When we picture success, we often first imagine it within the confines of a limited frame; whether we’re aware of it or not, many of us have a narrow idea of what success looks like. People who reach their goals visualize the outcome, work hard, and (with perhaps a bit of luck) they achieve their dream. Right?
The reality is that for most of us, this isn’t how it usually plays out. Success isn’t one-size-fits-all, and when it comes to achieving our goals, there isn’t a recipe that yields perfect results every time. Hard work and effort may play indispensable roles in leading us to our aspirations, but the journey to achievement isn’t always a straight line. In fact, the bumps, twists, and turns we encounter along the way make our successes all the more rewarding — not merely because we paid in sweat and tears, but because our trials and tribulations come to define our values and character.
For University of Bridgeport ENet alum Jamilia “4EVA” James, success has come in many forms. Between her singing career, time as a student, philanthropic work, and life-coaching practice, she’s achieved her aspirations in stride — embracing each challenge as an opportunity to grow while never turning her back on her community. Read on to discover more about James’ journey to professional success.
Uplifting and inspiring
4EVA sees a road of incredible opportunity ahead of her — promising the chance not only to express her bottomless creativity but to use it as a tool to lead, inspire, and enlighten others. Her day-to-day life strikes an elegant balance between artistry and philanthropy. Currently pursuing a credential in culinary studies, James makes her living as a musician, life coach, and author.
Beyond her work as a student and a professional, James is always giving back to the New Haven community through her volunteerism with homeless individuals, her work with the New Haven Board of Education, and her efforts with the Chosen Children After School Program of New Haven, CT
Her long-term goal in all of this is palpable and compelling — through her LLC, 4EVATV Enterprises, James dreams of launching a culinary talk show that focuses on using food and music to uplift, inspire, and educate viewers.
Addressing identity
For 4EVA, there could be no better place to give back and share her gifts than the New Haven community — in the very city where she found her own start. “I was a runaway,” she recalls, “but my adoptive family formed at a local New Haven facility for displaced youth called ‘A Home Away from Home’.”
James was the youngest in a family of 10 brothers and 5 sisters. Despite having a large family, 4EVA still found the quiet time necessary for self-exploration and discovery. At 9 years old, she began tapping into her musical talents. “I would freestyle when nobody was around to see how I could make rhymes and blends,” she remembers.
After issuing her first musical release at 16, 4EVA found herself adrift down a precarious path many young people in America struggle to escape. “I began straying away from my own identity, and things went haywire,” she recounts. “The music industry can take you down dark roads with money, drugs, glitz, and glamour. You’re exposed to a lot, and it can become dangerous.”
Progressively, James began swimming against the tide to escape the many lures of an exploitative industry. Despite these efforts, she encountered the very troubles she sought to avoid. “I’d started turning my life around, but I was caught up with the wrong people,” she describes. “In my ignorance, I bought a car from a friend who regularly sold them — come to find out that friend had fallen into addiction. The car he was selling me had been traded for drugs, which I didn’t realize at the time. Because I purchased the car, I ended up being arrested.”
Clarity and confidence
For artists, musicians, and writers alike, the desire to create is an intrinsic part of their identities — something 4EVA’s journey exemplifies. Although she found herself incarcerated, James didn’t let circumstances circumvent her creativity.
Always inclined toward the written word, 4EVA had long dreamt of marrying her musical talents and gift of encouragement with her abilities as an author. However, it wasn’t until she enrolled in the ENet program at University of Bridgeport that she began understanding how to actualize her goals. Coordinated by program director and business professor Dr. Matt Connell, MBA, the Entrepreneurial Network program provides career-ready training and certificate programs for currently and formerly incarcerated individuals — helping them develop marketable skills, establishing a sense of support and community, and combatting the likelihood of recidivism.
For James, the opportunity to earn a business certificate was the game-changer she’d been waiting for. “ENet helped me put my projects together and structure my business, which helped me understand my own identity as a musician, life coach, and author,” she recounts. “It gave me courage and stability when I was a bit stuck at a place where I didn’t know what to put first. I learned to start with my music. When people learn about my music, they learn more about who I am and discover everything else I have to offer.”
As 4EVA began fully embracing her voice, she was overcome with a new sense of clarity, confidence, and purpose. “I wrote my book, 90 Days to God, in 2012, but it wasn’t until ENet that I felt confident enough to present it. The professors even helped me come up with packaging, costs, and determine a target audience.”’
Beyond helping James streamline her vision, ENet increased her business know-how. “I learned about the dynamics of business, marketing, and accounting. Anything I needed to run my business, I gained.”
“It was like lightbulb after lightbulb began going off.”
4EVA found that ENet wasn’t just an asset for upping her game as a professional. She also found inspiration in the kindness and support demonstrated by her instructors. “My professors were so down-to-earth, and they offered us this gift,” James shares. “We would have never made it through ENet if they didn’t have so much grace for our trials. Many students are coming to this program not having completed high school, so they come from real struggles with the educational system. I would highly recommend ENet to anyone and everyone. It was amazing to have seasoned experts pouring in and sharing information. It was like lightbulb after lightbulb began going off.”
In 2023, 4EVA completed her studies. She has since been blazing her own trail, but still maintains ties with her colleagues and instructors. “The professors have shown us support even after graduation,” she smiles. “Matt Connell meets and follows up with me and my classmates. I’m still able to reach out about marketing and branding to help further my business.”
Aiming to make a difference
Although James continues to start with her music, she describes her work as faith-based. 4EVATV Enterprises, LLC., operates out of New Haven, CT, and is quickly gaining traction on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. 4EVA’s business is powered by a personal and spiritual philosophy: we are winning souls who are winning souls.
James’ book, 90 Days to God, aims to make true on this mantra. Serving as more than a work of literature or a self-help book, 90 Days to God is a bridge within her enterprise — playing an essential role in her life-coaching practice.
Through her life-coaching practice, James offers three months of comprehensive support for a one-time fee of $90. Her flexible approach lends empathy and support to individuals facing circumstances ranging from addiction and cancer to marital strife and insomnia. James’ 90-day experience includes weekly one-on-one coaching to help clients discern their struggles and identify their goals. Between their meetings with 4EVA and additional life coaches, clients complete daily prompts available in 90 Days to God. She also makes herself readily available for prayer, spiritual discussion, and dream interpretation.
Resist and hit pause
One of 4EVA’s key teachings is the transformative power of resistance. By encouraging her clients to defy urges and impulses for 90 days, James helps them remove themselves from negative influences — enabling them to achieve clarity and balance. “In my book, you name something you’ll resist. You have to promise to resist temptation and not accept offers,” she explains. “Even if you’re older, you can’t just lean on your own limited understanding of things. You have to retrain your brain to transform your mind.”
Another tenant 4EVA teaches is to give oneself grace by hitting pause long enough to heal. “If you need to regain your footing again, you have to pause everything coming toward you. To do this, it’s important to keep things exactly the same.”
Through a meditative approach that makes room for positivity, James has seen her clients achieve peace of mind and a newfound sense of purpose. “When you reach 90 days,” she says, “a grace period happens wherein you can look back with heightened discernment.”
With empathy and understanding, James works to meet her clients wherever they may find themselves in life. “I don’t turn people away if they want my help but are struggling to pay,” she reinforces. “My program teaches them to become givers instead of borrowers. I call and check in with those who are struggling to pay just as I do with those who are paying for my program. I help them find access to housing, food, social services, and other resources. No one is denied access.”
Including the community
90 Days to God isn’t only a professional practice for James. It’s also a charitable one. Every Thursday at 6 p.m., this plays out in real-time when James hosts a free, in-person seminar. Held on-site at the New Haven Library, the sessions are also live streamed to YouTube.
James’ seminars fulfill a meaningful purpose in the community. “It brings in community members who are often estranged from the world, many of whom are homeless,” she shares. “They go next door to get food and then come to sit in the library café. Every week, I give away a book to whomever participated most during the seminar.”
“It’s been amazing,” 4EVA reflects. “With a community in need, making a difference is more payment than you could ever be given. You can see them growing, becoming enlightened, and working to reframe their narratives.”
4EVA’s efforts to uplift her community extend beyond her coaching practice. A devout volunteer, she works and participates with the Life Kingdom Outreach Ministry, primarily helping with youth outreach, senior citizens, and the homeless community.
Between 90 Days to God and her charitable work, James frequently assists individuals in the Tent City encampment. Over the summer, she helped organize and run a free fish fry for the community. She’s also spearheaded clean-up committees, which provide participants with a paycheck.
Although helping alleviate housing insecurity is an uphill battle, 4EVA sees immense value in every step. “I was able to get three people into housing from the Tent City community,” she recalls. “The people I did this for had actually been rebelling against me a bit. But now, you can see a meaningful difference reflected in their lives.”
Here to help dreams come true
The road ahead of James lays illuminated with promise. Music remains integral in 4EVA’s life, and she was recently honored for her work. “I had the blessing of winning Best New Gospel Artist in Connecticut at the Hollback Connecticut Gospel Music Awards,” she shares.
In addition to pursuing her culinary studies, she’s positioned herself as a force of positivity in the community — lending to her long-term goal of hosting a talk show.
For now, 4EVATV is expanding its identity — continuing to stream live seminars and maintaining an active presence on social media. Most of all, James wants her message to be shared. “I’m available for website building, graphics, flyers, music recording and development, performing, and life coaching. I’m here! Please allow me to help you have your dreams come true!”
To stay tuned into James’ journey, visit 4EVATV online!
Through the joint support of Goodwin University and University of Bridgeport, ENet is dedicated to offering career-focused entrepreneurial certificate programs. With hands-on faculty guidance, access to resources university-wide, and flexible study options, ENet will help you reclaim your narrative. Learn more about enrolling in ENet today! Call 203-576-4552.