Former San Francisco Activist and Community Leader, Deloris McGee, now residing in her home state of Mississippi, shares the valiant victory of Black Businessman C. David Moody Jr. of Atlanta, who fought for his mental well-being while running a very successful company. McGee says his story shows the need for self-care including mental health and that resources like the National Alliance on Mental Illness should be supported and sought out by the Black community. As an side, two key leaders in that effort of bringing awareness of NAMI to the Black community are Community Health Advocate, LaVaughn King and Kelly Armstrong, the founder of "Primed and Prepped" that helps young people find a path to prosperity through the culinary and hospitality industry. Deloris, thanks for sharing with Wright Enterprises.
Fwd: PR: Black CEO Beats Childhood Trauma
From: BlackNews.com <pr@blacknews.com>
Date: Mon, Aug 8, 2016 at 8:06 PM
Subject: PR: Black CEO Beats Childhood Trauma
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2016
CONTACT:
C. David Moody, Jr.
678-252-1840
moodyspeaks@gmail.com
‘BLACK ENTERPRISE TOP 100’ BUILDER BEATS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA BY “FIGHTING THROUGH THE FEAR”
C. David Moody, Jr.
Atlanta, GA (BlackNews.com) -- C. David Moody, Jr., was a Black all-American, middle-class youth and young adult.
Born and raised in Chicago’s Southside neighborhood, he moved with his family to Ann Arbor, Michigan. After graduating from Huron High School there, he attended prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia on a football scholarship, studied architecture, joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, enjoyed an active college social life, graduated, then went on to earn a five-year professional degree in architecture from Howard University.
As his life progressed, he got his first professional job, married the love of his life, had two children, and turned his twin passions – architecture and construction – into a successful career.
The skyline of his adopted hometown of Atlanta is dotted with award-winning structures built by his company, C.D. Moody Construction. Since 2000, his company has been identified every year by Black Enterprise magazine as one of America’s largest Black-owned businesses.
But keeping a devastating secret – childhood sexual abuse – almost killed him.
“I planned on going to my grave with my secret of being sexually abused by a male babysitter as a child,” Moody reveals in his new book, Fighting Through the Fear – My Journey of Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse.
Finally, in 1992, Moody told his wife Karla. Soon thereafter, he had a complete nervous breakdown and begin to suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) – bouts of sudden panic that felt like a heart attack; fear of crowds and going to unfamiliar places; extreme nervousness and fatigue. It took almost a lifetime for him to break his silence publicly.
In 2015, he decided to write a book about his struggle. Moody’s co-author, Charles W. Cherry II, is his fraternity brother and former freshman-class roommate at Morehouse College.
In Fighting Through the Fear, readers accompany Moody on his journey of healing while raising a family, building a thriving construction business during Atlanta’s emergence on the international stage during the 1996 Olympics and thereafter, growing in his religious faith, and finding peace.
“The picture on the cover of the book is one I took in 2015 after a thunderstorm over the Gulf of Mexico. I came through a ‘storm’ of childhood trauma that has affected my entire life, but the sun still shines and the waves calmed down. We are much stronger than we can imagine,” Moody explains. “I want to help survivors to live their best lives.”
Fighting Through the Fear is available at https://moodyspeaks.com. A portion of the profits will be used to support organizations that help survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Visit www.moodyspeaks.com for more information.
About the Book:
Fighting Through the Fear – My Journey of Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse
By Charles D. Moody Jr. with Charles W. Cherry II
Publisher: MoodySpeaks LLC
ISBN: 978-0-9973719-1-8
Available at www.moodyspeaks.com
Media Q&As available upon request. Contact Moody at moodyspeaks@gmail.com for personal appearances, including speeches.
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