We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Donzaleigh Powell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Donzaleigh below.

Donzaleigh, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is to empower young adults ages 13 and older through leadership development, career exploration, and life skills to help catapult them into a mature, meaningful, and profitable contributor to society. This mission is so important to me by sharing a story. I want to tell you about a young girl I know, she was pretty heavy set growing up but I guess puberty hit her and between the 8th grade and going to high school she lost all this weight. She starts high school and this is the first time boys are paying her any attention and she’s learning how to adapt to this new body. She meets this older guy, already out of school, he’s got a job, he’s got a car, he’s cool right? Well, the young lady finds herself pregnant and to add to it, she is a preacher’s kid. However, she stays in school and carrys to term. After she delivers the childs father is there to support her during the delivery. He let’s her know he is going to go downstairs to the cafeteria to get something to eat but didn’t come back. She calls him the next morning and his father answers the phone. She asks to speak with him and in a somewhat surprised tone the fathers says “he’s not here. He left for the Marines”. In that moment of abandonment, this 15 year old girl lays in the hospital bed devastated with her newborn baby and that girl was me.

Back then I had no focus, I came and went as I wanted, and hardly paid any attention in school and my GPA below a 2.0. I had a choice to make, I could either cry about it, which I did, or cry about it and MOVE ON! Well we all come to points in our life where we can make a decision to do better, to be better. The rest is history; I allowed that pain to re-channel my energy. I began to focus on school, graduated on time, went to college and later, my Master’s degree. I love to share this story with young adults and often say “There is Purpose in Your Pain”. Even though I was raised in a loving and supportive family, I did not have someone that I could relate to. I had so many questions and things that I just didnt know but didnt want to ask my parents. Doing this work and mission provide me with a platform to be that person for other young adults in some of the most crucial and life changing points in their life.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a Nashville Native, I’m well versed in hosting and entertainment for all events. I enjoy connecting with others and bringing positive energy to every crowd! As a former Corporate Executive turned Serial Entrepreneur and International Leadership speaker, I have experience presenting, facilitating, moderating, hosting as well as emcee from the board room to the personal events such as fashion shows and parties. I also the Host of D-ConneXion TV which is a talk show on Channel 19 and YouTube featuring businesses and organizations in the State of Tennessee while expanding across the country. Experienced Model, Actor, Creative Director, Trainer, and Special Event Host. I launched my tshirt line “I’m So Nashville” in 2023 and it has taken off both on line and now inside the Nashville Airport TN Tribune store. Though I provide a variety of services and products my most fulfilling work is being able to host workshops through my Vision Tour. During these tours, my team and I travel around the US teaching others how to maximize the same 24hours everyone else gets. We coach others through strategies to not only set goals but carry them out and complete them successfully and consistently. This is what I can my “Purpose Work” and part of why I’m here on earth.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I currently sell tshirts that I began designing in 2022. My main avenue for sells is as a concessionaire inside the Nashville Airport Tennessee Tribune store. In addition, I chose to sell the shirts on my website www.donzaleighinc.com in order to maintain the highest profit margins. I considered using Amazon but approximate 40% they would have kept was too much for me to feel comfortable even though they are highly visible.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I think the best way to build an audience is to just be you. I try to be as authentic as possible with the things I share from weight fluxuations to positive things that are going on in life. I’m also very consistent with sharing content. I’m also a photographer so I love imagery and include lots of photos to describe my moods, others, and prompt questions for discussion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.donzaleighinc.com
• Instagram: @Donzaleighinc
• Facebook: Donzaleigh INC.
• Linkedin: Donzaleigh Powell
• Youtube: @d-connexiontv9869

Image Credits
Nora Canfield, Reneka Swims, Francine Jamison