Brianna Brown Keen on Manifesting Your Mission, Redefining Success, and Creating a Life You Love
What happens when you stop waiting for someone else to give you permission to pursue your dreams and start creating opportunities for yourself?
For actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and creative visionary Brianna Brown Keen, the answer has shaped nearly three decades of her professional and personal life. Brianna began her career as a professional actress at just 19 years old. Over the years, her journey in entertainment has taken her around the world, but her passion for creativity has always extended far beyond performing. She's also built communities, developed systems for goal setting and accountability, created opportunities for other women, and used her experience to help people turn their ideas into meaningful action.
At the heart of her work is a belief that creativity and productivity belong together. Having a dream is important, but bringing that dream to life requires consistency, commitment, and the willingness to keep moving forward, even when circumstances aren't ideal. Through her work with The New Hollywood, Brianna has helped create a community focused on supporting women and making a difference beyond the entertainment industry. That mission has also extended to supporting formerly homeless single mothers through an accountability program connected with Harvest Home.
Her philosophy is rooted in the understanding that meaningful change rarely happens overnight. It grows through small decisions, consistent action, supportive relationships, and the courage to keep creating when life becomes complicated.
Brianna also knows that success can change meaning as we move through different stages of life. What once centered on professional achievement and recognition eventually expanded to include marriage, motherhood, fulfillment, personal well-being, and creating a life that reflects what matters most.
Today, she continues to pursue acting, producing, speaking, wellness initiatives, philanthropy, and her Manifesting Your Mission work, all while embracing the joys and responsibilities of family life. At Best Ever You, we believe that becoming your best self is about more than achieving goals. It's about discovering what matters to you, embracing your unique gifts, creating meaningful opportunities, and using your experiences to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
In this inspiring interview, Brianna shares her perspective on creativity, manifestation, resilience, philanthropy, personal growth, and the importance of building a life that makes room for everything you love.
We're delighted to welcome Brianna Brown Keen to Best Ever You for a conversation about turning ideas into action, redefining success, and creating a life filled with purpose, possibility, and meaningful contribution.
When someone asks me what I do, how do I answer?
I’m obsessively creative. I started my career as a professional actor at 19, and throughout that journey, I created communities and systems that I later turned into a business and philanthropy supporting women living below the poverty line. I’ve always sung, performed, and acted. I’ve always been drawn to creating opportunities for myself and others to shine. I listen for what I’m being called to do next, and then I create. My gift is not just having ideas, but following through on them. I’ve learned how to juggle multiple projects at once because of the systems I’ve created and refined over 28 years as a professional artist and 20 years of leading goal-setting and accountability groups. I believe creativity is powerful, but when you marry it with productivity, consistency, and the right systems, you can turn your ideas into a life and a legacy you love.
What has your journey taught you?
It’s taught me that I don’t have to wait for someone else to give me permission or create an opportunity for me. If there’s a lull, I use that time wisely to make something happen. Creativity is my medicine. When it isn’t being channeled outward in a productive way, it turns inward and can become my poison. I’ve learned that I need to keep creating, moving, and giving my ideas somewhere to go. I don’t believe in failure or treating the word no as the end of the road. I get back up, look at what I’ve learned, and figure out how to pivot, refine, and try again. To me, manifesting isn’t just about envisioning what you want. It’s about being willing to take action, learn from what doesn’t work, and keep showing up for the life you’re trying to create.
How did your vision for The New Hollywood come about?
My vision for The New Hollywood evolved organically. It was always something I felt compelled to do while working on set and traveling around the world. I had us set up remotely before it was popular, using MegaMeeting so we could keep expenses low and people could participate even when their careers took them elsewhere. Eventually, I wanted to take what we had mastered in supporting ourselves and others and bring it to those who needed it most. Single mothers are more than 50% likely to live below the poverty line, and in Los Angeles, we’re facing housing, mental health, and drug crises. People want support, but the amount of information available can be overwhelming. What I’ve found, both personally and through my work with others, is that meaningful change takes consistency, small steps forward, and support from people who genuinely want to see you shine. That support can help you move through resistance, trauma, and life lifting. That’s why I co-created the TNH Accountability Program, the official alumni program for Harvest Home, which supports formerly homeless single mothers and their children. I believe people can create a different future when they have both the tools and the support to keep moving forward.
What does manifesting mean to you?
I love the saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” I believe we get to take responsibility for what’s happening in our lives so we can feel empowered rather than become victims of our circumstances. Of course, life lives. That’s part of the human experience. No one said life would or should be easy, and throughout history, life has been far more complicated and difficult for the majority of people. But when it comes to manifesting, I believe it’s about working with the energetics of being productive, taking empowered action consistently, allowing ourselves to receive, and listening for the signs that guide us. We’re multifaceted beings, and sometimes we forget that something greater created everything and that we don’t have to navigate our journey alone. I’ve witnessed miracles when I’ve asked for support beyond myself. And as a Reiki Master, I’ve learned that we can more easily tap into that guidance when we become still, quiet our minds, and are willing to listen and be led. For me, manifesting is the marriage of doing our part and remaining open to what’s greater than us.
How has acting shaped the way you see the world?
One of the things I love most about acting is that it forces introspection. I try to understand how people live, think, and believe based on the information and experiences they’ve been exposed to and the point in history in which they experienced them. As I’ve continued to evolve, I’ve been humbled by recognizing the times I wasn’t willing to listen to or validate someone else’s experience because it didn’t align with my belief system at that point in my life. The more I’ve learned, listened, and experienced, the more I’ve realized that I can hold multiple complicated truths at the same time. It’s a lot like debate. We can argue almost any position and find facts that make that point of view feel valid, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it represents the ultimate truth of a situation. Acting has taught me to get curious about what’s beneath the surface, and life has reminded me that growth requires a willingness to keep questioning what I think I know.
Why has giving back always been important to you?
Giving back has always been important to me, probably because I was exposed to it at a young age. My grandparents founded the local branch of NAMI where I grew up because my aunt was severely mentally ill. It wasn’t about elaborate fundraisers. It was grassroots, all hands on deck, asking how we could raise money to help other families struggling with loved ones who were severely affected by mental illness after the mental institutions closed. Many families who didn’t have the same support system we had were left with family members living on the streets because the needs were so great and the situation so severe. Growing up around that gave me a deep compassion for mental health and the families navigating those challenges. It also showed me that making a difference doesn’t always start with having a lot of money or resources. Sometimes it starts with recognizing a need, bringing people together, and doing what you can with what you have. That belief has stayed with me throughout my career, my philanthropy, and the work I do today.
How has your definition of success changed over the years?
Success used to mean being accomplished in my field, respected, and working consistently. But once I achieved that, and my biological clock started ticking, I wanted the fairy-tale stories I portrayed on screen to be reflected in my real life, rather than simply bouncing from one set to another. In my early 30s, I had a deep realization that I wanted a family and wanted to be a mother. So I set out to create that while also building a career and a creative life I loved. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice one for the other, as I saw so many actresses do, or deny that I needed to prioritize both if I wanted them. Relationships are challenging when you live on the opposite side of the country in a different time zone and need network approval to go home.
My industry expects people to give it everything, with no guarantees and zero long-term job security. I didn’t want what I created to depend entirely on whether other people said yes, which is why I’ve always produced stories and shows I felt compelled to bring to life. I’ve become masterful at using downtime on set and plane rides to move projects forward. My time-management and goal-setting guidebook has also helped me stay strategic through different seasons of life. Today, success is about happiness and fulfillment. It’s about creating a life that reflects what matters to me, rather than simply achieving what looks successful from the outside.
What are you most excited about right now?
There are a few things! I lead three communities, which is always fun and fulfilling. I’ve also been doing more keynote speaking with my topic, Manifesting Your Mission: How to Marry Creativity and Productivity to Create a Life You Love. I’m passionate about health and wellness because of my own wellness journey, and I’m excited about the Wellness Babes 6-Week Transformation starting October 29, 2026. I also lead monthly long-distance Reiki sessions, which have been such a fun and healing addition to my work, and the women in my nonprofit get to benefit from them for free. I have two independent projects currently in the festival circuit, and my husband and I are producing a rom-com Christmas movie for Netflix that we’ve been working on for seven years!
I’m momming it, traveling a lot, and preparing for my next wine country retreat in Sonoma in October 2027. I’m also in a season of recording a bunch of Manifesting Your Mission podcast episodes to carry me through the next two years, as I know I’ll be traveling quite a bit in 2027 and 2028. Ironically, when someone asks what I have going on, my usual response is, “Not much!” But when I slow down and write it all out, I realize it’s a lot! Fortunately, I have incredible teams and partnerships that help me keep all the balls in the air and the projects moving forward. That’s also what I teach through Manifesting Your Mission: you don’t have to choose between being creative and being productive. With the right systems, support, and intention, you can build a life that makes room for all the things you love.
Creating a Life You Love, One Meaningful Action at a Time
One of the most meaningful lessons from Brianna Brown Keen's journey is that creativity becomes especially powerful when we give our ideas somewhere to go.
We can spend years imagining what we want to accomplish, waiting for the right opportunity, or hoping someone will recognize our potential. But as Brianna's experiences remind us, there is tremendous value in taking initiative, creating opportunities, and learning how to turn inspiration into consistent action.
Her story also challenges the belief that success must fit into one particular category. We can be creative and organized. Ambitious and compassionate. Dedicated to our careers while making room for family, relationships, and personal fulfillment. Our lives don't have to be defined by a single title, accomplishment, or chapter.
And perhaps one of the most inspiring aspects of Brianna's work is her commitment to helping other women move forward.
Through The New Hollywood and her philanthropic efforts, she has demonstrated that creating a meaningful life isn't only about what we achieve for ourselves. It's also about the opportunities we help create for others, the encouragement we offer, and the communities we build along the way.
There is a powerful connection between personal growth and contribution. When we develop our own strengths, learn from our experiences, and discover what helps us move forward, we also gain something valuable to share with others.
At Best Ever You, we believe that change begins with awareness, grows through action, and becomes even more meaningful when it positively impacts the people around us.
Brianna's story reminds us that we can continue evolving, creating, and redefining success throughout our lives. We don't have to abandon one dream to pursue another, and we don't need to measure our progress against someone else's timeline.
Thank you, Brianna, for sharing your experiences, your creativity, and your commitment to helping others. Your journey is a wonderful reminder that a fulfilling life isn't something we simply hope to discover. It's something we participate in creating through our choices, our actions, our relationships, and the opportunities we make possible for ourselves and others.
And perhaps that's a question worth considering today:
What is one idea, dream, or meaningful goal you've been carrying that deserves your attention and action?
About Brianna Brown Keen
Brianna Brown Keen is a professional actress, producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and creative leader whose career spans nearly three decades. Alongside her work in entertainment, she has developed communities and programs focused on creativity, productivity, goal setting, accountability, and helping women create meaningful opportunities.
Through The New Hollywood, she has supported women in entertainment and expanded her philanthropic work to include an accountability program serving formerly homeless single mothers connected with Harvest Home.
Brianna is also involved in Manifesting Your Mission, where she explores how creativity, productivity, consistency, and supportive systems can help people bring their ideas and goals to life. Her work includes speaking, wellness initiatives, creative projects, and community building.
She is passionate about empowering others to recognize their potential, take meaningful action, and create lives that reflect their personal values and aspirations.
Connect with Brianna Brown Keen
Personal website: BriannaBrownKeen.com
Manifesting Your Mission: ManifestingYourMission.org
The New Hollywood: TheNewHollywood.org
Wellness Babes: WellnessBabes.org
At Best Ever You, we celebrate individuals who embrace creativity, navigate change, redefine success, and use their gifts to make a meaningful difference. Every new idea offers an opportunity to grow, contribute, and create something extraordinary.
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