Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlene Dailey.
Hi Marlene, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is really one of faith, resilience, creativity, transformation, and learning how to turn the different gifts God has given me into purpose.
I have been in ministry for more than 25 years, serving in different capacities alongside my husband. Ministry has always been a major part of my life, but behind the titles, preaching, marriage, children, and responsibilities, there was also a woman who experienced her own share of rejection, hurt, disappointment, depression, and seasons of simply trying to survive.
Over time, I began to understand that none of those experiences had to be wasted. The things I lived through became part of my testimony, and eventually my testimony became part of what I was called to give to others.
But my journey hasn’t only been about ministry. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial and creative side as well. I created CALIJEMS, LLC, a custom gift and merchandise business where I have been able to express my creativity through personalized products, tumblers, accessories, gifts, and other unique items. CALIJEMS taught me so much about entrepreneurship—creating products, learning new equipment, marketing, selling, and sometimes simply figuring things out as I went!
At the same time, my personal journey led me deeper into Christian counseling, life coaching, writing, and teaching. My first book, Suit Up & Pray, grew out of my passion for prayer and helping people understand how to spiritually equip themselves for life’s battles. That opened another door for me, and I began developing books, study guides, workshops, and teachings dealing with rejection, depression, healing, leadership, prayer, purpose, and transformation.
My creativity also led me into creating and publishing coloring books. That has been especially meaningful to me because art and creativity were such an important part of my childhood. What started as a little girl who loved to draw, imagine, and create has now become another avenue through which I can inspire others. I’ve created coloring books for both children and soon adults, combining creativity with opportunities for relaxation, inspiration, learning, and encouragement. I dedicated them to my babygirl and I will creating more.
Eventually, my passion for helping others developed into SoulShift Consulting, where I bring together my experience in ministry, Christian life coaching, counseling, teaching, writing, speaking, and personal development. SoulShift allows me to help people recognize that where they are today does not have to be where their story ends.
Today, I am a wife, mother of six, grandmother of five, pastor, author, Christian life coach, speaker, creative, and entrepreneur. And I’m still evolving. I’m still creating. I’m still learning. I’m still dreaming.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that we don’t always have to fit into one box. I can love ministry and love business. I can preach and write books, create coloring books, coach someone through a difficult season, and then turn around and create something beautiful through CALIJEMS. I don’t believe one gift has to cancel out another. All of these things are different expressions of who God created me to be.
I don’t share my story from a place of having lived a perfect life. I share it from the perspective of someone who has lived through some things, learned from them, healed through them, and discovered purpose on the other side.
And that is where I am today—building, serving, creating, writing, teaching, and using everything God has placed in my hands. My message is simple: “you weren’t created just to survive—you were created to prosper.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not—it has not been a smooth road. There have been many beautiful moments, but there have also been seasons when I questioned myself, my purpose, and whether I had the strength to keep going.
One of my biggest struggles has been learning how to continue pouring into others while making sure I didn’t lose myself in the process. As a wife, mother of six, grandmother, pastor, entrepreneur, author, and someone who naturally wants to help people, I have spent a lot of my life taking care of everyone else. There were times when I had to learn that I needed healing, encouragement, and restoration too.
I’ve experienced rejection, disappointment, depression, personal hurt, financial challenges, setbacks, and moments when things I worked extremely hard on didn’t turn out the way I envisioned. I’ve launched things that didn’t receive the response I expected. I’ve had to start over, change directions, learn new skills, and sometimes build with limited resources.
Entrepreneurship has brought its own challenges. With CALIJEMS, I had to learn so much through trial and error—products, equipment, pricing, marketing, vendors, and what worked versus what didn’t. With SoulShift Consulting, I faced a different challenge: taking years of ministry experience, education, writing, coaching, and life experience and learning how to package that into a business while remaining authentic to who I am.
Even becoming an author was a journey. Writing something is one thing; learning publishing, formatting, marketing, distribution, and how to actually get your work in front of people is another. There were frustrations and mistakes along the way, but those experiences taught me enough that I now want to help other aspiring authors navigate that process as well.
Probably one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that a setback doesn’t necessarily mean stop. Sometimes it means it’s time to SHIFT! That is the tile of my new book – The Shift – Shift Your Life. Shift Your Soul.
There have been times when I had to reinvent myself, adjust the plan, pray again, try again, and believe again. Some of the very things that once made me ask, “Why am I going through this?” are now the things I use to encourage someone else.
So no, the road hasn’t been smooth—but I don’t think I would have the message I have today if it had been. The struggles gave depth to my faith, compassion to my ministry, substance to my writing, and purpose to my businesses.
I’m still becoming. I’m still building. And I’m still learning that sometimes the detour is part of the destination.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is multifaceted because I believe we can be gifted in more than one area. At the heart of everything I do, however, is one common purpose: helping people recognize their potential, heal from what has held them back, and move forward with purpose.
I am a pastor, author, speaker, Christian Life Coach, entrepreneur, and creative. Through SoulShift Consulting, I use my background in Christian counseling, life coaching, ministry, teaching, and personal development to help people navigate seasons of rejection, hurt, transition, spiritual growth, and discovering who they are and what they are capable of becoming.
Writing has become a major part of that mission. I am the author of Suit Up & Pray and have created additional books, devotionals, study guides, journals, and teaching resources centered around prayer, healing, rejection, depression, leadership, purpose, and transformation. I also teach and speak on many of these subjects because I want people to leave with something they can actually apply to their lives—not simply something that sounds inspirational in the moment.
Then there is my creative entrepreneurial side. Through CALIJEMS LLC, I create customized gifts and merchandise. CALIJEMS allows me to express a completely different part of my creativity. I love taking an idea and figuring out how to turn it into something tangible and meaningful.
I’m probably best known for encouraging people to keep going, keep growing, and not allow what they’ve been through to determine where they’re going. Whether I’m standing behind a pulpit, teaching online, writing a book, coaching someone, speaking at an event, or creating a product, I want what I do to leave an impact.
What I am most proud of isn’t one title, business, or accomplishment. I’m proud that I kept becoming. I’m a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and I’ve spent many years serving others while continuing to discover new parts of myself. I didn’t decide that because I reached a certain age or stage of life, my opportunity to dream was over. I kept learning. I kept creating. I became an author. I built businesses. I continued my education. And I continue to pursue new ideas and opportunities.
I think that’s also what sets me apart. I don’t believe purpose has an expiration date, and I don’t believe we have to fit into one box. I’m not afraid to start again, learn something new, or shift when God is leading me in another direction.
Most importantly, I don’t teach transformation simply because I studied it—I teach it because I’ve lived it. There is a testimony behind the message.
That’s why the phrase Shift Your Soul. Shift Your Life. means so much to me. It isn’t simply a tagline. It represents the journey I have lived and the journey I now have the privilege of helping others walk through.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was definitely a daydreamer. I had a huge imagination and was always creating something in my mind. Art was a big part of my life, and I think creativity became my way of escaping into another world whenever I wanted to be somewhere else.
It wasn’t because I had a bad upbringing. I was raised primarily by my mom, who was a single mother raising three children. We weren’t rich, but from my perspective, we had what we needed—and that was good enough for me! My siblings might tell that story a little differently. LOL. My mother taught us to be independent, resourceful, and how to take care of ourselves, and I realize now how much those lessons shaped the woman I became.
My dad was in my life, but he wasn’t as present as I needed him to be. As a little girl, I wanted his affection and attention, and for many years I found myself looking for that love in other places. When I didn’t receive the affirmation I was searching for, my imagination became one of my safe places.
I was also bullied by some kids who made me feel like I wasn’t pretty enough. At that age, those words can really affect how you see yourself. I think that made me retreat into my imagination even more. When the real world made me feel bad about myself, I could create a different world in my mind.
But looking back, I realize that the same imagination I once used to escape became one of my greatest gifts.
I loved art, music, creating, and anything that allowed me to use my imagination. For a long time, I wanted to be a singer. I never got to pursue singing the way I imagined I would, although I still love to sing today. I also always knew I wanted to be a mother. At one point I said I wanted 12 children—apparently God and I compromised because I ended up with six! LOL.
I loved having fun, hanging out with my friends, and going places. Train rides were one of my absolute favorite things, and I even loved simply getting in the car and going for a ride. There was something about going somewhere that excited me.
Now school? That was another story! I did not like school. LOL. I was an okay student, but academics weren’t something I was passionate about at the time. Interestingly, as an adult, I developed a genuine love for learning and continued pursuing education and certifications in areas that interested me.
When I look at that little girl now, so much of who I am today was already there. The daydreamer became the visionary. The little girl who loved art became the entrepreneur and creator. The girl who wanted to sing found her voice in other ways. The child who wanted a big family became a mother of six. And the girl who sometimes escaped into her imagination because she didn’t feel good enough eventually became a woman who helps other people discover their worth and purpose.
I don’t think I stopped being a daydreamer—I just learned how to turn some of those dreams into reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stan.store/SoulShiftConsulting
- Instagram: callijemsllc
- Facebook: Marlene Dailey
- Youtube: SoulShiftConsulting
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/author/marlene_dailey
