A Woman With Many Hats - Amera Frieman Talks Building Her “Shempire”

Name / Brand Name: A’Mera Frieman/Friedom Innovation/Dallas Women’s Success Initiative

Age: 42
Hometown: Cameron, TX
Creative Influences: Steve Jobs, My mother, Alice Rosemond-Gibbons, Tyler Perry, J.K. Rowling, Damon John

• When did you get started in your industry? When did you first discover your passion/calling? I discovered my calling for education and professional development in my early twenties, however, I didn’t truly identify and live my Purpose until 2016.  I became a entrepreneur/author in 2013, a nonprofit founder/Executive Director in 2014, a professional development specialist in 2015, and an inventor in 2017.

Website: friedominnovation.com / dallaswsi.org / stoppingthemadness.org
Social Media: FB – A’Mera Frieman, Professor Purpose/Friedom Innovation/Dallas Women’s Success Initiative/Stopping the Madness Antibullying Foundation
Instagram: amerafriemaninc/friedominnovation
Twitter: @amerafrieman @friedominnovation
For booking: email contact@friedominnovation.com administration@stoppingthemadness.org

• In your beginning phases, who did you look to for mentoring or support? In the beginning, I looked to my family and inner circle of sisterhood for support. I looked to my professors for mentorship.

Why did you start this organization?

I started Stopping the Madness after going through bullying with extreme effects on two of my children. My daughter had to be committed to a mental institution after being bullied for her appearance, and my son had to have a colonoscopy at 11 years old because of the severe stress that bullying caused him. Instead of addressing it, the school told him to ignore it and they ignored our concerns. Schools actually have a habit of sweeping bullying under the rug until the pile becomes too big for them to handle. I refused to become frustrated or let my children become a suicide or pipeline to prison statistic, so I took a logical path and learned as much as I could about bullying legislation and local bullying policies. I started to bring knowledge and policy to the table and the school responded with more respectful and engaged handling of my children’s issues. Soon after, other parents of bullying victims approached me or my husband to advocate for them, and I created an antibullying training manual to help them and educators to navigate and intervene in bullying incidences. It was certified by the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System in 2016.

How has your organization grown over time?

Stopping the Madness has grown to include the Central Texas area and collaborating with more communities in DFW. The DWSI is also an initiative within SMAF that addresses the statistics and stereotypes of women’s personal and professional interactions and their development. It is now in its 3rd year.

What type of work does your organization do or what type of programs does your organization offer?

• SMAF addresses bullying through certified trainings, workshops, family/victim/bullying advocacy, and providing community assistance events and programs.

How has your programs impacted those you’ve helped or how has your organization improved over time?

• SMAF’s advocacy and community assistance programs, as well as, DWSI has grown to include more comprehensive programs and knowledge-building platforms that have helped families to purchase basic necessities, school supplies, food, gain employment, and effective college/career enrollment/employment/changes. In addressing the family as a whole unit, SMAF has greater impact to address the most common issues that arise to create a bullying environment.

What is your most memorable moment so far within your organization?

• So far, the most memorable moment for me with SMAF is receiving a personal call and message from a parent who I’d personally advocated for their child in a school district that refused to acknowledge their concerns and were trying to expel their child for finally fighting back. The team that I gathered worked diligently, including multiple official school conferences, to present evidence to convince the school to drop the expulsion and address the matter. The day the child returned to school, the school enacted new antibullying policies. Her mother called me in tears of joy to thank my team, and she also sent me a personal message to thank me separately that there would be no consequences to her baby’s future potential.

Where do you see your organization in the next 2 years?

• In the next two years, I see SMAF growing to cover the entire state of Texas with advocates and antibullying training to bring change to how school districts address bullying. Our community services division will also grow with continued outreach to provide necessary resources to families, men, women, and children to escape the stigmas and environments attached to bullying. I also see DWSI growing to become a statewide conference that addresses more personal/professional development and positive interactions between women.

What do you personally spend most of your time on?

• I personally spend my time designing curricula for SMAF/DWSI training programs and workshops. I also spend quite a bit of time creating new products with Friedom Innovation and seeing their development into their specific industries.  I am blessed and grateful to have a supportive husband, Zach, and our six blended children. I came from a big family with a single mother who was determined that we would not be bound by our poor environment through knowledge and skills. I am a knowledge addict and it has been quite a journey of collecting it. Now, it is time to start “emptying the cup” and pour into others so that they may do the same one day.

(Photo credit: Kieone Young Photography)