InFluential_Magazine_May_June_2017

EXCLUSIVE FEATURE
B
orn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to parents who
were working class students and encouraged a
love of the arts, Julia began acting classes for stage artists
in preschool and kindergarten. She soon found her niche
in elementary school where she participated in plays and
Improv ComedySportz. Her parents divorced when she
was five years old and Julia remained primarily with her
mother. Julia speaks of her parents teaching her tenacity,
“by following their dreams, despite the challenges of
independence and humble beginnings”. Her mother
became a national motivational speaker and published
author. Her father became a medical doctor a few years later.
Julia and her mother, while embracing their creative
personalities, co-authored children’s and motivational
books. Julia became quite comfortable with public
speaking as she would go on to perform on stage,
television, and radio shows over 100 times as a
motivational speaker with her mom. About the benefits
of being an effective motivational speaker, Julia shares,
“You are sharing ideas with an audience in the hope they
will walk away having gathered tools for utilization in their
own lives”. Another valuable lesson she would learn from
growing up on the road with her nationally recognized
mom is, as she goes on to say, “Everyone is the same, hard
working for their loved ones. They want words to which
they can hold, to sustain their hopes and faith. Everyone
enjoys laughter and entertainment found through
mocking the fallible nature of the human condition”.
Another effect of life on the road is Julia was home-schooled.
When reflecting on the advantageous of being homeschooled
as compared to a typical classroom setting, Julia
says, “I learned that adaptability is the best survival skill.
To learn in the flow while life constantly changes around
you, keeps you at your sharpest. I’ve learned to never
compare myself to other artists. I’m the best me I can be
and I use every opportunity as a learning experience”.
Throughout her life on the road, Julia continued to
receive steady private coaching with instructors from
The Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. By her late teen
years, Julia was living independently. After a brief time
in Arizona, she relocated to Los Angeles to continue
“
I learned that
adaptability is
the best survival
skill. To learn in
the flow while
life constantly
changes around
you, keeps you at
your sharpest. I’ve
learned to never
compare myself
to other artists. I’m
the best me I can
be and I use every
opportunity
as a learning
experience
”
26 FLUENTIAL MAY / JUNE 2017