Meet Shilonda Jackson | CEO & Founder

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

Hi Shilonda, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting “Giving Myself Permission” was inspired by giving myself permission to forgive, heal and love myself from the inside and out. This meant taking inventory of everything that I had been suppressing mentally and emotionally for years. On this journey, I discovered that I wanted to be FREE so I took off the limitations to allow myself to face the pain, disappointments, failures, and trauma in order for broken areas of my life to heal. Going through this process caused me to realize that other women may be going through the same situation.  This led to creating a safe platform for others to share their testimonies. My mission is to empower others through conferences, resources, and motivational workshops needed to help individuals unlock their inner beauty and know that their voice matters.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Last September, 2019 I hosted a themed brunch named “High Tea & Hats” and the topic was Giving Myself Permission. The purpose of the brunch was to create an atmosphere where women can come together as a sisterhood to empower and build up one another through the lenses of guest speakers who share their testimonies through many hats that she may wear. This was a God inspired event and my greatest hope is for someone or somebody to be set free from unforgiveness, hurt, and pain so that she can begin the process of forgiving, healing, and loving themselves again. In the midst of the conference many women felt that this type of platform was very much needed and knowing this brings joy to my soul. As a young teenager I was abused mentally, emotionally, and physically. However,  I chose to internalize my emotions so that would not deal with the feeling. I thought that I had overcome these feelings by suppressing them with being the life of the party, placing others’ needs before mine, and being there for everyone except myself. I overcame these challenges through spending intimate time with God and prayer because my desire was to be free. I am a victor of domestic violence and I am no longer ashamed of it. One lesson that I have learned is to be me unapologetically. Since we are in a global pandemic, this year’s conference was rescheduled. However, I am so excited about planning a virtual platform before the end of 2020.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the area we would get an ocean front house rental in Daytona Beach for the week. We would eat at various restaurants such as the Crab Stop II, go to the International Speedway race car events, and shop at the flea market. Of course, check out the ocean shores and some mall shopping.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank spouse Pastor Dr. Regina Jackson, Dr. Stanley Mcallister, Byron Mcallister, church family, and colleagues in Jacksonville, Atlanta, and California for believing in this movement. Their love, encouragement and support is the heartbeat of this God inspired creative. I also would also like to thank Tamula Buck, Alexis Lior for your mentorship, friendship, and being the first guest speakers. Thank you to Estelle Miller who thought it not robbery to “shout out” my name.

Facebook: www.facebook/shilonda.peterson.com

Image Credits
Professional Images by Keishya Divae