In a world swimming with selfish ambitions and entitled attitudes, we are incredibly excited to bring you a breath of fresh air in the form of Andrea Drepaul. You may have seen Andrea on shows like Covert Affairs, Beauty and the Beast, or The Expanse, but how much do you really know about the Canadian-born actress? As both a woman, and a woman of diverse ethnicity (she's of Portuguese and Guyanese descent), she is becoming a huge voice and advocate of diversifying Hollywood while helping to change the perception of actors by modeling leadership in her field.
Imagine how your perception of a day could change by waking up and, before anything else, bringing 10 things to mind you are thankful for. Big things, small things, the things that often go overlooked.
Did you know that being grateful can actually alter your brain chemistry? Exerting gratitude, if you want to put it in such terms, activates regions of the brain associated with dopamine. Dopamine acts as a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers, regulating emotional responses. When dopamine is produced and is dispersed throughout the brain, it literally acts as a positive reinforcement and is vital to driving us to action.
Like most things in life, gratitude must become a habit in order for it to be effective. It doesn't do our bodies any good to work out intensely once every month or two; muscles need a constant cycle of conditioning and rest in order to tone and grow. The brain is not exactly a muscle, but it behaves like one - especially when we treat it like one. Physical activity produces more brain cells, gratitude spawns physical activity... there is a distinct cycle, a distinct interdependence.
We hope the interview in this episode with Andrea encourages you and inspires you to become a leader in your own field. In the words of William Shakespeare: "Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" (from Twelfth Night). Even when it seems like someone else outranks you or outshines you in some way, greatness is representative of the life we want... not of the life we have.