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

Connie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My journey began nine years ago, April 20, 2013 to be exact. A day etched in my mind and heart forever. It was a day my world stopped being anything recognizable. It was the day my little world became far removed from that of anything resembling a perfect life surrounded by people, places, and things I had come to love, but equally that day also became the trajectory towards a transformation my dear mother hoped and prayed for. Scripture tells us that God is the orchestrator and the finisher of our lives and most times we do not understand the path set in motion for us. My journey was set in motion the day my dear mother passed. With her death, losing her felt like the bough broke, and all the air necessary to breathe was being sucked from my being. Grasping for air the very support system I had come to have and thought would always exist between a mother and her child was no more. At this point, I could not recognize anything verbally or cognitively. The bough broke and I was falling privately towards depression, well at least that’s what I thought. God had another plan if only I turned to him and trust what I couldn’t understand. Unimaginable grief in the loss of a loved one is painful, sometimes long suffering, but it’s also rewarding if you choose to turn your pain into purpose. Journaling about those experiences fueled the idea for my business. I am a Self-Published Author, Poet, Blogger, CEO and Founder of P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens) Publishing Inc. Through our online Inspirational Store, we offer one of a kind spiritually uplifting products as well as insight and guidance in the self-publishing book processes. For those who may live in rural areas or may not be computer savvy our products can also be purchased in Monticello Georgia a Suburb of Atlanta in the historic business district and quaint store, Shoppes of Monticello where I am a proud merchant. We at P.U.S.H. believe everyone have a story to tell and those experiences or life lessons were meant to help someone coming behind you travel through life. We all are connected our existence and arrival at our destiny are depend upon the roads we travel. Your story is the necessary road map for the next traveler’s journey. The details of my arrival to this point in my life you’ll have to read about in my book, When The Bough Breaks available at www.the bookpatch.com, or via my website at www.ConnieDStandifer.com but with God and through God’s blessings I am in this interview with Canvas Rebel and enjoying the fruits of P.U.S.H. Publishing Inc., the Butterfly Collection, Mari And The Majestic Butterfly, and the start of a series of children’s books on the horizon because of nothing short of God’s grace.

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

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, and a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in program management. I have held leadership positions in crisis intervention. I have a Psychology degree and held a Counseling position which focused on helping children and their families for over 10 years prior to my Program Management position. I know no strangers and have always possessed the willingness to want to help people navigate through life’s most difficult experiences. I am a Women’s Missionary member in my church, and I also strive to serve the needs of the community through my involvement with Love Thy Neighbor’s Community Outreach Ministries as one of its founding members. My personal experiences coming to acceptance with the loss of my loved one, and my wiliness to share potentially those ways in which I progressed through the grieving process put me on a path of creating a brand offering encouragement to others to face tomorrow even when tomorrow seems frightening or unrecognizable. The loss of my father, the onset of three year span of a deadly pandemic, an almost total world shut down, and people dying in record numbers created an opportunity for me to help others through this industry. Grief and its phases isn’t anything new, but what sets me apart from others is the manner in which I convey the message as not only relatable, but is intended to provide comfort, and some form of peace for others. The interesting thing about this is I’ve often been able to find the right words to say or write to offer comfort with family, friends, and even perfect strangers. I’ve met people on the streets, in the airport, while attending a concert, or even riding a Greyhound bus in the middle of the night who felt compelled without me ever asking to share their deepest pains, and fears with me, and words of comfort, and compassion flowed from my mouth with little or no hesitation. In many cases, my words which were really God’s words were met and received with tears. Why strangers chose to be vulnerable with me I’m really unsure of, but I stopped  trying to figure that out because I firmly believe God places people on your path to give you exactly what you need when you need it most, and I’m humbled to be that person he choose to use.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Being successful on social media is probably a concern everyone has had at some point in their career if they are honest about the journey. The need to understand the algorithms, when to post, not post, what to post, is more than enough to make one wave the white flag unless you’ve got an expert at your disposal to help break what may feel like social media’s secret code. But if you’re anything like me, with not a whole lot of money to spend on media, and very cautious about who you share your craft with, if you’re not careful fear of failure will trump even the most brilliant ideas. Whether or not my idea would be taken seriously, or if my product or service is actually good enough, or will others believe in me and financially back me  was  one of my greatest fears. I since learned and so will you that when God gives you a gift, he also gives you the recipients of that gift. Once I learned that, and understood that it’s not in my time but in God’s time, coupled with the fact that he truly gives you what you need when you need it. Therefore; stay true to your brand, keep the faith, and watch God’s favor move in whatever you endeavor. The experiences I wrote about in When The Bough Breaks were my most dark, personal, and unfiltered experiences dealing with the loss of my dear mother that seemed to resonate with readers. Those moments too difficult for others to find words for, my writing gave life to. Through reader testimonial, every thought, and pain experienced seem to jump off the pages connecting with readers causing them to search within themselves for their bough breaking experiences. So my advice on building social media presence is simple P.U.S.H. which stands for pray until something happens. It really does work. While praying, have the faith and the patience to wait. While waiting interact with your audience as much as possible, stay relevant always improving your craft, stay consistent with posting, always fact check your information before going live, and know your audience. Greatness doesn’t happen overnight and anything really great comes with hard work. Truth be told, to be great at anything requires a little sweat, and a whole lot of tears, which in the long run builds character and character has always been appealing. What makes me appealing to my audience is this belief that with character comes substance. I work hard to offer my readers and the world something positive whether it be a thought conveyed in a blog, an emotional expression conveyed through poetry or something tangible. Whatever I write, I try to ensure it’s of some uplifting value to society. I am of the opinion, the world we live in today is full of people whom are barely functioning as a result of the pain they are carrying. If I can give someone hope whether it be my books, poetry, and or blogs to look beyond their immediate pain and face tomorrow, then that’s heartwarming to me, and my mission from God is accomplished. 

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

After Mama passed, days later at her graveside appeared the most beautiful blue butterfly. What made this butterfly appearance so significant was the mere fact that it did not just fly by and off on its way but it lingered for hours. The blue butterfly’s presence has been seen and witnessed by several family members, and each time everything seems to go silent and this sense of peace invades the atmosphere and all who have seen it are in total awe. The blue butterfly has become my chosen Logo image and truly emulates my resilience and journey as an Author and CEO of P.U.S.H. Publishing Inc. Using the caterpillar as an analogy it keeps his head to the ground unable to see anything ahead of him before becoming a beautiful butterfly, grief can be the same way in some instances that we are so consumed with the grief that we are unable to see anything beyond our present pain. My journey coming to acceptance of losing Mama, thinking life as I once knew it was over, learning how to exist without her as I faced a new and different tomorrow not only depict resilience, but hope, a rebirth of the women God wants me to be, and the very women Mama prayed and hoped I would become. Like that of a butterfly I have evolved exemplifying triumph of the spirit in me turning my pain to purpose. That change in the woman I have become is resilience in every aspect of the word. It’s what I now share via my books and P.U.S.H. Publishing services with its readers. The words echoed in my blogs and Facebook entries are intended to offer readers encouragement and reads, “The bough will break, and you will fall, but you can and will recover.” Every entry almost always closes with, “Wishing you God’s blessings on your journey.” In the meantime pray until something happens, I truly believe no matter what you are going through, with God you can and will get through it. With all my heart, I wish you God’s blessing on your personal journey. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ConnieDStandifer.com
• Instagram: conniedstandifer
• Facebook: Connie Standifer
• Other:  Books available at the below locations: When The Bough Breaks – Story On The Square in McDonough Georgia, The Shoppes of Monticello in Monticello Georgia and Manna Christian Resource Center Sanford North Carolina and online at www.the book patch.com and www.ConnieDStandifer.com Mari And The Majestic Butterfly – The Shoppes of Monticello in Monticello Georgia and Manna Christian Resource Center in Sanford North Carolina and online at www.ConnieDStandifer.comwww.ConnieDStandifer.com

Image Credits
Elite Visionary Concepts LLC