Frances Hewlett Morris was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She grew up in extreme poverty in the segregated South during the Civil Rights Era. She is a graduate of Tennessee State University where she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She began her professional career as a registered nurse at a teaching hospital dedicated to serving the vulnerable and underserved population. She continued her studies and earned a Master's degree in Health Law at Champlain College. She is a retired military officer and health care leader for a Fortune 100 company. After retiring, she began researching the reasons for poverty in the United States. Her goal is to help empower others to escape the debilitating clutches of poverty. She created a blog, Francie Mae's Journey, and wrote her first book, The Tangled Web: A little girl's struggle to overcome racism and poverty. She was inspired to write her second book, The Footlocker: A family's journey out of poverty, to honor her parents, George Hewlett II, and Charlotte Wallace Hewlett. Faith, family and fun are important to her. She is a mother, grandmother, sibling, and widow. She loves to laugh out loud, dance lively, travel, and enjoy life's adventures.