We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Woods. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.
Hi Amanda, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
We never know how truly strong we are until we are in the middle of the battle and the choice we are faced with is to either give up or push forward. I decided long ago that no trial was ever worth compromising self or integrity and the only way out is through.
In 2007, my family was faced with the unimaginable when our daughter Emma was born prematurely at 24 weeks and not expected to survive the night. Little did anyone anticipate the power she had as she proved everyone wrong several times over. We were gifted with 6 beautiful months of having her with us before her body could no longer fight and she peacefully passed in my arms. Grief is a force unlike any other that can completely consume a person and we had to find a way to navigate life. I found myself stepping away from the industry I so loved and emersed myself into being the best parent I could for my other daughters. For 4 years I fully focused on my family but had lost myself in the process, until one evening when everything aligned in a way that gave me the sign that it was time to come back and I knew I was ready!
I hit the ground running and have not slowed down since, with the motivation of making my daughters proud and that my little angel was guiding me with every step I took. Having faced an incomprehensible tragedy and come through stronger than I ever imagined I could be, the ability to be resilient is now like second nature as we fully understand that we are only given one life and we should never allow anything to hold us back. Adversity will always be present but only you truly stand in your own way because there is nothing you can’t achieve.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a mother to 7 daughters and one of the most important things that drives me is to show them that they are not limited and can achieve their goals through hard work and determination. I had grown up in the spotlight, doing commercials, modeling, beauty pageants, theater productions, many years of dance both private studio and professionally before choosing my career path. I had attended BSU for a degree that did not suit me so after a direction change, I decided on attending Cosmetology School. I graduated from New Images Academy in 2003 and began my career.
I have had the privilege to work in the widest array possible of things to challenge my skills as an artist such as films, operas, ballets, weddings, runway shows, photoshoots, and haunts just to name a few. I have taken the opportunity many times to educate myself with everything I can, to constantly be learning new techniques and honing my craft and finding new ways to excel. This has also led to the chance to share my knowledge with others, giving perspective and mentoring. I have utilized my skills as a leader, educator, and organizer to develop many projects on the production side as well. You will find my name proudly attached to many different departments.
I have embarked on an incredible new adventure as a First-Time Writer & Director for the short film “But We Still Love Him”. Being at the helm of a production is intimidating and quite overwhelming at times but having the right team at your side makes all the difference. Taking the risk to put something on screen that holds a part of your soul is indescribable. I have the most talented group of filmmakers that believed so completely in me and this production that it was easy to fight off the self-doubt and show up every day with determination and my head held high. From my Composer (who created the score live on set as we filmed to truly capture the emotions), to my Director of Photography (who also edited the film and created the most perfect pacing), to my Actors (all of which embraced extremely difficult scenarios with grace), and the entire crew of passionate and talented individuals, I can honestly say they all made me believe in myself and made it easy to guide them on this journey.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First, believe in yourself. It may be cliche but allowing yourself to see past all the doubts can be tricky so you have to have that faith that you can do it. The moment you succumb to the thought that you can’t is when you become defeated, so it has to start with you. I can think of countless times when I had to really have that internal monologue of reminding myself that I could do what I set out to.
Second, don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. We all want to be masters of our crafts, but we are all far from that and there is always someone that knows more. Be humble enough to recognize that and take as many opportunities as you can to branch out and learn. The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask because you let your pride prevent you from doing so.
And third, surround yourself with a tribe that has your back as much as you have theirs. Any journey is possible alone, but it is enriched by the presence of other like-minded individuals. Your circle doesn’t have to be large, it only has to be valuable to you and your journey.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Finding myself again!! Recently in my private life I was faced with a situation and realization where I had a choice to make, either allow a cycle to continue or make a scary change. The perpetual treadmill was going to continue if a drastic measure was not taken, and the only person who could do it was me. The one thing we can control in this life is ourselves and we are not responsible for the choices of others. Breaking a cycle is scary and never easy, it is uncomfortable and often met with rejection by others around you, but once you have the epiphany of your ideal self, the path becomes blaringly apparent.
I have become a stronger person, a better parent, a more focused professional, a fiercely confident woman, and I am being told daily that the change in me is palpable. When we stop trying to control things that are not ours to have dominance over, we give ourselves permission to enjoy true freedom and potential to thrive in all areas of our lives.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandabenhamwoods/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.woods.96558
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-woods-41b88b278/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BSzLf13s1STmVmdxO1P7MBA%3D%3D
Image Credits
David Darbin
