In her own words, Azizah Smith tells of the heartfelt journey of her soon to be non-for-profit organization: Azizah Love Loves. Launched as a podcast that empowers domestic violence and sexual assault victims, the Azizah Love Loves brand is expanding its reach by providing workshops, summits, and events that enable women to heal holistically. The guiding principle - you are worthy of a love that loves!
Azizah Love Loves, Inc. was started off of my desire to provide light in the darkest situations. From my own personal journey, I learned that sometimes the most painful part of going through a difficult situation is feeling like you are going through it alone.
While I have overcome many obstacles, I feel like my victory would be in vain if I didn’t use my past experiences to encourage other people that are either in the midst of a struggle or holding onto past pain.
When I started Azizah Love Loves, it started off as a podcast. I remember being nervous at the thought of doing a podcast, and my first mission was on deciding what I would call it.
Love Loves
“As I sat thinking of a name, I realized how love truly looked, felt, and behaved. In turn, I gave that love to myself, which is when my journey began to shift from tragedy to empowerment. I would literally start saying to myself, “Azizah, Love…Loves.”
Those three words would sink in as a reminder of the warmth it provides, the kindness involved, the joy surrounding it, and the boundaries that are required so that other people respect this “Me”, that I loved so much. Since those three words were so dear to me, I decided to name my podcast, Azizah Love Loves. I wanted my guest to feel it and let it permeate their essence, replacing their name with mine.
As the podcast evolved, I realized how many people resonated with the stories I would share and the experiences of the guests that I would have on my show. It was imperative that my guests were as genuine as possible to help break down the walls of shame associated with trauma.
Sometimes we are alone by choice, and we don’t realize it. If I can get someone to rethink their thoughts of suicide and see my story of an example that it’s not over, then it’s all worth it, and I’ve done my job. I think it’s worth mentioning that Azizah Love Loves is not about living in the past or having a victim mentality.
Setting Yourself Free
“It’s about owning your story and deciding when you share it, how, and to whom it will be told. It’s about honoring the victor within you and not being held down by your circumstances."
Now, I am taking Azizah Love Loves to the next level by incorporating it into a 501(c)3 non-profit. My mission is to empower people through workshops, summits, and events to speak and teach on educational, financial, health, and holistic goals. I believe in treating the whole person and that we are ever-evolving.
Creating More Space To Heal & Empower
Queens Virtual Summit: Getting to the Next Level is a one day, 4-hour Summit that will include yoga, meditation, a cooking demo, motivational speakers, a discussion on finances, and a segment on starting your business or getting it to the next level. It is going to be an amazing and empowering event. Most importantly, it will be the first of many.
The event is also a fundraiser. There is a free ticket available or suggested $20 donation tickets in which the funds will go to the Joyful Heart Foundation to help support their fight against domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.
The event is being held on a virtual platform called Run The World. Tickets can be obtained by clicking here.
Warm regards,
Azizah Love Loves