Today we’d like to introduce you to Shonte Youmans.
Hi Shonte, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey has been anything but traditional, but every chapter has helped shape the woman and leader I am today.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in Communications from USC Aiken and later a master’s degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Executive Management and Leadership. For more than eight years, I worked in the correctional system, eventually moving into leadership. I later transitioned into child welfare, where my work continued to center around people, communication, conflict, and navigating difficult situations.
But Fresh Start Consulting was born during one of the most vulnerable seasons of my life.
Shortly after giving birth to my daughter, Abigail, I became sick with COVID-19. I remember lying in bed at home, thinking about my life, my purpose, and what I would do if God gave me another opportunity to truly walk in what He had called me to do.
That season changed me.
I knew I had a gift for communication, but I eventually realized that communication was more than something I had studied in college—it was woven throughout my entire life. My childhood experiences, leadership roles, professional career, relationships, successes, and even my mistakes had taught me how powerful words can be.
Fresh Start Consulting began from that revelation.
The journey wasn’t immediate success. I had to learn that I couldn’t build my business by simply following what seemed to be working for everyone else. I had to become clear about my own assignment. I also had to learn that I couldn’t help everyone, and that sometimes growth requires releasing people, opportunities, and even ideas that no longer align with where you’re going.
Today, I am the Founder and Communication Strategist of Fresh Start Consulting, LLC, where I help women business owners and women in leadership strengthen their communication, find confidence in their voices, navigate difficult conversations, establish boundaries, and communicate with greater authority and influence.
My journey has also expanded into speaking, coaching, publishing through CommuniPower Press, creating transformational experiences, and building spaces where other women can step forward and be seen.
I am an international speaker, bestselling author, and entrepreneur—but some of the accomplishments I value most aren’t titles.
They’re the moments when someone realizes, “I don’t have to silence myself anymore.”
Because I know what it means to evolve. I know what it means to discover that some of the things you once considered weaknesses were actually gifts that needed development.
And I know what it means to start again.
That’s why the name Fresh Start means so much to me.
What started as an idea while I was lying in bed sick has become an assignment much bigger than I originally imagined. And today, I continue building with one belief at the center of everything I do:
Your power is in your communication—and when you learn how to use your voice, you can change the trajectory of your life, leadership, and legacy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not—and I think the struggles have been just as important to my story as the successes.
One of my biggest challenges was learning that being gifted at something doesn’t automatically mean you know how to build a business around it. I knew communication. I knew leadership. I knew how to help people. But entrepreneurship required me to learn an entirely different set of skills—marketing, positioning, pricing, visibility, sales, and, most importantly, patience.
There were seasons when I had programs, products, ideas, and a genuine desire to serve, but the revenue didn’t reflect the amount of work I was putting in. That was difficult because I had to confront the difference between being busy and actually building something sustainable.
I also had to overcome my own communication challenges. Earlier in my career, I could be very blunt and defensive. At the time, I didn’t always recognize how much my previous life experiences influenced the way I responded to people. Growth required me to take accountability, develop emotional awareness, extend grace, and learn that how you communicate something can be just as important as what you’re communicating. Ironically, some of those lessons became part of the foundation of the work I do today.
Another struggle has been learning to release people and opportunities. I naturally want to help others, but I had to understand that I cannot save everyone, carry everyone, or give everything away simply because I have the ability to help. Boundaries became necessary for both my personal growth and the growth of my business.
I’ve also experienced disappointment, feeling overlooked, rebuilding, and moments when I questioned whether everything I was doing was actually working. I’ve watched doors close, relationships change, and plans unfold differently than I expected.
But I didn’t quit.
My faith has been the constant throughout all of it. I’ve learned that sometimes what feels like rejection is redirection, and sometimes a difficult season is developing something in you that success alone never could.
So no, the road hasn’t been smooth. But it has been purposeful.
Every difficult conversation taught me something about communication. Every closed door taught me something about direction. Every disappointment taught me something about discernment. And every season that required me to start over reminded me why my company is called Fresh Start Consulting in the first place.
I’m still growing, still learning, and still becoming—and I think that’s one of the most authentic parts of my story.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Fresh Start Consulting, LLC is a communication-focused consulting and coaching company built on a simple belief: your power is in your communication.
I specialize in helping women business owners and women in leadership strengthen the way they communicate so they can lead confidently, navigate difficult conversations, establish healthy boundaries, build stronger relationships, and use their voices without shrinking themselves in the process.
What makes Fresh Start Consulting different is that I don’t approach communication as simply learning what to say. Communication is deeper than words. Our experiences, emotions, confidence, body language, listening skills, and even the things we haven’t healed from can influence how we communicate. My work helps people understand not only what they’re communicating, but also why they communicate the way they do and how to become more intentional.
One of my signature offerings is CommuniPower, which focuses on helping individuals develop confidence, clarity, emotional awareness, conflict-resolution skills, boundaries, and stronger leadership communication. I also provide individual coaching and Power Sessions for those who need focused support around specific communication challenges.
But the brand has grown beyond coaching.
Through CommuniPower Press, I am creating opportunities for emerging voices to become published authors and share stories that have the power to impact someone else. Through speaking, workshops, networking experiences, and other initiatives, Fresh Start Consulting continues to create spaces where people aren’t simply given information—they are encouraged to recognize the power of their own voice.
I am especially proud that the brand has grown without abandoning the heart behind why it was created.
For me, this isn’t about teaching people to become the loudest person in the room. Powerful communication doesn’t always mean speaking louder. Sometimes it means listening. Sometimes it means setting a boundary. Sometimes it means having the conversation you’ve been avoiding. And sometimes it means finally believing that your voice deserves to be heard.
My own journey has taught me that communication can either create connection or destroy it. I’ve experienced both, and those experiences allow me to bring education, professional experience, personal growth, and authenticity into the work I do.
I am also proud that Fresh Start Consulting has become a platform that allows me to help bring other people forward. Whether that’s helping a woman strengthen her leadership voice, giving an emerging author an opportunity through CommuniPower Press, or creating an experience where meaningful relationships and collaborations can develop, I want my success to create room for someone else.
Ultimately, I want readers to understand that Fresh Start Consulting is bigger than communication techniques. It’s about transformation through communication.
Because when a person learns how to communicate with clarity, confidence, empathy, and authority, it can change how they lead, how they do business, how they build relationships—and ultimately, how they see themselves.
That’s the work I’m committed to doing.
Helping people recognize that their voice has power—and teaching them how to use it.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is God, my daughter Abigail, and making sure that what I build has purpose beyond me.
My faith is the foundation of everything. I’ve learned that accomplishments, titles, recognition, and even business success mean very little to me if I’m not aligned with what God has called me to do. There have been seasons when I pursued what looked successful instead of what was truly assigned to me, and those experiences taught me the importance of obedience, discernment, and staying grounded in my purpose.
My daughter is also a major part of my “why.” Becoming her mother changed the way I looked at my life and legacy. I don’t simply want her to hear me tell her that she can use her voice, pursue her dreams, and become the woman God created her to be—I want her to watch me live it. I want her to inherit more than what I build financially; I want her to inherit courage, faith, wisdom, and the freedom to become who she is called to be.
And finally, people matter to me. I know what it feels like to be overlooked, underestimated, misunderstood, or unsure of the power you carry. That’s why creating opportunities for others has become such an important part of my work. Whether I’m coaching a woman to communicate confidently, helping an emerging author tell her story, or simply encouraging someone to stop shrinking, I want people to leave an encounter with me believing a little more in what is possible for their lives.
At this stage of my journey, success isn’t just about what I accomplish. It’s about who becomes better because I was willing to walk in my purpose.
I want my life, my business, and my legacy to leave evidence that I was here, that I served well, and that I used what God gave me to make room for others.
That’s what matters most to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: whttps://www.freshstartconsulting.biz/
