My first instinct was to say ‘resilient’ but then I figure that one is well taken. Then I realized ‘fire’ could be good on many levels. Keegan means ‘little fiery one’ and I always thought it so apt a name for me - it’s why I chose it for myself. I never liked the name I was born with and so it was incredibly empowering to chose my own moniker. I have always felt like a fiery little one. I have never walked the middle path - I’ve always challenged ideas and norms and pushed boundaries - though sometimes I have also ended up burning myself or others;  the downside of fire is that it can be hard to control. I have always had a fire in me to succeed, I think borne largely out of growing up broke with a single mother. I knew that I did not want a life of double jobs, working shift work, worrying about whether I could keep the lights on. I strove to get the best marks and get into a good university - something I paid for entirely on my own. I had always wanted to travel and I made it happen, finally, when I was 21 and had $600 and a one-way ticket to Europe. I had never even been in an airport before the day that I left - I’ve always been proud of myself for dreaming big. I had always said I wanted to be an actress and I stuck to it and strove to make it true even though all I ever heard was ‘you can’t do that, you’ll never make it’. Well, I’ve been making a solid living as an actor for over 25 years now, and I’ve won awards and traveled the world and am part of a vibrant artistic community. Being an actress, living so many different lives even inspired me to write my children’s book ‘This is a Job for Mommy!’ which celebrates all the many jobs that women, especially mothers, do - and also fulfill a life-long goal to be a published author. I am now about ⅓ of the way through the novel I have always felt was in me and I am writing and creating my future, trying to take hold of my story as best I can. I believe there is an ember inside each of us, a delicate one that life will always try to blow out. I have tried to constantly breathe mine to life, to carry that fire within me and be bold in reaching for the things I want. I also have tried to pass along that fire to my daughters, to raise them to set their value high and to be bold and true to themselves. I also try to nurture the flame in others when I can. Mentorship is so important in this world, particularly for women as we strive to be realized as true equals in this world - I have needed mentorship and so I try to offer it where I can - because everyone’s ember deserves to grow into a fire.

~ Keegan ~

~I am Fire ~

More information can be found about Keegan’s charity at https://www.oxfam.org.uk