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Childhood Abuse Victim Overcomes Obstacles and Starts Business: Kenya McRae’s Story

Welcome to the Hot Mommas Project Learning Series where we showcase a  Hot Mommas Project case selected by a student team member or  guest.  The series is targeted toward educators and leadership groups seeking authentic role models in addition to business/career lessons.  A complementary podcast accompanies each blog post.  Episodes feature interviews with Hot Mommas Project founder Kathy Korman Frey and student contributors.

Student contributor: Madison Cooke, GW student and Hot Mommas Project intern.

Featured case: Kenya McRae’s “Proving People Wrong; Following Your Dreams.”

Case themes include: family, confidence, individuality, dreams, societal pressures, and balance.

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Click here to listen to the podcast with Kathy Korman Frey and intern and GW student, Madison Cooke. Click here to listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.

Case excerpt and discussion starter by Madison Cooke:

“As I walked into the room, all eyes were on me. “Look, there’s a waste of God given talent. She’s smart but she’s a teenage mother. Her father is an alcoholic. Her mother doesn’t have any formal education. She was raised in a dysfunctional environment. She doesn’t have a chance to succeed. She’s won’t even graduate from high school. She will never be good enough for anything.” These are the sounds of the voices I hear echoing throughout the room.

I’m not going to say anything to them but I will prove them wrong. I know that I can be anything I want to be. People didn’t know that behind all the pain, there was a dreamer as well as a survivor. In my mind, I was focused on the future- my dreams. People fail to realize when you have a burning desire to succeed there’s no devil in hell that can stop you. Yes, sometimes you might be delayed getting there but never denied. I lived to fulfill my dreams – to prove people wrong.”

Have you ever had someone tell you that can’t do something? Thank you will never amount to anything? I know that I have been told that very same thing on several occasions and so has one inspirational woman named Kenya McRae. Kenya McRae, who I had the honor of reading her Hot Mommas Project case study, is a woman whose determination to defy the odds inspires a world of people who face similar challenges on a daily basis. Ms. McRae’s case study, “Proving people wrong; following your dreams” touched me deeply as someone who has spent my entire life hearing I will never amount to anything. Ms. McRae’s decision to defy the odds and succeed despite everyone telling her she would fail has lead her to create a thriving business called McRae foods, which specializing in producing gourmet BBQ sauce. Ms. McRae’s decision to succeed makes her a modern day example of how if one works hard enough or she can achieve any goal her or she dreams up. I know that part of what drives me to succeed is hearing the stories of women like Ms. McRae telling me that if she can do it so can I. Ms. McRae is truly a Hot Momma because what better way is there to mentor and teach generations to come then be a living example of how if an individual believes enough in their dream they can make it happen despite the odds.

I hope that you will take the time out of your busy schedule to read Kenya McRae’s case study or any of our other Hot Mommas Project cases by going to www.hotmommasproject.org. Or, if you know any dynamic women, nominate them as Hot Mommas at support@hotmommasproject.org.

Summary:

To use Hot Mommas Cases in a learning, training, or bookclub environment:

  1. Read this blog post and the case “Proving People Wrong; Following Your Dreams“
  2. Listen to the podcast online or on iTunes.
  3. Discuss!

You can find other cases in this series by clicking “Role Models in the Classroom” under the Categories heading in the right column of this blog.

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