My friends are like my family period. I would not trade them for anything in this world! When you don't have the best family environment at home, you seek out those who are like-minded and have the ability to support you in those ways that family can lack. It means the world to me to be able to pick up my phone and vent to the same people I could 20 years ago, know they want nothing from me other than to know I'm good. We can cry, laugh and fight; but through it all, they love me and will always tell me the truth.

Anyone who knows me knows I am very private. My inner circle is no different. Out of necessity, I have to keep the things I value very near and dear to my heart because telling the wrong person can result in waking up tomorrow to the whole world knowing my business. In the past, I have not always been the best judge of character and have allowed some people into my circle who did not mean me any good. I have paid the price for that dearly.

It's funny how fake and crazy the entertainment industry can be; but in it I have found some of the most genuine, loyal, and supportive women who I am able to learn from and be motivated by every day. Some of them are icons and real bosses, so when they tell me they're proud of the moves I make, I know I'm really doing something. Hearing encouragement like that makes me want to go that much harder.

Everything in my life is not roses. In fact, these last few years have been