Community Highlights: Meet Maryam Shumate of Maryamsjoyfullife

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maryam Shumate.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Kaduna state, Nigeria. I am from a polygamous family where my dad had two wives and my mom was his second. I’m the 13th child of 17 kids and my mom’s 5th. I started playing basketball when I was young and saw a few kids make it to the US on basketball scholarship and I desired that too. I didn’t have anyone who would help me. So I kept practicing and didn’t let the discouragement keep me from dreaming that one day, I would make it the US study and play basketball and also graduate with honors. I kept the dream alive by setting time to just see myself in America and model my game after players like Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and others. Well, one day while I was practicing one of my friends came and told me that a couple of our friends who made to the US wanted to speak with me. Later that day, when they called, they asked what I was still doing in Nigeria. I said still playing and waiting for an invite to a basketball camp where scouts would recruit me. They said why was I still waiting when I can send emails to US college coaches and let them know I can play and then get my scholarship that way! That’s what happened. I looked up colleges that offer scholarships and emailed the coaches. One worked out and I made it to the US. God is good! the coach that gave me a change was Rob in Oklahoma City University. I ended up transferring to a junior college in Colorado. I graduated junior college in Lamar Community College, Colorado and received a scholarship to Georgia state University, Atlanta I graduated Magna cum laude in Communication and Journalism.
Got married to my ex the year I graduated 2014. While in school, tried to get my work permit, it didn’t work out. It kept getting delayed. After graduating, things were hard and it was a long period of waiting and financial struggles. I found out I was pregnant that same year and was happy something new was coming into my life but my baby was born in May of 2015 with a chronic genetic heart defects. We lost her 7 weeks after she was born. Life was hard but I kept trusting God. I didn’t want believe pain and struggle would control my life. I kept praying and trusting while also waiting for me work permit. Got pregnant again and God blessed me with my son; Le’Veon and two years later with my daughter; Zoe who was born looking exactly like my first baby girl I lost. I had prayed for restoration and God did. The surgical mark on my first baby was found on Zoe and I knew God restored. I applied for my green card because of my married status and that too was delayed and was finally granted Feb of 2018, two months before my Zoe was born. I tried looking for jobs but nothing was opening up. I kept doing YouTube and encouraging people and asking them to trust God even when it seems like my life was out of order. My relationship with my ex was not that great. There was pain and resentment but I kept praying to God to restore but God had other plans. The whole time we were staying with my in-laws until Jan of 2018. We moved to our first apartment. Anyways, my ex told me he wanted a divorce in 2019 when we moved back to his father’s house. I lost interest in YouTube because of emotional struggles. I was praying and going to church to pray but nothing seemed to be changing. I started meditating and also found Real Talk Kim’s YouTube and started listening to her and hope was brewing. While I was thinking we were going to sort things out, my ex had posted on a gossip platform online about how I was a loser and had nobody but him and he was going to leave me and because he is younger than I, his life would be better. Anyways it was terrible what he wrote. Over 200,000 people on that platform and my channel started getting trolled and I was really losing weight at this time but kept trusting God. I agreed to the divorce and one day walked in on my ex and his dad talking about taking the kids and giving them away. I told them that wouldn’t happen.
I opened up about my struggles on YouTube and setup a go fund me and 300+ people supported and I had the money to move myself and children out of that house. It was like things opened up after he left. I started getting job opportunities and chose a business that gave me the opportunity to raise my kids while I worked from home and still doing my YouTube. Today I own a travel franchise and I have a coaching platform where I help women and people struggling to get back up again trusting God and telling their story. www.maryamsjoyfullife.com is my platform where I have programs that help women and anyone needing to get back up again build the strength and not only that the spiritual muscle to get back up again. I also share resources that help them.
God has been faithful! I have a third child and her name is Laila. I met someone last year and he is amazing. We are engaged. Some people wrote me off because we were intimate before marriage but God hasn’t written me off. Christ still loves me and while I may have fallen, God’s mercy is greater than my mistake and the blood of Christ purifies. Today I stand on the truth that God restores, changes, transforms and forgives. Let’s not write off ourselves because someone did. We can rise up again. Today, I know God is still writing my story and using me to help write a greater and better story for others also.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From Losing my first child, to being delayed from working, the poverty, the betrayal and divorce and lies and failures along the way. The road has been rocky but God has been faithful. As long as I keep going, everything was falling in place. You fail when you quit moving forward. Don’t let the problems define you. Take action towards your dream and God will show up every step of the way. Don’t ever allow the failures and rejection define you.

As you know, we’re big fans of Maryamsjoyfullife . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The name of my platform is maryamsjoyfullife and I encourage people, I help them get back up again through my videos and mentorship programs and I also own maryamsjoyfullife luxury vacation travel agency. Where I plan vacations for clients whether group, single, family, leisure or business. I also wrote a book called “Unshakable Faith,” which I self published to help people keep the faith after a loss or heartbreak. I believe in the power of faith. Trust God and do your best.
www.maryamsjoyfullife.com
www.maryamsjoyfullifeluxuryvacation.com
Instagram @maryamsjoyfullifeblog
YouTube.com/maryamsjoyfullife

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Yes. Starting off I didn’t have money to invest in mentorship but I bought and still buy books that teach me how to upgrade my mindset and I watch videos on YouTube. Now, my pastor Real Talk Kim is my mentor and her support and guidance are invaluable and I also hired Arash Vossoughi from Voss coaching co whose material help me grow. I’m also in his quantum leap coaching program and did his raising the standard program also.
I offer my own mentorship programs. They can find it on my website www.maryamsjoyfullife.com

Pricing:

• My one on one coaching is $599 a month and I coach my clients via video call or phone call once a week for 4-12 weeks depending on the duration they want to start with.
• My group coaching platform Maryamsjoyfullife inner circle is $19.99 a month and $197 a year. I coach the group on private Facebook live and zoom once a week for an hour helping them get back up and shift their perspectives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maryamsjoyfullife.com
• Instagram: @maryamsjoyfullifeblog
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/maryamsjoyfullifeblog
• Youtube: https://YouTube.com/maryamsjoyfullife
• Other: https://www.maryamsjoyfullifeluxuryvacation.com

Image Credits
All pictures were taken by me and my friends.