Today we’d like to introduce you to Alesia Graves.
Alesia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story is a spiritual journey of liberation, connecting and believing in the power source that’s in me. SPIRITDRIVEN® apparel represents what drives me and guides me internally.
New Year’s Eve of 2010, I decided to surrender, seek God and stop the “Sunday cycle.” The Sunday cycle of sitting in the church pew “my spot,” clapping and singing, “filled” with the Holy Spirit. Yet losing that “feeling” once I crossed the threshold of the church door and stepped into the outside world. In church, I felt empowered, connected to something greater than myself and invincible. Once I crossed that threshold,however, I felt disconnected, guilty about having little faith and that I wasn’t living up to the great stories of faith.
So, I committed to reading the BIBLE, for the first time, from Genesis to Revelations. Prior to reading, I relied on the Sunday sermon to “teach” me about God. I had tried those daily schedules and fell off the wagon EVERY time! LOL. This time, I committed to reading everyday, as little or as much as I wanted or inspired to read. I discovered that God had jokes, that I only needed a mustard seed of faith, that nobody was perfect, except for Jesus and even he was faced with challenges. I was L.I.B.E.R.A.T.E.D. and grounded. The result: I can speak with authority. I know what God said and His Spirit and His power is in me. I just need to stay connected and access it through faith.
As I reflect, I was creative and always coming up with apparel business ideas: women’s suits, women’s golf apparel, spiritual tee shirt apparel. Those Ideas didn’t make it off the ground. In conversation with my brother, he said spirit driven! Immediately I said, that’s it! “To be SPIRITDRIVEN® is the lifestyle I was/am striving to live. To be led by the Spirit, to live on purpose, to be informed by his Word.” Hmm… I can represent what drives me in what I wear! With the knowledge gained from my Business Degree from the University of Houston, experience as a golf clothing buyer and God’s grace, SPIRITDRIVEN…It’s In You Apparel is here today. Apparel representing a lifestyle empowered from within. That can be worn to accommodate a variety of lifestyle activities with its Leisure, Active and BOLD collections. Offered online at www.ruspiritdriven.com.
It’s more than apparel or a brand, it’s a lifestyle. My hope is that it encourages and supports one’s will to live an empowered lifestyle, to live on purpose and to shine in whatever position one has been given. Life is a journey that’s not always warm and fuzzy. But, we have the power within us to endure, learn, grow and inspire others, It’s In You™.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Lack of funds, lack of personnel, lack of skills, moving forward without all the answers, articulating ideas so that others can understand. Then just life! Change, losing loved ones that were your cheerleaders.
I created sayings to help me change how I looked at those “challenges.”
– Alesia, embrace the process.
– A series of small steps make the big things happen.
– Ok, ok…ok, God.
– If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try. try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again.
Borrowed others
– “There is ‘love’ in the details.” Oprah Winfrey (a positive perspective about details)
– “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” Rev. Charles L. Fischer III
– “Tho it tarry wait for it.” Habakkuk 2:3 (Patience)
– “It takes time to cook a cake from scratch.” Pastor Charles Jenkins. (Speaks to building a business from scratch.)
Learned to let go of “my expectations” of what the road would look like and get out of the way. Those bumps, struggles/challenges that could be perceived as setbacks are for the good. It has strengthened my trust in God, I’ve gained skills, clarity and peace beyond understanding.
Please tell us about SPIRITDRIVEN®.
SPIRTIDRIVEN® is a lifestyle brand rooted in Biblical principles. It’s living empowered from the inside out with apparel that represents on the outside what drives you from the inside…It’s In You.™ There are three collections:
– Active: Versatile active wear that flows with you from the gym to other daily activities.
– BOLD: Live your faith out loud with BOLD “SD” logos, scripture and motivating quotes.
– Leisure: Updated classics with subtle logo details. Live on purpose everyday.
What sets us apart? The name SPIRITDRIVEN® is emotionally engaging and its rallying cry, ‘It’s In You™’ drives the message that your power is inside you. Our logo apparel is a symbolic reminder that you are empowered from within and your life is light in what God has purposed you to be, an athlete, musician, teacher, mother, father, nurse, entrepreneur, etc.
We are most proud about two things:
1) Our apparel has purpose. 10% of our proceeds are donated to children affected by homicide.
2) The feedback we receive on how others are inspired by our post to push past a crossroad or to persevere.
The brand acknowledges the power within and doesn’t leave anyone one behind. Everyone is capable of being Spirit driven and their story is valuable.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Hmmm… I would not have ramped up inventory for a festival that had advertised an attendance of 20,000. Only 1,000 attended and I’m still trying to liquidate the inventory, LOL!! That’s still a sore spot!
The lesson: I was fine with the inventory I had. Even if the attendance was 20,000. I didn’t want to sell out when actually selling out merchandise isn’t so bad.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ruspiritdriven.com
- Phone: 678-670-2799
- Email: ruspiritdriven@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ruspiritdrivn
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ruspiritdriven
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/ruspiritdriven
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
