MAGAZINE
Church Girl CEO
BRIDGING
THE GAP BETWEEN
Ministry & Business IN THIS ISSUE Family reunion tips, inspiration, beauty secrets ...and more!
Girl Talk with
Gina NEELY SPRING 2023
C HUR CH G IR L C E O MAGAZI NE
STAFF CEO/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Deborah Franklin SENIOR EDITOR JC Gardner LEAD LAYOUT DESIGNER Brandon J. Jolly
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Table of
Gina Neely
Contents 3 5 8 21 25 29
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A Drink from The Well Spiritual Corner: Debrayta Salley Confessions of a Foodie: JC Gardner Travel & Tourism: Tracy Shorter Beauty and Fashion: Nichelle Johnson, Kolor Beauty
Leader in Ministry Spotlight by JC Gardner: Deborah Franklin Soul Focus: Dr. Latanya Henry-Smith, LSSP
S P R I NG I S S U E
Editor’s Letter Happy Spring. It’s time to put away the winter wear and pull out the flip flops and shorts. I love how things come to life and new colors fill our space. But if I can be completely honest with you, I could do without the pollen. The sneezing and my yellow car that I promise you was silver when I purchased it, I could do without. Pollen is necessary to make the flowers grow and the bees buzz. So like pollen, all of the trials and tribulations that you have been experiencing are needed to make you grow. Your growth during this season is going to amaze you. You will talk and walk differently when you realize all of what you’re experiencing is needed to catapult you to the next level. In this issue, we get to meet up-close and personal Gina Neely, Food Network star, author, and television host. She chats about her comeback and about her new role as GiGi. Let’s jump into Spring expecting new things and ready to conquer all of our goals. Seek out ways to help someone and be the light in darkness for someone. Remember, you are the solution to someone else’s problem.
Deborah Franklin Deborah Franklin Editor In-Chief, Church Girl CEO Magazine
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C HUR CH G IR L C E O MAGAZI NE
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S P R I NG I S S U E
Deborah Franklin I just have to tell you one thing that used to make the show for me is what you would say about the crushed red pepper flakes -- you got to get a little kick in it. That was my thing right there, I would wait for that, well I used to wait for it. That was then but now you are doing something new. Gina Neely I was really blessed to start a job in my hometown. It’s Bluff City Life with Gina Neely, it is a lifestyle show. We talk about everything that’s good in the city. We highlight businesses, we highlight nonprofits. Anything that’s positive and forward-thinking. That could be from design, interior, furniture, whatever. Anything you create, anything that you want to share with the audience to get your name out. So, I feel like I’m operating as a conduit of bringing fresh ideas and information to people. I still feel like I’m at my calling, if you will. I still feel like I’m in that same lane, but I’m not cooking. I do have chefs that come on, and we talk about it; it’s really so sweet to see how I touched them and admired them. he good part about it is I’m home. My mom is 85, so I can be here. I’m not traveling as much because I’m a new GiGi, and if my daughter needs me, I’m here. So, I’ve been blessed. And oftentimes, it’s rare that you can kind of land in a space where you can still live your best life but not at the hectic or the pace, and it works perfectly for me. It is the right pace, the right time. I feel like I’m sitting in the right seat. Deborah Franklin What advice would you give somebody that’s got the career, not necessarily even in TV, even in the limelight, they were doing well and then, all of a sudden, something happens; they had to transition, and they had to reinvent themselves. What advice would you give them? Gina Neely Actually when you talk about that reinvention… because oftentimes, we just came out of a pandemic where a lot of people had to do a pivot or shift, if you will. It’s important that we don’t feel so compelled to be doing something right away. If you’re coming from
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