Ashro Woman: Keziah L.
Meet Ashro Woman of the Week, Meet Keziah L. from Jacksonville, FL
Here’s a woman who knows how to embrace life! From her faith…to her drive…to her love of simple pleasures, Keziah makes the most of ALL her moments. She is a mother and grandmother, a pastor, a high-level administrator and a style maven!
What’s life like for Keziah? It’s grand! It includes working closely with executives…and playing rough-and-tumble with her 6 grandkids. It affords her moments to sip iced tea in her rose garden…and make time for her mission: helping women to be the best they can be.
Keziah delights in the self-expression of style. She was born into a family of beautiful women who believed in the importance of cultivating personal style. “My Mother, Aunties, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother were all very fashionable, chic women. I learned to be beautiful and how to carry myself from watching them.”
To this day, Keziah dresses with purpose. “Every day is an EVENT to dress up for. Creating a ‘look’ for your day is paramount in how the flow of the day will go. I must ‘feel’ what I’m wearing and know that it is the right thing to have on that day and for that experience.” We couldn’t agree more.
| Name |
| Keziah L. |
| Where do you live (city & state)? |
| Jacksonville, Florida |
| How would you describe the Ashro woman? How do you embody her? |
| The ASHRO woman is confident and courageous. I developed my inner-Ashro (beauty) by being poised with self assurance |
| What makes you get up every morning? |
| The drive to succeed and enjoy another day. |
| What do you do for a living? What do you like most about it? What don’t you like? |
| I am an administrator. I enjoy my job because it allows me to come in contact with many people across the enterprise over 3 time zones. I like that I am a trusted member of our team and the 1st. point of contact for the executives that I work with. |
| How do you spend your free time? |
| I love to go to the beach, put my feet in the sand and take a dip in the ocean. Reading fiction books. Baking sweet treats. |
| What small thing makes you happy? |
| Eating ice cream, sitting on my front porch drinking Ice tea while looking at my rose garden. snuggling on the sofa with my little grandchildren. |
| What is your best dish? Who do you make it for—and where do you typically serve it? |
| I’m FAMOUS for my peach cobbler. I make it for my family and church family for holidays. Sometimes I make one “just because” |
| What has been your greatest struggle…and your greatest (or latest) triumph? |
| My greatest struggle has been overcoming my husbands death in 2011. I was 44 years old and we had been married for 20 years. It was the most difficult season of my life for multiple reasons. Love never dies and it was hard to move on from the relationship even though he died. I identified so totally as his wife that creating a life on my own within my own identity was very hard for me. My latest and greatest triumph was purchasing a new home for myself last year (2019), it was a huge accomplishment…. I did it on my own, with my own credit with Gods help! it was a victory! I am very proud of that. |
| Who influenced you the most in your life. Why? And in what way? |
| My 35 year old daughter. She is a wonderful woman who even as a child had the most abounding confidence. She has always been a great achiever and would successfully accomplish everything she set out to do with excellence. I was always amazed at her level of confidence. It helped me with my own confidence. At my greatest trial, she stepped in and guided me through the process of planning my husband’s funeral preparations, she was just 25. At that point I didn’t see her as my child but as a confident woman that was self-assured and firm in her approach. I don’t know if I would have been alright if she had not been there to usher me through that time. I already valued her as my daughter; our relationship shifted and I was able to see her as a woman in her own right and not just my child. Because of this, I believed I could go back to school and I did. I grew in my own confidence and accomplished my own goals and created a life for myself that I can be proud of. I don’t think that would have happened without the influence of my daughter. |
| Do you volunteer or do charity work? Tell us about it! |
| I volunteer for woman’s programs and teach a curriculum that aspires women to their fullest potentuality in God so they can achieve personal goals and dreams. |
| Are you in a sorority? Or is anyone in your family in a sorority? If so, which one and what does it mean to you? |
| No I am not. |
| What do you love about fashion and style? |
| I love the ability to be a canvas of beauty by wearing monochromatic outfits, sheath/jacketed dresses and bold audacious prints. Style and fashion has the ability to display what is within the core of a woman. I love making my colorful, creative and daring personality demonstrated within my wardrobe choices. For me fashion goes beyond simply getting dressed…You should be able to discover something very “telling” about me by what I have placed on the frame of my soul. The beauty of who a woman is in her spirit should leak out into what she places on her body. Fashion is so much more than clothes! It’s a statement of who we are. |
| Has anyone in particular influenced your style? |
| I was born into a family of very beautiful women; all eclectic and diverse yet sharing a trait of cultivating personal styles, elegance and class. My Mother, Aunties, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother were all very fashionable, chic women. I learned to be beautiful and how to carry myself from watching them. As a child I was in awe of their individual beauty and grace. |
| What occasions/events do you dress up for? (for example-do you often dress up for church, cultural events, charity events, going out, etc.) And how often do you typically get dressed up? |
| Everyday is an EVENT to dress up for. Creating a “look” for your day is paramount in how the flow of the day will go. I must “feel” what I’m wearing and know that it is the right thing to have on that day and for that experience. I take it to the next level for church and special annual events…… that when I really show up and show out! |
| How has your style evolved over time? |
| I no longer follow changing trends for the most part. I have learned to stick with what is classically “me” |
| Do you wear hats? How often and what type of hat? Do you wear them to church? If so, be sure to share a pic of you in a hat with us! |
| I love hats. I don’t wear them as much as I did when I lived in the midwest….. it is so hot in Florida, but I absolutely love hats. |
| Do you wear headwraps? How often? Where did you learn how to tie it? Share a pic of you in a headwrap with us! |
| I am a fan of the headwrap. I will incorporate it into my style of the day if it is appropriate for what im wearing. |
| Do you wear wigs? How often and what length or style? If so, be sure to share a pic of you in a wig with us! |
| A wig is a great accessory statement and I love them! I love colors… blond and reds. I’m learning to go longer….. I like shortcuts so length is new for me. |
| Are you a woman of faith? How does that faith affect your life? Please tell us more. |
| Yes I am. My faith is the paramount attribute in my life. Faith allows me to believe in the impossible and actually take steps towards what I am believing God for. Faith helps me through rough moments and keeps me on a spiritual HIGH! Faith is the assurance that my life will always be evolving into a better place. I can believe that my latter will be greater because I have faith to make it happen. |
| Do you attend church? What church do you go to and what do you love most about it? |
| Yes. I attend Deliverance Temple Global Ministries. I am one of the active pastors in the ministry. God has gifted me with an anointing for deliverance and I love most that we truly strive to help others be delivered from past hurts and demonic opposition that has attached themselves to their lives. |
| How are you passing along your faith traditions onto your children/grandchildren? |
| My children are both active in ministry. My son has his own church and has the call of an Apostle on is life. We are a faith based family and our generations are raised to value our faith and trust in God at every turn in life. |
| Are you a First Lady or a Pastor? |
| Yes |
| If yes, tell us about it. |
| I am a pastor with my own itinerant ministry. I often work with women individually to mentor them into a better place in life. God has allowed me to write and publish books that offer encouragement and edification while seeking to enhance the overall women in her personal experiences. I focus on helping women overcome the struggles life has presented while striving to move forward so they may obtain all that God has for them. |
| Your best advice? |
| Life is more than just breathing; make sure you LIVE by never missing opportunities to enrich your life by engaging in activities that bring you personal happiness, spiritual enhancement and emotional fulfillment. Live a life beyond its present day potential and MAKE the life you desire. |
| What lessons has motherhood (or being a grandmother) taught you? |
| I’ve learned to be consistent and follow through on my promises as a mother. As a grandmother I’ve learned to relax and enjoy the innocence of childhood laughter, chatter a clatter. I’m having fun getting on the floor and being a playmate to my 6 grandchildren. |
| Are you an Ashro Credit customer? If so, how has our credit helped you? |
| Yes I am a credit customer. It has helped me in the sense of I am able to purchase the items I love. I also feel it helps to increase my credit score. |
| Do you have a memory to share of when you first heard about Ashro or when you received your first catalog? |
| I am a long time ASHRO patron. I remember in the early 90’s discovering this great magazine which catered not only my ethnic make up as a black woman, the clothing complements my personal flair of elegance. I was excited and I am still excited about getting my magazine. |
Thanks for inspiring us, Keziah!
If you’d like a chance to be a future Ashro Woman of the Week, share your story with us—then watch your weekly Ashro emails to see if you’re featured next! Already filled out our questionnaire? Then you’re all set (you may see yourself featured in next week’s email)! Make sure to tell your friends and family to sign up for emails. We can’t wait to see you!
