We recently had the chance to connect with Kimberly Lewis M.Div. and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Kimberly, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Earlier in my life, I probably would’ve said intelligence. While that still matters to me, integrity now outranks everything. I haven’t lived a perfect life, but I pride myself on being someone who strives to do the right thing. Even when my decisions weren’t perfect, my intentions were always rooted in doing what was best.
I have little tolerance for people who deliberately act wrongly or harm others. Each day, I try to center my choices on integrity — aiming to do my best and be the best version of myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
It’s always hard to wrap everything I do into a nutshell, but the foundation of it all is the same: God at the center. I’ve embarked on various business journeys as an entrepreneur while also building a full-time career in consulting, focused on change management and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Beyond that, I’ve always been passionate about advancing the Kingdom. I lead an organization that helps individuals build strategies for Kingdom advancement in their businesses, ministries, and personal lives. I also run a nonprofit that I’m deeply passionate about, called God Diamonds. The motto is “produced under pressure,” because just like a diamond, anything of great quality must go through pressure to rise to the top. Our work focuses on empowering neurodivergent individuals to see that their limitations do not define them. When they tap into their inner strength, their brilliance shines through — bright like a diamond.
At the heart of it all, my brand is one of grace. It’s a reminder that even if you’ve had a rough life, faced trauma, or made mistakes, God’s grace is still sufficient. That truth guides everything I do and everything I build.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I believe bonds are broken when trust is breached. In my own life, I’ve lost friendships and business connections because of broken trust — especially when people chose to speak behind my back or misuse my confidence. I’ve learned not to cling to toxic relationships where people only take but never give.
At the same time, I’ve experienced restoration in relationships that were tested, even broken for a season, but healed when genuine love and care were present. Mistakes happen, but what matters most is the heart of the person. As I once read, “Peter had a bad day, but Judas had a bad heart.” That reminder helps me discern whether a relationship is worth restoring.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Wow, that’s such a powerful question. Growing up as a pastor’s daughter, I was raised in ministry with a heart for God, but I often felt torn. On one hand, I was expected to do what a “good Christian girl” was told to do. While much of that was rooted in truth, I realized some of it was more about religion than about a true relationship with God.
Over time, I came to believe that each person carries their own internal meter — their discernment and personal conviction, guided by the Holy Spirit. While we can follow rules, laws, and the opinions of leaders, at the end of the day, our personal relationship with God shapes how we live out scripture. For me, if something isn’t explicitly stated in the Bible, I rely on the Spirit to help me interpret and apply it in my own life.
My greatest fear for many years was embracing that relationship with God authentically, without being bound by fear of judgment from religious or self-righteous people. Too often, I saw people who were manipulative, judgmental, or even abusive, yet they would elevate themselves because they checked a few visible boxes of religious practice — while condemning others as “imperfect” or “sinners.”
What freed me was understanding that when you truly know who God is, you realize that love — as 1 Corinthians 13 says — is the greatest gift of all. Anything that isn’t delivered in love, I no longer receive. That revelation freed me from fear, allowed me to embrace my authentic self, and walk daily in a personal, genuine relationship with God.
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 important truth do very few people agree with you on?
An important truth I hold — and one I know many from the religious circles I grew up in would disagree with — is that you can be your authentic self without fitting a certain image and still be saved and in true relationship with God.
As a plus-size model and someone deeply involved in the fashion and beauty industry, I love embracing style, creativity, and my authentic self. I’ve often been told that I shouldn’t wear certain things or present myself a certain way. And while modesty matters, I’ve had people label me as “unsaved” or “backslidden” simply for wearing a fitted skirt or a shorter top.
But I’ve always challenged that mindset. On my podcast, I once shared that you could see a person in a miniskirt and another in a long white robe — yet the one in the robe could secretly be living in sin, carrying malice, or even causing harm. Outward appearance doesn’t determine the posture of the heart. Scripture says clearly: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”
Yes, our outward choices matter, but they don’t define who we are, the purity of our hearts, or our closeness to God. I know many religious people disagree with this perspective, but I’ve been freed from the opinions of others. My focus is on living authentically before God, not conforming to someone else’s idea of holiness.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope the story people tell about me is that I loved deeply and forgave freely. That I gave my all and was willing to do anything I could to help others. I want people to remember me as someone who transparently shared my journey — not just the successes, but also the failures — in real time, with the hope that it would inspire someone else who felt imperfect like me to keep fighting and keep going, no matter what they’ve been through.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.godsdiamonds.co
- Instagram: Kimberlyj4change
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thekimberlyj?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19jibmP9B7/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kastrategists?si=-Y0lS87mSQZgIOkY
