We recently connected with Deidra Ewing and have shared our conversation below.
Deidra, appreciate you joining us 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.
I’m in a very blessed position to do two things that I absolutely love doing. Serving the next generation and helping others. By day I get the chance to help sgencies across the state Implement a family based theraputic practice and by night I get the chance to help new business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and the tired mom struggling to find time. I consider all of these populations as underserved so I do my best to step in and fill in the gap. As mom of two, wife, friend, with a full time career, in leadership positions, part time businesses, books, hobbies, kids sports, date nights, etc., I found myself looking for someone else juggling all of what life brings and I’m yet to find anyone. I’ve failed alot and succeeded more than that so I became the person I was looking for. Someone perfectly imperfect living life at its fullest all while giving back. There’s so many people out there struggling trying to figure it out and I’m blessed enough to live it. I dont take that lightly so I help the underserved. Its only right. To me. And the secret is time management.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Okay, well my name is Deidra Ewing. I’m a God-fearing wife, mom, dual career Houstonian who’s is a sucker for chips and queso. I was recently awarded the sole position as the statewide Project Director for an implementation project in Texas after a school shooting tragedy. In this role, I get to launch and support agencies across the state of Texas by helping them implement a home based family counseling service. This initiative helps to put parents back into the driver’s seat of youth identified as “at risk” by equipping them with proactive interventions to address unfavorable behaviors and I’m forever humbled to serve this population. I know that I would have benefited from this program as a teen. I grew up in a dysfunctional environment and would have been acceptive of the structure in repairing healthy family systems. Most people don’t know that this service exists so I’m helping Texas get a stamp of mental health on the map. Prior to this role, I served in multiple capacities within the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. I was there off and on for a little over 17 years. As a Criminal Justice undergraduate major from Sam Houston State University (Go Bearkats!) and a masters graduate in Counseling from Prairie View A&M University (Youuu Know!), I chose to use my lived experiences and my professional career roles to be an advocate for change in every life that I get to touch.
My entrepreneurial spirit was birth after planning my own wedding. Many people don’t know that my first business was branding myself as a wedding coordinator. I called it “The Show Events” Lol! That business was short lived although it taught me how to organize, strategize, empathize, and delegate. The skills that I learned when starting my first business over 10 years ago has since evolved over time. I’ve dedicated thousands of hours in self development, paid thousands of dollars in coaching, and those investments helped me evolve into the direct sales expert that I committed to for eight years, follwed by becoming the real estate agent and author that I am now. Every step has been a step towards success and I’ve learned from every failure and win along the way. Between my current career, all of the titles, all of the awards, all of the recognition….I’m owed nothing. Top 40 under 40 in real estate, Amazon’s best seller list (twice), books in Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart, black owned bookstores, etc. All of those things came by lots of prayer, lots of tears, lots of time management, lots of growth….I learned more from disciplining myself in the process than I did from the victories. God is dope…..that’s all I can say.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
There was a season within my direct sales business whereas I took a leap of faith, quit my full time job as a family therapist, and was able to be a full time entrepreneur for four years. I’d just had my son, was in the middle of self diagnosed postpartum depression, and was so down on myself for having to return to work and leave him with childcare after those six weeks of FMLA. I remember thinking how bad I never wanted to feel that level of guilt again. I was not emotionally ready to return to work. I became so determined to replace my work income with my direct sales income and I did after three years of laser focus. Tripled my income actually. I remember reading these books called the “4 Year Career” and the “4 Hour Workweek” and those books (amongst many others) changed my perspective on my business. “Think Like a Billionaire” changed my mindset on my life and how I was spending my time. Those three books plus Jesus and my work ethic was the remedy. That’s free Game right there Lol! “To this DAY” I still use those strategies in my life, career, and business. That was my #IFiredMyBoss season. After that, I stayed home for four years. I made it to freedom. I was able to be a stay at home mom with my daughter for two years rather than the six weeks I was able to remain home with my son and those two years meant the world to me. Obviously, I went back to work after being home with her but I went back with a different mindset. Going to work everyday knowing what who you are and what you’re capable of hits different than going into work thinking you’re not in control. That time off taught me that I can do anything. And I’ve used that learned mindset in every facet of my life ever since. People always ask me why not simply be an entrepreneur again and my response is always why would I limit myself. Having a full time career brings me peace and stability and having successful businesses gives me creative outlets and an unlimited amount of financial freedom. My bandwidth allows both and I’m not in a place whereas I’m willing to give up either just yet. Having a dual career is my main and my side piece. I love them both and neither one can compete with the other LOL! It’s my own healthy version getting everything I want.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Man….my whole life is a story of resiliency. I’m just in a phase of my life that Im calling radiant resiliency. I still remember wearing hand me down clothes, nights with no lights, learning how to flush the toilet with no water and eating knuckle sandwiches. You gotta be from the south to know what is. Looking back from where I started to where I am today is a miracle. I could’ve easily been a statistic but I had a praying mother. I’ve fought through addiction, abandonment, depression, family dysfunction, grief, marital problems, self doubt, insecurities….I’ve been through it all. I just choose to focus on God, self discipline, healthy relationships, and time management to get me back on track when I fall off. There are seasons when the hats that I get to wear are heavier than others so I go back to the basics and start back setting boundaries. Having been a therapist myself and by going to therapy to understand my patterns, every time I fall, I figure out a way to get back up. I do the mental and spiritual work to understand my short comings. I get knocked down just like everyone else but my bounceback game is strong. Major gratitude goes to my support system for seeing me when I can’t see myself. To J, kids, mom, the Moore’s, the Joseph’s, the Boles’, the Malveaux’s, the Randolph’s, the Ewing’s, the Garrett’s, and the Alexander’s- Thank You.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ewingliving.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deidra_ewing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deidra.ewing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@crowningconversations
- Other: https://crowningconversations.com/ https://evidencebasedassociates.com/leadership/
Image Credits
Some pictures were photographed by Elroy McDaniel.