Melani Ismail first captivated us on VH1 ’ s Football Wives now she ’ s conquering fears , letting go and letting God . IMPACT caught up with the dynamic diva to find out what she ’ s up to now .
Melani Ismail first captivated us on VH1 ’ s Football Wives now she ’ s conquering fears , letting go and letting God . IMPACT caught up with the dynamic diva to find out what she ’ s up to now .
Since we last spoke you became an author . Tell us about what motivated you to write The Freedom of Letting Go ?
Well , first let me say thank you for having me back ! :)
I was motivated to write a book because I am constantly writing . It started as an autobiography of sorts , but I kept hitting a wall . After several months of hitting that wall , I got a little frustrated with the process . One morning I decided to take a walk instead of writing . During that walk , I heard the title of the book as clear as a bell . I rushed home and started writing a whole new book and it basically flowed from there from start to finish . The topic of fear was one I never expected to write about . I knew I struggled with fear but I didn ’ t know that I had so many areas in my life where I had never confronted that fear . God knew .
As a mother how do you balance your projects and your family ?
I can ’ t really give a definitive answer because I am always finding a new balance . There are always new challenges , and the dynamics of our family and our lives is ever changing , so I find that I have to reevaluate my way of doing things , often . What might have been working before , may not be working now so I find that I have to center myself more than balance the things around me . I center myself with prayer and striving to keep my relationship with God a priority .
What advice would you give to new moms regarding achieving success ?
There are seasons in life , and sometimes we want to rush one season to get to another one . I was a bit anxious when I was having children because I felt like I needed to do so much and I allowed too many other things to pull my focus away from the season I was in rather than being in the moment and soaking up all I could . My advice would be ... try to enjoy the season you are in and recognize that one will pass sooner than you think , so be in the moment . Easier said than done , huh ? LOL I do understand .
How has the meaning of Mother ’ s Day changed for you over the years ?
Funny ! I can ’ t even remember that it ’ s Mother ’ s Day half the time . I usually wake up to something my children made for me and then I remember . I think if nothing else it lets me know how much my own mother means to me . It also lets me know what she went through being a mom and she should be celebrated daily .
What ’ s next in the pipeline for you ?
I am writing a lot . I just finished up a two new scripts and I am planning to shoot a film this summer . I have another television opportunity that is in the works . I just wrote some new songs that will accompany the next book , which is gradually being written in between all the other projects . I have a lot going on as usual , but the last time I told God my plans , He gave me His , so I will say Lord willing , I will do all the things I am destined to do .
Anything else you would like the readers to know ?
They can follow me on Facebook , Twitter , etc @ melaniismail . I would love to hear from them :)
More Than a Magazine ! 19