Quinta Brunson isn't surprised by her success: 'I made every single move in my life so that this could happen to me'

CNBC

17-05-2025

The past few years have seen "Abbott Elementary" star and creator Quinta Brunton take home multiple Emmys, a Golden Globe and even a Peabody award.
But the 35-year-old comedy star isn't surprised by her success. On a recent appearance on "Good Hang with Amy Poehler," Brunson said that if you asked her 10 years ago what she would say if she knew how many accomplishments she had ahead of her, she would probably think everything was going exactly according to plan.
"I think 2014 me would be like, 'Exactly. Period,'" she said with a laugh.
"I was a very determined, knew-where-I-was-going girl," she continued. "I don't like to do that thing where people pretend 'I had no idea this could happen to me.' Like, no. I made every single move in my life so that this could happen to me."
Brunson — who worked at an Apple Store in order to build up enough savings to move to Los Angeles, where she would go on to create viral comic videos and land a job at BuzzFeed — said that leaving her hometown of Philadelphia was part of the strategy she laid out to achieve her success.
She explained that she is "a big believer" in having a vision for your life that you can work toward.
"I think 2014 me didn't exactly know [all of this would happen], but I think that's the beauty of vision," she said. "You can feel, see something, you're working in accordance with something."
Indeed, Brunson's approach is in line with that of successful executives and businesspeople. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and executive coach, told CNBC Make It in 2019 that using tools such as vision boards can help rewire your brain to help you achieve your goals.
Laying out a vision for yourself, she said, can prime your brain to seize on opportunities that you might otherwise not have noticed. Swart explained using a board to help visualize what your life will look like if your goals are achieved can help you make better decisions and be more willing to take action towards making your dreams a reality.
By visualizing your goals and understanding what you need to do to achieve them, she said, you can reduce your body's stress response when the time comes to actually do the work.
"The process reduces the [physiological] fear response to any new situation or person, making you more likely to take healthy risks, collaborate and embrace opportunity," Swart said.
For Brunson's part, while she couldn't have controlled all the circumstances that led to "Abbott Elementary" becoming a smash hit, she doesn't attribute any of the success to luck.
"I don't call myself lucky because I think about all the things that go into it," she said. "But I do think you have to think about so many different factors to make your show a success at all now."