We were lucky to catch up with Staci Childs recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Staci thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents did a lot of things right. The first thing they did was teach me about God. They instilled the Word of God in me and the love of God in me. I can point to so many moments in my life, especially navigating adulthood and politics, where I could think of nothing that could bring me out but the love of God. And I have my parents to thank for that.
They also taught me how to work. My dad worked as a bus driver, a professional truck driver, and a janitor. He was always clean, clean cut, and hardworking. I can’t remember a single time when he wasn’t working overtime. Laziness just wasn’t in his DNA. My mom was the same way. She started her career as a mail opener at 19 years old with a two-year-old baby, my sister, and she climbed her way up through the ranks of state government. Both of my parents worked hard, looked good, smelled good, and carried themselves with pride. They did everything they could to make sure my sister and I were okay.
They also taught me the value of friendship and what it really means to keep the main thing the main thing. My mom and dad split up when I was ten, but they never made it about them. They always made it about me. There was no drama, no pettiness, no resentment. Just love. They stayed friends and showed me that two people can walk in peace even when things change.
And maybe one of the biggest things they gave me was laughter. My mom would make time for arts and crafts and the little things that made life fun. My dad loved jokes, good food, and taking us to watch airplanes take off just because. Those small things shaped what still brings me joy today.
When I think about the kind of person I try to be now — as a lawyer, as a public servant, as a woman of faith — I know I’m standing on the foundation they built. They taught me that faith and hard work are not just principles, they are how you do life.
Staci, 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’m Staci Danielle Childs (soon to be Staci Childs Davis *smile*)— an attorney, artist, and elected member of the Texas State Board of Education. I’m also a candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, District 131. Everything I do comes from one place: a calling to serve people, especially those who’ve been counted out, talked about, or told no too many times.
I got into law because I wanted people to have someone who truly cares fighting for them. I didn’t become a lawyer because it looked good on paper. I became one because I saw too many people in my community who didn’t have someone in their corner — people losing homes, jobs, or custody because they couldn’t afford representation or didn’t understand the process. At my firm, Sunnyside Legal, I fight for those people every single day. Whether it’s a teacher wrongly accused, a family trying to protect their children, or someone’s grandmother needing her will done right, I treat every client like they’re my only one.
I think what sets me apart is that I bring my whole heart into everything I do. My work isn’t transactional. It’s relational. I know my clients’ stories. I pray with them sometimes. I show up in court ready, but I also show up with compassion. I’m not afraid to be both strong and soft. That’s how my clients know I care — because I actually do.
Outside of law, I’m an artist who performs under the name Honey Childs. My music and writing are about the same things I fight for in my legal and political work — freedom, healing, truth, and community. Whether I’m in the courtroom, on stage, or speaking at the Capitol, my message doesn’t change: we are worthy of justice, love, and opportunity.
What I’m most proud of is the impact I’ve been able to make without ever changing who I am. I’ve stayed rooted in faith, family, and community. I’ve represented people who thought they’d lost everything and watched their lives turn around. I’ve taught kids about leadership and watched them find their voice. I’ve walked into rooms where people didn’t expect much from a Black woman with braids and long nails; then watched their entire perspective shift by the time I left.
What I want people to know about me is simple: I’m not running for office or practicing law to add titles to my name. I’m doing it because I believe God placed me here to help people find their way, to restore hope, and to remind them that their story isn’t over.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
When I first started speaking in court and at State Board of Education meetings, I would intentionally lower my tone. I wasn’t only nervous — I was intentional. I wanted my words to be clear, not mistaken. I wanted to make sure my message came across without people getting distracted by their preconceived ideas about who I am or how I look.
For a while, I worried that being soft-spoken in those moments might make people overlook me. But when I started sharing those clips online, something unexpected happened. People started calling it “soft strength.” They’d say, “You have the calm power of a lion.” And that changed everything for me. I realized the one thing I thought might hold me back was actually the thing that made me stand out. My restraint, my stillness, and my focus were what made people listen.
That’s how my social media audience started to grow — not through strategy or performance, but through presence. I didn’t try to sound louder than anyone else. I just kept showing up, doing the work, and letting people see what purpose looks like when you stay rooted in who you are.
If I had to give advice to anyone building a platform, I’d say this: don’t confuse volume with impact. You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to be the most powerful one. Be clear on who you are and what you stand for. Share your truth with intention and consistency. The right people will find you — and when they do, they’ll feel you.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that I needed to be a certain way to be valuable to the world. For a long time, I thought I had to be more polished, more experienced, more “something” to be taken seriously. I thought my value would come later — after I’d arrived somewhere bigger. But the truth is, I was already enough.
That realization hit me when young Black and Latina women started reaching out, asking me to mentor them or give them advice about law, politics, or just life. I remember looking at some of those messages and thinking, you’re looking up to me as I am right now. Not ten years from now. Not after I have a bigger title. Right now.
It reminded me that people aren’t waiting on a perfect version of you — they’re inspired by the honest version of you. The one still figuring things out but doing it with courage and faith.
That’s what I had to unlearn — that my worth was something I had to earn. My worth was already there because God put it there. Once I accepted that, it changed how I showed up in every space. I stopped trying to fit into other people’s definitions of power and started walking in my own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.childsfortexas.com
- Instagram: @attorneystaci
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staci.childs.7
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/honeychilds
- Twitter: @childsfortexas
