http://deuntawilliams.com
We all have a breaking point; this is a place where pressure has boiled to the edge of losing our composure. Adversity seems to strike when you are least expecting it and when it hits the true testament of your character is shown. For me it came on Dec. 29th, 2010. I was the #1 free safety in college football on my way to living my childhood dream of playing in the NFL, until I broke my leg. After three surgeries and 2 procedures I was declared medically unable to return to football. Instead of being defeated, I channeled the resilience that got me to that point and realized my life was bigger than football. I tell a conversational story about my life; everything from how growing up in poverty created an insatiable thirst to excel to my exploits in sports and business. This book will empower athletes and non athletes alike with a gift of knowledge that will motivate readers to begin their journey of resilience.
Deunta Williams
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Deunta Williams is an entrepreneur, former college football All-American athlete, and youth
advocate who epitomizes resilience. Growing up in a public housing project in Jacksonville,
North Carolina, at an early age, Deunta was exposed to immense poverty and lack of educational
resources. Despite his environment, he had an insatiable desire for knowledge and a relentless
commitment to overcoming obstacles in his path. After a notable high school career as a threesport
athlete playing football, basketball, and track; he selected a football scholarship to the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill from numerous scholarship offers. At UNC, Deunta’s
achievements continued when he reached All-American status and was projected as a top safety
for the NFL Draft for his class. These accolades, however, came to a screeching halt when
Deunta broke his leg the last game of his college career and was declared medically unable to
return to football. Instead of being defeated, he channeled the resilience that got him to that point
and realized his life was bigger than football.
Deunta believes that with a “champion mindset” you can overcome any obstacle in your life. His
drive has always come from his entrepreneurial prowess that started in elementary school with
him selling egg sandwiches to his classmates. After finishing his degree in management and
society at UNC, he became the owner of a Zaxby’s franchise that he would later sell for profit at
the age of 24. Following that, over the next four years Deunta became an investor in corporate
and residential real estate; corporate stocks and bonds; and a mobile app that was sold to Twitter.
While exploring these business endeavors, he earned a Masters in Business Administration from
the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University. Most importantly, Deunta uses
his business acumen and inspiring testimony to encourage and empower others through life
coaching and the numerous other uplifting activities he has initiated or participates in.
Always remembering where he came from, Deunta is a passionate change agent in the lives of all
youth. He is the founder and director of Exciting Movement, Expanding Resources, and Genuine
Engagement (EMERGE) Youth Foundation. EMERGE has been developing since 2012, with the
mission of exposing underserved youth in Jacksonville to all facets of a successful life. The
foundation has helped over 500 young people through football camps; Thanksgiving giveaways;
after school seminars; and an annual back to school event that provides haircuts, hairstyles,
manicures, and school supplies to Jacksonville youth.
Deunta believes most of all that his story can be the catalyst for change in the lives of others.
Currently, he is authoring an empowering self-help book that captures the most vulnerable
moments that exist within recreating yourself and finding new purpose. Throughout the book, he
uses his sage outlook on life and rare experiences to share wisdom that will motivate readers to
begin their journey of rebirth and resilience.