BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Every week in March, CBS 42 joins our parent company, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., in recognizing Remarkable Women across the country. Based on your nominations, four semifinalists have been selected from right here in Central Alabama. The next incredible woman to be showcased as part of this series is Michelle Davis.

Davis’ story begins with memories of her childhood, especially of her mother, who pushed her to follow her dreams.

“She wanted me to not be a product of my situation, my environment,” Davis recalled. “She wanted me to have more. She wanted me to have a future. She wanted me to dream.”

Davis earned two degrees and worked for IBM. She’s lived around the world with her husband and is the mother of two girls. Knowing how to become a good mom was easy for Davis, because she helped her mom raise her siblings.

“I’m the oldest of six kids, and what ended up happening was I ended up partnering with her and raising my siblings, and I did that all my life,” Davis said.

Her faith and hard work took her around the world, working missionary trips and setting up Bible studies. One experience, however, would impact them even to this day. As Davis’ husband helped set up a Bible study in Kenya, he was brutally attacked, leaving him with debilitating injuries.

“He had set up a Bible study to meet someone at the YMCA which was in this park,” Davis recounted. “He went to meet the guy and it was a setup. They ended up just taking everything he had: his pants, his shoes, his clothes, his ring, and they ended up brutally beating him up. The injuries he ended up getting at the time in Nairobi [are] with him to this day, 30 years later.”

Davis credits her faith, and the lessons her mother taught her, for being able to pull through. That experience changed her, giving her a greater desire to give back. Now, she’s a bestselling author. Her children’s book, “Born To Be,” was written to empower children; in return, she feels empowered by her life. After a lifetime of caring for others, she’s ready to focus on herself.

“That was all just because of how empowered I felt. I could do anything, I could be anything, I could go anywhere, and I did! It’s just unbelievable,” she said. “This is my time to show up for myself. That makes me happy. I get to show up for me.”

Check in with CBS 42 every Tuesday in March, as we unveil a new Remarkable Women finalist. The winner will be named “Central Alabama’s Woman of the Year” in a special ceremony on April 5 at 6:30 p.m., only on CBS 42.