Posts

Celebrating an anniversary- The 15th anniversary of Life After Birth- A Memoir of Survival and Success as a Teenage Mother
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From Pain to Power: 15 Years After My Memoir, Here’s What Confidence and Resilience Created

The number 15 has defined two of the biggest turning points in my life. I was 15 when I became a mother—unprepared, afraid, but determined.And my son was 15 when I published my memoir—an unfiltered story of my…
3rd Annual S.O. What! Awards and Scholarship Soiree honorees
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A Night of Resilience, Reflection, and Scholarship Awards for Resilient Students: My Heartfelt Reflections

I’m still feeling the impact of the 3rd Annual S.O. What! Awards and Scholarship Soiree, and I can honestly say it was one of the most powerful nights of my life. Standing on that stage, looking out at a room filled with…
Grandmas - Agnes Owens and Ocie Williams at Summer Owens bridal shower
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Celebrating Grandparents Day: How I Turned Grief Into Something Grief On My Grandparents Day First Without My Grandmas

This Grandparents Day is bittersweet for me. It's the first one without my grandmothers, Agnes Idella “Dorothy” Jones Owens and Ocie Lee Woods Williams, who both transitioned this year. They were two of the strongest, wisest women…
Summer Owens and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis
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100 Lessons My Centenarians Grandmas Taught Me

How do you deal with grief? Well, when I lost my girls (both of my grandmothers) five days apart last month, I had to demonstrate what I teach and practice what I preach. I had to say, "S.O. What!" and, "so NOW what?" to focus on ways…
Bertha Rogers Looney in my grandmother's dress
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Embracing Legacy and Resilience: How to Honor Legacy and Foster Resilience Through Symbolic Actions

I'm not sure how I came to the realization of the importance of embracing legacy and resilience, but I have learned to love the power in journies of those who have come before me. Especially, because I am a black woman, I appreciate…
Summer Owens and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis
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3 Lessons Learned from 36 Years of Powerful Women of Achievement Stories

Exactly 10 years ago, I became a part of the Women of Achievement sisterhood. It was and has been one of the greatest honors of my life as I sat with women I admired including my African American history professor from a decade earlier, Dr.…