Today we’d like to introduce you to Deovion Thomas.
Hi Deovion, 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?
From as young as I can remember, I’ve always been very bold. I wore mohawks, I was never scared to take risks, and talking was my specialty. If it didn’t make sense, wasn’t fair, or was explained halfway, the chances were I wasn’t abiding by it. I grew up poor, but fortunate enough to never miss a meal. It wasn’t always the best food, but it got us by.
My mom worked all the time, and with 5 kids she never got a break. I grew up watching her struggle, choose abusive men, and do just about anything to make ends meet. At the age of 9, she died in a tragic accident- she got hit by a car. Just like that, I’d lost the only one who I felt genuinely cared for me. On top of the trauma that had already formed from constantly being left alone, seeing her in the casket left me in shambles. I was very lost, afraid, and angry more than anything.
Though it wasn’t apparent at first, eventually I couldn’t suppress what I was feeling anymore. After my mom passed, me and my siblings went to live with my aunt, uncle, and her 3 kids. It was now 10 people in one house. I was very aware of how different our households were run before moving with them- it seemed more fun, there was more food, and no roaches. It felt good knowing we wouldn’t ever get evicted again, the food would be better, and that we wouldn’t have to wear the same school clothes this year.
Eventually though, I began to notice the disparities in ways that became too hard to ignore. When I got to high school, I met someone who became my best friend. We became inseparable. Her family loved me, and she was the first person my aunt ever let me stay the night with, though she was very hesitant to do so. I’d finally felt a sense of freedom. We went to football games, played basketball, and I even smoked my first blunt with her. Calling her my friend became an understatement- she was family. One day before a football game, someone very close to her acknowledged how good I’d looked in some tights, and though it seemed off, it felt good to receive a compliment. For a while this went on, and me being young I didn’t quite know how to take it- so I just kept quiet. This was my sis; her people are my people, I thought. But as time went on, I started to lose my voice it seemed. This kept happening, and I stopped speaking up. Eventually I got a boyfriend, the same one from seventh grade, and no matter how fast my aunt tried to make me out to be, I didn’t lose my virginity until the 10th grade- to him. After this though, I felt less important, I dealt with a lot of insecurities from giving myself away to someone who I felt didn’t deserve it. I felt used. But we kept dating. All the while, things at home were very unsettling. Punishment for stupid things called for vienna sausages, struggle meals, and being alone looking at the walls of my room. Expressing my feelings for how me not being able to play aau basketball but my cousin being allowed called for no more sleepovers with my friend, no phone, and everything being taken away. Cameras all around the house and the pantries locked made me feel even better about the thoughts I had about being anywhere but there. I stopped trying to understand why and started trying to figure out how I was going to get out of that house. Fights broke out for me standing up for myself and my brothers, and it started to seem like it was us vs them. I was over it, nobody could understand what I felt.
My best friend was like my savior at that time. But even her house started to stop feeling like a safe space. One night, I’d stayed over at my friend’s house, and I received a message from that someone very close to her, again. I was told to sneak in the room, but I didn’t want to. It felt very wrong and I had a boyfriend I said. But after constant pressure, I left the room. It felt very uncomfortable and I genuinely did not want it to happen. So why didn’t I say anything?
As time progressed, this led to an outburst of rebellion. They called it puberty, being grown, smelling myself- but this was a cry out for help. I knew that some of my behavior was unacceptable, but I started to feel I had no other choice. This was the only way they would hear me, the only way I would be relevant, the only way my voice would be heard- I didn’t care anymore.
One day I got in trouble for my aunt going through my phone and finding a sex tape between me and my boyfriend, understandable. But me being embarrassed, I ran away. The next day I was brought home and had to suffer the consequences. It felt harsh, but I understood. Until it was told to other family members and it seemed like everyone was judging me. Nothing was the same after that, and I felt alone. This wasn’t family, I thought.
At 15, I became a runaway. I found a place to stay with someone and felt a sense of freedom I hadn’t felt in a while. But this felt different- I wasn’t eager to do bad things; I just wanted to be.
Then came that someone again. The thought of going outside freely and riding around the city sounded great, even if it was with the person who caused so much of this. This is family, why not? Eventually, I was convinced to come into the drivers seat and “get on top” of him. I hesitated. This is not something that I wanted to do, yet again I did it.
Soon, my aunt decided I couldn’t stay with that someone anymore so she said that I either had to come back home, go stay with my grandfather, or be placed in a group home. I went to school the next day after saying that none of those options worked for me, and she signed me out of school and there I was- on my way to New Jersey.
I wasn’t going, that was for certain. I jumped out of the car at a red light and bolted for the sidewalk- landing myself in a group home. For 3 months I stayed there, had an abortion after finding out I was pregnant by that someone. I refused to keep the baby. But I didn’t know the pain and the trauma it would cause. A bed full of blood, a black out in the bathroom, and excruciating pain that no 15 year old should have to go through. This was life, and I began to dislike it very much. Month later, I was taken in by my best friend and her family.
The grooming continued, this time only a skip and hop away. Me and her bumped heads a few times, but we were still the best of friends. I had nowhere to go after this, it had to work. She still had no idea this was happening.
My senior year, I met my husband, turned 18, and went off to college- never looking back. I finally could be myself, for myself. I began my spiritual journey and slowly began to regain my power and freedom.
2021 I got pregnant with my first-born son, and things got hard all over again. This time though, I was with someone who felt safe. I knew I could get through this with him by my side. I became a hustler, finding creative ways to make money and became very self-sufficient.
After I had my son, we left South Carolina and figured it was time to do things on our own. After staying with family member after family member, we were tired of the complacency and lack of motivation in the environment. We drove to Hinesville GA, and when we made it, we decided that doordash would get us through. That night we stayed in our car and hotels when it got too cold.
My husband had a family member that lived there, and we were invited to stay there until we got on our feet. I really took this time to heal, fix my credit, and focus on the future.
After 2 years, we finally got our own place back in South Carolina- no car but this was a start. A trailer in the country with roaches, creaky floors, and an area full of crackheads.
After 4 months, I’d finally got a car. My husband loved fighting, and this wasn’t life, so he said we were leaving to go to the UFC Gym in Greenville, Sc. So we went.
For 5 months we stayed in our car- pregnant again, back door dashing, washing in the gym, and sleeping in hotel parking lots. I got a job upon moving there, so the money started coming in. We were finally getting our lives together. At the start of 2024, we got our first apartment together- no roaches, nice area, and a place to call our own. As months went by, I got tired of working hours on end while pregnant. My feet hurt, and I prayed that one day I could be a stay at home mom. My husband decided that he wanted to be a soldier, and my wish came true.
After bootcamp and A-school, things changed drastically for us. No more worries about not having a home, our kids could finally have the things we wished we had as a kid, and the work started to pay off.
December 2025 we got stationed in California, and I immediately felt this calling to make big things happen. Since then, I’ve led multiple women’s groups, hosted events centered around self-development and what it takes to become the best version of yourself, and am opening an in-home daycare next month.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road. Growing up in an environment where poverty and complacency is the norm can literally make or break you. I’m very grateful to say that it made me. Being homeless with not one, but two kids, is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Having an abortion and a near death experience is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Not knowing where your next meal will come from and trying your hardest to stay righteous was something that was very hard to do. Going in a store and not being able to grab something that costs as little as $1?! Been there.
But the things I’ve had to endure, the pain I’ve suffered, and the trials I’ve faced have shaped me into the woman I am today. And that’s what I want others to know as well. Where you are does not define where you’re going. You have the power to keep going and create your own story. Just hold the vision.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is not the least bit simple. As a visionary, a leader, a revolutionary, I am always expanding. Seeing something that doesn’t sit right within my spirit calls for adding it to my list- as my responsibility to change it. I create spaces for others to evolve. I challenge them to think outside of the box they can only truly place themselves in. I help women reclaim their power by realizing they never lost it, they just gave it away. I remind the world of what it looks like to keep going. I specialize in seeing others for who they can become, not who they are. I specialize in recreating myself to be who I desire to be, not who others tell me to be. I am known for being someone who by the next time they see me, I am not the same person as the last time. I am known for leaving things better than I found them. I am known for shifting the room, bringing joy, passion, ambition, and hope. I embody evolution and invoke that in others. When someone gets around me, their life is bound to change for the better. I am most proud of the devotion that lives within me to never be content- grateful, but not content. What sets me apart from others is that I don’t think much does- I focus more on the similarities we share than the differences. I feel that when we focus on the differences, we distract ourselves from the possibility that we can all thrive together.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see Personal Development and Community building being on the rise in the next 5-10 years, and part of the reason being is because I am included in it. I see myself speaking on stages in front of thousands of women, reminding them of their divine power and invoking more leadership within the community of people. More togetherness, more elevation, more love. I see financial literacy shifting for the better, self-confidence shifting for the better, and people no longer being afraid of evolution.
Pricing:
- Brand collaborations: Available upon request
- Speaking engagements/Event appearances: Available upon request
- Community experiences & workshops: Pricing varies
- 7 Days of Upgrades Challege: Free (We start September 1, 2026)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://7-days-of-upgrades.subscribepage.io
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deovionelisabeth?igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_-source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555478805365&mibextid=wwXlfr
