When it comes to navigating a career and family life, actress Niecy Nash is like many women across America. The 50-year-old Claws star is making it work even though the pandemic has substantially curbed her ability to make a living.
“The amount of work that I was doing before we entered this place has slowed down drastically,” Niecy tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “For me it’s been less about what do I do, because there’s not work, and kind of protecting my peace of mind and being able to balance the work that I am doing with my family.”
Niecy is speaking about her personal situation as she helps No7 launch its Unstoppable Together initiative to help women who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic get back to work. As the video above highlights, women have been disproportionately affected by the economic freefall of 2020. In fact, according to a December 2020 Los Angeles Times article, they have left the workforce “at nearly four times the rate of men.”
That’s why Niecy is keen to get the word out about No7’s Unstoppable Together Job Summit, which takes place on Feb. 24 and features celeb speakers like Arianna Huffington, Padma Lakshmi and Tamron Hall. Held virtually, it will focus on turning a SHEcession into a SHEcovery.
“What this campaign really is about is providing resources and tools for women who are reentering the workplace, or pivoting careers, or just trying to balance home and work,” she says adding, “It’s important because we need each other and with so many people out of work, or so many people suffering, or so many people trying to figure out the balance, you need a place, a community, a sisterhood that supports you in your effort and to give you resources to get back to work.”
Niecy knows that the struggle is real because she has experienced it herself. The few jobs that she can do “on set” require “proper COVID testing” and “proper garments” to keep everyone safe. Fortunately, she has been able to do some voiceover jobs, recording from home rather than going into a studio. That doesn’t mean that the actress (who has three adult children – Dia, Donielle and Dominic) didn’t panic when the pandemic first hit last year and the safe at home orders kicked in.
“Initially, when this was first announced, there were lines around the grocery store, there was definitely a sense of panic and fear in the air…” the Los Angeles native says. “At the beginning – not only do you have your own mind, body and soul to contend with – but I have three children who all had to be managed in this time. So, they’re looking to their parent for answers and there’s fear, there’s the unknown. So, I definitely had to be able to get myself together to be able to manage all of that.”
The way Niecy achieved her “peace of mind” is by accepting the situation and trying to find a way to be productive and serve her family in the space that we’re all in. She’s encouraging women to go to the job summit as a way to help them do the same.
“You’re going to be entering into a community of women who share very core experiences and [there] is something to be said for fellowshipping with people who are likeminded or who are in a similar space,” she says.
In the meantime, for those women who have lost their jobs or have had to step away from their careers to care for and teach their children at home, Niecy has an encouraging message. “The one thing that I can say is that there’s never been a storm that didn’t end,” she says. “So, we will not always be here and it will not always be like this. So, hold on a little while longer and come to the job summit.”
