YAKINEA MARIE

I never thought in a million years that God could or would use a broken woman like me in the capacity that He has over the years. Coming from a lifestyle of drug-trafficking and exotic dancing, God delivered and called me into the world of business and ministry. It is truly amazing how God can shift and reshape your life so beautifully that it will look like your past is a fictional story, although the reality is, my story is my truth. Before God blessed me to achieve the accomplishments of becoming a multiple #1 Amazon bestselling author, business owner, speaker, business strategist, and minister, I was a woman imprisoned by my past. Low self-esteem, insecurity, and people pleasing was a part of my daily identity. Trauma and drama became my normal way of life due to my unhealthy environment: being raped around the age of 10, in foster care for over four years because of my mother’s drug addiction and having no father figure as a young girl.

This statement may seem rather insensitive, but one of the best days of my life is the day that my siblings and I were removed from my mother’s home when our apartment was raided for drugs. Why, you may ask? As a young girl I remember praying, asking God to take us away from my mom. I knew that because of her love for us she would work to become clean from drugs if we were taken away. I was correct. When that day came that was her moment of intervention and my path toward self-discovery. It wasn’t until I was almost 40 years old that I realized that the little girl in me was still influencing my decisions. Although I blame no one for the decisions that I have made, I do recognize that my decisions were influenced by my environment and the internal void I felt as a child.

Love, attention, validation, and normalcy was what I desired. It took years for me to accept that Jesus died for me to live free from my past and that it was okay to prosper as a child of God. Being courageous enough to embrace my true self was not an overnight metamorphosis, it was a journey that took years and often moments of divine encounters with God.

It is a sad truth, but many are afraid to share the painful reality of their stories for fear of judgment, or maybe it is because they rather pretend as if it never happened. Telling my story is not always comfortable, but I tell it freely in hopes that it will inspire, ignite, and provoke people to live beyond their past and present situations. Many may see life obstacles as a negative, but I see them as an opportunity to show others the way out.

Although I, Yakinea Marie, am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, author of 8 books, speaker, business strategist, and Founder and CEO of the I Am Woman Business

Network, along with SheCEO Global, which supports women entrepreneurs in increasing their profits, visibility, and clientele; those are just titles I wear, not who I am. At my CORE I am a woman called to help God’s people understand who they are in God according to Genesis 1:26-28. How can we truly live a fulfilled life when there is a lack of understanding and revelation of our “divine” identity. I have learned that God has given each of us the power to write our stories one decision at a time. My first book “The Strength of a Woman”, which started my healing process from low self- esteem, was written to encourage women to live on purpose and to reintroduce them to their power. When the CBN 700 Club shared my story in 2013 it was a moment of vulnerability for me and the opportunity to reveal the grace and love that God had shown toward me. To view the 700 Club interview, visit https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=UKUxqjpNrUo.

“Being courageous enough to embrace my true self was not an overnight metamorphosis, it was a journey that took years & often moments of divine encounters with God.”