Life & Work with Juliana Nelson of Marietta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Juliana Nelson.

Hi Juliana, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Absolutely, I’d love to walk you through my story and how I arrived where I am today.

My journey really began when COVID hit our family restaurant, iLounge Caribbean, in Marietta. We were just two years shy of opening, and overnight everything changed. Watching my own family’s business struggle made me wonder how many other small businesses in our community were suffering too. That led me to create something out of nothing, the Self Care Marketplace, which I ran with my dear friend, Nevaeha, with the full support and help of iLounge.

I cleared out our entire restaurant and transformed it into a marketplace for vendors who had lost income and opportunities. It became a space where they could set up shop, sell their products, and feel supported during one of the hardest seasons of their lives. What started as a simple idea grew into a yearly event with panels, speakers, and business owners from mental health counselors to nutritionists coming together to pour back into the community. The “self care” part was intentional, because I saw firsthand how chasing our dreams can lead to burnout, overwhelm, and mental exhaustion. Our community needed restoration just as much as it needed opportunity.

That work eventually led me to continue the nonprofit work that I was already doing. Before any of this, I was serving at food pantries, going out into the community, and doing outreach through my church to help people experiencing homelessness, families in crisis, and anyone who needed support. Through that journey, I ended up receiving a full time job with a nonprofit whose mission was to inspire young women and women in our community by helping build them up. These women were receiving affordable prenatal care, free counseling, diapers, wipes, car seats, and so much more. Anything we could help with, we showed up and did. Their dedication and heart for women pushed me even further and inspired me to keep going.

At the same time, I was also working as a wedding and event planner. I plan many of the events held at our venue that is connected to our iLounge restaurant. Over time I realized that God was aligning both sides of my life, my nonprofit work and my event planning. What I do in the community and what I do in events go hand in hand, because both are about building people up, serving families, and creating spaces where people feel loved, supported, and seen. Now I am merging those worlds together to help build up the community in a bigger and more powerful way.

And then this year, 2025, something happened that reminded me exactly why this mission is so important. The moment I launched my community initiative, I heard that SNAP benefits were going to be cut due to the government shutdown. Families were already struggling, and with children being home for the week, I could not ignore it. We immediately organized a big turkey drive to make sure that when kids opened their fridge, there would be something there. Not just food, but comfort. Not just a meal, but relief. The turnout was incredible. Families showed up with gratitude and love, and while we thought we were loving on them, they ended up showing us so much love in return. They reminded us of the real reason we started doing this work in the first place.

Alongside all of this, I continued my community outreach work, making sure low income families had groceries, helping families secure extended stay housing, and looking for long term solutions so extended stays and shelters were not their only options. I wanted to help create real stability for mothers and their children.

My inspiration for stepping into this conference work also came from my sister, Angie. She told me that she saw this in me long before I saw it in myself. She spoke life into this vision and made me believe that I could build something bigger for our community.

That is how this upcoming conference was born. It will be held at our family restaurant and venue , iLounge, located at 40 Dodd Street, Marietta, Georgia 30060, on February 7. We are calling out the community to come together, support, and donate diapers, wipes, women’s goods, sanitary items, and all the things that mothers and their children need. The heart behind this is to pour love over these women and let them know that there are people standing in the gap for them, working on their behalf, and creating a safe space they can always come back to. As women, we carry a lot including ministry, business, work, motherhood, leadership, and service. We pour into everyone else and often forget ourselves. This space is a reminder that serving others does not mean neglecting our own well-being.

Through conversation, teaching, and connection, we will learn how to serve without burning out. The focus is on caring for our mind, spirit, and time by staying spiritually grounded, mentally healthy, and organized in the midst of all we do.

So today, everything I do, the conferences, the marketplace events, the outreach, the event planning, and the vision for transitional housing for moms and their kids, is rooted in purpose. This is not about profit. This is about impact. It is about making sure no mother, no child, and no family is left behind.

This is why I am here. This is why I will not stop. And this is the mission I am committed to advancing every single day.

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?
It has not been a smooth road. There were many moments where I felt stretched thin while trying to balance motherhood, work, and serving the community. The hardest part has always been seeing the real needs of families and not always having the resources right away. Learning how to carry those burdens without letting them overwhelm me took time.

Another challenge was stepping into wedding and event planning while managing our venue connected to iLounge. I had to learn a lot as I went, and there were long nights and stressful moments. But each event reminded me that God equipped me for this. Connecting my event planning with my nonprofit work became one of the biggest blessings, because it allowed me to serve the community in a deeper way.
The road has not been easy, but every challenge has strengthened me and confirmed that this work has purpose.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I wear a few hats, but they all tie back to one purpose: serving and uplifting the community. I am a wedding and event planner, running events at our family venue connected to iLounge Caribbean in Marietta. I specialize in creating meaningful, memorable experiences for people while also using those events as a platform to bring people together and support the community.

I am also deeply involved in nonprofit work. I’ve been doing outreach with food pantries, churches, and local organizations to help families in need, support homeless individuals, and provide transitional resources for moms and children. I’m known for combining my event planning skills with my nonprofit efforts to create events that have both impact and purpose, like the Self Care Marketplace and community drives that bring resources directly to the families who need them most.

What I’m most proud of is seeing the tangible difference my work makes in people’s lives, whether it’s a mother receiving diapers and housing , a child getting a meal during a school break, or a small business owner finding support and hope through our marketplace events.

What sets me apart is my ability to connect different worlds, nonprofit work, community outreach, and event planning, into a single vision. I don’t just host events. I create spaces where people feel seen, supported, and loved. I am committed to building sustainable impact, not just temporary solutions, and I believe that intentional care and love can change communities from the inside out.

How do you define success?
It’s about creating solutions that last, building a stronger community, and empowering people to thrive on their own. For me, success is using the gifts, skills, and opportunities I have to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, and knowing that I’ve left something better behind than I found it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://JulesFrancois.org
• Instagram: @vevfash

Image Credits
Photographer Sebastien Charles-IG @Sebastien_c05
Lens Photography-IG @lensperceptions
Nevaeha @nevaehaclairee