Meet Kristal Calloway of Brave Beauty Chronicles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristal Calloway.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristal. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was the girl who believed everything had to go as planned. I know I am not alone on the societal pressure to have it all figured out by thirty. I thought I would have my degree, be married and have my first kid by thirty. None of the above happened for me. My twenties for me were riddled with unexplained questions and pressures to meet everyone’s expectations but my own.

When I turned thirty, I was nowhere near any goal I thought I would achieve. I was working a corporate job that I hated. I had no 401(k), no plan and I was feeling stuck.

I decided to finally go back to college and pursue a degree in Psychology. After many attempts to be promoted at my corporate job, I thought why not. I could get my degree than a higher paying job. I would buy a home and be happy, right? Nope. By my senior year, I hated Psychology. I enjoyed it for the purposes of study but not as a career. I did not want to change degrees due to having to be in school longer and I was over school. In the end, I should have been proud. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. I was accepted into the International Honor Society in Psychology, I was on my way to something greater or at least I thought. Attempting again to be promoted, I kept hitting a ceiling at my job. Depression was setting in and I was having panic attacks more frequently due to the stress of my job.

The universe, God, creator or whatever you choose to believe was speaking to me on several occasions with the scripture about Peter getting out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus. I was hearing this message everywhere and not just in church. I was wondering what my next move should be. I was taught not to quit a job unless I had another one. I would sit still on these messages for five years before Steve Harvey had a video circulating on social media about “Taking a Leap”. He was candid with his Family Feud audience during a break about taking a leap no matter what. Have faith and eventually your parachute would open. I was sitting at my desk and began to cry. I was allowing fear of other’s expectations and the fear of the unknown to hold me back from my dreams.

What was my dreams? I am a writer by trade. I thought writing was more of an escape and not a career I should follow. I wrote a gospel play called, “Let’s Talk About” and to my surprise, I sold out and filled an auditorium. I was asked to do more plays, write a book and start a blog of my own stories. The pressure others were putting on me to do these things, started to make me hate writing. I didn’t want to get lost in other people stories. I wanted to create my own. I decided it was time for me to do so. I put in my two weeks’ notice at a job I had been working for eighteen long years with no job and no idea what was before me; packed two suitcases and moved Los Angeles. I did not know how difficult Los Angeles would be.

For the first time since I was sixteen, I was unemployed with $600 in savings, no car, no job prospects and no idea how to get where I wanted. I wanted to be the next J.K. Rowlings or the next big screenwriter or director preferably Stephen Spielberg. I hit rock bottom so fast that I didn’t know if I would ever recover. At one point I was living in a hotel, crying to my mom about why I couldn’t get it together and wondering if I should head back to Kentucky. I realized I was living what Steve Harvey said, “you will encounter bumps, scrapes, and bruises while leaping, but eventually your parachute will open.” My faith was bigger than the situation I was in. After all, I wrote a play back home and never thought I would sell out an auditorium. God had made a way then and I knew he would this time.

One of my good friends calls me butterfly when she calls me. I used to not accept it because I didn’t feel like I had taken flight. Now I see it. I see my colorful wings sprouting. I see the transformation of the woman who I always wanted to be, and I see the course that is in front of me. I am no longer in the cocoon awaiting the breakthrough, I am in flight. I know I may not have a finished product to sale on this day but keep a lookout. In the words of the wonderful Bruno Mars, “don’t believe me, just watch”. My parachute opened and I will be landing soon.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It was not easy, but when taking a risk, it is never smooth or easy. Going from living with a relative, to a hotel and having to rent rooms from strangers was out of my norm. Coming to California, a studio apartment can start at $1500 for 445 square feet. On top of that, rental places here want you to earn three times the rent to be able to be approved. I did not come to California with a car either. I had to learn how to ride public transportation, which for me was a struggle because I have a horrible sense of direction. I finally started taking Uber or Lyft to get me where I needed to go, but even that was costly. Good luck finding a job that supplements that. You are a fish in a big ocean of a plethora of more exotic and better fishes for jobs. If you don’t know someone at a company, your resume’ is not even looked at. Out here, you have to make an effort to stand out. Your degree is not enough. I will not allow that to stand in the way of my dreams.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Brave Beauty Chronicles – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a writer of fiction. My focus in writing is sci-fi, period pieces, romantic comedies, and suspense. I am not a one type of writer. I am proud of my writing and journey. I was a person who hated taking pictures or video of any kind. I can be shy about sharing my works with anyone. One of things I have learned in my leap is to allow myself to be transparent on social media to create an interest in who I am. I am proud of the amazing women I have connected with due to my writing. Brave Beauty Chronicles is not just about my journey, but for ones who are out here taking risks to pursue and achieve their goals.

Although my following on Facebook is larger than my Instagram, I am still a work in progress. Rome wasn’t built overnight, and neither am I. I am proud of the pieces I have created. I use experience in a lot of writing, or I may even have a dream that influences my pieces.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I plan to publish my first book this summer called “The Perfect Plan”. The first book in a series of three about a woman perfectionist who is used to having everything she wants and goes the way she plans it. Until she is left at the altar and has to finally learn how to let go, to find herself, and learn to love the journey no matter the obstacle. In addition, submit a Sci-Fi screenplay to Writers Guild of America called “27”. I have several books that I have sat on for years out of fear of criticism and pleasing others. I have been in Los Angeles for three years.

This is the furthest I have lived away from home, family, and friends. I get messages frequently of people who admire my courage and bravery. I have started a blog on Instagram called the Brave Beauty Chronicles. I am exploring, experiencing and not living by anyone’s standards but my own. I encourage others to do the same. One thing is for sure, I may not be where others are at the moment, but don’t sleep on me. I am arriving at my appointed time. I have learned in the experience of leaping to; ask for help, know myself and embrace that my journey is not like anyone else’s. I believe that we were all gifted in something extraordinary. Whether it is on the level of fame or not. We all are special in our own way. I have a tag line for my chronicles, “Be Brave, Believe You Will, Be You”. Acts of bravery doesn’t have to be a large feet, it can be just a step outside your door and taking a different direction to work. Bravery is believing that you will arrive where you’re supposed to be at the right time. The most important thing about being brave is knowing who you are and loving the uniqueness that there is no one like you in the entire universe.

Contact Info:

• Email: kristalcalloway26@gmail.com
• Instagram: brave_be_u_t

Image Credit:
Adam Kent Photography

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