Woman Wednesday: Kripa


Q and A with Kripa, from Fiji, living in Melbourne, Australia

“Whilst the struggle was raw, real, and overwhelming, it was one of the best things that happened to me. It was the start of a deeply personal and spiritual transformation that brought me back to who I am and what I stand for.”


Q: What are you passionate about?

A: I am passionate about empowering women to be seen and heard with confidence through authentic self-expression and wellbeing. There is nothing more captivating than seeing another woman show up in her truth, authenticity, and wholeness. For those that love Netflix and have watched Self Made and Becoming, you will know exactly what I am talking about.

I grew up in a conservative family and culture where women stayed at home, made sure meals were available on time, and looked after children whilst men went to work to earn an income to provide for the family. A woman was seen through her meals, upbringing of her children, and upkeep of the house. Her role was to work behind the scenes and not be seen or heard for who she really was and what she desired. This way of living was defined by customs and traditions which were passed down for many generations and shaped a lot of who I was and who I became in my earlier years.

 

96395758_1094861554201645_6160278486075310080_n

 

Following the tradition, at the age of 22, I found myself in an arranged marriage to a man who neither my family nor I knew much about. I moved from Fiji to New Zealand with my then-husband and 12 months later, I moved to Australia. After being married for three years, moving to two countries, having bought a house in Australia within 12 months of arriving, and having a good job, I was deeply unhappy and felt unsafe and unloved. This marriage was not built on love; the idea of an arranged marriage is to fall in love once you are married and as you get to know each other. My parents, grandparents, my great grandparents, uncles, and cousins have been in arranged marriages, which have been quite successful.

Unfortunately for me, I was married to a narcissist who knew my family and friends were far away and the only person I could rely on was him. I tried marriage counseling, personal coaching, changed my work arrangements, and no matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do to save this marriage. When we divorced (culturally a big no-no), I found myself homeless on the streets of Melbourne with no roof over my head in a foreign country with $0 in my bank account and no family or friends. I hit rock bottom.

The only thing I had was my job. At that time, I had two options, to stay or to move back to Fiji with my family. I chose to stay.

Whilst the struggle was raw, real, and overwhelming, it was one of the best things that happened to me. It was the start of a deeply personal and spiritual transformation that brought me back to who I am and what I stand for. Through my struggles, experience, and journey, I met so many other women who were going through similar experiences who needed help and support and most of all wanted to be seen and heard for who they truly were.

My own journey and experience became my passion and has been for many years except, I did not fully realize it until I found more and more women asking me for help, support, and guidance which gave birth to my business.
I help my clients by sharing the same tools, techniques, and resources that have helped me to go from:
✨Being homeless to owning two properties
✨$0 to multi-six figure income
✨A narcissist relationship to soul-mate love
My biggest achievement by far has been my ability to be myself 24/7 and unapologetically show up in my divine truth in alignment with my purpose, passion, and path-priceless.

 

95709013_679130466154462_296988871030210560_n

 

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: On 28 December 2019, I lost my father, my best friend. He passed away with stage 4 cancer. He was such a brave man and he never gave up. My father was my champion, my mentor, and my greatest supporter. He taught me to value education (he was a top performer in his class, but he was forced to drop out because he failed English being his second language). Among many other things, he taught me the values of kindness, care, love, and independence.

Losing him has been the biggest wake-up call for me. In his last days, I learned many things; he wanted to travel, retire (he was 65), spend more time with mum and his children (we all live in different countries). His passing has made me realize that LIFE IS TOO SHORT and enough with the excuses.

After being back from his funeral, I hired two coaches so I could start to serve more deeply and do what I am here to do in this lifetime which is to empower 5 million women to be seen and heard and to protect the planet and its inhabitants (around the same time as the Australian Bushfires). This is what motivates me, this is why I show up, and this is why I do everything I do.

Getting this clarity for me has been priceless and being able to serve and support other women on their journey a blessing.

PS My grandmother passed away on 7 May 2020 (she was the last grandparent alive for many years and was a pillar of strength for me and my family). She was a strong woman who lived through hardship and poverty and raised seven children. She was one of the strongest women I knew and her passing has made me even more determined in my mission to serve, empower, and show up for women who know there is more to life and want to live a full, happy, and healthy life which is their birthright.

96586872_741663036369022_3696169758819876864_n

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: Happiness is not something you seek; it is something you feel. It is available to you whenever and wherever you choose whilst being you.

 

96173071_236340834134449_5914702417982652416_n


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: Feminism to me is being who you are and showing up in your wholeness, fullness, and being-ness. It is about embracing all parts of yourself; the feminine and masculine while being AUTHENTIC to who you are at the very core of your being. It is about embracing and living in alignment with your divine truth with ease grace and flow.

 

 

Thank you for reading!

I’d love to connect with you!

Facebook: beingyou11

Website: https://beingyou11.com/

Instagram: beingyou11

 

Thoughts, questions, or comments?

Comment below! 🙂

 

Woman Wednesday: Celeste


Q and A with
Celeste from St. Louis, Missouri, living in Smyrna, Georgia

“…resilience, faith, and perseverance can transform pain into purpose.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am passionate about helping people heal, rediscover their purpose, and understand that their story still has value no matter what they have been through. As an ordained minister, life and grief coach, author, and community advocate, much of my work centers around supporting people through life’s difficult transitions, including grief, trauma, incarceration, family challenges, and personal reinvention.

Currently, I am developing faith-based resources, devotionals, grief support materials, coaching programs, and community initiatives that help individuals find hope, healing, and direction. I am especially passionate about supporting women, families, and individuals rebuilding their lives after setbacks.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: My younger years were shaped by both challenges and valuable life lessons. Growing up, I learned early that life does not always follow the path we imagine. Family responsibilities, personal struggles, and unexpected circumstances taught me resilience at a young age.

Education came both inside and outside the classroom. Some of my greatest lessons came through life experiences, relationships, faith, and overcoming adversity. Looking back, I can see how every obstacle helped develop my compassion for others and strengthened my desire to serve and encourage people who are navigating difficult seasons.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that your past does not have the final say over your future.

If people learn anything from my story, I hope they learn that resilience, faith, and perseverance can transform pain into purpose. What you survive can become the very thing that helps someone else heal.


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: To me, feminism means recognizing the inherent worth, dignity, and God-given value of women. It means supporting opportunities for women to grow, lead, learn, serve, and use their gifts without unnecessary barriers.

I am especially passionate about supporting women through healing, personal growth, leadership development, and life transitions so they can live fully and confidently in who they were created to be.


MORE ABOUT CELESTE: At the heart of everything I do is a commitment to service. Whether through ministry, coaching, writing, mentoring, or community outreach, my goal is to leave people better than I found them.

My life’s work is helping people discover that purpose and giving them the tools, encouragement, and support they need to walk in it.

I am a transplant from St. Louis, Missouri, but live in Smyrna, Georgia, (20+ years) a city just outside Atlanta, Georgia. Community involvement and ministry work have allowed me to serve people throughout the metro Atlanta area and beyond, helping individuals and families navigate life’s challenges while building stronger, healthier futures.

Contact Information

Podcast: “Confidently Speaking” anchor.fm/celeste-houston
Facebook: www.facebook.com/celicacoaching
ministry
Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/celestehouston 

website:https://www.purposefullylivingnotperfect.com

Book Resources:

Purposefully Living Not Perfect: [https://a.co/d/7lroDfo]

  – Coloring Through Clouds of Loss: [https://a.co/d/azUaVKs]

  – Coloring Your Way Through Grief: [https://a.co/d/iVdf60T]
  

Woman Wednesday: Gina


Q and A with
Gina from Harford County, Maryland

“Some of the most important changes happen internally, in ways no one else can seeI’m drawn to the spaces people don’t always talk about—the quiet, the complicated, and the deeply human.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I’m passionate about storytelling—both the kind that comforts and the kind that unsettles.

Writing became that space for me during a difficult six-year period of my life.

I started writing letters to myself as a way to process what I was going through, and over time, I realized those words weren’t just mine.

That’s how Letters to Women Like Me came to life—out of a need to create something honest for women who feel deeply but don’t always have a place to put it.

Right now, I’m continuing to build both sides of my work—growing the Chalk Drawings series while also creating more reflective writing for women. For me, it’s not about choosing one path or the other. It’s about telling the full story of what it means to be human—both the light and the shadow.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: My younger years were fairly grounded and shaped by a strong sense of responsibility early on.

I graduated high school and went on to attend college for a time, but life began to take me in a different direction, and I didn’t complete my degree.

While that wasn’t the path I originally planned, it taught me that growth doesn’t always follow a straight line—and that experience itself can be just as valuable as formal education.

Looking back, I realize that my upbringing and experiences gave me a strong sense of resilience and independence.

They taught me how to navigate challenges, adapt, and keep moving forward even when things didn’t go as expected. Those lessons have stayed with me and continue to influence not only the work I do, but the stories I tell.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: One of the most valuable things I’ve learned is that not everything in life needs to be figured out right away.

For a long time, I thought strength meant having answers, pushing through, and holding everything together. But I’ve come to understand that real strength is quieter—it’s allowing yourself to feel, to pause, and to be honest about what you’re carrying.

I would want others to know that it’s okay if your path doesn’t look the way you thought it would.

Growth isn’t always obvious, and healing doesn’t happen on a timeline.

Some of the most important changes happen internally, in ways no one else can see.

If there’s anything I hope people take from my story, it’s this: you’re not alone in what you’re feeling, even if it seems that way.

There is value in your experiences, even the difficult ones, and there is strength in continuing forward—at your own pace, in your own way.


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: Feminism, to me, is about recognizing the unseen weight women carry and creating space for them to feel, speak, and exist without having to prove their strength.


Thank you for reading!

Let’s connect!

Comment below.

Check out my psychological thriller here: Chalk Drawings

Check out my letters-to-self book for women here: Letters to Women Like Me

Woman Wednesday: Sabrina C.


Q and A with
Sabrina C. from Nassau, Bahamas

“… if you give your body proper nutrition, your body can heal itself.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am a shareholder in a hardware company and, because I invested early in life, I was able to retire at the age of 36.

I’m passionate about building a legacy with my Ardysslife business, helping families thrive through a healthier lifestyle, and to building a strong team for a wealthier lifestyle.

I’m interested in building a large clientele with getting them into nutrition, [products] made from fruits and vegetables to help the body heal itself. I also help them reshape their body without diet pills exercise or surgery, instead getting them to wear the reshaping garments made by an orthopedic surgeon.

I am currently working on getting a store front in my country so my team and customers won’t have to pay for shipping and have easy access like having the package shipped to their doors.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I grew up in the tropical Nassau, Bahamas, with family and faith.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: Something valuable I have learned if you invest in a positive and lucrative business, it pays off.

I also learned that if you give your body proper nutrition, your body can heal itself. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and within two weeks of being on the products, I didn’t have to be put on medication.


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: Feminism means alot to me. I believe gender-based discrimination needs to be eliminated.

I feel there should be social, economic, and political equality between women and men; women should have the same rights as men especially if a man wants a woman to go fifty-fifty with the bills in the home.


Thank you for reading!

Let’s connect!

Comment below.

ARDYSSLife

Woman Wednesday: Zyril


Q and A with Zyril from Quezon City, Philippines

“…keep innovating.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I’m passionate about vitality, aging healthy, business, fitness, immunity, longevity, nutrition, and skincare.

I’m a senior brand partner of Nu Skin Enterprises.

I found this passion [vitality, longevity, aging healthy, etc.] out of my love for my parents, when I was four years old. I’ve been praying for the longevity of my parents since.

My family also runs a school cafeteria business.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I graduated from the oldest existing university in Asia, The University of Santo Tomas, with a bachelor’s degree in arts and behavioral science.

I come from a Christian family. I’ve learned that God loves the world [so much] that He gave up His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have eternal life.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: My advice to people wanting to start their own business is to keep innovating.


Q: What does feminism mean to you?

A: Feminism means being a light to the world especially in my country, the Philippines.


Thank you for reading!

Let’s connect!

Comment below.