Phaedra Parks is on the cover of Rolling Out Magazine where she is discussing what’s real and important, including the legacy she hopes to leave post-Real Housewives Of Atlanta.
Phaedra’s real life has played out front and center via reality TV – from the birth of both of her sons, to her husband Apollo Nida going to prison, to a career change to mortuary science. Through it all Phaedra has remained stalwart and largely composed, but open-ish about the circumstances in her life – something she insists is intentional.
Phaedra curiously doesn’t mention her fractured marriage, although she does mention how important it is to think before you act and refrain from doing something you might regret while on TV!
Phaedra feels she is a living example of how “test builds testimony” – and one thing RHOA has taught her is the weight words carry. “I try not to say things that I can’t come back from. I’m always very careful, and just because you’re thinking something doesn’t mean that you should say it. But there’ve been a lot of times where I wanted to rip somebody’s wig off.”
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE!
“The smart person is always thinking about the next phase of their life,” cites Ms. Parks. “At the end of the day, my legacy won’t be that I was on a reality show.”
[Credit: Instagram]
“I want my legacy to be that I’ve made a change for many people, opened doors for women, that I was a great mother juggling a family and a career. Not that I was a fool on a reality show. There’s no honor in that,” describes Phaedra. “I’ve built my life on things that are more solid. Fame is fleeting. Wealth is what’s real. Who cares about being famous? Making strides that will go into history is what’s important to me.” Well, I quite agree with her there.
“In this past year, people have seen how I’ve dealt with my husband being incarcerated, and I became a single mom in front of the world. But I think that on the flip side, people saw me as a pregnant woman, going to school and getting my degree,” Phaedra explains. “And I was still able to come out of all of that unscathed. People have seen me at the best and at the worst of times. They’ve seen me in heated situations where I handled myself respectably.”
However, Phaedra acknowledges she hasn’t always gotten praise and support – from social media or elsewhere, but she is unperturbed by negativity and uses it as a growth opportunity. “To be honest, I think if everyone’s agreeing with you, you’re doing something wrong,” she states. “If you’re doing something right, that’s when everyone is criticizing you.”
[Credit: Instagram]
In fact Phaedra is using her own complex experiences to help others – she’s recently gone on a motivational speaking tour. “I’ve been in many adverse situations where I’ve succeeded and didn’t compromise my morals. I think a lot of these things resonate with people because these are things that we all deal with,” she says. “When you speak life into a dead situation, things grow.”
Phaedra is also considering writing a parenting book, has been active in the Black Lives Matter campaign, and the revitalization of New Orleans in the 10th anniversary of Katrina. She has also been filming for the 8th season of RHOA! Where does she find the time…
More photos from Phaedra’s Rolling Out shoot are below. Personally, I am relieved to see an interview from a reality star that did not consist of bashing co-stars or complaining about all the drama.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PHAEDRA’S PERCEPTION OF REALITY TV?
[Main Photo Credit: Instagram]
[Credit: Instagram]
