Rising Stars: Meet Arica Quinn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arica Quinn.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Greetings, I am Arica P.retress Quinn. I was born in Inkster, Michigan, and raised in Colorado, where I currently reside. I am a mother of two sons, Jeremiah age 28, and Matthias age 17. I also have two grandchildren Pheonix age nine and Meliodas age four. I am 52 years young born October 1, 1969.

I am a woman who has experienced sexual abuse as a child, teen, and young adult. At age four the babysitter’s son at night would quietly ease his way over to the bed so as not to disturb my brother. He would gently lift me out of the bed and lay me on the floor next to it. Covering my mouth with his hand he would then proceed to take his nasty private out of his pants and lay on top of me a grind up against me. Once he had an erection, he would hold me down with one arm across my chest and that hand over my mouth. He would then pull off my underwear and try to penetrate me, but I would fight and wiggle as much as I could. He was persistent and would keep trying over and over again for a few minutes, but seemed like hours. When he would finally give up, he would pinch me all over my legs and arms with great force as tears would roll down my eyes. When he was done abusing and touching me he would get up off of me and put me back in the bed, dare me to tell anybody with threats of violence, and leave. I would lay there in tears, trembling and wishing my mommy would come. As a little girl, I didn’t know how to articulate what was happening to me, at this point all I really could articulate was that he pinched me. From age 7 to 12 I was repeatedly molested by an uncle. It started with fondling and escalated to sexual intercourse. With the escalation in his behavior came escalations in his threats to kill my aunt and my mother if I ever said anything. As a teenager, I was date raped by the high school football all-star, who I was dating at the time. It happened following one of our dates that while parked at a back he forced himself on me. Again with his own brand of threats I never said a word. So off to college, I go and found myself at a party where I was drugged and gang-raped. In the last episode was at age 22 walking home from school I was snatched into a car where two men tried to have their way with me. When thy were done with me they dumped me 2 blocks from home on the side of the street. This is how my story starts but not how it has and will continue to end.

Trauma is either transferred or transformed. I understand the intense work it takes to allow yourself to transform. Seven years ago I began a journey that took me through some hard work. Though I had done the work I still felt stuck because I had not gained my voice back. The voice within that told me I was beautiful, I was worthy, It was through being dedicated to the process of therapy and life coaching that I shifted from victim to survivor and now walking out what it is to be victorious.

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?
Transformation is not an easy journey but a process that takes time. At age 33, at the beginning of my journey, I had a close friend who was beaten beyond recognition. As I would go to visit her and sit by her bedside I became triggered. I began t have what I thought were nightmares of very vivid and horrible things happening to me. I struggled with these nightmares for about a year. I finally after having enough, spoke with my primary doctor and she recommended therapy. Now, this was the process itself because it is not one therapist fits all. I went to about 4 different therapists over the next two years until I finally connected with the one who worked for me. See most of the therapists seemed to be so ready with the solutions that they did not even really hear my heart. They were so busy trying to push what they deemed about how I should feel, rather than allowing me to feel a deal with my emotions the way I felt. So the process of searching too sometimes. I was delayed but not denied. In the meantime I still was dealing with the nightmares and even began to find myself being afraid to walk down the street alone, looking over my shoulder and walking from the grocery store to the car. I found myself struggling in all areas of my life. For 30 years of my life, I had built my life with a house of cards that now had fallen over and fell apart, which is what a house of cards does. I was faced with the naked truth of what had happened to me.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I began writing in 2013 as the first step in my healing. It was through writing that I began to let go of the emotional baggage I had been carrying. I released my first book in 2014 entitled just talk to me as an urban romance published author. To date, I have published 19 titles including five book collaborations.

I then was introduced to the world of pageantry in 2019 after being in a car accident in 2018 that left me in a depression. I competed as Ms. Colorado Plus America 2019 and my life was forever changed. It was through pageantry that I began to find my voice. To be empowered and share my story. In 2021, I competed again at the National All World Beauties and Man of Distinction Pageant system.

Following my first pageant experience, I got bit by the modeling bug. I have been modeling for 4.5 years. I have several shows including 2 times for New York Fashion Week. I love being in front of the camera and displaying my newfound inner beauty and strength.

The following are the strides and accomplishments I have made and that I am very proud of. I am the Owner of Quinn Prestige Management LLC, which will fully launch in 2022 and is the umbrella for the many facets that are me. CEO of Queen 2 Queen – Helping sexual abuse survivors 30 and older learn to love who they are after trauma as they transform to become who they dream to be, the founder of Girls With Them Curves The Movement which Elevates, Empowers, and Encourages the Plus Size Teen and Woman. I am a published author in the Urban Romance Genere under Snow Publishing and Self published in the Self Help space under Arica P Quinn housed under AriQui Books. To date, I have published 19 titles including 5 book collaborations.

Current Regaining Ms. All World Beauties Elite US 2021
Executive Director of Colorado All World Beauties State Pageant
Certified Transformational Life Coach
International Certified Specialist In Anger Management
Ordained Minister
Lady of Equity Model

I have been appointed as of April 2022 as the National Co-Director of the International I AM H.E.R Women of God Pageant System, which will have its Inaugural Pageant on March 17, 2023, in Atlanta. GA.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
So my desire for the next 5-7 years is as follows.

1. Expand and gown my transformational coaching into a non-profit entity so that I can be able to get the funding needed to better help my tribe. those individuals who have a similar backdrop story of their own.

2. TO be able to utilize my anger management service to not only work within the court system but to also work within both the church community and corporate world to provide my services as an Internationally Certified Specialist in Anger management.

3. To continue to grow Colorado All World Beauties and Man of Distinction as one of the platforms to help me help those who have experienced trauma find their voices again. TO also be able to empower young girls and women as well, while helping them to find their inner beauty and how to be of service in their homes and community.

4. To expand my modeling into more paid opportunities and to use modeling as a mother avenue to reach those who have been hurt by trauma and those who struggle with the concept of inner beauty versus outward appearance.

5. I also will continue to write and with that continue to complete my book series TUranform Trauma Into Power

2022 is a year of restructuring and organizing.

Pricing:

• Anger Management $300 for 8 weeks session
• Colorado All World Beauties and Mon of Distinction $765 competition fee

Contact Info:

• Email: queen2queensvoice@gmail.com coloradoawb@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arica.p.quinn/ and https://www.facebook.com/Colorado-All-World-Beauties-and-Man-of-Distinction-Pageant-104468208213588