We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaletha Sanders a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shaletha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

Since 2008, I have coordinated free giveaways to central Ohio low income families through Faith Empowerment Center. These giveaways included the following: Backpack Giveaway, Toy Giveaway, Thanksgiving Dinner

This past December of 2022, I traveled to Accra, Ghana in Africa. We partnered with OIM Ghana and we fed over 450 children, passed out hygiene products, and provided Christmas toys to the children.

Shaletha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

SHALETHA SANDERS www.shalethasanders.org

Shaletha Sanders is a native of Columbus, Ohio. Shaletha is uniquely gifted and known to be a woman of good character, loyalty, and consistency. She exemplifies excellence and has high ethical and moral standards. She is the Leading Lady of Faith Empowerment Center, where she serves alongside her husband Bishop Joel Sanders. She is the mother to three beautiful children, Joel Jr., Josiah, and Madison. Since 2008, through Faith Empowerment Center,

Shaletha has facilitated Toys for Tots giveaway, free backpack giveaway, God’s Girls Mentoring Group, Bottoms Up For Babies, and the Esther Sanders Scholarship Award for Young Scholars. She is a public and global speaker, motivational coach, philanthropist, and author times two. For 2 years, she was a TV host on Trinity Broadcast Network-Lewis Center. In January of 2021, she launched her own business, JMJ Cosmetics. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter.

Educationally, she graduated from The Ohio State University and majored in Criminology and Sociology. In August of 2021, she earned her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University.
Shaletha has exemplified dedication, leadership and hard-working skills. She has over 22 years of experience working with at risk youth and families. She began her career working with youth and families as a caseworker with Franklin County Children Services. Her career furthered by working with at risk youth and families with Franklin County Domestic Relations & Juvenile Court. Her current position is with Franklin County Children Services as a Social Program Coordinator. She is a counselor resident at Metamorphosis Counseling. Her goal is to open her own private practice in counseling.
Shaletha is a prominent role model in the community. She has a passion for youth and families. In 2018, she started Youth Empowerment Services Groups. These programs focus on the development of youth to become role models and leaders within their communities. Her contribution to the community has been impeccable. She has volunteered for the following organizations: Habitat For Humanity, Volunteers of America, American Red Cross, and Salvation Army. Her efforts in the community speak volumes of her character.
Her motto is, “If I reach the top and cannot extend a hand to my sisters and brothers and pull them up, then my journey was in vein.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started JMJ Cosmetics in January 2021 during the pandemic. It was a time where our economy was on a downfall. Businesses were filing for bankruptcy and a lot of people started selling products online. JMJ Cosmetics started off pretty good and then there was a decrease in sales. This was a difficult time, however we were able to bounce back. After consulting with our marketing team,we tried new strategies and techniques to push the products. Surprisingly, it worked. We were able to double our sales and increase our productivity.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn is that if all my wishes came true right now, life would be perfect. I had to learn that there are no perfect people and no perfect world. I learned that everyone has a situation that they are dealing with. Money does not make a person happy, it just makes them have more people around them. Basically, good fortune has side effects just like medication does. In addition, any external factor that we depend on to make us feel good, can make us feel bad.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shalethasanders.org
• Instagram: @shalethasanders
• Facebook: Shaletha Sanders
• Twitter: @shalethasanders
• Youtube: Shaletha Sanders
• Other: Clubhouse:: Shaletha Sanders TikTok: Shaletha Sanders

Image Credits
Jehan Daugherty Photography LLC