B“My life has been one of allowing God to use me,” said Powell, who also served on the 2005 Congressional Committee with the National Network to End Domestic Violence. “My Mary Kay life has given me self-esteem that I couldn’t gain any other way,” Powell said. “Even my college degree couldn’t give me self-esteem, but through Mary Kay, I learned not to put limitations on my abilities.”
The mother of three, and a Norfolk State University graduate, Powell has bounced back from life’s inevitable ups and downs. There was a promising business that started during her first marriage. Although both ended unsuccessfully, the challenges made her determined to make it on her own.
The work ethic her mother, a single parent, passed on to her pushed her past obstacles to a successful career with Mary Kay Inc. “My mother was a single parent, and I learned a lot from her,” Powell said. “She taught us that by helping others, you can get what you want.”
Her mother’s can-do attitude motivated Powell and all three of her children who are college graduates and successful entrepreneurs. Her children are Keita Powell, an executive senior sales director, of Bowie, Md., Naya P. Stephens is a Mary Kay consultant who owns her own business in Nashville, and Chris Powell II owns his own business in Washington, D.C. “They always tell me that because of me, they made it,” Powell said. “They saw me fall down and keep getting up.”
Powell has earned more than $2 million in commissions and traveled to exotic vacations in many locations including Hawaii, Russia, Bermuda, and Australia. Still, she counts her relationship with God as her greatest source of wealth. “Every time I was knocked down I arose because that’s who I am,” she said. “That’s who God says I am. I am grateful for the income I have earned. It has allowed me to bless others.”
For nearly four decades her successful career has taught her priceless lessons about tenacity, perseverance, hard work, and faith. “Mary Kay taught that each little failure, if properly analyzed, becomes a stepping stone to our success. She said when you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
The future looks as promising as the past. “Because of the education I received through Mary Kay, I learned to believe that I could and would fly, even as the bumblebee flies. Thank you, Mary Kay, for giving me a solid road on which to complete my journey. And thank you for the opportunity to share it with others.”