Advocate, Mentor and Motivational Speaker
by Shirley A. Brown ARGUS Society Editor
Allisha Jones-Pickens is the Executive Director of Community of Hope in St. Louis. Community of Hope is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing social services and resources to at risk women and young girls in the St. Louis area to help them become Self Sufficient. She is also the Director’s Assistant for the Cure Violence Walnut Park Program focusing on at-risk youth and the de-escalation of conflicts before potentially elevating to gun violence.
Jones-Pickens is an author of eleven published novels, a playwright, life coach, mentor and motivational speaker who works with both youth and adult women to overcome obstacles, both known and unknown, that may be hindering them from reaching their full potential.
It was during her own incarceration in the Prison System that Jones-Pickens began to face the obstacles of her own past. It was also where she learned that she, like many other women and young adults, could not move forward because she was still mentally and emotionally imprisoned by the hurts, pains and events stemming from a troubled “yesterday. Most of the obstacles faced by many women and young adults are generated from childhood where a clear majority suffered some form of abuse.
As an abuse survivor herself, Jones-Pickens believes that the only way to truly move freely into your future and walk in your purpose, is to confront the past along with any issues that may have been buried within. Through various forms of media outlets, such as podcasts, workshops, retreats and novels, she challenges her audience to face those obstacles to achieve the emotional, mental and spiritual freedom we all seek.
Jones-Pickens uses her own life trials, tribulations and experiences as the foundation to encourage and educate her mentees and peers in an effort to save them from the things she herself has survived. Along with transparency, she provides them with motivational tools to replace the pain with promise, the hurt with healing and the past with purpose.
Allisha Jones-Pickens has received several awards for the work she does with youth and her female peers. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Empowerment Network in Kansa City (2021); the Community Hero Award from the American Basketball Association (2021); the Legacy of Light Award from the Black Women’s Network (2017); and the Phenomenal Woman Award from Fox 2 News & Foxy 95.5FM (2017). In addition to receiving an array of recognition awards, Jones-Pickens has made several radio and TV appearances.
Nominate a Doer: To keep readers informed on who’s who in the community, Shirley A. Brown’s column highlights a community “Doer.” A “Doer” is an individual or organization committed to making St. Louis a better place to live and work. Readers are invited to send “Doer” recommendations to Ms. Brown. Send to sbrown601@aol.com.
