April 2019

Tracey Edmonds, the CEO of Edmonds Entertainment and Our Stories Films, is a prolific movie and television producer behind the hit romantic comedy movies like SOUL FOOD and JUMPING THE BROOM, and she was also a Host on the Television Show EXTRA. She was married to Grammy producer, music legend, Kenneth Baby Face Edmonds, and recently became engaged to two time Super Bowl champion Deion Sanders. A proud mother of two, she is one of the very few women of color in executive positions in Hollywood. She is the epitome of femininity and strength and has managed to balance her professional, family, and spiritual life, but it did not happen overnight. While visiting the set of her upcoming series GAMES PEOPLE PLAY, which premieres on BET April 23, I had the chance to sit down and talk, like girlfriends, about what makes her life “all right, now”.

Though we interacted before, I never knew you were a Stanford Graduate. I am so impressed. Tell me more about your Alma mater and how it contributed, and led you to your journey of health and wellness?
Well, I won’t tell you what year I graduated but I got accepted into Stanford at the age of 16, on a scholarship, and my original plan was to become a doctor, specifically a psychiatrist. After I graduated at 20, I decided to take a gap year before graduate school to figure out if I was going to go to medical school or onto a masters Ph.D program in psychobiology. While I was deciding, I got my real estate broker license and started dabbling in real estate. I became an entrepreneur broker and opened a real estate sales office and mortgage company where I sold homes and financed mortgages.

Did your studies on human behavior become a great tool for your business endeavors?
Yes. All the psychology classes I took at Stanford came in handy. Looking back at my time there, I was also a volunteer at campus peer counseling center where I counseled students on their challenges and problems, and now here I am diplomatically dealing with actors, actresses, and crew, on a daily basis with whatever issues they may have.

We live in a time in Hollywood where women do not fill as many positions of power as men. Things are, however, changing slowly but steadily. Can you tell me more about your challenges as a woman producer?
I have been helped by women in positions of power. In fact, it was a woman executive in the Studio, Laura Ziskin, at Fox, who said yes to my first movie SOUL FOOD.

In front of the cameras, there is more and more diversity, but I feel there is more work to be done to allow for more diversity in the executive side of Hollywood so that the stories being pitched by different races and cultures are more easily understood.

I agree. Going back to your education, do you feel this knowledge of psychobiology contributed to your being an advocate for natural health and healthy living??
Absolutely. My pre-med background laid the foundation for my curiosity about the body, and the older I got the more I got into natural medicine and using things from the earth that were put on the earth for healing purposes as opposed to using pharmaceuticals. Another event that furthered my health/wellness journey was when I was 25 years old and my father had quadruple bypass surgery due to clogged arteries. Prior to that crisis, I had no restrictions on the kinds of food I ate. I was slim and I had a super-fast metabolism, and I was eating whatever I wanted, including a lot of fast food and sweets, but I didn’t realize that there is more to diet than only weight issues. I come from an African American family, and like my father, our entire family consumed a lot of “soul food” which is very high in fat and cholesterol. Consuming soul food, fast food, and junk food had resulted in four blocked arteries, which led to his heart attack. I had an “aha moment” when I realized that my father was fighting for his life because of his poor diet. I took a vow that day that I would become a healthier eater, and I began to evaluate everything that went into my body to make sure it was providing nourishment instead of empty calories. Nourishing my body then led me to practice regular exercise. I practiced Pilates for 15 years, and as I got older I also learned about meditation to work on my spiritual side. A huge part of health and wellness is keeping your energy positive and keeping negative energy away from you. It is so important to learn how to maintain daily peace and calm, which led me to Yoga. Yoga is so good for your mind, body, and spirit. For example, holding a warrior pose in yoga teaches you the inner strength you can tap into when you face outside challenges. I have been practicing yoga now for the past five years. In my most recent health journey chapter, I had another wake-up call when my mother was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal Cancer caused by asbestos exposure that has no cure. During her 2-year Cancer journey, I was her health advocate. I stayed by her side, spoke to doctors all over the world, and did extensive research on Cancer and it’s causes. I learned a lot about what causes Cancer, what causes Cancer to spread, and how you can help prevent it. In my research, I discovered what we call “super foods” which are foods, which have antioxidant properties that can help prevent Cancer and other diseases. I began implementing Superfoods into my daily diet and have been amazed at how much more energy I have and how I don’t get sick. I begin every morning by drinking lukewarm lemon water which cleanses the system, builds the immune system, aids in digestion, and much more. I also consume a morning health smoothie, which includes Superfoods such as blueberries, turmeric, chlorella, coconut water, chia and hemp seeds, and a few others. With all that

I learned about Cancer prevention during my mother’s health journey, after she passed, I made it my mission to share everything I know about preventative healthcare with the world, so I launched my website ALRIGHTNOW because I want everyone to be at their best and healthiest.

I love your web site. It’s very accessible for everybody, not preachy, of course, you have experts but you also put yourself out there and taking a picture of yourself doing the Yoga Poses. That prompted me to be more consistent with it and now I feel it energetically, I see myself being more centered and aware of my body.
Yes. I love yoga. Being a mother and a professional woman I am always multi-tasking. Yoga is a great way to center myself, and my breathing, so I can remain calm in the midst of all the craziness that goes on at work, especially out here in Hollywood. It helps me handle every day with peace.

I know you are very connected to your Faith, how can we communicate to the Readers about making the meditation and yoga process part of our spiritual practice as sometimes it’s associated with being New Age stuff?
I have a very strong connection to God and communicate with God every day through meditation and prayer. Meditation and prayer go hand in hand because meditation allows you to block out the external world and go inside of yourself so that you can access your spirituality and connect with God or your Higher Being. For me, meditation is also my prayer time.

Why did you choose the name AlrightNow for your website?
I believe that everything in your life can be all right if you make the right lifestyle choices. Through the Alrightnow site, we are providing tools to make sure that every aspect of your life: your mind, body, spirit, family, relationships, career, etc. can be “all right” and thrive. We want you to live your best life and we are sharing tools that can help you achieve that goal. As far as the actual name, Alrightnow, All Right Now is my alma mater, Stanford University’s theme song, but I changed the spelling a little to clear the name. The message of AlrightNow is “let’s not procrastinate, let’s act right now, in the moment, to get our lives together! Let’s not wait until tomorrow to start eating healthy, exercising, having a fulfilling relationship or career path. Let’s focus on being all right in every aspect of your life, and let’s do so right now!”

It seems that a lot of your movies explore family and relationship dynamics, and I have a feeling that in each there may be some connection to your own life, is that true?
There is always a bit of me in my projects. In JUMPING THE BROOM, I explored the family dynamics of a wedding where two families clashed behind the scenes of nuptials and it was loosely based on something I went through. In SOUL FOOD, the older sister is a lot like me. She is the grounded one, expected to keep her family on track and bail family members out of problems,. The TV show that I am working on now, GAMES PEOPLE PLAY, explores the theme, “all that glitters is not gold.” It is about what goes on behind the scenes and inside the households of high profile people in the world of professional basketball. We show what it’s like being a couple perceived to be living the perfect life while dealing with infidelity and other issues behind the scenes. We uncover the difficulties of keeping up appearances.

I know you have just become engaged to Deion Sanders, your boyfriend of 7 years. What makes you guy’s work?
I always say that every woman has beauty. Beauty comes from within, I believe men are attracted to women are beautiful from the inside So a woman who has a beautiful spirit who smiles says to the world you are happy, that you are at peace and confident. A smile goes a long way, even for me with men and that’s what I first noticed and loved about Deion.

I encourage women to practice less is more. I don’t like a lot of makeup, I keep it clean and natural and I think that is sexy to a man.

What is your daily self- care routine?
Well, we have both gone through many chapters in our lives, and have already been through the ups and downs of previous relationships. We are grown, mature, and know what is important in a relationship. We have both evolved beyond living the fast life and being out at night. We’ve gotten it all out of our system and both realize that in a partner it’s about good character, honesty, trust, communication, and someone you can count on. I don’t have to look any further now. I have all those qualities with Deion. I am truly blessed to have him. We laugh all the time and can even tease each other about our pasts, while holding hands.

I remember one of my favorite movies where the Colin Firth character tells Bridget Jones that he loves her just as she is. As women, we all obsess about beauty, having the perfect body to find the perfect man, etc. What makes a woman beautiful?
Beauty comes from within. I believe people are attracted to those who smile because smiling tells the world you are happy, that you are at peace, and have confidence. A smile goes a long way, and that’s what I first noticed and loved about Deion. I encourage women to practice less is more. I don’t like a lot of makeup. I keep it clean and natural and I think natural is also beautiful.

What is your daily self-care routine?
I work out on a vibration fitness machine every morning, the ones with the metal plates. They are amazing. I do 30 minutes a day, 10 minutes of the cardio setting, 10 minutes of the weight training setting, and 10 minutes of the detox setting. These machines tone your body, build muscle density, get your energy flowing, and put you on a higher vibration to start your day. When I finish my vibration workout, I am charged and ready to go. I also take a lot of supplements including, omega 3 fish oil, biotin for hair, Chlorella, and consume a morning health shake with blueberries, chlorella, apple cider vinegar, and more. I also only use botanical products for my skin. I don’t put any chemicals on my skin. I am developing an all organic/botanical anti-aging skin-care line that will be for sale soon. I also love essential oils like eucalyptus and lavender to clear my sinuses, and keep my personal space peaceful. I also have a sauna that I use a few times a week to sweat out the toxins and re-energize. I love to meditate inside there. It’s a great space to be completely quiet and isolated from the rest of the world.

What would you say to your younger self if you met her today?
I would not change a thing about my life to date because I have learned from my crazy life and experiences. I see my experiences as chapters. Some chapters had challenges like my divorce, but they are just chapters, not the entire book. I think everything that happened in my life was meant to happen, for me, because I’ve become more highly evolved.

What is your go-to spiritual book?
I don’t have a spiritual book that I go back and read but I can tell you two that impacted my life at a young age. One was CONVERSATIONS With GOD by Neale Donald Walsch. (who is also a contributor of Eden Magazine). It helped me shape my philosophy about life, as it talks about shaping your own reality, declaring and believing to bring about manifestation. I do my declarations every day of things I want to see happen. Very similar in theme, I also loved the Seth Books. They speak about the power of positive thinking and creating your own reality and surrounding yourself with positive people. Those are the themes I take out into my life practices and I teach my kids that. What you put out you attract.

Speaking of keeping your energy high, is that why you created ALRIGHT Radio?
Yes. If you come into my bedroom I listen to music all the time. I like Classic Rock and R&B. I listen to Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire. I launched ALRIGHT RADIO for feel-good music because I believe the high vibrations of great music can positively influence your spirit and your attitude.

Beyond your work with ALRIGHT NOW, which is a labor of love, are there any charities you support?
Yes. I work a lot with CARE. That’s the organization the world first heard about because of their international care packages that were sent to Countries in need. I’ve been a Maternal Health ambassador for them. Being a mother of two, maternal issues are very important. For example, I have been to Sierra Leone where we are dealing with very sad health issues for women there. A lot of young mothers are not getting the proper care and unwanted pregnancies and complications. I also work with GIRLS INC to mentor young girls.

We all know that a picture tells a thousand stories. During the photo shoot for the cover, Tracey glowed. The love energy exchanged between her and Deion was tangible, and she truly embodied her “vibe”. And yes, we all did dance to Chaka Kahn and to Chic while Kate was taking the photos. Basking in the California sun, there was nothing better to do than getting jiggy with it.

Special Thanks to

Tracey Edmonds
Deion Sanders
Alexia Melocchi (Interview)
Kate Younger (Photography, Stylist & Jewerly)
Edward Hokopian (Hair Stylist)
Jamallie Bradley (Makeup)
Melissa Kritsotakis (Clothing Desinger)