EP6 Every Path Leads Back with Takama Statton-Brooks

Takama Statton-Brooks spent 22 years in higher education. She loved it. She was good at it. She had a career that by almost any measure was working. And then her father passed away, and she remembered a promise she had made to herself that she hadn't kept. She had told herself she wanted to get her social work license again. She had never done it. There was no reason not to, except that she was content. And contentment, it turns out, is sometimes the thing standing between you and the work you were actually built for. Now she is the executive director of Magdalene Serenity House in Fayetteville, a nonprofit that helps women with histories of incarceration, addiction, and trauma rebuild their lives. And the thing she didn't know when she took the job? She was returning to the very first population she had ever worked with. As a graduate student, she worked in a prison in Kansas. She had come full circle without planning to. In this episode of HerStory, Angela sits down with Takama to talk about the long road that led her here, what it's like to run a nonprofit that serves a population most people overlook, and what she'd tell anyone early in their career who thinks they know exactly where they're headed. In this episode, we get into: How 22 years in higher education turned out to be the perfect preparation for running a nonprofit serving justice-involved women The promise she made to herself after her father died, and what it took to finally keep it What Magdalene Serenity House actually does for the women it serves, and why dental restoration is one of the most critical pieces Why 'show up and pay attention' is the career advice she gives everyone, at every level What she learned about NWA that living and working here for 20 years had never taught her Takama talks about morning circles, the daily meditation practice that starts every day at Magdalene, and why she finds herself going to work feeling like she's just been to church. She talks about volunteering on nonprofit boards, the bubble of campus life, and what it means to finally become a connected citizen of the community you've been living in for two decades. She also shares a goal she's been sitting on quietly. It's one that makes complete sense for someone who spent her career developing people and has a gift for getting a room's attention. If you want to support Magdalene Serenity House or learn more about their work, visit lovehealsnwa.org. The Women of All Generations event is June 16, 2026, 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center. Grab your tickets at fayettevillear.com/woag. Mentioned in this episode: Magdalene Serenity House: lovehealsnwa.org Thistle Farms, Nashville TN (model organization): thistlefarms.org Joy Morris, Director of Development, Magdalene Serenity House Leadership Fayetteville (Chamber Fayetteville program) University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (22 years in residence life) Women of All Generations event: fayettevillear.com/woag Connect with Takama and Magdalene Serenity House: Website: lovehealsnwa.org Email: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/magdaleneserenityhouse LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/takama-statton-brooks Mentioned in this episode: Women of All Generations | June 16, 2026 The Women of All Generations event is almost here. Join us June 16, 2026 from 3 to 6 PM at the Fayetteville Town Center for an afternoon of real conversation, connection, and celebration. Tickets and sponsorships are available now. You belong in that room. Grab your spot at fayettevillear.com/woag.