We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Jessica Robinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

As some of your readers may know, my last Canvas Rebel interview covered me as a fashion designer. Since then, I’ve taken a pretty drastic turn into ministry. The desire started over 10 years ago when God began to reveal things to me about the state of the world, entertainment, etc., that were hidden in plain sight, having major influences on this generation. Back then, not many people seemed to realize it but I couldn’t escape noticing. I started doing my research and putting together the beginnings of a book that would go onto to become the very first book I released just last year called “exPOSEd: The Battle for the Soul of a Generation”. The title speaks for itself but it’s a massive book that exposes everywhere the enemy has been hiding, wreaking havoc in the lives of the youth, especially. In 2021 is when I really took writing the book seriously and from there, spent the next 3/4 years finishing it. I got so much revelation from the process and I knew that God had given me something that this generation, particularly the youth, in a world full of deception, desperately needed…..TRUTH. So, I had to temporarily lay down fashion and start my youth ministry, Nex Gen Ministries. Soon, I’ll be releasing my 3rd book and I’m in the workings of starting my official podcast as well.

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

Since my first article, I’ve gone onto become an ordained minister, and also receive my doctorate degree in divinity, So, I’ll officially re-introduce myself as Dr. Jessica Robinson. My passion and desire has always been fashion (which I still love) but I was called into ministry and I couldn’t ignore it. I have a burden in my heart for teenagers, particularly. In the last year, I’ve been able to add “author” to my list of achievements, and I believe, while there is certainly no competition between me and any other minister (one plants a seed, one waters it), God has given me a voice that this generation will listen to and understand. There are so many young people looking for truth. There’s so much entertainment coming through their eye gates and ear gates, polluting their minds. Most importantly, kids today are fighting a real enemy that they don’t even realize exists. Not only does Next Gen Ministries blow the lid off of who that enemy is, but with every teaching, I leave them with one question— which God will you serve? Because the truth is, everyone has to make a choice before it’s all said and done. So, while the fashion industry was glamorous to my flesh, my spirit is satisfied in knowing that I’m fulfilling what I believe my true purpose here on earth is— helping teenagers of this generation know who God is, and know who they are, in Him.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

One thing I’m grateful for is that I was already familiar with the manufacturing process, the entrepreneurial process, the marketing process, etc. It may seem like night and day, going to making handbags to ministry and writing books, but I learned a lot in my journey of being a handbag designer that I’ve been able to apply to starting Nex Gen Ministries, which is the company that I self-published my first two books through. As far as fashion, I’m a self-taught leather seamstress. Everything from teaching myself how to use a sewing machine and sew, to sourcing leather, to building a website, to photography and editing, to marketing, etc., I learned all on my own. When it came time to release my first book, because of the nature of the content, I knew that I did not want to initially put it on platforms like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. So once again I had to build a website, source the right illustrator for my cover, find the perfect company to print my book, and even find the right attorney to give the legal advice I needed for such a book is this— if you read it, you’ll understand why! At that point, I was so used to doing everything myself so the process, although it took a lot of time, patience, and hard work, came natural for me. I simply applied my years of experience to achieving a new goal.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting from being a fashion girl to being a youth minister has certainly been a journey! From the time I started my fashion business I took countless trips to New York, LA, and Atlanta. I’ve done fashion shows, trade shows, been a part of showrooms and major collaborations, magazine covers, and so much more. I’m also someone who loves the thrill of being on the go, and I loved seeing all the girls rocking my handbags from state to state. It’s wild because to this day, I still get emails and DM’s asking about my bags. But in this season of my life, I’m much more still as I’m focused on building. Sure, I’m expecting invitations to eventually come where I get to start traveling again and speaking to teenagers all over the country, but for now, like I said, I’m building. I believe this season is a blessing in disguise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nexgenministries.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nexgenministries
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNexGenMinistries/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@forthenexgen
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nexgenministries