There's no feeling like performing. It's magical, it's so rewarding, and it just feeds this special little part of your soul.

It's empowering to find a workout that builds strength and grace.

A simple scoop-neck leotard highlights a ballerina's swanlike neck and elegant posture, both rooted in a powerful core.

Designing and creating dance clothes has taken my love for dancewear to a whole other level, melding the creative process with my daily fashion and allowing me to bring my most dreamed-about ballet styles to life.

Stretching before and after every workout keeps muscles supple and helps elongate the lines of a ballerina's limbs.

I've been so fortunate to have had such a healthy, easy pregnancy and have been incredibly active the entire way through. My favorite part is feeling the baby move - but the entire process is such a miracle.

It's not about having a perfectly sculpted figure; it's about feeling healthy, fit, and confident.

Ballet opens up the chest and the arms and elongates the body, so you carry yourself straighter. That's so important for a model. But also every woman.

I think most people don't need as much cardio as they think they do.

I find that the thing that makes every body look the best is great toning, and really, really targeting the muscles, and low cardio, where you're sculpting and getting your heart rate up but not beating yourself up.

My body needs a lot of protein because I exercise so much. I eat dairy, meat, and gluten, but I stay away from white flour, sugar, and processed foods.

When you dance, you engage your abs in every step.

I find that healthy eating makes me feel happier, stronger, and more confident.

A lot of people think the body is just about genetics, but the right approach can change its shape.

It definitely wasn't cool in junior high, when everyone else is trying out for cheerleading, to have a life consumed by ballet.

Ballet is an incredible art, but it can be a bit elitist, which is a really big turn off to me.

By continuing to work out and dance while pregnant, I feel a double reward from maintaining my normal routine but all the while knowing that baby is sharing in my day.

Ballet Beautiful has made my pregnancy a joy. I've avoided back pain and swelling by keeping my core strong and body moving.

I know who I am. I am not perfect. I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world. But I'm one of them.

You can look at my palm and see the storm coming. Read the book of my life and see I've overcome it.

There's so many things that life is, and no matter how many breakthroughs, trials will exist and we're going to get through it. Just be strong.

I don't know. Only God knows where the story ends for me, but I know where the story begins. It's up to us to choose, whether we win or lose and I choose to win.

You can hate me. You can go out there and say anything you want about me, But you will love me later because I told you the truth.

Believe in yourself when nobody else does.

Life is full of trials and tribulations. It's dramatic when you don't treat people right when you're in the tribulations, but I know now how to get out of it. You have to make a decision to say 'No more', and then you know what to do when the trials happen.

You either learn from your experiences or go back and do the same thing, and I learned from my experiences.

So as long as I'm a human being and I'm not perfect, I'm able to say I'm having some growing pains. Because in order to sustain where you are once you made such a breakthrough that everyone is looking at you, now everyone is like, 'Ooh, is she gonna make a mistake?' Yes, I'm going to make a mistake. Yes, I'm still gonna do things.

I used to think I was ugly. I thought I looked like a camel. A person who doesn't love themselves, they will see anything that pops up on their face. I've seen squirrels, I've seen a bird, and I've seen all kinds of animals on my face. But that is the result of self-hate. I've learned to say: 'You know what? I am a beautiful black woman'.

Thank you so much for supporting me from the day I stepped foot into the music industry. It really means something to me to have Maya Angelou speak on my behalf. It also means a lot to have Oprah on my speed dial!

I wish I had known that education is the key. That knowledge is power. Now I pick up books and watch educational shows with my husband. I'm seeing how knowledge can elevate you.

I like French fries; I like mashed. I love potatoes.

I can have as many bad days as anyone. But I choose to say, 'I'm just fine.'

My main exercise is cardio. The treadmill is fine, but running outdoors gives me the best results. I try to log 6 to 8 miles a week. I could be in the worst mood, but when I do my cardio, I feel much, much better.

One day I realized that I wasn't getting anywhere by blaming other people for my circumstances. I finally understood: Even if you feel someone has wronged you or owes you something, no one is going to give you anything for free.

Nowadays, with the state of the music business, for any artist, whether you're up-and-coming or you've been in it for awhile, you have to explore different revenues and different ways of expressing yourself.

When I was a child I didn't care about getting an education, and I didn't finish high school.

I believe there should be no more drama, but it's everywhere you go. It's just about how you get out. You've gotta bob and weave because it's everywhere. How do I keep the drama low? It's about using your head.

Without your health, everything else means nothing.

I've been a tomboy my whole life. But then you get older, you get married, you soften up.

You know a lot, but you don't know everything.

You demand respect and you'll get it. First of all, you give respect.

I do consider myself part of black history.

In the inner city, there's a mentality that the government owes you something. My breakthrough came when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and took responsibility for every part of my life. No more pity parties. I've gotta love me more than anybody else loves me.

It hurts when you have to smile and you don't want to smile, but the best thing to do is to smile.

My God is a God who wants me to have things. He wants me to bling. He wants me to be the hottest thing on the block.

When you come from so many damaged places you don't ever want to spiral back there, so you gotta continue to check yourself.

Music makes us want to live. You don't know how many times people have told me that they'd been down and depressed and just wanted to die. But then a special song caught their ear and that helped give them renewed strength. That's the power music has.

When you know what pain is, and when you have to make a choice, you learn that it is a decision. People think it's a fairytale thing, love and happiness, but you have to work hard. And then - you feel it deeply.

There's not enough time to be disrespecting... Life is too short.

I believe this generation should know their history and they should know that the struggle's not over yet.