She.E.O Series: Alisha Kersjes of The Threaded Compass

Meet Alisha

Alisha Kersjes is the founder of The Threaded Compass Apparel and the creator of the Wear Your Worth movement. A brand born not from a business plan, but from a breaking point. A domestic violence survivor, mother, and former painting contractor of 11 years, with 25 years experience. Alisha built something entirely new from the rubble of burnout, back surgery, and a quiet moment of surrender. Her hand-stitched denim jackets and purposefully designed apparel carry a message she lived before she wore it: your worth is built within. Today, Alisha is expanding her mission into the community by working with youth, building toward a nonprofit, and showing up for women who are finding their footing again.

You can find her at The Threaded Compass and on Facebook at The Threaded Compass Apparel.

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You spent 25 years transforming spaces through paint, then a back surgery changed everything. Take us back to that moment — what was stirring in you, and how did The Threaded Compass come to life?

It was a lot happening at once. I had the back surgery, and then my daughter was going to be a mom. I wanted to help her in a way that we could grow together, so we opened a clothing boutique — she could bring the baby to work, and it gave us something to build. But she was 18, and eventually the drive faded for her. I felt obligated to keep things going, and I was still painting houses on top of it. Friday, Saturday, Sunday markets. Working 24/7. I was already spent.

I remember driving home one Sunday and just saying out loud

“God, I can’t keep doing this. Use me.”

That was my come-to-Jesus moment. Not long after that, I took seven days completely off — didn’t talk to anyone, deleted social media, just cried and listened to music. I thought it was a mental health break. It turned out to be something a lot deeper.

Eventually I went back to painting, but my doctor told me my back had degenerated further and I couldn’t keep doing it. I wasn’t going on disability. So I looked at the boutique again and said, okay, let’s transition. I told my daughter, I need a new name, a new identity. She drew me a compass with a cardinal, a needle, and thread — and the logo came to life. I already had the renewed denim jackets in my hands before I had the name. And then it hit me: The Threaded Compass Apparel. Wherever we go, we weave the threads. That’s how it came to be.

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Your tagline is “Created by Faith, Renewed with a Purpose.” How does faith show up practically in the way you run your business and show up for your customers?

When I said use me — I wasn’t aware of the hard that was coming with that. When you ask God to use you, you better prepare, because the attacks come in ways you don’t expect. But everything I do, I pray about it first. Before any event, any decision, anywhere I go — I ask for guidance.

Without my faith, I wouldn’t know things are going to be okay. He planted me, rooted me, and grew me. That’s not just something I say. It’s how I operate. Everything we create is built from that foundation. There’s always a purpose behind it. We’re not making things because they’re trendy. We’re making things because they mean something.

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The “Wear Your Worth” movement is at the heart of everything you do. What does worth mean to you personally, and why did you feel the world needs this reminder right now?

Worth, to me, is an unshakable identity that God gave you — one that no trauma, no title, no rejection, and no season can permanently steal from you.

The movement came from my own experience as a domestic violence survivor. I wanted to help others embrace their self-worth and self-value, and really understand that self-love is a superpower you already have inside you. It’s not something someone else gives you. It’s not a trend. It’s a testimony.

The world needs this right now because we’ve gotten so far away from looking inward. Everyone is looking to other people — other opinions, social media, whoever’s talking the loudest — to tell them who they are. I want people to stop chasing an identity and start standing in the one they already have.

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Your Domestic Violence Awareness Collection feels especially close to the mission. What inspired this, and what do you hope someone feels when they wear it?

I went through it. And when you’re in it, you don’t always realize you’re in it. Sometimes it takes just one person, saying the right thing in the right moment, to finally reach you.

I want people to feel empowered when they put that on. I want them to know they don’t have to hold on to anyone else’s opinion of themselves. And I want them to know that when they wear it, they’re also supporting every other woman who is still in the middle of that story. It’s about strength. It’s about solidarity. It’s about saying — you are not what happened to you.

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The name “The Threaded Compass” is rich with meaning: paths, purpose, connection, renewal. How do you want customers to feel when they learn the story behind it?

I want them to feel empowered. I want them to realize that no matter where they are on their journey, their identity isn’t something they have to chase anymore. The compass, the thread — wherever we go, we weave the story. The path isn’t always straight, but you’re never without direction.

You matter. That’s what I want people to walk away knowing.

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For someone who finds your brand during a really hard season — rebuilding their confidence, finding their footing again — what do you want them to take away from The Threaded Compass?

Your worth isn’t something you look for in other people. It’s built within you, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about you — they don’t know what’s inside you.

I had a woman recently tell me that she couldn’t stop thinking about something I said because it reminded her that she’s worth so much more than what she’d been settling for. That’s what this is for. When I’m able to look at someone and say I see you — and they feel that — that’s working. That’s the whole point.

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What’s next for this movement? Where do you see it going, and what would feel like the ultimate fulfillment of the purpose you started it with?

I want to work with our 5th and 6th grade girls. That’s the first big transition — leaving elementary school, stepping into a world full of peer pressure, identity questions, social media, and comparison. Parents are busy. Life moves fast. And those conversations about self-worth and self-love get lost.

I’ve already started working with a class of students who need love and need to know they’re worthy. We built a six-month series — self-love, self-worth, being chosen, being loved. It’s interactive. It’s not a lecture. I want these kids engaged and walking out feeling something different about themselves.

Ultimately, it’s in God’s hands. But, what I want is for this to be a nonprofit, more importantly, I want to continue helping others embrace their self-confidence, self-worth,  self-respect & self-love. Reminding them, they are loved, chosen and worthy. I had someone sit across from me and say, why are you not a nonprofit? You have the plan, the heart, all of it. And she was right. That’s the next step — so that I can apply for grants, show up in schools, show up in places where love is needed and continue helping remind others through my pieces.

One conversation, one shirt, one session at a time. That’s how it starts.

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Connect with Alisha and The Threaded Compass: Website: The Threaded Compass Facebook: The Threaded Compass Apparel