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La La Anthony Talks Drive and Loyalty on Ladies First with Laura Brown

About Ladies First with Laura Brown

We love to honor women who show up and get the job done, so now we're going to talk about it — and to the ladies doing the work. Hosted by InStyle's editor in chief Laura Brown, Ladies First with Laura Brown will feature guests like Michelle Pfeiffer, Emily Ratajkowski, Cynthia Erivo, Naomi Watts, La La Anthony, Ellen Pompeo, Storm Reid, and more. One thing these ladies all have in common (other than being total badasses)? They're all trailblazers who were the first to accomplish something in their field — whether that be earning the highest salary for an actress on TV or landing the first cover of People's "Most Beautiful" issue.

Tune in every week to hear Brown and her special guests discuss current events, politics, some fashion, and, most importantly, the major firsts in their lives.

La La Anthony on Drive and Loyalty

Episode 1: December 1, 2020

Join InStyle Editor-in-Chief Brown as she talks to TV personality La La Anthony on her drive, abundant career, finding her confidence, her wonderful son, and how she's handling the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Anthony got her start as a radio host when she was just 16 years old. Since then, she’s spread her success to TV and film—and even the New York Times best-sellers’ list, with her books The Love Playbook and The Power Playbook. Her television experience includes a wide range of gigs including a VJ stint on MTV, two VH1 reality shows (La La’s Full Court Wedding and La La’s Full Court Life), and a six-season long run as LaKeisha Grant on the award-winning STARZ drama Power. She even owns multiple beauty and fashion brands, like her size-inclusive brand, La La Anthony Collection. Although Anthony has been wildly successful, she's earned a reputation as a loyal and supportive friend who’ll do just about anything for her squad.

On COVID-19

"And I don't put the pressure on myself to be okay every single day. We're just living in a whole new world of new interactions with people, new interactions with the people we love, Zooms and these kinds of connections with people. When you go out, everyone's wearing a mask and that's just become the new norm everywhere you go."

"Like the world is okay, everything's going to be okay. But we're the ones saying, no, I have to do this. I have to do that. And I was just trying to find better ways to manage my days so that I don't consistently feel so burnt out or just over it. Because when I have Zooms or these podcasts, I want to bring great energy. I want to feel like myself. I don't want to be like, Oh, another one, another one, another one. So I'm getting better at just managing my schedule so that when I do these kinds of things, I can come with the right energy and feel good and feel like myself."

On Her Drive

"So I think my drive comes from a need and want to never be broke again. When you come from not having a lot of money or a family and a life filled with love, but not necessarily the finances, you don't want to feel without. You know what that feeling is, and you don't want to feel that ever again. So even though I'm in a place in my life now where I've become extremely successful and I'm super blessed for that, I know what that feeling is like to not have, to want, to need. So I never want to go back to that. I don't ever want to have to rely on anyone for anything, I want to get it on my own."

On Confidence

"I still have moments when I question myself. Like you're only human and a lot of times in this age of celebrity, it's like, well, that comes along with the territory, don't complain about it. But yeah, you're still a human being and things still get to you or hurt your feelings. And, you know, you might hear some negative comments about yourself from people that don't even know you, and it's like, why would you say that? You don't even know me. If you got to know me, you probably really like me. You have to realize that there's nothing you can do that's going to please everyone."

On Her Son, Kiyan

"I don't know what it's like to grow up with a mom and dad who people know, or when your dad goes out, you know, people are just swarming him or to look at jerseys with your dad's last name when I'm like it's mind blowing to me to grow up that way. So, for him to still be so humble and grateful in the midst of what his life is, is fascinating to me."

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.