Charity Lewis is joining us on our Spotlight Blog Series today!
She is a multi-faceted wife, mom of two, advocate for autism awareness, labor and delivery nurse, fashion stylist, and clothing designer.
Yes! She is all those things!
Her varied interests and passions are what make her such a fascinating person! I’ve had the joy of watching her pursue her passions in fashion and styling, and her journey has been so interesting!
She focuses on understanding the lifestyle and needs of clients to create a fashionable wardrobe that represents the best of each client’s individuality. With a passion for helping others and her skilled training as a professional RN, her mission is to provide healing through fashion. Charity believes a woman exudes confidence when her outfit makes her feel both natural and strong, like she can accomplish anything!
Enjoy getting to know Charity today! Then, if you’re in need of styling services, consider contacting her via her website. And, before you go, please leave a comment of encouragement for her below!
You can accomplish anything, sis!
Priscilla
- If you could describe this season of your life in one word, what word would it be? Why?
Adaptive is the word that comes to mind when I think about this current season of my life. My husband and I recently expanded our household of three, to an even-gendered family of four. Preston is our energetic, five-year-old son and Presley is our vibrant, 4-month-old baby girl. They are teaching us patience daily and bring so much joy and fun to our lives. Adjusting to being a mom of two is much more difficult than I expected. Between trying to spend quality time with both of them, nursing the baby, rocking her to sleep, trying to get Preston to bed (in his room), pumping, getting my son prepped for school, bedtime, story time, nap time, play time, sleep deprivation, working – sometimes I just adapt to them in the moment to fulfill their needs. Sometimes this even ends with me falling asleep with them just to get the rest that I need.
I know it sounds hectic, and to tell the truth some days it is trying to balance mom life duties and work on my own projects, but I am so grateful for these two little people, and I will be as flexible as needed to get things accomplished. Motherhood is difficult and it calls for us to adjust to a new lifestyle very quickly, with no playbook. With my maternity leave coming to an end, I’ll be adapting to a new routine – so it looks like this season of transition and adaptation will be continued until I find the routine and structure that works best for our new status of party of four for the Lewis household, and I am just going to take it one day at a time.
- In terms of your career, before you knew you would be _______________, you almost . . .
Before I knew I would be a labor and delivery nurse, I always thought I’d become a pediatrician, until I took Precalculus and after all my dedication still managed to get a D in the class. After this I knew I couldn’t continue with my current Premed education plan. Post my epic fail in Pre-Cal, I decided to get a job at a local hospital to see if I could tolerate working in the healthcare industry. Working in the hospital allowed me to understand the value of nurses and their relationships with patients. It seemed to be a flexible and rewarding career. I’ve now been a registered nurse for 8 years, and it’s been so rewarding and flexible.
I’ve always loved clothing and styling outfits since I was a little girl. My flexible schedule as a nurse allowed me to explore entrepreneurship as well. I never imagined I’d pursue having a business of my own, but through faith and the support of my husband I started my own wardrobe styling company five years ago.
- In what ways do you ensure that your career path serves the purposes of God and encourages His people?
My job as a L&D nurse is very rewarding – but there are days when the job can be intense and overwhelming. On days when the job becomes more challenging, I turn to Scripture and remember that I am a servant of God. I even share verses with my patients in times when they may need strength or encouragement during their labor process and with my colleagues when the workload becomes too demanding. God chose me to serve others in this manner – to empower women, during one of their most important moments of life – the birth to one of his greatest gifts. It’s a humbling experience.
- Fill in the blank. I am not a very _____________ person.
I am not a very self-indulged person.
However, I wish I could be more “selfish” in the act of taking care of myself . . . participating in regular self-care. I often listen to podcasts and hear the lists of acts people indulge in to love and treat themselves on a regular basis. I’m going to start my own regimen soon. During my pregnancy, I tried to start a self-care regimen with monthly manicure and pedicure treatments, and it was very calming and relaxing for me. My lifestyle calls for me to serve and cater to the needs of many people, and in order to serve well, it is essential for me to protect my mind and body. I’m also currently seeking a therapist to incorporate into my self-care routine.
- Name your biggest strength and your biggest weakness? How has each served you as you’ve fulfilled your purpose?
Consideration – being considerate is one of my biggest strengths and weaknesses. I intentionally try to be empathetic of others, put myself in their shoes, and respect people’s feelings to better understand thought processes, personal space, and people’s reactions. In my purpose and line of work as a nurse and wardrobe stylist, my consideration has allowed me to build trust and friendly relationships with patients and clients. It has pushed me to advocate for those patients and colleagues that didn’t feel like they had a voice to stand up for themselves or be granted the “experience” they desired because they weren’t a part of the medical team. On the other hand, my kindness has also been taken advantage of and has taught me the importance of setting boundaries with people.
- When is the last time you laughed so hard that it hurt?
I remember laughing last week with my husband after he showed me a Tik Tok video . . . hmm, I don’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard that it hurt, but this makes me think that maybe, I could use some more laughter in my life.
- What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
One of the most interesting things I heard recently while listening to The Suga podcast and the guest of the show, Shanicia Boswell, stated, “I am not a single mother . . . I am a single woman with a child.” It was interesting because she changed the perspective of how she saw herself as more than a mother and shared how her story of motherhood helped her regain her womanhood. Society often places our identity as mothers as one dimensional and has caused many of us to buy into this belief, but she has changed this perspective to empower herself and others.
- What has been the most difficult season in your life? How did you get through it?
The most difficult time of my life was a few years ago when our son was diagnosed with autism. It was a very difficult time for me, as it came as a shock. I believe I experienced every stage of grief. I blamed myself. I did research on his diagnosis and accepted it, but I knew that I had to fight and advocate for resources to accommodate our son for him to be successful.
We had an amazing case worker that provided us with initial steps to get our son into school and shared other information about resources during our monthly meetings. After I fully accepted our son’s diagnosis, my primary goal was to be his advocate so that he would have every resource to have a quality life. I began sharing my story with some of my co-workers regarding the frustration of the lack of resources for autism with our current insurance plan, his recommended hours of ABA therapy, and the unfair treatment we faced from daycare centers that discriminated against him due to his diagnosis. A few of my co-workers also had children with an autism diagnosis or other special needs and they shared their stories, their resources, and they encouraged me. They became my village and assisted me through this time.
This season was (and still is) difficult for me because I haven’t always felt understood. My friends and family have struggled to relate to what I am living and experiencing – the pain I have dealt with daily striving to advocate for my son. This has caused a disconnect in some of my relationships.
Motherhood is hard overall, whether you have a child with special needs or not, and as difficult as this season was (and has been), it’s encouraging to see our son developing more and more each day, excelling in tasks and skills that he couldn’t perform a few years ago. His diagnosis has been a test of our faith. It’s a continued marathon, but God has been faithful to us. God has revealed that Preston has favor over his life, and we believe he is going to do great things.
- If you could make three wishes and there were no limitations on what you could request, what would you wish for?
One of my wishes is to have a full conversation with Preston, for him to speak clearly and tell us his thoughts, feelings, and needs. Preston has a speech delay. He does private speech therapy sessions two times a week, and he also receives sessions at school. He isn’t fully verbal, but he has a limited vocabulary that he uses to express himself. We are praying that he starts talking more this year.
A second wish would be for people to care more about others and remember the meaning of humanity . . . that we are all created equally, so we should aim to treat each other as such. We need more love in this world!
My third wish would be to acquire a large sum of money and pay off all debt, including my immediate family’s debt, and allow our parents to retire.
- If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?
If I could tell my younger self anything, I would tell her . . . “Charity, always believe in yourself and never doubt your strengths, abilities and dreams. Dream big! You can do anything as long as you work hard and never settle!”
*These blog interviews are designed only to be fun, informative and introductory. GB Ministries has varying levels of familiarity with each participant so their presence here does not equal our endorsement of or full alignment with theological doctrine or political perspective.
