Adversities that happen in the lives of people will either make them or break them. For most people, however, the choice to learn from life’s greatest challenges and hurts takes so much effort and willpower. For Navahcia Edwards, choosing to survive amidst her life’s most discouraging seasons was a clear manifestation of what she is made of – her grit, go-getter attitude, and belief that life is all about embracing the seasons that come and go and not just be a victim of circumstances.
The fashionista, writer, consultant, and life survivor went through quite an ordeal in the past, from being incarcerated in 2011 for conspiracy to commit bank robbery, bank robbery, and embezzlement to being perceived as a porn star for something she did when she was just 16 years old. Navahcia served five years and ten months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, admitting that she learned a great deal from that season in her life and that she never allowed her incarceration to prevent her from becoming the person that she is today.
At some point in her life, she also became homeless after running away from the group home that the Department of Children and Family Services placed her in. To survive the streets, she agreed to do a private video for an acquaintance of hers for his own private collection. She was made to understand that she will also get paid to do that video. As it turns out, she would not get paid and what was supposed to be a private video ended up on the internet, making her look like a porn star. She found out about this unseemly act when she was already 18 years old, and she went through a very dark time trying to cope with the backlash that followed.
Despite her very difficult past, Navahcia found the strength and the courage to pursue her dream to become a successful individual, one who rose from the ashes of her dark past and lived to tell an inspiring story of survival and hope. While some people are still careless to comment on her life despite not having met her at all, Navahcia does not let their words discourage her from realizing her full potential. Instead, she uses all the negativity she gets from some people and let it fuel her passion for thriving and becoming influential.
“Don’t be so quick to judge someone for their past! We all have a past, some worse than others. I’m not embarrassed or ashamed of my past because it allowed me to learn and grow as a woman over time,” Navahcia shares.
Through her unique life story, Navahcia hopes to inspire other women with a controversial past to find the strength to look beyond it and see that they have an opportunity to create a better version of themselves if they choose to do so. Regardless of what other people have said or may say, what is more important is how they see themselves as individuals.
“I want people to know that no matter what walk of life you come from you can still make it! Obstacles are put in your way to make you work harder, so you remember that where you are now in life did not come easy,” she explains.
At this point in her life, Navahcia Edwards is determined to focus on more important things – becoming a successful entrepreneur, a prison consultant with a best-selling book, and being a public figure with a voice and a powerful message for women around the world.
Learn more about Navahcia Edwards by visiting her website. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram for updates, or send an email to [email protected].