We recently connected with Stephanie Helms Pickett and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I developed a love of writing from a very early age. When I was 10 or 11, I entered a city-wide writing contest and won a cash award! I continued to hone my gift throughout high school. As I prepared to go away to college, I wrestled between choosing journalism and broadcasting as my major. I landed on broadcasting, but continued to write in my free time. Ten years after college, I felt the prompting to write a book. I would pick up and start and then let it go. The Lord spoke to me and shared that if I didn’t write the book, my gift of writing would dry up like the Red Sea! I was terrified, but not enough to light a fire beneath me to write. I danced with a manuscript a bit longer and shared my struggle with a friend. She responded, “What if I serve as accountability for you? You send me a chapter each week and I provide feedback.” That process occurred over five months and allowed to birth my first book, “Later Never Came Until Now.” in 2012. After that experience, I developed the discipline to not only write books, but write a weekly blog. It’s 2023 and I have a total of six books written, each exploring the practicality of faith.

Stephanie, 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 grew up on the south side of Chicago. I developed a wicked imagination as a child envisioning trips all across the city and beyond. My quest for writing developed watching people move and live outside of the window of our second floor apartment. My faith foundation began in my single parent household, with a mother who instilled the belief that we (my brother and I) could do anything if we put God first. As a writer, I attempt to make God tangible, evident, approachable and centered. Religiosity can create barriers and ways whereby folx do not see themselves as loved by something or someone bigger than them, without conditions. That is what I found in my relationship with God and what spurs me to share that love and affirmation with others through my writing in books and blogs. Further, my faith is amplified beyond the medium of writing, as I engage in the ministry of dance to demonstrate the power of faith and as I speak through my podcast and other speaking engagements.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I feel as if my life’s journey is reflected through the tenet of resilience. One aspect of myself that reflects resilience is my pursuit of a doctoral degree. The first semester while pursuing my doctoral degree, I got divorced. I became the custodial parent to my 7 year old daughter. Additionally, I worked full time, but in the field of higher education at a salary of $26,000. I took out student loans, not only to support my education, but have secure and reliable child care for my daughter. I worked all day and went to class in the evening. This process went on for three years before I reached the point in my journey to write. I chose a topic close to my heart, cultural competency. I continued to parent and work as I wrote my dissertation. In my final semester, the chair of my graduate committee left the university for another position. She requested to retain me as well as a few other students. I continued to write. She flew in town for my doctoral defense. I invited a host of family and friends to witness me being conferred for my degree. Unfortunately, my degree wasn’t conferred. In the presence of family and friends, my committee decided my manuscript wasn’t ready. My chair was embarrassed and blamed herself for moving away. I was numb. Four years of sacrifice being thwarted in one moment. My daughter, then 11, was present and couldn’t quite grasp what happened. I wept sore. After a few weeks, I mustered the strength to write again. I made the recommended corrections and resubmitted my dissertation three months later. This time, I didn’t invite anyone to the doctoral defense. I felt it was me and God. My defense was brief, 15 minutes. Four months later, I walked at commencement next to the Department Head. My lesson or resilience is to never give up, no matter the circumstances. With God and grit, you can as mother would say, “do anything.”

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Growing up, faith was presented in a very one dimensional manner. Read the Bible, follow it and all will be well. To a certain extent, components of that sentiment ring true for me, but what folx failed to share is that in this life, as a believer or not, you will experience darkness and sometimes, it takes a while for the light to emerge. I recall later in life hearing a pastor say, “a delay is not a denial.” My intention is to invoke the underlying connotation of that in everything I do. I desperately need for us to hold on! Hold on to our faith, our desires, our purpose, our assignment despite our failures, disappointments, regrets and insecurity. That’s the narrative I pass on to that seven year old who will be 30 this year. It’s the narrative that I still receive from that soon to be 90 year old mom that I’m blessed to have. We have the power to “unlearn” anything that does not serve our present reality. I learned that from every place whereby I’ve had to compel myself to be resilient.

Contact Info:

• Website: drhelmspickett.com
• Instagram: drhelmspickett
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrHelmsPickett
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drhelmspickett/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0xPQhh5wFzKK5YG5fZNFVA