Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Sabrina Greenlee of SMOOOTH Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry
If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, it would be educating on a national level on the different fascist and forms of domestic abuse, by continuously unmasking the myths of domestic violence and forming campaigns and inspiring women to take their power back. A lot of people are suffering in silence whether that’s personally, financially or even mentally. Speaking out is a gift and one that can help to change so many lives.
As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Sabrina Greenlee.
Sabrina Greenlee is the mother of NFL star DeAndre Hopkins and a survivor of domestic violence. When Hopkins was 12 years, she was hit by a mixture of bleach and lye thrown at her by “the other woman” and left for dead by a gas station.
Greenlee is the daughter of an alcoholic father along with a mother addicted to crack cocaine. Greenlee had been involved in domestically abusive relationships since she was 14 years. Greenlee had married and then divorced her first abuser, but went on to have 3 other abusive relationships, resulting in her 4 children.
Greenlee says that after the acid attack she fell into a deep depression as well as drank heavily for 4 years until she was exhausted by it all.
She resolved to break the cycle of abuse and addiction — and break it she did. Greenlee created and founded the non-profit S.M.O.O.O.T.H., Inc., which stands for Speaking Mentally, Outwardly Opening Opportunities Toward Healing. The mission of S.M.O.O.O.T.H. is to educate and empower women, children as well as families dealing with domestic violence through education, mentoring, counseling, lectures, and outreach activities.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born and raised in Oconee, SC. I am the oldest sibling of three. I attended the local middle school where I was crowned MS. Purple and White. In High-school I was crowned Homecoming queen. I ran track and was very active in other various sports. I was always surrounded by a host of relative’s family and friends. As a little girl, I spent a lot of my time helping my grandmother preparing huge pots of collard greens and baked macaroni and cheese for Sunday gatherings. I am proud of my southern roots it keeps me grounded. However, as a young girl, I experienced many hardships and tragedies that later in life built enormous character.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I heard about a story of a little girl named Jada that was about to be homeless. Even though I was blind and already raising my four children.
I felt I could make an impression on Jada’s life. After living with us for a year, her mom chose to leave that abusive relationship and began living with us also. I encouraged her to stay out of that situation by continuously talking and uplifting her all while creating a safe space. It was important to me to have an open dialogue for her to realize her worth. Eventually, I took in several other women and children. Undenounced to me, I had no idea at the time, but it was preparing me to go out and tell my testimony and later formed my nonprofit organization called S.M.O.O.O.T.H Inc. which advocates against domestic violence.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In 2013 My son DeAndre Hopkins had just gotten drafted to the Houston Texans. As we were walking and visiting the facility the day after the draft we passed by a crowd of people. One week later I got a call from a paster apologizing that he did not know who we were. Through his apologies, he wanted to make it right by putting me in his pulpit to give my testimony to his congregation at Windsor Village in Houston, Texas. Prior to that, I had only spoken to a few 100 people. Now I find myself in front of almost 20,000 people in person and thousands more streaming live. I was nervous, confident, and ecstatic all the same time. It was at that moment I knew that I could share my experiences as a survivor and not only be heard but truly make a difference.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It was my very 1st speaking engagement at the local town library. It had taken me a month to prepare a one-hour testimony. I was anxious and ready to tell my story thinking it would be at least 100 people ready to listen. Funniest thing is it was only 10. And most of those were my immediate family. As I took the podium my father grazed the room jokingly saying “I guess the rest of the people are coming.” For many years we joked about how many people showed up that day. That experience taught me two things: I needed to refine my story and never unwillingly torture people for one hour. It also taught me humility in knowing that I needed to put the work in to brand myself.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am most grateful for my paster Ova McCauley. After my attack in 2002 she continuously came to my home praying, cooking, cleaning but most importantly I remember her speaking these words “Sabrina, I see you speaking to thousands of women” of course at the time I was angry and distraught, but she never gave up and kept coming. After two years, I finally asked how I pray for children. That was the day I began my journey of healing and understanding the power of fate.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
The advice I would give is the purpose that God has given you has to be in alignment with your passion. Consistency is important and being intentional about your goals. The most I have taken away on this journey is it is most beneficial to place all my energy into my purpose and never start other projects before the ultimate purpose has been filled completely. Most importantly, understand that when it comes to business align yourself with like-minded people that share the same passion for your vision.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
I am currently preparing for my upcoming featured film, Sabrina, an autobiography based on my life, set to start development in 2022 by Bron Studios. In addition, my memoir titled “Grant Me Vision” is also set to be released simultaneously with the movie. Also, hosting our annual events Pretty Scars Into Stars, 100 Shades of Purple and S.M.O.O.O.T.H Santa. My goal is going on a national speaking and book tour surrounding and branding my newest projects. I hope to ascertain a cosmetic line that targets women with discoloration, scars and blemishes.
We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?
We collectively as a nation have seen some change, but I would love to see more. For the next generations to come, I believe seeing themselves in transparent content of any sort represented in a positive light is so important. Having positive role models and the possibility of them being able to achieve the same goals one day is what motivates human nature. The idea of inclusion and unity needs to happen daily. I think once a dream or a goal is relatable it becomes more interesting. I remember the first time I started hosting events for S.M.O.O.O.T.H as a proud black woman it was the diversity in the room with women coming together of all races and ethnicity with the same journey but different walks of life made me the proudest.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Don’t procrastinate on the things that are important to your goals.
- It is vital that your purpose and passion always align.
- Don’t make any impulse decisions.
- Create a space for boundaries and breaks.
- Celebrate the small victories.
Once you have gotten the courage to tell your story it is important to not allow someone else to speak for you. Don’t wait on other people to set the tone because no one can tell your story better than you.
Can you share with our readers any selfcare routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.
My morning routine consists of coffee, mediation and affirmations. I am a strong believer in setting the tone for the day and most importantly I learned after speaking on the phone and after each event I needed time to reflect. I enjoy simple things like getting up, taking a shower, taking pictures. Holding hands giving and giving advice is a transfer of energy and it would drain me. I had to learn how to take the time to pour back into myself. Once I saw how beneficial self-care was, I knew it was something I needed to do daily.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
After withstanding unimaginable circumstances and tragedies I always refer back to this I’m still standing quote. It reminds me of my power and my strength. It keeps me humble, and it affirms that no matter how much I get knocked down, I can get back up regardless of the obstacle.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, it would be educating on a national level on the different fascist and forms of domestic abuse, by continuously unmasking the myths of domestic violence and forming campaigns and inspiring women to take their power back. A lot of people are suffering in silence whether that’s personally, financially or even mentally. Speaking out is a gift and one that can help to change so many lives.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
One of my biggest achievements in life is to sit across from Oprah Winfrey. I feel our stories have similarities. Oprah has inspired me by paving the way for everyone to be authentic and stand fearlessly in his or her truth. I would love to one day to exchange words of wisdom. Being in a place of total transparency while also providing the necessary tools for every woman and man to conquer any past trauma. Empowering everyone not only to survive but thrive together.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
IG : SabrinaGreenlee12
Facebook : Sabrina Greenlee
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you — Sabrina Greenlee
Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Sabrina Greenlee of SMOOOTH Is Helping To Shake Up The… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.