Stephanie was featured in an article from the podcasters and bloggers of Stuck In The Middle.
Somewhere in the world, someone is pleading for just One More Day. Meanwhile somewhere else, someone is on the other end of the spectrum wishing otherwise. Somewhere in between, someone is unconsciously taking One More Day for granted; looking forward to tomorrow which is not guaranteed or stuck on yesterday which is gone and forgetting that today is all we have ~ Manekeu Ndoping
“What Will You Do With Your One More Day?”
Read on to learn about Stephanie D Sanders…
Who is Stephanie D. Sanders for those who have never heard of you?
I am an Award Winning Indie Gospel Artist, Actress, Songwriter, Voice Over Artist and Author who is determined to leave a positive impact on her audience, family, and friends worldwide. I hail from the Sunshine State of Florida with a happy go lucky disposition and a desire to be the best that I can be in every area of my life. I’m a woman on a mission to consciously motivate, empower and inspire others to value the gift of One More Day and make the most of every moment and talent that we have been given. I want people to understand that “God can use you anywhere, you just have to be a willing vessel”. I’m pushing up on 50 and Fabulous but feeling like 30 and Spunky (a little fireball, I get it from my Momma), trusting and believing that with God all things are possible.
You may not know me now but you will. I’m just that kind of woman who is fiercely driven, diligent, passionate and motivated to grab hold of everything God said I can have and be. I look forward to the Lord blessing all the works of my hands and connecting me with other wonderful like-minded people as I embark upon new levels with my entertainment career and endeavors in TV Hosting, TV Creator/Producer and Entrepreneurial Plans. You can’t build an empire by yourself and I totally get that.
Give
us a summary of your life from birth to now.
I grew up the youngest of three children. I was very active growing up, from
ballet to gymnastics, cheerleading, sports, and dance until life made its first
major shift. After a basketball injury, I changed gears and decided to major in
Mass Communications at Morris Brown College, where I began to hone my craft for
Television and Film production. I began co-producing and hosting multiple
television shows for CAU-TV while in school. On my breaks from college, I
became a radio announcer for music and sports at WWAB in Florida.
Radio seemed to be the avenue that came quicker for me to get more involved in
and so I did. I began working in radio from Florida WWAB to Seattle KRIZ and
back to Florida WPCV I have made my rounds in the R&B, Gospel, and Country
genres. Along the way on this journey, I discovered my love and another talent
for acting and singing. Marcel Sanders at KRIZ helped me to develop my skills
in music while Kibibi Monie took me under her wing for acting with The Nu Black
Arts West Theatre in Seattle.
I moved to L.A., began pursuing my dreams in the entertainment industry and a
life detour brought me back to Florida. For several years I tried to give up
the entertainment industry since I wasn’t in L.A. any longer but since then I
have made leaps and bounds once I gave my talents to the Lord and allowed him
to show me how, when, where and why to use them. Now here I am 5 years since
God resurrected my career (as Pastor Timothy Alden prophesied and told he
would). I am honored to say I have finished my first CD, Book, and Audiobook
(which I did the voice over for) and I am looking for producers, music directors,
filmmakers, marketing agencies, professional teams and the like to develop,
place and pitch, my first and second CD (in pre-production). (Things on my
mind: Grammy, Oscar, NAACP, Stellar, Dove….Awards to achieve and bless some
people along the way). So, let’s connect good people and make some awesome
things happen.
How
is 2018 going so far for you is that you just released a book last year and an
album? Things are coming along nicely this year with the
release of my 3 Pack Combo (cd, book, and audiobook) entitled “One More Day”. I
have been connecting with various churches, groups, organizations and the like
to interview, appear, perform and share my material with others across the
country. I set goals for myself all the time and this is right where I am
supposed to be as I branch out and bless people from one state to the next.
You are an Author, artist, and songwriter; How did all this come about?
To be honest one talent was the catalyst to help all these falls into place. I
always thought it would be this way and it certainly has turned out just like I
thought. It reminds me of the bible verse; Psalm 1:33 “And he shall be like
a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Singing was at the forefront of it all. Though I did not sound like Whitney
Houston when I started at home in the bathroom with my red boom box. I
ultimately developed my own sound and style and I am very pleased with it
today. Then I began to develop my songwriting, which was followed by my first
book. One More Day is the title of my CD, Book, and Audiobook. The life
experiences I had or knew of started with my CD. I then decided it was time to
expand upon the title track and make it a more in-depth book. I had developed
the gift for doing voice-overs and I use the listen to audiobooks a lot while
riding around in the L.A. traffic. I found the audiobooks to be very useful as
I am very much so into time management. So, I thought it only befitting to do
an audiobook for that kind of people who enjoy listening to some literary work.
Your
album One More Day what inspired it? Who is the target audience for this
album?
The inspiration came from various life experiences. Sometimes it’s hard for us
to be transparent with things like this because we don’t always want people to
know that life happens and it happened to us. It can happen fast, it can happen
slowly. How you respond to the experiences is one thing but who has the answers
is another thing and will we allow God to be the head of our life and all the
experiences we go through.
The target audience is split as the entire cd can be geared towards an adult
market (17 and Up) but there are definitely songs on here as well that can be
used to inspire young people (13 and Up). This cd is a contemporary gospel
project (so you would think of artist such as Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary,
Deitrick Haddon and so forth).
Your
book, One More Day! How did you come up with the title and what is it
about?
I came up with the title for the book from the title track of my CD. The
experiences expressed in the book stemmed from a couple of life-changing
moments in my life. Because of these experiences, I was brought to my knees
with of moment of thanksgiving and a heart of gratefulness. The book has been
the extended version of the song and the moments in which my life had come to a
screeching halt. There are moments in the book that really pull at your
heartstrings but those are the same moments that will ultimately lift you and
make you consciously think when I ask you the question What Will You Do With
Your One More Day? I would say please don’t take that question for granted
because your next breath is not promised to you.
Who
is this book for? Why should anyone pick up a copy of your book?
The book is geared more towards an adult audience (college level and beyond).
It’s a wonderfully easy read and different form of inspiration that will
continue to inspire throughout the book. Though tragedy may hit us from all
sides, there are still moments in each experience that will make you (from that
moment on) be intentional about your life, the moves you make, the gratitude on
the other side of the moment and present the hardcore question for you to truly
think about “What Will You Do With ONE MORE DAY”. You will never take another
moment for granted in life, love, career or family.
The Writers Balls named you Songwriter for the Year 2017; speak a little on
the feeling and how that impacted your career?
The Writers Ball is a wonderful writer’s award program that honors individuals
in different categories of writing. It was a blessing to be a part of the
awards and to actually receive the Songwriter of The Year Award. That was an
awesome experience. It made me feel great to see that my work was evaluated and
found to be worthy to receive an award such as this. One More Day was my first
cd (with 16 tracks). I was happy to know that my studies of songwriting enabled
me to write some thought-provoking messages/stories that served me well in their
eyes. Thanks to Harriet Schock and several songwriting groups along with people
who helped me develop my skills while living in L.A.
So far we’ve seen
the book, the album, which could be found on Amazon, Kindle, Audible, Spotify,
iTunes, the list goes on… What other talents do you possess?
Ohhhh myyyy. LOL Glad, you asked. Well, I am happy to say that I am also
gifted in the areas of Acting (TV & Film), Voice Overs, Modeling and TV
Hosting. I really look forward to doing much more of these as well (So Let’s
Connect Good People – I am open to relocating – Networking is alive and well
with me).
I also have a great desire to ultimately Create/Develop/Produce several
Television Shows. I would say I’m Oprah with a double dose of espresso. A lot
of my talents really cross over one into the other very easily, that’s the
beauty of most of the talents that I possess.
What motivates you?
God, Me, Destiny, Visions To Bless Others, Goals I Have, Friends, Family…
Do you believe in
LUCK? How much of your current success do you attribute to luck and how much to
hard work?
No, I believe in Destiny and Purpose. I believe God places the desire, the
visions, the talents within us and it’s up to us to BELIEVE we can do the
things in our hearts and then put in the work to develop them and present them
to the world so to speak.
What is your
favorite quote and why?
“Never Let A Problem Become Your Excuse To Quit,” Robert Schuller.
I like this quote because life happens but your destiny remains the same. I
never want to think what if, never again. Don’t ever let anything keep you from
fulfilling your purpose, not even yourself.
Who do you look up to, who inspires you to be who you are today?
I have grown to admire various people along the way from God, to my Mom,
Sister, Cousin, my Pops Mr. Larry, my Co-Workers, some of my Friends and Family
have all had an inspirational part in who I have become today.
When
you are not pursuing your passion (music, writing, acting etc) what do you do?
I enjoy working out, hanging with some family and friends, seeing a show,
movie, eating pizza and some traveling. A lot of time has been a sacrifice for
my career but I look forward to doing a lot more things here there and
everywhere.
Nothing
good comes easy and as such there are always obstacles trying to hinder us from
achieving greatness. Has there ever been a moment when you wanted to throw in
the towel? speak a little on that and how did you overcome that moment?
Oh, yesss there has been several. Those moments still come from time to time as
the desire to move forward, go higher, do better and see some things come to
fruition (not just for you but others you want to bless), the passion for what
you want to do just won’t leave you alone (sometimes) and time doesn’t always
seem to be on your side. These are all moments and things that can make you
weary when it’s not happening like yesterday. All in all, it’s not my timing,
it’s about God’s timing.
Ways in which I have overcome those moments have varied; there have been times
I had to cry and just let it all out. I pray much, listen to sermons, prayers
and meditate (even when I don’t have words I can audibly say). I exercise and
listen to motivational messages or YouTube videos. I speak with my Sister
LaNita, my cousin Valerie, friends at work, my Parents. I pray in agreement
with others. And at times I may just take a moment to lay down and listen.
What is success to
you?
Success is doing what you love to do (and where called to do, EVERYDAY except
Sunday. Making a great living at it. Blessing some folks along the way.
What message do
you have for those following passion?
“God can use you anywhere. You just have to be a willing vessel. “
“Nobody should ever believe in you more than you do.”
“The work is real, so get ready to pull out all the stops.”
“Make a To Do List daily to keep you focused and manage your time well.”
“Be professional and Easy to work with.”
“Get you a mentor in an area of interest.”
“Stay true to yourself and your vision.”
Do you have any
kids? If Yes, how are you able to juggle between family and your passion?
No, I don’t have children, so I am able to focus on my career, God and myself.
It would be very difficult to have children at this point in my career unless I
had a nice staff and hubby to make it flow a little bit smoother. I think it’s
more so because I do more than one thing and they work in cycles around one
another.
Any updates we
should know about? Upcoming events? Upcoming show?
I am preparing to hit the film set in late June for my next Acting gig
#setlife. I am in the booking state of setting up shows, events and the like
for the summer into the fall. I am working on my new cd as well and I would
also love to collaborate with other artists with a word of inspiration,
motivation, love, hope, victory…
Is there anything
else you would like to share about yourself on this podcast?
Well let’s see: I am a Single Christian Woman waiting on Boaz, I’m energetic,
funny and ready to see the world with my boo (your name doesn’t have to be
Boaz) I am looking for sponsors to collaborate with and bless me to do what I
do over the miles. I am booking for tv/radio interviews, shows, events,
conferences, seminars, colleges and so forth so please pass along my
information, so I can fill up my calendar. Thanks
Thank you for your
time, Stephanie!
Thank you Thank you. I so appreciate this time to share a little bit about
myself.
