We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melissa Pearson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melissa below.
Melissa, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?
I was laid off from what I genuinely believed was my dream job, a global trainer position in the medical device industry. I was getting to see the world while teaching, traveling internationally, and walking in what felt like the perfect intersection of purpose and passion. It was everything I thought I had worked and prayed for.
So when that door abruptly closed, it shook me. I wasn’t just losing a paycheck, I felt like I was losing identity, direction, and momentum.
But in the stillness that followed, I heard something deeper than disappointment. God began to speak—l, not audibly, but clearly, through peace, people, and quiet conviction. I realized the layoff wasn’t rejection. It was redirection. I had tied so much of my worth to performance and opportunity, but God was calling me back to foundation.
That’s when the vision for Avowal 119 was born. “Avowal” means a bold declaration of telling your truth, and that’s what this season has been about. I’m not manifesting a future I’m in my avow era trusting in what God has already promised. Relying on Him to do it again in the same power and authority He always has.
Avowal 119 is a Scripture-rooted jewelry brand currently in development, created to help people wear truth and walk in testify to what they’ve been thru. Its heartbeat is to support aftercare programs for survivors of human trafficking locally in a Jacksonville , because freedom should be more than a word. It should be a legacy.
Being laid off was painful but it became the birthplace of deeper alignment. I may have lost the job, but I found the Author of the next chapter.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
By day, I work full-time as an Electrophysiology Technologist, supporting heart rhythm procedures that literally help keep people alive. It’s meaningful work that pays the bills and keeps me grounded in healthcare. But beyond the hospital walls, I’m in a chapter of bold becoming, stepping into the call of entrepreneurship and purpose-driven creativity.
Professionally, I’m the founder of Avowal 119, a faith-rooted jewelry brand that combines biblical meaning with personal testimony. Each piece is designed to carry a number, a symbolic code that ties back to Scripture, promise, or prophetic encouragement. I believe what we wear can be a reminder of what we carry: identity, truth, and legacy.
But Avowal 119 is more than a brand, it’s a movement. The heartbeat is restoration. A portion of every purchase will go toward supporting aftercare programs for survivors of human trafficking. I also serve as the Interfaith Committee Chair for the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Coalition, helping bridge faith communities and survivor advocacy. For me, this isn’t just a passion project, it’s personal. Freedom should be more than a word. It should be a legacy.
I’m currently in the design and development phase, working with a jeweler in California to finalize the first collection. It’s slow, intentional work and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
In addition to the jewelry, I’m developing a podcast that pairs personal story work with biblical teaching. One of the core themes is reclaiming the sacred act of listening, to God, to ourselves, and to one another. In a noisy world full of platforms and opinions, I believe healing often begins in the quiet spaces where truth is both spoken and heard.
What excites me most is the potential for Avowal 119 to not only spark personal transformation but to fund tangible freedom for others. This is what I’m avowing: truth over trends, purpose over pressure, and legacy over hype.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Resilience rooted in faith
I’ve faced a lot of personal and professional shifts, but what carried me was knowing who I belong to. Resilience isn’t just about pushing through it’s about being anchored. My advice: let your healing be holy. Don’t just survive transitions ask what they’re trying to teach you. Faith has a way of turning what felt like detours into divine redirection.
2. Listening before leading
As I step into advocacy specifically in the anti-trafficking space as the Interfaith Committee Chair for the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Coalition, I’ve learned that presence speaks louder than platform. I’m still early in the journey, but I’m learning that listening is its own form of leadership. My advice: start by showing up consistently and humbly. Influence follows integrity.
3. Permission to pivot
You’re allowed to grow, to change direction, to evolve. I’ve had to pivot professionally and personally, sometimes in public, sometimes in private. The key is to remember that identity is not in what you do, but in who you are becoming. My advice: hold space for reinvention. What’s next may not look like what you planned, but it might be exactly what you were made for.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! Avowal 119 is being built on faith, story, and community, so collaboration is not only welcomed, it’s essential.
Right now, I’m looking to connect with people who are willing to share their stories on our upcoming podcast. If you have a testimony of healing, redemption, or a bold moment of obedience, I’d love to hear from you. Your story may be the encouragement someone else needs to keep going.
I’m also open to partnering with mission-aligned creatives, advocates, and organizations especially those in the ethical fashion, anti-trafficking, or faith-based nonprofit space. Whether you’re a designer, ministry leader, survivor advocate, or simply someone with a heart for restoration, let’s talk.
As we prepare to launch, I’m also grateful for those who feel led to sow into the mission whether through financial support, shared resources, or prayer. Donations will help fund production, podcast development, and future giving to survivor aftercare programs. And if nothing else, your prayers mean everything.
If you’re local to Jacksonville, we host an Interfaith Committee meeting on the third Thursday of every month at 6:00 p.m. at 1 Riverside Ave (The Clubhouse). It’s a meaningful space to learn how you can get involved in anti-trafficking work across the city.
If any of this resonates with you, I’d love to connect. You can reach me directly at [email protected].
We’re not just building a brand—we’re building a testimony. And there’s room at the table for you.
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