Bre Clark has lived an amazing life filled with hills and valleys. She has conquered childhood, motherhood and a career and in navigating them all, she evolved and found herself. She is the host of her own talk show, The Real Deal with Bre Clark. Let’s meet her…
Where did you grow up? Can you briefly describe the demographic/environment you grew up around (rural/city/race mix/opportunity/income) and how you as a high-schooler came to choose a career in journalism?
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Houston, in a middle-class neighborhood with my mom, dad, and older sister. We were a typical family, and my parents made sure we had everything we needed, so if we struggled financially, I never knew. I did jump between schools in my early years, so I was the new girl 5 times before eighth grade. Each change brought new friends, but also new bullies. My high school was one of the most diverse in the city, with a mixture of all races and economic backgrounds. I stopped changing schools, the bullying ended, and I joined theater, my own group of people. The theater program really set me on a path towards journalism later.
You were bullied as a child. How did those early years shape you at your core? Who was your support circle then and how do you now empower your own children to deal with similar situations?
From early elementary and all through middle school I was bullied. My mother was in education, so I moved between inner-city schools and magnet programs. Quite often, I was a fish out of water, not matching the cultural, racial, and economic status of my peers. I remember being called “White-girl” by the other kids even though I was black. My parents were particular about my grammar and articulation, so the kids would make fun of me anytime I spoke. I turned into a fairly quiet child, which only made things worse. One memory that has stuck with me, the other kids dumped pencil shavings and (what I hope was) water into the hood of my jacket, from one of those old manual crank pencil sharpeners every classroom had. I remember like it was yesterday how it felt on my head, my hair, and my heart when I put the hood up to go home in the rain. This is, sadly, one of the least painful memories. I learned then, that no matter what I did in life, there would be people who weren’t going to like me, for whatever reason. My grandmother was my safe place, who would reassure me that I was loved; not only by her, but by God. She had dozens of other grandchildren, but she made me feel like I was the only one. I always felt seen, heard, and understood when I was with her. She would always tell me “your voice is going to be heard by a lot of people one day!” I wish she had gotten the chance to see that come true. I see a lot of myself in my son, and with his temperament he might face some of the same issues, but luckily we haven’t faced that battle yet. But I know that if it does happen, I will try my best to be his safe space, and encourage his own voice and worth.
How did you evolve from shy to being on a career path that constantly puts you in the spotlight?
Theater was the only place I felt empowered as a child. My grandmother would always encourage us to get involved with the holiday plays at church. That’s the only time I didn’t get teased for my dialect. For the first time, I felt empowered instead of brought down for the way I spoke. But high school was where things really changed for me. I joined a theater club that brought me to people who accepted me for who I was. We thought we were the cool kids, but I guess we just didn’t care what others thought because we had community in each other. And to get over any stage fright? Our school had a population of over 3700 students, so we performed in front of pretty large audiences. This is when I found my voice and my confidence.
Did attending college play a major role in shaping who Bre is now?
If I’m being honest, I didn’t want to go to college. I had this dream of moving to Hollywood and becoming an actress. My parents knew this would probably end badly for me and gave me an ultimatum: go to college or leave with nothing. I reluctantly enrolled in a general mass communications major since I knew I was a good writer and I loved to tell stories, but I wasn’t sure how to turn that into a career. It wasn’t until one professor saw me goofing off – reading the practice teleprompter with my friends that he pulled me aside and told me that I needed to switch to broadcast journalism. Some of my professors became my greatest mentors that I still lean on today.
What has been your favorite interview that you have conducted and why?
This is a hard one. I’ve interviewed a lot of great people on a ton of important issues, but my favorite is probably one I did during the 2016 election. There was a man who was dressed up from head-to-toe in an Uncle Sam costume. That election was so heated and so divisive, but he brought everyone from all sides together with his story of voting for the first time as a U.S. Citizen. Before that I was feeling conflicted because I had just found out I was pregnant with our son. And that entire night I kept thinking, “What kind of world am I bringing him into? There’s a lot of hate going around.” But his situation, going from a place where he wasn’t afforded the same freedom to choose, showed me that even if it feels bad, the fact we can have such strong arguments with each other is hopeful in a way.
As a woman of color, often in white spaces, what stories have you worked on either for others or for your own platforms that cover and highlight news headlines that matter to other women, WOC or your race in general?
I love that you ask this, because as a woman who has hung out of a hot air balloons, crossed flood waters, been in the middle of active shooter situations… those stories will never be the ones that I’m the most proud of. While reporting in the northwest, I got the chance to report on stories that mattered to minorities. I navigated these predominantly white communities as one of the few women of color. In Idaho I was the first African American to ever sit at the anchor desk. We’re talking about the year 2013 and 2020. I even talked to quite a few people who had never met a black person before me. That really shocked me at first. I was able to cover stories on a big whistleblower case centered around racial discrimination within the Idaho National Laboratory. I covered some of the racial tensions in Spokane, WA, where racial slurs were found on black businesses and that NAACP building. This was soon after the reports of Rachel Dolezal, the former president of the Spokane chapter, a white woman who posed as an African American for years.
Tell our readers about a pivotal time in your life where you discovered at some point that extreme change or transformation would be required on your part in order get over a hurdle? What did you do?
It was around the time I started consulting. My husband and I agreed that I would leave television for a little while to raise our son. Shifting from the hustle and bustle of chasing down news stories to being a stay-at-home mom took a huge toll on my mental health. I went through a deep depression because I felt like a has-been. I also felt guilty for feeling sad because I desperately wanted to be a mom. So I needed to find a way to do both, but it had to be practical. During that time I had to take a good look at who “Bre” was outside of being a wife, a mom, or even a journalist. I had to search for what made me – me and then decide what I wanted to do with that.
Do you think that evolving is a constant state of change that we should strive to be in or work towards or that at some point we all become comfortable and settle into the woman we have become?
I think we are constantly evolving into who we already are. I think we become a little more accepting of our true selves as time goes on and that refines us, that humbles us, that matures us.
If a movie about your growth was made, what would be the title?
Rewoven
Tell us about your talk-show, The Real Deal. Are you own struggles with imposter syndrome in the past the catalyst to the show’s creation?
I launched The Real Deal with Bre Clark this fall. When I was approached to do the show, I was leaving the news industry for the second time. I remember thinking “who am I to host my own talk show?” – imposter syndrome at its finest. I knew that this needed to be a part of the show. I wanted people to know that feeling like their accomplishments weren’t real or valid or that their talents were just “dumb luck” was a real issue called imposter syndrome. I’ve never met a single person in my industry that doesn’t suffer from it. In television, you aren’t just fighting the rude comments from viewers, you’re fighting the lies you tell yourself. You’re expected to be “on” all the time, even when you’re out living your personal life. That line between work and home life becomes blurred and you start to feel like everything is fabricated because you’re forced to be the best version of yourself at all times. You forget that it isn’t just a version of you, but that you really are capable and that you have worth beyond your occupation.
You have made some career decisions that directly affected –whether positive or negative- your personal life, marriage and parenting. Which would you consider your biggest regret and how would you handle it differently knowing what you know now?
I wouldn’t say I have many regrets, but I have learned a lot coming into my thirties. I’ve learned that there will be sacrifices you have to make when pursuing your dreams, but there are things you should never compromise; for me that’s my family. My husband has moved across the country more times than I can count for my career. He’s turned down job opportunities and he’s invested in me when he could have easily said “no”. But in the process I’ve learned that you have to come to a point where you decide how much you’ll allow your family to sacrifice on your behalf. My career in news came to a point where I was giving more to my job than to my family. At one point my boys and I were split across two states. I’d travel home on the weekends, but would miss parent teacher conferences, or picture day, or a work dinner for my husband. Luckily, I had seasoned women in my life who knew the cost and encouraged me to evaluate what was most important. Every one of them helped me better prioritize myself and my family. They helped me through some hard decisions. I will forever be grateful to them because not everyone has that.
How do you practice self-care and what steps have you taken to heal from past trauma, either from your childhood or as adult? What is paramount in maintaining your wellness routine?
I show up for myself in the areas that I’d want other people to show up for me. When someone hasn’t been a good friend, I am a friend to myself. When someone has sent me a mean email I rephrase it for them to be constructive criticism. I give myself grace and I give myself deadlines for rest. I guess that’s the reporter in me. Instead of saying “you have to have the report done by Friday,” I tell myself “You get two hours to respond to these emails and then you have to sit and eat for at least 30 minutes.” I also give myself a bedtime or else I would stay up all night doing chores or working or binge watching Netflix. I also have a prayer life. I talk to Jesus like a friend and I ask him to lead me even though I can be hard headed. I like to do everything myself.
What would you say to a woman about recognizing her worth who is going through the same?
I would tell any woman suffering from imposter syndrome or self doubt to stop trusting their inner critic. We are so much harder on ourselves than we should be. For myself, I became my own bully in early adulthood. I thought that people underestimating me is what pushed me toward success, so I would highlight all of my mistakes and ignore my accomplishments. That made it hard to receive praise. Now I would tell women to keep an inventory of their strengths, to write down an opposite phrase from the one that’s in their head. Instead of “You aren’t good enough,” write down “I have what it takes and I’m better than I was yesterday.” If that’s too drastic… start your day with simply saying “I’m okay.”
What does a typical day look like to you and how do you incorporate joy and value into the mix?
My days lately have been filled with a lot of rest. It’s not that I don’t have responsibilities and “all the things” on my to-do list… it’s just I’m in a season where I’m realizing how important it is to give yourself time. I wake up early to get my son off to school, but instead of cleaning like a mad woman or working right away, I might take a nap or meditate. I take work calls while I go for a walk on the trail near our home. There’s always a trip to Summer Moon for a matcha latte. But my day doesn’t end until I’ve created something – that could be a drawing, a cool video for Instagram, or building something with my hands. But my nights are reserved for my boys (my husband and my son). We eat dinner together and try to do something fun where there’s lots of conversation. Even movie night is filled with us talking over the TV about how we can do something just as cool as what we’re seeing on the screen.
What is next for you?
We are working on taking The Real Deal on the road. I want this next season to meet people in their element as we talk about these hard issues. People are leaving their jobs, showing up in new and creative ways. I want to help people tell their stories to inspire others. I’m done with spreading sad news. I want people to know that there’s still hope and that they aren’t alone in this world. We are all more alike than we might think.
Tell our readers how they can find out more information about you and connect. Anything to add?
People can find me on social media @BreClarkTV or on my website at www.breclarktv.com.
