The "Wicked" movies arrived exactly when I needed something to shake the dust off my heart.
Watching Oz unfold in rich cinematic color reminded me of everything I love about musicals: the feeling that music can lift you, stories can heal you, and friendship can ground you.
These films didn’t just entertain me; they reignited a spark I thought I had quietly lost under the weight of stress and uncertainty.
As I watched, I found myself drawn once again to Glinda and Elphaba, two characters that I’ve loved, but who now felt completely new to me.
Maybe it was the emotional timing, or maybe the films just unlocked something inside me, but suddenly I realized how deeply I connected to both of them.
I’m Glinda, the one who still believes in kindness, shimmer, and hope. But I’m also Elphaba, the one who stands up, pushes back, and keeps going even when the world feels heavy. For a long time, I thought you had to pick a lane. The movies showed me I never had to choose.
That personal revelation deepened when I went to see Stephanie J. Block, the iconic touring Elphaba, perform live at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center with my friend Sophia.
Before I got to meet her, I watched her take the stage and deliver “Defying Gravity” with that unmistakable fire in her voice. It gave me chills.
Hearing her sing that anthem of rising above everything, right in front of me, felt like the universe was underlining a message I needed to hear.
Later, when I had the chance to meet her after the show with Sophia, she looked at me with warmth and said something I will never forget: “I feel like you’re both.”
It was as if she saw the Glinda sparkle and the Elphaba strength, and acknowledged them with kindness.
Then came "Wicked For Good," which became its own little burst of joy in my life this recent week of Thanksgiving break.
Every time I went, and I went to see the film three times with different people that I love, I had a different outfit or shirt ready, including my Glinda crown because it felt like leaning into happiness on purpose, even while wearing a cute movie merch tee with jeans.
The first time, I wore my beautiful blue dress that Glinda wears in the film, the one that made me feel soft and magical. And my girls dressed up as well, and we had the best time at the special Amazon screening preview that Nov. 17.
The other times I switched shirts, but the crown always stayed. Each friend I saw it with brought out a different energy in me, whether it was Glinda’s warmth or Elphaba’s fire.
And the movie itself felt like a reminder of what friendship and connection can do, how the people in our lives can lift us, soften us, steady us, and yes, change us for good.
The music reshaped everything. “Defying Gravity” became a reminder that I can rise, even on days when I feel like I can’t. “Popular” brought laughter back into my body. “I’m Not That Girl” reminded me that vulnerability is part of being human. And “For Good” itself, in the film, tugged at all the emotional threads that bind friendships together, the ones built through concerts, movies, tears, and inside jokes.
These movies didn’t just bring me back to musicals. They brought me back to myself. Back to the joy I share with friends. Back to the parts of me I sometimes hide to survive. Back to the truth that I don’t have to choose between the bubblegum pink and the deep emerald green, I get to be both, and that’s where the magic lives.
Watching the "Wicked" films, meeting Stephanie J. Block, wearing my crown to For Good, and sharing these experiences with the people I love reminded me that joy still exists, even in the hardest seasons.
The movies helped me remember who I am, someone complex, passionate, soft, strong, sparkly, stubborn, hopeful, honest.
Someone who is both Glinda and Elphaba.
Someone who has evolved throughout her life, grown, beat the odds, and also has survived many challenges alongside those who love her combined with her own strength.
And that is to me what changing for good is all about.
