Today we’d like to introduce you to Meme Johnson, CPLC.
Hi Meme, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
If you had asked me years ago where I’d be today, I never would have imagined this path. My story has been shaped by pain, perseverance, faith, and the realization that our stories don’t have to end where our struggles begin.
Since I was 13 years old, I battled depression, anxiety, and the effects of unresolved trauma. From the age of 13 into adulthood, I attempted to end my life multiple times. Yet every time, I survived. At the time, I couldn’t understand why, but looking back, I know God had a purpose for my life, even when I couldn’t see it myself. For years, I was what many would describe as high functioning while living with depression. I smiled, showed up, served others, and kept moving forward, all while silently carrying the weight of everything I had experienced. Most people had no idea what I was battling because I had become an expert at hiding behind a smile. I convinced myself that if I looked okay on the outside, no one would know what I was facing on the inside. My healing didn’t happen overnight. It required faith, counseling, medication, support, and the courage to finally confront the things I had spent years avoiding. Through that process, I learned that God can work through both prayer and professional help. Healing isn’t about pretending the pain never happened. It’s about allowing God to restore what was broken and realizing that your past doesn’t define your future.
I’ve always had a heart to serve others, which is why I founded Passion2Give in 2014. As my own healing continued, it brought greater clarity and deeper meaning to the work I had already been called to do. Today, Passion2Give serves individuals and families through mental health advocacy, community outreach, and practical support. I also created She Inspires, a movement dedicated to creating safe, faith centered spaces where teens, young adults, and women can heal, rediscover their identity, and walk boldly in their God given purpose. My experiences also inspired me to write my book, Unmasking the Smile: Finding Purpose in Chaos, where I share my story in hopes of encouraging others to embrace healing, find hope, and discover that their past does not have the final say. For me, vulnerability isn’t about revisiting the past. It’s about creating space for someone else to realize they are not alone.
Today, I’m an author, empowerment and wellness coach, singer-songwriter, mentor, mental health advocate, worship leader, and ordained minister. While each role may look different, they all share the same purpose. Whether I’m mentoring someone through a difficult season, leading worship, writing music, coaching, or simply sitting across from someone over coffee, my heart is to remind people that they are seen, heard, and valued, that their voice matters, their story matters, and healing is possible.
Looking back, I can honestly say that what I once believed would disqualify me has become the very thing God uses to help others find hope. My mission is simple: to help people unmask, heal, and discover that they are seen, valued, deeply loved, and created with purpose.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Church Hurt, Disappointment, Grief, and Learning to Trust God Again
Healing isn’t easy. My journey has been filled with challenges, heartbreak, grief, and unexpected detours, but every season has taught me something I couldn’t have learned any other way. I can honestly look back and see how God has taken my pain and turned it into purpose. Long before I ever launched anything, stepped into ministry, or wrote a book, my biggest obstacle was believing my life had value. Battling depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and multiple suicide attempts made it difficult to imagine a future worth fighting for. Healing wasn’t a one-time decision. It has been a daily choice to trust God, seek help, and keep moving forward, even when progress felt slow. I’ve also experienced the deep grief of losing loved ones, disappointments I never saw coming, financial challenges, and the many ups and downs that come with building a nonprofit and a movement from the ground up. There were seasons when I questioned whether I was truly capable, equipped, qualified, or if I was making a difference at all.
One of the hardest seasons of my life was experiencing church hurt. I loved God, but I was deeply wounded by people. If I’m being honest, that season left me wanting nothing to do with church. I literally hated going to church, and I hated people. Those are hard words for me to say because anyone who truly knows me knows how deeply I love God and genuinely love people. I realize now that those feelings came from a place of deep hurt, not from my heart. Through God’s grace, and His unfailing love, He healed what was broken, restored my faith, and loved me back to life.
I laugh… A LOT! I’m a bit of a prankster, love making people laugh, and I don’t take myself too seriously. Even after everything I’ve walked through, you’ll probably catch me laughing at myself and joking around. Life hasn’t been easy, but I’ve learned it’s too short to let the hard moments steal my joy.
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that purpose doesn’t eliminate pain, and If God can heal a girl like me, restore my joy, and love me back to life, then I truly believe there is hope for anyone. I don’t see my scars as something to hide, but rather as reminders of God’s faithfulness. If my story helps even one person choose hope, ask for help, or believe that healing is possible, then every obstacle has served a greater purpose.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an author, singer-songwriter, empowerment and wellness coach, mental health advocate, mentor, worship leader, ordained minister, founder of She Inspires, and CEO of Passion2Give. Everything I create and every role I’ve been called to is centered around helping people heal, find hope, rediscover their identity, and walk boldly in their God given purpose. Whether I’m writing a book, writing a song, leading worship, coaching or mentoring someone, or creating an experience through She Inspires, my goal is always the same: to create safe spaces where people feel seen, heard, valued, and reminded that their voice matters.
I specialize in creating safe, faith centered spaces where people experience healing, hope, belonging, and authentic connection. My passion is helping people navigate their healing journey, rediscover their identity, and walk confidently in their God given purpose.
Through Passion2Give, I focus on mental health advocacy, community outreach, and practical support because I believe hope should be something people experience, not just hear about. My goal is to help meet both emotional and practical needs, ensuring individuals and families know they don’t have to face life’s challenges alone.
Through She Inspires, I create experiences that encourage teens, young adults, and women to embrace healing, build authentic connections, rediscover their identity, and walk boldly in their God given purpose while being reminded that they are seen, heard, valued, that they belong, and that their voice matters.
Playing entirely too much is something else I’m known for! I wake up some mornings with pranking on my mind, and my husband and my parents are definitely the easiest to prank. LOL! On a more serious note, I truly believe joy and healing can exist in the same space. It’s taken me a long time to learn how not to let the hard moments steal my joy, and I’m grateful to God for that.
What I’m most proud of isn’t something I can put on a resume. It’s the lives I’ve had the honor of impacting. Seeing someone choose hope, begin therapy, surrender their life to Christ, embrace healing, or simply believe in themselves again is something I’ll never take for granted.
I’m also incredibly proud of watching She Inspires grow into a brand, a movement, and a community with something for every stage of the journey. Whether someone is just beginning their healing journey or continuing to grow in their faith, confidence, and purpose, there’s a place for them at She Inspires. My heart has always been to build a community where people belong, not just create events people attend.
Every time someone tells me, “I finally feel seen,” “I asked for help,” “I started therapy,” “I gave my life to Jesus,” or “I realized I’m not alone,” I’m reminded that this is exactly why I do what I do.
What sets me apart isn’t that I’ve been through difficult things. Unfortunately, many people have. I believe it’s my willingness to be honest, transparent, relatable, and vulnerable about my journey while trusting God to use my story to bring hope to others. My heart is simply to love people well, point them to Jesus, and remind them that no matter what they’ve been through, healing is possible, hope is real, and their story isn’t over.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers, and perfection isn’t the goal. I believe God is more interested in our surrender than us pretending we have it all together. I want my life to reflect the promises of Romans 8:28 and Joel 2:25 because I’ve experienced firsthand that God really can work all things together for good, and He is still restoring what was lost.
If my journey encourages someone to believe that healing is possible and purpose can still come from pain, then every chapter of my story has been worth it.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice to anyone starting out would be:
1) Stay faithful to what God has called you to do, whether anyone is watching, supporting you, or understanding your assignment because God didn’t give it to them. He gave it to you.
2) Comparison kills, so be your authentic self. There will be moments when you question yourself, feel overlooked, or wonder if you’re making a difference, but keep going! Your assignment isn’t to prove yourself to people or worry about their opinions. It’s to be faithful to what God has entrusted you with. Trust me, it took me a long time to overcome that part.
3) Don’t lose yourself trying to become who you think the world wants you to be… be YOU! The world needs someone like you to help others get through what you’ve been through, so be the person God created you to be, not who the world expects you to be. Embrace your journey because every setback, disappointment, detour, and painful chapter can be used for God’s glory.
Remain faithful to what God has called you to do because what He started in you, He WILL complete. Your pain is not wasted:)
Looking back, the biggest things I wish I had known when I was starting out were that I didn’t have to have it all figured out before saying yes to what God was calling me to do, that not everyone would understand my assignment, support my vision, or celebrate what God was doing in my life, and that obedience will always matter more than approval. Once I truly embraced that, I stopped chasing approval and started focusing on obedience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.memejohnson.com
