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It’s hard to imagine Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis survived the childhood she did. Bullied at a young age for being different, Davis now realizes the power — and the potency — of those differences. Davis sat down with Hoda Kotb in spring of 2022 for an intimate conversation on overcoming trauma and how to shape your own future, one leg of the relay race at a time.

In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.