Sheryl Lee Ralph Praises Daughter Coco and Son Etienne for Averting Nepobaby Status: 'They're Doing It Themselves' (Exclusive)

When it comes to her children, Sheryl Lee Ralph has many things to be proud of, including their hard-won professional success.

Ralph's daughter Ivy-Victoria (who also goes by "Coco"), 28, is currently the Abbott Elementary star's stylist, while Etienne, 31, is the CEO and founder of WalkGood, an organization in Los Angeles dedicated to bringing people from "all walks of life" together through the arts, health and wellness. The actress shares both children with ex-husband Eric Maurice, whom she divorced in 2001.

"I'm so proud of them," says Ralph, who spoke with PEOPLE to promote her partnership with MadeGood on its Share Some Good Fund. "They're not looking at me to help them do this or that. They're not using nepotism. They're not coming to me saying, 'Can you call this? Can you do that?' They're doing it themselves, and I just respect them so much for that."

"Sometimes I say, 'Well, can I help?' They're like, 'No, mom, we got this. We got this.' And I'm like, 'Wow, you really do got this,'" she adds.

Ralph, 66, says that while her daughter follows in the footsteps of her mother, designer Ivy Ralph, Coco has a fashion sensibility all her own. That has proven itself out time and again with show-stopping looks, like the custom gold strapless grown from Haitian designer Jovana Louis she dressed her mother in for the Critics Choice Awards this January.

"Coco was always in the cutting room," the actress explains. "I don't know how it came to her, but she's good at this. She gets it. She has totally elevated my style. She has given me a look that makes other women say, 'Oh, my God, I need to try that,' or "Why don't I try being more colorful?'"

The Abbott Elementary star also discussed Etienne's two terrible incidents in 2013: a car accident, and a mugging where he was shot three times — twice in his leg and once where a bullet grazed his forehead.

Those scary moments were extremely trying for Ralph. "There are moments in your children's lives that will bring you to your knees," she explains. "Sometimes in exhaustion. God's willing, it is in prayer. People talk about testimony. The test has become a testimony. The pain has brought him through with greater purpose. And through his own experiences in life, he is able to be of better help and service to others."

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Etienne, who reflected on those traumatic experiences on social media in July, proposed to Stephanie Wash, his longtime girlfriend and a journalist at ABC News, that same month.

"He's got an incredible partner," Ralph says proudly. "She's beautiful and smart."