Dawn Harvey
By Rodney Wayne Branche
Copa: Dawn. where are you from?
Dawn: I'm originally from North Carolina but I've been in the DMV for over 20 years so I consider this my home.
Dawn: I'm originally from North Carolina but I've been in the DMV for over 20 years so I consider this my home.
Copa: What is it that you like so much about the Washington, DC area?
Dawn: It's something about the dynamics of the DMV that intertwines style culture and excitement that's here now.
Dawn: It's something about the dynamics of the DMV that intertwines style culture and excitement that's here now.
Copa: Tell us a little about your school life.
Dawn: Well I graduated from High School very young at the age of 15 and I was working for a Catering company. By the time I graduated they had promoted me to manager. I decided to attend community college because I was already working there. My experience started to out perform my education. By the time I was 26 Federal Express had sent a Headhunter out to me so I was able to accept an external leadership position with them so I just rose through the ranks in corporate America. About 12 years ago I was called into the Ministry so I returned to school again to obtain my Master's and Doctorate in Theology at IMI in Florida. I was very excited about the professional side as well as the academic side as well.
Dawn: Well I graduated from High School very young at the age of 15 and I was working for a Catering company. By the time I graduated they had promoted me to manager. I decided to attend community college because I was already working there. My experience started to out perform my education. By the time I was 26 Federal Express had sent a Headhunter out to me so I was able to accept an external leadership position with them so I just rose through the ranks in corporate America. About 12 years ago I was called into the Ministry so I returned to school again to obtain my Master's and Doctorate in Theology at IMI in Florida. I was very excited about the professional side as well as the academic side as well.
Copa: When did you really get on the road professionally with your own businesses?
Dawn: It kind of all happened simultaneously, I worked with corporate America until about 2002. My background was in leadership development, organization and business strategy and profit margin increase. So in 2002 I decided to branch out on my own and started my own company.
Dawn: It kind of all happened simultaneously, I worked with corporate America until about 2002. My background was in leadership development, organization and business strategy and profit margin increase. So in 2002 I decided to branch out on my own and started my own company.
Copa: What was the name of your first company?
Dawn: I had been doing book publishing for about 10 years and it's called Unlock Publishing House and my personal training and academic company is called Grace Your Greatness.
Dawn: I had been doing book publishing for about 10 years and it's called Unlock Publishing House and my personal training and academic company is called Grace Your Greatness.
Copa: How long have you had these operations?
Dawn: Grace Your Greatness is about 16 years old.
Dawn: Grace Your Greatness is about 16 years old.
Copa: Please share more about the company.
Dawn: What we have done over the years is I've helped people get better. We go into companies and perform what we call legacy foundation. We actually go in a help them re-structure their foundation, their bottom line. We also make sure they have viable products for their market with proper longevity. Team training is the core, there is a lost art of Customer Service and we are prepared to close that gap.
Dawn: What we have done over the years is I've helped people get better. We go into companies and perform what we call legacy foundation. We actually go in a help them re-structure their foundation, their bottom line. We also make sure they have viable products for their market with proper longevity. Team training is the core, there is a lost art of Customer Service and we are prepared to close that gap.
Copa: What is your philosophy to Customer Service?
Dawn: Every employee, every staff member, every person who is involved with the business is responsible by their behavior, attitude, actions and work performance for the reputation of the company. Let's say someone works for you and you were out in the field writing a story and they were not appropriately behaving or treating people in the manner that represents you company on a very good light. We put incentives in place with our training programs that gives the employees or staff members the incentive to do better by providing awards and promotions for great work with customers that would result in better products and services that will develop into postive grow for the company.
Copa: I understand that you are an accomplished Novelist. How did this come about?
Dawn: I had brain, lung and uterine cancer as a teenager and was told on many occasions that I would not survive. As a result of that God did save my life. I survived all occurrences but I had suffered a few hiccups along the way. Some traumatic things happened to me coming out of my adolescent years moving into adulthood. The first book was just to tell people that it didn't matter where you started or came from. What matters is what you would do with your life. Not just to survive but to thrive. Up to now I have published 5 books.
Dawn: Every employee, every staff member, every person who is involved with the business is responsible by their behavior, attitude, actions and work performance for the reputation of the company. Let's say someone works for you and you were out in the field writing a story and they were not appropriately behaving or treating people in the manner that represents you company on a very good light. We put incentives in place with our training programs that gives the employees or staff members the incentive to do better by providing awards and promotions for great work with customers that would result in better products and services that will develop into postive grow for the company.
Copa: I understand that you are an accomplished Novelist. How did this come about?
Dawn: I had brain, lung and uterine cancer as a teenager and was told on many occasions that I would not survive. As a result of that God did save my life. I survived all occurrences but I had suffered a few hiccups along the way. Some traumatic things happened to me coming out of my adolescent years moving into adulthood. The first book was just to tell people that it didn't matter where you started or came from. What matters is what you would do with your life. Not just to survive but to thrive. Up to now I have published 5 books.
Copa: What was your second book and what was the title?
Dawn: The second book was entitled "Embrace Your Greatness." This was a spin off of my company , we took 13 women who actually went through the program all over the United States. We conduct company training and also industry training to help people to do better. We published the results of how our program helped these women achieve their goals. The 3rd book was a curriculum from "Embrace Your Greatness." The Fourth book was entitled "The Courage To Bounce Back", I love that title. It really came from a conference where I was asked to to speak. I wanted the participants something to take home. I started to develop pamphlets that turned into a book that encompassed all of my experiences in the last 25 years working in corporate America.
Dawn: The second book was entitled "Embrace Your Greatness." This was a spin off of my company , we took 13 women who actually went through the program all over the United States. We conduct company training and also industry training to help people to do better. We published the results of how our program helped these women achieve their goals. The 3rd book was a curriculum from "Embrace Your Greatness." The Fourth book was entitled "The Courage To Bounce Back", I love that title. It really came from a conference where I was asked to to speak. I wanted the participants something to take home. I started to develop pamphlets that turned into a book that encompassed all of my experiences in the last 25 years working in corporate America.
Copa: Let's discuss your current book.
Dawn: My current book has been the most fun of all because all I have ever done was to help people get married by always have given good advice. (sometimes unsolicited) I had went through a divorce in 2001 just before I entered the ministry while I was in my mid-twenties. I really didn't understand how I could help my husband in different situations at the time. There are things the a wife can help her husband with and vice-versa. I could not help him effectively with his struggle so things went out of control so I couldn't resolve it. More importantly, I didn't know the repercussions or damage the divorce causes. We hear all the time about it effects the kids and the responsibilities and the emotional challenges that come after the divorce. The responsibilities and emotional challenges come after the divorce. What happened interesting enough, while I was counseling and coaching. Women started to attend with their husbands, I started counseling couples...this next thing I noticed when I looked up I found that I was coaching more couples that individuals. About 2 years later one of the husbands stated that my counseling was very neutral and not and attach on the wife or the husband and it's done in a great way and suggested that it should be reflected in a book. My primary goal is to make great marriages get better, and help singles get the right perspective about marriage. This way they will be adequately prepared so they won't have to play catch up once they are married.
Dawn: My current book has been the most fun of all because all I have ever done was to help people get married by always have given good advice. (sometimes unsolicited) I had went through a divorce in 2001 just before I entered the ministry while I was in my mid-twenties. I really didn't understand how I could help my husband in different situations at the time. There are things the a wife can help her husband with and vice-versa. I could not help him effectively with his struggle so things went out of control so I couldn't resolve it. More importantly, I didn't know the repercussions or damage the divorce causes. We hear all the time about it effects the kids and the responsibilities and the emotional challenges that come after the divorce. The responsibilities and emotional challenges come after the divorce. What happened interesting enough, while I was counseling and coaching. Women started to attend with their husbands, I started counseling couples...this next thing I noticed when I looked up I found that I was coaching more couples that individuals. About 2 years later one of the husbands stated that my counseling was very neutral and not and attach on the wife or the husband and it's done in a great way and suggested that it should be reflected in a book. My primary goal is to make great marriages get better, and help singles get the right perspective about marriage. This way they will be adequately prepared so they won't have to play catch up once they are married.
Copa: What does the future hold for Dawn Harvey?
Dawn: My ultimate goal is to get on a national or international platform to share a very strong message about personal accountability personal awareness on what personal relationships really look like. The social climate in America is so diminished, the respect level has dwindled down in our relationships. I hope my message of love supports transformation and building a team unit as far as the family is concerned. I hope that this not just change a marriage but a family!
Dawn: My ultimate goal is to get on a national or international platform to share a very strong message about personal accountability personal awareness on what personal relationships really look like. The social climate in America is so diminished, the respect level has dwindled down in our relationships. I hope my message of love supports transformation and building a team unit as far as the family is concerned. I hope that this not just change a marriage but a family!