Alisha Gaddis is a mighty force

Hell yeah she is.

Alisha Gaddis is an Emmy Award Winning actor (multiple nominations), multi-Latin Grammy Award Winner, writer, actress, and filmmaker. This total slacker (!) has published eight books with multiple publishers to critical acclaim; her next two books, Periods, Period and Your House Keys are in the Dryer: A Parenting Haiku Book and are set to release in 2022/2023 (fun fact: both books feature contributions by yours truly!). Alisha lives in Los Angeles in a house on a hill with her husband, Lucky Diaz (the duo comprise the Grammy-award-winning Lucky Band, which PEOPLE Magazine called “The #1 in COOLEST kids music!”), young daughter, and puppy. She loves brie, Broadway, and free samples.

I met Alisha when she participated in a table read for a pilot I wrote, and had all of us in hysterics. This woman oozes talent and spirit and light, and I am so excited for you to get to know her.

Amanda: Imagine you’re at a super-chill backyard gathering. The friend whose house you’re at goes to introduce you to someone who just showed up. What could they say that would light you up?

Alisha: Honestly, I am not great at super-chill. It always makes me feel tired. Truly, it is something I am working on…super-chill. So, at said party, I am probably laughing or talking a bit too loudly. But I love meeting new people! I hope my friend would say: “This is Alisha, rhymes with dish, fish, delish. She is fabulous and so are you! You both love collecting beautiful gowns and perfumes, eating cake with your hands and full moon rituals. What a coincidence!”

Amanda: Tell us a bit of your own story. Where did you grow up?

Alisha: I’m a product of the Bible Belt. I moved over 20 times as a child, but always in the state of Indiana (which is my daughter’s name). I was/am highly competitive because my dad is one of the most-winning high school football coaches in the Midwest. I was a Fall Festival Nut Club Queen and got to ride in an acorn in the second largest street fair in the USA. I was a cheerleader and loved speech and debate. I despise the sound of cicadas and was on the direct path of their seven-year migration as a young child — we had to scoop them up with buckets for weeks. DISGUSTING. I love deep fried green tomatoes from my grandparents’ garden on white bread with salt and the sunsets over the cornfields. But I will always prefer a big city.

Amanda: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Alisha: Exactly what I am now: a maker of things. An actress, a producer, a creative. I also wanted to be an activist – I like to think I am also doing that now.

Enjoy Alisha’s acting and comedy reel:

Amanda: What has been your most joyful creative experience, and why?

Alisha: Carrying my baby — on my body, in the pouring rain — up a giant, decaying staircase on the Great Wall of China, with my husband and stepdaughter. I knew if I could do that, I could do anything! Accomplishing life like that brings me ultimate joy.

Amanda: Tell me about some storytellers you admire.

Alisha: My husband, Lucky Diaz. He cares so much about every word he puts into his art. Not only is he a genius, his thoughtfulness inspires me daily.

Amanda: What kinds of stories are you personally craving and/or consuming right now?

Alisha: I have become someone I never thought I would be: a reader of 10 books at a time! Hilarious, poignant memoirs; travel-inspired biographies; loads of books on fashion and architecture; and a tiny book about a hilarious murder mystery.

Sometimes, it is difficult to consume content (books, tv, films) without dissecting them. As a writer and actress, I am constantly trying to figure out why something is excellent, why certain things are binge-worthy, why I love what I love. So, I really need escape and simultaneous inspiration.

Amanda: Why does the world need more women’s stories?

Alisha: Women are still making less than their male counterparts, and for women of color, the difference is even bigger. This is just one reflection of the lack of true gender equality in all areas of life. Unless we know where we coming from and how we are existing in the present — which is what stories tell us — then how can we adequately fight for necessary, systemic change

? How can we topple the patriarchy?!?!

Sorry, I was yelling.

But seriously, we must keep fighting, and knowledge of what has come before is an essential part of that.

Amanda: If a woman reading this thinks she doesn’t have a story to tell — what would you say to her?

Alisha: I see you.

I hear you.

You are important. Your experience is deep and rich and full and unique.

You deserve to be loved and respected and heard.

I want to see you.

You are needed.

By all of us.

And I love you.

For more of this boring, hard-hearted human being, follow Alisha on all of the socials: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Just don’t ask her to be super chill.