Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacee L. Hill and ShiCara Holiday.
Hi Stacee and ShiCara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After a health scare in 2009, I made a promise to make a difference in the lives of the people in the community. After much soul-searching, Confident Woman was born in 2015. Looking for someone to help push this vision, I was introduced to ShiCara in 2014…and we hit it off instantly. We talked often about how this vehicle was going to make a change in the community so to start off big, we launched with a grand event in August 2015 at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Atlanta. We had motivational speakers and entertainers there to shed light on the impact we could have collectively and it was a HIT!! From there, we began our missions in feeding and clothing the homeless, creating food banks, finding temporary shelter, paying rent and utility bills, providing outreach and much more. Over the years, our campaigns include: Towne Hall Meetings discussing ways to make the community better, Laptop drive for back to school, turkey giveaways for Thanksgiving and Christmas, adopted and family for Christmas providing toys and clothing for the family.
In 2021, Confident Woman was honored with the Women Doing It Big award in Newark, NJ. It was such an honor to being the room with women of all backgrounds. ShiCara and I was honored to accept this award. It motivated us to want to continue to make a difference in our community. Furthermore, in 2022 we were honored with my Elite Dolls of Faith for Outstanding Community Activist.
We continue to stride in the movement of community development and education. We currently have full calendars for the remainder of 2023 to bring innovation and encouragement to the masses.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have definitely had some challenges along the way, funding being the most difficult. Over the years, we have fostered relationships with individuals from all over the country. At one point, we had a very active group of women in Australia (which is why we upgraded the name to Confident Woman International). These people gave with their whole hearts every time we said we were feeding the community or had an event. We would always raise enough to get the job done but never enough to go above and beyond. We thought once we began hosting Town Hall Meetings where up-and-coming politicians spoke on our panels that, we would be in a great position to grow and be seen by the masses. But it never happened. We still have a relationship with them, but not the connection we thought we would be able to foster. Yes, it is who you know, but we have learned that those people have people who have the information you need, not necessarily them. In the past year, with ShiCara opening a med-spa, Veritas Body & Wellness, she has been introduced to the people in the background that actually have the information and we are beginning to expand.
We have also faced the challenge of space. We are hoarding clothes, food and personal hygiene items in our homes and cars waiting for the next community day. We are in need of a building to have a full food pantry, day center and clothing closet. Somewhere people can come to rest, clean up, eat a good meal, learn a new skill and just a refuge for resources. In 2022, we just knew we had the perfect place! A converter-family home that for over 30 years was run as an assisted living home. We did the walk though, fell in love and was hit with an astronomical price! We could not believe it! This house has sat empty for over a year, the family was ready to sell and at a more reasonable price and it was in the neighborhood where we did most of our community work. But the city wanted the house as well. They are in the process of gentrifying the neighborhood and this property sits on two acres in the city limits. This home was also where many of the assisted living home rules and regulations were developed from. We are looking again, so if you know somewhere or any resources to help with funding, let us know!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Stacee: I have worked in healthcare for over twenty-three years in the medical billing department for a major health system in Georgia. Seeing inequities in the insurance and in the patient care sparked something. Working in billing, you think you are unable to help the people on the other side, but being in this field has allowed me to know a few billing tactics that will help the less fortunate. It has also made me see that some of the people we are feeding on a regular basis are people with jobs and what they say is ‘good insurance’. They are paying astronomical premiums and have to decide if they can afford to go to the doctor. If they do, they can’t get gas, pay the light bill or put food on the table that week. This is the spark that keeps Confident Woman going.
ShiCara: I have been in the healthcare industry for a little over twelve years. My mom told me straight out of high school to become a nurse and I was not trying to hear it. Ten years later, I am a chiropractic assistant and going for my Medical Assistance Certification. The world of chiropractic opened the doors to physical therapy, pain management and surgical technician. Being in the medical industry, you see so many things that just hurt. I have sat and cried out for people, prayed with and for people and I knew there has to be another way to help people besides the tradical medical path. I began to study alternative medicine and zoomed in on my chiropractic studies. Although I decided not to go to chiropractic school, I made it the foundation of my research and fell in love with lymphatic and hormonal support. This year, with my cousin, who is a registered nurse, I opened Veritas Body & Wellness where we specialize in healing the body from the inside out using 100% organic non-invasive modalities to heal the body….and get Snatched in the process.
How do you define success?
People and their views on success boil down to their passions in life. I (ShiCara) can strongly speak for both of us and say that success to us means the people we have touched. Freely being a blessing to others and not expecting anything in return is one of the most satisfying feelings you can ever feel. We truly believe that blessings reign down on you when you reign blessings on others. Meeting people you would never meet in life, filling the bellies of people who are down on their luck, dressing a women in her first business suit, taking a man to an interview where he gets the job, creating relationships where practical strangers protect you and your families, is something not much in life can touch. We are a true grassroots organization who strive on building people. We know our strength is in the smiles, in the tears of happiness and in the anticipation of the neighborhoods we serve. We really feel like we are a hidden gem of the city and as much as we would love to grow, build chapters and serve the masses, we want to make sure we remain a gem to the city and the people in it. We want to continue to be successful in the hearts of our families and the communities we serve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.myconfidentwoman.org
- Instagram: @confidentwomaninternational
- Facebook: @Confident Woman Non-Profit
