I read everything, but particularly, growing up in a household where my mom was black and my dad was white, I remember really loving 'Ebony' and 'Essence.' Those magazines were the only place where I could see images of women who looked like me or my mom.

My mom used to call me 'Oprah' because I was always in a corner crying with somebody. I've always been attracted to storytelling around women's lives.

There were times I was underestimated a lot. It gave me a unique benefit. The expectations were so low I could blow their head off.

I started out as the assistant to the editor-in-chief at 'Ebony' magazine. She took me under her wing and gave me opportunities to take on bigger responsibilities very early on in my career.