If you could go back to any point in your life and give yourself advice, when would it be and what would you say?

“There were a couple of pivotal points in my life; probably that I really could have taken chances and taken more risk. I didn’t, and I wish I would have. One of the things I think about is when I was in college, I took Spanish, and I had a teacher from Cuba. He was like, ‘You’re really good at this, think about getting a Spanish minor.’ That was a chance I didn’t take, and now I’ve taken every Spanish class and cannot retain it for anything. I really wish I would have seen that opportunity when it was in front of me, but I was trying to get to the next thing. I didn’t just take a breath and take the space and do it.” – Chandra Brown Stewart of Mobile

Stewart is executive director of Lifelines Counseling Services in Mobile and a This is Alabama 2023 Women Who Shape the State honoree. Meet more honorees here.

“Another fork in the road for me – I had an opportunity to either go to George Washington for a Gender Studies program, or have some cousins live with me. The cousins ended up living with me, and it changed my life because I work at an agency that provides services to the community. I love them dearly. They’re now my children cousins. They taught me a lot. They humbled me in many ways.”

Chandra Brown Stewart wishes she had taken more risks. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the chance yet?

“To be able to go to all the places that have Carnival. I’ve been to New Orleans, but I haven’t been to Carnival in Brazil. I haven’t been to Carnival across the Caribbean. To me, that could be a way that we’re connected in a very different way.”

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama News Center partnership.