I would say Lucille Ball was my biggest influence as a child but wasn’t aware at the time that she was so influential. When I was little, we would watch reruns of I Love Lucy over and over again. Most little kids around my age had teen bop magazine posters up around their room of the cutest tween actor. I on the other hand had posters, plaques, and memorabilia around my room of Lucille Ball.

She was a boss before women bosses were a thing. Not only did she prove you could do it all, but you could be hilarious, goofy, beautiful, smart, driven, a perfectionist, and so many other things, all at once. When there were rumors that her husband was cheating on her and was an alcoholic, she didn’t just fall in line. She knew her worth and what she would tolerate, she stood up for herself and stood on her own two feet when the world was watching something so private. Upon their divorce, Lucy bought Desi out of their production company, Desilu, and ran it herself for many years thereafter.