Meet Power Mom De'Shonda Lucas
"Smile. My mother always told me if you smile at the world it will smile back at you. This translates to having positive energy leads to positive returns - you will always be able to see light..."
TDR: Please give us a brief recap of your career.
De’Shonda Lucas: My career began as an auditor for Georgia Department of Audits & Accounts immediately after graduating from Georgia Southern University in 2000. During my time there I audited state government agencies, boards of education, colleges and universities. I resigned for a short period between 2005 and 2007 and turned in my final resignation in 2009. I worked as a General Ledger Accountant for GDOT. I then opened my first business New Beginnings Business Consulting and later in 2011 Premier Asset Inventory (PAI) after 2 family member's homes were destroyed by fire. Through PAI, I provide an inventory of assets for fire, flood, theft, and natural disasters for residential clients and fixed asset reporting and other accounting services for commercial and non-profit clients. I also operate Dream Big Vacations where I make travel dreams come true as a Certified Travel Agent.
TDR: Please tell us about your children.
DL: I have one daughter, Mariah J., who is 12 years old and will be 13 in less than 90 days. I am blessed for believing in her. She is amazing! Mariah is full of wisdom, a gifted dancer, she is an excellent student who has attended a small African American private school, a large Caucasian private school, home school, and now public middle school and has remained the same child no matter where she is. She has a passion for entertainment and aspires to be an entertainment of fashion lawyer. This past summer she spent 3 weeks in Italy, France, & Spain as a Student Ambassador. She tells it like is, still trusts her mommy, holds me accountable for living the life that I teach her to live which means being happy, serving others, and going after your dreams, and is still sweet. Oh yes, and she is a little business lady already.
TDR: How are you juggling your passion with the responsibilities of parenthood?
DL: The grace of God, focus, time management, and prioritizing. I also believe it to be healthy to communicate with my daughter about my passion and plan. It is important to me that I show her how to go from passion to plan to manifestation. Being a single parent I have always stayed true to there is nothing that I have to do that my daughter cannot and because of this she has been by my side from board meetings to traveling the world and everything in between. I took two years off from full-time work to homeschool her because more than anything she is my passion and I was still able to run my business part-time to support our family. She actually works with me part-time. She is back in school now and I can work full-time; I am so excited. I did what I felt best for the long-term served as her guide during probably the most important stage in her development.
TDR: What are some of your struggles and how do you work to overcome them?
DL: Reading this I realize I don't see my obstacles as struggles - this is just my life and I just press forward with a positive attitude and something good eventually happens. I do not have a struggle mentality. I just do what needs to get done, allow myself to fail but never lose. I love God, He has brought me through so much there is no way that I can stay down for too long. It all starts in the mind. The mind can take a person wherever he or she wants to go or can also cause them to stand still.
TDR: What are 2 resources you use to help you stay motivated?
DL: The Bible and conversations with my daughter & mother.
TDR: What is your favorite way to pause?
DL: My first choice is to take a vacation, if that is not possible, I go to my own private beach in my basement. You see, what God has for you is for you. When I purchased my home there was already an indoor beach. In my beach room one wall (the entire wall) is painted as the ocean with a mermaid floating in the ocean under the moon. The other wall is a lighthouse on the beach with the ocean behind it. It was painted so well that it looks like you can walk directly into the lighthouse. On the other two walls, I plan to put wall-to-wall mirroring so that the painted walls and the carpet truly looks like sand. I have 2 lawn chairs, a small table, seashells, my vision board, and candles perfectly placed on the floor in front of the lighthouse. I can escape there anytime with some soft music or even a massage party if I invite girlfriends. It is definitely my favorite place. You should join me one day.
TDR: What has been the scariest moment or crossroad in your journey?
DL: In 2012…from having a regular annual checkup in September to about 4 doctor visits in a 2 month period, I ended up having open-heart surgery because the doctors found a hole in my heart the size of a 50 cent piece. So imagine being 34, having open-heart surgery as a single parent, and no family living in the Atlanta area. I interviewed 3 doctors and chose the best. Now, only a small scar remains under my right breast. I say that my late husband left a big hole in my heart. I went through the process of healing mentally and spiritually and the heart surgery was a symbol of physical and complete healing.
TDR: What would be your greatest advice to other "Power Moms" wanting to pursue their dreams?
DL: Know that the spirit of God lives within you; and for that reason, any dream can reach full manifestation.
TDR: What word best describes the legacy you want to leave for your children and why?
DL: Smile. My mother always told me if you smile at the world it will smile back at you. This translates to having positive energy leads to positive returns - you will always be able to see light. The worst events in my life truly created the best of me.
TDR: How can others collaborate and support your mission?
DL: In the next couple of weeks I will be launching New Vision Youth and am working on a study for youth titled "Vision With The End in Mind: Developing Steps 2-9 for Teens". I will need speakers to visit classes to and share information about a specific area of expertise for example: family, career, education, community, etc.
Connect with De’Shonda:
Facebook: Deshonda.Lucas