Shemariah Pradia shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Shemariah, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What battle are you avoiding?
Q: What battle are you avoiding?
A: Honestly, I’m not avoiding it—I’m living it. Right now, I’m battling illness while balancing my work and purpose. Living with both lupus and cancer at the same time, while being a public figure, isn’t easy. Some days are heavy, but I choose to keep moving forward. I’ve learned that strength isn’t about pretending everything is okay; it’s about showing up, even when it hurts, and turning pain into purpose.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
A: My name is Shemariah Pradia, and I wear a few hats — I’m a U.S. Navy veteran, nurse, award-nominated celebrity publicist and journalist. I am also an author, and chef, but at the core, I’m a storyteller and advocate for healing and empowerment. I’m the Founder of Kept Consultants Public Relations & Marketing and Senior Editor of BossXL Magazine, where I help creatives, entrepreneurs, and brands share their stories with purpose and impact.
What makes my journey unique is that I continue to do this work while living with lupus and as a breast cancer survivor. My life and career are rooted in resilience — turning pain into platforms that uplift others. Through my wellness brand and upcoming memoir and cookbook, I’m merging my background in healthcare and culinary arts to teach people how food, faith, and mindset can help you fight back and live fully.
Right now, I’m also developing community wellness programs, a nutrition class guidebook, and media projects that amplify unheard voices — especially women and survivors. Everything I create, from PR campaigns to community initiatives, comes from a place of service, culture, and purpose.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
A: What breaks the bonds between people, in my experience, is a lack of understanding, honesty, and empathy. When people stop listening, when pride or pain takes the place of compassion, connection fades. Sometimes life’s challenges — illness, loss, betrayal, or even success — can create distance when others can’t relate to your struggle or your growth.
But what restores those bonds is grace. It’s the willingness to see someone’s heart beyond their hurt, to forgive, to communicate, and to love without condition. I’ve learned that healing relationships takes vulnerability and accountability — two things that require strength. When we lead with empathy and truth, even broken connections can find their way back to wholeness.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
A: Suffering taught me things that success never could — humility, faith, and true resilience. When you lose your health, your strength, or even your sense of control, you learn what really matters. Success can make you feel powerful, but suffering teaches you purpose. It strips away everything superficial and forces you to see your soul — your why.
Through lupus, cancer, and loss, I learned that peace doesn’t come from achievement; it comes from gratitude. Pain taught me how to listen deeper, love harder, and serve others from a place of compassion. Suffering gave me empathy — it made me human in ways success never could.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
A: A cultural value I protect at all costs is community. Growing up with Caribbean roots, I was taught that we are responsible for one another — that love, respect, and care extend beyond bloodlines. Whether it’s sharing a meal, supporting a neighbor, or uplifting someone who’s struggling, community is the heart of who we are.
That same value guides everything I do — from my work in public relations and wellness to my advocacy for women and survivors. I believe in keeping our culture alive through unity, authenticity, and service. No matter where life takes me, I protect that sense of belonging and togetherness, because without community, we lose our humanity.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
A: I hope people say that I lived with purpose and poured love into everything I touched. That even through illness, pain, and adversity, I never stopped showing up for others. I want to be remembered as someone who turned her struggles into strength — who used her voice to give others the courage to use theirs.
When I’m gone, I hope people tell the story of a woman who never gave up, who blended her Caribbean roots, faith, and compassion into everything she did — from healing through food to telling untold stories through media and advocacy.
More than anything, I want my sons and the people I’ve helped to know that my legacy was service, resilience, and love — that I fought for others to see their own light, even when mine was dim.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Keptent.editorpr
- Linkedin: Shemariah Pradia
- Facebook: Shemariah Pradia
Image Credits
Kept Entertainment & Blck Ivory Media
