From Brokenness to Brilliance: Finding Purpose and Passion In Your Pain Volume 2
- GWBN Magazine
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Dr. Lashonda WoffordCertified Award-Winning Transformational Leadership Strategist & Faith-Based Master Empowerment Coach
Chapter Title: RISING ANYWAY: The Spiritual Architecture of
Resilience, Identity, and Purpose
Dr. Lashonda Wofford is an award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, community advocate, and transformational leader whose work bridges faith, leadership, and legacy. As Founder of All Bets On Me Academy (in partnership with Purpose Zeal Academy) and EmpowerHer Legacy: Purposeful Collective, she equips leaders, entrepreneurs, and women of influence to align purpose with performance and build impact-driven lives and businesses.
With a PhD in Christian Education and an extensive portfolio of advanced certifications—including Executive Leadership Coaching, Life Recovery Coaching, Mental Health Counseling, Transformational Coaching, Art Therapy Practice, Positive Psychology, and Trauma-Informed Coaching—Dr. Wofford brings both academic excellence and strategic expertise to her global platform. She is also the visionary behind Akins Global Diagnostics Laboratory Solutions, and the former owner of Akins Helping Hands, a seven-figure home care company based in North Carolina.
An eighteen-time international best-selling author, Dr. Wofford has written and contributed to numerous impactful works, including:
Published Works
Blessed Not Broken, Vol. I
Igniting Your Purpose
90 Days of Biblical Affirmations for Christian Women in Business and Ministry
Love Business Marriage
Marketplace Mogul
Girl, Let That Go
Pain Equals Purpose (Solo Project)
Breaking the Chains: Liberating Your Lineage From Generational Curses, Vol. I
From Brokenness to Brilliance: Finding Purpose and Passion in Your Pain, Vol. I
Black Diamond Chronicles, Vol. I
Injustice, Vol. III
Occupy
Trailblazers Mindset
Level Up: Motivation For Entrepreneurs (Solo Project)
Unleashed (Solo Project) Release date pending
Seasons of Assignments: When Purpose Shifts and Destiny Still Calls (Solo Project)
Her contributions to literature, leadership, and community service have earned her widespread recognition, including:
Awards & Honors
2022 ACHI Award for Public Service
2023 Author of the Year – InspireU Network
2023 Coach of the Year – Power and Grace Leadership Association
Two Presidential Lifetime Achievement Awards (2024)
2024 International Impact Book Award – Pain Equals Purpose (Autobiography, Female Empowerment & Inspirational Categories)
Christlit Book Awards (2024 & 2025) – Breaking the Chains (CEO Endorsed & Awarded)
2024 Author of Influence – Designed With A Purpose (DWAP)
Visionary Author of the Year 2024 – Global Iconic Changemakers of the 21st Century (BPMI Ladies Clubs Global Teas & Birthing Process Ministries International, USA)
Purpose Driven Person of the Year 2024 – G.B.B. Organization
Phenomenal Woman Award 2025 – Elite Creations Organization
2025 Trailblazer Award Recipient – Book Talks With Sandy Visionary Leaders Awards
2025 Black Diamond Award
2025 Black Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award – Presented by Dr. Iris Wright
2025 Leader of the Year – Rise To Greater Heights Network (Canada)
2025 Honoree – Inspire Global Network
2026 Author of The Year - She-E-O Girl Boss Network
Dr. Wofford’s influence extends beyond business and authorship into selfless service. She volunteers with the Cape Fear Valley NODA (No One Dies Alone) Program, compassionately sitting with individuals transitioning from life to ensure they do not take their final breath alone. This sacred assignment reflects her unwavering commitment to dignity, humanity, and faith in action.
Her voice and message have reached global audiences through features in major media outlets including The New York Times, CBS, FOX News, and numerous national and international publications. She has also been featured on billboards in Times Square, North Carolina, Atlanta, Texas, Nashville, and Delaware.
Deeply rooted in her faith, Dr. Wofford and her husband are active members of Mt. Zion AME Zion Church. Residing in North Carolina, she continues to inspire, uplift, and lead by example—building a legacy grounded in faith, excellence, service, and transformational impact.
Connect With Dr. Wofford
🌐 Website: www.drlashondawofford.com
🎓 All Bets On Me Academy
📘 Facebook: @lashonda.wofford.7
📸 Instagram: @drlashondawofford
💬 Join the All Bets On Me Facebook Community
From Brokenness to Brilliance: Volume 2 Dedication
This book is dedicated to every soul who was told no when heaven had already said yes. To those who were underestimated, mislabeled, overlooked, silenced, or dismissed, yet still rose.
It is for the ones who endured brokenness without the luxury of explanation, who carried responsibility before receiving recognition, and who learned resilience in seasons where survival was the only option. This work honors those who were pressed, pruned, and purified, but not destroyed. From Brokenness to Brilliance: Volume 2 stands as a testament that pain is never wasted when surrendered to God. That adversity does not disqualify purpose; it refines it. That rejection does not define destiny; obedience does. To every contributor who dared to tell the truth out loud, who chose healing over hiding, and courage over comfort, your voice matters. Your story matters. Your obedience matters. This book exists because you refused to shrink, even when the odds were against you. To every reader who finds themselves within these pages:This is your reminder, you were never meant to be average. You were created with “with intention, called with purpose, and empowered to rise. They said it couldn’t be done. Yet here we are.
— Dr. Lashonda Wofford Visionary Author Defying the Odds. Reclaiming Purpose. Rising Anyway.
Chapter Title:
When Everything Fell Apart, God Held Me Together
Nicole Brice is a passionate writer and caregiver originally from New Jersey, now living in North Carolina. A Certified Nursing Assistant, she entered the healthcare field with a deeply personal mission: to help care for her mother. Her dedication to others is matched by her inner strength, forged through life’s most difficult seasons.
In this book, Nichol shares her journey from tribulations to testimony with raw honesty and hope. Writing has been more than a creative outlet; it has been a source of healing, clarity, and resilience.
A devoted mother, lifelong learner, and breast cancer survivor, Nichol continues to advance her education while nurturing her family and strengthening her faith. Her story is one of courage, growth, and the power of never giving up a reminder that no matter how heavy the storm, it will pass.
Connect with Nichol Brice:
Instagram: nichole_brice,
Facebook: Nikki Blacqueone Brice,
Email: nikki28472@gmail.com
Chapter Title:
Love Was There All Along: Looking for Something I Couldn’t Name
Prophetess Catina Laverne Goldston is a prominent spiritual leader and an end-time global mouthpiece. Her ministry is dedicated to delivering prophetic messages that inspire spiritual healing and deliverance, aiming to reconnect individuals with the heart of God and lead them toward freedom and victory. In December 2000, Prophetess Catina accepted God’s call to preach at Praise Temple Bible Mission Church under the leadership of the late Pastor Annie K. Nettles. She received her ministerial license in December 2001, was ordained as an Elder in 2003, and later affirmed in the office of Prophet. Prophetess Catina is the Visionary and Apostolic Prophetic Leader of Catina Laverne Goldston Ministries Global.
In January 2018, Prophetess Catina established “Out of the Ashes Global Deliverance Ministries”, focusing on guiding those who are broken and hurting out of life’s ashes—the remnants of destruction-into a life of wholeness and freedom through Jesus Christ. Through fervent prayer and dedication, she birthed this ministry to serve as a beacon of hope and restoration. Since the start of CLG Ministries Global, Prophetess Catina facilitates several impactful events such as My Heart’s Cry Prophetic Outpouring Gathering; an annual event that brings together believers for prophetic ministry and “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all thy ways and He will direct thy Path.
Connect with Prophetess Catina L. Goldston
CLG Ministries Global & Out of the Ashes Global Deliverance Ministries
Email: clgministries24@gmail.com
Chapter Title:
RESTORED TO ORIGINAL: When God Reclaims What Pain Tried to Rewrite
Marcy Jessup is a Christian counselor, award-winning multi-time international bestselling author, and CEO/founder.
She is the CEO and founder of Finding Freedom Consulting Services, LLC, and the co-founder and co-pastor of Greater Love Fellowship Ministries, where she teaches, preaches, and hosts women’s gatherings.
Marcy is called to pastor’s wives. She studied at Beacon University in Columbia, Georgia, and at Christian Life School of Ministry. She is an internationally accredited Christian counselor and mental health specialist through Dr. LaShonda Wofford’s All Bets on Me Academy. She is also a member of WIMS Group for Clergywomen and serves as a mentor.
As a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, she prioritizes family as her first ministry and loves spending quality time with her family while creating special memories. She believes laughter is medicine for the soul and enjoys traveling with family and friends. Throughout her ministry, Marcy has spent years encouraging and mentoring others and understands the importance of meeting people at the point of their need.
“Media Features: Marcy has been featured in numerous publications and networks, including Fox News, CBS, NBC, The Ohio Pen, Penzone, Clack Diamond Chronicles Magazine, and The Growth Women’s Business Networks Magazine, among others.
Connect with Marcy Jessup
Email: marcy47@aol.com
Chapter Title:
Born Into Brokenness, Becoming Brilliance How Survival Shaped the Woman
I’m Still Becoming
Arielle Johnson is a devoted behavior technician and compassionate doula whose work centers on supporting individuals and families through life’s most transformative moments. As the founder of her own doula practice, Phinix Rizing Doula Services, she combines knowledge, intuition, and unwavering care to guide mothers and families with strength and grace. With a Virgo’s detail-oriented nature and a heart rooted in service, Arielle is dedicated to creating spaces where others feel safe, seen, and empowered. Inspired by the phoenix—her personal and professional symbol of resilience—she reminds others that even in times of challenge, we hold the power to rise, heal, and begin a new.
Connect with Arielle Johnson
Email: arielle.djr@gmail.com
Chapter Title:
THE ROD RECONSIDERED: When Discipline Became a Generational Wound
Fatima Smith was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, but she has called North Carolina home since October 1990. She’s a devoted mother of two adult children, Jean-Pierre Brightwell, Jr., and Akierra Sherrice Smith and two grandchildren, Parker Jadyn Brightwell-Jackson and Phillip Michael Burton. Professionally, she currently works as a Customer Care Coordinator for a global company in the healthcare industry.
Fatima is a multifaceted woman with a deep passion for community, service, and creativity. She’s a proud member of Sigma Tau Sigma Sorority, Inc., where she’s served for nearly five years, cherishing the sisterhood and opportunities to fellowship and serve alongside other like-minded women. As a retired professional fashion model of over 25 years, she founded FSMITH Productions, a production company dedicated to presenting fashion and arts entertainment events that raise awareness for important causes, such as Domestic Violence, HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer, Suicide Awareness, and Homelessness, to name a few. Her entrepreneurial spirit extends into beauty and business. She has a Luminous Lip Gloss Collection- FSmith Glam Gloss and she’s a Certified and Accredited Life Coach specializing in grief, trauma, and recovery,” “completing training through Lashonda Woffard’s Academy. From this, S.A.Y.S.O. (Speaking About Your Silence Out Loud), a platform dedicated to giving voice to those who have suffered in silence, was born.
Fatima is also a volunteer with Season’s Village where she coaches “Mom Scholars” as they journey through Pathways 2 Prosperity, a program that assists single mothers in their pursuit of continuing their education. She’s also a 8 yr Travel Business Owner. Beyond her career, spiritually, she’s a proud member of The Lord’s Church of the South, for 15+ years serving under the leadership of Bishop Eric McDaniels and Lady (Pastor) Subrenia McDaniels.
Her faith is the foundation of all she does, and she credits her personal relationship with God for every blessing, lesson, and accomplishment in life. Writing has been a lifelong passion—whether through songs, poems, or personal reflections. She is now stepping boldly into authorship as a co-author in her first published collaboration. This milestone has sparked her commitment to completing her first full book, most likely an autobiography, to further share her testimony in full detail with the hopes of inspiring others.
Her life motto is rooted in faith and resilience. “A scripture that anchors her spirit is 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” Through every trial, she’s learned that God has never let go of her hand. One of her favorite sayings, “It gets greater, later,” reminds her that trials only come to make us stronger—and that the blessings after the struggle will always be greater than the pain endured. Fatima— a woman of faith, resilience, and purpose—is ever committed to using her gifts, voice, and story to uplift and empower others.
Connect with Fatima Smith:
FB Messenger: Fatima Smith
Visionary Author Dr. Lashonda Wofford anthology book, "From Brokenness to Brilliance: Finding Purpose and Passion In Your Pain Volume 2"
will be released in April 2026.
To order your copy, visit Dr. Lashonda Wofford's website at https://drlashondawofford.com/
The book will also be available on Amazon
Comments