The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree — so the old saying goes and for iconic actress and singer, Vanessa Williams she shares that fact with interview with her daughter, Lion Babe’s Jillian Hervey proving that fierceness runs in the family but more to the point that true beauty is found inside and that beauty is timeless.

In Essence’s January 2017 cover story, Vanessa + Jillian, the stunning duo chat with Essence about being in the business, the sacredness of family and loving the skin you’re in.

In the upcoming “Daytime Divas” which is based on Star Jones’ book Satan’s Sisters she shared her insight into the former talk show host. “She’s no joke. She’s smart, she’s connected, she’s witty. She’s dynamic. She gets things done. There are a lot of parallels with Star’s life,” says Williams.

Williams herself came into the industry with her share of early scandal with nude photos of her with another woman almost stopping a career before it began. She makes it clear that she understands pain and the power of overcoming obstacles.

“You have to go through the fire,” says Williams. “Avoiding the pain is why most people never resolve it. You have to dig deep, sit in it and ugly-cry. Pretending it’s not there and keeping busy are a way of avoiding it…”

Essence’s January 2017 cover story, Vanessa + Jillian, just hit stands today.