Salice Rose: The Importance of Setting Boundaries and Pushing Boundaries

Salice Rose is a woman whose heartfelt sincerity and generosity knows no bounds. While there are no limits to this exceptionally gifted and motivational speaker, Salice Rose knows just where to set her boundaries – and when to push the boundaries. She is a woman true to her word, and true to her fans. With over 40 million fans on social media, her presence is undeniable and influential to people of all ages.

As women and men are constantly bombarded with different media outlets weighing in on who they should be, Salice is unabashedly herself. Her frank candidness is refreshing in times of fake influencers cultivating images to appease a crowd.

Salice Rose is truly an authentic, genuine, and bonafide star. From her comedy to entrepreneurial projects, this magnetic individual is here to show how you can do it all, and still say no. Influence is not about who you know, but what you do with it.

As a woman whose rosy attitude and cheerful appearance in so many of your sketch videos has not always been the case in real life, you still manage to inspire millions of people. Can you tell us about some of the earliest struggles you may have faced as a kid, and how that shaped who you are today?

I was very lucky to always have a mom who was constantly there for me, but I think for me it was always the struggle of believing I was second-best to my first and only sibling. I felt myself compared to her and to get good grades, be like her, and do what she did. And no matter what I did, I never felt it was good enough. That is why to this day I am so hard on myself. I can do something amazing and still not think it was good enough. That kind of self-sabotage comes from past trauma in a way, but I am trying to outgrow that.

With over 40 million followers across social media and becoming such an influential figure, who has inspired you and been the most influential person in your own life? Why?

With all due respect, I don’t really look up to anyone. I look up to God because that’s just my belief. He is the one who gives me everything, and gives me the opportunity to do what I do every single day so I would say I do it all for Him. It’s for Him and for myself. I look to do things for my future self.

I don’t know who I’m going to be in four years, but I know that I need to give myself what I deserve to be her right now. I always try to think of how much better I can be tomorrow and the next day. I owe that much to the future me. If I look up to other people, it might not be a bad thing, but then I’ll just focus on what they’re doing so I just focus on my own path. You can be your own best friend, or your biggest enemy.

It is important to focus on oneself as opposed to the image projected by others, especially in this era of social media. Do you feel that your experiences have helped you in terms of finding such creativity to flow through you as a source of healing?

In a sense, yes. One thing I stand by is how I’ve never been paid to give advice or help on social media. Anytime I give advice from the heart is because I’ve been through it, or I’m going through it. So whenever I talk to them about it, it’s almost like I’m talking to myself. I was raised to figure things out and hide my emotions in a way, and told that I’d be okay. So when I give help or advice on social media, it also helps me, and it gives me a place to vent to while knowing there’s other people that can relate to it.

Would you say that creating content can actually be therapeutic for some people and possibly provide either a release or connection which they may not otherwise have in their daily lives?

Yes and no. I’ve seen a lot of this on social media. Sometimes it can be a sense of therapy and relief for them, a place that feels like home. But sometimes people do it for all the wrong reasons just to feel accepted. They do it to be something that they’re not and that’s when they get depressed and suicidal. Being something that you are not for too long can become super depressing. So if you’re doing it for the right reasons, and you have a good heart, and you truly just want to help others then it can one hundred percent be your safe haven.

When becoming a prominent figure in the media, should one be more cautious with the things they say, or carry more responsibility in the way they present things to such a wide audience?

No, because I think while we should be respectful of how we present things, it’s also good to just be yourself. Maybe I’m being too raw right now, but I’ve had brands who didn’t want to work with me because I have too many tattoos, or I’m too loud, or I curse too much. And society tells us to be ourselves, but then when I am myself I get told I’m not good enough, or I should change. I’m a firm believer in being who you are and being unapologetic about it. That’s all we can do. Because if you pretend to be something that you’re not, even if it’s for a brand deal or whatever the case may be, you’re going to find yourself being so depressed by it. And that’s the reality of it no matter how many followers you may have. You need to find a way to be the most authentic you while doing what you do.

You’ve been outspoken in sharing your own battles with mental health. Is there anything you do in your daily routine to maintain a positive and grounded attitude that you can share with your readers?

There are so many things that I do. First and foremost, I set boundaries. I used to have a hard time saying no to a lot of people because I’m an empath and I wanted to please those around me, but I’m at the point where setting boundaries and saying no are the most important things on my list.

Aside from that, I also make sure to make time for myself everyday. Self-care is very important to me whether that’s going to church, spending extra time in the shower, or meditating. Sometimes it means turning my phone off and just listening to music so I can spend time with myself and be in the present. Finding time to read or go to the gym, or whatever it is. There are so many things someone can do to make sure they set time aside to appreciate themselves. There are many different forms of self-care so no matter how busy one gets in this industry, you never get lost in who you are.

How do you apply these boundaries throughout the making of your content, interviews, or even meet-and-greets? 

I have no boundaries when it comes to meet-and-greets and filming because what I do, I do it with passion and from my heart. But I do have to set boundaries when there may be certain topics or events that I feel may not be the best for my mental health. If I tend to ignore my mental health and keep pushing it to the side, I’m not going to make it very far in life and it’s only going to make me feel depressed.

In doing so I may piss off a lot of people around me and I understand that, but I’m also okay with that because if I’m not okay within myself, nothing can be okay around me. My mental health has to come first because it’s something I have to deal with. Everyone’s boundaries are different, and they don’t have to understand yours, but they have to respect them.

With social media, how can we learn to be more respectful towards other people?

It’s not about social media. It’s really just a ‘you’ thing. Even before having followers on social media, I didn’t put negative comments on people’s stuff, or follow people that I may or may not like. It’s all about who you are as a person. If you’re a good person who has  good intentions, you’re going to spread positivity and you’re going to be a light. You’re going to be someone who wants great things for others. But if you’re someone who still has a lot of demons they’re fighting and things to figure out, most people don’t deal with their issues so they project them onto others. They project their negativity on other people.

So it’s not about social media. It’s about fixing who you are inside you before worrying about making an instagram account or getting into a relationship.  If you’re not right within you, everything you step foot on, every app you open, is going to be a negative place because that’s what is reflecting inside you. It’s all about what boundaries you are breaking, and what you’re doing to make that moment good or bad.

You are a breath of fresh air with your honesty and authenticity. Can you tell us about what you have in the pipeline this year that really inspires and gets you out of bed in the morning?

Life gets me out of bed in the morning! Literally, even on days when I have nothing to do. Because yes, I have those days too. My alarm is usually set for 4 a.m., but even on my days off my body just wakes up at 5 a.m. by itself because I am just excited to wake up! I am excited to be alive and be present and be in the moment. To go out and meet new people. I love life. I love it.

And on days when I have things to do, or on hard days, I remind myself, “Okay, you need to get out of bed because look how far you’ve come. Remember why you started this in the first place, and understand what goals you have today and where you have to go.” Fun fact, no one really knows this, but every night before I go to bed, I write down my goals for the next day and I hang it up on my mirror so when I brush my teeth the next morning I can read them and accomplish those goals.

As far as more specific goals this year, I am working on continuing to evolve my brand and my career. My goal is to be better than I was last year because it is always good to continue to level yourself up. And there’s no shame in asking people around you for help. A lot of us are trained to do everything alone and have a hard time asking for help. It’s okay to ask for help whether you feel suicidal or whether it’s for your career, it’s okay. That’s why there’s so many people on this earth and it’s not just you. We are all here to help and uplift each other. I’m a firm believer that no matter how much pride you have, we all need help one day. You might as well ask for it now.

Lastly, imagine you were stranded on a desert island, and you could only bring three items with you. What do you bring and why?

The first thing I would bring is water, and the second is a bible; everything else I feel I can figure it out somehow. That water might be salty as hell on that island so I’m going to bring my own water. And a bible might not seem like a survival tool for some people, but it is for me. I think when my survival gear kicks in, I’d just put my trust in that and God, and hopefully survive!

{written and interviewed by: Romina Martinez}