Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Quanesha Anderson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Quanesha, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The mission of She Still Persisted, Inc. is, “To heal and empower women by eradicating poverty, improving mental health, and boosting self-esteem through community outreach, educational programs, and mentorship”. Founded at a time in my life where I was healing from my childhood traumas, being forced out of a business partnership, grieving from the untimely death of a dear friend who lost her life to suicide and fighting childhood cancer with my five-year-old son. She Still Persisted was necessary. More than a non-profit created in my dear friends’ memory, it is a declaration to myself and other women that even though everyone else may have counted her out She Still Persisted!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am Quanesha Anderson. The Founder and CEO of She Still Persisted, Inc. a non-profit organization servicing women in the state of Georgia. Founded on September 10, 2022, World Suicide Prevention Day and the 28th birthday of one of my dearest friends, Dianne Johnson who lost her life to suicide. She Still Persisted was birthed through a combination of grief, determination, hope and perseverance. Established in the memory of Dianne and created as an intersection of things that are significant to myself paired with a call to action that will work endlessly to ensure that Dianne’s passing was not in vain. She Still Persisted exists to ensure that women have a resource that can support them through life’s hardest times and most difficult battles.

Today, She Still Persisted, Inc. works daily to ensure that what Dianne went through, no other woman or family will have to experience. We uphold a mission that was constructed with healing, growing and life preservation in mind. We heal and empower women by eradicating poverty, improving mental health, and boosting self-esteem. We offer programs and resources that assist women with therapy, counseling, and life coaching session attainment. She Still Persisted also has a mentorship program and offers services that help to lighten the financial burden of raising a family. She Still Persisted empowers women and helps them to persist through life with strength and dignity!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing a team and maintaining high morale is extremely important, even in the non-profit sector. I would advise anyone who is managing a team to stay accessible. Many leaders tend to become “untouchable” when they acquire a team and forget about those who actually make the business run. I would also advise team leaders to always stay open to new ideas. Things change in our personal lives all the time and businesses should be ever changing too! It’s okay to offer a new service, expand clientele or even join in on a partnership. Lastly, the key to maintaining high moral is alignment! Make sure that when you are creating your team, you invite people who have morals and values that align with your organization’s mission, vision, and purpose. If this is done passion and morale will trickle down from the top to the bottom and overflow throughout the entire organization!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

She Still Persisted, Inc. is a product of resilience, amplified. The vision for She Still Persisted was given to me during a time that I felt like I was drowning emotionally. I was the full-time caregiver for my son, grieving the loss of my friend, being forced to confront my childhood traumas, and dealing with feelings of abandonment and isolation. I knew that I had to do something to help myself, to heal myself. I knew that there were other women who hurt like I did and felt so alone. I listened to the pain that I heard in the voice of Dianne’s mom because she had lost her eldest daughter. I saw the despair in her baby sister Ashley’s eyes as she cried outside of her big sister’s funeral. I knew that I could not allow my pain to keep me away from what God had called me to do. The founding and existence of She Still Persisted, Inc. is pain turned to purpose and is my story of resilience!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shestillpersisted.org
• Instagram: she_stillpersisted
• Facebook: She Still Persisted Inc.

Image Credits
Jon-Wesley Duncan Sr.