Dr. Diamond Lee on Leadership, Faith, and Choosing Purpose Over Survival

By Tammy Reese | Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | L.E.A.D.

Dr. Diamond Lee’s leadership story does not follow a straight line, and that is precisely what gives it depth. A veteran, autism mom, advocate, and entrepreneur, Lee’s life has been shaped less by titles and more by decisions made under pressure. As well as choices centered on protection, integrity, and purpose. Her honorary doctorate arrived during one of the most destabilizing seasons of her life, a moment marked not by celebration but by resilience.

In this candid conversation, Lee reflects on leadership formed through lived experience, the quiet strength required to start over, and the evolution of success when faith, motherhood, and service intersect. Her journey offers a grounded perspective on what it means to lead with intention, build with discernment, and move forward without abandoning who you are.

Earning your doctorate while parenting and building a career is extraordinary. How did your journey through higher education shape your approach to leadership and entrepreneurship?

Dr. Diamond Lee: Let me clear something up right away because I don’t like confusion. My doctorate is honorary. And honestly that fits my life perfectly because nothing about my journey has been traditional. I didn’t climb a ladder. I climbed out of things. Situations. Seasons. Survival. When that recognition came, my life was upside down. Divorce. Court. False charges. Trying to leave narcissistic abuse quietly. Trying to keep my kids emotionally safe while I was barely holding it together myself. So no, I wasn’t celebrating. I was breathing.

Leadership for me didn’t show up polished. It showed up as restraint. As learning when to talk and when to shut up. As learning how to stay calm when everything inside me wanted to react. I was leading myself first. Through fear. Through confusion. Through moments where one wrong sentence could make everything worse. That kind of leadership will humble you real quick.

Higher education didn’t teach me how to lead. Life did. Education helped me understand what I was already doing on instinct. It gave language to skills I built in survival mode. It helped me stop second guessing myself. That was big for me because when you’ve been through chaos, you start questioning your own judgment.

Entrepreneurship saved me. I wasn’t trying to be impressive. I was trying to stay standing. Building something of my own gave me control when everything else felt like it was being decided for me. That’s why I don’t rush now. I don’t posture. I’ve already led through chaos. I know exactly who I am when things get loud.

What advice would you give women pursuing education later in life or against the odds?

Dr. Diamond Lee: First of all, I’d tell them to stop letting shame talk so much. Because shame is loud but it’s rarely honest. Most women I know didn’t delay education because they were lazy or unfocused. They delayed it because they were surviving. Raising kids. Holding families together. Leaving situations. Healing things nobody could see.

Coming back later feels different. You’re not guessing. You’re not there to impress anybody. You know why you’re there. You’re pulling information with intention. You ask better questions. You don’t waste time. You trust yourself more. That confidence changes everything.

And let’s just say this out loud. Some of the most valuable education I ever got didn’t come from a classroom. It came from motherhood. From advocacy. From trauma. From the military. From life humbling me in ways I didn’t ask for. Those lessons taught me discernment. Strategy. How to read people fast.

So if you’re starting later, don’t explain yourself. Don’t apologize. Don’t rush. You’re not late. You’re informed.

What has been the most significant lesson you’ve learned from balancing motherhood, education, and entrepreneurship?

Dr. Diamond Lee: This question always makes me laugh because people assume balance was planned. Like I sat down and mapped it out. Balance came after survival. Before that, it was just me figuring things out as I went. Sometimes messy. Sometimes brilliant. Sometimes both in the same hour.

As an autism mom, I learned fast that my kids feel my energy before they hear my words. If I’m overwhelmed, the whole house feels it. And that realization was uncomfortable because there were seasons where I was holding it together in public and falling apart in private. My kids didn’t need a superhero. They needed a grounded adult.

Education and entrepreneurship weren’t separate from motherhood. They were happening at the same time. Same breath. Same day. I’d be learning something new, building something new, advocating for my kids, then switching straight into mom mode. Some days I felt capable. Some days I felt completely out of my depth. Both were true.

The biggest lesson wasn’t time management. It was identity. I had to stop measuring my worth by how much I could endure. That shift didn’t happen overnight. It happened slowly. And honestly, that part of the story is still unfolding. That’s the book.

Thank you for your service. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur, and how did your previous experiences as a veteran influence your business approach?

Dr. Diamond Lee: The military changed how my nervous system works. I learned how to stay calm when things get loud. How to pause instead of panic. How to think clearly when emotions are high. That training doesn’t leave you. It lives in your body.

At the same time, the military showed me how systems can fail people when there’s no room for humanity. That stayed with me. After my service, I knew I needed autonomy. Life had already taught me that things change quickly and you need room to pivot.

Entrepreneurship gave me that room. Especially in public relations and entertainment where timing is everything. One sentence can change a narrative. One decision can protect or destroy a career. I don’t move emotionally. I sit with things. I read the room.

That approach is military discipline mixed with motherhood and lived experience. Structure with intuition. Strategy with compassion. That’s how I move.

How do you define success on your own terms, and how has that definition evolved over time?

Dr. Diamond Lee: Success used to be dramatic for me. Like movie soundtrack dramatic. Success meant surviving the day. If I made it through without crying in front of my kids, without losing my mind, I was like okay girl, you did that. Very low bar. Very real season.

Then success turned into proving the truth. Clearing my name. Protecting my kids from narratives they didn’t deserve. That season will wear you down because you start thinking success is endurance. How much you can carry. How long you can hold your breath.

And then autism said, we’re changing plans. I had built my career in Atlanta for fifteen years. Entertainment. Relationships. My name. My rhythm. And I had to leave all of that. I sold my home. Packed my life up. Moved to Colorado so my children could get the services they needed. No applause. Just me asking myself, are you really about to start over? And the answer had to be yes.

Now success is quiet. My kids being supported. Waking up without anxiety sitting on my chest. Knowing I chose them even when it cost me comfort and familiarity. If my life feels honest and my kids are okay, I’m winning.

Faith is a recurring theme in your journey. How has it influenced your decisions, both personally and professionally?

Dr. Diamond Lee: Faith found me when I was tired. Not inspired. Just tired. I wasn’t looking for sermons. I was looking for somewhere to breathe. That’s how I ended up in a sister circle led by Darlene McCoy and Dequonna Wise.

I had never experienced sisterhood like that before. These women didn’t question me. They didn’t judge me. They embraced me. They prayed with me. They sat with me. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel alone in my faith.

When I met them in person later, that embrace deepened. It wasn’t performative. It was real. It was covering. It was healing. That experience changed how I understand faith. Not as something you do alone. But something that can hold you when you’re falling apart.

Faith slowed me down. It corrected me. It protected me from becoming bitter in a season that could have hardened me. That still shapes how I move today.

If you could speak directly to women who feel overwhelmed by responsibility, what would you tell them?

Dr. Diamond Lee: I would tell them to pause. Like really pause. Overwhelm doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’ve been strong for too long without support.

I became a parent CNA because I had to stop pretending I could do everything from the outside. I needed to be in the system with my kids. To understand it. To navigate it. That humbled me. It grounded me. It slowed me down.

You don’t get a medal for suffering in silence. You’re allowed to ask for help. You’re allowed to change the plan. You’re allowed to choose peace even if it disappoints people.

Strong women deserve softness too.

What do you hope your story communicates to women pursuing their purpose amidst sacrifice and adversity?

Dr. Diamond Lee: I hope they see that purpose doesn’t always show up dressed the way you imagined. Sometimes it shows up as disruption. Sometimes it shows up as starting over.

Starting Voices 4 The Spectrum came from being tired of watching families feel invisible. I wasn’t trying to start an organization. I was trying to protect my kids and families like mine. Advocacy changed my purpose from success to impact.

Nothing I’ve been through disqualifies me. False accusations didn’t erase me. Abuse didn’t define me. Starting over didn’t mean I failed. It meant I chose my children and myself.

And there’s more to that story than people know.

What else would you like our readers to know about you at this time?

Dr. Diamond Lee: I move differently now. Slower. More intentional. I protect my peace because I learned the hard way what happens when you don’t.

Everything I do now comes from lived experience. Public relations. Music. Advocacy. Autism. Mental health. Domestic violence awareness. None of it is theoretical.

I’m still becoming. And there’s more to tell.

Looking back at your journey so far, what are you most proud of personally and professionally?

Dr. Diamond Lee: Personally, I’m proud my children felt chosen. They knew their needs mattered even when it cost me everything else.

Professionally, I’m proud I didn’t disappear when things got hard. I shifted. I built differently. I stayed soft. I stayed faithful. I stayed me.

That’s a win I don’t take lightly.

Keep up to date on Instagram @diamondleeofficial

---

Owner of Visionary Minds Public Relations and Media, Tammy Reese is an award-winning writer and journalist best known for landing major interviews with Angela Bassett, Sharon Stone, Sigourney Weaver, Laurence Fishburne, Geena Davis, Billy Porter, Morris Chestnut, Nelly, Mona Scott Young, Giancarlo Esposito, Luke Evans, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jennifer Connelly, Joseph Sikora, Meagan Good, Leon, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Phylicia Rashad, Omar Epps, Courtney Kemp, Vivica A Fox, Ryan Coogler, and so many more.

She is a proud member of ForbesBLK as well as New York Women in Film and Television.

Other articles by Tammy Reese in Vision & Purpose LifeStyle Magazine.

---