About Shanda

My name is Shanda. I am a proud mother of two amazing young women. I have been married to the love of my life for over 25 years.  We have a strong Christian belief system that has lead us to find the balance of faith, work, and family.  My husband, Jeffrey, and I have done our best to inspire our children and anyone God brings our way.  It is our passion to teach others what we have learned. My Authentic Me was born from New Kingdom Ministries.  It is aimed at women of all ages, races, and religious beliefs.  From being a little girl we are told what to wear, say, think, and do.  We are raised to compete instead of support one another. My Authentic Me was created to birth a new mind set.  One of love and encouragement. 

I was born multi-racial and was adopted into a caucasian family with an Amish background.  I am the youngest of four children. My parents and the rest of my family never made me feel like I did not belong.  

I not only grew up in an all white family, but the majority of my home town was also caucasian.  You might think that this made for a difficult upbringing, but in all honesty it didn't. My trials came through in a different way.

As a child I knew my parents loved and supported me unconditionally.  They did their best to teach me to be comfortable in my skin.  They taught me to be proud of who I was and where I came from.  They taught me everyone is made differently and that is what makes each of us special. These lessons turned out to be priceless.

As I grew up  the struggles I faced challenged what my parents had taught me.  Entering junior high was difficult.  This is when I became aware that others viewed our family and myself as "freakish."  I started to personally be asked when and where did my parents get me or what was I.  My mom's trigger was what race(s) is she.   The looks and stares also started coming from classmates.  They wondered what I was mixed with and how in the world my family was white.

Things got worse in high school. I was teased and taunted for my being mixed.  When I started dating black young men the  "real" bullying started.  African American girls were coming from what seemed like everywhere to attack me.  I was pushed down stairs, my tires were slashed, I was teased,  and threatened.  They even bullied my friends (who were mostly white) It got to the point where I had to be escorted from class to class. This abuse went on for almost my entire high school career. 

These experiences are what drove me to always treat others as I would want to be treated.  They also taught me that the only reason these girls treated me the way the did was stemmed from their own insecurities.  Between whatever they were going through added to the pressures society puts on females it was no wonder they were so upset.  Please note that I am not saying this is in grounds for mistreating anyone.  I just knew that if we could change this mean girl mind set from a young age we could have a generation of women that would be a support instead of a stumbling block.  

From these experiences I found my purpose.  It is  my mission to break the mean girl mentality.  I will strive to show other females that we all have similar struggles and demons we are battling. We have issues dealing with our marriages, our children, our health, our faith, etc that some may not have anyone to talk to about it. It is my goal through My Authentic Me to break the barriers that separate us and build a bridge where we can learn to come together. Each of us has our own unique calling in life.  We each have a purpose we were born to fulfill.  I aim to be a sounding board for those who need it and can relate. This site will have an eclectic range of topics. I will also be sharing my own personal successes and failures regarding various aspects of life. This is not just my journey, but one we all share. We must teach the next generation of young women differently. We must come to realize that together we really do achieve more. 

The Authentic Life - The very unique and personal Journey wherein your Faith ignites your Passion. And the relentless pursuit of your Purpose reveals your Authentic Destiny!

​Be Blessed!