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Ryan Destiny

Source: Courtesy of @photosbynae

FOX’s hit series Star, created by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy, returned to television with its midseason premiere this week. Starring Queen Latifah, Ryan Destiny, Brandy Norwood, Jude Demorest and Brittany O’Grady, the show follows the pitfalls of three up-and-coming artists as they attempt to navigate the music business.

Just before her show hit small screens all over the nation, Ryan Destiny stopped by our offices and we chatted all about how life has changed for the Star actress since she booked the gig nearly five years ago. Having been honored at this year’s International Women of Power event, we also talked professional women of today, what they need in a partner, and more. The talented (and grounded) 24-year-old hit the nail right on the head.

On knowing Star would change everything :

“I kind of expected my whole world to change, and not even necessarily for the better. I just knew that a lot of things were going to change in my life and I was kind of preparing for it,” Ryan tells GlobalGrind. “Regardless of what it is, just be ready for whatever your life is about to turn into—good or bad,” she told herself when she booked the gig.

“And there’s been a lot of good things and there’s been a lot of bad things to happen, but regardless, I’ve grown a lot as a person, as an actress, as a singer. There’s just a lot of great things that I feel like I’ve taken from the show,” she said of life after committing to Star. She also tells us that her favorite part of playing Alex Crane is she gets to do the three things she loves in one project—sing, act, and dance. “I always say that’s the coolest thing to me.”

Three guiding principles powerful women of today should live by:

“Supporting each other,” she begins. “Supporting other women—super important. Not being afraid to stand up for yourself and not being afraid to be aggressive and strong and powerful; stand in your power. I think that’s one of the most important things because as women, we’re told to stand down way too much. The third is loving yourself. In this world where there’s so many standards for women, in general, I feel like loving yourself is one of the biggest principles to live by.”

On the women in Ryan’s life who inspired her to channel her own potential:

“There are so many incredible women I know… of course, my mom—all my life she’s been a strong influence, very headstrong, very confident in what she knows, what she believes, and not being afraid to talk about it and say how she feels. A lot of the women that I work with on Star are definitely inspiring. They just are great people—Queen Latifah, Brandy, Patti LaBelle, there’s so many amazing people…Naomi Campbell…and they all stand for something. They all do great work within the industry, but also outside of the industry. That’s one of my biggest goals, to make sure I’m not just doing this—that I’m doing more, that I’m helping people and inspiring people. A lot of women around me do that, so that’s really cool.”

On the quality accomplished women of today need to look for in a partner:

“If you’re a successful woman” she says, “you need to look for a very confident partner. Somebody that’s not going to be threatened by your success or how strong you are and how hardworking you are.”

Tune into Star on FOX every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.

Ryan Destiny Talks 3 Rules Boss Babes Should Live By, Plus What She Says Powerful Women Need In A Partner  was originally published on globalgrind.com