<p>#281: In this episode, I sit down with the amazing Gabrielle Union—actress, producer, entrepreneur, and bestselling author—about what leaning into vulnerability really looks like.</p><p>From fertility to relationships to creating a life full of love and creativity, Gabrielle shares the lessons she wishes she’d known sooner—and wisdom to inspire you to get more curious and vulnerable.</p><p>We also talk about:</p><ul><li>How reading fosters creativity and curiosity</li><li>Why the on-screen adaptations of your favorite reads often differ from the book</li><li>How to express creativity without worrying about who will consume it</li><li>What Gabrielle would tell her 30-year old self</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Resources:</p><ul><li>Check out Gabrielle’s new movie<a href="https://www.riffraffthemovie.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Riff Raff</a> in theaters now</li><li>Follow<a href="https://www.instagram.com/gabunion/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Gabrielle on Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3Qz5PnU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Atonement by Ian McEwan</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/4h3PMt4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seven Days in June by Tia Williams</a></li><li><a href="https://balancedles.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to my Substack, Balance with Les</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Keep in touch with Balanced Black Girl:</p><ul><li><a href="https://shop.dearmedia.com/collections/balanced-black-girl" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shop limited-edition Balanced Black Girl merch</a></li><li>Watch on YouTube<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BalancedBlackGirl/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> @BalancedBlackGirl</a></li><li>Follow on IG:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/balancedles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> @balancedles</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/balancedblackgirlpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> @balancedblackgirlpodcast</a></li><li>Follow on TikTok<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@balancedles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> @balancedles</a></li><li>Visit our website at<a href="http://balancedblackgirl.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> balancedblackgirl.com</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Sponsors:</p><ul><li>Timeline Nutrition | Mitopure® promotes cellular renewal and mitochondrial health to address common signs of aging. Go to<a href="http://timeline.com/BALANCEDLES" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> timeline.com/BALANCEDLES</a> for 10% off your order.</li><li>Deinde | Fight inflammaging with Deinde skincare. Go to<a href="http://deinde.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> deinde.com</a> and use code BALANCEDLES at check out for 15% off your first purchase.</li><li>Seed | Take care of your gut health with Seed. Go to<a href="http://seed.com/balancedles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Seed.com/balancedles</a> and use code BALANCEDLES to get 25% off your first month.</li><li>Rocky Money | Rockey Money is a personal finance app that finds and cancels your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so that you can grow your savings. Stop wasting money on things you don’t use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to<a href="http://www.rocketmoney.com/balancedles" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> www.rocketmoney.com/balancedles</a></li><li>Honeylove | Treat yourself to the most comfortable bra on earth and save 20% Off sitewide at<a href="http://honeylove.com/BALANCEDLES" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> honeylove.com/BALANCEDLES</a></li><li>NOCD offers accessible OCD treatment. Go to<a href="http://nocd.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> nocd.com</a> and schedule a free 15-minute call with their team.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Produced by<a href="http://dearmedia.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Dear Media</a>. </p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>