Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorothy Inez Fobbs.
Hi Dorothy Inez, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am Dorothy Inez Fobbs (A.K.A. Phenom D.I.V.A). I am a 50-year-old African American Queen who hails from “Around The Way”. I am the mother of two rising Kings that knows their mom will always ride and die for them. I also have unofficial adopted Queen of a daughter that came into my life when she was 16 and never left. I was born in Decatur, Illinois. Decatur is a small industrial town with a lot of history and heart. I am the daughter of Annie Marie. My mother was a very strong and loving mother who taught me to fight from the time I took my first breath. We almost didn’t make it.
My mother gave birth to me when she was 36. I was called a Miracle Child that came after 5 miscarriages. By the grace of God we both survived. I was raised to be who I am, and I was raised to believe that I was unique and special from the very start even when it comes to my name. I was named after my father’s mother, Dorothy, and my mother’s mother, Inez. This was different because the name Dorothy wasn’t very common among my age group. I can admit that I had a hard time embracing my name growing up.
My middle name, Inez, was just different. I thought I was the only other person besides my grandmother who had that name. So, what’s in a name? I remember when I was curious about the meaning of the name that I was given at birth. This inquiry came at a time in my life when I was beginning to look for a deeper meaning in life. My first name, Dorothy, carries the meaning of …. God’s Gift, or A Gift of God. Gift speaks of “Spiritual Gift or Gifts. My middle name, Inez. has the meaning of…. Holy…Pure…. Chaste. When I was able to process and resonate with the meaning of my name, I was able to embrace and use my full name with a sense of pride. This totally explains the story of who I am and how I came to be. I have always been known to have a lot to say. I have always been a go getter with big dreams of being famous in some type of way.
Growing up, I’ve always had a love for music and dancing. I thought that I would do some type of work in the Entertainment Industry. Honestly, I still have that desire today. I have always had interests in promoting concerts, managing artists, and even public relations. Who knows, maybe I could be a Life Coach to some of these celebrities that I cross paths with. The Universe has kept me close to the entertainment world. My favorite pastime is going to concerts to enjoy live music from some of my favorite artists. I have always had a passion for fashion, clothes, shoes, modeling and everything dealing with hair. Living in a small town didn’t help me to see theses dreams and passions no further than environment or should I say, the small town I lived in. My imagination has always been very big and broad, so even growing up in a small town couldn’t stop me from totally giving up on the things that I love. It took me a while to understand that my hopes, dreams, and passions are the things that define who I am. The true “Authentic” me.
It is all too often that we try to live life according to what others feel like we should be or do.
One of the main characteristic traits that I love about myself is that I’ve always had a big heart of GOLD. In many ways my desire to help others and random acts of kindness are simply traits or values that I learned growing up from my mother and my grandmother. I’ve always loved helping and being there for others. Even the stray cats weren’t safe from being saved by me as a child. As a child, I always wanted everyone to be okay. I even convinced my mother to take in more than one friend of mine growing up when things got rough in their families. I’ve always wanted to…..fix everything thing and everyone around me. I just wanted the people around me to be happy.
My passion for helping others has been guide to my career in the Social Services field. I have about 20 years of experience in the Social Services field. I have a BA in Human Services. After working in the Social Services field for a few years, I moved to Portsmouth VA after a 15-year relationship break-up with the father of my two young Kings. While I was on a journey to figure out life beyond Decatur Illinois, and the ending of a long relationship. I went back to school, and I obtained a MEd. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in School Counseling.
Finally, a few years later, I went back to school again to satisfy my quest for staying on top of the changes and trends in the Social Services field, so I enrolled in school once again. I obtained a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I’ve worked children and adults in residential, schools, and in the community. I am currently doing clinical mental health assessments while I am working to build my brand and to grow as an up-and-coming entrepreneur.
I became a Certified Life Coach in 2013 upon the end of my Clinical Mental Health Degree. I decided that I didn’t want to be a Licensed Professional Counselor at the time. I was introduced to the Self -Help Industry by way of trying my hand at the MLM business world. The most that I got out of the MLM business was the conferences, the coaching, and motivational speaking. I loved the feeling I would get after listening to a great speaker. I also loved the level of self-awareness that I was starting to embark on. I remember researching several coaching programs until I ran a cross a holiday special that the well renowned Professional Life Coach to the Stars, Tony Gaskins was having.
I always say that the universe works in mysterious ways because at that time in my life I was beginning to want more out of my life. I was struggling financially but, by the grace of God my big sister Carla had sent me some money, just because, and it was just enough to take Tony’s Life Coach course.
Becoming a life coach was a no brainer for me. I loved the concept of working with individuals who had the desire to change from a strengths-based mindset coupled with the aspects of self-help being the blueprint to it all. I also thought that my background in mental health would be a huge plus in the game for me. My desire changed as I connected and researched the life coach and self-help industry. I wanted to help people on a larger scale like some of the most renowned speakers’, teachers, and coaches in the Self-Help Industry.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Life’s journey can bring you a lot of pleasure post the triumph stage of it all. Most people don’t talk about the trails, triggers, and the pain that comes before the bells, whistles, and celebrations. Although I’ve overcome some of the toughest times in my life, my journey was not a smooth road at all. I have no regrets, but I can admit that there were times that I didn’t know if I could endure the growing pains that I was experiencing. I can say that the journey that led me to Georgia may have been my biggest challenge. I remember the day back in 2018 when I had a major breakdown in my car after a long day working out in the community. As much as I loved helping others my spirit and desire was starting to die. Through the years my burning desire turned into many years of loyalty to several companies and to the clients I served. Good job right……Not exactly, I helped so much to the point where I forgot about my own life in a major way. I thought I was doing the right thing by being of service to others in need.
I had goals, dreams, and desires, but I always put everything that I was passionate about on the backburner. I remained loyal to all of my jobs only to avoid being defeated by all of the changes within the Social Services program that I was providing services for. Eventually, I was overcome with defeat, and I was severely burned out in the worst way. I worked so hard to make…EVERYONE… else’s life easier while neglecting my own life in all areas.
This behavior had gotten so bad, I looked up and 10 years had passed, and I could not even remember three happy moments that had taken place within that time. I had forgotten the best parts of me. I was so confused by who I thought I was, and who I was supposed to be. Life became more and even more empty and unfulfilling to the point where I was no longer living, I was merely existing.
I felt like I had nothing good to look forward too. I was so tired of being there for everyone else. I had nothing left. I was totally lost and broken. I no longer had the desire to help others in the way that I did. This is when I got the wakeup call. Nothing in my life was going right. I did not feel appreciated anywhere. I felt like I was slowly dying inside…. Until…. I made the connection between my current life and the life that the Universe wanted me to see and believe in. I left everything behind and moved to Georgia to put…MYSELF FIRST and to focus on what I really wanted out of life. I am learning that it was the Universe working overtime to wake me up to see who I was destined to be. This grand awakening brought me back to all of the things that I loved the most. This time I wanted to be free, and live life for me on my own terms. I call it…….”Moving To The Beat Of My Own Drum”.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the……..biggest New Edition fan on the planet. In the mist of branding myself on social media, I kind of took a detour, and I started engaging into New Edition Fan groups. I started to engage heavily after I completed a program with a professional life coach for myself. She suggested that I engage and embrace other women in my professional world. Since I am a diehard #NE4LIFE fan, I quickly became a highly active fan. I started different groups, and I started facilitating several Facebook pages. This led to a bond and sisterhood that I treasure dearly. One of the things that I am most proud of connected to this sisterhood is that I was able to turn pain into power. Being so involved in the New Edition fanbase was not easy.
My level of popularity grew fast. I experienced what we call internet trolls. I started to get some of the same behavior that I received in the workforce from other women. I experienced so much hate and disrespect, but I also dished my share of disrespect in return with a vengeance. Then one day I realized how counter-productive this behavior and engagement was for me. I began to grow and change to the point where I was tired of fighting to prove myself, but I was mostly tired of fighting with my sisters. I decided to make it my mission to work even harder to embrace other women instead of continuing to fight and be at odds with them.
My desire to get closer to this community of women led to a fabulous yearly trip of events celebrating New Edition’s Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A simple idea turned into an annual event. New Edition may be the reason why we all have bonded, but the sisterhood and dedication to one another has been life changing for us all. The influence that I learned that I have as a natural leader gave me the confidence to work toward rebuilding my life coach career.
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for our group to meet in LA to celebrate together, I facilitated weekly Zoom sessions to assist the group with dealing with the changes we had to endure during the pandemic. We covered some very deep issues, and it made our bond even stronger. I am grateful because as we where learning and growing together, these sessions pushed me all the way into my purpose. I became a first-time author during this time. I am a part of an anthology with nine phenomenal female authors in a book called “It’s Me……The Breaking Of The Generational Curse”. I also created a Women’s Empowerment Journal called, “A Real Queen’s Journey To Queendom. I am currently working on a book focusing on Self-Love.
I also have a Radio Show that I am ready to launch soon called “Queen Keepin It Real” Radio Show. Finally, I relaunched my Life Coach Business. I now call myself a Women’s Empowerment & Self Worth Life Coach. My “One Word” this year was “ACTION”. Although there were some bumps in the road, I am honored to stand in my power and fully manifest all that I have been working hard towards.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Empowering and guiding others towards living their true “Authentic” life is what truly makes me happy. It’s a spiritual thing for me. I love the feeling of connecting with others, and tapping into their most inner vulnerabilities. There is a lot that lies beneath the surface. When I connect with others can truly feel and visualize who they are, where they have been, and I try my best to tap into where they want to go in life. I have a very natural ability with connecting with others.
Pricing:
- Book: It’s Me…..The Breaking of the Generational Curse Available on Amazon $25
- Book: “A Real Queen’s Journey To Queendom Available on Amazon $19.99
Contact Info:
- Email: dorothyfobbs@gmail.com
- Website: https://dorothyinezfobbsakaphenomdiva.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/phenom_diva1111
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dorothy.fobbs
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/PhenomDiva_1111
Image Credits:
Makita More
