Hello Sunshine. Hello Sunshine. Got to make hay while the sun shines. What's this? This is

Hello Sunshine. What if by sharing our stories, we could change the world. Welcome to Hello Sunshine.

Hello, friends. Sophia Bush here, and this is, and especially you. Stories for all of us. Today's

episode is about defining your own identity and never letting anyone do it for you. Early in my career

as an actor, I got a lot of blowback for speaking out about issues that mattered to me.

There were people at all levels who thought I should, quote unquote, just do my job,

be an actor and mind my own business.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love acting.

I hold storytelling to be sacred,

but I'm also a three-dimensional person with interests and

passion and feelings, just like every other human on this planet.

And I happen to feel that speaking out and making this world better is actually something

that I have to do.

That's what feels like purpose to me, not just a job, but a purpose.

So I'm doing it. I'm trying my best, probably making mistakes, learning all the time,

and really trying to stand up, show up and speak up. So is activist one of my identities? You bet.

I'm an actor, a storyteller, a producer, and an activist, but I'm not only those things.

I'm also a dog lover and a crier at sad movies and a traveler and a lover of the planet and a foodie and a friend and a daughter.

And I choose those identities.

We all should get to do that.

When it comes down to it, I believe that the more we define who we are for ourselves, the better off we all are.

So, listeners, how do you define yourselves?

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