Travis White of Sherman Oaks on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Travis White. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Travis, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’m walking a path now — but I had to wander to find it.

For a long time, my life moved through seasons that felt uncertain: moments where I was rebuilding myself, discovering my voice, and learning how to trust the kind of future I couldn’t see yet. The wandering wasn’t wasted, though. It taught me who I am, what I value, and what I refuse to settle for.

Today, my path is intentional. Every step I take as an actor, activist, and entrepreneur is rooted in purpose. I’m building things that reflect my heart — from my storytelling to my community work to the brands I’m creating. I’m no longer searching for direction; I’m following alignment. And that’s when everything started opening up for me.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Travis White — I’m an actor, activist, and digital storyteller based in Los Angeles, and the founder of TLW Agency, RAYVENT, and TLW Impact.

Everything I create lives at the intersection of art, purpose, and community. I started my career behind the scenes managing major productions and creative campaigns, but over time I realized my true calling was stepping in front of the camera and building brands that reflect my heart.

Through TLW Agency, I help brands tell meaningful stories with intention.
Through RAYVENT, my sunglasses line, I’m redefining what confidence, edge, and self-expression look like.
And through TLW Impact, my nonprofit, I’m focused on supporting vegan initiatives and community-centered causes that uplift marginalized voices.

What makes my work special is that it’s all rooted in lived experience — the rebuilding, the resilience, the creativity, and the belief that purpose is something you walk toward every day. I’m working on projects that allow me to merge art with advocacy, elevate my acting career, and continue creating work that inspires people to choose compassion, boldness, and truth.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mama — even though our relationship wasn’t always easy growing up.
We didn’t have that instant closeness in my early years, but something shifted as I got older. In my twenties, we started to truly understand each other, and that changed everything.

She’s been one of the people who has guided me the most as I’ve navigated adulthood, especially after my divorce. She’s shown me softness, patience, and a kind of understanding I didn’t always know how to receive before. And what’s meaningful is that she’s been helping me grow into the person I’ve become — not by telling me who to be, but by reminding me of who I already was underneath it all.

She saw my heart before I fully trusted it. She saw the creativity, the tenderness, the resilience — the parts of me that make me a storyteller, an activist, and someone who leads with purpose. Our journey wasn’t perfect, but it’s ours, and I’m grateful for where we landed.

I thank God for her.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me how to see myself clearly.
Success can make you feel praised, but suffering makes you feel present — and that’s where the truth lives. In the seasons that hurt the most, especially after my divorce and everything that followed, I had to face parts of myself I used to avoid. When life got quiet and heavy, I learned who I was without the noise… and without needing to be strong for anyone else.

Those moments taught me patience.
They taught me compassion.
They taught me how to slow down, breathe, and trust that everything happening to me was also happening for me.

But more than anything, suffering strengthened my faith in God.
When I didn’t have answers, I still had Him. When I didn’t know what was next, He carried me into it. My healing didn’t come from pretending to be okay — it came from surrender, from prayer, and from trusting that God was rebuilding me piece by piece.

Success never taught me that.
Success celebrates the outcome, but suffering shapes the character.
And now, everything I create — the stories I tell, the activism I stand in, the businesses I’ve built — comes from a deeper foundation rooted in faith, resilience, and the parts of me that were born in those harder seasons.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m committed to building a life and legacy that pours into people long after I’m gone. That shows up in everything I’m doing, from my storytelling and activism to the brands and organizations I’m building.

With TLW Impact, my nonprofit, I’m committed to creating a foundation that raises money for causes I believe in, especially vegan initiatives and community-centered work that uplifts marginalized groups. That’s not a short-term project for me. It’s a lifelong vision. I want this organization to grow into something bigger than me, something that will keep giving, supporting, and impacting communities long after my name is no longer attached to it.

I’m also committed to RAYVENT, not just as a sunglasses line but as a reminder of confidence, edge, and self-expression. It took me years to believe in myself enough to start my own brand, and now that it’s here, I’m committed to nurturing it with patience and purpose — no matter how long the journey takes.

And above all, I’m committed to my belief that everything unfolds in divine timing. I’ve learned that what’s meant for me doesn’t rush me, and what’s aligned with my purpose always finds its way back. So I’m building slowly, intentionally, and with the faith that every seed I plant will grow exactly when it’s supposed to.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What light inside you have you been dimming?
For a long time, I dimmed the light that made me… me.
The part of me that loved creating, performing, leading, dreaming without limits. I softened myself to make other people comfortable. I hid my gifts to survive environments that weren’t built to hold the fullness of who I was becoming.

When I went through my divorce — a separation I initiated because I knew I couldn’t stay somewhere that didn’t align with my spirit anymore — I felt myself unravel. Even though I wanted that chapter to end, it still broke me open in ways I never expected. I was rebuilding myself emotionally, spiritually, and mentally… piece by piece.

Then a year later, after giving five years of my life to a job where I poured my creativity, my discipline, my heart, and a big part of my identity — I was laid off.
That moment hit me harder than I admitted at the time.
It felt like losing another foundation I thought I could stand on.

But looking back, those two experiences revealed something deeper:
I had been dimming my light for years.

I dimmed my creativity.
I dimmed my leadership.
I dimmed my softness.
I dimmed my purpose.
I dimmed the part of me that knew I was meant to build my own lane — not live inside someone else’s.

And here’s what God showed me on the other side of all that loss:
You can lose a relationship.
You can lose a job.
You can lose a title.
But you can never lose your purpose.

Those painful seasons pushed me into the version of myself I had been scared to step into.

Now?

I’m not dimming anything.

I’m owning my voice as an actor.
I’m standing in my purpose as an activist.
I’m building TLW Agency, RAYVENT, and TLW Impact with intention.
I’m honoring my creativity, my faith, my resilience, and the strength it took to rebuild my entire life from scratch.

The light I dimmed to survive is the same light I’m letting shine to leave my legacy.
And I’m never shrinking again.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://travislwhite.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traviswhite/
• Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/traviswhite/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traviswhiteofficial/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@travislwhite
• Other: https://www.rayvent.com/
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Image Credits
TabandChance
Peta
Habitat for Humanity
JMC Photobooths