Michele - Brunette Ambition

I ve been so lucky in my lifein Glee and beyondto have such an incredible support system in all of you. Youve really made this journey so wonderful, and I most certainly wouldnt be where I am today without you.

This book is the story of how I got to where I am todayas incredible and unexpected as that journey has been. My hope is that you take something from it that will inspire and motivate you, and also make you realize that anything you want to accomplish in your life is completely possible. After allthrough some remarkable luck and a lot of hard workIve managed to make many of my dreams come true.

I especially want to thank my biggest fan, Cory, who read almost every chapter of this book. He, too, was so thankful for all the support I had from all of you. He very much lives on in these pages: Not only did he give me a ton of practical feedback in terms of notes and edits, but he shines through in everything that Ive done in my life and has been an incredible source of love and inspiration. I couldnt have made this book without him.

A human being is only interesting if hes in contact with himself. I learned you have to trust yourself, be what you are, and do what you ought to do the way you should do it.

BARBRA STREISAND

I firmly believe that where you come from makes you you and that when you celebrate your roots and focus on how those roots make you distinct, you have the greatest chance of becoming your best self. Fortunately, the world is becoming more and more attuned to uniqueness, to celebrating everything that makes us all a bit differentso ignoring those quirks that make you stand out is a mistake. I never tried to put myself in a box, or attempted to fit in, because I really only knew how to play myself. I think this is because my parents instilled so much self-confidence in me and constantly reassured me that I was just great as I was. Im so proud of who I am, and I owe it all to my family. Theyre the essence of my being and the foundation of my story.

And my story begins in the Bronx, where I was born to a Jewish father and an Italian mother. My parents met when they were teenagers at the neighborhood playground. Picture this: My father, complete with a giant Jew fro, approached my mother on roller skates and asked her to smell his hair. Herbal Essences had just hit the shelves, and he figured it would make an excellent impression. Apparently it did, because theyve been married for more than thirty years.

Though they theoretically grew up on the same block, my parents couldnt have been from more different worlds. My father is from a small, traditional Jewish family, whereas my mom is from a huge Italian clan (I have nineteen younger cousins on one side alone). My parents are more complementary than similarbut theyre best friends, regardless. My mother is a retired nurse, and I get my emotional, nurturing side from her, as well as my ability to get through hard moments. She hasnt always had an easy time. Her childhood was incredibly rough: She lost three of her six siblings, for one thing. And later, it wasnt all roses either: When I was nineteen, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. But while she has every reason to be upset about the things shes gone through, shes never played the victim. Shes the most loving and caring and strong woman and is always taking care of everyone else.

Meanwhile, my father, a former deli owner, is an incredibly hard worker who is always hustling. Hes also a jokester and makes everything fun. He gave me his work ethic and his ability to make something out of nothing. When I was in high school, he sold his deli and got into real estate, and vastly improved our lives: Hes one of those guys who will always go after what he wants and would never think to passively stand around and wait for opportunity to knock. He will meet someone at a party and close a real estate deal twenty minutes later; when we shared a box with Slash at the Super Bowl, he pitched himself so hard as a potential backup singer for Guns N Roses (he has no musical background but was determined that they should collaborate), I really thought Slash might make room for him in the band. Whether hes serious or kidding around, my dad lives his life without fear and has no shame about putting himself out there. His philosophy is that nobody is going to come to you, begging you to take a job (or in my case, a role). I learned to stay on my toes from him. Because of this, if you were to meet me, youd think I didnt actually have a job. Im always putting myself out there; Im never complacent; Im never passive; Im always looking for the next opportunity. My dad taught me how to hustle.