<p>For this episode, I sit down with actor/children&#39;s book author Ebbe Bassey to put a spotlight on Ebbe&#39;s journey as a mother of a young girl with Down syndrome, Anoushka. As today is World Down Syndrome Day, Ebbe shares the various challenges that she&#39;s had to come up against which inspired her to write her first children&#39;s book, &quot;Anoushka&#39;s Extraordinary Heroes,&quot; dedicated to her daughter. The illustrated book aims to spotlight other courageous, resilient beings who have Down syndrome. Ebbe wrote this book to change the stigma around disabilities, explaining that the focus should actually be on their abilities. We discuss the importance of representation and challenging prejudices. Anoushka even graces us with her presence during our chat!</p> <p>We also delve into our respective acting journeys, working 9-5 jobs while in pursuit of our dreams, and the goal of having multiple streams of income by branching into other artistic endeavors. Ebbe shares how the influence of her Nigerian background inspires her drive and impacts her decision making. We also talk about the importance of celebrating stepping out on faith and putting action into motion and highlighting the journey to success and not just focusing on the end result. <br></p> <p>We also touch on celebrity culture, with Ebbe sharing her long-held love for Wendy Williams who we send positive vibrations to and wish well during her difficult time.</p> <p><br>00:00 - Intro and welcome<br>02:23 - Early acting career and the benefit of working on short films<br>05:49 - The Necessity of pivoting in the industry<br>07:25 - Working 9-5 jobs while pursuing the dream<br>10:06 - The influence of Maggie Flanagan and her acting studio<br>25:32 - Imagination and creativity in acting<br>26:13 - Ebbe&#39;s Nigerian background, influence and expectation<br>31:30 - The power of encouragement from a partner<br>32:04 - Ebbe speaks on being a big Wendy Williams fan<br>35:05 - Bettina shares more of the inspiration behind the &quot;somindboggling journeys&quot; podcast<br>36:30 - The importance of representation in media<br>38:27 - The journey to success and the value of every step along the way<br>43:19 - Anoushka&#39;s &quot;Extraordinary Heroes&quot;<br>44:50 - Addressing the stigma around Down syndrome<br>46:10 - Challenging and changing negative narratives<br>59:16 - Highlighting the achievements of people with Down syndrome<br>01:06:29 - Advocating for Anoushka&#39;s education and care<br>01:18:23 - The symbolism of the &quot;Extraordinary Heroes&quot; book<br>01:23:49 - The Illustrator of the book<br>01:25:46 - Legal considerations and sourcing information<br>01:32:23 - Spotlighting independent bookstores<br>01:36:18 - How to connect and keep updated with Ebbe and Anoushka<br></p> <p>The Links:</p> <p><a href="⁠https://www.instagram.com/ebbebasseyacts/⁠" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Ebbe Bassey Instagram</a><br></p> <p><a href="⁠https://www.instagram.com/life_with_anoushka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Daughter Anoushka&#39;s Instagram</a></p> <p>Buy this book from <a href="⁠https://blackdotcc.com/search/anoushka%27s%20extraordinary%20heroes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Black Dot Bookstore</a></p> <p>Buy this book from <a href="⁠https://www.kindredthoughts.shop/book/9798891096707" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Kindred Thoughts Bookstore</a></p> <p>Buy this book from <a href="⁠https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anoushkas-extraordinary-heroes-ebbe-bassey/1144403210?ean=9798891096707" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Barnes and Nobles</a><br></p> <p>Publishing a Book with <a href="⁠https://www.ingramspark.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Ingram Spark</a><br></p> <p><a href="⁠https://maggieflaniganstudio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Maggie Flanigan Acting Studio</a></p> <p><br></p> <p>Subscribe / Like / Comment / Leave a Review</p> <p>──────────────────────────── </p> <p>Follow along on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ </p> <p>@somindboggling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/somindboggling">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/somindboggling⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> ⁠⁠⁠</p> <p>@bettinagoolsby⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bettinagoolsby">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bettinagoolsby⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p> <p>Follow along on Facebook Somindboggling Journeys⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/somindboggling/">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/somindboggling/⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p> <p>Podcast intro/outro music provided by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ DJ Dilemma⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - <a href="https://officialdilemma.com/">⁠⁠⁠⁠https://officialdilemma.com/</a></p>