The necessity of investing in one's own skills and maintaining a ruthless work ethic was the focus of a powerful conversation between NBA icon LeBron James and multi-hyphenate artist Teyana Taylor on the UNINTERRUPTED platform. The show, "THE MAIN THING," partnered with Indeed to emphasize the belief that "everyone's greatness deserves an audience," spotlighting how top performers transition from having mere talent to becoming successful industry students and leaders.
Teyana Taylor provided a compelling origin story of her rise, tracing her "insane" work ethic back to a pivotal moment at age 15. She was initially hired to teach Beyoncé the "chicken noodle soup" dance for the "Ring the Alarm" video but quickly demonstrated such skill that she ended up choreographing the entire production. Taylor gained immense respect for Beyoncé, noting the star’s humility in taking direction from a 15-year-old. This connection proved invaluable, as Beyoncé later put in a good word for Taylor, helping her secure a role in Jay-Z and Pharrell’s "Blue Magic" video. More crucially, Beyoncé offered foundational financial advice: "Invest in yourself even when that shit feel like it’s breaking your pockets," because that is how one builds their lasting career foundation.
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Taylor views herself as a "Glade plugin," refusing to be confined to a single "box" or allowing only one area of her life to "smell good" from the "fruits of your labor". This philosophy motivated her bold, calculated risk to retire from music to prioritize her mental health. This hiatus was a preparation for what was "already written," and though her patience felt like punishment at the time, she realized "everything is happening when it’s supposed to happen". This time allowed her to shift into creative directing, which became her "favorite thing" because it enabled her to create the "safe spaces for creatives" she felt she had previously lacked. By operating on "my terms," she was liberated from outside pressures, leading to success in acting (a "real serious movie role"), directing, and fashion (the Met Gala). The result was unexpectedly falling back in love with music, which she now pursues for passion, not for "stats" or "highest selling records".
LeBron James identified his greatest transferable skill across his diverse endeavors—from basketball to entrepreneurship in businesses like tequila, and philanthropy—as falling in love with the process. He finds genuine enjoyment in starting from the "ground" and working his way up, emphasizing that to succeed in a new venture, one must "learn about it," "study it," and "be a student of it". James distilled this philosophy into a simple maxim: it’s about the story, not the glory.
Both stars agreed that sustained greatness hinges on the willingness to be a student. Taylor stressed that no one, even a figure like Beyoncé, is "above learning". Taylor currently attends culinary school to become a chef, pursuing A+ grades and dedicating herself to attention to detail, a quality she finds increasingly rare. She views culinary school not as starting over, but as a way to "broaden [her] horizon" and potentially open a restaurant in Paris, paralleling James's dedication to learning about the tequila business. The segment culminated in a "Skills Challenge," where James and Taylor blended her choreography (incorporating the "chicken noodle soup" dance) and his basketball movements to create a complex, unique handshake, physically demonstrating the merging of their specialized skills.
