Who will walk the runway during New York Fashion Week and win $20,000? You decide.
Felicia Jackson
About Felicia Jackson
I almost lost my child, and it changed my life. I invented a CPR product to save others, and somewhere along the way I stopped showing up for myself. I'm 54, 5'2, and not a size zero, I'm finally chasing the unattainable dream. This runway is for me.
Learn More About Felicia Jackson
What makes you the Next Runway Star?
I am not the typical runway pick, and that is exactly why I belong up there. I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an inventor, and a business owner who has spent almost every day since 2010 pouring into other people. In 2002 I nearly lost my baby to choking, and even though I was CPR trained, I froze. My husband is the reason my son is alive. That moment turned into CPRWrap, a device that has helped protect over 100,000 families since. I have given everything to build something that saves lives, and I have gotten really good at putting myself last. This is my moment to show up fully as me, curves, confidence, story and all, and to prove that stars come in every shape, size and season of life.
What would this once in a lifetime experience mean to you and why?
This would mean the world to me, honestly. For years I have been the one behind the scenes, building a company, chasing grants, showing up for my family, and rarely making space for myself. This experience would be a chance to step into the light instead of pushing my business into it first. It would remind me, and hopefully other women watching, that you can be a mother, a founder, a caregiver, and still be seen as beautiful and worthy of the spotlight. It would be a full circle moment, taking the same courage that helped me build CPRWrap and using it to walk in confidence for myself for once.
What are you most proud of about yourself or what have you overcome and why?
I am most proud that I turned one of the scariest moments of my life into something that protects other families. Watching my baby choke and freezing in that moment could have broken me, but instead it pushed me to invent CPRWrap so no other parent has to feel that helpless. I have overcome self doubt, years of being told no, and the exhaustion of building a business while still showing up for my family every single day. I have learned how to keep going even when I am tired, even when I want to quit, because the mission is bigger than me. That kind of perseverance is something I carry with pride.
What would you do with the $20,000 cash prize?
Honestly, I would use this one on me. I have spent over ten years pouring into everyone and everything else and I have not taken a real vacation in more than a decade. I would take my family and finally rest, breathe, and just be present without a to do list running in the back of my mind. I was also in a car accident recently that totaled my vehicle, and while insurance paid it off, I have not been able to afford to replace it, so I would put some of the prize toward getting myself a reliable little car to get from point A to point B. This is my season to finally take care of me, and this prize would help me do exactly that.
Content from Felicia Jackson
Rise is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that helps sexual assault survivors across the country and around the world. They’ve created the most successful legislative reform movement in U.S. history: 120 laws passed, 1 UN Resolution and 112 million people’s lives impacted by their efforts.
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