We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Salisha Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Salisha, 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?
When I was in elementary school, I was kind of fat. I was the biggest girl out of all the 4th graders. Even then, I always thought I was fabulous. The only time I didn’t feel fabulous was when someone told me that I wasn’t. Over time, I LEARNED how to be self conscious. Isn’t that crazy?? Finally during college, I had a lot of unlearning to do. But somewhere on my way, I realized no matter what I did, no matter what I wore, no matter how I acted, someone always had an opinion. One day I was like: if it’s impossible to please everyone on the planet, I might as well make myself happy and do/say/wear what I want! And the coolest thing happened: when I loved my own vibe, more people seemed to love it too and gravitate toward me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The last 9 years that I’ve been in New York, I’ve pursued a theatre acting career. I’ve been in one National Tour, two Broadway shows, countless Regional productions, and have survived a Pandemic. Recently, I have shifted my focus from performing onstage to performing in my closet (LOL)! And by that I mean starting my Voiceover career. Something magical happened coincidentally in the pandemic, and that is that I set up a voiceover booth in my closet. And whenever I went in there, time would melt away. I stopped worrying about being in the epicenter without my family, I felt….joy. I felt peace. I started a podcast during that time called Black Hair in the Big Leagues which is on the Broadway Podcast Network and that gave that time of my life meaning when I felt I was free falling. It was a time when I couldn’t be with my cast members of the Britney Spears musical because Broadway didn’t exist at that time! All I had was what I could create. Starting my podcast and then eventually doing voiceover work for various companies launched a new era for me.
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?
I think for Broadway’s sake, it’s so easy to want to transform yourself into what “they” want. Give the director what they want. Look how they want you to look. Be perfect. I tried all of that. Sometimes it worked—but it didn’t feel good. You know what felt good? Showing up authentically as myself, knowing it might not be what they had in mind but feeling good about what I shared in the audition room. Not stressing about it. Letting it go as soon as I was done and moving on to the next assignment/appointment/ audition. The times I didn’t wait by the phone were the times that I got the call.
Secondly, it’s been a huge success not comparing myself to the ladies I see all the time in the industry. Instead of thinking of them as my competition, I decided to make them my friends. That feels really good. I support my friends and my friends support me. I much prefer that energy surrounding me, especially in high pressure situations.
Lastly, it’s okay to mess up. That probably sounds weird, but if you can stay present while messing up, I personally think it makes a person more likable. Life is not about being perfect. That’s so boring! But when you mess up, can you make the people sharing your space laugh? Can you make them smile? That’s a secret weapon.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
In the last year, I opened and closed a Broadway show in a role that stretched me as far as I could go. For the first time ever, I was a Swing. A Swing is the person that understudies a bunch of parts in a play in case someone has COVID or no voice or whatever the case may be. I understudies 12 parts. That’s the maximum number a swing can do.
Our show had 123 performances, and I swung on for more than half of them. No, that is not normal. I went on for 6 of the 12 roles that I covered. And for 5 of the roles, the first time I went onstage in front of an audience was without a rehearsal. I found myself singing solos, saying lines, and dancing moves that no one in the building has seen or heard me do. They were all just HOPING that I knew it so that the show wouldn’t be cancelled. And yes, I did know it. I did my homework.
In this experience, I have learned to trust myself so much more than I ever have. I am more flexible than I’ve ever been. I’m a better listener. And because this situation is such a stressful situation, I learned to SPEAK UP for myself and to say what I NEED.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.salishathomas.com
- Instagram: @salishathomas
- Facebook: SalishaT
- Twitter: SalishaT
- Youtube: itsmeSalish
- Other: @blackhairpodcast on IG @weissandshine coming soon to Youtube
