Monique Shontell Dawson

Hear Me Roar

HearMeRoar0522

May 2022 Issue


Monique Shontell Dawson

Career:  Nursing & Public Health Educator and Owner Operator
of Dawson and Dawson Home Care, LLC

Hometown:
 Beaufort, SC

Parents: 
George Sr. and Julia Dawson
Siblings: Walter, Stacey, George Jr. & LaToya



This month’s theme is #MamaBear, tell us how many children you have and your top three Mama Bear traits! I have five children—twin girls (29) Jay Leather and Shay Jones, and three sones Eric (18), Hayden (13) and Xavier- (20) my adopted son.

My top three Mama Bear Traits are: 
Birthing Children: I am a woman, and naturally, I birth babies. This is the first and foremost trait for me as a Mama Bear.
Love and Protection-
I keep my children close to me through love, cuddling, attention, affection and, most importantly, protection. My babies cannot defend themselves, they are fragile and vulnerable, therefore, I will build a wall to protect my babies. However, I teach them as they grow through guidance, observation and being aware of their surroundings until they are fully equipped themselves. This mama bear will go to the plate for her babies!
Being Supportive and Cultivating Independence in My Children.
I will always help my children follow their dreams and provide plenty of encouragement. It starts with understanding that they may think differently than me and also allowing them to make their own decisions. As a parent, I tend to make the majority of decisions for the younger ones, but it’s healthy for them to find ways to express themselves such as listening to music they like, deciding the course for their future, or picking out what they wear. However, I still provide sound-minded guidance and constructive criticism. Creating an environment that gives them autonomy is important. 

You take your #MamaBear with you practically everywhere you go. As a home health agent, tell us what people should look for in choosing home health for a loved one. When considering home care for your loved one, it’s important to receive an assessment. An assessment allows an agency to learn as much as possible about the patient and their unique needs. I like to know as much about the client as possible to establish a care plan that is suitable for their direct needs. The assessment allows family members to ask important questions and express concerns.

You own your own business which can sometimes be 24/7. What are your hobbies and what do you do for fun? I love traveling. I have traveled to: Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Singapore. My all time favorite is Jamaica! I try to visit every summer if time permits

Life is tough. What brings you peace and joy right now?
Gratitude brings me peace and joy. I am grateful God has given me a heart of compassion to love and love hard. Peace and joy for me is providing quality and compassionate care to the elderly. I am overjoyed when I build long-lasting relationships with clients and their families, but most of all I’m appreciative when I am given the opportunity to love on each client and offer gold standard care. In addition, my children and grandchildren are my ultimate peace and joy.

What three words would your children say describes you best?

Dedication: I give 110 percent of devotion to everything I do.   
Passionate: When you have passion for something, you love it,
even when you hate it.
Selfless: I exhibit great concern for other people and less concern for myself.

Who has been an inspiration or role model in your life?  
My mother! Dawson and Dawson Home Care, LLC was created out of my experiences as a young girl, watching and helping my mother care for my great-grandmother. I was awestruck with how beautiful it was, that my mother would sacrifice so much of her personal life and time. This was the beginning of my journey to build an in-home care business.

What’s the most important thing on your bucket list?
I would like to acquire and purchase land to build a veteran’s home facility to house homeless and disabled veterans. In addition, my bucket list includes traveling to Africa, Paris and Dubai for my 50th birthday.

If you could have a “do-over,” what would you do over?
I would have said to start an in-home care business 20 years ago. In retrospect, though, that is just the would-have, should-have, could-have. It was by design that God allowed everything to happen just the way it is today according to his plan.

What television or movie mom do you relate to most and why?

“The Cosby Show’s” Claire Huxtable is a mother and matriarch. She works in a demanding profession (lawyer) and values the importance of simultaneously maintaining a successful career and strong household.

If you could teach people one thing about health and wellness, what would it be?

Preventative care and maintenance! This is so important and is intended to help people stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Regular scheduled visits and tests allow doctors to identify any medical problems before they become major. 

What are you currently roaring about?
For my business, I’m excited about the growth I’m seeing and all of the outpouring of support. Personally, I am excited and proud that my firstborn son graduates this month from high school and has a rewarding career awaiting graduation!

12 Quick This or Thats
1. A store where every item is free or a restaurant where every dish is calorie free?
Store where everything is FREE!

2. Rich and famous or rich and unknown?
Rich/Unknown—I want to stay low-key and give to and bless folks freely.

3. Cooking or being cooked for?
Cooking! I love to cook and try new dishes.

4. Attend a party or host a party?
Host a party! I love entertaining. I’m very hospitable.

5. Lose sleep or skip a meal?
Skip a meal because I could benefit from missing a meal, but I definitely need sleep to be vibrant and productive.

6. Be embarrassed or be afraid?
Afraid. I’m okay with being afraid, which just means I’m chartering unfamiliar territory and feeling vulnerable. Having trust and faith helps me overcome the fear.

7. Sweating or shivering?
Sweating. I hate sweating but I’ll take it over shivering any day.

8. French fries or onion rings?
Onion Rings! I’m a big fan of onions, and for the most part, I have to cook most meals with onions.

9. Store-bought or homemade?
Store-bought because I like convenience

10. Art museum or history museum?
History. I love learning and exploring! 

11. NYC or Paris?
Paris. It’s on my bucket list!

12. Win the Lottery or Live to 100?
I want to live to be 100 and share stories with my grands and great-grands. My great aunt passed recently and she lived to be 108! She had so many wonderful and profound stories to share. Her mind was sharp as a tack.