The Dap and A Hug Podcast

Empowering Single Mothers: Sheena Pickett on Stability, Faith & Breaking Cycles

• Sadarro Chisholm

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0:00 | 53:30

Sheena Pickett, founder of Empower Eden, joins The Dap and A Hug Podcast to discuss her mission of helping single mothers achieve independence, stability, and long-term success.

Sheena opens up about becoming a young mother and navigating work, childcare, education, and housing. She explains how those experiences inspired her to help other women facing similar challenges. The conversation explores affordable housing, past trauma, faith, community support, asking for help, breaking generational cycles, and her vision of creating transitional homes where women can rebuild while continuing to care for their children. 

She also shares advice for young people about education, peer pressure, responsible choices, and creating a better path for their future.

Connect with Empower Eden:
Website: www.empowereden.org
Instagram: @empower_eden
Sheena’s Instagram: @sheena.pickett.16
Facebook: Sheena Pickett

Please follow The Dap and A Hug Podcast and share this episode with someone who could benefit from hearing it.

Peace and Love at The Dap and A Hug

SPEAKER_02

I mean you're doing more than just running an organization.

SPEAKER_03

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02

Like you come into people's lives when they are very like in a vulnerable state. You know what I'm saying? Like at their hardest moments. That's that's gotta be a lot to take on, you know what I mean? What does that responsibility feel like on a daily basis?

SPEAKER_00

Um, on a daily basis, I kind of deal with a lot of responsibility anyway. So for the past eight years, I've been a um supervisor at UPS, so I manage a whole driver group. So most of them are men, so I ain't gonna say a bunch of crybabies, but they are adults with a lot of issues, problems. So I kind of learn how to be more of a listener, right? And um listen to different people's situations, probably not more so let it affect my own life and my situation. So I don't take that work home.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. That was like sympathy versus empathy.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

So what led you to come to say I'm gonna overcome my situation?

SPEAKER_00

Um, what led me to overcome? I think once I realized that I wasn't doing half bad, once I raised my daughter and had my son, I probably bought my first house around 26, 27.

SPEAKER_03

Nice.

SPEAKER_00

Had a couple of cars. When I bought this house, I'm living in country club. Everybody was already telling me that you're doing way better than most black people around our age and stuff anyway. So um yeah, once I realized I wasn't doing that bad credit-wise um money that I was making, I I realized that I was I wanted to, you know, help somebody else.

SPEAKER_01

Um that's beautiful. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because I I'm hard on myself. So I've always thought I was doing bad or could be doing much better.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm very self-deprecating as well. Yeah. Sometimes too much. But you know, it is what it is. That's why I'm more on reflection than the things that lead to depression. Yeah, which is where you dwell on stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I know I'm not that type of person.

SPEAKER_02

Like, make a mistake, try to fix it. If there's a room for redemption, do it, and you gotta move on.

SPEAKER_00

You gotta move on, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so before empower even existed, like as far as like the li the life that shaped your mission, what were you navigating at that time?

SPEAKER_00

Um well, in my childhood, I was raised by my grandmother. So my parents um navigated and dealt with a lot of drugs, drinking. So different life traumas growing up, um, growing up in hood. I'm from the south side of Rocky Hill so navigating through life, and I don't think they had nothing to do with me, you know, having a child and stuff, but once I had a child, I'm navigating a lot then. Trying to work, take care of her, um, find good jobs and a place to live. And the stuff that I'm trying to show these women is stuff that I was actually battling, you know, myself. Trying to find out how to find affordable housing, childcare, go to school at the same time, all of that stuff. So you're battling a lot at the same time.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and I was gonna say this like not off the top, but everybody knows somebody that's a single mama, like in their family. Yeah. I mean, I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and it and it happens every day. Everybody knows somebody that knows somebody that you can refer to those type of services or that needs help or domestic situations, anything like that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, like domestic abusing stuff, yeah, all of that. Yeah, it definitely takes to the tango. And you know, I'm a single father, so I can definitely relate to having to play both both parts. So this is this is awesome what we got going on right now. I just got chills. So, what did that season teach you about survival that most people on the outside would not understand?

SPEAKER_00

Um, that season actually teaches how to be a hustler, how to make money. No matter what, you know, you gotta survive and feed your child, even if you have to go days without eating. Yeah, you know, a lot of stuff you have to do just to take care of your child, you might not even be fond of when you grow up. But yeah, that that season teaches you how to survive. That be your worst days.

SPEAKER_02

Respect.

SPEAKER_00

When you are younger, and then because you don't know no better.

unknown

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

So once you do learn to do better, you do better then, but you learn how to be in survival mode.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I think a lot of people dabble in a little something, something at an early age, and hopefully they maybe when they had a crossroads, somebody or something happens to thwart them in the right direction. Because, you know, other than getting out of your own way, it's a lot of traps out here. Yes, a lot of traps. You know, it's the money. But you you gotta survive though, that's the thing about it. And I'm gonna tell you something. I'm gonna let me go ahead and say this, man. The whole child support thing, and then you lose your license. So if you so if you if you're on child support and I haven't looked at the laws lately, I'm pretty sure it's the same. If you're on child support and you get like behind, yeah, you can go to jail. So if you had a job, you might lose your job while you're in jail. Yeah, you're gonna lose your license. Yeah, but license gets suspended. What kind of what kind of what's going on as far as how they got that set up? Systematically.

SPEAKER_00

They're not gonna be getting no support either.

SPEAKER_02

That goes both ways. It ain't just the men, it's women, like you know what I'm saying, it's everybody. They do not discriminate on that. What's up with that?

SPEAKER_00

I think they just let you fall further and further behind, you know, that system is set up to fail.

SPEAKER_02

But I'm just I'm just saying, like, if anybody listening to this, man, I know some people are gonna listen, like, as people, we have to like really. I don't know. You know what I'm saying? Like, because it's it's only so much we can do other than talk about it. Oh, yeah. But my point is if if I was running a country, never want to, there's no way I would have it set up like that.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, yeah. I don't know. Like, why why is that still going on?

SPEAKER_00

You would change though, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I'm really trying to stay calm right now. So excuse me.

SPEAKER_00

Well, you know, it has a lot of uh a lot of stuff to do with with political, so I don't I don't think we'll be able to change that, but we need to.

SPEAKER_01

But damn, how you supposed to get a job if you can't drive to go to the interview once you get out, like all that.

SPEAKER_00

And all that stuff is like a rolling ball, like that affects. If you do go to jail, you lose the job, you can't take care of the child anyway.

SPEAKER_02

They're trying to keep the battery running at the uh slave ships without the sales, meaning um private prisons. Yeah, I'm trying to tell you, man. So it's a change that's gonna come. I don't know if it's gonna take a meteorite to hit the earth. I'm hoping it's just this awakening of Christ and some people that I know, including myself, and people can see some things and it'd be the start of change. Even if it's like a little, a couple people this generation, man, it can set some foundation for lyrics generation, oh, yeah, your kids' generation, and moving forward. We plant some good seeds, man. Yeah, it's been a lot of corrupted seeds been planted, grown. So, what is Empower Eden really about?

SPEAKER_00

Um, Empower Eden is really about, I got the name from the Garden of Eden, which is Eden. But Empower's Eden is really about seeing your way through. Even if you have a child at a young age or older age, you're gonna stumble, you're gonna struggle, but you can get back up and start again, get some help. I just want a lot of women to see that you can still get what you need. Like you're not stuck just because you did have a child. You may not have no family here, you may not think you have the resources, but they are here. There's a different organization that can help you, community support. You just have to reach out and get the kind of support you need.

SPEAKER_01

Reach out to you.

SPEAKER_00

You can reach out to me, but even me, I don't specialize in those areas. I got a lot of different organizations that I work with, network, and a lot of connections that I can definitely get you, you know, hooked up with somebody.

SPEAKER_02

And how can I get in contact with you?

SPEAKER_00

Um, you can reach out to me from my website, empowereding.org, um, on Facebook, EmpowerEden and Instagram.

SPEAKER_02

Or that's what's going on. You uh been working on EIG yet? Like putting out stuff?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I'm working on that too. I'm trying to um trying to get hooked up on a lot of different things. I got a couple of digital assets that I'm working on, um, a free journal and a book that I'm working on right now. Um okay.

SPEAKER_02

What's on the website that somebody might want to know? Like behind the scenes that you want to share about like the process.

SPEAKER_00

The process, the for I may have to get referrals. I go to pathways a lot to work with those women over there doing a lot of feedings, making connections.

SPEAKER_02

Nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But um, I like to talk to people myself. So I just want people to know if you do reach out through the website, phone number, you're gonna be talking to me directly. I like to set up meetings, um, hear about your situation so that I can make a personal connection. You know what I'm saying? So that's what it's all about. I would not be referring you to anybody else to do that. You know, a lot of people don't open up and trust well with a website or uh, you know, AI, somebody else they may be talking to. So yeah, I like to make those personal connections myself.

SPEAKER_02

I love that, I respect that the personal connections. Because back to the technology is definitely getting in the way.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you never know who you're talking to.

SPEAKER_02

Why single mothers specifically?

SPEAKER_00

Uh, single mothers was more fitting for my own situation. I don't want to speak on nobody else's, but that's what I was. That's what I went through with both of my children, and um, that's what I know something about.

SPEAKER_02

So and it's beautiful because it's an experience that you went through.

SPEAKER_00

It was the experience that I went through.

SPEAKER_02

And testimonially, you can actually help people because you've been through it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because I already been through it.

SPEAKER_02

Can't nobody say nothing.

SPEAKER_00

Can't nobody tell me how to do it. I know everybody's situation. It's definitely but some of the steps that you can take and some of the stuff that you need to do to grow, yeah, I can I can personally help you and walk you through that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Do you think that there may be some women out there that they don't even want to ask for help? They still just trying, trying, trying to figure out on their own. Yeah. What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I'm thinking you have to reach out for help to in order to get help. The one you you're trying on your own, you're not gonna get nowhere because that old way that you've been trying obviously is not working. It takes people a long time to realize that. But you gotta change some things in order to make make something happen.

SPEAKER_02

Gotta crush the pride. Yeah, crush the pride. Gotta kill it.

SPEAKER_00

And just reach out for help so that, or you know, let somebody know and they will be able to refer you to a program where you can get the help that you need. But if you're just going through them struggles on your own, that was not gonna work for you.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So when we talk about breaking the cycle, right? Mm-hmm of housing instability. What does that really look like?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I think we have a lack of affordable housing here.

SPEAKER_02

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

We in Rock Hill, but all over York County and everywhere. We got a lack of affordable housing, a lack of good mothers, parents, and like you said, a lot of stuff is just distraction. They don't pay attention to their children, so the children are not learning that. They're the only ones lacking in those situations. All of that in turn creates homelessness and poverty. See, they have a lack of good jobs too. So all of that. If you're trying to make me pay rent and I gotta make three times the rent just to even get qualified, we can't we can't qualify. We don't have the, you know what I'm saying? We don't have the jobs, we don't have what we need to qualify. So I think they need to lower that standard, first of all, and need to be based on your income so a lot of people can prosper.

SPEAKER_02

This is one of the most frustrating things for me. Because y'all the real superheroes, man.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, we the ones who are left to in most situations. I know you're a single father too, but to take care of the children, we gotta be able to provide for them. Yeah, and it's hard to get a place around him.

SPEAKER_02

It's like some, you know, single mothers with multiple jobs, multiple kids, and they taking online courses with the kids at that point.

SPEAKER_00

You're working so much just to, you know what I'm saying, beat them.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, my my heart goes out to all the single mothers out there, and the single fathers as well, that's doing the right thing. But the single mothers, man, y'all the real heroes out here, man. I have respect. Yes. For real. Well, I get that. What do you think that most people misunderstand about single mothers?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I think a lot of people misunderstand what private struggles we go through, like behind closed doors.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I was gonna ask if you could share something, if you don't mind.

SPEAKER_00

Um, I mean, it's a struggle. You it when you sick or you might have any mental health issues, nobody checks on you enough to see how you're doing. What you need help with. Of course, the fathers most of the time, they don't they don't care to help, or they might just come get the kids, but they don't check on you enough. So I don't think that people understand the stuff that we go through privately with just even our daily waking the kids up every morning of getting rid of a school, the responsibility back and forth to school, feeding them every day, buying clothes and shoes, all of that is it weighs a lot heavier on one person now.

SPEAKER_02

Because I mean it's some I hear that like their parents ain't here, like the grandparents of the kids are here. On somebody else, it's like no village.

SPEAKER_00

You don't have a village, and it's a lot on one person, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

What would you say that most of the single mothers struggle with most as far as um the things that you listed? What's the what's the top, the number one?

SPEAKER_00

The top number one struggle I've heard of so far is past trauma.

SPEAKER_02

The past trauma.

SPEAKER_00

Yep, they went through. And it might have been something that created that trauma um with drug abuse, drinking, might have led to you now pills or a prior illness. Now you didn't got affected by those pills or hooked on those, but yeah, that was my number one past trauma. Going all the way back to a child who, you know.

SPEAKER_02

Man. I'm just thinking about like when a single mom comes to you, right? The all the emotion that goes through for her to even like get ready to okay, so like I need help. So she's already emotional. Yeah, and she finds that the precipice, okay, I need to reach out. Then so she has to get on the internet. Just everything that goes on mentally, it has to be overwhelming. Yeah, so thank you for what you're doing. Welcome. Seriously. I mean, can you describe what that feels like for someone else? Don't don't don't say no names, but can you just be like, or just like in general, if someone shared with you from beginning to end? Like I'm talking about beginning, like what I just said, they find out they finally need help, the steps it took for them to find you, getting with you, you guiding them through with you referring them to someone else about certain things in specific or whatever, then when they circle back to you to hopefully show you gratitude. Okay, how does that feel for both of y'all?

SPEAKER_00

Um, that feels good. I've actually secretly helped people and didn't even know it. You know what I'm saying? Just by telling them about the program and what I do, and they may not have been in that bad of a situation, but once they started talking to me and figure out what I got going on, just uplifted them, and now they build it up. You gotta build trust in people first. But they can tell you about deeper into their story. So if I've actually done a lot for people just by being mean, I mean, I try to hold a light, be happy every day, you know, walk with my head up, that kind of thing, yeah. So if they get the courage to come talk to me, I've already done a lot right there at that point. Because you can look online and find services, different services, just by Google and searching the internet. So once you choose me to come talk to, I'm already, you know, feel like I've done a lot already.

SPEAKER_02

I'm sure they'll see and feel your sincerity.

SPEAKER_00

They gotta listen to see you actively working in the community, reaching out, helping other people. Yeah, that's what makes them actually want to come to you.

SPEAKER_02

You so you're taking a lot on, right? Well, at what point is it hardest for you through the whole process?

SPEAKER_00

Um, separating from it.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Probably basically listening to different people's stories, and some of them are really, really bad. Like we ain't seen nothing yet. You know what I'm saying? What different people go through. Now I got to go home and let all of that go and you know, take care of my family, and separating from it is a is a lot for me.

SPEAKER_02

But so what helps you to process all that uh faith and prayer.

SPEAKER_00

Um that's number one. Number one, basically, keeping my myself grounded and rooted in the Lord, basically.

SPEAKER_02

What else?

SPEAKER_00

Um, my daily practices. I have to what I have to do every day, go to the gym.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Building good habits for myself, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so the reason why I asked that, because I totally agree with you as far as that order chronological.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, my step, yeah. I have to do what people think I'm crazy. I got a little bit of OCD, but I got a lot of OCD. Not to wake up at the 4:30 and be at the gym at 5 30. That starts my day.

SPEAKER_02

I the reason why I had brought that up was because when you walked in the house, I was like, man, I hadn't worked out in two days. Like, I have to have it. You know what I'm saying? So thankfully I got another day.

SPEAKER_00

Look, I still owe it one more day this week myself, but yeah, just that, just getting that order in my life, basically. I don't think if you don't have any order in your life, you won't be able to help nobody else.

SPEAKER_02

Have you ever had a situation where you question whether or not you could keep going?

SPEAKER_00

Um, no, not really. Um if I did have that question, I know women out there need these services. I like I know, you know what I'm saying, it's good services. I'm trying to help people. So if you're trying to help people, I'm never questioned if I should keep going or not. Now I put a lot of money into it, done a lot by myself, but I've never questioned if I can keep going or not. I know eventually somebody's gonna hear about Empower Eating and want to invest in it and you know, walk alongside me.

SPEAKER_02

I hope I'm gonna pray that it happens, man. Hopefully that hit us, man. Ain't no telling what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00

Ain't no telling what's gonna happen. That might be my you know, my big break.

SPEAKER_02

I want everybody to win, man. I want everybody to heal and get help.

SPEAKER_01

I I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

I don't know what everybody needs. I know what I need and I got it. I'm just sharing my experience. So hopefully somebody can tap in and they can get some help from Candy's conversation. Yeah, I'm not gonna push you to go sit in a sauna for 20 minutes. I'm not gonna say to do that. Well, whatever I can't make you go, I can't make you surrender. I don't know what your relationship is with God or if you have one, and I'm but I'm not perfect. No, I'm working on it, but this ain't about me. It really ain't. It's not about you, it's about the greater good for everybody. You know what I'm saying, all right? It's it's not just about me and her. Like, I'm not self-centered saying it's about me. Obviously, it's not about me. I'm sacrificing my time, my energy, et cetera, et cetera. But yeah, it's all about Lyric. That's my that's my baby, but it's beyond us as well. My impact reaches outside of these walls, outside of her brain, my brain, our hearts. It's our family, our friends, real people in the community doing good things, and the people out there that's doing bad things that need to help. So we can toss that line out there, snatch their hook, reel them in, you know what I'm saying? Get them in, get them up on the bank, hopefully. I'm serious. It's the people out there.

SPEAKER_01

That's why we're doing this. We shooting, didn't we? I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02

I saw some people put some stuff on social media. Okay. My cousin, it's one of my cousins' homeboys. I don't know if you know Dean McMillan, he's a rapper. Shout out to him, but uh, we did a podcast a while back. But he had posted something on Facebook about shooting going on here in Rocky. Flint Street, Flint Hill, whatever, over there in that area.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, probably.

SPEAKER_02

They got him though. They find they they arrested the guy.

SPEAKER_00

I didn't hear about that. I try not to watch the news. I don't I don't watch the news just for that.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, but I have to speak up out on some things, man. But like, so systematically, right? Things are already set in place to give us a high percentage of a chance to fail. To, you know what I'm saying, be in a bad situation mentally already. Is this set? Yeah, how we gonna how we gonna change it? I know it starts here, right?

SPEAKER_00

It starts here, but like I said, it's it's within that person to change it.

SPEAKER_02

Because you got an intelligent mind, obviously. So we're gonna figure this shit out.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but we have to do that.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, it's not like let me ask you this. You already basically explained the process. Do you plan on having any do you have you have events and stuff, right? Yes. Can you walk me through one of those?

SPEAKER_00

Um, well, first when I first started this.

SPEAKER_02

I'm sorry. How about this? I hadn't seen you since I got you. When you graduated. Okay. When you graduated. Long story short, you're a year ahead of me. So I didn't see you since high school. Let's just put it like that. I don't recall seeing you anywhere. But then I saw you at Solo. Yes. You want to talk about that one?

SPEAKER_00

Um, when you see me at Solo, I was doing that nonprofit event. I think I had a nonprofit day, inviting nonprofits to the church. So I was invited by Miss Valerie.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um, she's one of my networking partners. Right. So she invited me to the church with um, and I had been to the church before, but I hadn't seen you a couple months back. I don't know if you had joined there or not.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But yeah, so that was one of our events. We normally come set up a table, advertise, empower eating, um, have a sign-in sheet so that I can reach back out to people, give it my card, see what kind of services they need. Most of them that do sign up, they are a single mother. Maybe they just signing up because they stopped by the table. Like not everybody needs the services. They were just at church that day. But yeah, that's what that's what it normally goes like when I when we do have an event. Sure, you throw some food in a little bit. Now, when I have, yeah, that's what I was about to say. When I first started in February 2024, I was starting to have events based on a specific topic. First one was spiritual guidance, but when I would have meetings, I would always have food. Nobody really knew me like that. I'm born and raised in Rakhia, but I really wasn't getting the support of the audience that I was looking for.

SPEAKER_02

So hey, wait, wait, wait, what?

SPEAKER_00

I wasn't getting the support. I might get like family members' support coming out, but I wasn't getting the audience that I was looking for.

SPEAKER_01

So sad.

SPEAKER_00

Nobody really knew me at all. So I'm having good services, good food, nobody was coming out. So those events I kind of stopped doing. And then I just started networking and collaborating with people who had already, you know what I'm saying, a credible or had more name than I did. So Miss Bower is one of them.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And um a couple of other people, yeah. Started working with them and having some collaboration events. City of Rock Hill, having back to school drives, or I'd go to different communities. Flint Hill is actually the last one I did for Christmas, and just did like a um um hat and gloves hygiene type drive. So yeah, that's kind of that's kind of how I more so started to get my name out there. Yeah, so now giving back to the community.

SPEAKER_02

People need to wake up, man. I think that's what it is, yeah. And people that don't even know that there are resources out there.

SPEAKER_00

They don't know it. And I'm just trying to spread the word and make awareness and get them to know that there are resources out there for them.

SPEAKER_02

What does the role of the community play in making the outcome change for these people? Um And by these people, I mean like single mothers, you know, anybody that's struggling going through financial gain.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the community plays a big role in it. I've actually done it quite a bit.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so how about y'all share how about y'all share these clips?

SPEAKER_00

I was gonna done a collaboration with the um city of Rocky L over there at the Boy Hill Community Center. Obviously, the community right behind the recreation center is low-income housing. So I'm trying to capture wherever I go, those those ladies over there with children. And if the community put their name on it, they will come out and support. May not maybe not empower eating, but if you collaborate with the community, the different communities in Rock Hill, or that may have some food or something free for the children, they will come out and support. I noticed that. Yeah, everything that the community put their hands behind, they they will support. So I don't think we do enough here in the Rock Hill community. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I don't think I could ever do enough. We we can't even know.

SPEAKER_00

We can't, but we can get the whole community together to help and support.

SPEAKER_02

The all nighters. So, like this process of you building all this, like what does it taught you about leadership that you didn't know before?

SPEAKER_00

Um leadership. Um, even though, like I said previously, I felt like it was in leadership already.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you was.

SPEAKER_00

Um I think it taught me that I have the skills to be a leader.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And I didn't know it. But other people, the way they convey themselves around me and treat me, I got the skills to be a leader. Because you know, like I told you, when it comes to social media podcasts and stuff, I got a fear of it. But I must have what it takes already. Like God has already instilled in me what it takes already, and I'm the only one who don't know it or realize it. So I'm coming to that realization that hey, you can do this.

SPEAKER_02

There's more of an acknowledgement, it's more of an acknowledgement.

SPEAKER_00

Like just get over that fear. You can actually do this. Everybody come to you for their situation, trusting in you to talk to you and tell you about the different things or for resources. So you must possess something already that you can actually, you know what I'm saying, help somebody else.

SPEAKER_02

Only fear God. Fear other than that, the word fear is just man-made. Yeah. As far as just like if it's anything outside of that.

SPEAKER_01

Ain't nothing to be fearing.

SPEAKER_02

And it's just it's real though. It's it's so serious. Like acknowledging that and owning that and living by that is very powerful.

SPEAKER_00

That's powerful, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because I think I don't I don't like to give the word anxiety too much power, but you know, anxiety about you know, I've had an issue. Still do to this damn day, actually. You know what I'm saying? But we have tools, right? Yeah, we are. I can go to the gym, I can meditate, pray. I meditate what helps us. Jujitsu. Okay, I got something gonna talk about jujitsu. Try not to at least.

SPEAKER_00

Trying not to.

SPEAKER_02

No, it's just a lot of things coming back to it.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Especially when it comes to anxiety and stuff like that. Learning how to breathe.

SPEAKER_00

Do you still do jujitsu? Yeah. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Learning how to breathe, don't panic. The big thing is reacting and going through something under pressure. It helps with learning how to do that.

SPEAKER_00

I didn't even know jujitsu do all of that.

SPEAKER_02

And think under pressure.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

If somebody got you, I'm not gonna say I'm not gonna go into it.

SPEAKER_00

That's your topic right there.

SPEAKER_02

Um shout to Coach Joey Dean. Shout to Ken Notes, shout to everybody up there, Carolina Family Jiu-Jitsu. What did you have to unlearn? How about that? What did you have to unlearn to become who you are today?

SPEAKER_00

Unlearn. Um, I think he spoke about generational curses earlier, but um guess how to unlearn how not to be biased towards people and situations. Um, because you know, growing up, you are taught what your parents learn, what they instilled in you. So you have to kind of like unlearn that they don't they don't fit everybody's situation. So you can't be biased towards everybody in their situation. You just gotta come into this with an open mind and an open heart if you choose to help truly help people. So yeah, I think I had to unlearn that because you know, we we got your little clicks, even when you come up in school, high school, college, or whatever. But yeah, you can't you can't be like that, can't be biased towards people. You still ball? I don't, not like, not like I used to at all. I said I need to get back into it, just see if I still got it, but no, I don't.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I shoot around or something. You still do that every now and then. But uh, nah man, that ain't my thing. Nothing. I literally, I really just I'm serious when I say this. I feel like if I was to try to go up for a dunk, yeah, like for real try to dunk, I could. I honestly I don't even know. You don't know if you can do it no more. I could, but I'm scared to try. I think you can do it.

SPEAKER_01

I'm scared.

SPEAKER_02

Feel like my knee is gonna snap, like my leg's gonna just go opposite of everything, gonna go wrong. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00

No, well, you do it a couple of times. I know you still got it.

SPEAKER_02

I ain't lost nothing out there. My business is on the mats. I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna approach people that I know. I know people that need to hit us. I'm serious.

SPEAKER_00

I'm definitely trying to raise awareness.

SPEAKER_02

You said city of Rocky. I'm skipping past that. I'm going to the the York County office.

SPEAKER_00

Because I want to work with actually surrounding areas. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02

That's what I'm, you know, my focus is on the York County because it's bigger than Rocky. Not just Rockio. You know, uh, I'm a county boy. I'm not in the city limits.

SPEAKER_00

Not in me either.

SPEAKER_02

It's so much stuff I've been wanting to stay on here, man. You just don't get it.

SPEAKER_00

Woo! I don't know how you stay on the past, man.

SPEAKER_02

It's tough. It's really tough. I'm gonna get into the spill, but I don't want to have to take the time to go back and edit it out.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

I'm gonna go ahead and just tell you because it's on my heart. Long story short, back to that day when I was like, I'm gonna run out of the office. I was like, I know what I can do, man. I gotta start this podcast. I gotta get back to Rocky. And it ain't nothing up in here for me to say. I gotta get back home and help the people around me. Because I know single mothers that need housing. Man, damn, that was really one of the things that was really kind of on my mind at that time that I think about it. Now I ain't gonna name no names or nothing, man. But like, I love y'all, man. It's always I gotta get back home and help my community. Yes. So what I can do is start a podcast. I get like a little part-time job. Sorry. I'm just trying to help people, right?

SPEAKER_00

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02

Direct impact, positive.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, positive impact.

SPEAKER_02

So thank God for that. Like, he couldn't do it without him. He gets all the glory for that, right? And shout out to Chris Jennings. I'm living in Revelations.

SPEAKER_00

You you you got a lot going on.

SPEAKER_02

Let me tell you, that's the first book of the Bible I ever read was Revelations. J. Shann's mama bought me a Bible. Justin Shane. You know Jay Shannon.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER_02

His mama bought me a Bible years ago. We was in high school, man. The first book I read was Revelations.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I'm telling you, after once I surrendered, the veil being lifted off my eyes and the things that I see and what's going on in my community.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I ain't having it, man. Now you understand. I'm not having it. Yeah. So I'm a problem.

SPEAKER_00

I see that. Unstoppable.

SPEAKER_02

Now I ain't saying, hey, I get humbled. I get humble. I've been humble. I will forever be humble as long as God gives me the ability to. You know, it's a guy that I rode with. He was a paratrooper in Vietnam. He got blowed up and everything. He he rolled. Ain't nobody out here got no excuses not to please exercise and do some stuff to help yourself mentally. It's so helpful just to take a walk, go outside, try to lift weights, swim, martial arts, do something, please. Talk to a therapist. Try to get out of that darkness because we spreading light.

SPEAKER_01

And uh blinded by light. Yeah, we got to. Okay, now back to the original programming.

SPEAKER_02

It's like we get indoctrinated with these thoughts. We get pre-programmed. A lot of that, a lot of it is systematically putting in place generationally, man. Whoever that evil entity behind it, man, they you know that you know he's swift. You know he stayed on the move, but boy, they they got they had their teeth in it. But we we we we loosened it up a little bit. They loosened it up, man. They getting loosened up. But I'm not stopping.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we're not stopping.

SPEAKER_02

And the government, oh my god, all like I'm talking about like the mayor. Maybe I can talk to the governor one day, some city councilmen. What y'all doing? Where y'all let y'all see what's going on? Some of y'all went to school with me, you know what's going on. So what's up? Changing nothing, yo. I'm not gonna try to put you in the corner and like extract stuff out of you to put you in a vulnerable situation or where to have a negative impact on your image or anything like that. We just talking as real people here, man. These are the conversations that people are having at home, but ain't nobody really. Or maybe they are. I don't know. Maybe somebody doing this and I'm not following them. I don't see the type of content locally.

SPEAKER_00

I know I don't.

SPEAKER_02

Because I know anybody's putting out nothing like what you know. Anybody got nothing going on with you got going on as far as I know?

SPEAKER_01

Not with the councilman, not not through the city, no. I can't believe I'm so riled up, man. I did a nice little leg workout.

SPEAKER_02

You did? I did a leg workout, the goblet squats. I've been on no goblet squats hard.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I don't do that.

SPEAKER_00

That's that's tough on the knees.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it is. But the goblet squats is not as tough. You know what goblet squats is, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I do those a lot too.

SPEAKER_02

What's what's one question that you wish more people would ask you?

SPEAKER_00

Um, how can they help me? Or check on me. Yeah. Most people when they talk to me, they like, oh, you got it. It look like you got it already. But yeah, I I wish more people would check on me more and see how they can help me.

SPEAKER_02

No, seriously. Nah, because of what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It's a big damn deal. I'm sorry, Peter. I try to keep it under wraps. Building stability, breaking generational curses and patterns. Reflecting back on your life up till now, like, what does success look like to you?

SPEAKER_00

Um if I could be successful with Empower Eating, I would like to have a couple of more homes for women. Because my goal for them from start to finish is for them to buy their own home. You know, I'm talking about housing and stability and more affordable. So I would like to have more homes now. Because if you're starting with women that you have gotten, I ain't gonna say off the streets or from the bottom, that's probably more kind of like a shelter, but I want to build like transitional homes where you at, meet you where you are, like in that stage in your life. Where you working on yourself at, you know what I'm saying? You're gonna have a child. I want to have transitional homes where you can still take care of your children also and be able to provide those services to help you with child care, whether it be transportation, get it back and forth to work. I just want you to still like you're not living if you can't do those things.

SPEAKER_02

100%.

SPEAKER_00

So can't even really truly be a mom. You can't fully be a mom if you can't even do these daily practices. You might need to build you a practice, it might work out, meditation. It comes simple, it's taking vitamins every day. All that stuff gotta be in your routine.

SPEAKER_02

Gotta take care of yourself.

SPEAKER_00

You gotta take care of yourself first. So, yeah, I want I want to do that with empower eating.

SPEAKER_02

You saw how my facial expression changed. I could see that you saw it. The reason why I did was I wanted to ask you this. I'm glad you said what you said about the shelters. What are some pre-ventative measures that women can put in place to not end up in these situations? You know?

SPEAKER_00

I'm thinking that I've been to that the shelter here in Rock Hill a lot. Um, I've seen people over there for different reasons. Some of these women think they have exhausted all of their options, so they go to the shelter just to have a bed because they accept anybody. Can't turn nobody away if you got room. They go there just to have a bed to sleep in, take a shower, get something to eat. Some people over there don't want to help themselves at all. Leave the shelter in the morning, go do you know, drugs drinking all day, come back at night. They gotta be there. That's a different conversation. So yeah. But um prevent from being in a shelter, I'm thinking taking a different mindset. Just that's not my last option for me, if it was me. Like that wouldn't, the shelter, my family members are here, somebody ought to be able to help you before I end up in a shelter. I need to be looking for a job every day. You know what I'm saying? I need to get a different hustle, a different mindset before I end up in a shelter.

SPEAKER_02

I'm gonna tell you what just came to mind to me. Well, I just every high school.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

They need to play this. But my point is like the audience right now, I'm thinking, like, who needs to hit us, man? It's the girls in high school. High school. It's starting to be a good thing. And maybe like ninth grade.

SPEAKER_00

Whenever you leave high school, I know school ain't fit them for everybody. Right. But you got to start building from there. Because we still, you know, we have children in high school.

SPEAKER_02

Let's talk about the reality. I don't know the details, and I hate to even think about this because I'm a father, but like, whatever the age, the average age is in South Carolina, let's say Rock Hill, because we're taking care of Rock Hill first for right now. Yeah, we do we're gonna do York County, but you know, whatever, right? Because we we went to Northwestern.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So we're gonna focus on Northwestern per se, just for this scenario. Uh we need we need to figure out or just get some statistical data on the average age that girls start becoming sexually active.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because I don't know that data.

SPEAKER_02

And then when we get that information, they need to hit us, they need to know about your program, but they need to know how to not even be put in a situation in the first place.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That'll be you know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You start having something like a preventative campaign or something. A preventative measure campaign, preventative measurement teams from ending up in that situation. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. Exactly. That's that's a like we might need to work on that.

SPEAKER_00

You mean we can reach Northwestern first, but each high school needs to hear, but you know, yeah, we definitely need to be.

SPEAKER_02

I was just thinking, like, about the campaign thing. And you know, with hormones and stuff, man, like gotta have God in your life first. Got to. But then when the hormones come into place, man, it's all connected. If if a like if a if a girl is in a sport, that's less time than she would be in a situation where she could be with a guy doing something she ain't got, they ain't got no business doing, which ain't none of my business, but you know what I'm saying. Because I was there at one point, so getting involved in some like programs, extracurriculars, groups, that's what they need, discussion groups, discussion groups, like assistance therapy, like therapy.

SPEAKER_00

It's all in, yeah. All of us. I didn't know what anxiety was in there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but in high school, I didn't know what anxiety was, but definitely. It was a thing to us then. I had it for sure. I had I had it at Yoko Road.

SPEAKER_00

You did? Elementary school. Yeah, so we um yeah, high school was different when we were in school anyway.

SPEAKER_02

So I think you couldn't talk about mental health, but you get clowned.

SPEAKER_00

You can't, yeah. That wasn't all now.

SPEAKER_02

It's crazy how things have changed.

SPEAKER_00

Yep, it changed a lot.

SPEAKER_02

Do you think that's just a part of like us growing up, or do you think it's like a different paradigm shift altogether? I mean, that's what I'm saying is like, do you think it kind of happens like that, like with everybody regardless? Or do you think something bigger is happening now with mental health? I think something bigger happened. It definitely is, right? Because people talking about it like that.

SPEAKER_00

Because it was a thing. I'm not saying it wasn't, it wasn't as big as it is now. You know what I'm saying? Like, I think it's bigger now.

SPEAKER_02

Why do you think it's bigger now? Like, why do you think more people are talking about it?

SPEAKER_00

I don't, I'm trying to figure out a lot of more people are having mental health issues and they're getting them much younger. Maybe we didn't have it as much because it was in older people, but I think they're getting these issues much younger now.

SPEAKER_02

I wonder why.

SPEAKER_00

I'm not sure why.

SPEAKER_02

You think it's something in the food?

SPEAKER_00

No, I don't think it's something in the food. Um something going on, eh? There's something going on with the in the water?

SPEAKER_02

I'm not trying to be funny. No, I don't think. There's something that's happening like collectively. Oh what if it's like the stuff they dump into Lake Wiley?

SPEAKER_00

I don't think it's that either.

SPEAKER_02

I'm gonna start talking about that. Oh, yeah, probably. Maybe. They put like glyphosate on stuff, like on the wheat and stuff like that. That's why it's so bad to eat bread and flour in this country.

SPEAKER_00

But this go back to what you were saying earlier. They don't get the attention that they need. So at home, they either video games, tablet, phone. We didn't, we didn't do that when we was growing up.

SPEAKER_02

And there's something going on with that blue light and them tablets because they make game boys and say they're game videos.

SPEAKER_00

No, it ain't like it ain't the same thing.

SPEAKER_02

There's something else going on. That dopamine spike.

SPEAKER_00

I don't I don't know what it is, but they stuck to them.

SPEAKER_02

That's wild. You could just come up with an invention that causes all this disruption with families within their homes. You know, like what's going on? You just cooling on the beach somewhere with your toes in the sand or whatever you're doing. It's kind of weird to me.

SPEAKER_00

And it's they just they just gone. Social media and all that, they just look at that all day.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I'm just saying, I'm talking about the people that created the technology. Oh, yeah, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00

They're doing something different too. Because we didn't have all that technology.

SPEAKER_02

Like, were they aware that it would have that effect?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I when they seen that it had their effect. Was it too late? They upped it and started doing more with it.

SPEAKER_02

But they just so that's okay, though. Everybody okay with it?

SPEAKER_00

It seems like it. Ain't nobody trying to change it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Are you okay with it?

SPEAKER_00

No. Okay. No, I'm not okay with that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we put in the same boat, same, we got paddles, life jackets, paddles.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know. We're not by ourselves, but it's not a lot of them.

SPEAKER_02

That's why I think this is important what I'm doing, man. But the Lake Wiley thing, like, yeah. Because I like we always say, I don't want to eat no fish out of Lake Wiley. At least I say that me and my dad. I just put me and my dad in this boat because they dump stuff in it. And apparently there was like a chemical spillover recently. Why has that never been talked about or like yeah? Does that ever come up meeting?

SPEAKER_00

Commission meetings every month. They talk about that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02

Because I I love the fish still. I'm gonna be Lake Wild. Right. I'm with the future generations to be able to go out down to Lake Wild to eat some good clean fish, yeah, get in there and swim and not have to worry about chasing boy, snatching them up out of the you don't eat fish out of Lake Wild. I have.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. I don't think I ever have.

SPEAKER_02

I definitely have, but nowadays, like I'm like skeptical about what I asked where it comes like. Do that come out of Lake Wild? I would try a piece of fish out of there. I ain't gonna sit and eat about 10 pieces at once. Yeah, but if I'm hungry, I'll try it. It definitely starts at the food, like what you're putting inside your body for like clarity. Yep, you know, you gotta make sure you get your nutrition so you can think clear. You're going, you're you, you, you hustling, you working all day, you gotta have that long range energy. You know what I'm saying? You don't need no sugar crash. No. You know what I'm saying? You need to eat right, yeah. Exactly. So, what does this whole thing look like years from now after breaking the the chains and the curses?

SPEAKER_00

Years from now, I'm hoping that I could be the CEO of Empower Eating and I have these transitions homes already in place, creating a better place for women. Um, we got a lot of homelessness and poverty here in Rocky, and I'm hoping I can actually cut that down in the years to come.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Me too.

SPEAKER_00

That's my goal.

SPEAKER_02

Mine too. Yours too. Can I share with you what I what I got going on about that? So there is a plant, I believe it's West Africa, it's called Abigail. Uh-huh. They have found tremendous benefits from one light therapy session. It's like a 12-hour intense thing. Oh, it's a psychedelic compound, but it's like an 80% success rate of people getting off of like opioids, alcoholism, okay. And like being able to exist in reality and in the community. So I'm saying Trump just actually put something, they just showed something on social media where uh Americans were Ibergang, it was like up at the uh Senate or Congress or whatever, and they had a meeting about it. Like he signed the bill, the executive order to release to where they can actually legally do research on it. Okay, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00

But you've researched it already.

SPEAKER_02

I've read up on it a little bit and I've heard about it, talked on talked about on podcasts. And then, like, so in that second trial, it's like a 90% success rate.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Back to the homeless, there's a percentage of the homeless of the veterans.

SPEAKER_00

There's a percentage, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm pushing for that shit hard. So we can help because of course, and then the people that's Been traumatized. I mean, the veterans deserve it. I say ace it up. But what about the single mamas out here with the people that's been and what and what's and then then like the the hood trauma? The kids that grew up in it, stuff the shooting and all that. Yeah. It's time, man. And you gotta think, man.

SPEAKER_00

Like, I hope it don't take them too long to do the research on it.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm trying to figure out what we're gonna do here in South Carolina. Who do I need to talk to about in South Carolina so we can start opening up research facilities or getting research started and helping some veterans out?

SPEAKER_00

Because what I'm about to do, I'm about to-nice veteran facility now where it's on Anderson Road. I'm gonna actually ride by it today. I'll I'll give you the name of it, but it's brand new. I want to say it's over there by um across the street from York Tech, that business um park across the street. I mean, behind yeah. I want to say it's over there. I'm gonna tell you the name of it too, though. But yes, new veteran facility over there. So I'm thinking it's they don't have to go all the way to like Columbia to to the VA and stuff, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

About time.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so they built one here. And they're building something else over there too, but I don't know what it is. Um I mean, but the veterans are not the only people that need help.

SPEAKER_01

I know.

SPEAKER_00

So I'm hoping that we can, you know, they they are they are a big population here, but yeah, women, children, men too, that are in that same situation. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm gonna get the veterans a safe space to give their trials and tribulations and testimony.

SPEAKER_00

That's what they need, yeah. Because they they we don't know what they seen.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, I'm gonna get them going and I'm gonna push for this uh research thing so people can start getting restored and start being good citizens out here and get the chance to live and feel some joy. Yeah, some genuine joy because I think not get happy out of whatever's in that brown paper bag or in the needle, but whatever you uh the purpose set that's spike with fentanyl that's killing everybody, killing everybody. I'm gonna ask you this. If you don't feel comfortable answering, just tell me, but like, so uh were you taking proper precautions back in high school when you got pregnant? No. When did you tell somebody? You say you kept it a secret how long? The whole time until she was born. Nobody had a clue. How did you hide it?

SPEAKER_00

Except for who really, what was I doing? I'm guessing when I went to school, I was gone. So nobody seen me here in Rockia no more anyway. That that had a lot to do with it.

SPEAKER_02

So you so you got pregnant your senior year, and then you was at Clemps in your freshman year. And then that's when you that's where I had her at there. At Anderson. Okay, and then what happened after that? Um did you notify people? Oh, you came back to Rock Hill after you had the baby.

SPEAKER_00

After I had the baby, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It was just you and the father. So it was just you and you and the father at the hospital?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, at the hospital.

SPEAKER_02

So you got back to Rock Hill, can you walk me through? And what no time? I mean, this is what it's about. Like, what was going through your head on the way you're 85? Like, what's up?

SPEAKER_00

When I came back, I mean I might have already called my family from the hospital. Oh, yeah, because I was living with my aunt right there in Sunset Park. So when I came back to Rock Hill, I went straight there. Everybody was uh receptive of you know me having a baby and why you didn't tell nobody and all of that and why you kept it a secret, but it was just something within me that I didn't feel comfortable letting everybody know.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. I respect it. Yeah, don't think I'm over here like questioning why you did it. You know what I'm saying? I respect it fully.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so but once they once every cat got out the bag, I felt a lot more confident.

SPEAKER_02

I was about to ask you, like, I bet a lot of stress was out of it.

SPEAKER_00

A lot more comfortable because I didn't worry about the people that I was in school with at Clemson at all. I didn't know them. I would still go a little party here and there, and I had a roommate, but yeah, I really wasn't worried about them. It was more sort of the people um back home.

SPEAKER_03

Hmm.

SPEAKER_00

And then I stayed here, I didn't go back to Clemson. Um, I ended up going to York Tech in like January, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

So after the news broke, um, y'all had a baby shower and stuff? Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00

After the news broke, yeah. I had a baby shower.

SPEAKER_02

Was it anybody hold it against you for not telling them?

SPEAKER_00

No, not really. For real? Nobody.

SPEAKER_02

Because that baby.

SPEAKER_00

That baby was already here by the end.

SPEAKER_02

She brought it right to the world. Let me ask you this. What would you say to somebody that may have a pregnancy going on and they hiding it and they don't want to tell nobody?

SPEAKER_00

If you plan on keeping your baby, you just go ahead on and it'll take a lot of stress off of you just to go ahead on and tell the truth. It'll go take a lot of stress and let that person know, especially your parents or whoever your help is gonna really, it'll help you build a village up before the baby even gets here. So yeah. Um the the uh child's father, his parents may even be willing to help out. Your parents willing to help out, your family members, it'll take a lot of stress off if you go ahead on and let them know. It's something that I wish I, you know, would have did then. I didn't have the courage to do so. So I would ask, I would push that forward for that person. It'll help them a lot.

SPEAKER_02

And I feel like you'll agree with this. You never fully understand the village mentality until you have a child.

SPEAKER_00

I didn't not until you have a child. Because when you're a child yourself, you don't even know if it's a village, you know, helping you take care of it.

SPEAKER_02

And it's crazy we we can have a child at such a young age. Like the biological thing that's going on with humans. Yeah, that's fascinating to me. That's what I'm saying. You don't know nothing.

SPEAKER_00

And you don't know nothing.

SPEAKER_02

It's such it's such a responsibility.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah, it's a big responsibility.

SPEAKER_02

But we never know. Like as kids, though, man, like we just be like, listen, our parents, but we still be taking risks. And then I'm gonna tell you a lot, it got to do with peer pressure too. Yeah, a lot of it got to do with who you're hanging around. Who you're hanging around. At the end of the day, like, including the people that you have helped, your family and your kids. What do you want the legacy to be? How do you want them to see you?

SPEAKER_00

I want them to see that Sheena made a difference. That's all. That I was able to help because you you know, you're only able to help maybe one person at a time. So long as if I helped somebody, I made a difference. I want my legacy to live on through through empower you.

SPEAKER_02

100%. When'd you have your second child?

SPEAKER_00

Um, they are six years apart.

SPEAKER_02

Six years apart.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So 24, 25, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_00

Congratulations. Yeah, now he made it. He he a senior this year.

SPEAKER_02

We rock it.

SPEAKER_00

He playing ball? No, he used to play um football, but he didn't in that senior year. But yeah, so he just working, going to school. Because I kind of want before somebody even get to housing, I want to have an actual program for them to do, build your education, uh, build your credit, you know, get spiritually guided in whatever religion you are, get connected with the Lord in some kind of way. I want to actually let them take these steps first before we even get to housing. You gotta get that. You're not ready yet to do all of that until you, you know what I'm saying? You're not gonna be able to maintain it unless you take those steps first. Gotta be able to connect with the Lord. That was my number one. You have to. So yeah, until you get that, you know, build yourself your own program however you want to do it, but go through the different steps that's needed to get housing, then we can talk about that. That's the only way. That is the only way through, yeah. So that'll be my main thing. I ain't trying to hook nobody over housing immediately, and they mindset ain't there yet.

SPEAKER_02

So some people searching for peace all their life and they never all their life, yeah. But I know who was there for me when I prayed, and who delivered me from what I was in.

SPEAKER_00

Well, yeah, out of your best, or what you needed to be delivered from, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And that's something can't nobody take away from me. Can't nobody take it away from you. Mm-mm. They can't. And that's what people need to realize.

SPEAKER_00

But I know it's real, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Because you done tried every other way, and it ain't working.

SPEAKER_00

You tried everything else and it didn't work.

SPEAKER_02

You can't take a chance on Christ. Look what he did for you. I see. What, Shayna?

SPEAKER_00

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02

Um, do you have any closing remarks that you would like to say to anybody in high school right now that may hear this? Or maybe even middle school.

SPEAKER_00

In um, middle school, I would say focus on your education. Yep. And um pay attention to your parents, get everything that you need to get from home first. Then you can start building your own future, making better choices. That's gonna be good for you. Um, creating your own path, making good choices in life, peer pressure, stay away from peer pressure. I know you do have friends, but stay away from peer pressure. Um, I mean, you may have to change your circle a few times in school. So um, there's nothing wrong with that at all. Getting away from people that you know are doing bad things. There's nothing wrong with that. And I would say um, if you are out there doing anything sexually active, just uh do some preventative measures using protection so that you don't end up in a situation where you're having a child too young and you end up in a bad situation that you don't know how to handle it.

SPEAKER_02

It was an honor having you on, Shana. Thank you to my audience, my listeners, and to my views. Thank y'all for listening and supporting. Please share. Tell everybody about this and stay tuned. Peace and love.