It was not only the physical abuse that did the damage, but it inflicted an enormous amount of emotional damage as well, including fear of beatings that might not materialize. Beyond this, Janae also suffered at the hands of other men in her mom’s life both physical and sexual in nature. This was her childhood up until the age of 16, but unfortunately, the hard times didn’t stop there, it was simply a transition period. Janae went from living at home to being homeless until she was 18. Janae’s mom who likely feared for her own welfare of being reported for physical abuse, simply dropped Janae off at a drop-in homeless shelter one day when she was sixteen. Janae’s mom dropped her off at a shelter that was two hours away by car from their family home, in Hollywood, CA. From that point on, Janae was left to fend for herself. The physical abuse she endured as a child and teenager has long since stopped, but the anxiety and mental damage that was done is forever cemented in Janae’s mind, even as a successful woman now in her forties.
incredible burger from Carl’s Junior and hearing the presentation from the recruiter, Janae changed her mind, attracted to the structure and vision the Navy offered her. “I loved boot camp” because of the paycheck, food, and place to stay. Unfortunately, Janae was sexually assaulted that eventually resulted in the predator getting off with no consequences. One of the takeaways from this experience for Janae was to never let her guard down and to not be as trusting. “There are predators in the ranks.” Struggling as an entrepreneur? Janae is a living example that you can preserve in the face of adversity. What propelled her to open her clothing boutique? Her childhood dream. When you talk to most successful entrepreneurs, you’ll find a common thread there. Janae has always loved clothes and fashion. After exiting the Navy and building up cash with her Federal position, in February of 2019 P.FLWD was born, a clothes boutique that allows women to
Imagine a transformation from a lifetime of child abuse and being homeless as a teenager to a retired US Navy veteran, best- selling author, boutique owner, and she’s a Federal Civil Servant for the Department of Defense, the Chief of Air Force Lodging who manages the entire portfolio of eighty-eight Air Force hotels. In an almost too-good-to-be-true redemption story, Janae overcame a set of circumstances that could have easily just turned her into another “statistic.” What was the impetus for change? For Janae, there were two things that helped her turn the tide. First, she had maintained a positive mindset and never relinquished her hope for a better future. Second, the message conveyed by the Navy recruiter appealed to that positive mindset and offered the pathway to turn her hope into reality. One of her close friends after graduating high school told Janae that she had decided to join the Navy and invited her to come and meet the recruiter. Janae wasn’t interested in joining but was drawn to the event for the free food, in the form of a cheeseburger. After eating an
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