PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Meet Quineshia Leonard: daughter, mom, professional athlete, best-selling- author, primary caregiver- just a few of the roles that make up her identity. As you can see, there’s not much that Quineshia doesn’t do, and each has morphed her into the woman she is today.
A young Quineshia grew up in Portsmouth with dreams of being a professional basketball player.
“My coach would always come after the games and tell my mom, ‘She’s such a big baby,’ because I’m so sensitive and a gentle giant and I wasn’t really one of those get down in the paint and rough up with people,” she explained.
But the gentle giant was good enough down low to earn herself a full scholarship to play at Norfolk State. Only it was here, at the place she was pursuing her dream, that it also slipped away.
“I actually ended up getting pregnant with my son my senior year at Norfolk State. So right after I graduated from Norfolk State, I went straight into becoming a mother and I thought that sports were over for me.”
Her basketball career ended sooner than expected, which wasn’t easy to come to terms with.
“It broke me for a long time, but I was able to come back from it,” she admitted.
And being a young mom brought along its own set of challenges including depression, anxiety, a complicated pregnancy, and many criticisms. At 21 with the support of her family, Quineshia welcomed a baby boy and a few years later had a baby girl. Motherhood was in full force, which brings us to yet another identity: professional athlete.
As a single mom, raising two children is no small task, and in the process, Quineshia struggled to prioritize herself.
“As a mom, you're constantly trying to make sure your kids are okay, your family is okay," she said. "Playing football was where I was able to give back to myself. I was able to feed into myself, pour into myself, and really make myself feel like I am still a person not just a mom. “It showed me that my life doesn’t have to stop in order for my kid’s life to go.”
An unexpected career path began from seeing an online ad to try out for a local football team.
“Never had a thought to play football ever, but now I don’t want to stop. Once I realized I really love football and I’m actually a little bit good, I decided to pursue a career in the WNFC.”
It was on the football field where the nickname "Hollywood" came from.
"This lady was talking and she just kept saying, 'Hollywood,' and I'm like, 'who are you talking about?' and she said, 'you!"
Mom by day, WNFC star by night, playing football filled the void basketball had left. In just her rookie season, Quinieshia was named Trench Player of the Year and was a member of the U.S. Women's Tackle National League which won the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women’s World Championship in Vantaa, Finland.
“To be able to have this second chance basically at following my dreams and doing it in a way that could be so legendary and so groundbreaking for women is amazing.”
On top of all of this, Quinieshia is also the primary caretaker for her older brother with autism.
"Working with my brother has shown me how different people are but also how the same we are. It really teaches me to be patient with because you just never know. Just looking at my brother you would never know that he had autism."
Quineshia has since been encouraged to share her story and decided to put pen and write her own memoir.
"Destined to be Different: My Journey to Professional Football," details her incredible story from watching her basketball dreams fade to realizing she could pursue the same dream of being a professional athlete on the football field.
"If I could use one word to describe my story, it would be overcome. Overcoming things that are usually meant to break people. Just keep pushing through, that's what my whole story is about."