Woman Wednesday: Jemma


Q and A with Jemma, Essex, UK

“To fail simply means, to me, first attempt in learning.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I have found myself with a great passion for the beauty industry and making others feel more confident in themselves. Especially with semipermanent makeup for the ladies who have lost their eyebrows over time; some of the reactions after treatment truly are amazing and make it worth while.

During the pandemic and my business being hit drastically, I then started a few other projects to keep myself busy, but to also connect with other women. I started a Facebook group for women wanting to grow in their careers or run their own business to connect and network. There are a few groups online already; however, I found them filled with a lot of spam and very hard to find value in most of the posts. So, I set out to fill the group with educational posts.

My aim was to inspire, motivate, and educate. Around this same idea, I have also cowritten a book. Me and my team want to release a series of books aimed toward women in business. This first one is to help women grow their leadership skills.


Q: What were your younger years like?

A: Growing up, I was always fairly good at school; I tested well and I never failed any class, but I knew I lacked the motivation to continue with academic education.

I always knew deep down I needed to work for myself, but the ’system’ always wanted the student to go to university/college and aim toward an academic education.

I went back to education a little later in life, around 23 years old. I did open university, which is online based, to pursue a psychology degree; however, I again dropped out after the first year knowing it wasn’t for me.

I couldn’t see a future in working for anyone else. Which then whilst working part-time in a job I hated, I stumbled into beauty treatments, which made me money fast, and I loved my clients. I’m lucky to call many of them friends now. I found a passion in making them feel great. Which makes me feel valued.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: After speaking to many many women, one of the main topics was they are scared of failure. Which really upsets me!

As children, we are always finding our way and never get it right the first time! Why is it we’re expected now as adults to be perfect [the] first time. We never stop learning, which means we will never stop making mistakes!

Some of my biggest breakthroughs were learning from mistakes! We throw around the saying “learn from your mistakes,” but I don’t think people truly resonate with this. To fail simply means, to me, first attempt in learning.


Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: I want equality for women in business. Only 7% of CEOs are women. Only 17% of the new businesses set up in 2019 were by women.

Now, a lot of this can be reasoned to the inequality and subconscious biased that still exists against women, but it is also the consequences from the years of inequality women have had to face; most of us have lost the confidence.

So, I want to bring back that confidence for women. I think the pandemic has been profound for women who work full-time office-based jobs, since they were able to prove they can work effectively from home.

Which I think is incredible that now, finally, women are able to maybe manage that work/family life more and keep their careers instead of having to step down from their positions to start a family.


MORE FROM JEMMA: I love collaborating with other women and do believe that we need to work together if anyone resonates with this also, you can find me on:

Facebook

Insta

Thank you for reading!

I’d love to connect with you! 🙂

Thoughts, questions, or comments?

Let us know! Comment below! 🙂

Woman Wednesday: Celeste


Q and A with
Celeste from St. Louis, Missouri, living in Smyrna, Georgia

“…resilience, faith, and perseverance can transform pain into purpose.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am passionate about helping people heal, rediscover their purpose, and understand that their story still has value no matter what they have been through. As an ordained minister, life and grief coach, author, and community advocate, much of my work centers around supporting people through life’s difficult transitions, including grief, trauma, incarceration, family challenges, and personal reinvention.

Currently, I am developing faith-based resources, devotionals, grief support materials, coaching programs, and community initiatives that help individuals find hope, healing, and direction. I am especially passionate about supporting women, families, and individuals rebuilding their lives after setbacks.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: My younger years were shaped by both challenges and valuable life lessons. Growing up, I learned early that life does not always follow the path we imagine. Family responsibilities, personal struggles, and unexpected circumstances taught me resilience at a young age.

Education came both inside and outside the classroom. Some of my greatest lessons came through life experiences, relationships, faith, and overcoming adversity. Looking back, I can see how every obstacle helped develop my compassion for others and strengthened my desire to serve and encourage people who are navigating difficult seasons.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that your past does not have the final say over your future.

If people learn anything from my story, I hope they learn that resilience, faith, and perseverance can transform pain into purpose. What you survive can become the very thing that helps someone else heal.


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: To me, feminism means recognizing the inherent worth, dignity, and God-given value of women. It means supporting opportunities for women to grow, lead, learn, serve, and use their gifts without unnecessary barriers.

I am especially passionate about supporting women through healing, personal growth, leadership development, and life transitions so they can live fully and confidently in who they were created to be.


MORE ABOUT CELESTE: At the heart of everything I do is a commitment to service. Whether through ministry, coaching, writing, mentoring, or community outreach, my goal is to leave people better than I found them.

My life’s work is helping people discover that purpose and giving them the tools, encouragement, and support they need to walk in it.

I am a transplant from St. Louis, Missouri, but live in Smyrna, Georgia, (20+ years) a city just outside Atlanta, Georgia. Community involvement and ministry work have allowed me to serve people throughout the metro Atlanta area and beyond, helping individuals and families navigate life’s challenges while building stronger, healthier futures.

Contact Information

Podcast: “Confidently Speaking” anchor.fm/celeste-houston
Facebook: www.facebook.com/celicacoaching
ministry
Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/celestehouston 

website:https://www.purposefullylivingnotperfect.com

Book Resources:

Purposefully Living Not Perfect: [https://a.co/d/7lroDfo]

  – Coloring Through Clouds of Loss: [https://a.co/d/azUaVKs]

  – Coloring Your Way Through Grief: [https://a.co/d/iVdf60T]
  

Woman Wednesday: Denise


Q and A with Denise from Portland, OR

“The programming that I had from early childhood is that you are supposed to get a good job, get married, and have kids, but following that path didn’t make me happy.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I’m passionate about helping people develop a better understanding of themselves and their animals through intuitive guidance. My purpose in life is to make lives easier and more enjoyable for people and animals. I started studying metaphysical topics to learn to trust my intuition and found that I knew things that other people don’t know. I have always wanted to work with animals, so I focused on animal communication and have been able to learn so much from talking to them.


Q: What were your younger years like?

A: The programming that I had from early childhood is that you are supposed to get a good job, get married, and have kids, but following that path didn’t make me happy. I had to release and heal from that old programming and forge my own path. I learned to care less about what other people think and design my own life.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: Anything is possible. I had no idea my life could be what it is now. I found my purpose by exploring and trying new things. When I was interested in something, I took a class or read about it. What I have learned is that you don’t have to know where you are going to take the first step. Try something, join a group, ask a question, it can take you places you never imagined.


Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: Feminism to me means owning your truth and being who you really are. We are taught to conform, but if we can love ourselves and live our truth, we can help spread love to the world.


Thank you for reading!

I offer animal communication, intuitive sessions for people, and teach intuition classes. Learn more on my website: www.intuitivedenise.com

Woman Wednesday: Gina


Q and A with
Gina from Harford County, Maryland

“Some of the most important changes happen internally, in ways no one else can seeI’m drawn to the spaces people don’t always talk about—the quiet, the complicated, and the deeply human.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I’m passionate about storytelling—both the kind that comforts and the kind that unsettles.

Writing became that space for me during a difficult six-year period of my life.

I started writing letters to myself as a way to process what I was going through, and over time, I realized those words weren’t just mine.

That’s how Letters to Women Like Me came to life—out of a need to create something honest for women who feel deeply but don’t always have a place to put it.

Right now, I’m continuing to build both sides of my work—growing the Chalk Drawings series while also creating more reflective writing for women. For me, it’s not about choosing one path or the other. It’s about telling the full story of what it means to be human—both the light and the shadow.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: My younger years were fairly grounded and shaped by a strong sense of responsibility early on.

I graduated high school and went on to attend college for a time, but life began to take me in a different direction, and I didn’t complete my degree.

While that wasn’t the path I originally planned, it taught me that growth doesn’t always follow a straight line—and that experience itself can be just as valuable as formal education.

Looking back, I realize that my upbringing and experiences gave me a strong sense of resilience and independence.

They taught me how to navigate challenges, adapt, and keep moving forward even when things didn’t go as expected. Those lessons have stayed with me and continue to influence not only the work I do, but the stories I tell.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: One of the most valuable things I’ve learned is that not everything in life needs to be figured out right away.

For a long time, I thought strength meant having answers, pushing through, and holding everything together. But I’ve come to understand that real strength is quieter—it’s allowing yourself to feel, to pause, and to be honest about what you’re carrying.

I would want others to know that it’s okay if your path doesn’t look the way you thought it would.

Growth isn’t always obvious, and healing doesn’t happen on a timeline.

Some of the most important changes happen internally, in ways no one else can see.

If there’s anything I hope people take from my story, it’s this: you’re not alone in what you’re feeling, even if it seems that way.

There is value in your experiences, even the difficult ones, and there is strength in continuing forward—at your own pace, in your own way.


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: Feminism, to me, is about recognizing the unseen weight women carry and creating space for them to feel, speak, and exist without having to prove their strength.


Thank you for reading!

Let’s connect!

Comment below.

Check out my psychological thriller here: Chalk Drawings

Check out my letters-to-self book for women here: Letters to Women Like Me

Woman Wednesday: Sabrina C.


Q and A with
Sabrina C. from Nassau, Bahamas

“… if you give your body proper nutrition, your body can heal itself.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am a shareholder in a hardware company and, because I invested early in life, I was able to retire at the age of 36.

I’m passionate about building a legacy with my Ardysslife business, helping families thrive through a healthier lifestyle, and to building a strong team for a wealthier lifestyle.

I’m interested in building a large clientele with getting them into nutrition, [products] made from fruits and vegetables to help the body heal itself. I also help them reshape their body without diet pills exercise or surgery, instead getting them to wear the reshaping garments made by an orthopedic surgeon.

I am currently working on getting a store front in my country so my team and customers won’t have to pay for shipping and have easy access like having the package shipped to their doors.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I grew up in the tropical Nassau, Bahamas, with family and faith.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: Something valuable I have learned if you invest in a positive and lucrative business, it pays off.

I also learned that if you give your body proper nutrition, your body can heal itself. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and within two weeks of being on the products, I didn’t have to be put on medication.


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: Feminism means alot to me. I believe gender-based discrimination needs to be eliminated.

I feel there should be social, economic, and political equality between women and men; women should have the same rights as men especially if a man wants a woman to go fifty-fifty with the bills in the home.


Thank you for reading!

Let’s connect!

Comment below.

ARDYSSLife