In Second Act, Jennifer Lopez portrays Maya Vargas, a woman who was did not receive a promotion. Due to her lack of a college degree, she suffers similar rejections. Her friend’s son makes a fake resume for her which leads her a cushy position at a cosmetics retailer. There, she has to lie about her experience but impresses with her knowledge of the product line and ideas for the future.
As someone going through a second act of her own, Maya’s journey was inspiring. I was excited to be invited to Pearl’s Rooftop in Los Angeles for an Empowerment Brunch. This was a celebration of Second Act’s Blu-Ray release on March 26th. There was such delicious food and mingling with other women. They even had a photo booth and a photographer taking headshots so we can update our LinkedIn pages!
Teddi Mellencamp, current Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, sat down with us and talked about her own struggles to find her passion. She was a competitive horseback rider and still enjoys riding but after the birth of her daughter, she felt stuck. By describing her own experiences in relation to Maya’s from the movie, she realized the only things stopping her from her decisions was her. She decided to start a new Instagram account focused on her weight loss journey and holding herself accountable. This led her to grow her business and help others with their weight loss.
She offered solid advice for the attendees like lean into the uncomfortable. It’s always important to push yourself out of your comfort zone. She admitted that she struggles with anxiety and that working out helps her. She also makes sure that morale is good within her company by texting her employees every morning to air out any issues they may have. There was a question about how to stay positive and she told us she plays songs to shift her feelings. Another attendee asked for more advice on dealing with anxiety and she advised that leaning on others to help doesn’t help because they don’t truly understand what you’re going through. She reiterated that your biggest support system is yourself. That is a crucial reminder.
She told us to continue to focus on what is right for us and that people will be driven by you, not the idea of you. I asked a question about how I feel knowledgeable in a particular field but don’t have the right experience, so I constantly feel shut out of opportunities. She answered that you can’t deny facts and that knowledge can be more important than experience. I will definitely have to be more confident in my knowledge of topics instead of focusing on what I lack in experience.
The final questions focused on the power of delegating when you realize you are not good at something. She hired someone to work on her website because she knew that was not her strong suit. She mentioned that she’s not afraid of aging as she found herself in her 30s, but does enjoy botox. “Aging is growth,” she stated. Her final bits of advice were to talk about her own experiences and not to take yourself so seriously. In this day and age, it’s refreshing to hear someone with success struggle with these issues.
I left the brunch fully satisfied from the food and the chat. It was enjoyable speaking with women of different backgrounds and careers and what brought them to the event. I felt good about myself and ready to enjoy another viewing of Second Act!
Some Other Stuff You May Enjoy:
- EXCLUSIVE: Check Out a Clip from ‘The High Note’
- ‘Dads’ Documentary To Premiere This Week on Apple TV+
- 7 Tips for Beauty Sustainability
- 5 Bad-Ass Female Characters in Film
- The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3 is Stuck in a Bad Loop
- ‘The Last Summer’ Made Us Want Summer To Be Over
- Rivals to Friends: Max and Eleven are Now Besties?
- Second Act Empowerment Brunch
- Why You Should Be Watching ‘Sorry For Your Loss’
- Atypical Review: Witty, Endearing, and Heartbreaking