We recently connected with Chalice @imchalice and have shared our conversation below.
Chalice, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Honestly, I haven’t overcome imposter syndrome. It’s an internal tug-of-war between different versions of myself. There’s the meek one, crippled by comparison and self-doubt, wondering if I’m worthy or qualified. Then there’s the rationalizer, telling me if I wasn’t meant to be here, I wouldn’t be. I teeter between certainty and fear. But then, the confident one screams, ‘I run this s***!’
It’s exhausting, but I’m working on merging these voices into one stable, grounded person. For real. Recognizing greatness and value in others comes easily, but I’m learning to be gentler with myself too.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve released music as a solo artist that has been featured at various events worldwide and television. One of my first singles, “Swagg,” got over 300 million streams worldwide. As a singer-songwriter, I’ve established myself in the sync landscape, licensing music for prominent TV shows like the Real Housewives franchise, So You Think You Can Dance, World of Dance, etc. Currently, I’m working on a deeply personal project, really diving into sharing my own story through music. After years of hesitation, I’m really forcing myself to lean into sharing my truth, hoping to heal and connect with others while getting used to this new level of openness through my music. Outside of my upcoming project, I’ve been dropping singles for the dance community. My Labl’d Fresh team and I recently released my single “Sauce” which I hope everybody falls in love with. This summer I released two other singles called “Cool On That” and “Catch Me If You Can pt.2” with features from Comfort Fedoke (So You Think You Can Dance, Wicked the Movie), Jordyn (All American, Netflix’s Love is Blind), and a duo called Fenix&Flo (Platinum Souls).
What I cherish most about being a singer-songwriter is the spontaneous magic during the creative process. Moments like this one: as I sit here writing, my friend Superdave, a world-renowned choreographer (Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Usher, Chris Brown), is improvising musical ideas by the window, while my husband bursts in, moved to create an impromptu interpretive dance. Normally, I’d be lost in writing or melodies. Witnessing organic collaboration like this is just, phenomenal af. It’s instances like these that remind me why I love my profession – the blurred lines between work and play, and the beauty that emerges from a shared inspiration. And I think that reflects in what comes out in our music, a picture of life’s moments to a usually very danceable beat. Lol.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First, let people tell you who they are. Listen to what their mouths are saying, but really pay attention to their actions, and then respond accordingly. Don’t wish for them to be anything they’re not. If you choose to work with them or have any sort of relationship, meet them where they are. This mindset has been invaluable in maintaining my sanity, especially in collaborations and project management.
Second, identify your desired results and the work required to achieve them. Then, shift your focus to the daily tasks, rather than obsessing over the end result. For me, this helps manage my tendency to overwhelm myself and feel like progress isn’t happening fast enough.
Third, getting comfortable with clear and effective communication has been essential. It’s a fundamental skill that benefits every field. I’ve learned that many industry trip-ups/frustrations stem from poor communication or lack of clarity.
While you build these skills, be kind to yourself because these are all easy concepts to grasp, but really implementing them in life can be another thing altogether.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I’ve had to do some serious growing to learn how to deal with being overwhelmed. As a complex trauma survivor, the urge to push pause and disappear is strong – and I think that’s pretty relatable, lol.
In recent times, I’ve developed this thing where I remind myself, “I’m okay.” When I’m anxious or overwhelmed, I’m basically “mind time-traveling” – worrying about the past, future, and present all at once. I need to bring it back to the now and be present… in my physical body.
So, I focus on my breath, and remind myself that life is meant to be magical. I’m the decider of things; I give events meaning, I choose how I respond. My trauma brain might say, “You’re out of control! You have no choices!” But I’m healed enough at this point to see beyond this… most times. Haha.
As someone who has been through kidnapping and prolonged confinement, reclaiming autonomy is everything. So now, I pause, breathe, and remind myself: I’m in control.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imchalice
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imchalice
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/imchalice
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/imchalice
Image Credits
Archie Acosta
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