Meet the author
Carmen A. Gray
Carmen Alexis Gray is a woman whose persona of strength and achievement was cultivated through diverse challenges including extreme losses and failures. She is fiercely bold, uniquely vulnerable, yet unapologetically transparent, with a touch of wit and humor, making her a sought-after keynote speaker spanning over 20 years of experience. These attributes have opened doors for her in the US and abroad, with transformational delivery for both intimate and large groups. Carmen has crafted expert emphasis on personal and leadership development through effective conferences, workshops and online courses.
Ms. Gray is not a stranger to the public eye, in 2008, she launched her own television show with a platform for women in business. The show, “Dinner with Friends” was broadcast in several counties throughout the Atlanta, Georgia area reaching over ¼ million viewers. Her passion and love for people mirrors her passion and love for food creation and recipe development. This unique merger consequently led to the launch of Cooking with Carmen, a cooking concept that places emphasis on leadership development through cooking classes for corporations and youth groups. After years of multiple endeavors and some successes, tragedy altered that emphasis to focus on mental health education and awareness and thus opened doors for Ms. Gray making guest appearances on various media platforms in local, national and global news.
Carmen is the mother of surviving daughter, Destiny Amaris Gray a purposeful and accomplished young woman, and son, Curtis Israel Gray, a rising star athlete who was slain on April 13th, 2019, six weeks before graduating high school. Curtis’ accomplishments garnered him the prestigious Prevention Championship Award, an annual award recognizing one student athlete statewide. Curtis was the 2019 recipient for the state of Florida, going above and beyond to foster awareness on positive mental health and substance use prevention in his community.
In June 2019, Carmen established a foundation in her son’s honor to preserve his legacy. LLC Rise Above the Violence, Inc., is a non-profit organization promoting violence prevention through positive mental health education, awareness, and forums on trauma management in the aftermath of crisis for youth predisposed to violence. Mrs. Gray spearheads the organization as an advocate and speaker who has used food to bridge the language barrier between the clinical community and young adults about positive mental health. Her program, “Who Cracked My Egg™” engages participants with focus on Emotional Resilience with practical application for proven results in cognitive therapy through cooking recipes, workbooks, workshops and learning modules. Carmen Gray is an author, who has turned her pain into a road map for healing for parents who have suffered the loss of a child. Her “Gone” book series includes a workbook and online course. Through the utilization of her creative talents and leadership skills, Carmen strives to “be great” in her son’s name.
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