Choose to Awaken with the WUE Nation!

On March 29, 2020, Spirit of A Woman, LLC, launched the Wake Up Everybody (WUE) Virtual series in partnership with community healers, thought leaders, coaches, medical and mental health professionals, educators and artists from across the nation. WUE was created to provide community members, from across the country and abroad, with an opportunity to keep their mental, emotional,  physical and spiritual well beings balanced and whole as they navigated the impact of the devastating impact of the COVID-19 global health crisis. 

WUE was  originally designed as a 30 day offering that would provide “temporary” covering and support for participants until the quarantine period ended, however, the producers and community members quickly realized that the WUE journey would last much longer than they originally anticipated. 

The series was created by Shawnee Benton Gibson, CEO, of Spirit of A Woman (SOW) Leadership Development Institute, who was inspired by the lyrics of the song  “Wake Up Everybody” by Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. The song, which was popular in the 70s, speaks of issues that we are still glaringly relevant today; (racism, war, poverty, sickness, political strife, corruption, etc). The WUE Virtual series was designed to “WAKE UP” the masses by providing empowering messaging, holistic healing tools, guidance for daily living and strategies for addressing the injustices, pain and imbalance that exists in the world. 

All of the “Wake Up Everybody” sessions take place 5 days a week (every Sunday, Tuesday, & Thursday from 7:00am - 8:30am EST and every Monday and Wednesday from 7:00am -7:30am EST.) over Zoom and Facebook Live. Every session is facilitated by powerful and prolific presenters from various backgrounds and areas of discipline. Each facilitator guides participants through an interactive experience that fosters education, conversation, new insights, empowerment  and expansion. 

The WUE Family invites you to join our phenomenal community so that you can share, heal and grow as part of the collective. You are free to join as a community participant, as a session facilitator and/or a member of the admin team to support the magic that happens behind the scenes. We hope to hear from you. 

Sunday, March 23rd - "Aligned & Amplified: Speaking With Authentic Power"

Facilitated By: Valerie Lyons

This conversation is designed to help participants develop a strong, authentic, and confident speaking presence. By aligning their voice, message, and personal values, attendees will learn how to communicate with impact and resonance. Whether in professional settings, public speaking engagements, or personal interactions, participants will gain tools to express themselves with clarity, confidence, and authenticity.

Monday,  March 24th - "Life is A Sacred Dance"

Facilitated By: Leslie Duroseau

Dance is a universal language that speaks to the hearts and minds of all, transcending boundaries and bringing people together in unity. Rooted in the wisdom of our Ancestors, dance serves as a powerful tool for healing, connection, and creative expression. It fosters social interaction, promotes community, and offers a joyful, fresh way to communicate beyond words. In this session, we explored dance as a sacred practice—one that invites us to move with purpose, express freely, and align with the divine rhythm within us, the beat of God’s heart.

Tuesday, March 25th - "How to Recruit, Engage, and Retain Volunteers for a Large Community Project"

Facilitated By: Athenia Rodney

Volunteers are the heartbeat of successful community initiatives. In this session, learn proven strategies to attract the right people, keep them inspired, and build long-term commitment. Whether you're planning a one-time event or a large-scale ongoing project, we’ll explore creative ways to recruit passionate volunteers, foster meaningful engagement, and create a culture of appreciation that keeps them coming back.

Wednesday, March 26th - "Life Insurance You Can Use While You Are Alive Called Living Benefits!"

Facilitated By: David Germain

Discover how life insurance isn’t just for after death—it can also provide financial support while you're still living. This session will break down the concept of Living Benefits, a powerful feature of modern life insurance policies that can offer access to funds in the event of critical, chronic, or terminal illness. Learn how to protect your future, maintain financial stability during tough times, and make your policy work for you now.

Thursday, March 27th - "Staying Too Long Where You Don’t Belong: Connecting the Dots Part 2

Facilitated By: K. "Sweetness" Jennings

In this powerful continuation, we’ll collectively explore how our current circumstances are often shaped by the roles we’ve played, the choices we’ve made, and the energy we’ve allowed. Together, we’ll unpack the attitudes and behaviors that tether us to past patterns—and examine how we may unconsciously invite the very chaos we claim to avoid. This session invites truth-telling, self-inquiry, and a courageous commitment to stop overstaying in spaces that compromise our growth, peace, and purpose.

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Valerie.J. Lyons is the founder of Valerie J. Lyons Enterprises. She is a Team Empowerment Coach who specializes in sparking communication, building trust, and navigating tough conversations to create. a vibrant, loving and  productive work environment. Valerie is the author of “Power Networking from the Inside Out: Where Your Career and Your Well-Being Meet.”  She is a dynamic speaker and expert group facilitator who works with individuals and groups, providing practical and systematic approaches to achieve their goals. In Spring of 2004, Valerie was chosen to be the Distinguished Alumna for Hunter College's School of Education's Graduation Ceremony which was one of her proudest professional achievements! Valerie is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Professional Coach, and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. 

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Rev. Leslie Duroseau is a sacred arts minister of dance, with over 30 years of experience as a liturgical dance director. She is a certified Holistic Health Counselor, graduating from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition as a certified drugless practitioner. She is also a certified Yoga instructor and Reiki Master. Rev. Duroseau received her Doctorate of Ministry degree (D.Min) in May 2012, and her Masters of Divinity degree (M.Div) from the prestigious New York Theological Seminary in 2008. Dr. Duroseau is a certified chaplain and pastoral care counselor, certified by the College of Pastoral Care and Psychotherapy (CPSP).

Dr. D has taught at New York Theological Seminary Certificate Program as an Adjunct Professor and she has facilitated and participated in retreats, conferences and workshops throughout the NY area and abroad teaching sacred dance and holistic health as a methodology to fully live out what it means and what it takes to live and be your truth. Dr. D considers herself a Woman of Wisdom. Spiritual leader and guide. A truth teller and seeker, a healer and is involved with community activism. She is the founder and owner of Thegod-factor, LLG, a holistic and wellness center for spiritual teaching, coaching and guidance. As well as education on God, spirituality and natural law. Most importantly, Dr. D would have all to know she loves God with her whole heart, and her desire is to share the love of God, and the guidance of our Ancestors with everyone she encounters.

She is married to Mr. Eddy Duroseau, and they have four gorgeous children: Jasmine, Andre (Candice), Jah-le, and Jadah and five beautiful granddaughters and two handsome grandsons.

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Athenia Rodney is the Founder and CEO of Umoja Events, a female-owned corporate events logistics planning company based in Brooklyn, NY, and organizer of the flagship event annually known as Juneteenth NYC Festival and Summit. Umoja Events is a MWBE business and focuses on partnerships with city agencies. Athenia has a passion for travel which has led her to start Rodney Tribe Travel and Tours where she offers group travel for weddings and retreats. 

Athenia a wife, mother of 3 holds many positions in the New York City community of Brooklyn where she is currently a chair on the Family Advisory Board of United For Brownsville, an Ambassador for Brownsville Sentiment, Board member at Brookdale Hospital One Brooklyn Health, Co-chair for “Moms Who Lead With Love” a virtual advocacy support group and organizer and founder of the 13th Annual Juneteenth NYC Summit and Nationally recognized Festival. 

One of Athenia’s inspiration is her mother. Growing up in Brooklyn, Athenia’s mother faced barriers to participation as an immigrant in the educational system and that has fueled her ambassadorship with education not only for herself and family but also for others who do not have a voice. Athenia learned how critical it was to be able to access an equitable education, and recognized that the pandemic meant a gap in educational services and childhood development. Athenia acted fast with the help of her peers to put support in place for community members to improve the education, health, and wellbeing of families. 

Among other accolades, Athenia has mentored youth, married couples, and entrepreneurs to achieve their greatest potential.

Athenia, a psychology graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont and a long time lover of education continues to take certificate programs and add to her long list of recognitions that are way too many to mention here. 

Lastly, Athenia was recognized by The Robin Hood Foundation in 2020 as a New York Hero recipient for the work done with United for Brownsville. In addition, Athenia received an Entrepreneur of the Year award from New York City for her amazing organization of the NYC Juneteenth event for 12 years running and her superb outreach work with the community.

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David Germain's mother passed away from breast cancer on March 5, 2011 and his father, a Vietnam War veteran, passed away on October 30, 2022. He personally knows the pain, financial stress, and heartache it causes families when the breadwinner of the family gets either sick in the hospital or passes away. Because of this first hand knowledge, David didn’t want families to go through what he went through. If it wasn’t for Life Insurance, his family would have lost all of their properties to Foreclosure and the hard earned sacrifices his family worked so hard to build to leave generational wealth, would have vanished.

David was a former High School teacher and PSAL Championship basketball coach for 15 years in Brooklyn, NYC before getting his Real Estate Brokers License in 2013 until present. He now has a 6 year old son and recently relocated to Connecticut where he operates a faith-based, mission driven company, Family First Life (Proven Winners Realty, Inc.), whose focus goes well beyond just selling life insurance. David has sold many homes during his real estate career and realized that many families sold their homes because they didn’t have the proper life insurance plan in place or they were underinsured to prevent their homes from being sold, which caused many families to grow apart or fight over the home. His company now works to break generational financial curses and keep families together and avoid disputes over assets that have been left behind. The team also provides “LIFE” insurance that clients can use while they are ALIVE in the event they get sick, called “LIVING BENEFITS”, which David wishes someone would of told his mother about when getting life insurance. 

 “You know, a man’s life is the most precious thing in the world, isn’t it? So, isn’t it odd that a man will insure EVERYTHING but his own life?”

K. Sweetness Rene' Farrington Jennings, born in Queens New York, attended SUNY College at Old Westbury, York College and eventually obtained her BA in Sociology from the College of New Rochelle of New Resources, Rosa Parks Campus in Harlem. She is a Credentialed Alcohol Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), with 15 years of experience.

Her final pursuit of higher education took place at New York Theological Seminary to get a Master of Professional Studies. Her working experience has been in residential treatment and detox short term programs in Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. K. Sweetness also has experience with the mentally ill and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) population.

While attending higher education to get the letters behind her name and working full-time, she also engaged in prison ministry during her membership at the Presbyterian Church of St. Albans and Springfield Gardens United Methodist Church. She is a proud alumnus of the College and Community Fellowship program based in Harlem, NY where her passion for writing poetry was ignited. She is currently working on her memoir.

The K. Sweetness brand was established after completing a woman’s empowerment program, "Be The Tree" Rites of Passage Program for Women in January 2023 where she declared “Creating balance while powering in my peace” as her brand. Her purpose in this season of her eventful life is to, “embrace her divine destiny by being peaceful, extending love and grace; one healthy relationship at a time”. She believes her passion and education will assist her with living her purpose out loud and intentionally.

Upon the completion of the "Be The Tree" Program with Spirit of A Woman LLC., she is officially a Cycle Breaker while also being labeled a seeker and change agent. Her motto’s are:

“Never allow others to do more for me then I am willing to do for myself”
“To be fully dressed I must put on a smile.”
“If I decide to pray there is no need to worry.” 

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