Meet Kecia J: Empowerment Maven/Author/Logistics Mogul

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kecia J and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kecia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
When I think about my life and the foundation it stands on, I immediately think of the word “RISK”. When we understand the basis of the definition it states, ” a situation involving one to harm or loss”. To be honest, I had to learn that on that ladder of success, you are going to fail, fall and loose in order to build character. From taking the risks that I have taken over the years, I have learned so much about myself as woman. Most of which I have been able to apply to my many business ventures and successes. If it were not for me falling while combating through the many obstacles and loses that life has thrown my way, I would not have had the courage to write my first book, or start my own business. The reason for taking risks is to go against the unknown! It’s a way to fight past any fear you may be facing and push toward your purpose. We must learn that we take risks everyday. In what we eat, from the relationships we enter into whether business or personal; they all boil down to you taking risks.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For years the world has known me as a global brand that speaks her truth and has no filter with educating the masses on the truth that lies on the platform of HIV/AIDS, but aside from that I have built an empire that no one saw coming . I pride myself on living and speaking nothing but the truth, no matter how bad it hurts and since releasing my first book, “Dying to Be DIVA”, I knew that in order for me to be impeccable and leave legacy for my daughter, I had to move completely different than the rest! Once I understood that I had to remain in my own lane, fall back and create businesses that would speak volumes to consumers. Once I mastered that, I knew I had a win. My years of expertise in management within the music industry afforded me the thick skin that I needed to build a brand that would stick. Aside from the world of music, I always had a love for all things logistics and transportation for over ten years. Once I nailed the automobile world, and became the Queen of selling luxury automobiles in Houston, Texas; I then began helping a few owner operators start their own trucking companies. From that point I immediately made a shift. I created JWay Logistics 2018 under the “I AM Kecia J” enterprise, with the mindset of creating a space for women and prospective business owners to step into the logistics world to create a platform to make money while they sleep and create another stream of income! I stepped into a male dominated field, with no experience and literally spent countless hours researching and taught myself the game.

Life in my world of being a mogul while maintaining a brand has been far from steady and consistent. At the peak of my career working in the music industry as an artist manager, I contracted the AIDS virus at near death. I remember passing out in the shower, completely blacking out and waking up in an ambulance. After being admitted into the hospital, being in a partial coma for two weeks; I was then told that I had AIDS and it had been dormant in my system. I was so completely taken back by the diagnosis that it didn’t fully register with me what was being said until I was being wheeled out into a private secluded room so that I could write down all of my sexual partners I had ever engaged with. That moment was humiliating, but I knew it was apart of the process of what I had to do to move forward. After being released from the hospital and being partially comatose for nearly a month; I immediately began seeking out ways to speak my truth and become a voice for the “voiceless”. I released my memoir, “Dying to Be DIVA”, a few years after getting my health back in line. I fought hard in doing so. From working out daily to making healthier choices when eating, I got myself to a point of being a strong undetectable (meaning the amount if virus in bloodstream is so low that it cannot be detected in a blood panel) fierce QUEEN. I decided that if I was going to talk that TALK, I really had to walk THE WALK in order for people to not just hear my truth but embody it.

From creating a lane of working with some of the industry’s favorite artists to establishing a logistics empire, my goal has always been to leave a legacy behind that my offspring could stand firm on. Throughout my journey, my lessons learned have been endless. Most of them have been a guide to self awareness that have instilled a work ethic in me that most would deem unstoppable. I had to realize that my story does not make me any less of a woman just because I do not look like the battles that I have fought, My strategy for overcoming the many obstacles I have faced is simple; I lean on something that is bigger and greater than I could ever imagine. My spiritual relationship means more to me than anything. It helps me stay grounded in a world that I was in that was full of brokenness and imbalance. Once I realized that I was the master of my destiny, and put God at the center of it; with the right tools I could conquer ANYTHING!

I knew that I created a brand that that was synonymous with the masses globally when the social media platform, “The ShadeRoom” posted my story in 2018 as one of their weekly morning inspiration and from that moment my direct messages became overloaded with individuals who thanked me for sharing my truth. So many individuals reached out to me expressing how they felt trapped within their own inadequacies. Another pivotal moment in my brand’s platform was taking over Keke Palmer’s, “Love is The Gag” snapchat. That was a moment in time that truly took over social media in away in never has before. That for me was a time where I literally began to witness the stigma of HIV/AIDS being broken down right before my eyes. I had inmates from various prisons across the country who tuned in and people from other countries reaching out to me just to say, “Thank You”, for being so transparent in my truth!

Now, as a new mother and learning how to navigate life as a mommy and business mogul; another obstacle TRIED to stop me in my tracks. A year ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 rectal cancer. Once I heard those words, I began to feel like I was right back in the space of being in the hospital fifteen years ago being told about AIDS. However, in that moment I felt even more vulnerable because in this moment I am not just living for me, I am living for my babygirl, Journei-Ahanna. Within weeks of being diagnosed, I immediately had to begin chemotherapy and radiation treatment. It was rigorous and hard on my body that I began to doubt myself and my future because I started to see my body being brutally effected by the treatment. Even in the midst of all of that I still fought to be the best mommy and mogul I could be. If that meant working at night while my daughter was sleep or even working on my laptop while being admitted in the hospital for severe second degree burns, I still had a fight within me to MAKE IT HAPPEN! I could not just sit back and let cancer break me down and allow my mental to win the battle and count me out. From countless nights of sitting in pain and not being able to sit up right while still managing to navigate accordingly and run my businesses became beyond challenging at times. There were days that I would just cry because I did not know how I would get through the day, until one day while being in the hospital I prayed and I asked for strength and the ability to trust in what I could not visually see. From that moment I moved differently. Instead of allowing the pain I was enduring to dictate my days, I began to let it motivate me to push myself to a point of productivity because I knew that I was a warrior and I was battling was way bigger than me. I know that I am called to be a vessel to others and sometimes that comes with a huge price, however on thing I do know is no matter the price, I am humbly willing to pay it because I know the purpose that sites before me is PRICELESS!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta is the what I call the city of “sweet spots”! Not in the literal form of going to places that serve sweets, but it is a city that has so many great spots in the city that it can be so hard to come up with an itinerary and just choose a few. If I were to bring my bestie to the city, the first place that I would take her to would be to “Einsteins’ on Juniper” to grab an amazing bite to eat post flight! If you are in Atlanta you know that midtown has a lot of hidden gems that have amazing cuisine, so believe me the itinerary for the week would be filled with just that. After we grab a bite, we will head back to the hotel where my bestie will be staying at which is The Candler Hotel Atlanta. It has a real sleek, old Hollywood Glam vibe to it that I absolutely love and of course its centrally located so that is always a win! After a nice evening of sipping mimosas, even though it isn’t brunch and relaxation, we will experience an incredible night on the town. At the start of the week we will take on a little retail therapy and head to the Cumberland Mall! Aside from Cumberland, that next day we will take on the legendary Lenox Mall. If you know the land of Atlanta shopping you know that everyone has to push through to Lenox Mall and Phipps least once or twice! After we shop until we drop, I would take my girl to one of my favorite eating spots in the A, “Breakfast at Barney’s” on Decatur Street! The food there is so tasty and laid the Salmon Croquettes and Grits are INCREDIBLE! After the eatery we would go to get are face beat down, just because WE CAN at one of Atlanta’s best make-up artists, Geisha Boii! Not only does he do amazing faces for some of your favorite on-air personalities, but he is the sweetest ever!
After getting our make-up done, we would head to one of my favorite spots in the A, Iwi Fresh! Its an all natural spa that does mani/pedi’s and facials that caters to individuals who aspire to feed their body and skin with everything FRESH! All the ingredients are made with real veggies and it is just pure bliss! At the end of the week I would have an intimate dinner at private location in the “A” with some of my closest loves and besties in the city. The dinner would be brought to you by none other than my good girlfriend celebrity Chef T Jackson! She makes some of the best pastries period, and her food is super bomb as well!
Before I take my bestie to the airport to round out her vacay in the, “A”, I would make sure that we pass through “Red Pepper Taqueria”, so get one of there beyond delectable “Prickly Pear” margaritas! It is literally to die for! In order to make sure that my bestie has the best ride back, the margarita will get her just right and relaxed to the can have a peaceful ride back in the friendly skies to H-Town!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Throughout the years I have experienced growth that has been without a shadow of a doubt in contribution to the foundation that my mother has paved for me. There are many aspects of a women’s life where the world will tend to put its weight on us just based on the fact we are women, we bare children and we should be okay with handling more than we can bare. However, having an outline, blueprint or example in front of you can make certain scenarios in life run a lot smoother when you have a woman in front of you handling things with such grace. After becoming a mother, there was a fire that lit in me that I did not even know I had within me. My daughter being born and motherhood changed my life in way that cannot be explained. It is almost as if I felt unbreakable. I knew moving forward that everything I would indulge into should only be to strengthen and solidify the foundation for her. So, if any two individuals deserve the credit for helping mold the woman that you see before you today, it is my mother and my beautiful daughter Journei-Ahanna.

Website: www.iamkeciaj.com

Instagram: @myfabredlife @iamkeciaj

Twitter: @iamkeciaj

Facebook: Kecia Johnson

Youtube: I Am Kecia J

Other: Snapchat: @iamkeciaj/Tik Tok: @iamkeciaj

Image Credits
Photographer Credits: Carl Ankrum @eyeshootraw Amanda Evans Photography @amandaevans.photography