misscleo
misscleo
Member for 25 weeks 5 days
- Bio
- Cleo was born Carolyn Denise Collins on January 1, 1963 in Gainesville, Fla. Raised on a farm by her grandparents, Naomi and Gentle Lee, in a small town called Alachua, Fla, where she had very humble beginnings. Moved to San Francisco, CA with her mother and stepfather at age 7. An old soul, Cleo was very mature, responsible, and independent as a child. Her childhood fantasy was to become a fashion designer when she grew up, which explains why she would trace the models in her mother's Frederick's catalogue and use them as her sample paper dolls for her clothing designs. Her aunt thought she would be a good model, so her parents sent her to Barbizon Modeling School in SF--a career she did not pursue because she was young and lacked motivation. In retrospect, she just wasn't conceited enough. Her mother never had any more children, so she grew up as an only child, always wanting to know who her father was, since she did not connect with her mother on any level. Adopted by her stepfather, which changed her last name to Allen when she was an adolescent. A family crisis forced Cleo to separate from her family to eventually find her own place by age 19--she fondly remembers her first little studio apartment in Oakland, CA. Met her babies' daddy at 21--what was supposed to only be a booty called turned into 3 children later by age 27, and a life of lies, deceit and betrayal. By age 30, Cleo decided to stop punishing herself emotionally and discovered the art of being true to herself, and by 35 had freed herself from marital bondage, with the help of her faith and trust in God. Approaching the peak of her growing career in hospitality as an executive assistant, Cleo ran away, with only only the clothes on her back and her 3 kids, to live with family. By 37 Cleo bought her first home, where she finished raising her 3 children until all 3 became grown in 2008. After losing her job in 2007, painful parent/child dilemma, serious drama with her own mother and extended family members, and 2 pre-foreclosures on her home, Cleo is now on a mission to live the next half of her life as the "Libertine Woman" she desires. She is now committed to taking care of Cleo first, being forever true to herself, and living her best life. At 45 Cleo has stumbled upon a life-changing discovery--her Strengths: emphathy, harmony, developer, learner, and positivity, all of which confirms why encouraging, understanding, motivating, and inspiring others comes natural to her, solidifying her life's purpose here on earth. The journey to realizing her dream requires a fresh start physically and mentally, which would not be possible without the love and support of her sistahfriend and fellow Alphawoman, Deborah Porter, the LVShudiva, with whom Cleo now resides with in Las Vegas, while she awaits the arrival of the love of her life, and photographer-husband-to-be--her Gbaby:-)
