Meet Rollonda Coxx

We were lucky to catch up with Rollonda Coxx recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rollonda, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

The funny thing about confidence is that you can be confident about literally ANYTHING. Others will only pick up on the confidence, but they draw their own conclusions for what you are confident ABOUT by using their context clues. While I have been told I am “overconfident”, it is no secret to me that I am VERY confident I have no idea what I’m doing. It is scary, traipsing through the unknown we call life. Be it pursuing a new experience, starting a new job, hosting a show that was shaken like a snow globe behind the scenes before the curtain goes up, or pursuing a potential romantic partner I believe is out of my league- being confident about something, ANYTHING helps develop my outward appearance of an “overconfident” person. I think it is something we can all use in our daily lives to overcome our doubts and inhibitions.

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

I am America’s Roller Skating Drag Queen, and I am certain you haven’t seen anything like me before! I exclusively roller skate, equipped with a wide range of tricks to showcase my fusion of competitive skating and drag! I am also VERY adaptable- I perform on everything: concrete, tile, linoleum, carpet, nonslip mats, stairs, stages, ramps, grass, stripper poles, and more! My favorite challenges are skating in smaller spaces with obstacles because it forces me to be creative with my choreography. I also see every gig as an honor because I love skating- I think you can see it on my face. I am so proud that this evolved into a platform to inspire and entertain audiences! It is just “gravy” that I get to do it on my roller skates!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

My journey would not be as adventurous without tenacity, serendipity, and wanderlust! I cultivated my tenacity through competing in a sport that was not too well known- certainly not as well known as its ice counterpart. By keeping the faith and moving to higher rankings, I learned to follow my passions unapologetically. Without serendipity, I would not be able to keep my fun, bubbly demeanor going. This is a business in perpetual flux, and with my roller skates sometimes that flux demands something unique, sometimes it doesn’t. Knowing things happen for a reason and many times those reasons are good helps fuel my optimism. Wanderlust is perhaps the most important of the three, because I believe one has to be very comfortable with the unknown. I can be confident that I do not know what is going to happen, and that confidence helps attract more positive experiences. If you are early on your journey, just stay the course, because there’s something for everybody, and you ought to attract who is there for you, not something you’re pretending to be!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

So I think the most impactful thing my parents did for me was try steering me in a direction they approved of. In the moment, it felt like “Mom and Dad just don’t get it”- and in a lot of ways they still don’t, but each time they tried steering me onto a path they would have preferred to see me on, it just made me dig my heels in more to what I want. It truly cultivated my tenacity, because once I choose something, I will sink my teeth in and hold onto it like a bulldog. As the years have gone by I like to think they recognize this dichotomy between what they want and what they get, however the longer I am left alone to pursue my passions the more proud I am able to make them.

In the realm of chosen family, I have quite a few “parents” who have turned things around for me in the past couple years. My Auntie taught me how to honor myself without feeling guilty for it. My piano teacher showed me unconditional love through supporting all my endeavors. I have parental figures in my drag world who help me embrace what it means to be a queen. They each make their own unique and special impact in a way that keeps paying forward not just for me, but for people with whom I cross paths in my day to day life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rollonda.com
• Instagram: rollondacoxx
• Facebook: rollondacoxx
• Other: Bluesky: RollondaCoxx

Image Credits

Images captured by José Alberto Guzmán Colón. He can be found on instagram as @glamgender