We were lucky to catch up with Cyarra Sledge recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cyarra, 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?
Growing up I got bullied, like almost everyone else, so learning how to be confident and growing my self-esteem wasn’t the easiest thing in the world but it grew to be the most rewarding. When peers say there’s something wrong with you at a young age you don’t want to believe it but after a while it sets in and you start to think “well maybe something IS wrong with me”. Family and schoolmates always seemed to have something negative to say about me, everything from “why do you walk like that?”, “Your voice is so annoying”, to “you look like a duck why are your lips like that?”, “are you pregnant or just fat?”, “you’re weird what’s wrong with you”. All things that after hearing for so long I started to think maybe it was true, until one day my Father, who divorced my mom, remarried. My stepmom wasn’t the nicest, but when she came around we moved away from family and away from the school district that tore my confidence down, and put me in a school where I was the new girl. I thought to myself this is a fresh start and was ready to go into this new school and keep my head down and lay low but everyone knows being the new kid in school everyone wants to know who you are, you’re a fresh face, fresh personality. My Father used to tell me all the time kids are just jealous and I didn’t believe him until I changed schools and I went from feeling like the weirdest and ugliest girl in school to one of the coolest and prettiest girls in school. I was determined to remain the silly Cyarra I loved being, so when I got positive feedback from these new peers it sparked flames, which grew self confidence in terms of I was no longer going to allow anyone to tell me how weird or ugly they think I am. Growing self confidence in my teenager years as I graduated, high school, and entered the “real world” I realized I had ZERO social confidence, which to this day I mildly struggle with. The moment I understood we only get this life once I was determined to never hold myself back, I challenge myself. Current peers invite me out and we decide we’re going to talk to everyone in the room or we come across, which is my personal effort to slowly build my social confidence to a point where I am personally comfortable. I stumbled upon acting on accident, in another effort to build confidence I got invited to a birthday party in Atlanta by people I’ve literally only met through FaceTime and on the internet. I invited a girl who was my best friend at the time to come with me as a safety precaution, once we got there we’re getting invited to clubs, streams, parties, movie sets, celebrity houses, music artist studio’s, all events/places I can’t be “weird”. Being myself in those moments and understanding I volunteered to be there and nobody was forcing me to helped tremendously, talking to different people from all walks of life and being accepted almost helped me accept myself in a way, I spent a lot of time in front of a mirror no makeup, natural hair, just admiring and loving the raw and natural ME. I spent even MORE time talking God and realizing how beautiful I am on the inside and out, really allowing myself to break down that negative wall a whole lot easier than before.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’ve always wanted to help people in life and made it a mission of mine to do so on a large scale. I’ve been singing since I could talk so I always thought maybe I could be a music artist, get super rich, and help communities with my overflow. I’ve always had HORRIBLE memory so growing up I always thought acting was the ONE thing I’ll probably never even consider. All of that changed from one “stranger’s” birthday. Truly enjoying myself and another attendee of the birthday party invites EVERYONE to be on a movie that involved Lil Boosie, I thought to myself I’d be crazy to not go. A couple of days go by and we end up on set and I’m talking to everyone per usual not realizing I was potentially starting a career I NEVER felt qualified for and end up getting casted for another movie, but this movie will be my first speaking role and land me even more movie gigs. Getting casted for my first movie I prayed heavy, I ask God for guidance, I ask God is THIS where I’m going, is THIS how I’ll receive my overflow? God told me there’s more to come and to be patient, for such big goals require patience and time. My biggest goals out of life are to change lives for the better, help single parents, help domestic survivors, help the people who feel the most hopeless and help allow them to see and feel the works of a loving God, feed communities, give people that second chance and that little push they may need from life to really get going and keep going. The end of 2026 I’ll be launching a new clothing brand called “All Life” which all profits will be going to different fundraisers/organizations.
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?
Development of social skills is so important no matter what you want to make out of life, get out of your own head and just speak up, it always help to start the conversation with flattery. Patience is huge, no matter the person nobody accomplishes their goals overnight, that’s a task not a goal. Grow and maintain a positive mindset/attitude, nobody wants to be around or work with people who bring negativity around and it’s not good for your own mind or soul. Believe in yourself, in your own capabilities, and the light that you bring to every room you walk into.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Sometimes I get entirely overwhelmed and the biggest thing that helps me is to understand what I’m feeling is normal, take a breathe and remind myself that this is just moment. Life is full of moments, good and bad moments, each one passing by just like rest. Feeling overwhelmed it’s easy to shut down and hard to push through, hence why it’s so important to grow/maintain a positive mindset/attitude. Having that positive energy helps you look at life exactly for what it is, just another moment.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyarraaa_?igsh=OWJwZ2hjYzNlZWU1&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17iYnfZqX6/?mibextid=wwXIfr
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
