Two years after her public divorce from Tom Cruise, The Dark Knight star Katie Holmes is finally opening up about her aspirations as a newly-single and refocused woman. The 35-year-old actress covered this week’s issue of People, and told the magazine that she hopes to prove to the world that she’s more than just the ex-wife of an A-list actor, and is “ready for new challenges.”

Holmes has been keeping herself extremely busy since her divorce, and has been focusing her time building her acting resume. She will reprise her role as Jackie Kennedy in Reelz’s The Kennedys sequel, stars in next month’s Miss Meadows, and is set to make her directorial debut with All We Had.

“I don’t have any fear now, I don’t have a lot of rules for myself, and I don’t take myself that seriously,” Holmes told People. “I feel ready for new challenges.”

When asked about her divorce, Holmes made it clear that she no longer wants Cruise to be mentioned every time she is interviewed and seeks to be considered more than just his former wife.

“I don’t want that moment in my life to define me, to be who I am. I don’t want that to be what I’m known as. I was an actor before, an actor during and an actor now.”

However, Holmes is still more than happy to gush over her daughter with Cruise, 8-year-old Suri.

“I’m learning every day, and I have been since the minute I became a mom. My patience has grown, but between 4 and 6 p.m. … I mean, wow. Between tickle fights and glitter art, I try to throw in some manners along the way.”