Even right before her TV show "Insecure" premiered in 2016, Rae was "scared of being seen as difficult" to work with, she said at the Indeed FutureWorks 2022 conference earlier this month. In response, she sought guidance from other Black women she admired in the entertainment industry: Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, Debbie Allen and Mara Brock Akil. At the Indeed conference, Rae called it "the best career advice" she ever received. "I don't care how settled I may feel in my career, I don't care how much praise I get," she said. The advice Rae received from her career idols helped, she added: "I take away the fear of being labeled as [difficult].

---