Meet Krystina Bailey Brawer

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Krystina Bailey Brawer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Krystina, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Being the only one in the room that looks like me, I have learned to be effective/successful because I don’t allow that to distract me. In certain rooms, I am aware that I am the only African American female in that space but my race or sex has nothing to do with what I am capable of. If I ever do get intimidated, I remind myself that I am in that room for the same reason everyone else is.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am an actress and author. My book, “Actors! What You Need to Know Before Moving to LA,” was an Amazon best seller. I feel the most exciting thing about what I do as an actress is when the audience is able to take away something from my performance. Some of my best performances have been when viewers laughed, cried, learned something new or felt changed from the performance. And the most rewarding part of being an author is knowing that people are being fed the knowledge they are seeking.

I started off as an actress and then became an author. In my acting journey, I found that I possessed quite a few skills in addition to acting; one of which was writing. You can find my book on Amazon or directly on my website www.ActorsWhatYouNeed.com to learn more about my journey as an actor, moving to Los Angeles, and tips and tricks that have helped me get as far as I have.

Some of the television shows you have seen me on are Showtime’s “The L Word; Gen Q,” CBS’ “Blue Bloods,” Youtube Premium’s “Weird City,” and most recently BET+’s “The Family Business.”

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?

Looking back, the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were the most impactful in my journey were learning to slow down, enjoy the trip, and never give up. When I moved to LA to become an actor, I had all of these goals that I wanted to achieve immediately upon arrival. Little did I anticipate how hard the lessons of growing up and learning to survive on my own would be. I had to learn to embrace the voyage with all of its hills, peaks and valleys. I have grown to understand that what is meant for me, will come to me, so I should just have fun on the ride.

The advice I offer for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these skills is to trust your gut. If you feel a need to slow down then do that; you don’t want to burn out too quickly. If you have a bad audition, take a walk in nature, smell the roses and shake it off. If you feel yourself wanting to quit, remember why you started this journey in the first place.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to just let me be me. They have always said that they wanted my sisters and me to be happy. They understand that acting makes me happy and therefore they are happy for me. I’m grateful for them. Thanks Mom and Dad!

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Image Credits
Cameron Radice, Sonya Bowman,

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