GIRLS WHO GET IT-DAWN JOHNSON (online edition)

6:09 PM Posted by MS.NOVA

At fourteen the beautiful and bright Dawn Johnson was abandoned by her family. Forced to live on the street, she sold the most valuable part of herself in exchange for another day's survival and the cycle of drugs, abuse and being raped "countless times" were now occupational hazards. At 16, Dawn connected with her brother and when he asked what I did for a living she says, "I didn't want to lie to him and I didn't want to tell him the truth, so I had to stop."

Surviving teen prostitution was the beginning for Dawn, not her end. That is what makes her amazing. She proved that there are NO excuses and received a scholarship to a Jesuit University. Go get it Dawn!! It was then she started her path to success as a Motivational Speaker and rescuer of teenage prostitutes and runaways.

When Dawn aka The Self-Esteem Queen (SEQ) began following me on twitter, I read her story and immediately wanted to reach out to her! I was flip-flopping on whether or not to follow my own dreams of being a motivational speaker, and who better to ask then someone who is doing it and doing it well!

Wanting nothing in return, Dawn gave me pep talks over the phone for a few weeks and one early Saturday morning we met face to face. She brought binders of notes, workshop folders, CD's to listen, speakers to contact - everything I would need accept the mic and the stage! Right there, I knew this lady was the real deal because she was walking her talk.

Another reason I want to thank and profile her to all of you!!

Big things are happening for Dawn and even more for the future of her SEQ brand. Last year she began her Online TV show, SEQ has gone international, a radio show on BlogTalkRadio starts this week, clothing lines, a cartoon show, books, manuals, seminars, workshops, retreats - you get the picture! SEQ is about her biz-ness!!

Dawn is reminds me that you can thrive once you survive!!

Dawn Johnson is a Girl Who Gets It.