The Art of Re-Positioning: How Faith, Servitude, and Unwavering Resilience Built a Legacy
From Michigan roots to ministerial calling: A life of faith, service, and purposeful transformation.
The Art of Re-Positioning: How Faith, Servitude, and Unwavering Resilience Built a Legacy
By Karen Smith-Brown
At 60 years old, many people begin to look toward the finish line. But for me, 60 was the year I picked up a new pen. Publishing my first book, Re-Positioned: Adam, Where Are You?, wasn't just a personal milestone; it was the culmination of a life lived by a single, unbreakable principle: You shall reap, if you faint not.
My journey began in the blue-collar heart of Michigan—born in Lincoln Park and raised in Ecorse. My foundation was built on two pillars: the Pentecostal church and a relentless creative spark. Whether I was serving as the youngest Sunday school teacher for the “Card Class” at age eight or writing, producing, and starring in an award-winning anti-drug short film in the seventh grade, I learned early that leadership isn’t just about a title. It’s about the courage to create something where nothing existed.
The Strength of the Shift
When life moved me to the small town of Pineapple, Alabama, at age 15, I didn't just adapt; I bloomed. From graduating in the top 10 percent of my class at William J. Jones High School to leading a 50-person youth choir that traveled across the state, I discovered the power of harmony—both in music and in community.
Even when I went to college solely to please my brother, I brought my Michigan hustle with me. I spent my holidays baking and decorating cakes—a trade I had mastered at age 12—to help fund my tuition. Whether I was reporting for the Troy State University News or participating in the performing arts under the legendary Consuela Lee Moorehead, I was learning that every skill is a seed planted for a future harvest.
Leadership Through Servitude
My professional “stumble” into project management in my 30s eventually led me to my current role as a Senior Program Manager for a major DoD contractor. But my true “résumé” isn’t found in a corporate database; it’s found in the lives of the people I’ve helped along the way.
My mother once remarked that she had seen me without a job, yet spending my days coaching others, rewriting their résumés, and preparing them for interviews. I have always believed that you cannot lead people if you aren’t willing to serve them. To me, influence isn’t about how many people work for you; it’s about how many people are better because they worked with you.
Facing the Storms
The road has not always been paved with “A” grades and promotions. I have survived tragedies, weathered the storms of a 20-year marriage ending in divorce, and faced the quiet anxieties of starting over. Yet my faith remained my anchor. I was determined to show my son and daughter that an obstacle is not a dead end—it is merely a prompt to reposition.
Today, seeing my children thrive in their own successful careers is my greatest achievement. They are living proof that resilience is contagious.
A Message to My Sisters
To the woman who feels like she is in the middle of a storm, or the woman who thinks it’s too late to start her next chapter: Do not faint.
Whether I am standing in the pulpit as a minister, coordinating youth at New Life COGIC, or managing complex defense programs from my home office, I am a witness that God can use every piece of your journey. Your creativity, your trades, your heart for others, and even your heartbreaks are all tools.
Stay the course. Keep serving. Keep creating. Your harvest is not a matter of if, but when.
“I wouldn’t take anything for my journey. It made me who I am—a woman re-positioned for purpose.”
