Check Out Stacey Owens’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Owens.

Hi Stacey, 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. 
You ever stop to think why certain things happen the way they happened? Well, I have. I will tell you that during the process of my career journey, a lot of things happened in such a way I no understanding. Once the process became complete, I would soon have be given the “why” it happened the way it did. Ever since a child, I knew I wanted to go to college, live in a dorm, make a lot of friends, and enjoy what they call “the college party life.” Well, things did not happen that way for me. I ended up becoming a teen mom and had to let go of the dream of living “that life.” I didn’t let that stop me though. I was raised by a strong-minded, faith-having, church-going every Sunday, did whatever it took to get things done kind of woman. Taking what rubbed off on me, I am Stacey Owens, someone who is a goal-setter and achiever, someone who has had some encounters with the God, a faith-having woman who determine to live out the promises given to me by the Lord. I soon started researching local community colleges after a couple years of thinking it was all over because I had children. I started looking into community colleges around the city. I started applying to colleges around the city. I started praying and asking the Lord for guidance and to lead me down the right paths. I ended up attending Fortis College in Westerville. Ohio, and I remember testing to get into the nursing program. Pacing with fear not thinking I did so well the recruiter called me back to talk about the financial options, start dates, and everything else that went along with it. I was so overjoyed because I knew at that moment it was the new start of the process. Long story short, what should have taking me 15 months took me 3 years to graduate the LPN nursing program. During that process, I was going through life situations, in between jobs, car repossessions, not having enough money for food, rent, or other bills. Let just say I was living like a true poor college student. I didn’t realize until years later why I had to go through this process the way I did until years later. I had to failed some classes because God was building my character and strength. He wanted me to know whenever you fall you are capable of getting back up and trying again. I had to go through the struggling to be able to show empathy to those who goes through the same thing. It was also building my character so I could learn how to manage my money. You hear the saying, ” everything happens for a reason,” but do you really believe that. Yes I do. We are being taught life lessons by the Lord every day. We don’t get to move on from the lesson until what is being taught is understood, and we pass the test. It’s the test that will give of the ticket to move forward. Well, after I took my final test for nursing, which was the NCLEX. For those of you who don’t what that is, it is a exam that must be passed by every nurse to practice as a nurse. I remember studying for this test, and I remember passing this test on the first try. When I received my nursing license, that was the ticket of completion. I remember going out spending so much money on Nursing scrubs, bags, gear, and anything else I could think of. But it was all about the scrubs for me. I think I still have some of those nursing scrubs til this day because I remember how much money I spent on them. Some were uncomfortable, not a good fit; some made me sweat 15 minutes into to shift. I would always find myself wondering can I just find one good air of scrubs that fit me right and that last longer than 3 months. That was the birth of the idea that I was going to make my own. I didn’t know how, but I started researching business ideas on how to start my own nursing scrub line. Then that idea faded away and I got right back in school because now I wanted to become an RN. I graduated again but failed my NCLEX the first time but passed on the second. During this process, I lost the woman who raised me and grieved at the same time I was going through school. I was going through this again with hardships, heartbreak, and whatever else life decided to throw at me. I remember wanting to find comfort in the midst of the process, so I googled “comfort verses in the Bible” and 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4. This verse talks about how God always comforts us when we need it and how we are to use the comfort from Him to comforts other. After meditating on that the storm I was going through finally cleared, and I could see clearly. I had a dream that night in my hotel because I was traveling as an RN at the time in Florida. That dream was that I had a business ( nursing scrubs), and the name would be “Komforts.” It starts with a “K” because it came from the King, it starts with a “K” because the woman who birth me, my mother is named Kimberly, it starts with a “K” because it will benefit the Kingdom. So you see the process had to happen to get you to prepare you for the next level. I started buying things for this business back in 2019, I had no business background, and I definitely didn’t know what I was doing. I started reaching out to vendors, I started buying samples, and created a logo. One thing lead to another, and before you know it, 3 years later, I was prepared and opened my online business November 1, 2022. I heard the Lord say, “This is only the beginning; there’s more. Listen, there is always more because whatever you dream of know that we have a God that can top that. What your mind is capable of thinking and seeing is only a fraction out what God can do. As I began to wrap up my story, I want to end with a testimony. I knew I wanted a storefront eventually because I feel like I could reach more people by having my scrubs available to try on. Well, I went out one day looking for places that I could potentially make the home for Komforts. I was finding anything, and the lady I did reach out to at first wasn’t responding to me as much, so I gave up. I was in prayer and devotional, and I kept hearing the saying, “Faith without works is dead.” Another time I heard Him asking, where is your faith? I was driving from grocery shopping one day, and I seen in the same shopping center that 2 buildings were for lease, so I took a picture of the number and headed home. The next morning I got up early, found the email of the contact I needed to reach out to, and he instantly called me. Now I normally don’t answer numbers I don’t know, but I knew I had to answer the phone. It was the person calling about the email I had just sent. He introduced himself and stated he loved the website, and could I come by to see the building. Four hours later, I was standing in the building I never would have thought I would have been approved for. I thought I was unqualified for. I kid you not, looking pass the lime green paint on the walls and all the holes that needed patching, I knew, and I felt that that was the building. By the end of the conversation, I was speaking as if I was already approved for the lease. I started telling my close love ones how I had found my building. I would even go and sit in front of the store and pray or sometimes in silence and image my business there. I even prayed for the people making the decision to approve me. Three weeks passed, and on April 9, 2023, I received the email of approval. The Lord said, “All it took was your faith and you’re works to make this happen, and there is plenty more where that came from.” I am still selling online while renovating and getting things ready for the store. I am soon to be having a grand opening by the end of summer. To every reader, trust the process and embrace it. I won’t be easy, and you will fail, but no weapon formed against you will prosper if you have faith in the Lord. 

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?
The road is never smooth. There were always bumps and detours. I didn’t have the resources to start this business at first, but as I kept believing in the dream and having faith, everything just kind fell in its placed. I had to make some huge sacrifices, but all along it was part of the process. I know that now just by looking back. I had to give up the one thing I wanted so bad, and that was to become a nurse practitioner. 4 classes before completion, I felt overwhelmed and stressed all the time, but it was God saying this is not the journey you need to take anymore. He tested me to see if I would give up the one thing that meant a lot, and I did surrender. I felt horrible and like a failure, but as you can see, I turned out fine, and the process is still happening. It’s still a bumpy road even though I have made it this far. I am still struggling to see the full picture of how everything is going to come together, how am I going to get access to resources, and is the renovations going to be done in time. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am currently still a travel registered nurse, and I work on a surgical floor currently. I float to other units such as cardiac, step-down, neurology, observation, and more. I am known for being the life of the party. By that, I mean just always having fun and encouraging others in our stressful work environment. I am known to be an empathizer and realater. I understand what my patients and colleague go through so I am able to use that skill to keep everyone calm and provide the comfort that is needed. I go above and beyond for everyone I have an encounter with. I am the nurse everyone wishes to work with all the time. I am very loving and caring. I have a the good vibes. 

What matters most to you? Why?
I want to be able to be an example to everyone and anyone, but especially my children. No matter what life throws at you, you have access to a strength that will carry you through anything. If you believe, have faith, and stay focused that you will make it through. I want to encourage people to go after their dreams no matter what. I want to encourage everyone to keep going. I want to break the worldly mindset of settling. I want everyone there is a God who is waiting for them to say “yes” to Him. There is so much more to life than working a 9-5 and paying bills and just being stuck in that routine year after year. At this very moment, what matters to me the most is gaining believers of Jesus Christ and helping others start or finish their dreams. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thekomfortsbrand.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thekomfortsbrand
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/komfortsscrubs

Image Credits
Jasmine Lawrence