Have you ever given yourself a deadline to make a dream come true? For singer and actress Rashada Dawan, that deadline was one year. After being laid off and with bills piling up, she made a 12-month commitment to pursue her art full-time before turning to a more “practical” career. Just days before she was set to take an exam to become a police offer, she received a life-altering phone call.

In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Rashada Dawan to talk about her journey from Chicago church choirs to national stages. This is a story about faith, resilience, and the courage to bet on yourself, even when the clock is ticking.

00:00 - Introduction to the Multifaceted Rashada Dawan 02:22 - Saturday Mornings and Church Choirs: Early Musical Memories 06:06 - "Singing Doesn't Pay the Bills": The Advice That Shaped a Career 10:07 - Finding Her Voice: Lessons from Mimicking the Greats 17:28 - The One-Year Challenge and a Life-Changing Bathroom Call 21:21 - A Family Affair: Passing the Torch to the Next Generation 31:02 - The Swinging Pendulum: Finding Contentment in the Dance of Life 37:05 - More Than an Artist: The Freedom of Creating Without Pressure

Rashada’s Website: https://rashadadawan.com/

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This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Santiago Cardona and Daniel Espinosa.

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