Q and A with Cynthia from Malta, Europe, living in Ibiza, Spain
“Don’t let go of your vision.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: My passions are wild and colorful. Travel has been my first passion, and although I’m traveling less currently, this is when I feel most alive. I have been passionate about using our full potential doing what we love, since very young. Coming up with creative ideas for the sole purpose to experience wild breakthroughs is my ultimate enjoyment. I have been immersed in yoga for the last 20 years, and this deep connection with oneself started from here.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: Although I had a happy childhood, things turned less so in my 20s when my parents separated. I was brought up in Malta in a very academic school with not much outlet for creative space. Even though I was left to explore my love of travel and adventure since very young, my dad supported me in more masculine subjects which led me to years of soul searching, “what shall I do with my life?” One example was both my sister and I studied piano. She was an excellent pianist. I wasn’t, or shall I say, not in the strict way I was taught. Studying piano frustrated me immensely, but I still had to sit for one hour per day studying excruciatingly boring scales. My parents talking about my frustrations to friends and family certainly didn’t help with the “something is wrong with me” implications of this. I now know (after much digging in and searching inwards), this was all meant for me to lead me to this path of transformation and spiritual awakening and helping others do the same.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: For years, I struggled to see who I truly am. Being in a masculine role since I was very young, I lost touch with my feminine (but powerful) side. This led me to choose a career in banking that was soul-sucking andtook me a very long time to realize I’m actually a creative person. I am now so passionate about helping women find their purpose in life and, with their zone of genius, they can create wildly successful businesses, creating the income and impact that they desire (whilst still managing a family). Even if you’re stuck for years and years, don’t let go of your vision to create your mission.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: OMG! It is such a broad term in my opinion. Feminism for me is the women rising above and beyond their minds. I still feel that mum and dad have their place in the household and to a certain extent during childbearing years, his might be unavoidable. But we women need to rise above societal norms of “he can’t take care of the kids and house all by himself” whereas it’s totally fine for women to. I’m still so disappointed our partner/husband earns more than us, and we accept our role as a housekeeper instead of a rising Goddess. This is the time for more women to make more money, so we can make more impact and create communities.
“I always find myself coaching and connecting with truly exceptional people–people who have challenged society’s expectations of them, have risen to the call they hear deep within, and are committed to creating their own story.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A:I’m passionate about self confidence and self trust…that each woman can have a safe and supportive space inside her own head. A big part of my work is helping my clients discover and release the expectations that were placed on them by society that no longer serves their dreams and goals. I believe very strongly that this foundation must be laid first, before goal setting and accountability come into play. That’s why my coaching offer starts with self talk before going on to clarity, accountability, and self-coaching, which are the other pillars of my program. By the end of my 12-week program, my clients get to experience that supportive space in their heads, know what they actually want out of life, and are moving toward that next big goal, and finally have the self-coaching skills to independently get themselves through the places that they get stuck mentally or emotionally. It all has to start with changing the inner dialogue to create the internal confidence and framework for success. To find out more about my coaching offer, or to connect with a community on your growth journey join my Facebook group here: facebook.com/groups/createyourpower. This is the only way to to experience a coaching call for free as well.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I had a very interesting childhood to say the least. Until I was nine, I grew up on a farm, homeschooled. I spent my days frolicking in the fields with the goats and making mud pies. Suddenly, our family moved to Tbilisi, Georgia, half way across the world, to a city of 2 million people. That was hard, but reentry to the United States was equally hard, as we didn’t move back “home,” but instead moved to a small village in Alaska. This left me with the experience of being an ‘outsider’ in multiple different life circumstances. It was messy, but I became an observer of the cultural framework that many people see as ‘the only way,’ and I stood apart from it, noticing the beauty as well as the pain that the particular framework brings with it. At the same time, I had to learn to see my own biases for what they were and continually grow to a more expansive understanding of the world around me. These experiences laid the foundation for the coaching work I do today–standing outside a person’s experience, observing it, but also empathizing with it.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: If there was one thing I’d love for people to learn from my story, it would be to notice that the assumptions you have that might sound like fact may actually be just one way of seeing the world. For example, maybe you learned that if a person is late, it’s because they don’t respect your time. Ask yourself, “What if I actually had something really beautiful to learn about time from someone who is perpetually late? What if they are honoring me in a way I never even considered?” Before I began my career in life coaching, I was a Salvation Army Officer, which gave me the opportunity to manage a local service for social services and spiritual development. This included leading the teams that provided weekly community meals, funding assistance, youth and women’s programs, day camps, and assistance for the unhoused. What I loved about being in leadership was the one-on-one connections and the opportunity to hear people’s stories and walk with them in their journeys. In the same day, I might find myself walking alongside an unhoused single mother, as well as the CEO of a company or a representative of local government. Every person’s story is sacred, and I always find myself coaching and connecting with truly exceptional people–people who have challenged society’s expectations of them, have risen to the call they hear deep within, and are committed to creating their own story. If this is you, I’d LOVE to hear your story. Email me at stephanigalindocoaching@gmail.com.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: For me, pragmatic feminism can be seen in how I raise my boys–to recognize injustice, to embrace the nurturing side of themselves, and to understand consent. As they get older, I will continue to learn new ways to teach equity, so that they can be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.
Also, I’m a boy mama, and my boys are currently seven and four years old. I have raised them with a deep acceptance of emotions and a value for gentleness.
Q and A with Dr. Naieema, Charlotte, North Carolina
“Homelessness was one of the most impactful experiences of my life.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A:I’m passionate about female empowerment, my family, and travel. My inspiration comes from seeing different parts of the world, my family, and wanting to teach my daughters that they can do anything that they put their minds to. My favorite trip was to Jamaica, right before the pandemic hit. I recently finished my PhD and am currently using research-based methods to improve The Determined FemPreneur™, my sales and business strategy program for service-based female entrepreneurs.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I was born and raised in New York City and grew up with three siblings. There was a period where my mother, my older sister, and I were homeless. We lived on the cold, dirty NYC subway; followed by a slew of homeless shelters. That was until we landed in Ravenswood Public Housing Development in Long Island City, Queens, NYC. Homelessness was one of the most impactful experiences of my life. I watched my mother work really hard, but she didn’t have much to show for it. I now use this fuel and those lessons to teach women how to earn more, work less, and make an even bigger impact.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I want others to know that it’s okay to normalize rest and luxury. As women, we often start our businesses wanting to make an impact. All while sacrificing time with our families, our sleep, and our mental and physical health. It’s OK to build a business where you’re not overworking yourself and that equally serves you and your clients/customers.
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism means equality, but it can’t exist if racism exists because there are women who are of marginalized communities.
A: My first love, outside of being a mother, is music. Ever since I was a little girl, I vividly remember singing my little heart out. My first performance was with my grandmother, Peggy Sue, singing gospel at my baptism, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Which is super interesting to me because I’m an introvert at heart. I’m not passionate about just one thing though. As I mentioned, I love being a mama. But when it comes to work outside of motherhood, I genuinely enjoy helping and pouring into other women. It lights me up! I’m into breastfeeding awareness, embracing your weirdness, helping mamas figure out how to turn their passions into income, creating courses, cooking, writing and singing my own songs, big fan of naps, and all the little things in life. But above all, being a mama and wife is my favorite, and they’re the very reason for all the creating I do. They motivate me. I want to make them proud. I want to set a good example and show them how something can be made from absolutely nothing. Like my children’s book, I Think I Need Glasses. It started with one little idea and evolved once it hit paper. The eBook is my most recently finished project. It’s about a little girl who has an imagination out of this world. She tells of her adventures and life experiences from her point of view, but her older brother pokes fun with her and tells her throughout the story that he thinks she needs glasses. It’s a playful and magical transitional story for children who wear glasses. It’s available for download on Amazon.
My next upcoming appearance/teaching is a super powerful onetime workshop called “Monetize Your Passion” on Thursday, August 5 @ 6pm CST / 7pm EST. The workshop is for creative and passionate aspiring or “stuck” female entrepreneurs. I’ll go over getting clearer with what your passion is and how to turn it into not one, but multiple offers. All the details are on the registration page. It’s going to be pretty epic. I’m so excited! You can also catch my podcast “Just Women Talking Sh!t” just about anywhere you get your podcast. I’m always looking for women to interview, so if you give it a listen and send your story in for an interview, you so should! And last, but certainly not least, I have a free online community for growing and unapologetic women. It’s called Female, Fearless, & Bad-Ass. That’s about all I have going on at the moment!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: This is a tough one to talk about. Because I truly believe that my childhood and younger years, as an adult, have everything to do with the woman I am today. Fun fact about me: I am the oldest of my mother’s six children. Yes, six. How badass is that? She’s such a fierce and strong woman! Shoutout to my Ma in case she reads this. [She laughs.] Anyway, she did the whole single mom thing up until I was about 13 years old. I vividly remember having a baby on each hip, making lunches, doing dishes, playing house at a young age. Everyone called me a little mama, but it’s all I knew. I remember wanting to buy something but always knew how hard my mama worked to take care of us, so I set up my own lemonade stand. Okay, I’ll be honest. It was a Kool-Aid stand. (Southerners know what I’m talking about.) [She laughs.]
In one day’s work, I made $40. I remember dividing the money up among my sister, cousin, and me. We walked down the road to a florist and I bought my mama some silver dangly ball earrings. She wore those suckers out. I was so proud. I’ve had the entrepreneur bug ever since. I am one of the few in my family to graduate from high school. I did attend college but found myself stuck in this viscous cycle of changing my mind on what I wanted to do with my life over and over again. It became tiring, frustrating, and a total waste of money. I’ve honestly done it all trying to find my place in this big and crazy world. I cleaned houses and babysat as a young teenager, got my first big girl job at a Joyce Leslie women’s retail store, went on to have multiple jobs throughout high school, bartended at 18, cashiered at Goodburger on Chestnut in Center City Philly, became a nanny when I was let go abruptly, continued nanny work for the next several years up until my first child was born, wrote for a local newspaper, freelanced at marketing events, was a personal assistant, cleaned houses yet again as a young mom, waited tables as a single mom, made my way into a daycare where I taught and later worked in the office, was introduced to network marketing and multi-level business models, tried those out and did okay, found myself obsessed with finding the next big thing, failed over and over again, finally went back to corporate America after my first marriage went to crap, worked my tail off, never saw my daughter, ran myself and health into the ground, was scouted by one company, hired just to be fired a week before Thanksgiving of 2019. I told myself I would never allow someone to have such a hold over me. My health was crap, my mood fluctuated, I was so burnt out I couldn’t enjoy the money I did make. Even though it was scary as hell being let go that day and I had no idea what I was going to do, I knew it was all going to be okay because, well, it just had to be. This was yet another test. Fast forward to now—I’m a mother for a second time. I’m creating like I’ve never created before. I’m living authentically and really smelling the roses like I’ve never smelled them before. Because life is so beautiful. I don’t think people stop and think about that enough. We are all here as a result of millions of tiny things that all had to go right for us to even be here. Think about that and don’t take one second for granted. Life is so short and so beautiful.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: You have all of the tools to do something great in your lifetime all within you. It all starts with you. I don’t think this is talked about enough. You are so powerful. Your life experiences, wisdom, story, downfalls, triumphs, testimony, all of it. It’s so powerful. I just want to see everyone around me happy, healthy, successful, and wealthy—whatever that may look like for them. And I think that happiness starts at the core. It starts with you. So, take good care of yourself so that you can excel in all the things. Self-love takes priority so that everything else runs like a well-oiled machine. I think several women with past traumas and insecurities tend to seek validation from others. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a romantic partner because maybe she grew up without a father present in her life. (That was me.) Sometimes, it comes in the form of being stuck in a career that makes her unhappy to the core because she was taught that the only way to make it in life is to work her tail off and put her time in like everyone else until retirement, but what she really wants is to somehow find a way to monetize her passion. (That was also me.) All in all, I just want women to realize that they don’t have to settle for someone else’s idea of what life should be like is all. I’ve been there and done that, so if me sharing my story helps others navigate through life and/or business journeys easier, well I’m all in. Just know you can literally do anything you set your mind to!
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: When I think of feminism, I think of how far women’s rights have come in general. It goes to show just how powerful women are. I mean really think about how far we have come in such a little amount of time. And now? I bet if I was to ask any of your readers to name an inspiring woman who makes multiple six figures or more a year…someone would instantly come to mind, no? It isn’t about proving I’m better than or equal to a man. It’s about celebrating the power that’s within us all and shows in the growth and impact we each have in this world. It’s about the growth and impact the women before us had in this world and then the ones before them and so on. The world is so big and so vast, yet we can create such impact that is on a level so deep it changes lives. Like how cool is that? That’s the ultimate girl power if I’ve ever seen it.
MORE FROM JACQUELYNN: I was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I primarily lived in a small town called Dixie, but I moved away to New York when I was 16. I graduated high school in the Poconos, attended college in Philadelphia, PA, for a year, and moved back down south when I was 22 or so. My roots are firmly planted back in Mississippi with my beautiful family.
“When you learn to manage your mind, you can do anything!”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about being authentic, showing up as myself, and sharing that with people. I love showing people how to use their own authenticity in business. It’s what I believe to be the secret to success. Overcoming all the limiting beliefs that are keeping people from showing up as their authentic self! I’m also passionate about meditation and learning. It’s how we keep a balanced life filled with purpose and excitement. I’m currently working on helping entrepreneurs build and scale their businesses so they can help their people in powerful ways!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in the DC-metro area. I was one of a handful of Jewish kids and struggled with feeling like I didn’t fit in. I went to Syracuse for my undergrad education and NYU for grad school. I studied social work and have always wanted to help others. I burnt out quickly in social work and broke into the fitness world. I started my first business at age 24, as a private 1:1 trainer. In 2010, I opened my first yoga studio, and opened my second in 2014. All of these experiences have led me to where I am today, helping others with their businesses.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: The most valuable thing I have learned is the power of your thoughts. How they create every result you have. That when you learn to manage your mind, you can do anything!
Q:What does feminism mean to you?
A: Feminism is standing for women’s rights and women leaders. Showing up as an example for other women.
MORE FROM RACHEL: I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia, with my two kids and three stepkids and my amazing husband.
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