Today we’d like to introduce you to Denice Martin-Thompson
Hi Denice, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
How far is too far back to revisit when trying to capture the fullness of your essence and how and why you arrived at your present location?
Let’s go back to 1989 for a minute or two. It is the year that ushered me into this country with hope for a better life. My arrival in the Bronx was a crash course in rejection and assimilation by any means necessary. I quickly learned that the little Caribbean girl had to tuck and roll with her new environment to survive. I went wild, and from the age of nine through 16, I was searching for love and acceptance without having a true definition of either one. High school days were a haze, and reality kicked in when I got pregnant during my senior year.
I knew I had broken many rules then and knew my life would be different. I had no prom or senior trip, but I graduated on time. I had several points to prove and was determined to make it. I entered college, and my six-year journey pushed me out with a BA in English & Secondary Education. I was going to be a teacher! In 2004, I started teaching as an 8th-grade teacher at Choir Academy of Harlem. I have to give that school credit for my evolution as a teacher. My heart and soul were filled to capacity there, and I grew into a teacher who inspired her students to fall in love with a life of literacy. I transitioned in and out of many different positions during my teaching career, and each position became a labor of love and commitment for me. I now work as a reading specialist with incarcerated youth. The last 13 years of my teaching career placed me with a population that taught me the importance of self-love and self-care.
After receiving health news in 2016, I decided I needed a lifestyle change.
I began my fitness journey with Shapeup NYC in 2016 and launched my LLC, Dee’s Passion Filled Experience, in 2019. I believe in the power of writing and working out to heal the body and the soul, so I created a passion-filled space where women could do it together.
I am currently on my personal healing journey, which has incorporated therapy, reading, writing, working out, and rekindling my relationship with God. All of these will continue to manifest in the work that I do with my youth and my clients.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Do smooth roads exist? LML. As a child living in Trinidad, I believed that there were streets made of gold in America, and then I arrived, and my dreams disintegrated. When I came here, I received daily reminders that I was an outsider looking in. If I wanted to survive, I had to tuck my accent and assimilate into a culture where children became adults overnight. And that’s precisely what happened to me while my mom worked and tried to get her education. I got my education in the streets about life and learned many lessons my soul isn’t proud of. I lost my virginity at a young age, cut school frequently, and didn’t have any goals for my life. After a traumatic incident happened to me, I tried to commit suicide, and when that didn’t work, I fell in love with poetry. Poetry saved my life; it became a haven for my emotions and feelings. Then I became a teen mom, moved to Queens with my son’s father, married at 20, and started teaching at 24.
I’m 45, married for 25 years, have three kids, and have been teaching for 19 years, so no smooth roads existed for my journey. However, every stone on this journey served a purpose in curating the woman and masterpiece I am today.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Many layers come together to form who I am and what I do. I like to refer to the two as my career and my calling. I love literacy, and my career as a Literacy Specialist allows me to infuse my love for reading and writing into my students. I am also a poet, author, artist, and wellness coach who uses these mediums as therapy and self-care. I curate passion-filled spaces for women to rest, reset, and rejuvenate by writing and working out together. I am known for creating my Writer’s Notebooks, my passion for writing workshops, my T.E.A. with Dee sessions, and my art pieces that share my soul stories with others. I am most proud of my ability to turn life’s pain into passion. My passion and my smurfy essence are the things that set me apart from others.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Patience is key!!! I am still looking for a mentor, but I have found support for the work that I am doing in books and attending workshops. My sis-stars groups have also been places where I can process my process and get feedback and support on projects I am working on. You should also set quarterly goals while remembering that slow and steady is a process, especially when finding the balance between your career and your calling.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.deespassionfilledexperience.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deepassionate1_trinigirl_/?utm_source=qr&igsh=N3lwODVieGQ4bXF5
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denice.martinthompson?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXLn6mpO1Mj3QFYHdkgMmYg