Rising Stars: Meet Mahogany Bowens of Plano, TX

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mahogany Bowens

Hi Mahogany, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Mahogany Bowens, and I am the Project Manager at the Melville Family Foundation. I often find it challenging to speak about myself, but one thing I always say to my friends and family is, “I love my life,” and I genuinely mean it.

I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, as the daughter of a blended family. I often express that I am blessed with four parents, though having four parents has not always been easy. When my mom and dad divorced, we moved in with my Nana, who constantly reminded me that I could accomplish anything. As a shy child, I believed her only half the time, but I knew that both she and my mother always supported me. Their encouragement became especially important during the times I faced bullying in school. Despite the challenges, I grew up knowing I was loved, cared for, and would always have what I needed. Even after my parents remarried, my bonus parents made me feel special and deeply valued. My family instilled four key principles in me: to put God first in all things, to prioritize education because it can never be taken away, to believe in my ability to achieve anything, and to know that I am deeply loved.

After graduating from college, I found myself feeling lost and uncertain. My mom and Dad (we don’t use the word step-dad, step-sister etc. in this family) had moved to Dallas, Texas, to be closer to family, but I resisted the idea of leaving behind my friends and everything I knew. The struggle to find the perfect job after graduation and the dream life I had envisioned led me into a difficult period. It was during this time that my best friend’s mother reached out to my mom, concerned that I was not my usual self. In her gentle way, my mother encouraged me to come home.

Moving to Texas didn’t excite me initially, but I was welcomed with love and support from my family and community. It was then that I decided to start fresh and embrace the values my family had always instilled in me: to keep God first, to continue learning, to believe in myself, and to remember that I am loved.

I began working at Dick’s Sporting Goods, building friendships, spending time with my family, and enjoying life in Dallas. At that point, I thought I would continue climbing the ladder at Dick’s and be content with that. However, God had other plans. When the pandemic hit, I found myself unemployed and once again feeling uncertain. But instead of despair, I turned to prayer, focusing on my blessings—my health, my supportive family, and my friends.

While growing up, I once dreamed of becoming a pediatric nurse, but quickly realized that blood was not for me. I eventually earned a degree in communications with a minor in business and developed a passion for marketing. I love how stories can be crafted to capture attention through digital art and compelling narratives. Rather than waiting for the world to return to normal, I leaned into what I felt God was guiding me toward, and I began searching for marketing positions, praying before each application.

Within a month, I secured a job as a marketing assistant at Vision Commercial Real Estate. I was blessed with an incredible boss and colleagues, and I grew both professionally and personally. I was learning about advertising, real estate, and the importance of serving others—values rooted in my faith. I loved my job and believed I would remain at Vision, advancing in my career. But after two years, God whispered to me again.

While working at Vision, I enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Dallas and started working part-time for the Melville Family Foundation. Eventually, I felt led to leave my dual-income lifestyle and become the full-time Project Manager at my family’s nonprofit. Though I was initially apprehensive about working full-time with my family, I trusted God’s plan and took the leap.

I have now been with the foundation for nearly three years, serving the Dallas community. In this role, I have made meaningful connections, expanded my marketing skills, and found creative ways to help others. I also co-host a podcast with my best friend called The Black Girl Journey, a lifestyle podcast where we discuss finances, relationships, work-life balance, faith, and pop culture. This journey has allowed me to serve others, deepen my relationship with God, and enjoy life alongside my family and friends.

When I say, “I love my life,” it is a statement I fully embrace. My journey has been nothing short of a blessing. While my parents undoubtedly faced challenges, I never experienced hardship in the same way because I was always surrounded by love and support. For that, I am incredibly grateful.

If I could offer any encouragement to those reading this, whether you relate to my story or not, it would be this: always keep God first, continue learning because no one can take your education from you, and know that you are loved and appreciated by someone. Your dreams and goals are important, so move forward with the belief that something good is on the way.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This has not been a smooth road at all! It has been the most bumpy road with a few pot holes along the way, and I believe that whatever is next for me will also be very bumpy. When working with family and friends, you have to learn how to separate personal from business, but also remembering that adding a touch of personal makes the business good as well. The three pillars of our nonprofit are food security, academic excellence, and economic stability. We have to add a little touch of personal in these pillars so we can learn how to serve our community with our hearts. Same with our podcast. My best friend and I share some of our personal stories so that others can relate or find solution in their situation, but that means learning what to say and what not to day. Learning what our community needs and not what we think they need. Learning and growing ourselves, and more importantly failing, so we know how to do better the next time.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work for The Melville Family Foundation as the Project Manager; a non profit that exist to improve the lives of underserved children in the Dallas metroplex via economic stability, food security, and academic excellence. We specialize in connecting programs an opportunities to our adopted schools at Uplift Education. We bring STEM programs, books to libraries, food to communities, and more. I specifically do the background projects (marketing) I run our social media, create flyer, help with the campaigns and spearhead two of our partnerships.

I also am the co-host of a podcast called The Black Girl Journey. A podcast my best friend Alecia Smith, and I started to help Black women, and women in general feel like they are not alone. This podcast started by us having deep conversations on our couch, and suddenly we said, “someone may want to hear this!” We discuss work life balance, relationships, faith, finance and more. We have had amazing guests come on and express their experiences in different series, and now have listeners in 13 countries.

I am most proud of helping others. I love seeing a smile on a scholar’s face when they get to experience something they may have thought they would never, and I love when our listeners send us messages saying they can relate or share their stories. Helping others encourages me to keep going, and the long nights are worth it.

What sets me a part; I try to not make any decisions without consulting with God. Every good decision is made with God.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes! The best lessons I’ve learned during Covid-19 is to never give up on your goals, and having hobbies are important. During Covid-19 I think a lot of people had the opportunity to tap into the goals they made have forgotten about and started new business, etc when we should always be encouraged to make goals and work on them. I also think Covid-19 allowed us to try new things like painting, sewing, knitting etc, which is another reminder that having a hobby is important to release stress and to keep learning.

More importantly, I learned that I must keep up with my health and what is going on around the world as far as health, and taking care of others. The Covid-19 crisis helped me think about how I can continue to help others check-in with their health and be an advocate for people who can’t get resources for their health.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melvillefamilyfoundation.com/
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-black-girl-journey/id1620281239

Image Credits
Shiftkey for the Black and White photo