One of the things I learned from my mother, who many of you may know is a pastor, is the importance of showing up for people.
No matter how tired she is, no matter how busy life gets, she shows up. Weddings. Baby showers. Funerals. Celebrations. Difficult moments. Important moments. She understands something that I think many people underestimate today: showing up matters.
And honestly, I’m learning that same lesson more and more as I grow older and build in business and filmmaking.
Life gets busy. Schedules get hectic. People are flying across countries, across continents, running businesses, raising families, chasing goals, trying to survive. I understand that deeply because my own life often feels nonstop. One day I’m in meetings, another day I’m on set, another day I’m traveling, another day I’m handling motherhood, business, production problems, partnerships, or trying to build the next vision.
But despite all of that, I’m realizing that presence matters.
Sometimes showing up is not even about having the perfect words. It’s about people knowing you cared enough to be there.
And honestly, relationships are nurtured in those moments.
Not only in boardrooms. Not only through contracts. Not only through networking events.
But in real-life moments
.
The birthday dinners. The graduations. The difficult seasons. The celebrations. The losses. The quiet check-ins. The “I was thinking about you” messages. The support people remember years later.
I think one reason strong communities are becoming harder to build today is that everyone is busy trying to move ahead, but meaningful relationships require time, effort, consistency, and presence.
And the truth is, people may sometimes forget what you said, but they rarely forget who showed up for them.
That lesson has stayed with me deeply.
Especially now, as I continue to build not just films but relationships, partnerships, and community around this vision.
Another thing I’m learning is that community also creates sustainability. A strong community consistently supports your work. They grow with you. They believe in the vision before everyone else understands it. They become advocates for your brand, your business, and your mission.
And honestly, that’s why I value this Substack community so much.
Because years from now, when people look at the growth of Lady Laide Studios, I believe they’ll also see the importance of the people who were part of the journey early. The people who read the newsletters, supported the films, shared the work, opened doors, gave advice, encouraged the vision, and believed in what we were building before it fully existed.
That matters deeply to me.
One thing I promised this community is honesty about what it really looks like to build a global studio in real time. And honestly, a huge part of building has nothing to do with cameras or scripts.
It has to do with people.
The relationships you build. The trust you maintain. The rooms you enter. The conversations you nurture. The community you create around the vision.
And sometimes the greatest opportunities in your life will come through relationships you almost overlooked.
Until next week,
Lady Laide
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