Meet Mariah June

We were lucky to catch up with Mariah June recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mariah, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

For me, confidence didn’t arrive in a single moment — it was something I had to rebuild from the inside out. The turning point came the day I looked at my life and my reflection and didn’t recognize the woman staring back at me. It wasn’t just about the weight — though losing 45 pounds ended up being a huge part of my confidence journey. It was the heaviness I felt inside: the accumulated trauma, the self-doubt, the limiting beliefs I had carried for years.

At the time, I was living in a very toxic situation that made everything feel even worse. Once I finally got out of there, I made a promise to myself that I would never abandon myself again and I became committed to rebuilding my life for the better.

Every trigger, instead of reacting, I questioned.
Every uncomfortable emotion, I traced back to its root.
Every pattern, I dissected until I understood why it kept repeating.

It wasn’t glamorous work by any stretch of the imagination — it was shadow work, the kind that forces you to confront the rawest parts of who you are. I left no corner unchecked. And by doing that, by facing the things I had avoided for years, I began regaining parts of myself I thought were lost.

And slowly, the light came back. You know the saying, “it’s always darkest before the dawn…”

My confidence and self-esteem didn’t come from surface-level fixes — they were the result of understanding myself so deeply that I could finally rebuild from my inner truth rather than fear. The woman I am today is the product of that commitment: to grow, to heal, and to become someone I’m proud to see in the mirror.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Creativity has always been at the center of who I am. I’m a singer, writer, and actress, and everything I create comes from a place of raw truth — no AI, no shortcuts, just real stories and real emotion.

This year I released my first single “Happy for You” (March 2025), which is incredibly special to me because it’s a song built on honesty and heartbreak. I don’t want to make “noise”; I want to make something people can feel. I want someone to hear one of my songs and think, “Oh, I’ve lived that too.” That kind of emotional resonance is what drives my art. Authenticity is non-negotiable — every melody and every word is mine.

Writing is another extension of my heart. I published my first prose book, Hopeful Romantic, in 2022 and I’m now working on my second. My writing is almost like pulling straight from a diary — intimate, unfiltered, human. Real lived experience, reflection, and the kind of honesty people don’t often say out loud but think every day.

Acting has always been a huge passion of mine as well, and I’m excited to return to Los Angeles soon to continue pursuing that path. Acting, to me, is emotional alchemy. You get to step into another life, feel feelings that aren’t yours, and tell a story that might help someone else heal or see themselves more clearly. There’s something magical in bringing a character to life without carrying their pain as your own.

My path shifted dramatically last year when my mother passed away from cancer. I temporarily stepped away from my career to care for her, and losing her was the hardest experience of my life — but also the moment that changed me. Instead of breaking, I decided to grow. I wanted to honor her by living my life fully, by staying soft, hopeful, and joyful, even in the face of loss. My art is dedicated to that mission. To inspire others to keep going. To remind people that pain doesn’t have to harden or define you, and that your light isn’t meant to dim just because life gets dark.

So whether it’s music, poetry, or acting, my work is always rooted in that same intention: to create something real, something that moves people, and something that reminds us all that we’re not alone.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

When I look back at what truly transformed me — not just as an artist, but as a human being — three qualities stand out as the anchors of my growth: discernment, active understanding, and non-judgmental openness. These were not overnight lessons; they were hard-earned truths that shaped the woman I am today.

1. Discernment — learning to choose yourself, your truth, and your path.

For a long time, I lived according to what I thought I should do — following others’ expectations, picking up beliefs that weren’t mine, dimming parts of myself to keep the peace, staying within the acceptable limits of what others’ wanted. Discernment changed everything for me. It taught me how to pause, listen inward, and make decisions from a place of self-respect instead of fear or approval-seeking.

My advice would be to trust your own choices and curate whose voices you let influence you. You’re allowed to outgrow people, patterns, and versions of yourself that no longer serve who you’re becoming.

2. Active Listening & Genuine Understanding

One of the biggest shifts in my life came from learning to actually listen. Not to respond, not to defend myself — but to understand. I learn more by listening than speaking, and I’ve found that people reveal their entire world if you give them space to.

So I learned to stay curious and ask questions. Listen without planning your reply in your head. You’ll see others — and yourself — with far more clarity.

3. Being Non-Judgmental & Accepting of Others

Life gets so much lighter when you stop trying to categorize or judge everything. We’re all walking around with our own wounds, fears, and histories. We’re all fighting a battle no one else knows about. And most of the time, people’s reactions have far less to do with you than you think — they’re projecting their own pain or insecurity.

So I decided to stop taking things so personally. When someone lashes out or withdraws, it’s usually about them, not you. And in the creative world especially — acting, singing, writing — rejection is not a verdict on your worth. Sometimes you don’t get the part because it simply wasn’t your part. That’s all. There’s freedom in accepting that.

Finally, if I could give my younger self one message, it would be this:

Stay open, stay curious, and stay true to yourself. Every lesson you learn becomes part of your artistry — and your humanity.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I’m overwhelmed, I always come back to regulating my nervous system. Always. It sounds simple, but it’s truly the anchor for everything. If your body is in fight-or-flight mode, you’re not thinking clearly — you’re reacting. So I use meditation, breathwork, and grounding techniques to bring myself back into my center before I try to solve anything.

Once I’m regulated, I move through things one step at a time. I no longer force myself to push when I’m dysregulated — I take space when I need it. A quiet walk, a moment of deep breathing, even just stepping away from my phone or computer can make all the difference. Sometimes I’ll call my sister and say, “This is just a vent session, I’m not asking for solutions.” Just hearing yourself explain the situation out loud can sometimes give instant clarity.

My biggest advice: don’t make decisions from a dysregulated place. When your body feels threatened, everything looks bigger and scarier than it is. Center yourself first, and then re-approach the situation from a grounded, empowered state. Once you reset, you make better choices — and you show up as the strongest version of yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mariahjune.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themariahjune/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMariahJune
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMariahJune?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MariahJune/featured
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@themariahjune

Image Credits

Mariah June