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

Hi Nefateri, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind starting my own business is encompassed in my mission to be a bridge for those who are broken so that they too can cross to walk in total healing – spirit, mind, body, and soul.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am the CEO of a nonprofit organization called Healing Hurts Ministries that provides supportive services to single parent families. These supportive services include free diapers and brand new clothes for infants and toddlers for those families who are facing economic hardship. Our nonprofit has multiple scopes of reach that extends healing to everyone that we touch. Our focus is specific to individuals who are a product of domestic violence and sexual assault. I have gone on to even including trauma recovery coaching to offer those who may be struggling effective coping strategies, skills, and resources to get from their ‘NOW’ to their ‘NEXT.’ Though this outreach may seem vast, the journey to get here was costly. I am a child survivor of a fatal domestic violence at age 3, sexual assault at age 14, and I became a divorced single parent at age 29. This is what makes the services we offer unique. I know very well what it’s like to be on the other side of the desk needing what our agency offers. Yet, instead of being moved simply by compassion, I have gone on to receive education and certifications that authenticate what we do with why we do it. I even had the opportunity to write and publish three books to extend hope and healing, as well as produced two pieces of film work to expand the reach of the lives I will change. I am just getting started!

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.
If my best friend were to visit, I would definitely have to take them to Hall’s Chophouse. I am getting hungry just typing because the ambience, the upscale atmosphere, and the food are all hand-in-hand a delightful experience. We would have to stop to visit my brother Fahamu Pecou’s art studio and explore the many murals that he has been afforded the opportunity to paint throughout the city of Atlanta. I would love to end the day touring Tyler Perry Studios to expand my own vision, and take notes on strategies that helped him to rise to excellence in the creative arts.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shout out to my mother figure who became a beacon of light in my very own broken times, Dr. Vera M. Davis of Hartsville, SC.

Website: https://nefateripsmalls.com

Other: https://healinghurts.com

Image Credits
Studio 21 Photography Barry Thompson Hartsville, SC

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