Today we’d like to introduce you to Myra Johnson.
Hi Myra, 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?
DRAFT STORY:
I’m a small-town girl from Kentucky who grew up surrounded by faith, creativity, and resilience. I come from a long line of educators, missionaries, and ministers—people who believed deeply in service and storytelling. My mother, a single parent of four, modeled strength and sacrifice as she pursued ministry and higher education during a time when few women were encouraged to do so. Watching her rise taught me early that purpose and perseverance are a powerful combination.
When I moved to Houston in 2008, I only knew one person. My first major role was with T-Mobile, where I was recruited to help lead during a season of national growth and rebranding. It was there that I fell in love with leadership, communication, and human potential—and with Houston itself. This city’s heartbeat—the mix of food, faith, art, and opportunity—lit something in me. Houston is a place where collaboration and community thrive, and I’m proud to have grown my life and career here.
Over the years, my path has been anything but linear. I transitioned from corporate leadership to consulting, creative production, and nonprofit strategy. Each season revealed a new layer of purpose: helping people and organizations grow through strategy, storytelling, and soul-centered leadership. I founded Ephesus Investments, my consulting and creative firm, to help leaders build organizations that are not only effective—but also emotionally and spiritually grounded. Through Ephesus, I’ve had the honor of serving as a strategic advisor, executive coach, and interim leader for both nonprofits and businesses navigating transformation.
Along the way, I’ve also found joy in creating spaces that nurture connection and healing—like the Mother’s Day Walk & Wellness Day, the Give Thanks Family Fun Walk & Cook-Off, and the WPF Project, a faith-based community for mothers rebuilding their lives after crisis. These projects are more than events—they’re reminders that we can each be a light in dark times and create ripple effects of hope in our communities.
Creativity has always been part of my journey. I’ve choreographed and produced multidisciplinary performances, including collaborations with Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, and the Institute of Contemporary Dance, and I’m currently co-choreographing a storytelling piece for Meow Wolf Houston’s upcoming launch. I also co-publish Macaroni KID Houston & Pearland, helping connect families to meaningful experiences, and I write regularly for Sisterhood Magazine on themes of faith, love, and purpose.
My story isn’t about titles—it’s about transformation. From humble beginnings to executive boardrooms, every chapter has taught me that the real measure of success is how much light we bring into the spaces we occupy. My mission now is simple: to help others see what’s possible, to remind them that peace and purpose can coexist, and to use every platform I’m given to lift, teach, and love well.
RAW DATA ————————————-
TITLES
CEO, Ephesus Investments
Board of Directors , Kids Meals
Board of Directors , Houston Contemporary Dance Company
Creative Multidisciplinary Arts Producer, Choreographer & Arts Advocate
Writer, Inspirer and creator of Encouraging content centered around nurturing ight and peace and sharing it with others
Co-Publisher, Macaroni KID Houston & Pearland
Founder of WPF Project
Founder of Mother’s Day Walk & Wellness Day
Founder of Give Thanks Family Fun Walk & Cook Off
Blended family of 9 (including 2 rescues)
HOW I GOT HERE
small town girl born and raised in Kenutcky, come from a long lineage of speakers, educators, missionaries, pastors, and teachers.
Arrived in Houston working for T-Mobile and experienced my first hurricane within a few months of moving! Worked there for many years, growing into many different leadership and training capacities and was recruited to Houston (a top 10 market) for the company during a time of major growth and rebranding – was a tremendous opportunity and now that I am here can’t image living anywhere else.
I began getting recruited to work on projects my first being with the Super Bowl Host Committee to launch the Game City Show
MY LOVE OF HOUSTON
Love the food, culture, parks, arts, theatre, music, education, science and business scene. So much life, energy and action here – the possibilities are endless. A collection of small communities that make a whole. Who work well together and support each other. The city has it all and continues to evolve and adapt quickly. We complement each other here and make room for each other here. Its one of the most caring, collaborative
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Was raised in very humble beginning, moving 6+ times a child, by a single mom of 4 who pursued ministry during a time when women were not allowed or encouraged to. She went back to school at a late age and how her doctorate, is an author, missionary, pastor and public speakers
LIFE LESSONS
Taught me the important of resilience, resourcefulness, and regulation. Being selective about who you spend time with, how you treat yourself and others and what you prioritize can change your life.
We are all on a journey…and experiences are just data points, opportunities to learn, let go, and grow.
This includes our relationships – we all have freedom of choice and with every choice there is consequence that impacts our inner self and outer life.
I believe that those closest to us, those whom we interact with most often, are the most important to our legacy, we live on through the impact we have made on them.
And during a time where there seems to be no hope – its helpful to think about what we can give to the movement, what we do have, and how it can be used to add value – for us to be the light in stead of seeking it or expecting it from others.
HOPE TO DO MORE OF
I hope to do more creative work, multidisciplinary arts productive, sharing of my poetry, creative writing, inspirational video content and more. We need love, connection, strength and hope now more than ever – we are in this together and can help each other make it through!
LONG FORM BIO
Myra knew one person when she moved to Houston in 2008. Since then, she has worked with some of the largest entities in town, including Lakewood Church, the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the University of Houston, while receiving local and national recognition for impact.
Myra Johnson is a Houston-based executive consultant, producer, and arts advocate with over 17 years of experience helping organizations grow, innovate, and connect deeply with the communities they serve. Through her consulting firm, Ephesus Investments, she takes on 6-month and annual executive-level engagements, stepping in as a strategic advisor, interim leader, or embedded partner to guide organizations through periods of growth, change, and transformation.
Her firm also provides coaching for CEOs and senior executives in operations, strategy, storytelling, creative campaigns, and community engagement.
Myra has operated in the capacity of Global Partnerships Manager, Executive Director, Interim CEO, International Business Liaison, Director of Business Development, Director of Sales & Marketing, and Fundraising Manager.
Currently, Myra serves as Senior Vice President of Organizational Development at Adaapta, where she leads the firm’s internal innovation and strategic growth efforts. She is also the Co-Publisher of Macaroni KID Pearland and Macaroni KID Houston, two hyper-local digital platforms that reach thousands of families each week with curated events, small business features, and community storytelling. Both roles are client engagements of Ephesus Investments.
She has established a legacy of collaboration and growth by:
– crafting strategic partnerships and unique opportunities;
– engaging influencers, stakeholders and volunteers around a cause;
– developing multifaceted marketing and community relations campaigns;
– creating inspirational events, shows, content and initiatives; and
– building capacity of individuals, teams and organizations
Public speaking, creative direction, writing, and the arts have been ways Myra has been engaged to create impact and lasting inspiration.
A lifelong lover of music, movement, and community storytelling, Myra was a dancer for the University of Kentucky, later choreographing musicals, dancing semi-professionally, and teaching private and group dance classes for years. She produced an original, multidisciplinary performance at MATCH Theater and created a one-of-a-kind inter-disciplinary mixed media performance for the University of Houston Law Center, where she secured the participation of Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Geraldina Wise and other major institutions which contributed to the event being the most successful in its history in term of attendance, fundraising, collaboration and the like.
Most recently she was commissioned to partner with the Institute of Contemporary Dance to co-create and co-choreograph a special story telling dance performance for interactive art museum and national traveling attraction Meow Wolf Houston’s Radio Tave which will debut in November of 2025
She is the founder of the West U Arts & Jazz Festival, has served as emcee for Midtown Art in the Park, and also created Houston’s now annual Mother’s Day Walk & Wellness Day—a signature event dedicated to uplifting women and mothers in crisis and transition. The walk has received national media coverage, including features on television outlets in New York and Los Angeles. This has resulted in commissions to create custom interactive cause related walks for specific communities – The Give Thanks Family Fun Walk & Cook Off was created for Pomona by Hillwood and debuts this fall. A one of a kind interactive Thanksgiving themed gratitude walk designed for all ages to enjoy.
Myra’s work has helped raise millions through creative fundraising and strategic partnerships and has been featured by ABC13, Fox26, CW39, the Associated Press, and in publications such as Houstonia, Texas Medical Center Pulse, CultureMap, CKW Luxe, The Buzz, and LCA Houston. For her civic contributions, Myra has received awards and proclamations for her impact in arts, education, and community advocacy.
Myra has served for over seven years on the Board of Directors for Kids Meals, Inc., where she sits on the Strategic Planning Committee and serves as a Speaker Ambassador—raising awareness, increasing volunteerism, and championing support for the organization, which feeds children across 56 zip codes in Greater Houston and Montgomery County. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Houston Contemporary Dance Company and the Greater Houston Prayer Breakfast Committee, and regularly coordinates volunteer initiatives supporting women and children in need.
Myra is a woman of faith passionate about intentionally pursuing a journey of peace, hope, strength and love within ourselves and through our interactions with others through prayer, reflection and study of the Bible. Her and her husband developed a new spin on the traditional bible study experience, calling the experience Place of Peace gatherings. Community members meet in their home every other Sunday at 3 pm and a yummy homeade brunch and take, share and strategize ways to nurture peace and share it with others. Art, nature walks, gardening and interactive games and activities support the exploration of what the Bible has to say about love, hope, peace, joy and strength.
She is also a recurring writer for Sisterhood Magazine is also the founder of The WPF Project, a Christ-centered community for mothers navigating seasons of crisis and transition. Rooted in wellness, purpose, and faith, WPF empowers women in crisis to rebuild their lives with spiritual resilience and practical tools—offering connection, creative expression, service projects, and healing-centered content and events.
Myra lives in Pearland, has a blended family of eight, including two beloved rescue pets—Nala the cat and Snow the dog. She enjoys hot yoga, tai chi, gardening, tea, and salsa dancing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
1. Be okay with being different.
I’ve had to learn to be at peace with not fitting in. As a woman of color navigating leadership, consulting, and creative spaces, I’ve wrestled with questions of belonging—“Where do I fit?” “Who accepts me?” Some people will embrace you immediately, others won’t, and that’s okay. When your calling is to help, serve, or inspire, rejection can sting deeply—but you still have to stand firm in your worth and your purpose. You don’t have to be accepted by everyone to walk in your assignment.
2. Release perfection and redefine failure.
For years I equated failure with identity—believing mistakes defined me. Growing up in poverty, failure wasn’t just emotional; it was survival. A missed opportunity could mean no food or no place to stay. That mindset followed me into adulthood until I began embracing a growth mindset. Failure isn’t who we are; it’s what helps shape us. I now see it as feedback, not finality. We are all learners in progress, and progress itself is sacred work.
3. Carry fear with you—but move anyway.
Change often comes with fear, both for you and those around you. But fear can travel with you without driving. Every transformation I’ve made—whether in life, leadership, or business—has been uncomfortable at first. But I remind myself: if the change aligns with your values and mission, it’s an investment in your future self.
Consulting has taught me that people love “change” in theory but often resist it in practice. True transformation requires humility, collaboration, and courage to face discomfort. The projects that succeed are the ones where everyone agrees to learn, adapt, and grow together—even when it’s hard.
4. Lead with love, but keep boundaries.
As a consultant and advisor, I’ve learned the importance of clear boundaries. Relationships can feel personal—clients may call you “family” or “friend”—but that can blur lines and hinder both honesty and progress. Authenticity means being warm and real, but also discerning. Healthy boundaries allow you to serve with both compassion and clarity. Titles don’t define connection—integrity does.
5. Do good because it’s who you are, not because you expect it back.
This industry can be tough. I’ve had ideas copied, work sabotaged, lies spread, and promises broken. I have also gone above and beyond for others, helping them secure money, contact, contracts and it’s been painful when that support and good will isn’t given or reciprocated. But I’ve learned that character can’t depend on someone else’s choices… The only way forward is give from alignment. The way others treat you doesn’t have anything to do with the way you treat them…your responsibility is to do what you believe is right, and acknowledge that may never be reciprocated…and that is ok 🙂
Every obstacle has shaped me into the coach, strategist, and human I am today—one who believes that even in chaos, we can choose light. The goal isn’t to have a perfect journey; it’s to walk it with purpose, in humility, knowing that what we’re building—personally and professionally—can positively impact generations to come.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my core, I’m an artist who believes in the power of creativity to heal, inspire, and transform. I sing, dance, paint, write poetry, act, and choreograph—and I’ve spent much of my life using those forms of expression to tell stories that move people toward hope, purpose, and possibility.
As life unfolded, I found myself swept into the business world—supporting leaders, building programs, initiatives, and organizations, producing large-scale events, and leading teams. For a long time, I thought I’d left the arts behind. Now I realize that my creative and business worlds were never separate; they were preparing me to build bridges of impact and inspiration.
Today, I specialize in developing interactive and immersive artistic experiences that bring together various different art forms to tell compelling stories that inspire moments of clarity, change, and action. I love connecting diverse forms of art in ways that elevate our health, deepen our empathy, and compel us to take positive action or support a worthy cause. The arts are a powerful, universal language—and I want to keep using that language to do good in the world.
Some of my proudest work includes producing multidisciplinary performances featuring partners such as Geraldina Wise, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, and the Institute of Contemporary Dance, and recently being commissioned to co-choreograph a storytelling dance for Meow Wolf Houston. I’ve also created many community-driven art events and combine creativity, wellness, and purpose to bring people together.
What sets me apart is my ability to weave art, collaboration, storytelling and strategy into one experience. I approach every project with both a creator’s imagination and a consultant’s precision. My work invites people to pause, feel, reflect, and reconnect—with themselves, with others, and with the light that still exists in this world.
My dream is to continue developing bold, imaginative, and meaningful artistic programming for Houston—projects that remind us that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s a lifeline. When art intersects with purpose, it doesn’t just entertain—it transforms. And that’s the kind of work I want to keep doing for the rest of my life.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I love salsa dancing…..cooking and baking.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ephesusinvestments.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmjday/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myra.johnson.121
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myra-johnson-0abb8b26
Image Credits
Morris Malakoff, Jenna Duncan
