Meet Nadia Adelay

We were lucky to catch up with Nadia Adelay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Nadia with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I would love to say that my work ethic was garnered innately. I was “born this way”. It was “in me all along”. Which, very well may be true. I’m not sure. I have to do more self-assessing on that particular point of view. But, what I can wholeheartedly and unequivocally attribute my work ethic and hustler propensity to are the inspirational teachings and first-hand observations of the two people who brought me into this world. My Mom and Dad. A multi-business owner in the special event and decor industry, and a Grammy-award-winning producer and musical virtuoso; respectively.  My parents have always made their passions their purpose. As cliché as it sounds; they are my role models, my heroes, my strength when I feel weak. I’ve witnessed both of these moguls create and breathe life into amazing art with just an idea and a dare to dream. I’ve watched them work tirelessly, at all kinds of hours of the day and night; to provide for me, my sister, and themselves a life that they could be proud of. I’ve seen them buried and scratched up by the unforgiving obstacles that life presents, but still manage to dust themselves off and persevere through whatever challenge. My Mom and Dad have displayed a resilience like none I’ve ever come across. To say they inspire me is an understatement. I am who I am because they are who they are. And I thank God every day for blessing me with two quintessential examples of what a person who has a dream and goes to get it, looks like.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Hey. =) To those reading this who may already be familiar with my story, thank you for taking the time to get to know me a bit better through this medium. For the ones who are coming across my likeness for the first time, I’m happy you are here and have the opportunity to come along on this journey called life with me. First, and probably the most prominent thing you should know about my career life, I am an actor, director, artist, and overall multi-hyphenate in every sense of the word. I love to bring characters and stories to life with my God-given instrument and abilities. I find solace and safety in my art. And it means the absolute world to me when I catch wind that something I had a hand in creating made someone’s mood, day, life, and total energy, better in any way. What I do for a living is bigger than me, and I think that is the most exciting part. Because when you are divinely called to pursue something on this Earth, it leaves you with an incomparable feeling of intent and purpose that you can’t find anywhere else. Outside of the praise that my peers and contemporaries have bestowed upon me; I know that I’m good at what I do, and I truly believe that. And in fervently believing that I know that no detrimental harm nor true pain can be brought upon me because I am boldly and confidently walking in my purpose. I can be no one else but me, Nadia Adelay. And every day I strive to make Nadia a better version of herself than the day before. Furthermore, I am also excited to be sharing that I will be launching an apparel line in the near future. I don’t want to release any premature spoilers on the name but just know it is extremely apropos. Expect it to make its debut in early to mid 2024. Branching off into this new lane of art has been a daunting yet fulfilling journey. And I can’t wait to take my supporters along with me on this gripping ride.

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?
Well, this answer can be immensely vast, because I’ve had such a fruitful journey at only being 27 years of age. I’ve learned so many lessons along my path and still have so much more knowledge to acquire. And in any young and impressionable entrepreneur’s life, you will find so many lessons, gems, and tidbits that you’ll want to hold onto. The real key though, is knowing when to apply what particular knowledge to certain scenarios, and how to dig it up. Whether that be through mentorship, worship, relationship, or just going on a ship and cruising your troubles away. Either way, do not stop trying new ways to develop better habits. That would be my advice to folks who are early on in their journey. Remember that there is always a better version of yourself that you can achieve. They say to make your future self proud, do something that’ll benefit them today. And I live by that as best as I can.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
This is such an interesting topic because I’ve had many conversations with notable individuals in my career discussing this very question. In my earlier statements, I mentioned that I am a multi-hyphenate, meaning a person possessing and known for several skills and professions. This is a very accurate statement about myself because I truly do A LOT. In all that I do, I’ve had to take the time to nurture and develop certain skills and abilities that lead me to be sufficient in my practices. Now, although some people may place me on a supernatural pedestal of infinite capabilities, I am only human with the same 24 hours in my days as everyone else. With that being said, there is only so much that can be learned, read, practiced, sought, discovered, and calculated in one person’s lifetime before we arrive at the Gates of Heaven. I have come to a point in my life where I recognize that I cannot be a master in every field that I participate in. And as a recovering perfectionist, I give myself the grace to be okay with that. The old saying goes, “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” And I’ve always found that statement to be interesting because, to me, both sides of that spectrum aren’t necessarily a negative thing. It’s not bad to know a little bit about a lot, just as it’s fine to know a lot about a little. But what I take from that infamous quote is that you’ll never truly learn to conquer a skill if you’ve got too many skills you’re trying to work at. Though I don’t think you should put all your eggs in one basket, I do believe you should take the basket with the highest-yielding potential and harvest it so your other baskets can bloom by way of association. For example, I love to act; but I also love to direct, write music, rap, and more. At this point in my life, acting is my highest-yielding and most lucrative trade out of all my other passions. So for me, it makes sense to strengthen and capitalize off of that talent to help push my other talents forward in hopes that they too eventually get the recognition and monetary contribution that I aspire for them to have. Ultimately, I think it’s imperative to learn all you can learn for as long as you can. I, myself, never want to cease learning. However, a true genius knows how to make their learnings intentional. And with the right amount of knowledge on the right subject, I greatly believe one can be unstoppable.

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Image Credits
Slingshots ATL Photography

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