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

Hi Shardae, thanks for 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 am a mother of many statistics: Single mother of 4, stroke survivor, and I have with child with a disability. Having labels has been something that I have become accustomed to too. And the very labels I have I have grown to nurture and give it life in a positive way. My son was diagnosed with ADHD at 4 years old. This disability ignited a fire within me where I wanted to know more about the disability to get my son the best support. And with that fire I became certified in ADHD & Autism Awareness to ensure I had and could communicate the true importance to my son’s struggles.
And this awareness and desire to educate everyone that my son had to encounter birthed my businesses. Fort Julian Academy which is a nonprofit that provides education and resources for children of color with ADHD & Autism. This allows me to help parents navigate how to test, once tested how to navigate his/her child’s diagnosis, and to provide a haven while steering this space of balancing the child’s mental health and the area of the unknown.
Mental health and securing proper assistance continue to be a taboo subject in communities of color and at Fort Julian Academy we pride ourselves in bridging the gap.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have worked in the insurance field for over 9 years and while in this field I noticed how resources are still challenging in certain areas for children. And when my child experienced his challenges, I wanted to create the very things that I couldn’t find for him. I created the nonprofit Fort Julian Academy resource center for children of color with ADHD & Autism. I also wrote books that displayed children of color with disabilities and other social concerns my books are titled:
• You are Enough: The ADHD Affirmation
• Standing Alone is Okay: The ASD Affirmation
• Mirror Mirror: The Self Confidence Affirmation
• The Ask we are Afraid Of: Getting your child’s needs met in the school system via IEP.
• The Black Label: The denial, disparity, and Diagnosis ADHD & Autism in children of Color
I have always desired to give back to our youth and I realized this a massive need was not only with my family but others. And through literature, education, community givebacks, and resource navigation I intend on providing the community with the answer, via my nonprofit and publishing company called Aligned Absolute Publishing.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Every dream deserves a seed and I have managed to provide successful community givebacks via donating all funds from my books sales to the nonprofit. Which continues to be our methods while actively reaching out to other thriving businesses to donate, grants submissions, and requesting financial support to potential investors who believe in the cause.

Due to our current methods of books sales being donated we have successfully given back to over 500 families with a strong yearning to provide for more.

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

What continues to strengthen me is that I am a stroke survivor (2018), I lost my ability to speak at 100% and walk seamlessly. And in that moment, I thought about all the conversations I missed out on that could provide a positive impact. Through prayer and meditation, I asked that if given the opportunity to speak again I would make sure I am very impactful. And when I was able to speak and made sure that I used my efforts to positively impact the lives of my kids and others. That’s why I continue to give back to the community, educate, and keep going. Because I want to ensure I use my words to be as impactful and powerful as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fortjulianacademy.org & www.alignedabsolutepublishing.com
• Instagram: fort.julian & authorshardaeb
• Facebook: Shardae L Bennett
• Linkedin: Shardae Bennett
• Other: I can be booked or contacted via email @ [email protected] & [email protected]