Not every story of influence takes place under bright lights. Some people shape lives from behind the scenes, building families and communities while someone else holds the microphone. Dede Moseley knows this reality well. As the wife of motivational speaker Eric Thomas and co-pastor at A Place of Change Ministry, she’s spent decades supporting her husband’s public work while maintaining her own leadership role in faith and family.
Her name appears in searches thousands of times each month, yet she remains relatively private. People want to know who she is, how she met Eric, and what role she plays in his success. The answers reveal a woman who chose partnership over spotlight, ministry over fame, and family as her foundation.
Who is Dede Moseley?
Dede Moseley serves as co-pastor and First Lady at A Place of Change Ministry in Detroit, Michigan. She’s married to Eric Thomas, widely known as ET the Hip-Hop Preacher, whose motivational speeches and books have reached millions worldwide. While Eric travels the country delivering keynote addresses and coaching sessions, Dede anchors their family and ministry work at home.
She graduated from Oakwood University, a historically Black Seventh-day Adventist institution in Alabama. Her education there shaped both her faith foundation and her approach to community leadership. The ministry she helps lead focuses on spiritual growth and practical life transformation, serving members throughout Detroit and beyond.
Early life and background
Details about Dede’s childhood remain largely private, which seems intentional. What’s known comes primarily from ministry posts and occasional family references Eric shares during speaking engagements. She grew up with strong faith influences that eventually led her to Oakwood University, where her path intersected with Eric’s during a difficult season in his life.
Her decision to attend Oakwood proved significant beyond academics. The university’s emphasis on service and spiritual development aligned with values she’d carry into marriage and ministry. Friends from that era describe someone grounded, practical, and deeply committed to her beliefs. These traits would prove essential in the years ahead.
Meeting Eric Thomas & family life
Eric and Dede’s story begins during Eric’s homeless period in Detroit. He was struggling, sleeping in abandoned buildings, and searching for direction when their paths crossed through church connections. Dede saw potential in a young man most people overlooked. Their relationship grew as she supported his journey toward education and purpose.
They married young and built their family while Eric pursued his GED, then college degrees, and eventually his doctorate. Dede worked, managed their household, and raised their children while Eric studied and developed the speaking career that would later make him famous. She handled the practical realities that allowed his dreams to take shape.
The couple has two children, Jalin and Jayda. Both have grown up watching their father inspire audiences worldwide while their mother maintained stability at home and in their church community. Dede’s parenting style emphasizes faith, education, and resilience. She’s spoken in ministry settings about the challenges of raising children in a household where one parent travels constantly, stressing the importance of consistency and open communication.
Family photos shared on ministry’s social media show a tight-knit group. Eric frequently credits Dede in his speeches as the reason he survived his lowest moments and achieved his highest goals. He describes her as his first believer, the person who saw his potential when he couldn’t see it himself.
Role in ministry: Co-Pastor & First Lady
A Place of Change Ministry operates as more than a traditional church. The organization focuses on life transformation through biblical teaching and practical support systems. Dede serves as co-pastor alongside Eric, sharing leadership responsibilities and guiding programs that serve their congregation.
Her ministry work includes overseeing women’s groups, coordinating community outreach, and supporting members through personal challenges. She teaches regularly, leads prayer sessions, and helps structure the ministry’s growth as Eric’s public profile has expanded. While he’s the more visible face, she handles much of the operational and pastoral care that keeps the community strong.
The ministry celebrates her publicly during special occasions. Birthday posts and anniversary messages from the church’s Facebook page highlight her commitment to service and her impact on members’ lives. These glimpses show someone respected not just as the pastor’s wife but as a leader in her own right.
Public presence & social media
Dede maintains a Facebook profile where she shares occasional updates, mainly focused on ministry events and family milestones. Her posts reflect someone comfortable with selective sharing rather than constant public visibility. She’ll appear in photos from church services, family gatherings, and ministry functions, but her profile lacks the polished influencer aesthetic common among spouses of public figures.
This approach seems deliberate. While Eric’s brand requires constant content and engagement across multiple platforms, Dede’s presence stays rooted in her immediate community. She doesn’t court attention but accepts the public interest that comes with her husband’s fame. Ministry pages tag her in posts celebrating her work, and she engages with church members in comments, but she’s not building a personal platform.
Her choice preserves space for private life while still supporting Eric’s public mission. It’s a balance many partners of famous people struggle to find. Dede appears to have established boundaries early and maintained them consistently.
Personal challenges & resilience
Some sources mention health challenges Dede has faced, though specifics remain vague and largely unconfirmed by the family directly. Eric has referenced difficult seasons in their marriage and personal struggles in general terms during speaking engagements, framing them as tests of faith that strengthened their relationship.
What’s clear from ministry posts and Eric’s public statements is that Dede has navigated challenges with privacy and dignity. She doesn’t share every struggle publicly, which protects both her family and her congregation from unnecessary speculation. This discretion has earned respect from those who know her through the ministry.
Her resilience shows in the consistent presence she maintains despite whatever obstacles arise. She still teaches, still leads, and still appears at church functions with warmth and engagement. Whatever battles she’s faced, they haven’t pulled her away from the commitments she’s made to faith and family.
Why she matters: impact & public perception
Dede Moseley represents something often overlooked in stories about successful people. Behind Eric Thomas’s platform, book deals, and sold-out speaking tours stands a partner who believed in him before anyone else did. She provided stability when his life lacked structure, supported his education when finances were tight, and built a home that could withstand the pressures of public success.
Her impact extends beyond her marriage. The women in A Place of Change Ministry see her as a model of leadership that doesn’t require a stage. She demonstrates how to support someone else’s calling without losing your own identity, how to serve a community faithfully, and how to maintain boundaries in an era that demands constant public access.
People searching for Dede Moseley often want to understand the personal side of Eric Thomas’s story. They find someone whose choices made that story possible. Her role as co-pastor, mother, and ministry leader shows a different kind of influence, one measured in transformed lives rather than social media metrics.
Where to learn more
Most reliable information about Dede comes from A Place of Change Ministry’s official Facebook page, where the church shares updates and celebrates her contributions. Eric occasionally discusses their relationship and her role in his journey during podcast interviews and speaking engagements, offering glimpses into their partnership.
For those interested in understanding the full picture of Eric Thomas’s success, understanding Dede’s role provides essential context. She chose a path that values substance over visibility, partnership over personal fame, and lasting impact over momentary attention. That choice deserves recognition, even if she never sought it.
