ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026 NATIONAL COVERAGE: Dr. Shonté Youmans: What You Need To Know About This North Carolina Empowerment Professional
Andre Johnson 
A TRUE INSPIRATION
In case you don’t know her, Dr. Shonté Youmans would like to introduce herself.
A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, Dr. Youmans is widely regarded as an award-winning Communication Strategist, international speaker, publisher, bestselling author, and the Founder and CEO of Fresh Start Consulting, LLC, her featured business endeavor that is based in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
In addition, Dr. Youmans is the mastermind behind and CommuniPower Press.
Having spent a considerable portion of her life in Allendale, South Carolina, Dr. Youmans’ journey, by her standards, has been one shaped by “resilience, faith, leadership, and an unwavering commitment” to empowering others to discover the power of their voice.
SALUTING WOMEN WHO SHAPE OUR WORLD
MORE ON DR. YOUMANS: https://www.freshstartconsulting.biz/
Generally, Dr. Youmans’ Fresh Start Consulting has become a fixture for offering its popular Four-Week Communipower Program, a rising entity that is centered largely on empowering the masses to accomplish the following:
- Speak with confidence in meetings, conversations, and decision-making moments
- Stop overthinking what to say and how to say it
- Communicate boundaries clearly without guilt or fear
- Gain clarity around your voice, message, and presence and,
- Feel more confident showing up as yourself in professional spaces.
Today, Dr. Youmans proudly calls North Carolina home, where she continues to impact individuals, businesses, and communities across the country.
Interestingly enough, Dr. Youmans boasts a solid educational background, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of South Carolina at Aiken.
Consequently, she acquired a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Executive Management and Leadership from Kaplan University. She was later honored with an Honorary Doctorate in Christian Leadership, recognizing her commitment to servant leadership and community impact.
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As the founder of Fresh Start Consulting, Dr. Youmans has become a fixture for customarily helping women business owners and women in leadership communicate with confidence, lead with clarity, strengthen relationships, and navigate difficult conversations with purpose.
Through coaching, leadership development, speaking engagements, publishing, and networking experiences, she is committed to equipping others with practical communication strategies that create lasting transformation.
Unlike many entrepreneurs whose motivation begins with competition, Dr. Youmans doesn’t shy away from the notion that her greatest challenge has “always been becoming the woman” God created her to be.
“My greatest competition has never been another person,” Dr. Youmans told Making Headline News as part of its 2026 Essence Music Festival national coverage for “the party with a purpose” event in New Orleans. “It’s always been the woman I was yesterday. Every setback, disappointment, and life lesson prepared me for the assignment God placed on my life.”
For Dr. Youmans, such a distinctly unique perspective has become the foundation for both her business and her personal mission.
More than anything, Dr. Youmans acknowledged, she admittedly is passionate about witnessing transformation.
“Seeing someone move from self-doubt to confidence, from silence to speaking with authority, or from surviving to thriving reminds me why I answered God’s call,” Dr. Youmans said. “Success is measured by lives changed rather than titles earned.”
To her credit, the clients and audiences with whom Dr. Youmans cross paths often describe her as authentic, compassionate, and transparent.
“They appreciate that she teaches communication from both professional expertise and lived experience,” said a spokesperson for Dr. Youmans’ Fresh Start Consulting. “Whether speaking to corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, or community organizations, her message remains the same: your words have power, and how you communicate can change the trajectory of your life, leadership, and relationships.”
Not only that, but Dr. Youmans’ mission is also simple yet profound, she emphasized.
That is, she is committed to empowering people to find their voice and use it with confidence, courage, and purpose.
“I believe effective communication is more than speaking well — it is about building trust, resolving conflict, creating opportunities, and leaving people better than you found them,” Dr. Youmans told MHN.
WOMAN OF DESTINY
By all accounts, Dr. Youmans credits God as her greatest inspiration.
“I believe every chapter of my life, including the painful ones, prepared me to serve others,” she said. “Rather than allowing adversity to define me, I chose to let it develop me into the leader I am today.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Youmans said amongst her strategic ambitions is to continue expanding her impact, particularly through speaking engagements, leadership trainings, book collaborations with CommuniPower Press, and signature events, including the Becoming Her Future Self Conference & Award Ceremony and The Business Bestie Networking Experience.
“I remain committed to creating spaces where people can grow personally, professionally, and spiritually,” Dr. Youmans said.
When asked why encouraging others is so important, Dr. Youmans said.
“Everyone is fighting a battle we may never see. A kind word, an encouraging conversation, or simply believing in someone can change the course of their life. If God has given me a voice, then I want to use it to empower others to find theirs.”
For more information about Fayetteville, North Carolina Author/Businesswoman Dr. Shonté Youmans of Empowering Others Through the Power of Communication, to inquire about her services, her books or to inquire about a book signing, public appearance or speaking engagement, call 415-627-8093 or connect with her via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579160907861; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drshonteyoumans/; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shonte-youmans-74874a39. Send email to freshstartconsulting20@gmail.com.
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Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA, NFL, and NCAA sports from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send email to makingheadlinenews@gmail.com or to memphisgraduate@yahoo.com. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist or Instagram at @makingheadlinenews.
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