Meet Yolanda Newell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yolanda Newell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yolanda, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from scripture. Hebrews 11:1 reads, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

I work hard every day to strengthen my faith. I’m a Christian who journeys every day to continue to stay on this path. It is a challenge daily, hourly, etc. The world has many twists and turns, however, I do believe that my optimism comes from my faith in God.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a mother, grandmother, and an Army vet, who finally found purpose through years of asking other people  “What is our purpose in life?” I found my purpose in ministry to the world through FOCUS-I-APPAREL, LLC, an inspirational product company I founded in 2012. The “Why do we live?” question came about when I was sitting at my job thinking of all the ills of this world. I asked myself what are we doing here, why are people hurting one another, and is this what we were made for? I do not believe we were made to hurt one another or be selfish. I do believe that we are here to love, respect and uplift one another so I began to ask this question to friends, family, and co-workers. The responses were interesting. This one question led me to my journey of  contributing to the world  and being a better human being to society.

FOCUS-I-APPAREL has been on a journey towards helping others.

FOCUS is an acronym for Faithful, Obedient, Christ-Like, Unwavering, and Steadfast. I personally came up with this acronym to help me focused on each of these items as I grow closer to the Lord.

My main product is a T-Shirt which I refer to as an I-Shirt (Inspirational Shirt) that will minister to the world and help me keep scripture in front of me and others daily.

FOCUS-I-APPAREL is about my journey as well as my mission to share God’s word with the world. In my humanness, I have started and stopped the building of the company, due to many circumstances that affect most of our lives. I have decided to keep going and I am excited about the future. FOCUS-I-APPAREL will donate ten percent of its profit to people, organizations and events as the need prevails. I’m enthusiastic about building FOCUS  while ministering to the world through my products. In conclusion, I seek in the name of God to promote each and everyone to respect and love one another. This is an important journey to me, and I’m looking forward to seeing what impact FOCUS-I-APPAREL will have on the world we live in.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that were most impactful to me on my journey are Faith, Compassion, and Empathy.

I would tell people who are early in their journey to search your soul and ask yourself why are you here in this world and how can you give back. How can you make a difference? I believe that you can make a difference and take care of yourself.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My current challenge is time management. Because of my giving nature and all of the causes that exist in our world, I am always seeking ways to help others.  I don’t believe that this is a bad thing but I do believe that I must FOCUS on my ability to narrow in on where my talents will be most beneficial. As humans, we can’t do everything on our own and we aren’t expected to. In simple words, we must stay in our lane and focus on our God-given gifts in order to make the most impact.

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