Meet Shalicia Torbert | Author; Director of Queendom Business Non Profit

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shalicia Torbert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shalicia, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
This question is always so fun for me to answer because I really have no hometown to claim. I was born in Germany, and I grew up as a “military brat” traveling around from place to place. Both my parents served in the United States Army, so I have lived in many different places. I tell people that I am from Florida because I moved there in middle school and went to high school and college in Florida. Those were important years that shaped who I am today. I also have very strong ties to Alabama. My paternal side of the family resides in Opelika, Alabama right outside of Auburn, Alabama. And when I was in college after my dad retired from the Army, he and my mother settled in Huntsville, Alabama.

This upbringing made me well rounded and adaptable to any environment. It also made me very flexible in life when challenges arose or moves had to be made fast. I am always able to pivot and change directions at moment’s notice. This upbringing also made me very resilient. My grandmother lived on a dirt road, with chickens and cows and I spent many nights as a child playing with go carts, trampolines or picking fruit off trees to eat, or shelling peas with my grandmother to prepare for dinner. With social media and the growing presence of online activities, many kids today didn’t get to have those types of experiences growing up. Being outside in nature, getting bit by insects, getting splinters from climbing trees are a right of childhood passage in my opinion and I believe having those types of experiences with peers really shapes and shows up in our behaviors as adults.

What should our readers know about your business?
Queendom Business is a nonprofit that started out as a book club during COVID. My best friend was killed in a domestic violence incident on January 18th, 2020 and shortly after that in March we entered a global pandemic. While I was dealing with my immense grief, so many other people were alone and afraid of what the outcome of the COVID-19 Pandemic would come to. During the periods of the government mandated isolation, I decided to connect everyone via my platform by hosting book clubs and seminars on different topics that eventually turned into a podcast.

It brought me much joy because in the same week my best friend passed away she told me that I needed to get a ring light and start making YouTube videos for all the content that I had on my mind. I am so happy that I decided to move forward with the vision that I had with a little push from her, here on earth and from beyond. It was certainly not an easy road to travel. There were a lot of things working against me, from personal relationships to every day matters. Dealing with grief, the pandemic, uncertainties of life and all the facets of starting a non profit, it was a journey in itself.

As I started the non-profit I wanted to focus just on domestic violence outreach, but I saw that there was a need for much more. I didn’t like leaving others out who had dealt with the traumas of child abuse, psychological abuse, or mental health related issues amongst many other things so I opened up my horizon to focus on all issues that impact my local community. I have been able to form partnerships with multiple elementary schools and the Job Corps in the Washington DC area.
I feel like I am doing what God placed me here on earth to do. My purpose is to help people turn their pain into something meaningful the way I did. The beautiful thing about life is that circumstances that may have been sent to tear us apart can actually be turned into something far greater. It shows the resilience that you have and what you are actually made of. It also shows the strength that I believe God has placed in all of us. Sometimes you don’t know it’s there inside of you until life’s trials hit you. It is perfectly ok if whatever you are going through takes you back a few steps but it is important that you don’t stay in that low place. You must “Turn Your Pain Into Purpose”.

I was in a really sunken place after Angel was murdered, but Queendom Business really helped me to heal and have something to look forward too. Whether it was an event that was coming up or our weekly book club, I had something positive to keep my spirits up. In a way Queendom Business became a support group to keep me going. I realized how many people I was helping, and it led me to keep going! I learned that the best therapy is helping someone else. The joy I get from helping others is something that is truly supernatural. The more I served my community the more healing I felt. I served my way into the healing that was meant for me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this question because my best friend did actually visit shortly before she went back into the military and we had so much fun!

There is so much history here in the Washington DC area that when people visit me I make an itinerary for them. Most people fly into town on Fridays so the first stop is the Smithsonian National Musuem of African American History. This museum is so rich in African American history, I truly feel like it is one of the best things the federal government has funded. I have visited the museum over 40+ times, and I was also there for the grand opening. Because of my government Job I am able to get visitors in without a ticket so every time someone visits me, they request a trip to this museum and I will NEVER get tired of it!

Hypothetically if it’s a Friday, the museum opens around. 10 am and I tell everyone you need at ‘least’ 5 hours to get the full experience. So normally when they are done it’s around 4 o’clock, which is happy hour in DC! I give my visitors 2 options. There is an upscale restaurant called ‘The Park at 14th’ that plays hip hop music and later turns into a night club that has very good food for happy hour prices. Everything is between $5-10 until 7! I always recommend the Mac n cheese, firecracker wings and clam chowder! Or a more casual option is Busboys & Poets, a restaurant, bar, bookstore and community gathering place. This place is so homey, the food is good and it has a book store located in the front. It’s a perfect place to start your weekend.

As Friday gets into the night, depending on who is visiting me, a night on U street is much needed! It is the city’s ultimate night life. It is about a mile of resturaunts and bars not to far from the Historic HBCU Howard University. So this street is Ideal for the college crowd. A DC staple called Bens Chili Bowl is located down here accompanied by one of my favorites Ben’s Next Door and also a very good soul food takeout called Ooh’s and Aah’s is located there as well. For the more matured crowd I would take them to the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino for a show or some fun, The Wharf to catch a ferry, or the National Harbor for some karaoke, or a ride on the ferris wheel.

Saturday is all about brunch! Some of my favorites are the Lyle, Milk & Honey and Kitchen Cray. And for dinner Carolina Kitchen which has the best soul food in the area and Stan’s another downtown DC staple that has been very popular for years. Every time I am in there I rub shoulders with a Mayor or Councilman or actor visiting town for a taping. Sunday, after attending my church the First Baptist Church of Glenarden depending on the weather, it’s nice to rent bikes or scooters and ride through downtown to see the monuments or cherry blossoms if it’s spring. Sunday is a good day because parking is FREE! And all of the schools visiting for field trips are normally headed back to their destinations.

I am “the hostess with the mostess” because when people visit me I ensure they have a good time! The one thing I let my visitors do on their own is ride the metro! I am not to fond of public transportation but many people visit and have to do it at least once, kind of like you have to ride the NYC subway at least once. I like to come and go as I please so I can’t be at the mercy of someone else or have to be somewhere at a set time in order to ensure I have a ride! I love living in Washington DC. It is melting pot for business professionals who also like to have fun and enjoy life. When you put all the politics on the back burner this is a great place to live that’s full of history and great moments that you have the opportunity to be apart of and maybe make your own place in history!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a big shoutout to my best friend SPC Angel L. Conner! My best friend was the ultimate encourager. She always wanted me to be the best that I could be. With a motivational text or a voicemail, she would always send well wishes whenever I had to speak at work, or take a test in school, or interview for a new position, she was always there rooting for me. Angel used to always tell me that I would be somebody important one day so she made sure that I always made the right decisions and that I wouldn’t let nothing negative get in the way of obtaining success.

I have so many mentors, spiritually and professionally that have spoken life into me and walked with me on the road to success. I have been blessed with great supervisors while serving 14 years in the United States Department of Defense and they have given me many opportunities to shine and succeed. I believe that it truly takes a village to cultivate greatness, and I have a very large village supporting me, from aunties, to sorority sisters, to big cousins to church family, a lot of people have played a role in my success. And that doesn’t go without giving honor to my parents, Shelton & Yvette Torbert, it’s because of them that I have a village this big. They spend their life pouring into others and in return I always have someone that pays it forward in making sure that I am taken care of. I have people on all corners of the world looking out for me, praying for me and rooting for me, and that’s all thanks to my parents.

Website: https://www.QueendomBusiness.org

Instagram: @QueendomBusiness

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@QueendomBusiness