We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Denise C. Herndon Harvey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Denise C., we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I believe that it can be discovered in things you know you enjoy doing even if you’re not compensated for it. How about issues in our society that you find hurting your heart? When you see injustice in the world, you know you must be involved to make a difference. It can even be those events you witness, and you know in your heart you can be of assistance or the solution for it. That is basically what happened in my life. I came to an understanding of my purpose when I began to seek God and ask questions. He is our Master creator. He created us all with a purpose in us. Not knowing or understanding who I was and what I was called and created to do in life was an issue for me. My peace came when I began to seek; it can be discovered when you truly seek and ask. I was constantly trying to figure out why no job worked. I only looked at it as a job and not a career, not to mention, with most of my previous positions, it didn’t take long to become bored with whatever I was doing. I didn’t hate it, not at all, yet I found no joy in the task or satisfaction, even with a job well done and striving to do a great job. The job was just that: a means to a necessary end. I didn’t see the purpose for me, even though the task or mission was important to the organization.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a Liberty University graduate with a Master of Arts in Human Service Counseling – Family Advocacy and Public Policy. In addition, I also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology – Christian Counseling and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology – Crisis Counseling, with a minor in Biblical Studies, Certification in Mental Health Coaching, and a Certification in Life Coaching. I have also obtained a Certificate in Voice Coaching/Voice-overs. I have been married for almost 40 years to my high school sweetheart, and I am a military spouse. My husband Junius, is now retired from the U.S. Air Force. We have two adult children and five grandchildren. I am retired from the Federal Government.
This year, I have been featured in Empowered Magazine, Destiny Chasers, and SwagHer Magazine. Last year, I got to experience being a featured author in the Readers Magnet’s Festival of Storytellers, the New York Library Association Annual Conference, and Trade Show. I was asked to participate in several book fairs located in Seoul, Korea, and London, along with the Disney New York Times Square Digital Billboard display, Tucson Arizona Festival of Books, and LA Times Bookfair. This was a great experience, having a booth online, going live and interacting with the public, and even reading and discussing my books and the reasons behind what I wrote. I have been a guest on various TV, radio, and Podcast shows, such as The Kingdom View broadcast, Conversations that Make a Difference Podcast, The Morning Show with the Bishop, Unlocking Your Voice Podcast, Renegade Women, Ms. V The Storyteller, Daily Inspirational Quotes, Be Convinced – Sharing Lifechanging Stories of Hope, Deal By Me Podcast, and several more.
My business is called Delightfully Designed LLC, and the name came from my favorite scripture in the Bible is, Psalm 37:4, which says, “Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” I am a Transformation Coach, and my coaching program is called “Emerge and Restore.” I am also a Speaker and a published author, and I write books for adults as well as children about faith. My main concentration concerns forgiveness and our faith in God for all things. I do my best to incorporate the Word of God, hope, and faith in family healing and restoration by demonstrating God’s love for the family and how restoration and transformation can occur when God is invited to operate and live in our hearts.
My first book was a children’s book called, “Growing up Sassafras – Where is my daddy?” It’s about a little girl who loves and misses her father, and her father also loves and misses her. He and the mother aren’t together but fighting over their child, and that is where we find the issues and see her grandmother attempting to teach forgiveness to all involved for the sake of her granddaughter. Next is my story, “Emergence of Me, Discovering My Identity and Courage Within. With this book, I wanted to inspire boldness in a person’s walk with the Lord by sharing my story. It was a story I was afraid to write and even unearth in my head. As I continued to grow in Christ, I began to realize how important it is to understand exactly who we are and what we have been called to do in this life that God has blessed us to live. We must find our identity in the Father, yet how do we do it?
I was then asked to become involved in a multi-author book, which is an Amazon Best-seller called “Unlock Your Voice.” Unlock Your Voice is a very special book. The book curator is from South Africa, and by obedience and the call of God on her life, she put together this book and invited 11 other Kingdom authors to participate. Giving her our yes, in a way, was all of us giving God our yes. Our yes meant that we would be authentic, share our message, and be obedient to what we’ve been asked to do as we shared our message with the world. This special book showcases the stories of women who have suffered loss, devastating illnesses, and financial hardship, all sharing how God met us where we were and how we each triumphed over life setbacks. It also explains the foundations of biblical truths and tells each of our stories, helping readers by meeting them where they are and with what they may need to hear and understand for their own lives. I also have two more books that are both multi-author books about to be released.
The next one will be released on October 10th, called “A Kingdom Word Now.” It is powerful! This book is a 30-day devotional with 23 amazing authors; some are international, and we all demonstrate how faith and a person’s walk with the Lord will empower the Kingdom and impact it powerfully. The last one will not be released until November or December, but it is meant to empower and uplift women through our testimony and life experience. Lastly, I have two solo books I’m also working on; one is the next book in the children’s series, and the other will be a faith-based fiction book.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Qualities or areas of knowledge would be my passion for serving God. Being obedient and faithful is important to my faith. When it came to writing, it didn’t hurt that I love reading. I love books, I have a massive library of my own, and even as a child, I loved reading. Plus, I love to write. It didn’t matter how long the assignment would be. I knew I could do it. I would start gathering my thoughts and how I wanted to detail it out in my brain before I would even start writing. However, I always waited until the last minute to put it all together. I think it’s that writing under pressure is not always good for everyone, but for me, it’s just how I operated even in grad school.
The advice I would give concerning writing is that I know a lot of people have books in their souls, but either they don’t know or understand the process, or perhaps they are afraid or intimidated by it all, and when you’re in an unknown place, it can be challenging, but not impossible. My advice is to sit down and attempt to write a little every day. Even when you don’t see it coming together, get in the habit of typing something, whatever thoughts come to mind. I tend to outline all my chapters. I have my book title before writing. I then do a chapter outline. I know how I want it to start and how I want it to end. I have to have a message that I want to deliver, and I want my characters if I’m writing with other characters in my story, to carry and convey an important life message, even the children, to have a message for the masses. Another suggestion would be not to go back and make corrections as you write because you’ll never finish. Just write and let it flow out of your soul. I believe a person will know when it’s finished.
With Coaching, I received my education in counseling, but I knew in my heart I wanted to become a coach that could be a blessing to someone in need. It’s about helping someone who may need accountability and desires to have someone stand beside them, be open to receive sound advice, but will also ask the necessary questions of a client if they believe you’re heading down an uncertain track that may not serve you. Encourage and celebrate with them when they achieve their desired goals.
Often, fear can keep a person stuck—stuck, unhappy, unserved, and dissatisfied. Change is never easy, and yes, it can be scary, but if not now, when? I’ve done speaking in ministry when asked, and I just believed God would continue to use me in that area. I speak about my story, my faith, and how to overcome those issues that may be challenging a person’s own walk in life.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
For me, the Holy Bible is the most important book to me. It is the living, breathing Word of God. It is where I seek and find peace and discover what God has purposed for my life. My belief in God’s Word is strong; I would be lost without it. Wisdom is trusting the Word of God to know and understand the truth for a righteous life. The Bible declares, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you,” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV). It means putting first things first and concentrating on the Word of God for our life, our peace, and our salvation. It also ensures our beliefs align with the Word of God, having that full trust in God for life’s answers that we have been seeking, especially when it appears contrary to the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.deniseharvey.com, https://deniseharvey.icanvoice.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/deecharvey?igshid=Mzc0YWU1OWY=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denise.harvey4u
Image Credits
Photography credit: 1. Phillip W. Grant – PWG Lens 2. Shereena J. Harvey – Hey Reena-Jay Photography 3. Ravann Guyton Photography
