We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marie Denson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marie below.

Hi Marie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The Pushed Back not Held Back Project was an idea that surfaced into a mentoring and counseling project for those who have had trouble with bouncing back from set backs. As a single mother, I experienced many upsets and setbacks and I didn’t always have the support and help to redirect me. The logic behind this project is to mentor others in areas that they are having hard times with and help them gain focus, tap into their creative mind, and Push past the obstacles. I realized that when people are stressed and going through the issues of life, they need a buddy or in my case, a mentor; someone they can trust, talk to, and share their life with. The Pushed Back not Held Back Project helps our clients to stay resilient through it all.

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

After my last setback, the thought came to my mind; “I might have been pushed back but it didn’t hold me back, so, I need to keep going.” I started writing and later it became poetry and then it became a book that I published in 2019. “Nothing Less than the Truth: Pushed Back not Held Back.” The discipline in writing this came from a project that I created in 2017, “Because of Fear, I said it in Poetry.” Today when people are going through the trials of life, sometimes they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I pushed myself to continue to release in writing how I felt, what I felt, and to be as honest with myself as I would with anyone else. That’s what we want for those we mentor. This project helps people identify the main issue, key factor in their crisis and place focus in that area alone. As a mentorship program, we want people to define who they are while going through their trial and then we give them the resources and push they need to become resilient. One of the main things that we offer is holistic teachings and journal writing approach; we lose ourselves in life sometimes and it’s good to write in down so that you can go back to that day to see exactly where you were and what you did to overcome that obstacle. I’m most proud of this project because it also helps people identify the fears that attach themselves to their situations and gives them the necessary tools to resolve. Followers should know that with this mentorship program, we keep it very transparent through story-telling so that people not only see the results, but they get to hear real stories of people just like them that went through some of the same things and learn how they overcame. I want everyone to know that life will push us down and we will go through trials, but it’s the resiliency in the getting back up that keeps us sitting at the winning table.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

COVID hit and it seemed like everything was at a stand still at first. But, social media seemed to be the go to soon after. So, after I was ordained in March 2021, I took it social media as well. Through my Pushed Back not Held Back Project, I started a Friday’s Straight Transparency so that my clients would also get a live streaming of some of the things my project is offering. Then, I put a new website up that allows my clients to set up individual sessions with me and that grew very fast. And now, I set up a group chat called Monday Night’s Resiliency for everyone to be a part of the group discussions and learn from one another in order to help one another. I wanted to make sure that there was always a way clients could get in touch or stay tuned in to these outlets no matter where they were and no matter when they needed someone. PBNHB gives them truth, we stay active in the community, we reward them for taking the steps to getting back up and on their feet, we praise their PUSH, and we continue to provide that emotional support when needed.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2019, I made the big decision to move to Colorado on my spiritual journey. During that time, I was in a place of unknown and really could not turn to anyone. I stayed positive yet while trying to figure who I was and what I was going to do now that I was in a different state away from everyone and everything that I knew. I simply spoke at a peaceful protest in June of 2020 in Aspen, CO and my name was released to other organizations and from there, I started creating and strategizing on what the next piece of my life was going to be. I joined groups and started community organizing and then I started the Pushed Back not Held Back Project with just a few people and now I have 22 mentees, and over 3.5k followers in just over a year. I married my forever, my husband Zachary and together we are still stretching out, tweaking, and planning, but I thank God that we are in the position that we are in today because it allows us to begin the story-telling process with potential clients and followers in that they will also join the Project and pay it forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pushebacknotheldback.com
• Instagram: @ms.peaches77, @Stylz_by_peaches
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prophetessdenson/
• Twitter: @detertobetter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_l1ZzMlHyQcPI_0yDg32Cg
• Other: TikTok – @PeachFuzz43

Image Credits
All the image credit go to Marie and her cell phone. The flyers that show my work and who I am and what I do were made through PosterMyWall but under my membership that’s paid for.