Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Appling.
Hi Kendra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Kendra Appling’s journey is one shaped by resilience, purpose, and transformation. Raised in a single-parent household with humble beginnings, she was grounded early in values of perseverance, excellence, and authenticity. Her mother, a steadfast role model, emphasized the importance of education and believing that no dream was beyond reach. “My mother exemplified strength,” Kendra reflects. “She taught us to believe that no goal was impossible.”
That foundation paired with faith and an unwavering passion for service has guided Kendra’s path as a leader, advocate, and change maker. Over the years, she has launched and led multiple initiatives centered on empowerment, media, and community wellness, including High Class With A Snap, CodeBlu Magazine, and High Class With A Kick, a professional women’s kickball team promoting health and fitness. Her leadership has extended into civic engagement through roles such as Madam Media Chairman of the West Metro NAACP Branch 560D and her work with women-led coalitions across metro Atlanta.
At the heart of Kendra’s work is her most personal and impactful mission. As a 16-year survivor of domestic violence, she founded Awaken Voices Domestic Violence Services, Inc. in 2024 to be more than a service provider it is a lifeline rooted in lived experience, empathy, and deep understanding. Awaken Voices operates through a survivor-led, trauma-informed approach that prioritizes not only immediate safety, but long-term healing, empowerment, and transformation.
The organization offers free, comprehensive services including emergency shelter, safe housing, counseling, educational programming, and technical assistance to support survivors and their families at every stage of recovery. Beyond response, Awaken Voices is committed to prevention and education, working to break generational cycles of violence and build safer, stronger communities.
By blending lived experience with professional support systems, Kendra Appling has turned survival into purpose creating a compassionate, grassroots movement that is giving voice to the unheard and driving real, lasting change.
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?
The road has not always been smooth. Building a domestic violence organization comes with unique challenges, especially when the need for services often exceeds the resources available. There have been moments when survivors reached out during critical times and housing, funding, or immediate services were limited. Those moments are heavy because when someone asks for help, timing matters.
However, those challenges have never stopped the work. What has made the difference is the strength of partnerships and community collaboration. By building trusted relationships with shelters, service providers, advocates, and local organizations, we are often able to bridge gaps and create pathways to support when traditional resources are stretched thin.
Operating as a survivor-led organization has also shaped how we respond. We lead with creativity, persistence, and advocacy finding solutions, making calls, and refusing to give up on those seeking safety. While the obstacles are real, so is the resilience behind the mission.
Every challenge has reinforced why Awaken Voices exists: to stand in the gap, to amplify voices, and to ensure that even when systems fall short, survivors are not left to navigate their journey alone.
As you know, we’re big fans of Awaken Voices Domestic Violence Services, Inc.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Awaken Voices Domestic Violence Services, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded with a clear and urgent mission: to understand, address, and reduce the prevalence and impact of domestic violence while empowering survivors to reclaim control of their lives. Our work is rooted in prevention, intervention, and long-term support, with the ultimate goal of fostering safer, more informed communities.
We specialize in survivor centered, trauma informed services that address both immediate safety and long-term empowerment. Our offerings include safety exit planning, survivor support groups, domestic violence counseling, community education and training, and access to safe shelter resources and helplines through trusted partnerships. We also provide legal advocacy support and vocational and rehabilitation referrals to help survivors rebuild stability and independence.
What truly sets Awaken Voices apart is that we are survivor-led. Our programs are informed by lived experience, which allows us to meet survivors with empathy, credibility, and a deep understanding of the complex dynamics of abuse. We recognize that domestic violence is not just a moment of crisis it is a pattern rooted in power, control, and systemic barriers. That insight shapes how we serve, advocate, and educate.
We are especially known for our methodical, wraparound approach. Rather than offering one time assistance, we establish networks of support that address emotional, legal, physical, and long-term recovery needs. Through empowerment workshops, peer-led emotional support groups, and professional training, we help survivors strengthen self-esteem, decision-making skills, and personal autonomy.
Brand wise, what we are most proud of is creating a safe, trusted space where survivors feel seen, believed, and supported without judgment. Awaken Voices is not just about services; it’s about restoring dignity, voice, and agency. We are equally committed to prevention and awareness, working to change societal attitudes around domestic violence, improve professional response, and encourage earlier intervention.
What we want readers to know is this: domestic violence is often misunderstood and underestimated, and that misunderstanding can be one of the greatest obstacles survivors face. Awaken Voices exists to change that narrative. Through education, advocacy, and survivor-centered support, we are building a movement that empowers victims, strengthens communities, and works toward a future where safety and equity are the standard not the exception. What began as survival has become a movement one that is reshaping how our communities respond to domestic violence and how survivors reclaim their power.
How do you define success?
Success, to me, is measured in impact, not numbers. It’s the moment a survivor feels safe enough to speak their truth, confident enough to create an exit plan, or empowered enough to rebuild their life on their own terms. Success looks like a survivor moving from crisis to stability and eventually to confidence.
We also define success by the strength of the communities we help shape. When professionals are better trained, resources are better connected, and conversations around domestic violence shift from silence to accountability, we know the work is making a difference.
As a survivor-led organization, success is deeply personal. It means systems responding with compassion, survivors being believed, and cycles of violence being interrupted. If even one life is changed, one family is made safer, or one voice is reclaimed, that is success to us and that impact continues to ripple outward.
I define success as sustainability and trust building an organization that survivors rely on, partners respect, and communities stand behind. If even one person regains their voice, their sense of worth, and their future because we showed up, then we are succeeding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://awakenvoices.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awakenvoicesinc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AwakenvoicesdomesticviolenceservicesInc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/104456685/admin/dashboard/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/awaken-voices-domestic-violence-services-douglasville?osq=Awaken+voices+domestic+Violence&override_cta=Request+a+consultation
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@awaken.voices.inc
