We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ramona Rideout. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ramona below.
Ramona, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
My biggest response to negativity is my success. Everyone has an opinion it’s like a “butt hole”. People are going to project their fears on you through many different avenues, Your job is to say “Okay, thank you,” and KEEP IT MOVING on the path the universe agreed to. Once you come up with an idea and you present it to whoever, they may not think it’s a great idea. However, YOU thought it was a good idea, so IT STILL IS. I have consciously changed my environment and habits because sometimes I could feel a BAD energy or “dismay” of others when I celebrated my accomplishments and ventured into new avenues. They would present their opinions with challenges and obstacles based on their own experiences. Once certain people were no longer able to CONTROL what I did it caused confrontation, Once I didn’t remain quiet and JUST LISTEN it caused friction. All of those things gradually woke me up! And I no longer allowed others to project ANYTHING onto me and I move relentlessly towards my goals. I Found new resources, outlets, and information. I rewarded their hate, objections, opinions, etc. with my absence.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Being a professional actor was the best choice of my life! The good, bad, and the ugly of it all! In high school I put it into high gear after so much rejection and being cast as an understudy because I couldn’t sing at the time, I didn’t realize that because I stuck to it something amazing was about to happen. I tried out for “The Wiz” around that time and I just knew I had what it took to be a lead character I love the movie and knew it back and forth! I still didn’t get cast as a lead, I got cast as the understudy for Glinda. I was livid and went to plead my case, but the choir director said “Okay learn everyone’s lines! I’m sure a spot will open up”. I didn’t have much hope, but I went and memorized the whole script. Later that week the craziest thing happened the choir director was intently, fast, and aggressively walking past me in a crowded hallway while yelling at a student who had already run past. The choir director turned around midway and yelled back to me “YOURE THE SCARECROW!” … come to find out the student who was cast as the scarecrow had done something bad and was running and eventually got suspended and couldn’t do his part anymore. Unfortunately for him but fortunately for me, “that was my moment and I had been waiting for it for years”, my very first lead role in a big school production, I was overjoyed and excited, but terrified at the same time. It ended up being one of the best experiences ever I worked hard and didn’t give up we had a full house with a standing ovation. That gave me a feeling of so much fulfillment and joy I could never give up on my dreams at that point. I went on to do theater in college, but I needed and wanted more… and I won’t stop until I’m at the top, THEN IMMA GO HIGHER!
I’ve learned that true beauty and success are in the journey, we are all connected, and helping others helps you. I don’t know where I would be without the help of friends and family. Success isn’t easy but neither is failure, so I choose success. We recently lost my mom, she transitioned to heaven on April 17th, 2021. That was the most devastating thing in this world to me but somehow, I feel her spirit and the energy of the universe propelling me toward my goals. I will never give up, my warrior angel in heaven and my dad has my back on the ground anything is possible. When one makes it, we all make it!
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?
Man oh man! This a good one. The three areas of knowledge that were so impactful were: -“Effective” COMMUNICATION– TaeKwonDo– SOCIAL emotional learning
Effective Communication is way DEEPER than verbal understanding. It’s so many directions I can go with this but I’ll keep it compacted into 2 points.• Communication is based upon the receiver. A verbal message falling upon deaf ears goes nowhere. As a theater teacher of 6 years, I learned that EVERY student/person is different. When I do a lesson for example I may have every student stand, and introduce themselves with an action and sound. However! Some students may have anxiety, stage fright, etc. so “I” as the instructor have to find a way to reach each student, so “I” have to tailor the activities to fit different needs. It’s not the student’s job to come in and understand everything the way I do it.• We speak without speaking so we have to be conscious of what energy we place in the universe cause it’s transferable.
TaeKwonDo taught me discipline. And the art of a good offense only as “defense”. Understanding centers of energy. Knowing how to enforce power by working smart and not hard.
SEL is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success. We feel things as people but we aren’t always able to label them which causes confusion and affects consistency at times. The more I was able to recognize myself the more I understood others and was able to create and maintain healthy relationships!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I didn’t read much as a child, I memorized movies. But I’m my younger adult years to now I developed a love and connection with books that came to me.
-“The 4 agreements”,-“relentless: from good to great to unstoppable”-“what everyBODY is saying”,-“The art of war”,-“The alchemist”
These five books have created the evolved foundation of my life. They were so captivating and honest! I couldn’t put them down. With each book, I took step by step to becoming a better version of myself every day.
Special shout out to the ALCHEMIST though that book was as if I reading about myself! Everything in the book from being a sheep herder to finding his treasure in Egypt was metaphorically my life! And probably a lot of others.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/actingwithramona?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rrideout5yd?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Swaggedout shots photography
