#235 - Motherhood Broadway and Knowing Your Why: A Real Conversation with TyNia Brandon

Baby Ajax made his podcast debut. And yes he had a lot to say about it.

In between the chaos of new motherhood and recording from New York for a limited window of time, Salisha sat down with her girl TyNia Brandon for one of the most honest conversations about career choices, knowing your worth, and what it really means to build a life in this industry.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• What happened when Salisha received two major job offers on the exact same day and how she made the call
• The audition she walked into fully intending to throw and what changed her mind mid hallway
• TyNia's three point framework for deciding whether any opportunity is worth your time and energy
• The Holy Grail of theater and why Sex and the City explains it perfectly
• Why Salisha describes herself as a loyal long term girly and what that has meant for her career
• The dumb prayer she prayed before meeting Andrew and exactly how it came true
• What it actually feels like to balance being a performer and a new mom when both demand everything from you

Some conversations you do not plan. They just happen. And this was one of those.

CHAPTERS

• [00:00] Baby Ajax joins the recording and chaos ensues
• [02:27] Welcome to a new season with TyNia Brandon
• [04:48] The difference between being a mom and actually parenting
• [05:51] Being Ajax's mom has been the most unexpected gift
• [06:29] Motherhood was not on the bucket list and here is how that changed
• [07:59] The dumbest prayer she ever prayed and how God answered it
• [09:11] Would you rather: lead off Broadway or swing on Broadway
• [10:05] She got both offers on the same day
• [10:48] What makes a job better on paper
• [11:58] The audition she tried to throw and what stopped her
• [13:51] Shoutout to Yasmine playing Diana Ross on Disney Plus
• [15:40] TyNia's three point framework for knowing your why
• [17:00] The Holy Grail of theater explained through Sex and the City
• [19:24] Why Salisha is a long term loyal girly and what it built for her
• [20:32] Elena new girl and other legendary phone contacts
• [21:15] Thank you TyNia and thank you Carla

@salishathomas @thesalishashow, www.thesalishashow.com

Many thanks to Gotham Network in NYC, TyNia Brandon for writing and laying vocals down for the updated theme song and Big Red Studios for the intro video wherever you watch the latest season of The Salisha Show!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:05

A jack. You can get in a thing, hey AJ. You're the man of Ajax. You can have anything, you all. Cause we love it.

SPEAKER_04 0:21

A jax. A jax. Ajax. Why? A jax. A jax. A jax.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

A jax. A jax. What does it really look like to build your dream life while you're living it? One day I'm on stage singing with Hugh Jackman, 36 weeks pregnant, just trying not to give birth in Oklahoma. And the next, I'm having real conversations about love, loss, career pivot, and becoming someone I didn't even know I could be. Because this show isn't just about Broadway, it's about the moments that change you, the risks you take, the dreams you almost talk yourself out of, the strength you don't realize you have until life asks you to use it. If you've ever felt like you're in between chapters or stepping into something new, you're not alone. You're just getting started. This is the Silicia Show, where Broadway meets culture and your real life becomes the main event. Do that.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

You're doing what you have to do. You're a mom. What? He looked at you.

SPEAKER_02 1:23

He was like, I just you're the bear of the cows. You can get in a thing. You're the bear pop. A jax. You can have in a thing off.

SPEAKER_04 2:15

Oh my gosh. A jack. A jax. A jacks.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Hello and welcome, or welcome back to another episode, a new season of the Salicia Show. I'm your host, Salicia Thomas, and I'm so happy because this is a new day. This is a new exciting frontier. We've got Tinya Brandon on the call. And this is my girl. Like we are homies. This is a homie.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

And we've got Ajax on the call. And that's really good. I don't know how long this is gonna last for me. Two like a minute of the hour.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

I don't give me a second. A Jax. All good. A Jax.

SPEAKER_03 2:59

A Jax. A Jax.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

So I will give Tinya a proper intro. But for those of y'all who are listening or who are watching, I have my six-month-old Ajax on my knee right now. Uh because I'm only in New York for a short amount of time. These are my recording hours. And my husband had to go out of town for a gig.

unknown 3:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

And we do have a babysitter, but we just meeting, we're just they're just meeting. And he is on the precipice of either being clinger 500 or being super independent. And today, he's a little clinger 500. Um, but also like off-camera, I just have to say thank you to Jules. Juliana, what is wait, what's your last name?

unknown 4:04

Barlow.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Barlow. Juliana Juliana Barlow. Um we're both Cal State Fullerton alum. And the way we met was kind of serendipitous. Like we met at Cal State Fullerton when I did like a class there. But then we ran into each other in the at 59th in Columbus Circle. And so I'm so grateful that you're here, and I'm sorry that he is giving you a hard time. If it helps, he's also giving me a hard time. So it's like and Carla, who will be editing this episode, I don't know how many of these screams you're gonna be able to edit out, but um SOS.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

You've been a mom now for six months. One of my one of my good friends, Ashley, she told me that she loves being a mom, but she hates parenting. How have you experienced being a mom and a parent to Ajax for the last six months?

SPEAKER_01 5:08

I really did not know what to expect. And so I was really nervous about it. And this is honestly worst case scenario, right now. Right now. But it's not stopped me from doing anything I want to do. Not one thing. His presence has not stopped me from doing anything.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Honestly, that's and I love this, because honestly, seeing you do this right now, and the way you're like, I feel like you're you're very calm. I know on the inside your anxiety is probably like however, on the outside, you're like, listen, hey, baby boy, you're safe, and and mama's gotta work.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

So the difference between momming, being a mom, and parenting. Parenting is like a tricky mind, it's a mind game too, because I feel like with me and Andrew, it's like part of me is like, well, I did this, so you have to do that, but it's not, it's not gonna be equal. And there's times when he's picking up the slack for me, or I'm picking up the slack for him. You know, I've had to work plenty of times, and so he was there taking care of everything. And now he's working right now out of the state, and so here we are. All right, so being a Dex's mom has been so fulfilling, has been so gratifying, and it's not something that I would ever have been able to um anticipate or expect. Because being a performer, being a mom was not on my bucket list.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Being a mom and a performer wasn't on your bucket list?

SPEAKER_01 6:51

No. Being a mom and a performer was not on my bucket list. I was like, uh, 30s, I'm in my prime. Okay? So I'll start a family around 40, I think. 40 sounds good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

But Andrew That's close to when my mom had me.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

40?

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Yeah, my mom had me at 38.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

Mine, 37. That's yeah. See, that's a and I feel like in New York, people can have babies later and it's like not a big deal. It's like when you go to the suburbs, it's like, oh, totally. You don't have a baby and you're 28 already? You are behind.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Right. Right. No, but I think I think it's so valid when people have uh children later in life because you've just had the time to experience a little more, you know. You've you've started that story. You're you're in on yeah, yeah. It's hard when you're having a baby and you're still a baby. A little more figured out. Yeah. That's right. That's right. There's still so many questions in your own mind.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

How am I supposed to take care of somebody else when I can barely take care of myself?

SPEAKER_00 7:59

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

And so I prayed the dumbest prayer. And God's right, but here you are. Yes, right, right. I prayed the dumbest prayer. Wait, you said you're yes, and God answered that dumb prayer. I was like, Lord, before I met Andrew, I was like, I really am ready to be loved. I'm ready to find love, and and I didn't want any kids, but I want to love a man so deeply that if he wants kids, I will have his his kids. Because I was very okay with not having kids. And here came Andrew.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

And now here comes A.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

Andrew was like, oh, that it's my deal breaker. If I want he wants kids for real. And I'm like, You literally set yourself up, Selicia. That's how manifesting works. You put something out into the universe, and the thing that you say is the thing that happens, and that is exactly what that thing that will occur. Literally, the other I was talking about this the other day with one of our friends. I can't remember, maybe it was Gab Elizabeth. And I was saying, I'm really careful with playing those would you rather games because it usually happens in my life if it's like a realistic thing. Oh wow. And one of the would you rather games that I played was would you rather be a lead in an off-Broadway show or a swing in a Broadway show?

SPEAKER_00 9:23

What would you I mean, honestly, both. I don't like to limit myself.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

And that's the correct answer. That's the correct answer because when you answer the question and you like internalize it, it happens. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

And so so I have been a swing in a Broadway show, which was great. Enjoyed my experience every time I did it. The times that I saw you do it, you were awesome. That's sweet. But also, like Yeah, would I want to be a lead in an off-Broadway show? Sure. I want to be a lead in a show, period. Off Broadway, regionally, on Broadway.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

See, I do know so I was I did this game, and then I was brought what is it called, faced with an opportunity. I got two offers on the same day. Either you can play Diana Ross in Trevor off Broadway, or you can be the swing in the Britney Spears musical on Broadway.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Oh my god. Wait. I didn't know you got both of those shots on the same day. Okay, so obviously we know which one you chose. You chose to be the swing. On Broadway. But that's what I chose because it was the better gig on paper. Yeah. Well, okay, tell me why you felt like it was the better gig on paper. This is something that I kind of and I guess you know, we'll talk about m my class or whatever, but this is something that I think is good for for folks to understand, right? Like what what really is the better job on paper? Because the better job on paper could be a really great opportunity, but if it's not necessarily what you're looking for in your personal life, it could be a different type of opportunity for you. So tell me what everybody would look at this.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

People could look at this differently. Where I was in my life at that time, yeah, it on paper, the Broadway show is way more money. And having a Broadway credit, it just felt bigger than an off-Broadway credit. However, with Trevor, I'd been working on that show for years. I'd been waiting for it to come to New York. Hold on. I'd been waiting for so long, and finally it was here. With that said, when they had announced it, they did not tell me that it was that I was gonna be the girl. They kept me in the dark, they kept my agents in the dark. And so I girl, I went to an audition, not trying to book anything. I know how to go to an audition and throw the audition while looking like I still did a good job if I don't want the job. And that's what I was going to do. And I kept seeing my friends um in the elevator, in the hallway, and I was like, you look so good, girl. Ooh, giving Dina Jones energy. Ooh, giving Diana Ross. And then my third friend, I was like, they're trying to recast me right now.

SPEAKER_00 12:28

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

That's how you felt. That's what happened. They were on the 12th floor. I was on the fourth floor. And I'm like, oh, they're casting. And I looked at the thing, I was like, oh, they're casting Trevor right now. And all of these girls are going in for my role that I've been that I originated seven years ago in Chicago. And so that was right before I went in for my audition for the Britney Spears musical. And that was the first time that I was like, Yeah, Selicia, do not throw this audition. You need to book this because you're about to be out of a job.

SPEAKER_00 13:00

Yeah. But then they gave, but then they offered you the job anyway.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

They did, but they waited so long. And the day before I got the offer, Mark Bruni, our director from Beautiful, was like, who was the director for Trevor? He was like, Salisha, I'm so well he d no, actually, he didn't he said sorry later when he realized that I had to choose not that job. But he said, Your offer is coming tomorrow. Sorry, it took so long. But it was too late.

SPEAKER_00 13:25

It was I really, yeah. Yeah. I I I'm so curious as to like what happened behind the scenes. And we know we both know that like a million things can happen. There's a million reasons why you do get a job, and there's a million reasons why you don't get a job, right? And I wonder what the millionth reason was at the final hour to say, hey, you know the job that was already yours. It's it's yours. Well, I think if you want it.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

Gosh, I am I I guess I can't can I get in trouble for this? It's not like I'm I don't I don't know. It's so long ago.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

I mean Trevor is not currently in production off Broadway right now.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

I think the team we all had great rapport. We all loved each other. Trevor the musical, like we were uh family. We were yes, and the show was beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Uh and we and and we know and love the woman who did end up playing Diana Ross.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

We know and love the woman who ended up and she if you it's on Disney Plus, and love she did a great job.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

It's on Disney Plus. It looks fantastic. Go see Yasmin play Diana Ross and Trevor.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

She sounds fantastic. She's great. And I was able to go to the premiere and root her on. She was flawless, she was so great. So that goes without saying. But I think so they had brought on a new producer who was suddenly like in charge of a lot of things. And he wanted to see more people.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

I see.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

And I think the team was rooting for me, but they had to listen to their newest method.

SPEAKER_00 14:56

To the people who the person who is bringing in some big money.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Yeah, getting this huge opportunity for to go from off Broadway to eventually a streaming service. Baby, what time is it? It is time for your lunch. Why aren't you eating? And so the better gig for me was energetically as well as financially speaking, the Broadway show. Yeah. All right. And wait, you you briefly mentioned your most sense at the time. Your course. What is there what would apply from your course to what we just talked about?

SPEAKER_00 15:40

So one thing, one thing I like to tell my students is like always know your why. Like, why are you doing a job? Are you auditioning for a job? What is this? What is this offering you? Why do you want to be a part of it? And for me, it's typically three things. It's either I want the money, I want the this is gonna help grow my career in some way. I'm gonna move from one level to another level.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Like not a lateral move.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

It's going to be artistic, not a lateral move, it's gonna be a a step up, yeah. Or it's gonna be artistically fulfilling. I like to hit at least one of those three things when I'm entering into a job. One is money, it's good money, it's a good uh career boost, is two career opportunity, or it's good for my soul. It's artistically fulfilling. It's gotta be one of those three things, preferably two of those three things that you know really feeling good. If it's all three, it's like, huh, you know, the holy grail, right? But when I think about like different opportunities, that's kind of how I how I take a look at my career.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

I I love that. It's giving it's just knowing your wives. It's giving sex in the city for the theater world. Like for sex in the city, the holy grail is having a job, a man, and a place to live. Like you've got your home, your job, and your partner. Yep. And the holy grail of theater is having a job that is bomb pay, pays, elevates your career, boosts, and feeds your soul.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

And feeds your soul, yeah. Yeah. I would say that is the holy grail of like whatever you're doing in the entertainment industry. For me, at least. And maybe it's different for other people. I'd be curious to know like what other people would consider like their holy grail of an opportunity. But I need I need one of the three. If if it's none of the three, then I probably don't need to be doing it. It might hold yeah, I think it might it might I don't know. I think it it it might would dim my light somehow, or like I think if it's none of the three, it's probably not the right thing, or maybe not the right time. Now, I won't say that like I just no, I think I actually would. I'm trying to think about like the opportunities that I've taken over my career, and every single one of those opportunities has hit at least one of those three. Now, that's not always to say that I've always leveled up.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Sometimes I have made I mean your lateral moves, if you call it that, is like bomb. How many Broadway shows have you done by now? Four, which is not a lot. I feel pretty good about myself. Four is twice as many. So how dare you? But that's like that's so that's the thing. It's like it's hard because I'm like, I I always have theater kid brain in the back of my head. So I'm like, you booked a Broadway show. It's a big deal. But once you are in the community, you do know the difference between a lateral show move. If you're in a good show, but you're happy in, you love your cast, and then you just go from and it's in the ensemble, and then you go to another ensemble, and the show might close in two days. Ensemble. That's a lateral move.

SPEAKER_04 19:15

Which happened to me.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Peter Kid Brain, it's like, I just got another Broadway credit. Exactly. Exactly. And that's a good feeling.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

I would go as far as to say, though, like being in one show, everyone's different. I have plenty of friends who are like, give me as many credits as I possibly can. But for me, I'm a long-term girly. I am a loyal hoe. And the beauty of being in one show for as long as you possibly can is making relationships. Like I've had over 200 guests on my show, and like half of them went through Beautiful at one point. And then they just they went on to do Hamilton, to do Lion King, to do Book of Mormon, to do all these other things.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Right. But they all started at which is a testament to how great like Beautiful was too, right? It had it had that great six-year run. And so you were able to see so many people come in and out of those doors and then go on to do whatever they did in their careers. You know, we know movie stars. Yes, we know movie stars, which is like also crazy to think about.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

Some but people are still in my phone as how I first met them, like Felicia from Color Purple. She's in my phone as Felicia Movie Star. Do you remember Elena Ricardo at Beautiful? Yes. We met on tour. She's in my phone as Elena Newgirl. And when she was sitting next to me on Broadway, she texted me and she saw her own name come up on my phone. She said, Felicia, what the f is this? Elena Newgirl?

unknown 20:50

Really?

SPEAKER_00 20:51

I've known you for five years. She's like, I've known you for five years.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

It'd be like that sometimes. Also, thinking about never mind. Maybe that's another episode for another day. Maybe this is where we are. Maybe this is our episode for today. Thank you so much for uh for popping on Ty. I love you, and I'm so sorry that I you that I've had to multitask this entire episode.

SPEAKER_00 21:22

No, you're totally fine. I wish I could have talked more about you being a mom. I'm I am not a mom, so I feel like I don't have a whole lot to contribute to the conversation around momming. But I understand where you are and and how complex it can be to like balance the two things. And I I want to say I think you're doing a beautiful job. Look, now he's fine.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

But I'm gonna have to hand him to Jules and change my top.

SPEAKER_02 21:53

Jules, oh just like wave. Can I carry Jules?

SPEAKER_00 22:02

Hi, Jules. Thank you so much. Hi, Jules.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Oh, she can't hear me so much. I'm I'm having a topic. Okay, okay. We're gonna do this handoff, and then um I'm gonna just like maybe take this top off or something. And I don't know what's gonna happen in the next hour and a half, but we're just gonna bust these out at the end. And then once um it ends, Carla will split it up for us.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Thank you, Carla.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

Thank you, Carla. Thank you, Carla.