A professional knows what's impossible. If you know it's impossible, it is impossible. But if you don't know it's impossible, suddenly it is possible.

I was young, out of the military service in Israel. I was looking for a big adventure, and I was searching for it.

I wanted to go to the extreme in the sense of places that were not explored and meeting people, tribes. I wanted to have an adventure.

Sometimes experience is an obstacle because you cast your future based on your past experience.

Our family story here is one that we're proud of, and that is that, as the ninth of 10 kids in our family, I was the first who, right out of high school, was able to go to four-year college... it was a big moment in our family's life.

My family very much adored me, and at school, I was an object of fascination.

The distance, being far away from your home, from your family, that's not easy. There are times when you say, 'Wow, what a fight, what a battle.'

I've spent my whole career trying to stay out of any box that anyone could put me in. 'I'm going to do a play now.' 'Now I'll do a musical.' That was my instinct. So I don't feel boxed in. But 'African-American woman' is part of my identity. I don't want to relinquish that - especially as a mother, helping my daughter find her identity.