#182 S5 EP 56: Embracing Authenticity and Mentorship: Insights from Doris Jackson Shazier's Journey

But again , I hope all is well and I hope that you're ready to get what God has to give each and every one of us Every diamond , amen . So let's go ahead and pray before we bring her in . Amen , amen . Father , we thank you so much for your grace and your mercy .

Thank you , god , for allowing us to stay in this opportunity , father , to be able to be a blessing to one another . I pray that every diamond is here to seek your face and seek what it is that you have to say .

I pray that we can all see the diamond that you have put in all of us as you continue to clarify us and bring value to our life , life and our nature . I pray , god , that you would just have your way here . We pray this prayer and we ask it all in your precious name . We do pray amen , amen and amen , hallelujah .

So we're gonna bring her in and as she comes into the room , she is going to let us know who she is . Her name is Doris Jackson Shazzer . I hope I'm saying it right . Amen , she is , yeah , amen . She is , yes , a powerful woman of God , and I will allow her to introduce herself .

But before she does that , today , our topic , we think our topic is y'all know how we do here . We follow the spirit . It's supposed to be about mentorship between her and I . Amen , but we'll see what the spirit does . So , ms Doris , would you please introduce yourself to our audience .

No , you're more than your job and your title . Yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah . So who I am is Doris Danielle . I'm a mother to four Justice , dion , dorian and Davion . I have an interesting experience of .

I have a 19-year-old that just graduated college , but I also have a 17-year-old going into senior year , an 11-year-old going into senior year , an 11-year-old going into sixth grade and a five-year-old going into kindergarten . So it's just as crazy as it sounds . I've been married to my husband , dion .

We've been together for the last 20 years as my college sweetheart and I like to describe myself as a person with a high level of intellectual curiosity .

It's something that I wanted to do for a very long time . I started writing books when I was 15 years old . I started this particular book that I just published about 15 years ago , and so I am so excited to say that I'm an author now . Awesome , but that's a little bit about who I am .

And then I realize I'm a problem solver , um , and so that's the way God made me .

shouldn't be this and I shouldn't be that , when it's a part of our identity . Um and so , um , how does all of these thoughts connect with mentorship for you ?

So as I mentor and I coach and lead others , my goal isn't to create many dorises , like I'm not trying to create necessarily more me in the world , but I'm really trying to help people identify who they are , um , help them to know who God says who they are . You know who they are and then help them to live in that absolutely .

And so with mentorship it connects to what helping people to believe the best about themselves , yeah , and you kind of do life with them . So I enjoy mentorship . I work as a coach but also volunteer as a mentor . Even with my board kids , I still volunteer and mentor other teenagers , um , to kind of help them along the way .

I had a pretty good mentors along the way and I like to pay it forward . So , um , I would say that's how it connects mentors help you , good mentors help you to see the best in you .

It took me a while to figure out how I was supposed to execute the call and I think I understood it for a very long time . But I thought that it was in a corporate space .

I thought that I would work for a big company and I would help them to retain employees and make sales goals and those type of things , because I had a way about me that I how I could leverage people to kind of get the job done , and so I write about and I teach a lot about how to create high accountability and high morale .

How do you hold people accountable but also have a great relationship with them ? And so my natural ability to do that helped me to be successful in corporate Americaica . As I matured , I realized that my talent wasn't exclusive to a company , but it was more so across industries . Like my calling is to build leaders wherever I go or whatever industry is is in .

You answered the call and accepted the gift and I think that that's a barrier that a lot of people are facing and you might be facing as a Diamond , as a listener . That might be the barrier to why you kind of feel like you are not going moving in what you've been called to do .

Maybe you haven't accepted the gift , and I believe that , ms Doris and even myself , is proof that when you accept the gift of the call , then you can be effective . Any thoughts to add to that ?

But you're right , once you accept that gift and you understand that there's so much more power and clarity that comes with it amen , hallelujah , and that's a key word clarity .

In fact , they give it that identity of the flawlessness of it and the uniqueness of the diamond that makes it so much more valuable . That makes it so much more valuable . You got to find that thing within that somebody else needs . Like you said , you're a problem solver and it's up to you to find that niche . They call it that thing that people need .

Like it just seems like people were bringing me their problems and sometimes the answer was so natural for me and you know , like to me it was obvious , Like you don't see , that that is happening .

But then I had to recognize that it was a part of God's gift for me , that he made me a natural problem solver , and so I look at it as an opportunity to work in my calling versus being in burden with other people's things , and you have to find balance .

Yeah , I'm the second oldest . I'm the oldest girl . I had a brother that passed away , yeah , when I was 19 years old , my older brother , and then it made me the oldest .

So for the last 20 odd years I've been the oldest child but I've consistently been in a position where I understood , where I had responsibility , but I understood that people were looking up to me , right , and then I land my first leadership role at about 20 years old , and so I have been a manager or someone's boss for the past 20 years and I've been in

those situations where I've had to manage people my grandparents age and I just had to always lead others . So God was strategic and he's always placed me in this position where I would be held accountable , where I had people looking up to me and I had that level of responsibility . And then , as he was raising me .

I guess I started to really understand the power of my influence and what that responsibility really meant . So I had those years that I could , if I could , go back like why did I say that , why did I do that ? You know , I was in my infancy , I was immature , I didn't realize my impact , I didn't realize the power of my words .

I didn't realize just because of my title it carried so much more weight when I said it like I could have said that at any other time but because of who I was in that position that it wasn't the right thing to say yeah , um , I worked in corporate America , so I've learned firsthand how to demoralize other people . Um , I took part in that .

Um , I thought I needed to do those things to get ahead , um , and so I , I understand those things and over time , you know God , you know he , he presents the right situations to humble you , he , uh , you know , holds a mirror to you in some ways , even like with having children holding a mirror to me and allowing me to see some things in myself that I

didn't see . Um , but , yeah , so it was this evolution , it was over time , I would say . I had a COVID experience that I was hospitalized for seven days on oxygen treatment for almost three months , and I think that that helped . You know , that was one of those profound moments like , okay , if you were to go today , what happens to your children ?

Have you done what you were supposed to do ? Are you living in your calling ? Are you working in your purpose ? And , yes , somewhat , but not quite . So it really helped me to start thinking differently about what my legacy is and what I want to do going forward .

And I was close to it but not quite there , going forward , and I was close to it but not quite there , and so several events led up to me making that leap into entrepreneurship and I think now I'm in the space in which I belong . But it took a lot of different things to kind of get me there girl , that's , that's a word .

And I just say that because I can hear your heart and I see your heart and I hope , as a listener and as a diamond , you can hear it , see it , receive it as well , because you know it is such a profound thing in that and so easily for us to miss when we are seem like we're running , we're running a marathon that the world has put before us , and the

reality is is that when we are on a journey I think that's the difference , it's kind of the same , but then it's different , because eventually a marathon will end where the journey continues to go for life .

And so when you get on this life's journey , the one that God has put you on , it's just that , and you're allowed to make mistakes , you're allowed to make u-turns , you're allowed to start again , and so don't ever get to a place where you stop growing . That's that's that's our word . I know that's her word .

My word for you that's listen , don't ever stop growing , and I believe that that's a part of mentorship . If you are a mentor , or thinking that's where God is taking you , you always want to give people room to grow , because it's a journey . It's absolutely a journey . Would you like to add to that before we talk about your book ?

So the book is , you know , my journey from a 19-year-old first-generation college student who finds myself pregnant from someone I knew I wasn't going to have a relationship with , and me making the big girl decision to continue on with this pregnancy .

I mean , I like to tell people , spoiler alert this book begins outside of what I thought was an abortion clinic , because I did not believe I could go through with this pregnancy , and so it's the story that almost didn't happen . But God's intervention , you know . But God , it's definitely a but God moment intervention , you know . But God ,

it's definitely a but God moment . A lady approaches me on the street and tells me that if I named the baby , if I named that baby , I wouldn't be able to do what I was thinking about doing .

And I'm like you know , because you go dressed in black and everything and hoping that you're not seen when you're making that type of decision and she stopped me and said that to me . She says you name the baby right now . And I'm like justice was the first word that came to mind .

So , so that had to intervene a couple times on me but you know , it's such a a transformative story and you find me as this 19 year old , confused , shamed , um again , first generation college student , first person to go to my family college on a full scholarship , find myself in this predicament , and then you see this pursuit to raise my child in a way that

I wasn't raised to want and do things differently , for her to parent in a way that I wasn't necessarily parented . And again , spoiler alert , because I think it's important for people to hear how the book begins and also how it ends . Um , because the meat of it is in the is in the middle , that's right .

Um , I get to see a full circle moment that 19 year old raises um , a 19 year old college graduate . So at the same age that I was pregnant with her , I had the opportunity to absorb , observe my daughter walking across the collegiate stage , um mere miles away , you know , than where I was when I carried her pregnant .

So , um , it's an interesting testimony of just God's grace and in resiliency and love . And um , I talk a lot about how , in raising justice , god was raising me , and so you get to hear a lot of the lessons I learned in motherhood , about life through motherhood , and so I think it's a good book . It's definitely a good read .

Most people can read it in one sitting . I'm working on an audio book right now . It's like two hours and so it is bound to get you inspired . It's good to help with especially mother daughter relationships .

I talk about those moments in which I am in which I fought to do things differently because I wanted to have a different relationship with her than I had with my mother and my grandmother .

But she was fascinated to hear some of the stories about her that she just didn't quite remember about herself . She just didn't quite remember about herself . Um and um , she's excited to be a collaborator . But when um at the book launch , when she talked about you know what are her thoughts on the book .

We think it's a good thing when we're able to say we're proud of our children , but it is a profound thing when your child says they're proud of you . Yeah , hallelujah , yes .

That's very profound for her to say I am proud of my mom , I'm happy that she wrote this , I'm excited that this is something yeah , hallelujah that certain things are taught but also certain things are caught . And so she caught the good things too .

So there definitely can be a raising Dion , a raising Dorian and a raising Davion , because I evolved as a mom in different experiences . You know , one of my kids is in the gifted program . One of my children , you know , has a 504 . The other one has ADHD .

You know these different things and there are different dynamics that I've had to face and I've had to be flexible and adaptable in raising them . So they understand why it's raising justice , because they understand it's how I became a mom and this story focused on the journey of me being a mom .

And they know that there's a strong possibility of them all having their own little addition , because I definitely can distinctly carve out how each one of them required a different type of mother , right ? You know it required me to mother in a different way , that's right that's .

They looked at it , they hated his brother and at the end of that story , they looked at , they hated his brother , you know , and at the end of that story you know they was just like they was embarrassed and ashamed at their behavior and whatnot . And Joseph was just like you know what you meant for evil .

God turned it to good and so you know , everything worked out for our good . And you know , I just heard in the spirit for you that you know you really , that was God saying this is what you're going to do .

Those books are coming , those three Of the three , because that's a part of the story All four children and most likely your marriage , because you know marriage yeah , I started drafting that story . Yeah yeah , and it's so it is a . It is a , a , a powerful thing when we use our own lives to tell the story that jesus teaches through his word .

All the time , we don't worry about the fear . We don't worry about fear or shame or anything like that , because there's always somebody that needs your story . So I just love what God is doing through you . I bless the work that God is doing through you . I'm so glad that God allowed God's diamonds in the rough to be a part of your story , amen .

So , as we are coming down to the last few minutes , you have a word for the people . Uh , where can you get the book ?

It's georgejacksonshaziercom , okay , um , so it's just my name , um , and you can find out more about my motherhood journey , and I also do a blog there where I post every week different , just on different topics related to leadership and parenting , and so definitely check me out on Amazon or my website , dorajacksonshaziercom .

But mentors , I mean they really do life with us , and so it's so important to find a good mentor . I think sometimes we are afraid to ask for help , and so what I would like to say for anyone out there surround yourself with people who believe in you , who support you and who lift you up .

Amen , it's so important to find your tribe , um , the people who support you , the people who reinforce god's word in your life , um , the people who um echo what god says about you . Um , find those people and keep them close that's a word for me , thank you .

So y'all , y'all , please , please , take heed to the words that have been given , because we are absolutely vessels and instruments for Jesus Christ to speak through Amen . So , ms Doris , would you please lead us in prayer as we close out our time together .

Lord , bless God's diamonds . Our podcast , lord God , ms Charlene has a message to people and she is focused , lord God , on spreading your word , lord God , of being a disciple of you , lord God , and I just want to thank you for her , lord God , lord , I want to thank you for the people that are listening and may their hearts be touched .

Lord God , I ask that you involve everyone today with your love and your grace . Lord God , just give us all just a little bit more patience , lord God , because we all could use just a little bit more each day , and I thank you on this Monday , lord God , and I praise you in Jesus' name , amen .