Shari Moment

I would attribute my success to my faith in God and just being able to know that I'm not alone and that I can do it. I was told by my ex that I would never succeed - that my doctorate in theology wasn't a real degree, that without him I had nothing. I was put down so much as a woman that I wasn't supposed to do anything but sit back and be submissive. But my helping is something, and with faith in God and just trusting Him, I've been able to prove that wrong. Seeing my kids and wanting them to see more has also driven me. They saw me in it, they saw me crying, they saw me running through the whole thing, and I just want them to know that there is better. My faith in God and my family - that's what keeps me going.

The best career advice I ever received came from a lady at the YMCA when I went for a job interview to be a personal trainer there. She looked at me and said, 'Oh no, you don't belong here. You need to go ahead and open up your own. You're passionate. You're too passionate about what you're doing.' That advice really stuck with me and helped push me to step out on faith and start my own businesses rather than working for someone else.

Girl, don't look back. Press forward. I was a mother at a young age, and being a teenage mom with all the stepping stones that I fell over and stayed down a lot of times - you don't have to stay down. Don't look back, keep pressing forward. You can do it. No matter what challenges you face or what people tell you, just keep moving forward and believe in yourself.

The biggest challenge is beating AI, number one. But beyond that, it's helping people grasp the understanding that there is more out there for them. If they need something financially or need help with initiatives for their businesses, I can help them understand that the government has money out there for them, or there are organizations that have financial resources available. It's not just about finding those resources, but being able to help shape it and get it to where it best fits their needs - I'm there for them for that as well. Another challenge is grasping people's attention outside of just technology itself. I know technology is everything, don't get me wrong, but I want people to know that you can actually get out there and meet face-to-face, get boots on the ground. A lot of things now are virtual, but there's still value in that personal, face-to-face connection.

Number one is my faith in God, and next is my family. Work-wise, it's about relationship and being able to not just look trustworthy, but to actually be trustworthy. People can have the look, but are they really that person inside and out? That's who I am - I want to show people that they have true authenticity right there in front of them. Honesty is also critical to me. I want people to know that what they see is what they get, and that I'm genuinely passionate about serving and helping others in every aspect of my life.