Shawon James shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Shawon, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
One of the greatest sources of joy in my life right now is watching my 2½-year-old granddaughter grow. She is fiercely independent, deeply loving, intelligent, observant, and absolutely hilarious. She feels like the culmination of God’s love expressed on earth—creative, radiant, and full of wonder. She loves animals, singing, laughing, and reading. She already knows all her colors, numbers, and alphabet, can spell words—including her own name—and can mimic the sound of every animal with precision and personality. She is social yet discerning, joyful yet watchful.
When I prayed over her at her christening, I asked God to make her a beacon of light, a wonder to both adults and peers, and that her life would be marked by love, peace, and laughter. And now, I am witnessing that prayer unfold word for word. She is my answered prayer, my reminder of God’s faithfulness, and a living testimony of Heaven’s love.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Shawon S. James is a spiritual NAY-Slayer, Brooklyn-born and Maryland-rooted visionary behind Sisters Overcoming & Winning, LLC (SOW)—a thriving community of 5.7k warrior women committed to empowerment, healing, and leadership. An Author, Psychology graduate, Corporate Leader, Course Creator, and certified Christian Life Coach, her coaching niche serves adults who grew up parentless—whether through death, abandonment, incarceration, addiction, or emotional absence. She empowers those whose identity, relationships, and faith have suffered to heal, forgive, and finally live.
Shawon guides her clients in strategizing forgiveness, accepting their story, and slaying both internal and external nay-sayers. She curates safe circles for girls and women to confront truth, break silence, build sisterhood, and journey from wilderness to promise—reminding them that Canaan is calling and God can shift everything suddenly for those who believe. Results are derived from a shift in perspective. Taking hold of the things that they have agency over.
Shawon also coaches corporate, ministry, and church leaders in the power of character over titles—because true leadership is servanthood and posture, not position.
Featured in Women of Destiny and Top 40 Media Boss Magazine, Shawon is a servant-leader, mother, and joyful grandmother. Her life’s assignment is simple yet eternal: help every individual realize their worth, find their voice, and turn the volume all the way up.
Though the adversary sought to silence her, Jeremiah 1:5 still speaks.
She is her sister’s keeper.
Her name is Shawon—Heaven calls her Appointed.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful began when I entered dance school. As a child, I was quiet, introverted, and deeply internal — and in many ways, I still am. But dance awakened something in me. I fell in love with movement — the choreography, the music, the discipline, and the way my body transformed into expression. Dance wasn’t just something I did; it was a world I entered where I felt free, expressive, charged, and fully in control.
As I grew, this passion carried me into remarkable spaces. Being part of my school’s midday program through The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theatre of Harlem shaped me, trained me, and stretched me. I performed with Blooming Concrete, Mama Lou’s Apollo Productions, and took the stage countless times at legendary institutions like The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and Pratt Institute. Each stage, each rehearsal, each late-night run-through felt like destiny responding.
Studio after studio, style after style — ballet, jazz, tap, improv, East Indian dance, African boot dance, and hip hop — I was always among the best. Audiences were captivated when I performed. I could feel the room shift — breath pause, attention center, and hearts connect. Dance became my voice. It allowed me to be seen and heard without ever speaking. My movement was my language. My presence was the message.
The way I could shift atmospheres — make people feel joy, excitement, emotion, and electricity — became the validation I didn’t just need, but longed for. I wanted to be seen. I wanted to be chosen. I wanted to be loved and to matter.
From childhood into adulthood — even through mime ministry and liturgical dance — movement has been more than art. It has been my testimony, my sanctuary, and my breakthrough. Through every performance, every spotlight, every synchronized beat — I wasn’t just dancing…
I was reclaiming my voice.
I was reclaiming my identity.
I was reclaiming my power.
And I’m still dancing — just now with revelation, purpose, and authority.
Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
There is a part of my story that many don’t fully see. They may sense it, they may notice it in the quiet spaces between my strength and my smile — but they do not know the depth of it. They do not understand the ache.
The deepest grief I carry isn’t just the loss of my mother — it is the loss of being mothered. I miss having a mom who loved me as a little girl. I miss the comfort, the protection, the tenderness that was never given room to exist. And I miss having a father who wanted me — who loved me, claimed me, covered me, and stayed.
I grieve the fact that none of the adults who raised me stepped in with intentionality, care, or concern after my mother passed. No one felt compelled enough — or loved her enough — to ensure that I was mentally, emotionally, or physically well. That absence left wounds I had to learn how to live with.
I have missed celebrating her birthday and mine — together. I have missed every Mother’s Day tribute I never got to give. I don’t remember her laughter. I don’t know her scent. I never learned her favorite foods, her quirks, her jokes, or the small details that children tuck away with pride because it belongs to their mother.
I have missed having memories soft enough to hold me through the nights when grief and longing felt heavier than breath. The void never went away — I just learned to move with it.
And even now — as a grown woman, a mother of two, and a grandmother — I still miss her. A part of my soul has a hole in it because she was not here to walk beside me, guide me, or champion me.
It might not have hurt as deeply if someone — anyone — had advocated for me. If someone had listened — really listened — to the cries only my heart could translate. But my weeping fell on deaf ears. At times, I wonder if the adults around me were drowning in their own brokenness, too numb and too wounded themselves to care for mine.
So, I had to figure life out on my own — or so it seemed. But truly, I figured it out with God.
Because Scripture reminds me:
“When my mother and father forsake me, the Lord will take me up.”
My mother didn’t choose to leave — life and circumstance made that decision. But others did have choices… and they made them. They did not choose me.
But God did. Every time. In every season. In every valley. In every tear.
And because God chose me — I survived.
Because God held me — I healed.
Because God stayed — I learned that I was never abandoned.
So yes — I miss what I never had.
But I worship from a place of truth — because the same God who heard the prayers of the little girl with unanswered wounds is the same God who now crowns the woman I have become with strength, identity, and purpose.
As long as God continues to breathe breath into my lungs, I will praise Him — not only for what I endured, but for the way He carried me through it.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I’ve always admired Oprah Winfrey. As a teenager, I would rush home just to catch her talk show. The topics she discussed were the very questions burning inside me—questions no one in my home was healed enough, free enough, or emotionally available enough to answer. She was relevant to me. She was a woman of color speaking boldly, honestly, and compassionately about real life—relationships, trauma, identity, truth, and healing.
When I learned about her humble beginnings and the dysfunction surrounding her childhood—when I learned that she had been raped as a little girl, broken, overlooked, mishandled, and wounded—something in my soul recognized hope. If she could rise from all of that and still stand with purpose, grace, and power, then maybe—just maybe—God hadn’t thrown me away either. She was my reminder that pain did not disqualify purpose.
There she was—nationally syndicated on ABC, a major network—creating a platform that transcended culture, race, age, status, and economic lines. Her show was never about politics or popularity—it was about people. Her heart was for humanity. And what I loved most about her was her humility. Her presence wasn’t loud—her impact was.
And then there were those legendary Christmas episodes—“Oprah’s Favorite Things.” She would hide gifts under studio seats, then have her team come out with armfuls of beautifully wrapped blessings. The joy in that room was electric. And I remember praying, “God, if You ever bless me in that way, I want to do the same. Not just one gift—not just a few—but a room full of people leaving with a dozen of Shawon’s favorite things.”
Honey—Christmas would be year-round!
Now, while I may not be in Oprah’s tax bracket—yet—I give the way I’ve always dreamed: with intention, compassion, and joy. I sow into the elderly, the homeless, women in transition, young girls finding their identity, and strangers I may never meet again. I’ve blessed single mothers, college students, churches, and anyone God places on my heart. When I have it, I give it—sometimes to a fault. But I know what it feels like to go without, and I never want anyone to suffer silently the way I once did. So if I can be the answer to someone’s prayer, even anonymously—then I’ve done what God intended.
That is what I respect most about Oprah—her character. She is a beautiful blend of humanity, humility, and a heart aligned with heaven’s assignment. She is tremendously blessed—not just because of what she has—but because of who she is and who she continues to become.
The Bible says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Oprah sought healing. She sought forgiveness. She sought peace, wholeness, wisdom, emotional sobriety, and a heart that understands people. And God added—abundantly.
I believe that same grace rests on me. I believe I will one day have the resources to give at a level that mirrors the magnitude of the compassion God placed in my heart. Because my life, too, has been fashioned in service.
And let’s not forget her circle—Dr. Phil, Iyanla Vanzant, Gayle King, Tyler Perry—each with their own scars, stories, and redemption. Each one walking out purpose, helping others evolve, grow, heal, and become.
So yes—if there is one person outside of my immediate life whose journey has shaped my vision, inspired my heart, and affirmed my calling—it’s Oprah Winfrey. She is proof that broken beginnings do not disqualify divine assignments.
And someday—when God opens that kind of door—I won’t just watch the blessing. Her heart posture for people, positioned her for power.
I’ll be the one giving it.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I could give everything I’m committed and commissioned to do my absolute best, and still—there will be people who never truly see me. They may never recognize my value, my heart, my integrity, my calling, my mantle, or the purpose God placed inside me. And yet, I would still do the work. I would still show up. I would still pour out. Because I am not doing this for applause, approval, or earthly acknowledgment.
My desire is to leave an indelible mark—one that impacts the overlooked, the underestimated, the dismissed, and the ones who never make the highlight reels. I want to reach the ones without a platform, without funding, without influence, without access—and let them know they matter.
And the truth is, I already do that. Quietly. Consistently. Without announcement. Without needing credit. Many don’t know the extent of what I do—and they don’t need to. Because my work is unto God, not unto man.
I don’t chase validation because the value system of people shifts too easily—based on trends, titles, popularity, and comparison. One minute you’re applauded, the next minute you’re questioned, doubted, or forgotten. But God? His measure doesn’t fluctuate. His approval is not fickle. His reward system doesn’t run through public opinion.
I am a seer—so when I discern a need, I respond. Not for recognition, but because obedience moves me. Compassion drives me. Purpose anchors me. And character leads me.
People are unpredictable, emotional, and inconsistent—but my calling requires stability, integrity, and intention. So I do what is right, what is honorable, what aligns with Heaven—even if no one ever claps, reposts, appreciates, or acknowledges it.
At the end of the day, I have to face me—and more importantly, I have to face God. When I drop the ball, accountability and repentance are my response. When I get it right, humility remains my posture.
My conviction keeps me aligned to a higher standard—a standard set in heavenly places, not in the fickle arenas of public approval, popularity, or performance.
So whether I am seen or unseen, celebrated or overlooked, understood or misunderstood—my answer remains the same:
I will serve.
I will give.
I will build.
I will pour.
I will obey.
Because my assignment is sacred, and my audience is Heaven first. My heart is to empower and give others praise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sowinning.org
- Instagram: shasha_ny2md
- Linkedin: Shawon James
- Facebook: Shawon ShaSha Shericka
- Youtube: Shawon Shericka the Intentionality Midwife
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
