Many of us are guided by inner voices. Monique’s most powerful comes from a higher realm…
In a recent edition of WOMEN IN SONG, we introduced you to Monique Maffei Hester. The former Californian is a multi-faceted singer, songwriter, producer, and author who defies categorization and expectations. Hester marches to her own beat along a path without boundaries.
In the conclusion, Monique “takes the microphone” for TALES FROM THE SPOTLIGHT. As with all things she touches, Hester’s story is filled with emotion, unexpected directions, and moments of powerful inspiration.
First of all, let’s talk about my name, which has been a point of confusion. I use all three names online and in my socials. If you Google “Monique Maffei Hester,” I come up on the first page. You usually have to pay for that “first-page” listing (laughing), but thankfully, using all three names is unique enough to make that happen.
I walked backstage one day at The Dennis Bono Show, and Dennis said, “There’s the girl who’s always in a good mood. She has a perpetual smile on her face.” And that really blessed me. It’s something to live up to because somebody put it out there.
The conversation inside Bono’s green room gravitated to Monique’s stage name, with other guests commenting on what they thought it should be. Dennis felt that including her birth and married surnames made it too lengthy. So on his advice and after a conversation with her husband, she decided that for stage, she’d go by Monique Maffei, but she’ll use her full name online.
Monique (third from left) has appeared several times on The Dennis Bono Show
Monique’s husband is Danny Hester, a prominent competitive bodybuilder and the first Classic Mr. Olympia champion (2016). The two shared the stage for several years, with Monique providing vocals for Danny’s posing appearances.
I was kind of managing him, and he said, ‘You’re gonna travel with me anyway. What if you start singing your original songs, and I’ll pose to those?’ We got hired to go all over the place. It was steady for almost three and a half years. I would take out the dirty clothes (from their suitcases), put in clean ones, and we’d be off again.
People were calling me ‘Monique’s Voice’. And I thought, “Am I ‘Miss Voice’?” It had to be a fascinating thing to see…a guest poser with live vocals. The biggest comment we got was that people could see the love between us.
The unusual nature of their act presented logistical and technical challenges. Monique was in charge of handling those, with Danny always ready to take the stage:
I’m very good at organizing chaos. I run a tidy ship, and Danny runs on adrenaline. I do things in steps and stages, and he’s literally running in, stripping to his posing trunks, then winning the whole thing. We’re a good balance.
The Las Vegas entertainment community is very close-knit, yet Monique quickly made a favorable impression. Her kindness, dedication, and ability to relate well to others have been key factors, along with her outstanding vocal skills.
I’ve had a couple of different mentors since coming here. Teddy Davis was and continues to be. And Rita Lim. Barbara Brighton. Even Dennis Bono has been instrumental in ways he probably doesn’t know.I want to make the most of being here by doing things in Divine Excellence.
That means not being “perfect” but going to God for guidance, His Order, and revelation about His plan for me, and then striving to be the best version of the person He uniquely created me to be. And that requires hard work obviously, but also that I’m totally honest with myself.
It boils down to accountability. I have to hold myself accountable for what I say, what I do, how I treat people, how I live. Again, I’m not thinking I have to be perfect, but I must be honest and strive to walk my talk. If I profess to be someone who believes in God, and who loves God, and yet I don’t come to people in love, then something’s wrong with that picture. Whatever I do is a reflection on God and His nature. It’s like representing one’s family.
In her youth, Monique was bullied and excluded from the “in-crowd”. Now she’s a motivational speaker who shares her experiences through words and songs:
Jesus was asked what is the most important Commandment? He said to love the Lord thy God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength. What’s the second? To love your neighbor as yourself. And I think about that.
If the most important thing is to love God in that way, to me that means with my whole person, with every part of my being. And as He’s “breaking it down” to these four parts, then these are four parts that He cares about.
God cares about my heart (and so my feelings), my soul (what I believe, where I make decisions from, what I’m convicted by), my mind (how I process thoughts and information), and my strength (my physical body and that it’s important that I take care of my health). And I love that God looks at us a whole being; all of our parts have meaning to Him.
As for the second commandment, that tells me that it’s important to God that we have good relationships with each other, and that we attempt to preserve peace amongst each other. It’s important that we are kind to each other, and readily give grace, meaning that we FORGIVE each other, not sometimes, but always.
We all make mistakes; that’s where grace comes in. I know this is simplifying things a bit, but the truth is that God forgives us no matter what we do. And He wants us to forgive because when we do, it releases the pain in us. Holding unforgiveness inside can fester and create a horrible wound that can rob you of your peace.
That person that has done you wrong – let God deal with him/her. Pray for the offender knowing 1) we will all have to answer for our offenses some day, and 2) they may be in a world of hurt that caused them to act badly toward you in the first place. It doesn’t excuse the bad behavior but it can change your perspective on the situation. Just have grace for others, that’s the bottom line.
Monique does an original online post called TEA TALK where she talks about everyday life-inspired messages, and shares God’s principles to empower people to identify their purpose, and to learn to walk effectively in the fullness of all they were uniquely created to be. See TEA TALK podcasts and YouTube videos here:
Monique was inspired to create THE PEACE PROJECT, a collection of songs she calls a “love gift” to her father, David Maffei, after his sudden passing. You can listen to it here:
“For all the laughs, the new experiences, your proud support, and the opportunities you worked so hard to ALWAYS provide to me and our family. I’m missing you so much, but I’m so FULL OF JOY that you are with Jesus and that WE’LL ALL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN someday.”
You can learn about Monique’s upcoming performances, ‘Peace Project’ EP recording, and video projects by heading here.
