Pretty Hustlaz is best known for bringing you exclusive coverage of some of the hottest events in the city. From listening parties to music festivals, our job is to keep you in the know. However, we also take pride in being multi-faceted women. The entertainment events are fun and are an important part of our culture but we also work to bring you events that feed the mind, body and spirit. The South Florida Book Festival did just that. The Book Festival is an annual event that features a fantastic line-up of authors, speakers, renowned chefs, presenters and more. Festival goers can enjoy book discussions, talks and signings; free workshops; cooking demonstrations and more. The Pretty Hustle team attended the book festival with a special young lady in mind; Shawntrell Hudson.
Shawntrell is an entrepreneur, author, and anti -domestic violence advocate. On Saturday, July 21, 2018, Shawntrell, along with Dr Marian Osborne hosted a work shop at the South Florida Book Festival entitled The Beauty of Positive Thinking: Finding Love, Peace, Health and Prosperity. I got the chance to meet with the guest of honor briefly before the start of the workshop. I was greeted with a pleasant smile and a warm embrace as we stood outside of a setup which displayed her book “Succeeding against all odds. I thought to myself she looks so young, happy and full of life. What kind of odds could possibly be stacked against her? My thoughts were interrupted by the movement of the crowd. It was time for the workshop to start. After we made our way inside the conference room, Shawntrell began to tell us who she was. She is owner of two childcare centers and a tax firm. After writing her first book she can now add author to her resume. On the contrary we learned that she was also a teen mother, a domestic violence survivor, a statistic, and a high-school dropout. Remember those odds I wondered about? Well she had definitely answered my question. The smiling face that sat before us had a story to tell and she did just that by writing her book. She confidently laid out a lot of things that she had been through yet she sat before us not as a victim, but as a survivor. Something that stuck out to me was how Shawntrell put her social media to use in a positive way. All too often we use social media for the wrong things. I began to follow positive people and mentors. She told us. I used my social media as a tool of encouragement. The crowd nodded in agreement. Dr Osborne spoke to us about wanting to leave a legacy for her grandchildren. She told us how she got through her trials and tribulations which included facing a superior head on something that is not easy to do. Before ending the workshop, the ladies opened the floor for questions and engaged with their guest. The workshop was only an hour long but I walked away with so many gems.
Shawntrell’s book can be found on her website www.shawntrellhudson.com. I urge you to grab your copy. I got mine and she was even kind enough to sign it as well.
