We recently connected with Dr. Nikki Anthony and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Nikki, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I hope people will remember me as a true servant leader, someone who loved people with Christ’s love and worked to help all she encountered to be better and do better.

Dr. Nikki, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am Dr. Nikki Anthony, a native of Jacksonville, Florida. I matriculated through the Duval County Public School system, attended the University of South Florida for both my bachelor and master’s degrees, then completed my doctoral studies at Trevecca Nazarene University.

Servant leadership has been part of my life since I was a little girl, with my greatest examples being my late mother, Joyce Anthony, and her sister, Eva Dortch. I watched both of them, as a child, devote themselves to serving others in a myriad of ways. They intentionally provided me with opportunities to learn how to serve others without condition. The precedent they both set for leading in love and dignity settled in my heart and has translated into the work I currently engage in with children and families to develop the next generation of servant leaders who think beyond themselves for the greater good. My nonprofit was born out of several experiences, but the greatest was sitting court side, watching them love people into better versions of themselves through the simplest interactions and exchanges such as baking cakes, providing accountability, showing up for special moments, and always working with the kindest smile.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Without direction, servant leadership can easily transform into savior complex. Over the years, I’ve had to learn that I can’t single-handedly save the world. That’s not my job. My role as a servant leader is to be who I was made to be. That may include being a point of direction, a connection to a resource, a listening ear, an extended hand, accountability, or a bridge for someone to cross over to their next. I remind myself, quite often when it seems the needs of others are greater than my resources, that some plant and some water, but only God increases. That scriptural reference brings me back to my role and focuses me on my purpose. I am only responsible for my part…God takes care of the rest through others who have tapped into and are walking in their own purpose.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Staying true to our mission and implementing with love. With consistency and mission-mindedness, we carry out our mission of building the next generation of servant leaders. With year eight approaching in August, as an organization, I can definitively say we have built a brand wherein we have become synonymous with serving, leading, giving, growing, and loving people well. Because that’s how we consistently show up and that’s what we consistently do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.LittlePeopleServing.org
• Instagram: @LittlePeopleServing
• Facebook: @LittlePeopleServing
• Youtube: @LittlePeopleServing

Image Credits

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