Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Dianna Smiley

We recently had the chance to connect with Dianna Smiley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dianna, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I love to sing. Singing truly brings me joy and helps me ground myself. I just sing at home, or karaoke, definitely not for anyone, but it makes me happy and brings me joy.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the Founder and Executive Director of Generation Her which is a nonprofit that serves young teenage mothers and pregnant teenagers with like skills, parenting classes, free diapers, mentoring, support groups and more. This is my life’s passion. I love working with our young moms and kids and seeing them grow into amazing women and moms. I have two side hustles as well. I have a line of Prayer Journals, Sermon Notebooks and Devotional Journals that I sell on Etsy and at local fairs. I am also a Holistic Nutritionist. I am a two time breast cancer survivor and I became a Holistic Nutritionist t help others who are in the same boat that I was in.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship I have with my parents shaped how I see myself. They really empowered me to be anything I wanted to be in life without any limits or boundaries. They gave me the self confidence to be able to try things and fail if needed. I love them so much and I am too thankful for their sacrifices that allowed me to go to college and have the career of my dreams.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Dream big and then dream bigger. The sky is the limit and you can have it all.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that Jesus matters the most to me. He is my everything and following Him guides everything I do in my life and in my career.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people would say that I was a trailblazer in my industry of starting a nonprofit for a population that was so undeserved.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.generationher.org
• Instagram: @generationher
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/generationher
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@generationher4857

Image Credits
All of our participants pictured have signed a photo release with our organization.