“I want children to seek help if they are being abused.”
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I have a passion for children and business. I am currently working in a school, but I am not a part of the full-time teaching staff. I found my passion for business when I started being immersed in a business environment when my husband introduced me to his business. Since then, I have started learning about online business.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I must confess to you that my younger years were tough. My primary education was rough because of a constantly changing of environment (by moving from one state to another). My upbringing was not good at all because, when my parents separated, my dad took me to my stepmom, and some years later, I was raised by my father alone with my stepbrothers. What impacted my life to where I am now is my passion for children, which led me to the school.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I would like others to learn from my growing up because, when I mention my younger years were tough, it is comprised of so many things I went through. Most especially, my teenage years were rough. I think I would not have been sexually abused if my parents had not separated. I want children to seek help if they are being abused.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism is about all genders having equal rights and opportunities. It’s about respecting diverse women’s experiences, identities knowledge, and strengths, and striving to empower all women to realize their full rights.
ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO KNOWS SOMEONE WHO IS SEXUALLY ABUSED from Abiola: If someone has been sexually abused, it can be extremely emotional, scary, confusing, and possibly shocking. Some of the best advice is to first listen to them, and tell them that the assault was not their fault and that they did nothing wrong. And also reassure the person that they’re cared for and loved. We should provide unconditional support in terms of counseling and medical support by encouraging them to seek medical attention. Sexually abused people should be advised to know the kind of friends they mingle with because some of the abuse (sexual as well as other kinds of abuse) often comes from friends. Since indecent dressing can also contribute to abuse, most especially here in Africa, they should be advised to dress in clothes that fully cover their body on some occasions. Also, they should reduce the amount of alcohol they drink when they’re alone with strangers. What sexually abused victims really need is love.
“A solid business foundation saves you time, makes you more money, and helps you avoid expensive mistakes.”
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I am passionate about business. Overly passionate. I love everything about it. My passion for business started when I was in the 6th grade. The entire grade had the project to create our own little businesses. At the end of the week, we had a “market day,” and everyone brought stuff to sell in their “business.” We used Monopoly money to shop with each other. I just thought it was so cool. I loved that we could all make money by making and selling our own things. I loved how we were all essentially selling the same stuff (Rice Krispy treats), but the way we presented ourselves and our products changed where people spent their money. It also changed how much they were willing to spend. I thought it was awesome, and I have loved business ever since. I have started six businesses; I have sold four of those, and now I run my last two. The business I am passionately devoted to right now is called Launched. At Launched, I teach other business owners, especially women, how to start and run their businesses the right way. I teach them how to build solid foundations for their business. A solid business foundation saves you time, makes you more money, and helps you avoid expensive mistakes.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I grew up in a small town (one stoplight and Walmart is 100 miles away…kind of small town). It is easier to see entrepreneurship here because many people have their own businesses. We don’t have very many corporate businesses around, so it wasn’t uncommon to know the business owners at every place we shopped growing up.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: The most valuable thing that I think I have learned is that none of us should be going through life alone. When I started my first business, I thought that I had to do it alone or it didn’t count. I didn’t want to get help or follow a plan because I thought it was cheating, it didn’t feel like my win. It took me five years of screwing up, losing money, and constantly struggling before I let myself get the business help that I needed. It is good to ask for help. If every kid who was interested in science had to learn everything for themselves and were never given the knowledge of the scientists that came before them, science would never move forward. I think that business ownership, especially for women, is the same way. Many men (some women, but more men) have businesses handed down to them. They have generations of knowledge and tools. The people who are just starting their businesses don’t have those benefits; they don’t have that edge. So, they need to go get it. Learning to actively seek business knowledge from the right sources completely changed my life and all my businesses. We all need to be willing to ask for help in our businesses. Learn from the people who are further down the road.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: For a long time, feminism meant being angry to me. It meant marches and hating men and not wearing a bra. I didn’t identify as a feminist because I don’t like crowds, I do like men, and I am attached to my bra. I didn’t want to wear a vagina hat and scream at people. I didn’t want to breastfeed topless. I didn’t want to be angry all the time. Turns out, that isn’t what feminism is. [Kara laughs.] Feminism is understanding the insane value that women add to our communities. In whatever capacity a woman chooses for herself, she is bringing value. She is worth recognition; she should be treated with respect. She should be listened to, have a say at the table (whatever table that is), and be treated like a human being who is equal to anyone else. Feminism, to me, is not dismissing women in any capacity.
The only additional thing that I want to mention is that if any woman is starting a business and wants the steps to do it right, I have a free checklist for all of you. This checklist gives you all the steps, in the right order to make sure you are building a solid foundation for your business. Here is the link: https://launchedacademy.com/business-essentials-checklist/. None of us have to do this alone, and we shouldn’t have to.
Q and A with Victoria from New Jersey, living in Denver, Colorado
“Sharing your story, not for you, but for those who may be touched by resonating with what you’ve gone through, experienced, and learned is a highly selfless act that I’m realizing more and more each day.”
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: My passions include deep self-work [transformation, plant & animal medicine, microdosing, and shadow journaling], traveling, and immersing into cultures [traveled to/lived in 65+ countries], voraciously reading sci-fi/fantasy/historical fiction, sharing endless opinions about film, speaking on stages or facilitating workshops, putzing around with tarot and oracle cards. Currently, I’m working on simply building my business enough for myself to be a place where I can feel safe to consider thinking about starting a family. Standing on my own two feet as an entrepreneur is essential; I don’t need to make seven figures, but I want to have more than enough. With this in mind, I am spending a ton of time creating frameworks, processes, and systems as well as leaning into connecting with communities in person, collaborating with other creators, and learning how to trust that what is meant for me will come.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I’m an only child to a set of interracial parents, raised in a city burb of NY within NJ. I grew up in a super diverse city that was about 15 minutes from Manhattan; so learning to drive and ‘going out’ was often in the boroughs while I was a teen. I didn’t grow up close with my extended family, from a rift that began when my parents married due to familial/racial differences. My mom instilled an absolute love of travel in me, with my first overseas trip being to Istanbul at 4 months old! From then, I traveled internationally at least twice annually until I got to college; a level of privilege I had a hard time overcoming.
At 15, I had a freak accident that had me in the hospital for three days after an emergency surgery where I flatlined twice. I had the classic out-of-body experience and it’s commemorated on my body as a tattoo. That episode is something I am still working through, at 33, and simply didn’t realize how much it ended up insidiously directing my life; decisions I’d make, who I’d date, when or how I felt safe, and it caused me to tend toward inappropriate humor when bringing up difficult topics. It’s such an intangible thing, hard to quantify my progress, and it has absolutely been a defining line in the chapters of my life.
Alt Summit Portraits by Justin Hackworth
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Sharing your story, not for you, but for those who may be touched by resonating with what you’ve gone through, experienced, and learned is a highly selfless act that I’m realizing more and more each day. Secondly, requesting support→actually explicitly asking for support from those who love you, is another act that can significantly alter your relationships to a place of vulnerability, love, and the connection that we all truly yearn for.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism is women coming together in collaboration to keep the ladder up for every single one of us and hold the net below just in case one of us falls.
“There are so many outside factors like bullies and social media, to name a few, but over time, you stop taking other people’s crap and just focus on yourself!”
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: I’m passionate about what I do (marketing), my family, and music. Back in 2009, I was offered a position as Big Daddy’s Breezy Rider at Big Daddy 103.9 in Sudbury, Ontario. I was decked out head to toe in Harley Davidson riding gear and given this 2009 Harley Davidson Tri-Glide to ride every weekend to events in the Northern Ontario area. I got paid to travel each weekend and talk on both Big Daddy and The Moose about events that were happening.
I got up as far north as New Liskeard and as far south as Parry Sound on this motorcycle. What an experience it was, and I really miss this motorcycle! It gave me the push to go into Radio Broadcasting, and I applied and got accepted in September of that year. It’s a very unusual way to get started in marketing, I know! But the bug hit me and I was hooked. I’ve been running marketing campaigns at radio stations, and my own clients, since then, and love the creative designing and the ability to build brands and have fun doing it. Fast forward to today, I’ve been in the marketing space for 14+ years and now run my own digital marketing business: MRose Designs Canada! What an incredible journey it has been so far and I’m so grateful for it! I’m looking forward to building and growing my business and continuing to have fun doing it!
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: There are two things that impacted me to grow up to who I am now. One is music and the other is my motorcycle license. I started playing music when I was seven years old. I was so fascinated by the violin that whenever anyone near me was playing it, I would stop everything I was doing and just watch and listen to them play. I grew up performing all over for tractor shows, festivals, funerals, and music camps.
Once I hit high school, I took up the saxophone and played in a band too. I was asked to perform a lot on both instruments and was lucky enough to even join our local symphony for the last couple of years of high school. I went to college for music and have my diploma in music performance with violin as my major and saxophone and bassoon as my minor degrees. I continue to perform music, just more limited being a mom now. As for my motorcycle, my dad told me that, when I turned 16, he would give me a motorcycle if I got my license. So, I did! I was the first person in my grade who could ride to school. And growing up in a small town where everyone knew everyone, it was a big deal. If it wasn’t for my music, I wouldn’t have been in the right place to start my motorcycle job, which led me to where I am now!
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I didn’t go the traditional way to get where I am, by any means. I don’t have any formal marketing training from college or university. But that’s okay! I have researched, watched videos, done a course or two, and even currently have a business coach which have all helped me be successful in my business. Just follow your passion and love what you do, and the rest will align itself.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: It means everything to me. No matter what you need, to own who you are and not let anyone take you down. That can be a hard lesson to learn when there are so many outside factors like bullies and social media, to name a few, but over time, you stop taking other people’s crap and just focus on yourself! That’s all you need to be concerned about!
“We can grow, birth, and nurture children so they can grow up to be healthy adults.”
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: My name is Kelsey Gilliland. Born and raised in Ohio, but I have been blessed to travel to many different countries and learn about other cultures and ways of life. My husband, Jonathan, and I have been married for 5 years now, and we are blessed with two radiant little girls that give us purpose for each day.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ and love sharing His love to those around me. First to my family and second to the rest of you!
I am a Liberty University alumni and certified health education specialist. I love educating mothers on breastfeeding and postpartum health. Additionally, I am a blogger and course creator! Passions of mine include raising my children well, having fun with my husband, helping those around me, getting outdoors for walks, hiking, or playing with my kids, horseback riding, and educating women on breastfeeding and postpartum health.
How did I get to where I am now? Long story short, my husband and I were going to be missionaries. We started support raising right before COVID, but couldn’t get above 25% support. We had been living with family for a year and a half and had our first daughter at the time. For the health and stability of our family, we decided to step down from missions and get settled in the USA.
During COVID, I started my blog, Motherhood, Baby & Me. The purpose of the blog is to educate mothers on breastfeeding and postpartum health. Everything I learned about breastfeeding and being a mother was learned through trial and error, which caused me a lot of stress. To spare mothers what I went through and to give them a foot up in the right direction, I created Motherhood, Baby & Me.
After we bought our own home and started getting settled in life, I created The Breastfeeding Accelerator Course. It is designed to give mothers answers to common breastfeeding challenges. No mother needs to spend her precious time and energy stressing over finding answers to milk supply, engorgement, colic, baby’s growth, weaning, etc. She needs to have clear answers at her fingertips so she can be placed in a position to succeed in her breastfeeding journey! One of the number one struggles I see mothers dealing with is milk supply. I’ve also struggled with this and was able to boost my milk supply from 1oz to 4oz!
To help mothers overcome this challenge, I’ve created a free class to educate mothers on how to naturally boost milk production! Take advantage of my free class “3 Secrets To Naturally Boosting Milk Supply!” Click here to take advantage of this free class on naturally boosting your milk supply.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: What did my “younger years” look like? Well, I’m only 29, so I’m not old…yet! But past experiences that have shaped me into who I am today have definitely been my loving parents, supportive church, and tight friends in college (or lack of them in high school).
Two experiences stand out to me that I think are good to mention here. I studied abroad in Kenya, Africa, for 5 months while in college. So much of that trip I LOVED! The people, food, adventures of safari, riding elephants, walking with lions, seeing Victoria Falls (in Zimbabwe), and more!
However, during my time in Kenya, my teammate and I were robbed by six men with machetes. Thankfully, they only wanted our stuff and didn’t harm us physically, but I truly thought I was going to die at that moment. One of them yelled at me that he would kill me…but the Lord gave me the grace to think clearly and quickly. He even gave me an incredible amount of comfort during that whole ordeal. This happened in 2015, and to this day, I still have some PTSD from it. I cannot handle loud noises or lots of stress very well, but God is still my comfort and ROCK!
When I returned from Africa to college, I met Jonathan. I believe God used him to help me heal. Now, as my husband, he understands more of who I am, which I think is pretty cool.
A second life experience that has brought me to this point is becoming a mother! My babies are the light of my life! However, both of them were screaming devils when they were infants! Both of my babies screamed for 8 hours a day every day for months! With my first, I was about to go over the edge. I took her to the ER because I thought something was seriously wrong (yes! It’s NOT normal for an infant to cry for 8 hours a day every day!). They told me she was fine and told me to nurse in different positions.
I called the pediatric nurse on call and begged for something to help my baby to stop screaming. After hearing what I did to help soothe the colic she said, “You’re doing everything right…”
I even talked to a lactation consultant who didn’t notice my baby’s tongue tie or poor latch or knew how to help with the colic.
Fast forward three years and my firstborn is failing to thrive while my second is starting down the same road of screaming for eight hours a day. Her pediatrician (a different one than before) suspected Celiac Disease, a gluten allergy. So, I went home and cut out all gluten before we even had time to run any tests. Within two days my infant stopped screaming 100%! Yes! My infant completely stopped screaming! Within two months, my oldest was gaining weight, gaining energy, her stomach pain was going away, her appetite was back, and my heart was so relieved!
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: My motherhood started out SO rough! You know about the colic and only some of the breastfeeding challenges we faced. I haven’t told you about my 4th-degree tear, diastasis recti, hemorrhoids, or possible PPD! But those experiences happened to me so that I could use them to benefit you! My blog is a source of knowledge I’ve learned through these painful experiences. The Breastfeeding Accelerator Course was birthed out of my extremely difficult journey with breastfeeding so that other mothers wouldn’t have to be placed down that road.
Now, serving those overseas is still a passion of mine and my husband. To fulfill that longing, when someone purchases the Breastfeeding Accelerator Course, a part of the purchase goes towards helping educate women in India on pregnancy health!
This is done through Crosspoint Of India. The woman who runs the pregnancy center I have personally met and worked with in India.
So, if you or someone you know is searching for answers to breastfeeding challenges, take advantage of the Breastfeeding Accelerator Course! You will be a blessing not only to yourself and your baby but also to a mother and her baby in India!
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: True femininity displays compassion, love, kindness, and strength to those around her. Females compliment males. We are able to help guide and support the men in our lives in an affirming, gentle way. To be female means we create and sustain life! We can grow, birth, and nurture children so they can grow up to be healthy adults.
The Woman Wednesday Blog 