La La Anthony: Life After Professional Athletes

The Fake ID Internship [00:00:00]

• Lala recounts her start in the music industry, initially aspiring to be a rapper.
• At 15, she secured a radio internship by claiming to be 17 and using a fake ID.

  "so i was like oh yeah i'm 17 and i just got a fake id because why not i lived in the hood and i know how to get a fake id so i got a fake id and then i got the job as an intern lying saying i was older than i really was"

From Intern to Radio Personality [00:03:32]

• She explains how hard work and a strong personality led her from interning to being on the radio.
• Initially, male co-hosts were hesitant, but her energy and "girly vibes" proved valuable.

  "we like your personality like there's two guys on the radio at that time it was ludicrous but his name back then was chris lovea lover so they were like two guys him and poon daddy they were like they need a girl on their show"

The Move to LA [00:06:51]

• At 17, Lala moved to Los Angeles for a radio job, having never been to the city before.
• She was offered $90,000, a significant jump from her previous $18,000 annual salary.

  "i went from making eighteen thousand to ninety thousand i was like you're like you know what i think i'll take it i was like i'm out"

MTV Calling [00:09:23]

• While working in LA radio, an MTV producer called, impressed by her on-air presence.
• She was asked to interview someone for MTV, bringing on Tyrese to showcase her interviewing skills.

  "we just heard a lot about you from the radio we've heard you on the radio we thought you're really cool we wanted to see like what you look like and like you know just catch a vibe"

TRL Era [00:11:19]

• Lala was offered a position at MTV in New York, leading to her hosting TRL.
• She describes TRL as a cultural phenomenon, a must-watch for teens and a platform for emerging artists.

  "it was like the biggest thing to watch when you're looking at breakout artists or like christina aguilera coming on and you're just like holy fucking shit this was the thing"

Post-MTV Challenges [00:14:14]

• After TRL, Lala faced difficulty transitioning to acting, as she was heavily typecast as an MTV VJ.
• Being a prominent Black VJ also limited acting opportunities, as Hollywood struggled to see her beyond that role.

  "it's hard for people to see you as an actor because i was so well known as an mtv host first of all there's not a lot of mtv hosts secondly there's definitely not a lot of black mtv hosts"

Navigating Industry Bias [00:15:50]

• She discusses the difference between working at MTV and BET, feeling a pull towards BET's culture.
• Ultimately, she felt empowered to bring more diversity and her culture to MTV.

  "i used to feel like i kind of want to be over there like that's more of my music that's my culture that's who i am but then i was like maybe i have a responsibility here to bring my culture more my music diversity to mtv"

Burnout and Balance [00:18:24]

• Lala admits to constantly feeling burnt out and struggling with work-life balance.
• She experiences guilt when not working or on vacation, feeling like there's always more to do.

  "i'm always burnt out i'm always tired and i'm not good at the balance which that's not a great thing i mean you have to be able to have balance"

Mentoring at Rikers [00:20:02]

• Lala is deeply involved in mentoring young men at Rikers Island, particularly in the RNDC building.
• She is inspired by her own 15-year-old son and the potential for one bad decision to alter a life.

  "i have a 15 year old so when i see these young men who are incarcerated i see my son's face i see how one bad decision can change your whole life"

The Power of Friendship [00:31:29]

• She emphasizes the importance of genuine, two-way friendships that offer support and honesty.
• Lala believes in giving real advice from a place of love, not judgment, and maintaining confidentiality.

  "my thing even going back to the young men at rikers like i always say you know no judgment like i'm not here to judge you i'm going to give you real advice but i'm not here to judge you"

Ending Friendships [00:34:47]

• A friendship should be ended when it no longer brings positivity or causes stress and agony.
• She advises re-evaluating friendships when the thought of a phone call brings dread or a feeling of being drained.

  "i think it's time to end a friendship when it's no longer making you feel good and it's causing you stress and agony and sadness then it's time to let it go"

Dating Athletes [00:39:01]

• Lala discusses her past marriage to an NBA player, noting that the pressure of New York intensified scrutiny on their relationship.
• She highlights that while Denver was laid-back, New York's intensity contributed to marital strain.

  "i dated a new york athlete and i do remember don't i need to google you later don't do that"

Misconceptions About Athletes [00:42:39]

• Her misconception was that commitment would bring peace; instead, it brought more stress and anxiety.
• She found sleepless nights were more common during committed relationships than before.

  "my misconception was in the like not committed dating phase i found that i was stressed always like if i don't fly in like who's he gonna be with whatever and then once i was his girlfriend and it was committed i thought i was like oh i'm gonna sleep better at night"

The WAG Culture [00:47:43]

• Lala describes the hierarchy among wives and girlfriends (WAGs) in the sports world, where "girlfriend" status was often looked down upon.
• She gravitated towards a core group of friends and tried to remain cordial with others.

  "well i was a girlfriend for a long time i didn't become a wife till way later so i didn't really experience that like you just have the people you gravitate to"

Cheating and Blind Eyes [00:50:24]

• She asserts she never turned a blind eye to infidelity, dealing with issues in her own relationship.
• Dealing with her own marital problems took precedence over concerning herself with others' situations.

  "i never turned a blind eye to it i i adjusted and ultimately that that was part of the reason why i could no longer be in in the relationship"

Gut Feelings and Social Media [00:52:00]

• Lala emphasizes trusting one's gut feeling about relationships, especially when receiving messages about a partner's behavior.
• She believes too much access via social media leads to unnecessary opinions and stress.

  "there's always something inside us that knows like i would see stuff and be like he's not an angel but no way but then there will be things that you're just like a little too much information or a little something that you're just like i don't know"

Ending Her Marriage [00:57:34]

• The decision to end her marriage stemmed from persistent sadness, feeling unloved, and not wanting her son to witness an unhappy example.
• Boundaries were crossed, making the decision inevitable, regardless of public scrutiny.

  "i was no longer feeling great about it sad every day crying like just feeling somewhat lost not feeling loved the right way i'm like this i don't want this to be for the rest of my life"

Post-Divorce Strength [01:00:02]

• The divorce taught her immense strength, realizing she could survive difficult times.
• She learned that sometimes, being strong is the only option, leading to gradual empowerment.

  "i learned how strong i am like you said when you hear friends going through stuff it's like i'm never gonna make it through i'm never gonna survive and then all of a sudden you wake up and you're like wait i'm actually surviving"

Evolving Views on Love [01:03:31]

• Her view of love has changed, leading to uncertainty about future relationships.
• She is working on manifesting positive outcomes, believing what's meant for her will happen.

  "my view of love has changed yes it has and i hate to say that i hate that that's what happened but it has and i'll have my friends like you can't say that like i don't i'm just like love like i just don't know if it's in the cards for me"

Dating Now [01:07:52]

• Lala is not actively dating but is open to going with the flow, acknowledging the age gap with potential younger suitors.
• She prefers meeting in more private settings initially to gauge compatibility before public outings.

  "i'm not dating anyone currently i'm not anything serious currently but if someone wants to take me out and i'm like all right cool i'm not just gonna say before i would be like no like what's the angle what's this"

Future Love and Non-Negotiables [01:12:32]

• She hopes to find love again, emphasizing the importance of a partner who values family and brings laughter.
• Lying is a non-negotiable deal-breaker in any future relationship.

  "i definitely have to have like a family element meaning someone that's into family loves like hanging out with fam that's like important to me someone that laughs like i want to have fun i want to like laugh"

Advice to Younger Self [01:14:24]

• Lala advises her younger self not to worry about pleasing everyone, as it's impossible.
• She stresses the importance of finding personal happiness and not letting external opinions dictate one's self-worth.

  "no matter what you do everyone's not gonna like you like i'm such a people pleaser i'm a cancer i keep saying that so like we love people we want to be loved by everybody and it's like why don't you not like me you don't even know me"