Exploring Life & Business with Nakea Gray of Rebuild Your Laugh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nakea Gray.

Hi Nakea, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Rebuild Your Laugh was founded in 2014 during a painful divorce when I realized that true healing wouldn’t come from the outside in. I invited God into my heart and allowed Him to restructure my inner life, transforming pain into purpose and rebuilding my belief in myself. Through helping others, I discovered a powerful path to my own renewal, and that journey became the heartbeat of this nonprofit. Over the past decade, we’ve stood strong, expanding our reach with new departments and launching in additional states, all guided by a simple faith: when we rebuild our inner life, we light up the world around us.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No—it’s been a fight from the start. In 2017–2018 I faced a cancer battle while steering Rebuild Your Laugh and advocating for my community and my children. Balancing treatment, self-care, and nonprofit leadership was incredibly challenging, and there were days when the road felt almost impossible. There were also times when I found myself without a home for a few months, bouncing back with nothing but faith and determination. Those experiences tested me deeply, but they also clarified my mission: rebuild inside so our communities can thrive outside. Through faith, perseverance, and a commitment to showing up for others, I weathered the storms and emerged stronger. Today, I stand stronger, continuing to push forward with renewed purpose, knowing that every setback is shaping a broader impact for my children and the people we serve.

We’ve been impressed with Rebuild Your Laugh , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Rebuild Your Laugh is a faith-centered nonprofit founded in 2014 to transform pain into purpose by rebuilding the inner life of individuals and communities. We specialize in inner healing, resilience, and youth and family empowerment, with programs in family and community advocacy, a children’s department, and leadership and wellness workshops. What sets us apart is our holistic, real-world approach: faith-guided growth paired with practical outcomes like mentorship, resources, and community leadership. We’ve grown from a Queens-based effort to multiple departments and state launches, built on resilience—testimonies of overcoming health crises and housing instability fuel our mission to uplift others. Today we’re expanding our reach, but we need volunteers, a dedicated space to host programs, and partnerships to deepen impact. Readers can get involved as volunteers, space supporters, partners with schools and nonprofits, or donors to sustain our work.

How do you think about luck?
I don’t view luck as a primary driver in my life or Rebuild Your Laugh. What I’ve called “bad luck” or life’s rough moments have been turned into blessings through faith and action. When hardship hits—whether personal health, housing instability, or setbacks in our work—I choose to see it as a moment God uses to teach, refine, and redirect. By inviting that meaning into the experience, I transform messes into messages that fuel resilience, growth, and a deeper commitment to helping others. In short, luck isn’t the driver—purpose, faith, and perseverance are, and they keep turning obstacles into opportunities for more and better for our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Rebuildyourlaugh.org
• Instagram: Rebuildyourlaugh
• Facebook: Rebuildyourlaugh
• LinkedIn: Rebuildyourlaugh
• Twitter: Rebuildyourlaugh