We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nadiyah Essence Vance a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nadiyah Essence, appreciate you joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?
I have faced many adversities as a single parent, I have worked long hours, been smothered by bills like most of us, and could have given up but I always kept my faith that things would get better. I returned to college as an adult learner in 2014 and graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in human services in 2016. I wanted a better life for my family and I wanted to help others. I was almost killed in 2013 after getting struck by a car while crossing the street. I almost lost my leg while having arterial bypass surgery as a result of a blood clot in my leg in 2021. I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2021 which is a pain-riddled disease for me that constantly keeps me in pain and makes daily living activities hard to do. I keep going and pushing through all obstacles that have gotten in my way because I know there is more to life than my existence. I know that I enjoy helping people see the light in their tunnel. I help people through my work as a social worker, motivational speaker, author, and facilitator realize that forgiveness and optimism are the keys to a healthy and meaningful life. Through faith and resilience, I remind people that their pasts are not their present or their futures, they help us get there but do not hold us prisoner. I have created my own business from my desire to inspire and help others overcome intergenerational trauma, abuse, and mental and emotional disorders. My platform is designed to let people know that it is okay not to have all of the answers to life’s questions. That life is a journey and we learn as we go, they just have me to help them along the way. I have written two books on healing, accountability, spirituality, forgiveness, and reframing our thinking to become a better version of ourselves. The first book is my autobiography “, Layers of a Single Mother my Past is Not My Present'” and the second book is called, Believe in Yourself.” I am a volunteer for Soroptimist International SI Five Points Magneta where I hold the position of Co-chair for the “Dream It Be It,” program for young women in the Philadelphia area for college preparedness and career readiness. I have made it my life’s mission to give back to others as so many have given back to me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I arrived at the idea of becoming an author and motivational speaker because I am a trained social worker. I have noticed in my profession that the families and individuals that I helped along the way with resources all had a similar problem. They struggled with things from their past. The past events of their lives from the trauma of a childhood experience or relationships as adults be it from abuse (mental, emotional, verbal, sexual), neglect, and self-esteem issues, there was a common need for supportive understanding. I realized that I could help more people if I used my experiences as a segway to healing for them all. By sharing my life experiences I help people have a commonality in their trauma and act as a beacon of hope to help get them out of it. I offer self-esteem-building workshops, intergenerational trauma and childhood experiences workshops, overcoming obstacles and perseverance workshops, mentorship workshops, faith-based spirituality workshops, and career advancement workshops. I have a podcast for listeners to have a close-up experiential view of a relatable life experience that can help them through their struggles as parents and individuals. I offer a book on spirituality and healing, and a book about my life to help parents face themselves at their most vulnerable state and let them know that it is okay that they don’t have all of the parenting answers neither do I, and it will all be okay as they continue to discover who they are in this world. What sets me apart from others is that I help people understand that every day is a learning experience. We become a better version of ourselves than the day before, so no matter how small the triumph, be grateful for the lesson and grow from it, never stop growing. I am most proud of my ability to see the good in others. I have been judged most of my life because I am tall and look different, but I never let that stop me. The love of God and my love of myself keeps pushing me beyond what someone has said or done to me. I know that in life my existence is for a purpose to make the world a better place and my contribution to that purpose, my purpose is to help other people live the best version of their lives with continual self-discovery through my books, my workshops, my podcast, my social media, and wherever I am going to go next. I plan to spread my message of forgiveness, self-love, gratitude, resilience, and strength by faith all over the world. I use my nickname for my speaker platform which is “Essence Vance, Essence because it encompasses the character of all women, strong, resilient, empathetic, loving, nurturing, spiritual,
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Other than my training and knowledge what is most helpful in my field of work is the ability to relate to different people regardless of their belief systems or ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. The ability to be non-judgmental and see the good in people regardless of their status economically or socially. I treat everyone as a valuable person because we are all connected through the holy spirit. I believe that my strong faith in God is essential to my success as a motivational speaker and author because I am transparent and open to connecting with people on a deep emotional level to promote healing in their lives.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I worked as a correctional officer for eight years, I was faced with a lot of life-threatening situations. I was physically assaulted. I was verbally and emotionally abused, and my life was threatened daily by inmates in custody. As a result of these experiences, I suffered from PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety. I had to quit my job because of these health issues that left me mentally crippled for days at a time sometimes and I wasn’t able to care for my young children because of it. I had to seek help for my emotional and mental health issues. I eventually rebounded in my life and wanted to help others do the same so I went back to school to become a social worker at Chestnut Hill College and I am currently working on the completion of my MSW degree. My life pivoted when I quit corrections because I knew that God had better and bigger plans for me. My life was not over even though it felt like it. I was trapped in my own my and I had to break free with prayer, counseling, self-love, and the love of my children.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.everythingessencewix.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essen.cevance/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/essence-vance-067962285
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/r4EOjQyNWsY
- Email: contact@everythingessencewix.
org - Other: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/essence-vance