Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica King.
Hi Erica, 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?
It all started when I was just a little girl using my friend’s Barbie cam corder pretending to be an anchor on our make believe local news channel. “3,2,1…Action!” and our show would begin. From a very young age, I was blessed with the gift to write. I would always write in diaries and journals or notes to friends in school. Writing grew into a passion for journalism and I went to Ohio University to study broadcast journalism. In college, I set my sights on working in one of the nation’s top 10 media markets, driven by a passion to spotlight social injustices and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. Just a few months after graduation, I was able to do just that. I began working for ABC News network in Washington, D.C., reporting on a plethora of beats — my favorite of them being social injustice issues. During my six year tenure at ABC News, I gained more confidence in writing, but I longed for more. I felt like reporting news just wasn’t enough after the birth of my son in 2019. So, with the limited free time I had while working at ABC News, I made the decision to pursue entrepreneurship. During my journey as an entrepreneur, I launched a clothing line, coordinated events, became an Amazon seller and opened a retail shop. In the midst of all of this, I was a mother learning my son was on the autism spectrum. I wasn’t familiar with autism at all, and honestly it scared me. But through prayer and with God by our side, I gained a deeper understanding of children on the spectrum and was able to explore various therapies to support my son. Before his diagnosis, my son was non-verbal, but with prayers, speech therapy, occupational therapy and ABA therapy — God answered my prayers and my son began to speak. He is now 5-years-old speaking in complete sentences. But, during the non-verbal phase of his life, I decided to use my voice for the voiceless. I began to do what I love most — write. I wrote two children’s books dedicated to my son. The first, a children’s affirmation book titled “Do You See Me?” and the second, “My Sonshine On A Cloudy Day,” a heartfelt story that follows my son’s journey of discovering his diagnosis and embracing it as his superpower and not a limitation. This is the path that has led me to where I am today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was honestly a struggle. I will not lie to you. It was a struggle because I was working long hours day and night all while being a single mom. I had many sleepless nights. One day, my boss at ABC told me I wouldn’t be able to use staying home with my son as a valid reason not to come into the office — despite our team primarily working remotely. That very day, I made up my mind to become a full-time entrepreneur. I left the company a few months following that conversation. It was also a struggle learning of my son’s diagnosis. I had a hard time coming to terms with the challenges he was facing. He was non-verbal and all he could do was scream and bang his head on the floor out of frustration because words were not coming out of his mouth. He also had many troubles sleeping and I didn’t have much help at the time with him. I was afraid — deeply afraid for him because I didn’t know how the world would perceive him or whether it would accept him for who he is. The night before my son had his diagnostic appointment, I remember praying asking God to prepare me to be a mother of an autistic child. My prayer wasn’t Lord please don’t let my son be autistic because in my heart and after plenty research of autism symptoms, I knew in my heart he was on the spectrum. So, I prayed asking God to help prepare me with all the challenges it came with so I could be the best mother for my son. Being an entrepreneur and a full time mom wasn’t easy at all. There were many times I had to take my son to business meetings alongside with me. I didn’t want to pay a nanny and I loved the thought of my son seeing his mommy in business mode. Sometimes it felt unprofessional, but he would let me do my thing and my teams understood and grew to love him. Thanks to my incredible teams, juggling motherhood and full-time entrepreneurship felt a lot less overwhelming. While I was opening the retail shop, my son was right by my side — helping me paint, put up wallpaper and cleaning. He genuinely loved helping me and being a part of the process. I’m so grateful God blessed me with a son like him.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am no longer an employee for ABC News. The stories I had to share for the company took a toll on me mentally and emotionally. I was a very nonchalant, unemotional journalist until I had my son — then I began to just feel everything. There were lots of days I spent crying over the phone with parents who had just lost their loved ones to gun violence — doing my best to reassure them everything was going to be okay. As a parent, I couldn’t imagine losing my son so I immensely empathized with them. One of the final stories I shared for the network that brought me to my breaking point was the story of Shanquella Robinson, a woman who was beaten to death by her “friends” in Mexico. After traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina and meeting her family to do a story for Good Morning America, I told myself that was it. I felt the family’s pain personally and yet, all I could do was pray with them before we left. My heart was shattered. I made the decision to pursue entrepreneurship full time, which came with its own challenges — especially financial ones. As a leader, I firmly believe your team should eat before you do, and that mindset pushed me to hustle harder than ever. I couldn’t keep up with the shop trying to maintain it alone and ended up taking a $50k+ financial loss. I never take losses though, only lessons. Currently, I continue to coordinate events — including one coming up on October 4th. I’ve also returned to my journalism roots, a field I’ll always love and have a passion for — this time in radio. Instead of sharing hardcore, political stories, I’m able to enjoy lighter stories in entertainment and meeting celebrities is always fun. I am still actively selling products on Amazon, which has been a strong, consistent source of income. In addition, I’m working on another children’s book for the autism community — I’ll never stop advocating and sharing their unique stories. And beyond all of that, I am also a options day trader — something I genuinely love because it allows me to put my money to work for me. My ultimate goal is to build lasting wealth without needing the spotlight — just a rich life lived quietly — a rich nobody.
I think I’m most known for being a hustler and go-getter and I never say these things about myself — I really let people speak for me. Ask the people that know me, they’re going to tell you that.
Although I’ve been blessed to accomplish many things, I’m most proud of being a mother. Motherhood is the best hood I’ve been to. It has it’s challenges, but it really has brought the best out of me and made me a better person. All I do is for my son. I’ve had such a great example of a mother in my life and I’m blessed to be able to take what I’ve learned from her and apply it to my journey of motherhood plus more.
I think what sets me apart is my humbleness. God blessed me with many talents as well so I think being multifaceted is also what sets me apart. I never brag on myself although I’ve accomplished a lot at a young age. I always ask God to always keep me humble because I understand what He gives, He can also take away. I’m always working on myself to become a better person. I also understand that to be a boss, you must work every position and treat everyone the same. I don’t care if someone is a janitor mopping floors — I will treat them as if they were a CEO. Being humble will get you further in life, please believe me.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love the city because it’s a city that welcomes everyone no matter if you’re Black, White, purple or blue. It welcomes everyone with open arms. The least is the traffic, but I’m used to traffic by now.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Erica Yueh
Mahnoor Ali
