Fashion Gxd Magazine -Dr. Jacquelyn Wilson CEO Entrepreneur Cover (Print Issue NOW Available)
Written By: Samntha Cee
Dr. JacquelynWilson’s Brand consists of different branches. The core principles of the brand are Giving, Honesty, and Trust. Dr. Wilson’s Brand is about helping others to become their best selves and living the kind of life they always wanted to live.
There are various ways to work with Dr. Wilson: Through the nonprofit, #SurpriseTheStruggling—helping homeless women and teen girls, through the Doctor Wilson Leadership Academy—for beginning entrepreneurs. Or, anyone seeking one-on-one coaching or to hire Dr. Wilson for Keynote Speaker or Chaplain. You may also request a viewing of the award-winning short film, The Bully, through The Stop Bullying Project®, or contact about being a guest on her Podcast, Uncut Jewels. Here's our exclusive cover story of the rising brand.
Social Media Handles:
linktr.ee/originalstreetdoctor
instagram.com/originalstreetdoctor
instagram.com/surprisethestruggling
http://bit.ly/DRWILSONONYOUTUBE
FGM: It’s an honor to sit down with you all. Tell us a little about your brand and how you've come to this vastly successful peek in your career.
Answer: . First, thank you for having me. It is equally an honor and pleasure to sit down with you all. I would like to say that I am my brand. Dr. Wilson is a brand. I sincerely believe that a brand is not a product but the person behind the brand. That’s what I like to teach my clients and students starting on their entrepreneurship journey.
My brand is like a tree with many branches. The Doctor Wilson Brand consists of the Doctor Wilson Leadership Academy (DWLA)—There are two branches within DWLA. The first part consists of teaching individuals about entrepreneurship and how to be leaders in their communities, the second part focuses on hiring me for speaking engagements or hiring me for coaching needs. I am available for individual and group coaching; for life or business purposes. I am also a celebrity life coach; helping them to deal with and to navigate their fame while having to deal with personal life issues.
Our nonprofit, #SurpriseTheStruggling, Inc., is a global hashtag movement that focuses on homeless women and teen girls, providing them with the bare essentials. We have a group of Ambassadors and givers all over the world that donate slightly used or new purses and bags filled with toiletries that may not be readily available for women and teen girls in homeless situations.
The next branch is, The Grief Circle—which is a support group for those experiencing grief. We have weekly meetings, where the intent is to help one another get through another day, hour, second of grieving, but not alone. There’s Noon Jewels Live, a live broadcast where I give a positive word for the day. Our newest addition to the brand is, the Uncut Jewels Podcast, a two-hour live show on Friday’s on Reflex.com radio, where my daughter and I cover topics from A to Z—specifically affecting the African American Community. There is Queens Don’t Trip We Adjust Our Crowns/AIM— an initiative to teach women how to properly use a gun (with planned trips to the gun range) and how to legally own a firearm.
The seed that started the tree! The first branch; my multi-award-winning entertainment company, Mynding My Own Bizness Entertainment, LLC. Through this branch, I earned the title of Multi-Award-Winning Executive Producer, of an HBO, multi-award-winning short film, The Bully, which in turn birthed our first outreach initiative, The Stop Bullying Project®, which seeks to educate both children and adults on the types of bullying and the best way to combat it.
My latest venture and newest branch is my inspirational apparel line. I am looking forward that becoming a household name, and that when people wear the clothes, they don’t just look good in them, but are inspired by them, and inspired to do their own thing, as well.
Getting here, to this particular successful peek, where we can branch off into so many different areas was not an easy task. It is only by the grace of God, prayer, consistency, not giving up, and out believing everyone else that we are here. There were no handouts. There definitely was a lack of support, but it has only made me, my brand, my team, stronger, and my circle smaller. That’s something many have to get used to with success. Your circle grows smaller and you have to work harder than you ever worked in your life, for everything you are about to gain.
FGM: Who are the clients/what are the projects that you most enjoy working on?
Answer: My clients vary. From homeless women and teen girls, aspiring entrepreneurs, women/men looking for coaching and clarity, to schools, churches, NYPD, educators, private companies, and celebrities. There are two I particularly enjoy the most: #SurpriseTheStruggling and Coaching. I love to give. And know that I am helping women and teen girls that are currently in a position that I used to be in, is a blessing. It definitely makes me feel like I am paying it forward. And, when I am coaching one on one. I love that moment when the client gets it. When the lightbulb goes off and they finally understand what they want and how to go about getting it.
FGM: How do you feel you make a difference in the world?
Answer: I don’t want to sound pompous, because I am far from that. But I know what it takes to do what I do. And I feel that the difference I am making in this world is showing God’s love in action. I am like no other. I am different. I minister blessings. I am power because God is in me and He is power. And this power enables me to motivate, teach, and reach people in different ways. I am aware that I am only a vessel of God, on a journey that consists of doing God’s work and that’s the difference I make in this world.
FGM: Tell us about a time when you showed determination to continue as an entrepreneur
Answer: I would have to say, through my grieving the loss of my significant other of fourteen years. I did not, or rather could not stop doing what I was doing. Even in my weakest days and hours, and even presently, I have to push forward to stay out of the darkness that comes with grieving for the sake of my children, myself, and the people I serve. Grieving is one of the hardest things to get through. You have to be determined to fight through it. I will not lie; it is even harder as an entrepreneur because there are so many hard and harsh days that you have to push through; especially at the beginning of your journey. When you are grieving, the last thing you want to do, most times, is anything. But you have to make yourself. In a way, having a business, responsibilities, is probably the best thing to have when you are grieving. It gives you something to concentrate on other than the pain you are feeling.
FGM: Give me the three best qualities of your brand
Answer: I would have to say that the best three qualities of my brand are: Giving, Honest, and Trust. We are givers. Always have been, always will be. We are honest; transparent in what we do and are going to do. You can trust us. Trust is to do exactly what we said we are going to do. To show up and deliver. To give you the best of us and to keep our world. If you cannot trust someone, then there is no real relationship or foundation to build upon.
FGM: Give me an example of when you worked irregular hours?
Answer: I’m laughing because it is always irregular hours. Even when you set a specific time, it always ends up being irregular hours! But one example I can give is when we were filming our multi-award-winning film, The Bully. That was like eighteen-hour days! And I had all my children with me on set; my youngest was three at the time. Near the end of filming, it was right in the middle of Hurricane Sandy. People were dying and losing their homes. Here we are, making a movie about bullying, and a young girl from a local HS takes her own life because of bullying.
Surprise The Struggling (STS) also has me working irregular hours. It will be the middle of the night, and I will get a nudge in my spirit to get up and go out and find some homeless people to bless. STS is 24/7. You never know when God is going to nudge you or you are going to get a phone call about someone in need. You just have to be ready and prepared. Ironically, my biggest giving month for STS is the month of January, which happens to be the same month I became homeless as a young teen parent.
FGM: Being an entrepreneur is a 24/7 job, how did you get ready for that?
Answer: You don’t! LOL, It is on-the-job training! You jump off a cliff and pray on your way down!
FGM: How did you acquire the ability to work under pressure to beat meet deadlines as an entrepreneur?
Answer: I acquired the ability through my grind and struggle as a homeless teen mother. It birthed in me a familiarity of being under extreme pressure and having to make it at an early age. You do not forget or lose those kinds of life lessons. It builds inside of you a certain fortitude and strength that can’t be brought or faked. Those kinds of life trials prepare you and create in you a hunger to never be in that position again. So, you meet every deadline, rise in every kind of pressure, and often beat everyone else to the finish line.
FGM: What is your favorite inspirational point, place, to develop new brand developments?
Answer: In my car, by the water. I receive so much inspiration sitting in my car, by myself, parked near the water.
FGM: Which current public figure, are you inspired by or appreciate the most?
Answer: Some people may get this and some may not. I’m inspired by the late Earl Simmons, or as most know him as, DMX. May he Rest in peace. Yes. Really. DMX. His faith in God, determination, and never giving up on his faith regardless of what he went through, truly inspire me. Also, him being a sacrificial lamb for this next generation and showing us what not to do with our time and blessings here on earth. I appreciate the mother of his children and ex-wife, Tasheera Simmons. The speech she gave during his homegoing services, her support, and unconditional love for a human being outside of her children was a testament to the kind of woman she is and the heart that she has. I can see that and appreciate her as a Black woman, raising her children.
FGM: How do you handle stress?
Answer: Honestly, I am working on it. I give it to God and practice self-care. Self-care for me can look like, writing, journaling, pampering myself by getting massages, taking a walk on a beach, feeding the animals—water turtles and birds. Meditating by the water, and doing mini solo strips. Yes. By. My. Self. We all need that alone time to decompress and hear our own thoughts.
FGM: What are the three qualities you feel an entrepreneur must have?
Answer: The three qualities every entrepreneur should have are Communication, Consistency, and Consideration. Without those three things, you will not succeed as an entrepreneur.
FGM: Where do you see your business in 10 years? How do you plan to get there?
Answer: A. In ten years my business will have a growing and viable global network, including a global empowerment television broadcast. There will be Doctor Wilson Leadership Academy branches all over the world, that will provide housing for less fortunate men and women while providing them with an education and tools to equip them to go out into the world and be successful. We will supply them with the proper armor and tools, And when they graduate from the academy, they will have the ability and confidence to make it on their own. I also expect my inspirational apparel line to be a global success and a household name.
The plan to achieve this is: Prayer, Consistency, Building my own doors, and giving. When you give when and how God says to give, you receive more in return, and God opens doors to make your dreams and His plans for your life happen.
FGM: What else would you like people to know about you and what you do?
Answer: I enjoy what I do. There are some days when I am tired, but I know that the work I am doing is not just work, it is my passion. This is what I love. And when you love what you are doing, you will always find the time and strength to do it.
I am excited about my first solo book, Noon Jewels, and its release last month. It is an inspirational book for both men and women. I want to encourage our Queens and Kings to keep going. When something occurs, adjust their crowns and keep pushing forward. To use the lemons and turn them into lemonade! It’s important to know, that no matter how you started in life, what may have been done to you, as long as you are still here, breathing—you can make a difference! As long as you don’t give up, you can change your narrative. It’s not about how you started this journey but how you finish it that counts.
A special thanks to my sister, Ruthe McDonald, my COO! She is also my editor and responsible for compiling my thoughts, and the layout of the book. She understood my vision and delivered what I had in my mind and heart to paper. It was like giving birth to a child! I laugh, but when you have been dreaming about something for years and working on it for just as long, you want things to be perfect. Or, as close to perfect as you can get! My sister did that for me. She’s excellent at taking your vision and ideas and making them come to life. I don’t know how she does it, but then again, that’s her gift—to take your thoughts and make them a physical reality.
Earlier this year I started Uncut Jewels, a podcast cohosted with my daughter. I am really proud of it but also surprised by it. People probably would not believe this, but I can be shy. And so, the last thing I thought about was hosting a radio show; a podcast. But, who knew? God! Obviously, that I would feel right at home and be natural. I’m very proud of the success we are having. We’re around our eleventh or twelfth show, and it just gets better each time. I keep forgetting we are all over the world, so when I learned of where we are becoming quite popular, it blew me away.
We have a global reach. We are listened to in the UK, Canada, France, Kenya. We have people that are tuning in weekly to hear what we have to say. W discuss a myriad of topics. From women behind the badge, women carrying firearms, to hip hop music, to black lives matter, to young people starting businesses and going to college, to domestic violence survivors, to mental health issues. You name it, and we are talking about it and we are doing our way.
FGM: It was a pleasure speaking with you thank you for joining us.
Answer: Thank you for having me. It was a sincere pleasure in joining you and being able to share my passion, my brand, my business with you.
By Pilar Scratch in Entrepreneur cover for Fashion Gxd Magazine
30 pages, published 7/28/2021
