Tiffani Brooke Fest –Actress, Global Activist, Advocate and Humanitarian uses her life to serve. Moving beyond the screen, it is Tiffani’s mission is to use all or her talents and grace towards helping other people. As a volunteer in the disaster relief in Nepal after the catastrophic earthquake of 2015, she saw the severest form of devastation. Instead of shrinking back, she joined a powerful group of women who used all the resources at their disposal and carved out a better life for the survivors. This is the HEART of Tiffani Brooke Fest, committed to living selflessly and bringing joy to all she meets. Let’s learn more about this visionary powerhouse.
FWM: Tiffani, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview! Please introduce yourself to our readers.
TBF: Hello ladies! My name is Tiffani Brooke Fest and I am an Actress, Buddhist, and “Global Human Activist.” Actually, I created that last term for myself when I set out to be a more global citizen 5 years ago. I remember vividly the day I was doing my morning chanting, just as the catastrophic earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015. I had been feeling the call to give back globally but had no idea how or where to start. I immediately took it as a sign from the universe that THIS was where I was meant to go & help. And so, with zero experience, I began googling nonprofits to volunteer with in the disaster relief efforts in Nepal and stumbled upon a small but mighty female owned nonprofit, led by the amazing Kate Ale, who was sending small groups of volunteers into remote villages in the Himalayas where the devastation was most severe. The goal: to rebuild primary and middle schools so the children could return to normalcy and an education.
I spent one month immersed in an entirely different culture, with no electricity, no wifi, and one tap of water for the entire village. I ate with my hands crouched on the ground next to the goats. I fundraised for school building supplies, helped lay bricks, and dig a foundation. We even built a jungle gym out of bamboo! I laughed & played with the school children & listened to their incredible survival stories. In the end the children had a new school, and I had a new trajectory for my life. I made a commitment to myself on that final morning in front of the Himalayas, to return bi-annually to volunteer no matter what, and I have never looked back. Nor could I have ever imagined where this journey would lead me.
FWM: Please tell us about your latest project.
TBF: I just returned in February from 6 weeks in India, emceeing and anchoring http://www.utsavamaa.org for the 2nd time. (IG & FB: @UtsavaMaa) A bi-annual women’s leadership conference uniting women from the east and west, this festival has become the highlight of my global activism! Marrying my love of performance, philanthropy, and feminism, this festival brings women together for 5 days of dialogue, workshops on leadership & divinity, and global transformation. This festival was created by yes, you guessed it, another extraordinary woman, Shreejan Sita. An Ayurvedic Scholar, Healer, Teacher and Yogini, I had the great good fortune of meeting her on one of my global volunteering trips, and when she told me about her vision for the womens festival, I immediately came on board as the festival Emcee and Anchor, bringing in special guests and keynote speakers from around the world. This year’s festival we even had the opportunity to partner with famous author, frequent Oprah special guest, and women’s advocate, Elizabeth Gilbert, (author of Eat Pray Love, Big Magic, and many others), who shared her renowned Creativity Workshop with all the women present. I still get goosebumps just thinking about it!
FWM: The Phoenix Stone Foundation is near and dear to your heart. Please share with our readers its mission and what can be done to help.
TBF: The Phoenix Stone Foundation is deeply personal, although I can’t take any credit for it’s amazing work. It’s run 100% by my incredible brother Ben Fest and his wife Heather Fest, to honor the life of my nephew, Phoenix Stone, who lost his battle with neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, just 5 days shy of his 3rd birthday. He was my personal hero, uttering the words “Just Keep Happy,” even until his dying breath. He was a light and an inspiration, and my brother and his wife now advocate on behalf of all children diagnosed with cancer every day, in their home state of Texas. From delivering care packages each week to families doing long term stays in the hospital, to raising funds for a cure, the Phoenix Stone Foundation is a testament to the power of love conquering all. You can help by donating on their website, http://www.phoenixstonefoundation.org , adding them to your Amazon shopping account as your charity of choice, and by following their work on social media : FB: https://www.facebook.com/PSWeloveyou1/ IG :@PhoenixStoneFoundation
FWM: What keeps you motivated?
TBF: Honestly, it’s simple. Nothing feels better than giving. When you can get outside of yourself, your own egoic desires and problems, and give to a fellow human in need, there is no greater joy in the world. I would even venture to say happiness only truly exists in the act of giving. It’s unfortunate because we aren’t taught this in today’s modern society, with so much emphasis placed on personal achievement and acquiring wealth. While those things might offer fleeting, momentary joy, the key to true and lasting happiness is in giving.
FWM: What inspires you to continue your global efforts?
TBF: The women I meet along the way who are doing truly extraordinary things in the world — they are my divine inspiration always! For example, my favorite female run non profit who I support as much as possible, New Light Kolkata, http://www.newlightindia.org (IG: @newlightkolkata) is run by the extraordinary Urmi Basu (IG @urmibasu). Recipient of the highest civilian award in India, she started empowering and rehabilitating girls and women from within the largest red-light districts in India some 20 years ago, with only $200 in her pocket and a dream. The organization has now grown to operate 5 full time boarding facilities and schools, providing top notch education from primary school through college to the children born of the red-light districts, thus ending the cycle of 2nd generation prostitution. If that isn’t inspiring I don’t know what is!
From the incomparable Elizabeth Gilbert, (IG @elizabeth_gilbert_writer,) follow her if you don’t! to Shreejan Sita (IG @utsavamaa), to award winning anthropologist Kristen Ali Eglinton, whose non profit leads storytelling workshops with oppressed women around the world, (follow them on IG :@footageproject), I am constantly blown away by the powerful work of my fellow female activists. They inspire me to do more and be more in the world.
FWM: If you could give one piece of advice to all women, what would it be?
TBF: Unite with other women who share your vision for the future, and who inspire you to be your best. This is the greatest gift my life has taught me.
FWM: As a 21st Century woman, what has remained a constant in your life, leading you to become the woman you are today?
TBF: This may sound strange, but my heart just gave an immediate response of “ME!” and i quickly tried to edit it and search for a “better” answer. But the truth is, YOU are your only constant in this life. Fall in love with YOU — your truest authentic self, your inner voice, your intuition, make HER your best friend. Listen to her, even when other women or society may tell you that you aren’t qualified, or ask, “who do you even think you are?” Persist. Continue to go inward and listen to her. Turn down the volume of the outside world, with all their judgements and expectations of who you are supposed to be. Take yourself on dates, on long walks, on your favorite outings. Commune with her, and she will never lead you astray.
I started my quest of global activism completely alone. It was a solitary act, an act of courage and in some ways an act of defiance. So many people, including some women, told me it was unsafe to travel alone as a female. But the minute I stepped off the plane in Nepal, just me and the backpack on my back, I began to fall more deeply in love my own company and became more & more in tune to my divine inner compass.
FWM: Do you feel that sisterhood is important?
TBF: A resounding yes! But like I said in my advice to all women, it’s important that you find women who share your ideals, your vision for the future — women whom you look up to and who inspire who you want to be in the world! Then get out there & join them!
FWM: As a global human activist, how important is it for women to take a stand against atrocities happening not only in the US, but abroad?
TBF: I believe women truly are the compassionate force of the universe, period. In fact, I recently read that 73% of all non profit employees are female! Because, quite simply, WE CARE. We create life from our wombs, we are the natural caregivers of the world. I never meant to support only “female owned” non profits when I began my global journey 5 years ago, but everywhere I went, it was women who I met standing at the helm, women who were advocating for and transforming their local communities, full of grit and love & sheer determination.
FWM: How can our readers connect with you outside of this interview?
TBF: Please do follow me on IG where I post all my global activism & travels! @TiffaniBrookeFest.
To stay up to date with my acting career, please visit me at http://www.imdb.me/tiffanifest
I’m also seeking new representation and am specifically open to female agents or managers who align with my global vision. I want to elevate the kind of art & film projects I work on and am actively seeking multi-cultural or international stories to delve into. Have passport, will travel! Let’s get out there and tell more global human stories together, shall we? To take a look at my professional resume & reel clips, please visit me at: http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/tiffanifest
And for any collaborations in film, theatre, or with your global charity projects, feel free to reach out to me directly: tiffanifest@yahoo.com
