Motivational Speaker and Essence Magazine bestselling author, Brenda L. Thomas isn’t one to shy away from giving her opinion. In 2001, Ms. Thomas self-published her first novel, Threesome, where seduction, power and basketball collide, and subsequently signed with Simon and Schuster where she penned Fourplay, The Velvet Rope and Every Woman’s Got a Secret, along with several anthologies.

In 2007, Thomas departed from fiction and ventured into the difficult reality of her own past with a graphic and deeply moving depiction of her 15 year struggle with domestic violence and drug addiction, when she released her memoir, Laying Down My Burdens.

Having established herself in corporate America as an executive and personal assistant at such companies as IBM, Morgan Lewis, Domus, and Director of Player Relations at AND 1 Basketball, Thomas became a sought after speaker, appearing on such shows CNN, ESPN, Dateline and Entertainment Tonight, to name a few.

As a result of her presenting a workshop titled, Domestic Violence Behind the Mask of Addiction, at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Conference, Thomas was honored by Lift3, a domestic violence center in Solano County, California by having a room dedicated at their transitional house in her name.

Thomas is considered an honest and compelling speaker for audiences of all ages, from the classroom to the board room, and with that, it has become her mission to speak out against domestic violence nationwide by raising her voice for those who have been silenced. She plans to raise funds for those shelters in each respective city where she shares her story of courage and determination.

Ms. Thomas currently resides in her hometown of Philadelphia, surrounded by her family and friends. In addition to being a domestic violence advocate, she continues to hone her craft of bestselling author, and Executive Producer of the forthcoming movie adaptation of, Laying Down My Burdens.