Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamaica Miles-Bey.
Hi Jamaica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story is honestly a little bit of everything, faith, hard lessons, resilience, motherhood, big dreams, and a whole lot of figuring it out as I went.
I was homeless for four years, living on the streets of Minnesota with my young son at the time. That chapter of my life was incredibly difficult, but it also shaped me in ways I couldn’t understand at the time. I learned what it meant to keep going when you’re exhausted, to find hope when things don’t look hopeful, and to believe that your current situation doesn’t have to become your permanent identity.
I didn’t come out of that experience with a perfectly mapped out business plan. I came out with perspective, purpose, and a deeper understanding of people who are simply trying to find their way forward.
Over time, I began creating spaces where people, especially young women could feel seen, heard, encouraged, and reminded of their worth. That vision became God & Girls, a program focused on helping young women understand who they are, build confidence, work through difficult experiences, and see themselves beyond the labels the world may have placed on them.
From there, the vision kept growing. I began developing additional community-based programs, building partnerships, and creating opportunities to serve people who may be navigating some of the same challenges I once faced. I’m still building, still learning, and definitely still figuring some things out, but now I understand that my past wasn’t wasted. It gave me a perspective I couldn’t have learned in a classroom.
Today, I’m grateful that my story has gone from simply asking, “How am I going to get through this?” to asking, “How can I use what I’ve been through to help somebody else get through theirs?” I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the hand of God in my life, covering me, my mind, my children. He is worthy of the praise and the glory in all of this.
And honestly, I think that’s just the beginning.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth? Absolutely not! If my journey had been a smooth road, I probably wouldn’t have nearly as much to talk about.
One of the biggest struggles has been building something meaningful while also rebuilding myself. I spent four years homeless in Minnesota, living on the streets with my son and a drug felony. Coming from that experience, there were moments when simply surviving was the goal.
Entrepreneurship has brought its own challenges: limited resources, figuring things out without a huge team behind me, building partnerships, finding funding, and sometimes wondering if people could see the vision before there was enough evidence to prove it would work.
But I’ve learned that struggle doesn’t automatically mean you’re on the wrong path. Sometimes it’s proof that you’re building something that requires you to grow, too. There have definitely been moments of frustration, doubt, and “Lord, what am I doing?” But there have also been moments where I’ve looked at what I’m building and thought, “Wow… I really came from there to here.”*
That perspective keeps me going. I don’t romanticize the hard parts, but I also wouldn’t erase them. They taught me resilience, compassion, resourcefulness, and most importantly, that my circumstances could change.
The road hasn’t been smooth, but it has been worth it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My career journey has actually been a pretty interesting part of the story, because before I became a program founder and community advocate, I built a career in property management and real estate.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing companies and learn the industry from the inside out. Property management taught me much more than how to manage buildings. I learned about people, business, leadership, customer service, and so much more. I’m still in the industry today, and I genuinely enjoy it. In many ways, my career has been the financial assistant to the purpose. It has allowed me to build professional skills, create financial stability, and fund the vision that was growing outside of my 9-to-5.
What I’m most proud of is that I didn’t allow my past to disqualify me from my future. I went from experiencing homelessness to building a career, creating programs, developing partnerships, and becoming someone who can help build hope for others.
What sets me apart is that I understand both the business side and the human side. I know how to sit in a boardroom and talk strategy, budgets, operations, and growth but I also know what it feels like to sit on the other side of the table and need someone to see your potential before you can fully see it yourself.
I think that combination is my superpower. I’m not just building programs, I’m building from experience. And I’m not interested in creating things that simply look good on paper. I want to create things that actually change lives.
Ultimately, I’m proud that the career I built to support myself became the foundation that helped me build the dream I was called to pursue.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is when we had a water fight with everyone in our neighborhood. It was a hot summer day in Chicago, (proud to be born and raised) and everyone was riding around in their cars, on foot with water guns, buckets, water balloons, anything they could use. I am blessed to say, I was born and raised in the 90’s in Chicago where phones weren’t the fun and the streets were safe and filled with laughter and community.
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