The 9th annual Disney Dreamers Academy was nothing short of amazing. Hosted by Steve Harvey and ESSENCE magazine, the amazing, life-changing event awards 100 participants and their families an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., for a powerful four-day conference. This past weekend was a celebration of dreams for the teens (click here to read my last post about inspiring teens).
But the life-changing program has done something amazing for the adults as well. You know as adults, we still dream too, and we need that inspiration. And who better to give it, than our spouses?
During the Disney Dreamers weekend, I had the opportunity to ask entertainment mogul Steve Harvey and actor Lance Gross, who is a recent newlywed, about dreaming and how they support their wives’ dreams. Here’s what they had to say:
BMWK: Steve, I love the way you talk about your wife. How do you two support one another with your dreams?
Steve Harvey: Well, you know,we talk about it all the time. We had a long conversation about it over the weekend. I constantly have to ask her what she wants to do. She has a life; she can’t just support mine. I’m the main breadwinner in the house, but without her support, I don’t get to be this. You all know me, [she and I] hooked up in 2006. Y’all know that prior to 2005, I wasn’t none of this. I was none of this. But her coming into my life and encouraging me the way she has, has given me peace of mind and made a big difference.
I also have to ask her what she wants to do. She’s a fashionista and travels all around the world for fashion shows. People think she’s just going, but that’s a business of hers. People pay her to come to these shows, give her opinion and wear their clothes and stuff like that. So she’s turned it into a business. I just have to support it. I have her on my show whenever I can; her Instagram followers have gone up. She works heavily with Saks [Fifth Avenue]. She’s doing business with blogs and things like that. So I just support her and tell her what I know about fame: How to sidestep some of the traps out here? Mostly we just try to spend as much time as we can naked. (All laugh)
Lance Gross, who married Rebecca Jefferson this past May, responded to the same question. Lance glowed instantly when asked about how he supported his wife. Here’s a little from our conversation:
BMWK: You’re recently married with a new baby, so I wanted to ask how do you and your wife support each other’s dreams?
Lance Gross: You know, that’s my best friend. So if she says she wants to do something, she’s going to do it. I’ll be 100 percent behind her. I feel like you have to push each other. I’m there to push her, and she’s there to push me. We got a good thing.
There is something special that happens when men talk about dreams, and more importantly, when they give credit to the women who stand with them, supporting them along the way.
For more information on the Disney Dreamers Academy, visit disneydreamersacademy.com.
To keep up with all the highlights of the week, follow the hashtag #ddadisney on all social media
BMWK, in what ways do you like to feel supported by your spouse?