I'm just free. And I can express my sensuality. I can express my pain, vulnerability, my strength. All of those things. Because I had a sheltered upbringing doesn't mean I haven't been a woman. I'm a woman that has had life experiences.

I don't like to gamble, but if there's one thing I'm willing to bet on, it's myself.

I'm a workaholic and I don't believe in 'no.' If I'm not sleeping, nobody's sleeping.

My biggest thing is to teach not to focus on the aesthetic. It's really about who you are, and the human being, that makes you beautiful.

My mom has always told me that beauty fades but inner beauty is forever. There's nothing more beautiful than a woman [who] takes care of [herself].

You know, equality is a myth, and for some reason, everyone accepts the fact that women don't make as much money as men do. I don't understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat? I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And let's face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what's sexy. And men define what's feminine. It's ridiculous.

I remember being in Japan when Destiny's Child put out 'Independent Women,' and women there were saying how proud they were to have their own jobs, their own independent thinking, their own goals. It made me feel so good, and I realized that one of my responsibilities was to inspire women in a deeper way.