05/02/2026
Long Post Alert but worth the read🚨🚨Message from FOTE Founder
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I’m still trying to put this into words…because as a survivor, we learn how to hold so much in. But this night, I was intentional about standing fully in my joy. 💜
Winning the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Presentation Award and the Impact Award is something I don’t take lightly. This wasn’t just a moment for me, this was a moment for every survivor whose voice has ever been silenced.
Thank you, Jennifer , for giving me that extra second to just pause and process. I needed it. Because in that moment, I wasn’t just standing there as a founder, I was standing there as a survivor who has carried these stories around the world.
I’ve traveled far and wide advocating for those who remain in abusive situations, often not by choice, but because of financial hardship. Survivors are forced to leave careers, uproot their lives, and too often settle for positions that put them back in harm’s way, facing the very fear they tried to escape.
But United Way of Metropolitan Dallas gets it. They didn’t just hear us, they responded. They have provided $85,000 toward the success of domestic violence survivors across North Texas, ensuring access to safe, supportive workplaces where survivors can truly thrive.
Thank you Frank and Marco for always being available to hear me rant while helping me work on my business rather than in my business.
Thank you to my cohort class. We did a 10 month bid together 😂
And I have to take a moment to thank my incredible mentors Adam , Kimberly , and Renee, who I now proudly call partners in this work. They didn’t push me past my limits…they gave me space to process, to feel, and to move with intention.
Because of that support, we’ve been able to secure funding to train Veterans and their families, and we are now GI Bill approved, creating real access and opportunity for them to step into sustainable careers.
They also spoke truth to me, real truth about not always pouring from my own pockets and being willing to seek help. Because of that, we were able to receive $136,000 in Med Spa equipment that survivors will now be able to use while working. That’s impact.
And listen…they’re still surrounding me with love, reminding me I work too hard and need to hire another Operations Manager. I haven’t fully accepted that yet because I love what I do so much but I’m working on it lol 😂
And I’m still so excited I can barely sit still. After pitch day, I couldn’t even wait for morning, I was up early securing workspace for survivors to step into this next chapter at their own pace.
Special thank you to my family, friends, and our graduates who traveled from Oklahoma, Houston, and Dallas to be in the room. Looking out into that audience and seeing my graduates (employed survivors) sitting there while I was presenting…I got to witness the work in real time.
That was confirmation that this is bigger than a vision. This is legacy
