We’re looking forward to introducing you to Micole Williams. Check out our conversation below.
Micole , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Seeing my two recent films travel the world means a great deal to me. Filmmaking is a reflection of operating at my highest frequency and potential. Filmmaking, to me, is like a marathon I just keep running. A marathon requires stamina, heart, skill, and dedication. When I started my film company back in 2009, I understood that I was in it for the long haul, but I had to pace myself accordingly. I have worked on other people’s projects in between my own, and each time I get a chance to work on a production, I feel I find pieces of myself becoming clearer, stronger and more determined to keep on this journey, no matter how demanding it can be.
When I created my first website, I shared something that still resonates with me today. ”We live in a world where matches are struck without precaution, and the growing fire catches ones’ eye without censorship. The alluring blaze can spread so rapidly…so wildly, no emergency team can extinguish the flame. Although the “hot” sells before you can yell…we are willing and ready to gather seeds to plant instead.”
I knew it was not going to be a sprint for me and the type of work I am drawn to doing, but I knew that it was worth every mile and that makes me proud. This year, I realized it was my 15-year anniversary since my first film premiere. It never gets old. I feel like every premiere since then makes me proud because I know how many projects of mine and others didn’t get to cross the finish line, so it is a blessing to start and complete things that are close to your heart.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Whether through writing, filmmaking, or education, I believe in creating space for stories that matter. My brand is about courageously pursuing these visions, showcasing local creatives and talents, and ensuring that lesser-known voices are heard and celebrated. The indie way is my preferred approach, and I have several film and book projects lined up. However, before I can dive into the next one, I want to reflect on the past. My current project is an anniversary screening celebrating 15 years of filmmaking, where it all started – in Houston, TX. This anniversary event will take place in a historic theatre in Houston’s 5th Ward on November 15th: three screenings, one conversation, and numerous reflections on the journey of filmmaking.
Tickets are now available https://www.eventbrite.com/e/15-years-of-filmmaking-will-m-power-films-showcase-by-micole-williams-tickets-1603226927899
After closing that chapter, I am thrilled to start upcoming projects. As a storyteller, I am driven by a passion to illuminate the stories that have yet to be told…those unfilmed moments and voices waiting to be seen and read. My journey is rooted in self-discovery, faith, authenticity, and a relentless desire to fill the gaps in representation through narrative and documentary.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
It came after feeling powerless. My grandmother had lived with Alzheimer’s and dementia for a decade before she passed. I was very close to her, for she was my second parent. My mother and I served as co-caretakers, and it was challenging, emotional yet an emotionally numbing time. We eventually found her professional help once we knew what was going on with her health, and undertstood love and keeping her close wasn’t going to cut it. During that decade, I spent high school and college years taking great creative strides in the Media Academy at FBISD’s Hightower High School and the Communications department at Prairie View A&M University. I was writing, directing, producing, hosting, and editing shows – you name it. I was discovering my power through education in journalism, and later self-teaching myself filmmaking. This creative control gave me a sense of purposeful power. I knew I had dreams bigger than the state of Texas, but I knew I was faced with the reality that I was outside of the leading entertainment hubs, and my grandmoter’s ailing health made me rethink traditional creative pursuits. I considered my immediate family a village. I had to make some tough decisions and hold off on committing fully to pursuing my dreams and therefore moving to places where creatives can thrive: LA or NY. In the back of my mind, I was hoping my grandmother would be in a better state. I stayed close after graduating from high school and college. I earned my B.A in Mass Communications and I was an English minor. That “better” state never came for my grandmother. After a brief two-year stint teaching English Language Arts, I realized that more and more of my life was becoming increasingly uncreative and I was losing a sense of identity I always had and relied on and was fortunate enough to build upon year after year in educational settings. I felt like I was living in a season that felt unnatural, unfulfilling, and for the first time, I felt powerless because I really couldn’t see improvement in my grandmother’s health even after making the sacrifice of trying to stay and help out. I also had not yet found my “creative” stride in my adult life yet. Being able to create and create stories to be specific is something that is very vital to my existence.
That’s when I shifted into my own personal and professional power. I stopped teaching after year 2 and dedicated a year and a half to exploring other paths, taking my first real sabbatical to reflect, rediscover and reassert myself. During that time, I took two creative gigs to keep money coming in, but opened up my schedule – I worked as a part-time makeup artist and in fashion merchandising and got real with myself. I wrote a bucket list, and at the very top was a childhood dream: to become an author. Achieving that goal was a pivotal moment, a testament to perseverance and faith. From there, my journey naturally evolved into filmmaking, a teenage dream. Both of these dreams allowed me to bring stories to life in new and powerful ways and gave me something to live for as I returned back to education. This season of exploration was about reconnecting with my purpose and stepping boldly into my true passions so I could create a life that incorporated all of me: Storyteller. Entrepreneur. Educator.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
How to meet people with empathy. I can definitely put myself in another person’s shoes and that can sometimes bring about suffering – I am highly sensitive person and I can feel on a very deep level. I have to be careful about it as well but it is a quality I have always had. When you know what it is to suffer, you see people and you see through people; you feel their emotions and unseen challenges. The lows bring about a particular insight and humility that is pretty transient. It also broadens your horizon and can inform you in ways that success could never quite reach. I am a student of the human condition. When crafting fictional characters, when consulting with my clients and when empowering my students, I really practice being empathetic. It’s about more than just understanding but more about meeting people where they are; it’s about genuinely embracing another person’s experience or truth. It is not always easy, but it’s worth a try and I learn from people’s pain points, especially my own.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. I am not an open book, but what I post and what is posted about me normally reflects the broad scope of my life. Most of the things I am into do not intersect naturally – I like sharing and proving that it is okay to explore different pathways as long as it is purpose-filled. How God made you is more than okay. Not all of us fit into boxes. some of us are eclectic.
As a jack-of-many-trades, the one thing that remains constant in my life is the ability to be myself, unapologetically. That means evolving. In a world where many strive to fit in, my mission is to continue creating products, planning events, and providing content that empowers people to be their best selves.
Every project I take on is a reflection of its own individuality. Whether I spearhead a project or serve as a consultant, I pride myself on effectively executing creative concepts through media arts.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
Specific projects have been written, but I am waiting for the right time to pursue them. Some are screenplays I hope to adapt into other forms or bring to life as films. Others I want to sell so others can take them on and make them their own. I believe ideas are sacred. These stories and concepts hold a piece of me, and I would deeply regret not acting on them or giving them the attention they deserve. I believe that every idea has potential, and I find it hard to resist the thought of leaving them unexplored.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eclecticallyyou.com and www.micolewilliams.com
- Instagram: @mkwillpower @eclecticallyyouexperience
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colewilliams/
Image Credits
Main photo by Edwin Rose (2025)
How Do You Hear God? (2024)
photos by Brittany Dezel Lewis and Edwin Rose
365 Days of LA (2022)
photos by Kim Preston
Tangled Web of True Love Tales (2011)
photos by Ray Kennerson
