Meet Marquisha Frost, PhD

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Marquisha Frost. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with her below.

Hi Marquisha , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
My confidence and self-esteem is something that I talk about often. My work centers women and supports them toward being their best selves and confidence and self-esteem is a big part of that. For me, there are two main contributors to my confidence and self-esteem being as high as it is and as solid as it is. First, I’d say growing up, my mother made me feel extremely important, deserving, worthy, and capable. That allowed me to go into the world as a very young girl with a sense of self and an idea of who I was. That idea and attitude was rooted in a healthy image and that image started at home. I watched my mother closely and followed her religiously. I am so grateful to have had her as my guide and teacher.

Secondly, as I grew older, I learned not only who I was, but whose I was. My relationship with Jesus Christ was my secondary self-esteem and confidence booster, but today, it serves as my primary source of continued pride and relationship with self. Once I learned more about God’s promises for my life and the price he paid for me, I knew that my self-esteem, confidence, and potential should not be taken lightly. My purpose requires that I show up as if God sent me, because He did. On a day where I am struggling in these areas, that is all the reminder that I need.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I grew up as the middle child of three. So much of who I am is rooted in that upbringing. Both the work I lead through Queens Do Things and Marquisha&Co., are rooted in community, love, and healing. These are all themes surrounding my upbringing.

Right now, my work focuses on creating access to educational opportunities via Queens Do Things and healing and self-improvement via Marquisha&Co. These platforms both center the experiences of women and prioritize their needs, but also serves all people. Queens Do Things Inc. was my first non-profit. I established it in 2015 with the idea of providing virtual support groups for women who identified as students and/or parents. It now mostly serves as a resource hub to fund educational and entrepreneurial experiences for women. Marquisha&Co. is my life-coaching and counseling consultancy. Through it, I work daily to save and change lives. There’s an extension of Marquisha&Co., called The Sanctuary Collective whose purpose is to create community for women to individually and collectively work toward self-improvement, healing, and their goals.

This upcoming year, I am launching some e-course opportunities and a line of self-improvement products to include planners, journals, a workbook, and swag that is meant to affirm identities rooted in healthy and loving self-perception. It’s all really exciting work and I feel so fortunate to be leading the charge.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, the three most important skills, qualities, or areas of knowledge that have been most impactful on my journey have been faith, purpose, and love. Without my faith, it is hard for me to even imagine who and where I’d be. When everything and everyone else failed me, my faith in God and God himself, did not. It’s my compass and I know that if it had not been for it, I wouldn’t be here. My purpose was very much discovered in and through faith, but it on a much larger scale influences the work I do and the way that I do it. I feel deeply connected to my work which allows me a level of energy and grace for it that is divine. It’s special and my approach to it is rooted in my ability to recognize that this work is an assignment. I didn’t choose it. It chose me. Lastly, love. Love is the most powerful thing in all of the world and I believe it’s underestimated. For me, the love God has for me, the love I have for His people, the love His people have for me, it’s made such an incredible and indescribable difference. It’s constant presence is fuel and I feel so grateful to live a life with an abundance of it.

I think for those early in their journey it’s important to consider where it is they want to be and what they want to do and how they want to do it and then align their day to day routines, habits, communities to be in alignment with those goals. I think it’s important for people to have something to believe in and a good place to start in this area is with self. Believe in yourself and do all that you can to position yourself according to what you believe you’re purposed to do. I tell those around me all of the time, that I engage and live and work and serve like my life depends on it because I know it does and the life of someone else does too.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Wow! This is a good question. My biggest area of growth in the last year has been truly living all that I teach. I lost my partner in August. He was a gentle, beautiful, solid, and kind man and friend. He was loyal and honest. He held me accountable and I miss him tremendously. Losing him challenged me to show up for myself like I do for everyone else. It challenged me to extend grace to myself like I do everyone else. I had to learn to be gentle with myself, kind to myself, and patient with myself. These are all things I thought I had already learned and conquered, but it was something about feeling the lowest I’ve ever felt and having to look inward to journey back toward light. I had to take my own advice.

I enrolled in therapy. I adjusted my routines. I stayed close to things that brought me joy and removed myself from the things that don’t/didn’t. I had to trust myself in a different way and lean on faith. It was hard. It still is. Each day is an opportunity and a challenge for me to show up for me. I’ve never had to do that in the way that this season has called me to. So, I am growing and grieving and though it hurts like hell, I am beginning to see light again and I am so grateful to God for it.

Contact Info:

 

Image Credits
Chanea Brewer Brody Schmaderer

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Betting on the Brightside: Developing and Fostering Optimism

Optimism is like magic – it has the power to make the impossible a reality

Highlighter Series
What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?

There is no one path – to success or even to New York (or Kansas).

Leadership Development
Finding & Living with Purpose

Over the years we’ve had the good fortunate of speaking with thousands of successful entrepreneurs,