Ms. Kwanice Jackson and I actually met via social media and have a developed a beautiful friendship and sisterhood over the past several years. She happens to have one of the sweetest, most caring spirits and is one of the baddest stylists that I know! If you desire to step up your wardrobe game, please contact her (follow her on Instagram at: @sincerely_kayj). Additionally, she's always so creative. I love a good DIY (Do It Yourself) project, but she's got the creativeness in this area down-packed. The concepts that she comes up with always amaze me!

I asked Kwanice to be a part of the Phenomenal Woman Project not only because of her beautiful spirit- but because she has an amazing testimony to share with her fellow sisters. Though she's soaring in this season of her life, she still maintains this humility that I have always admired. As someone that is pretty humble herself, I have always believed that one should never forget their beginnings or where God has brought them from. Check out Kwanice's story below. I hope that you are blessed, encouraged, and inspired by it. :-)

"Kwanice Jackson, born in Washington, D.C. Although I consider myself a Washingtonian, I was partly raised in Maryland. During my early childhood years, I was raised in Southeast D.C. until I was in about 4th grade. That is when my family moved to Maryland. I am the oldest child of two children. I have one sibling, a brother. I am a Staff Assistant for the Deputy Secretary of Labor at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. I am a single mother of three children: one boy and two girls, ages 23, 18, and 15. My son, the 23 year old, recently began his career as a Firefighter and I could not be more happier and proud of him. My 18 year old daughter recently graduated high school and is heading to Florida Memorial University to study Forensic Science. She also loves to do hair and make-up. My 15 year old daughter is a sophomore in high school. Needless to say, I’ll be an empty nester soon. I am not so certain that I am looking forward to that since my kids and I are very close and have a really good relationship with each other.

My hobbies include, shopping (is this really a hobby?! LOL!), DIY-ing, Interior design, reading, traveling, and restaurant hopping. My passion is fashion, of course that’s why I listed shopping first, as a hobby. I am so passionate about fashion, it is considered as art to me. God gifted me with an idiosyncratic eye for fashion. This passion blossomed at the tender age of 8 years old. I used to watch the show, 'Punky Brewster' and mimic her funky style. I interned for celebrity stylist Shun Melson, where I worked with Tameka “Tiny” Harris (member of R&B group Xscape), Attorney Phaedra Parks, Ledisi (R&B & Jazz recording artist), and many more celebrities. I was one of the lead wardrobe stylists for Anthony Brown & Group TherAPy’s photo shoot for their current cd, “A Long Way From Sunday.” I aspire to be a full-time entrepreneur, styling clients, and providing my fashion expertise to help other women and men feel great about themselves. Also, I love interior design; which ties into my styling business. I can assist women and men with their wardrobe and their home decor.

I purchased my first home September 21, 2016, as a single mother of three; with no other financial assistance besides my income. I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t have any money saved, and I didn’t even know if I would qualify. But God! {excuse me while I give God the glory!} *inserts praise dance*. Beforehand, in January 2016, I participated in the Daniel Fast for the entire month. I was also attending a Queen Esther class at First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Maryland. In March 2016, I was picking up my daughter from a weekend at her friends house. As I was riding through the development, I rode past a house that was for sale and my heart started to palpitate very heavily. I was driving a little too fast to stop abruptly- but made a mental note to go back that very same way after I retrieved my daughter. I pulled in the driveway of the home that was for sale & my daughter said, “Who lives here?” I replied {as I was crying uncontrollably} “Maybe us one day; I’m going to call a realtor and see what the asking price is.” I don’t even know why I was crying, but I started to pray in the midst. I contacted a realtor and found out there was a contact already on the home. The realtor asked me if I was ready to buy a home; I said “yes, I think so.” She said “call me tomorrow and we’ll go over what steps you need to take.” I contacted the realtor the next day who put me in contact with a lender. The lender and I chatted, I gave him the necessary background information on me that he was seeking. He called me back within in a hour, maybe less {my brain started flipping & tears welled up in my eyes so I’m sure I had an out of body experience at that very moment}; letting me know that I was approved, how much I was approved for and to start looking for a home. I found my home in May 2016, June 2016 they broke ground and started building my home. Did you read that part? Building...as in from the ground up {God did it!}. September 21, 2016 was signing day and move-in day was September 23, 2016. God blew my mind, gave me more than I could ever phantom. To God be the glory!

Growing up, I was always fairly thin but my calves were problematic for me- they are skinny. I despised my scrawny calves. The girth of my calves are partially genetic; my mom has no definition to her calves, and my grandmother had skeletal legs. Most of the females my age were fully developed and well proportioned. I would look at them and wonder "Why don't I look like them?" I didn’t want to hang out with them. Instead, I would shy away and stand in the background whenever we were in a group setting. It seemed as if all of the guys liked the other girls. Don’t get me wrong, guys very interested in me as well, but due to how I viewed myself, I was just to shy to say anything back to them. My body insecurities kept me in a shell in high school; I wasn’t outgoing.

Wearing long boots were out of the question, my calves looked like two mop sticks in a bucket. I would wear pants all the time, I never wore skirts or dresses. High heels didn’t help either. Therapy wasn’t talked about in households during these times and I felt too ashamed to tell anyone how I felt. Therefore, I had to deal with my insecurities the old fashioned way. I developed a plan and began to speak affirmations to myself. I realized that “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” I would look in the mirror and tell my self, “Kwanice, you are God’s creation, you were created in His image and likeness, you are loved, love yourself, and love your body. I started to become confident in my looks, proud of my body just the way it was, totally comfortable in my own skin, and felt better about myself. I took what once was my weakness and made it a strength. Over the years, I started to slowly introduce skirts and dressed into my wardrobe. Now, I rarely wear pants! I own more skirts and dresses than I do denim and trousers. Plus, supermodels have thin calves and they are gorgeous women!

As a woman, we have so many things to be worried about- so much to do in our households, and we wear so many hats. However, love yourself first! No matter how you feel about yourself, how good or bad you may have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone, somewhere is desperately fighting for theirs. You are not alone. Don’t ever remove your jewels from your crown.

Dear woman:

You are amazing.

You are beautiful.

You are appreciated.

You are loved.

You are powerful.

You are strong.

You are wise.

You are intangible.

You are a diamond.

You are a fighter.

You are a survivor.

You are chosen.

You are blessed."

Kwanice, honey, nothing else needs to be said. I'm inspired by your message and I know many other countless women will be too. You are truly a Phenomenal Woman!

Phenomenal Woman- Kwanice Jackson