Meet Lenika Scott: HBCU grad shining a bright light through entrepreneurship

Lenika Scott is a firm believer that if you want to change your destiny, you have to start with yourself. She stresses the rightness of her affirmation to more than 250,000 people at a time as a motivational speaker whose own destiny was changed after she looked within. The mother of six who left corporate America to become a stay-at-home mom is now a millionaire who motivates others to become the best version of themselves.

The Saint Augustine’s University biology major is pulling in a seven-figure income through their partnership with the company Total Life Changes. She and her husband, Gregg Scott, work together teaching internet marketing, network marketing, branding and becoming debt-free.

How did you go from being a biology major to doing what you’re doing now?

I’m a strong woman of faith. If you would have asked me 20 years ago do I foresee myself operating my own business from home, I would have said no. I thought I was going to be working in someone’s medical lab. But I needed to create my own income. Even as I look back, it was still relevant and needed for the process I’m in right now. We are in health and wellness, and you think about science and how they connect.

What motivated you to become a motivational speaker?

I didn’t plan on pursuing any kind of speaking career. I was a stay-at-home mom who made a hard-core decision to leave corporate America to be home with my children. My husband and I have been blessed with six daughters. I’ve always been ambitious and didn’t want to stay at home without contributing to my family. I pursued a home business and as a result achieved a lot of success in it. But it was birthed out of the success in the industry with direct sales, networking and marketing.

Is your work a source of inspiration for your children?

Yes, it is very inspirational. One of our daughters, I believe because of that, pursued her own business. She is a culinary chef who just turned 23 years old and has her own baking business.

Where does someone start when they want to change?

At first it starts from within. You come to a place where you feel like a decision has to be made. That is how it personally happened for me. You begin to think there is more to do, more to become. There is a burning desire to do more. It is pulling you in some direction. A lot of times you don’t particularly know, even if you don’t really understand the direction. However, as you go and pursue those things, they begin to naturally unfold and manifest for you. You realize that which you were seeking was also seeking you. You can also get around people that are operating at a higher level and they spark something within you. But wholeheartedly, I do really believe the change always starts from within.

Is social media a successful tool for you to motivate others?

Yes, it has been for about 10 years. My first start was on MySpace (laughs), and then I transitioned over to Facebook. Most of my success in inspiring other people has been on Facebook, but I still use other platforms.

You are a co-author of Letters to Our Daughters, with seven other phenomenal women. How did that come to fruition?

Dr. Shekina Moore [empowerment coach and gender advocate] was seeking co-authors for the project. Because we’ve been blessed with six daughters, I thought this would be such a good way to give back and write from the heart. I submitted the application and reached out to Dr. Moore, who said, ‘Yes, I would love for you to be part of this.’ We had to write on different topics that could really inspire young girls and daughters. I’m really excited about the book. It’s a beautiful project that will encourage young girls and also young women to want to do more. A book talk and signing is scheduled in Atlanta on Saturday, Aug. 25, with all of the authors.

Do you have any other upcoming projects?

Yes, I do. I just completed my second book. It’s a book on angels from a spiritual perspective with different testimonies. I kind of stepped out there completely. I’m just waiting for it to be published, but it is completed and should be out within the next two months. My husband and I are also working on a book, Food Stamps to Millions.

How are you an internet influencer?

I just go out and try to inspire. You know what is so intriguing? You never really realize how many people are hurting. As we travel and go to different events and train, people will come up and say, ‘Your post or video about this really did change my life.’ When you literally receive messages where someone says they were about to take their own life, but something you said helped them realize it’s so much bigger than them. In my pursuit to grow a business, I didn’t realize the impact in terms of being able to encourage and influence people. I was seeking a path to freedom financially, but it became more than that. I believe the influence of genuinely loving on people, having an interest in people and wanting to see people well, whole and live better was intentional.

What are your top three quotes or words of encouragement to help inspire someone?

The first one is a quote I actually came up with, is ‘Success doesn’t happen overnight, but success comes from the small things that are consistently done over time.’ The next is actually in my prayer room: ‘She who kneels before God can stand before anyone’ and ‘If it has been done, it means it can be done.’ There are a couple of principles we operate under that include:

• Humility. No matter where life takes you, if God has called you to impact and influence a lot of people, just remain humble. We typically say from the janitor to the CEO, you should treat those individuals the same.
• Consistency. Making sure you are consistent, and breakthroughs always come as a result of consistency.
• Integrity and character, just keeping those attributes at the forefront as you are building. One of the things we teach our daughters is ‘How you do anything is how you do everything.’