Day: April 17, 2023

Award-Winning actress, Author, Singer, and Career Coach Christine “The Booking Magnet” Horn

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Christine Horn, also known as the “The Booking Magnet,” is known for her trademark smile and capitvating performances in some of the industry’s biggest hits and releases, including Kenan (NBC), NCIS: LA (CBS), The Good Doctor (ABC), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), The Affair (Showtime), Terminator: Dark Fate (Paramount Pictures), and Black-ish (ABC). With over two decades as an accomplished award-winning actress, Christine has also had success as a music artist, author, producer, theater performer, writer, director, and life + acting coach; the latter is where she spends most of her time outside of performing. Coaching is dear to her heart as it is a way of passing the baton to new and uprising creatives and her way of giving back to the acting community that has blessed her beyond measure. As a working actress and coach, Christine shows no signs of slowing down in 2023. She is starring in the hit series BMF (STARZ), reprising her recurring role on the critically-acclaimed Snowfall (FX), and starring in the upcoming new series Classified (Amazon Freevee/Netflix), coaching mentees in her Hollywood Bound Actors virtual community, and working on other significant projects and endeavors throughout the rest of the year.

We had the opportunity to connect and sit down with the incredibly talented Christine Horn to get an inside look into her passion and drive as an actress. 

You were born and raised in two very faced past, rich locations. How did your time in ATL & The Bronx impact who you are today?

  • Although both cities have a fast pace now, Atlanta was much slower when I was younger. New York forced me to become independent at a younger age due to my experiences growing up with a single mom. Moving to Atlanta was a significant change, especially since I moved during my sophomore year of high school. The slower lifestyle vastly differed from what I was used to in New York, but it helped me become more well-rounded. I made lifelong friendships, had the freedom to express myself, and fully emersed myself in the world of theater. Atlanta was my coming-of-age story.

You have been labeled “The Booking Magnet,” which I would conclude has much to do with your unique ability to stay booked and busy. Can you shed light on your monicker, “The Booking Magnet?”

  • As someone who studies the law of attraction, I developed a unique skill for attracting bookings. I realized everything (people, experiences, money, and opportunities) was drawn to me based on my energy and vibration. Once I learned anything followed by “I am” is a prayer and the power it possessed, I began to speak life over every aspect of my life, acting career included: “I am Christine Horn; I am a booking magnet!” I am blessed to say I have been in the game for nearly three decades, played over 70 roles, and am still booked and busy. I recently trademarked my “booking magnet” monicker, reflecting my business-focused mindset and approach. I also speak this same power over the lives of my students and anyone who crosses my path.

You have been in this industry for over two decades; I am sure you have seen the industry’s highs and lows. What has been your key to longevity?

  • As an artist, I have learned to believe in myself and my abilities, trusting that whatever opportunities come my way are meant for me. Even during slow times, I remember that things constantly change and nothing lasts forever. That’s why I prioritize patience and resilience as crucial qualities for success.

You started in theatre. How was the transition from the stage to television and motion picture productions?

  • At first, it took a lot of work to adjust to performing for the camera instead of a live audience of 1200 people. I had to learn to tone down my performance and adapt it to the camera’s lens. However, with years of studying, coaching, and dissecting the requirements of film and television, it became a fun game. That’s when my career took off.

How did your time in theatre prepare you for your career now?

  • The beauty of theater is that it teaches the importance of being present in the moment, as there are no second chances. This skill has benefited my television and film career as I focus on getting it right on every take, particularly the first. I can deliver my best performance by tapping into my character and the moment.

When you are not filming, you spend much of your time pouring into the next generation of actors and actresses. What does this part of your life mean to you? What can people expect in their sessions with you?

  • I strongly believe in lifting as I climb and helping others in ways I did and did not receive throughout my career. With the God-given gifts of patience, unique perspective, motivation, manifestation, and words of encouragement, I strive to guide and encourage those I work with in their personal and professional lives. Although my mentees come to me seeking advice on booking more jobs or improving their on-camera skills, my approach goes beyond the surface level. At the heart of success lies a deep love and care for oneself, and I challenge them to explore this. They can transform their careers and lives by tackling roadblocks and fears and growing as individuals.

You starred in the hit series “BMF.” What was your experience playing the character Mabel, and did you receive any backlash?

  • It was an incredible experience portraying Mabel in a show as huge as BMF. Playing such a compelling character with an engaging story arc was a dream come true. While I anticipated criticism and praise, I have received much positive feedback on my performance. Even though some people have had negative things to say, I am pleased that Mabel has been a topic of conversation. Ultimately, my goal was to fully embody her polarization and make a lasting impression on viewers, and I achieved that. It would have been a disservice to the character and the show if I hadn’t represented Mabel fully.

Tell us something about Mabel’s character that we may not know. What can we expect from her in the upcoming season?

  • I cannot reveal any details about the upcoming season, but it may be unknown to most that Mabel is fundamentally a good person who makes poor choices. My portrayal of Mabel depicts her as seeking love due to past emotional pain. Rather than practicing self-love, she seeks passion, comfort, and validation from others to cover her emotional wounds. If she had prioritized self-love, she would have made better decisions.

You attended the Emmys for the first time last year. What was that experience like for you?

  • I enjoyed being present at the ceremony and witnessing everything firsthand. Seeing how everything unfolds, I feel much more prepared for when it’s my turn to be acknowledged by the television academy and my peers.

You recently wrapped filming for the new series “Classified.” What can your fans expect from you this time, and what can you share about your character?

  • I’m excited to try something new and take on the role of a spy. It’s a nice change from past work, and I’m looking forward to doing more action scenes. While there’s no official release date yet, it will be available on Amazon Freevee in the US and Netflix in Africa. I can’t wait for viewers to see me as a leading lady in this series. Fun fact: I filmed this show in Joburg. So people can also expect a great blend of American and African cultures.

Your Booking Magnet Live conference for actors is coming up. Please share what people can expect if they attend and what makes yours stand out from others.

  • As an actor, I created Booking Magnet Live to provide an experience I would enjoy. This program is a safe environment that caters to actors aged 18 and above, regardless of their skill level. The aim is to develop the entirety of an actor – mind, body, and spirit – through various workshops, coaching sessions, and expos. While we offer opportunities to meet with casting directors and learn new techniques, we focus on nurturing the actor as a whole. Our program emphasizes peer connection, celebration, and mutual support rather than impressing others on stage. By participating in this unique two-day experience, you’ll have the chance to receive motivation and love from fellow actors who understand the challenges and successes you’ll face. To learn more about Booking Magnet Live, please visit www.bookingmagnetlive.com.

What advice do you have for the next generation of actors?

  • Don’t hesitate to create. With the prevalence of social media, there are ample opportunities to showcase your talents instead of waiting to be discovered. It’s important to continue honing your skills, taking courses, and developing a positive mindset. While it may appear that others are achieving success, remember that you have the same potential to establish your own path.

What is your definition of a Pretty Woman Who Hustles?

  • My perspective has evolved as I have focused on improving my mindset. From the hustling days of my early adulthood, I preserved and still prioritize going after what I want regardless of others’ opinions. However, now that I am older, I have learned to pace myself, appreciate my femininity, and understand I can still be productive and successful while maintaining balance in my physical, mental, and spiritual health. For those still hustling to achieve your dreams, I encourage you to continue working on yourself and your passions. Once your focus shifts from the daily grind to your mindset, purpose, and intent, you will unlock your fullest potential.

Recruiter, CEO and Leader: Avis Haynes

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Avis Haynes is the CEO/Owner of H&H Recruiting Services, a recruiting firm that specializes in direct hire placement for leading healthcare organizations in the greater Phoenix area.

Avis earned her Associate’s Degree in Computer Aided Drafting in 1990 but shortly after learned that her passion was working with seniors in their homes. After 10 years in the field, she successfully transitioned to the office administrative team and assisted with hiring and staffing quality caregivers to assist seniors in their homes. After working in the office as a Staffing Supervisor, she was presented with the opportunity to move to the HR Manager role. She graciously accepted the challenge and flourished in the HR Manager role while earning her Bachelor’s degree in Business/Human Resources in 2011.

Prior to dedicating her work full-time to H&H Recruiting Services, Avis served in the Human Resources/Recruiting industry for over 20 years. Her previous roles included Office Manager, HR Director, HR Manager, Staffing Supervisor, National Recruiter and Corporate Recruiter. She brings a wealth of knowledge from several industries including but not limited to Senior Care, Home care, Telecommunications and her niche industry, Healthcare Administration.

Avis is passionate in her mission to assist leading healthcare companies in finding their next direct hire to keep their company running smoothly. Her years of experience and knowledge will play an important role in recognizing the need of the employers and matching that need with the industries most qualified top talent.

In addition, Avis is also the Owner of two other home based businesses, Haynes Travels and Haynes Mobile Notary Services. As a Certified Travel Agent, she is dedicated to helping her clients with creating memorable vacations such as family trips, wedding destinations, honeymoon, girl’s trips and many more exciting occasions! As a Certified Loan Signing Agent, she provides mobile services to assist clients with obtaining signatures to complete their home buying process.

Avis is determined to create an example of professional entrepreneurship for the younger generation in her family. She wants to be the blueprint to show them how to take charge to become leaders in their own way!

When did you realize entrepreneurship was for you?

When I started my first job at 14, my dream was to become the owner of a company. At that time I was working in the fast food industry and I wasn’t quite sure what type of company I wanted but I knew that fast food wasn’t my passion. I continued doing what I could while I was attending school but I knew that I wanted more. I started babysitting and doing warehouse jobs to make extra money but still, not my passion. All through my life I watched my mom work and hustle to provide for us. We never wanted for anything because she made sure that we were good! She pushed me to work hard for the things that I wanted. It was that push to stay in school and learn new skills that kept me disciplined and prepared me for the real world. Once I was out on my own I still had the passion of being my own boss but knew that I had a long way to go. Although it took me some time, I did go to school for Business/Human Resources which gave me the entrepreneur knowledge that I needed. I have always had the side hustle mentality but now I want to create growth, financial freedom and a better opportunity for myself!

How did H&H Recruiting Services come about? 

H&H Recruiting Services started in January 2021 in Phoenix, AZ. With my 20 years of experience in Human Resources and Recruiting in the Healthcare industry, I wanted to take that and branch out on my own. I love helping good people with finding the perfect career jobs. I know how hard it is to find a good, permanent position, especially since the pandemic. I would always see the struggles that people had landing a job rather it was not enough experience or maybe just having a poor interview. I wanted to create a space where I could coach them on how to write a resume, how to interview, what to say and not say, how to prepare and even offer some skills assessments to get them to the right level. My passion is helping people and I believe H&H Recruiting Services is a great opportunity to do so. H&H Recruiting Services offers our clients a streamlined recruiting experience, and the best qualified candidates for their open roles. We take the necessary steps in sourcing and screening candidates prior to submitting them for opportunities. To provide exceptional service our candidates are background screened, tested for skills and prepped for interviews. This will allow us to save the clients time and money in their recruiting efforts while still obtaining the quality candidates that they are seeking. 

You have been in the healthcare industry for many years, how did your roles in HR, Business office, etc prepare you for your role as an entrepreneur and leader. 

My past roles have helped me tremendously in preparing to be an entrepreneur! I would not know what I know now if it wasn’t for those opportunities. The HR role is still my main focus but I know that each role taught me some form of discipline, professionalism, having an ethical work behavior, and when to seek out more opportunities to expand my knowledge. I learned to never stop learning and perfecting my craft. Laws change in HR and Business and we have to ensure that we are staying in the know at all times. These roles have shown me that I can take what I know and apply it to any position including being a leader and entrepreneur!

What has been the highlight of your career thus far? 

The highlight of my career thus far was realizing my passion in Human Resources/Business and going back to school to earn my Bachelor’s Degree. It was not my start but I was given the opportunity to join a Human Resources team with no experience and I have to say, this was truly the best opportunity of my life! After becoming a Human Resources Manager, I decided that I wanted to know more. Of course the biggest highlight of my career was walking away from the nine to five, starting my own business and actually gaining my first paying client! This gave me confirmation that I am on the right tract to being a successful entrepreneur!

What experience has been your greatest lesson in entrepreneurship? 

My greatest lesson in entrepreneurship has been that there will be many obstacles to overcome. This is not an overnight, quick cash opportunity! It requires, long hours, hard work and dedication to be successful. I learned that there will be lots of No’s before you get a Yes and you still have to keep pushing towards your goal. 

 As a serial entrepreneur with several companies under your belt, how do you balance to make sure you are pouring into each business equally? 

Time Management is definitely needed to balance the three businesses equally. My main focus during the day is the recruiting firm which may require phone calls and emails at certain times of the day. The Travel Agency is something that can be done on my own time so evenings and weekends is when I focus on travel. As far as the Mobile Notary Service, it is an as needed service where I can accept the jobs if my schedule allows it. With all of the businesses my schedule is flexible so, if there is a need to jump in and take care of something for one, I can make it work. I keep a very detailed calendar that helps me stay focused on each task at hand. I try to stick with my to do list and give each client the attention that is needed while still having a little time to do my self-care!

What advice do you have for upcoming entrepreneurs? 

My advice to upcoming entrepreneurs is to never “Quit”! Stick to your dreams and goals and when you feel like giving up, think about why you started. There will be lots of setbacks but the most important thing is the “Comeback”. Mistakes are made to learn so don’t dwell on yesterday, figure out the solution so that you don’t make the same mistake again. I would also advise them to stay focused! There will be naysayers who will tell you that you can’t do it but this is your chance to prove to yourself that you can. One of my favorite things is keeping quiet about what you are doing, move in silence and let them see you at your next level!

What is your definition of a Pretty Woman Who Hustles? 

A Pretty Woman who Hustles is a woman who makes things happen and does not let obstacles stand in her way! She is fearless and takes control of her business while creating more opportunities for the next level of success. She offers her knowledge and experience to lift up other woman and show them that it can be done. She hustles hard and does not wait for things to happen, she makes them happen…. She is beautiful, intelligent, successful and a true go getter! She is “ME”!

Website: www.hhrecruitingservices.com

Social Media Handles:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/h-h-recruiting-llc/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/HHRecruitingLLC

Instagram- https://instagram.com/hhrecruiting?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Award-Winning Financial Literacy Expert Octavia Conner

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After spending over ten years in corporate America, helping to build multimillion-dollar businesses as the “go-to numbers girl,” Octavia decided to ditch the 9 to 5 in 2011 and build her dream business instead. With a laptop, a busted printer, and nominal savings, but full of passion, Octavia embarked on a journey of providing small businesses with advanced financial management support, strategies, and solutions. Her passion led to the birth of Say Yes to Profits.

After leaving her corporate 6-figure career to become a full-time entrepreneur, Octavia experienced a period she titled “Broke, Busted, & Disgusted – Breakthrough.” During this challenging time, Octavia was completely broke and broken. From building her dream home from the ground up to one month away from foreclosure. Octavia wondered, “How could this be happening”?

Conner would go from pre-foreclosure on her home and near-repossession of her then newly-purchased SUV to the founder of million dollar consulting firm. She mentally regrouped shifted her perspective, and returned to a part-time position in corporate finance. Within 14 months, she reemerged as a full-time six-figure business owner of Smart Accounting Services. Later, she rebranded from Smart Accounting Services to Say YES to Profits, where she has a proven track record of helping clients achieve 90% growth rates within 12 months. Eventually, Say YES to Profits, LLC earned seven-figure revenue at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when several other businesses were losing revenue at alarming rates.

 She is the epitome of a walking success story!

Today, Octavia teaches business owners how to get their finances in order so that they cross the seven-figure mark within three years of working with her and her team. She has helped over 90% of her clients grow between 30% and 350% within 12 months.

Octavia has been quoted in Forbes and featured in ENSPIRE Magazine, Voyage ATL, Afro Tech, Inuit, and many more. Selected as a top 50 accountant in North America for two consecutive years and an award-winning best-selling author and professional speaker Octavia combines over 20 years of business, accounting, and financial experience.

When did you realize you had a passion and gift for teaching others financial literacy?

I realized I was passionate about teaching business owners financial literacy after helping my sister scale her business to multi-six figures within less than 12 months of working with her.

 What obstacles did you have to endure to get where you are today in entrepreneurship?

I had to endure several obstacles to achieve my current level of success.

Confidence. In my industry, many people don’t look like me. Therefore I had to work on my confidence and belief in myself to know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, even if I’m the only person in the room that looks like me.

Imposter syndrome. I often felt and sometimes still feel like everything must be perfect before I can proceed. To this day, I still work on this because it has caused me to miss opportunities due to trying to be perfect.

What message do you hope women take away from your platform?

I hope women believe in themselves more and realize that no matter the obstacles, they can achieve massive success if they don’t give up.

What are steps entrepreneurs can take to safeguard their business?

 A few steps entrepreneurs can take to safeguard their business is building a six months cash reserve. Having a significant cash reserve will give them breathing room and financial confidence. Next, entrepreneurs should create a profit plan that identifies how they will not only earn more money but keep more money in business.

What can your community expect from you next?

My community can expect to hear about our new company headquarters located in Atlanta, GA. In addition, we are hosting a virtual masterclass called Passion To Profit on June 10th. This masterclass will teach entrepreneurs how to take their passion and make profitable money moves.

What is your definition of a Pretty Woman Who Hustles?

My definition of a Pretty Woman Who Hustles is someone striving to achieve her desired level of success by any means necessary. 

Connect:

Say YES To Profits | College Park GA | Facebook

#sayyestoprofits | TikTok

Virtual CFO & Profit Strategist (@octaviaconnercfo) | Instagram