm acting in the story, but I'm also taking part in the overall telling of the story and transmitting the story to the audience. So there's that kind of prep. There's a lot of emotional availability prep. because you're dealing with traumatic scenarios in Frederick Douglass's life. Then really, you know, one of the main things we want to recognize as an actor and as a speaker is that once you hit that stage, it's no longer about you. It's about the audience. and your connection to the audience. How do you want to relate to the audience and help the audience to experience and leave with something that they can walk away with? So these are the things that I'm thinking about constantly when I'm working on my shows.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Got it, got it, got it. And I know you touched on what you hope that people that see this show in particular take away, but is there anything more you wanted to add? Like when you say connecting with the audience, what is it, your grandest hope that they get from seeing this performance?

DARIUS WALLACE: That freedom is bigger than what someone can give you. that freedom first is a state of mind. And it's a coming to realization of who you are as a spiritual being having a human experience. In other words, there's a force within us that can overcome our limitations no matter what it may be. And that racism and any kind of, limitation that's presented in front of us doesn't have enough power to overcome that power that's within us. That's what I'm hoping people walk away with, because that's what Frederick Douglass believed and what he did. Yeah, he didn't let, you know, he went from sleeping in a potato sack because he didn't have any pants to living in a mansion that he bought with cash.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Nice. Yeah. Yeah. That's an important, really important lesson. So you're a storyteller in both your theater and even your television acting. So What role do you think that storytelling kind of plays in helping to cultivate empathy, understanding, knowledge, particularly when we're talking about social justice, racial inequality, those kinds of issues? How important a role do you believe storytelling plays in that?

DARIUS WALLACE: Oh, it is the pivotal role. It is the pivotal role because no matter how logical we may be, no matter how much sense we may make, no matter how many facts and statistics there are, no matter how much information is out there or put out there, no one is moved by any of that. We're moved by our emotions. And the quickest way to the emotions is storytelling. And so all of what you mentioned, empathy in particular, these things come about through the story. You see, we're wired for stories as human beings. And storytelling is a healing modality, scientifically. So when you tell a story, there's a healing power that comes into the atmosphere. And when you are telling a story, there's a healing power that's coming into the atmosphere for you. It's scientifically proven that it lowers blood pressure. It decreases anxiety, it increases inspiration, creates better blood flow, breath flow, and many other healing elements when you're telling stories. So, you know, I do another show called My Words, My Sword. And it was written in 2020, a response to 2020 of the events, including the murder of George Floyd. And so, you know, there's a lot of storytelling, a lot of painful truths that I bring up in this piece. And most of my audiences, ironically, have been white, as probably it should be. You know, the last performance I did, I kept getting back texts and emails about how the show changed the way people were thinking, have been thinking, some of the testimonials that came about, that there are people that are still moved and still crying. because of the stories that I told and the emotional connection I made with them. Does that make sense? So when you make those emotional connections, it has the power to completely transform the way somebody feels and thinks about things because we're all moved by emotion. So storytelling is very, very crucial to any kind of transformative behavior.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Yes, I agree. I agree. I agree. And who is your play kind of geared to? Is there a specific age group, like, say, fifth grade to college age, adults, children, anybody in between?

DARIUS WALLACE: It's all the above, because I've been playing for so long and I have so many different versions. I can do it for third all the way up into senior citizens. I've done schools, universities, libraries, museums. I did it off Broadway, theaters, colleges, universities. At this point, I'm performing it almost any and everywhere. I'm doing a version of it Juneteenth, the week of Juneteenth here in Conyers, Georgia. And the title is different. This title is going to be called The Lion of Freedom. The Lion of Freedom.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Like it. I like it. And Juneteenth is very appropriate, so I love it. It is. Yeah, very much so. If you were speaking to a room full of aspiring actors, storytellers, what advice would you give them, especially those looking to make an impact or a difference through their art?

DARIUS WALLACE: I would say the very first thing you want to do is study. Study doesn't necessarily have to mean going to a theater college. I mean, it's a good thing to do that. But study really is study actors, study storytellers, study public speakers, and study, really study stand-up comedians. They're masters at it. Study, study, study, and then practice, practice, practice. Even if it's not college, you want to get into a class. You want to get into a space and place where you can hone your skills. And then as you're honing your skills and you're studying, then you want to get out there. You don't want to be the world's best kept secret. Right. You want to get out there. Yeah. You want to get an agent. You want to get in front of casting people and audition for as many plays as you possibly can so people know who you are. And then last but not least, you never want to give up. You want to keep pressing forward, onward and upward. There's a lot of rejection, but rejection is God's protection. And so you want to just continue to hone your skills and know that if you continue to persist, if you continue to try, if you continue to charge forward, you will succeed. And so I wish somebody had told me that when I was young because I went through a whole lot of ups and downs and giving up and quitting. But I would say to stick with it. And, you know, it's a beautiful art. The world needs us. We're ministers of the soul. And, you know, I'm very proud to be an actor storyteller. So that's the advice that I would give.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Yes, because listen, all it takes is one yes to erase all the no's. But you got to keep going forward, always forward. Yeah. So I want to segue a little bit and talk a little bit about the other things that you do. So TEDx speaking, is that just a natural offshoot being a storyteller, actor? How did that happen?

DARIUS WALLACE: It depends on how you look at it. I'm an introvert. I'm an introvert. Really? Yes, ma'am. And that was hard to believe. I'm not an introvert. I mean, I'm more extroverted now because of, you know, just how I train and coach myself, but naturally I'm an introvert. So when I got into acting, listen, I wasn't thinking about speaking or coaching anybody. I just wanted to act. And the idea of speaking in front of people was a terror for me. Even though I could act, to stand up in front of people and just have to speak, it wasn't. They say that it's the number one fear of speaking. We fear of speaking over death, which means we'd rather be in the casket than give in the eulogy. So I It all came about by accident. And it's a beautiful story that I love to tell. I don't know if I have time here at this point. But what I'll say is, I do. Well, I was at Starbucks. I was unemployed at the time. It was about 20 years ago, an employed actor. And my ritual was to get my inspirational books, go to Starbucks, and sit down and have my coffee and a muffin. And so I'm trying to be to myself, I don't wanna see nobody, I don't wanna talk nobody, I don't wanna do none of that. You know what I'm talking about, where you just wanna sit by yourself, to yourself, for yourself. And then in walks Burt Reynolds. Now you know who Burt Reynolds is, right? Burt Reynolds walks into the Starbucks. Now it wasn't really Burt Reynolds, it was a man that looked just like Burt Reynolds, right? He comes in, he sees me with the books and he's looking at me and as soon as he starts looking at me, I'm like, oh, here we go. I do not want to be engaged with this Burt Reynolds looking dude. And so he gets his stuff. He starts coming over to me. Man, he's coming to me. He keeps coming to me. Finally, he's above me and he says, you believe that? I had a Bible out. And I said, I do. And he said, can I sit down? And in my mind, I was thinking, no, you can't sit down. I'm trying to sip my coffee and have my muffin. You cannot sit down by me. But I didn't say that. I said, sure. So he sat down, we're sitting there listening to Miles Davis, and he's getting it out. He loves Miles Davis. But then Kristen, he asked the magic question. You should know that even though I was an introvert, as an actor, I have to have my elevator pitch. I have to be able to communicate effectively what I do in order to get work. Yeah, so I have a well crafted way of and so he asked me the magic question. So what is it that you do? And I was prepared for that. And I told him now here's the other magical thing. I didn't know. I wasn't sitting by Burt Reynolds. But I was sitting by one of the most powerful men in Memphis, Tennessee. You might as well say I was sitting by the mayor. They call him the king maker. Really? And so after I told him what I did, in a very effective way, I have to, that's how I survived as an actor. He then said, wow, I run a commercial real estate company, and I have brokers that are struggling with their presentation. Would you be interested in coming to train us in our presentation? Now, you should know, I'm an unemployed actor. So my response was, you paying?

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Absolutely. 

DARIUS WALLACE: Yeah, of course I'm paying. And so I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know about coaching brokers, but what I did know, what I did have experience and expertise in was acting. So I just went and I taught an acting class and they loved it. And so he began to take me around to other places to train other teams and other companies. And it snowballed into when his son started a foundation that would then sponsor TEDx Memphis. And they asked me to be the coach of the TEDx speakers, which means I've coached over 100 TEDx speakers to hit the TEDx Memphis stage in the last seven years. And so I was the TEDx coach for seven years in Memphis, Tennessee. And because it was entrepreneurs, leaders of corporations, leaders of nonprofits and organizations, influencers, entertainers, public speakers, the word spread. And for 10 years without any advertising, without any marketing, I've been coaching on a regular basis, spontaneously people calling me. This all started from a moment when I came out of myself and I engaged the other person and I effectively communicated my experience and expertise. That seed has given me 20 years. of public speaking, 10 of which have been all spontaneous, only now I do more marketing and things of that nature. And so to answer your question, no, it wasn't necessarily natural, but it was an accident that opened up a door that has put me into a place where now I have become an expert speaking and communications and storytelling coach.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: That's amazing. Like, seriously. Like, that's the kind of story that you're like, shut the front door. Like, that doesn't really happen. But it really happened. And had you said to that man, no, I just want to drink my coffee and eat my muffin, please. That wouldn't have happened. Look at that. Wow.

DARIUS WALLACE: It wouldn't have happened. That's amazing. Yeah. That's what it really is. And I speak on I speak on neurodiversity, people with neurological challenges, autism, Down syndrome, ADHD. I have two kids that I've raised, but their mother and I raised, that are autistic. And they're adults now. And they went from having a lot of delays to now my daughter graduated from a performing arts school. My son is going to one of the top film and design schools in the world next year. And I talk about the journey of what we went through to get them to that place and all the help that we had and the help that they had. But then also, too, I talk about the really painful tragedy of when they were misunderstood. And when people that are dealing with those challenges are misunderstood and kind of written off, you're writing off gifts, talents, and intelligence yet to be discovered sometimes. And so I speak on it because I want teachers and educators and administrators and parents to know how important it is to affirm and that also that they are not alone. Because, you know, for a parent and for a teacher, it's a challenge just to be able to make the connection and to inspire and to help someone get from point A to point Z. And when you're discovering their learning differences and the things that they go through. So I talk about that.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Nice, nice, nice. My nephew is autistic and watching him blossom, for lack of a better word, as he was in spaces and places and with people that understood him and kind of met him at his level and helped him grow. It's just been amazing. From nonverbal to you can't shut up. It's a wonderful thing. Yeah.

DARIUS WALLACE: Yes.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: So that's awesome. So. Personal question, kind of, but not too, too personal. How do you prioritize your mental health while juggling the demands of all the different roles that you play, actor, coach, speaker, father?

DARIUS WALLACE: Well, you know, I tell you, the reality is, is that I do have a method. Um, you know, there was a time when I, I didn't have a method. There was a time. I know I had a method. The method was a drink. That was the method. And that method, that method didn't go too well.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Okay. That's not good all the time.

DARIUS WALLACE: Yes. I had to get a new method. The way that I balance, um, my mental health, to be quite honest, is I have methods, Kristen, of cultivating my inspiration. How do I do that? I practice meditation. I do pray, a very specific method of praying. I do practice Tai Chi. Have you heard of Tai Chi? I have. Yeah, I practice Tai Chi, I practice yoga, and rhythmic breathing. I also try to put inspirational content. I try to see it. I try to hear it. I try to speak it. And I try to think it. on a regular basis in order to keep myself balanced and inspired and able to navigate through all the different, you know, we didn't, we haven't even included the film and television side of things. So yeah, so these are the things that I do. imperfectly, but I do do it on a regular basis. I have to. If I don't, you know, it's it's not a good day.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Right. Right. I agree. I agree. So are you still doing like TV while you're doing the one man show? Like, how does that work? And the speaking and the coaching? 

DARIUS WALLACE: Absolutely. It's very much a part of who I am now. I do more speaking coaching and my solo show. as an actor than film and television. But the film and television side to what I do is picking up. So I'll do more of that. I love acting on the camera and plays and things of that nature. So that is first and foremost, really, who I am as a career. But I would say my mission is summed up in the beauty and power of the written and spoken word as a storyteller.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Gotcha, gotcha. So I gotta ask, how different is it acting for the camera and acting on a live stage? Or is it different?

DARIUS WALLACE: Oh, it's, uh, it's, it is different. Now, you know, there's similarities too, but like, when the camera is this close to you, like how it is with me, as I'm seeing myself, there's no need to exaggerate my face. Even though I do do it for podcasts and things like that, because it's a different, Zoom is different, and internet is different. You got to be animated to keep people engaged. But when you film, one, If I'm talking to my scene partner, which is across the way, and the light is hitting me the way that it is, the camera's focused on me the way that it is, you know, I can't do this. I have to stay still. And I probably can't do this. Because now my bald head, the light on my bald head is gleaming, and I can't do that. Do you see? So, what I do have though, I have my eyes. Yes. I have my eyes. Eyes can reveal, you know, what's going on. And I may not even need to really talk really. I can probably talk like this because the mic is right here. So, sometimes I can talk like this, it's still gonna, it's gonna be, see?

So that, you know, it's different. It's different because there's a lot of restrictions, right? And you're doing things out of order. And they get me. And then they got to flip everything around. And then they got to get the other person. So it's a different ballgame. On stage, where my eyes on film can be revealing, on stage, my whole body has to be able to reveal the communication, storytelling, emotion, characterization, interaction, whether it's to 10 people or to 1,000 people. my body has got to be available enough on that stage to be able to reveal that my voice has to be available enough to reach the back of the audience. And I have to be able to articulate in such a way that I can be clearly understood for those hundreds of people that are out there in the audience. So it's different, but it's beautiful.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: I like them both. I love live performances, but I like TV and film too. So tell me what you got in the pipeline. Like I know you mentioned the Juneteenth performance in Conyers, but anything else that we should know about upcoming projects, new one man shows, what you got going on?

DARIUS WALLACE: Yeah, there's a film that's actually doing a screening in Memphis today, or not today, tomorrow, called Fifth Step that I directed. I'm not in it, I directed that. And then there's a movie that's going to be released around Juneteenth. that I'm in, I'm acting in, called Queen Rising. It's a really good movie. It's won a lot of awards in the festival circuit. So that'll be released in June. I just don't know if it's movie theaters and streaming or both, but I know it'll be released around Juneteenth. And then my first starring role, where I play a private eye called Damaged Goods. It's in the can and almost finished and hopefully be released before the year is out. So those are the three main things. And I am working on a new one-person show called Letters, Lies, and Love.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: You got to expand on that now. You can't leave me with just that.

DARIUS WALLACE: Well, you know, I'm still writing it. So I'm still discovering what it is, but it basically It basically is letters, not in the sense of writing letters. But letters are symbols. And what the magic, the power of what letters are for us, they're basically ideas. Lies, lies dealing with a lot of what we've been told in society have been lies. You know, and we believe those lies just like we believe in Santa Claus. We believe in Santa Claus. Yeah, yeah, we used to fight over that. There's a lot of styles of norms that are lies that we've been told to believe. And then love, that love really is an energy. It's really a power. It really has the ability to conquer. What I mean by conquer is it has the ability to spread, to overcome, to heal. And so it's sort of a story about me or the character that I create, coming to that realization of where love lies in our ideas and in our heart and in our soul, and how that has the power to heal where we've been lied to and reveal the power of our words and how we can use that to manifest or create our destiny.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Nice. Well, I'm looking forward to that. So make sure I have all the deets on all the films, all that good stuff to go in the show notes. This has been really awesome. Your story, your story is amazing that the Starbucks thing just like threw me. I was like, wow. Like you see that stuff on TV. but you never really hear that it was someone's actual, actual experience. So that's awesome. And I thank you so much for your time. I thank you for the one man show because Frederick Douglass is, uh, deserves more than just a couple of blurbs and to be wary. So I thank you for that. We are not done. We're not done because now we get to the fun stuff. We get to play 10 Kandid questions. My favorite part of any episode is 10 Kandid questions. So 10 Kandid questions is just 10 super random questions that I found off this big list on Google. And only rule is you have to answer them Kandidly. So you ready?

DARIUS WALLACE: Yes, I'm ready. Watch out.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: All right. OK. Question number one. Hugs or handshakes? 

DARIUS WALLACE: Hugs! 

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Everybody says hugs. Yeah. All right. Question number two. What's the most valuable lesson you've earned from a mistake or failure in your life?

DARIUS WALLACE: That all things lost can be regained and that we, like the Creator, can say, be and it is. Something my father taught me when I was homeless.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Nice. I like that a lot. Question number three, cats or dogs?

DARIUS WALLACE Dogs.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Yeah, dogs for sure. Question number four, what one word sums up who you are?

DARIUS WALLACE: Inspiration.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: All right. Question number five, text messages or phone calls?

DARIUS WALLACE: Phone calls. I'm still a talking person. 

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: I knew that was going to be the answer. Question six, sunset or sunrise?

DARIUS WALLACE: Sunrise.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Mm hmm. All right. Question number seven, what's one thing you believe absolutely everyone should experience in their life at least once?

DARIUS WALLACE: An outer body experience.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Really? That's interesting. Okay. I was, one of my questions was introvert or extrovert, but you already said you're kind of a old introvert, new extrovert. So I had to put something else in there. So road trips or plane ride.

DARIUS WALLACE: Oh, wow. I would say trips. I love traveling, but road trips are the adventure of a road trip is more fun than a plane. Even though I do love airports.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Yeah. Yeah. Something about being able to stop and pull over if you see some something interesting, a big ball of string or rubber bands that you can't do on a plane. So, yeah. All right. Question number nine. What's one question you wished I'd asked you during our chat and how would you have answered? Hmm.

DARIUS WALLACE: How did you overcome depression. And I would have answered, it wasn't until I discovered God within myself that the pressure, depression is pressure, you know, it's pressure on your mind and suppressing of your emotions, right? So when I realized the serene, true, we don't call it God, universe, whatever the case may be. But the truth of what's really in me, and I realized what that is, was the beginning of me being happy.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Okay. Interesting. I'm glad that I asked that question, or I'm glad that I asked this question. I wish I had asked that question, but you answered it, so thank you. Question 10 is the same for all my guests. How can my listeners connect with you for coaching, speaking, and how, how, how can they see your show or any of your shows or anything that you're doing in film or in theater?

DARIUS WALLACE: Yeah, well, you can connect with me on my website. which is DariusWallace.com. I'm also on YouTube. You can subscribe to my channel. You can reach me Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn. Booking me, you can DM me. You can email me at DariusActor. at Gmail, DariusActorAtGmail.com. Or you can call me to be honest, you can call me, you can call me 901-262-0126. You can call me. All right. Any of those ways, you can reach out to me. As I'm building my social media presence, I'll be naming a sting when I'm performing and anything that's coming out and things like that. But a lot of things will be on my website if you wanted me to engage. Eventually, there'll be a course, an online course, and so all that is coming.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: Nice. Awesome. That is so awesome. Thank you. Cause this has really been an amazing chat. It really has been. So I thank you so, so much for your time and the work that you do. And I want to just personally wish you a ridiculous amount of success in every single thing you do in the future.

DARIUS WALLACE: Oh, thank you. I really appreciate that, Kristen. I want to thank you also. I really appreciate you responding to me and your interest in me. I really appreciate the way you handle your show. You've made me feel very, very comfortable. And, you know, that last thing you said there really means a lot to me because I felt that. And I really appreciate that.

KANDIDLY KRISTIN: I'll say it was sincere. So, but we are unfortunately out of time, but God, I know y'all wasn't writing stuff down. So all of Darius' contact information, website, phone number, because almost nobody gives out their phone number. Okay. Email, all of that will be in the show notes. Like nobody gives their phone number, like don't be calling me. But all his contact info is the complete opposite, OK? It'll all be in the show notes with his socials. And listen, don't forget to visit my little website at www.theKandidshop.com. That's Kandid with a K. Listen to an episode or 10, drop a review, and please share the show with your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, strangers. And until the next time we meet, I want everyone out there to keep it safe, keep it healthy, and keep it Kandid.