“We should always be open to change and know that crappy things can also bring positive change and new beginnings, and it’s all part of our personal journey.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am passionate about Africa, the people, and their incredible resilience. I am also passionate about my school in a slum in Kenya! My hubby and I founded the school several years ago. Tamariki Education Centre is the name. I wrote my book, “I Share My Heart With Africa,” and from that book, I founded my tour company, Helping Hand African Tours & Safaris, hosting small group tours to East Africa. A visit to the school was on all my itineraries of course. I absolutely LOVED my tours and felt very blessed to be living a life that allowed me to showcase what I called “my” amazing Africa. Then COVID-19 hit…and everything came to a grinding halt! My tours stopped, school sponsorship dropped, and I struggled…for 2 years! Looking back, I think I went into shock! Then the anger set in, then the sheer frustration of it all, and then one day, I woke up, said to myself, “FK this shit,” and got myself together and moved on.
Somewhere during the last 8 months, I started designing a range of swimwear for “mature ladies” (me!). It was brought about by my own frustrations of not finding anything with good coverage and great support but was still fun, gorgeous, with a little bit of class and sass! Kailani Pearl Swim was born. Kailani Pearl Swim is my new#1 focus, and I am super excited about my new direction. I have opened one tour back to Africa for the New Year 2023, and I have decided I will just take one tour a year. My primary focus has shifted to my swimwear business. Our school is going ok, but we lost a lot of our monthly sponsorship, so it’s just simmering at the moment. I STRONGLY believe things happen for a reason. I believe in positivity and always look for the silver lining.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I had a wonderful childhood with fantastic parents and two brothers. At age 40, I learned for the first time in my life, about my African heritage (my grandfather was half-African). Learning this all made perfect sense as to why I was passionate about all things Africa since a little girl. The path I have been on was all “meant to be” and is what led my husband and me to meet our beautiful son, who we met in Kenya as a young man, and who we were instantly connected with. As an orphan at 3 years old, he has no family or doesn’t know of any (at least). So, we brought him into our family and welcomed him in as our son and brother to his siblings (our biological son and daughter). He is now an extremely important member of our extended family. He now has parents, siblings, a grandmother, aunties, uncles, and cousins, who love him.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: All aspects of our lives and the journey should be welcomed and embraced. We should always be open to change and know that crappy things can also bring positive change and new beginnings, and it’s all part of our personal journey. We should ALWAYS embrace whatever comes our way. Always look for that silver lining.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: I am quietly passionate about women’s rights and equality. It’s a fundamental right that women are treated equally all through life. I don’t go rallying or standing on soap boxes advocating women’s rights, however. But I believe in 100% equality, of course! My parents were traditional for their era. My dad was the “breadwinner” and mum was the “homemaker.”
MORE ABOUT DENISE: I am a Kiwi, living in New Zealand, but I love to travel extensively (when we can!).
“You can be incredibly skilled or invest in learning the best strategies, but without the right mindset, you still won’t get the result.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about finding ways to play and making the most of my time every day. I love spending time being a mom to my three-year-old son, cooking, SCUBA diving, and my work supporting other entrepreneurs.
I help entrepreneurs tap into playfulness in their business to elevate what they sell and how they sell it, so they can create massive visibility, make consistent sales, and have a whole lot more fun! Some things I’m currently working on in my business that I’m excited about are launching a networking container that will include a retreat to a fabulous location. I’m also building out a new program for people who want to work with me in a group or short-term capacity. It’s amazing because it allows me to support more people by having an impact at multiple price points.
In my personal life, I’ve started taking harp lessons. It’s so much fun! This is my first time playing a musical instrument, it’s never too late to learn. Also, I love to travel! I’ve visited over 40 countries. My new ones this year were Costa Rica, Senegal, The Gambia, Cape Verde, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. My favorite things to do when I’m traveling are to wander the streets and make new friends, take food tours, and watch my son take in the world.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: As a kid, I always wanted to be a writer and a performer. I loved to sing, act and tell stories. So, it’s really perfect that now I get to do all of those things in my business, and teach other people how to grow their impact by telling their own stories. I really loved and excelled in school. And in my childhood, I always received the message that the path to success was to go to school and get a good job. So I did exactly that, went to a great school, and got a great job, but it didn’t make me feel successful or fulfilled.
I knew I needed to do something different, but I didn’t grow up with many examples of entrepreneurship, especially successful black female entrepreneurs. That’s why supporting and guiding that community is so, so important to me. I want to share the knowledge I didn’t have and inspire more women to build something of their own.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: Mindset is greater than skill set. When it comes to growth and success, winning the inner game is crucial. I experienced this when I was transitioning from being an employee to an entrepreneur. I brought my employee mindset to building a business and it held me back for the longest time. But once I hired a mentor, he helped me rewire how I was thinking. Within six weeks, I made $20k in sales. And within a year, I had a six-figure business.
You can be incredibly skilled or invest in learning the best strategies, but without the right mindset, you still won’t get the result. Those limiting beliefs will still hold you back, and you’ll get stuck at the same point, the same level of success, over and over again. If you want to have a breakthrough, you have to have a mindset shift first. I’ve seen it for myself and my clients, it always works this way.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism, to me, means having choice and opportunity. For women to have the ability to choose what feels aligned and right for them in every area of their life, without barriers to their happiness, success, or fulfillment. The choice to be a mom or not be a mother. The choice to work or not to work. The choice to be feminine or not feminine. The choice to follow a faith or not follow it.
And for those women to have every opportunity that’s afforded to men. The opportunity to grow, to be a leader, to flop and make mistakes, and to see themselves represented in their media. That’s what feminism looks like to me.
MORE ABOUT NATASHA:
I’d love to share the mantra I live by, it’s been the mindset that’s made everything possible…
Q and A with Judy from the UK, now living around the world
“My motto about life is: A fun-filled life is a full-filled (fulfilled) life.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I am deeply passionate about living an ICONIC LIFE: A life of joy, bliss, and happiness. If I am not having fun, I question how I am leading myself in life. It is my understanding that when we lead, the universe follows with what we lead and I am always mindful of that. As living a life where I am the hurricane in my life is very important to me–rather than being a leaf in the wind of life–just allowing life to happen to me! I have come to learn that how we are and WHO we are in living our life is what determines the extent to which we manifest and materialize our dreams. I know for sure that every single one of us is born with brilliance and deserves to live a life of prosperity and abundance. What stops us–are the illusions of the world we live in; I call it the 3rd dimension paradigm where we have (as Einstein said) promoted the ego to that of a master and forgotten the sacred gift of intuition.
Beyond living an ICONIC LIFE, which for me is travel, I have lived in four countries over the past two years, scuba diving and flying and generally having fun with my lover, hubby, soulmate, and business partner for 22 years. I LOVE my work. My work is my passion. It is me. It is what I do and is what I study, including my Ph.D. which is in the final stages of editing! I dedicate my life to being empowered and empowering others–this is my number one value and my vocation. And it comes from being overpowered for so many years as a child–and what I have learned is that our voids (or the voids we experience through our perceptions) growing up become our values as adults, and we spend our lives in pursuit of fulfilling them–that will give us a rewarding and fulfilled life. The expression of our number one value is our purpose and when we can thoroughly live that every day. We live with inspiration and excitement. I am currently (as I said earlier) in the final stages of my Ph.D., which is the culmination of almost 25 years of study and research, based on my body of work–The Trilogy of Transformation. A life transformational process that alchemizes everything to love–all challenges and experiences. I do this on two levels…in the body and mind and also on a more profound, deeper level through activating our soul and living our life guided by the wisdom of our soul. As I say, we are all the individualized physical manifestation of the Universe, we are it all…and nothing is missing; we have access to all the knowledge and wisdom of the Universe through our soul. The perception that something is missing in our life is the source of all human suffering.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I was locked up and tortured, used as a slave, and abused from the age of three until I escaped in my early 20s. I was uneducated, unsocialized, and lived in extreme poverty, even resorting to eating tin dog food a few times. At the age of 15, I had the first of a number of extraordinary ‘transcendent’ experiences that gave me insight into the extraordinariness of who we are. That we are so much more than our mortal bodies and can access the universal intelligence of infinite knowledge and potentiality. That experience changed the course of my life–as I saw that I would escape. There was no doubt about that, and I saw the infinite ways my life could unfold. I locked into one that I saw that was one of adventure, love, and prosperity. I spent the next six years (until I escaped) preparing myself for my life when I was free.
I tuned into my soul and my individualized oneness with the Universe every day, I was fortunate to be given the books I asked for (these were the days before the internet and YouTube!) When I escaped, I found my way to London, alone, with nothing, on a Friday evening. Within a week I had a high-paying job as a trading accountant on an oil and gas trading floor, even though I had no schooling, nothing. Purely from the wisdom I gained tapping into the energy of the quantum field; pure potentiality and magic will always happen there. I went on to create a life that was totally unpredictable given my background. I have launched and sold many businesses, in many sectors and in many countries. I have represented South Africa in world championship scuba diving, I was a national swimming champion, a water skiing champion, and I played violin in an orchestra. And for me, the best was that I found true love with my husband, where today after 22 years, we are still madly, crazily in love. And we have fun every day, which is why I dedicate my life to empowering and facilitating others to release their suffering so they too can live the most extraordinary lives, to the fullest extent of their potential in all areas of life–living their own unique ICONIC LIFE. We are all born with everything we need to live our ICONIC LIFE. We just forget it as we are conditioned into the 3rd dimension paradigm growing up, and all I do is facilitate the re-awakening of that.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: We are so much more than mortal beings. We are immortal souls having a human experience. When we tap into our power, there is literally nothing we can not be, do have, and create in our life. The more we live in the wonder and curiosity, trusting that nothing is missing and that all is within us, the higher the energetic frequency we are dwelling in. That on its own changes, the experience of life we have and changes the feedback we get from the universe. We notice that we co-create with ease and flow and we materialize what we desire pretty effortlessly. Life becomes fun–all of the time. My motto about life is: A fun-filled life is a full-filled (fulfilled) life. We are sadly conditioned to suffer (in this 3rd-dimensional paradigm), but that is an illusion–we are not here to suffer but to be fully expressed physical manifestations of our souls. Heaven is a place on earth it is not some otherworldly place we go to after we pass. It is available to us here, right now. EVERYTHING CHANGES WHEN YOU LIVE IN YOUR BLISS. You are empowered. You are abundant. You co-create magic and miracles with the universe. You overflow with the most extraordinary levels of love, compassion, empathy, and gratitude that you impact the lives of those around you, and you exemplify what is possible for humanity.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Being in your sovereign feminine power and living from that energetic space in abundance and prosperity.
MORE FROM JUDY: There is no mortal challenge anyone of us can not overcome and thrive from. Everything is love. And any separation from that is the source of all suffering. There is no challenge that can not be transmuted to love. I have done it. I have love, compassion, empathy, gratitude, and appreciation for everything in my life. It is the greatest gift from the Universe when you find that peace. And there is no greater journey than that. As that is the journey that gives us the FREEDOM we crave and as a result, we create ICONIC LIFES for ourselves.
Born in the UK, I lived my childhood in Ireland, spent most of my adult life in South Africa, and now I travel the world. In the past two years, I have lived in London, Italy, Barbados, and now Mexico. My motto is–the planet is my home, and every country a room in my home.
Thank you for reading!
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Link to Attune to Prosperity quiz (how Attuned to Prosperity are you) https://bit.ly/3iNIA8N
Q and A with Kimberly Drotar Allen, Co-Owner and Producer at Odie Films in Orlando, Florida
“I think it’s important to adjust your plans as you continue to change and grow as a person.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: My biggest passion in life is helping people. For a long time, I thought that would be through a traditional route like providing therapy or being a social worker. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in psychology, I realized that I also have a passion for small businesses and nonprofits. I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs; my parents actually built a business around helping other business owners flourish in their respected fields. I had no idea how to combine these passions into a career path until I reconnected with my now husband, Clayton, who introduced me to the world of videography. I quickly realized that video was a powerful means of communication that allowed me to help others tell their stories and spread awareness about issues important to them. Together, my husband and I own a small production company based out of Orlando, Florida, where we work with other small businesses and nonprofits to tell the stories that matter to them.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I was born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I went to good public schools and was very lucky to have supportive parents and grandparents. I was never super active in school activities or sports, but I loved donating time to charities and nonprofits from a young age. My parents were determined to instill in me just how fortunate we were and I’ve never forgotten that. While other kids were out playing sports or with their friends, I was at home organizing book bag drives and walk/runs.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: As a kid, I think I felt lost because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. It’s so instilled in us to pick your path and stick to it, but I think it’s important to adjust your plans as you continue to change and grow as a person. Even once you “figure it out,” you need to be able to check in with yourself and make sure this path is still what you want. There’s nothing wrong with changing and pivoting. The world is not nearly as linear as adults want you to believe.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism means more to me today than I ever thought it would. I grew up privileged; my rights weren’t something I necessarily needed to think about. But being in a male-dominated field and having my husband as my business partner, the amount of times I naturally get overlooked as the woman in the room is astonishing. My mom is my biggest role model and my biggest supporter. She went back to college when I was in kindergarten, she’s built and run multiple successful businesses, and she’s the most incredibly driven woman I’ve ever met in my life. She is strong, determined, and loving. She is a feminist to me and I can only hope to become half the woman that she is.
MORE ABOUT KIMBERLY: My best advice to people trying to “figure it out” is to stop trying to fit yourself into premade boxes. There are a lot of career paths that are already laid out and traveled but don’t be afraid to find a new way for yourself. Becoming a producer at my own production company is not a normal path for a psychology major, but so many different parts of my person are being fulfilled by this untraveled path.
Q and A with Aide from Tijuana, Mexico, living in Rosarito Beach
“I used to sabotage myself with negative thoughts, which put me in a very low vibrational state.”
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: I’m passionate about learning new things every day and improving the ones I’ve already learned about. I love simple things such as going to the beach for a walk or a swim, biking around my hometown, sharing moments with family, working on my business, dancing and singing karaoke, and planning the next traveling adventure. Also, I have started a business with a couple of friends called Mujer Salvaje-Fractal Cristal. We sell quartz and other minerals. Our intention is to spread awareness about how powerful minerals are as a tool for expanding our consciousness. It all started for me when my now-business partners showed me their mineral collection, and I was completely amazed by it. They gifted me some minerals that I wore as jewelry and also as a decoration in my room. Minerals helped me while I was struggling with a huge depression. I am so grateful for their help that I decided to start selling them and talking about how great they are. I feel like my biggest passion is to help myself and others.
Q: Can you tell us more about the minerals. Which are most popular? Which do you like best?
A: Minerals are Earth’s DNA. I love learning more and more about minerals because they are a beautiful element from Mother Nature. I have also used them as tools for meditation. I love wearing my labradorite necklace because I feel protected and more in tune with myself. The most popular sold items are minerals used for protection such as obsidian and tourmaline. After those, it’s amethyst, agate, and pink quartz. I think that the reason why minerals such as obsidian and tourmaline are the most popular is that people feel like they need something to protect themselves. Energetically speaking, these minerals are protectors and help absorb dense/negative energy from others and from their own negative thoughts. We tend to be our worst enemies by thinking negatively about ourselves. Therefore, I’ve met many people wanting to change their thought processes, and have more positive lives.
Q: What were your younger years like?
A: I was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and was raised in my current hometown Rosarito Beach, which is located 20 minutes south of Tijuana. I have always been a beach lover and started surfing in my early 20s. At the time, I was still not sure about what to study in college. But thanks to my love for the ocean, I decided to study fisheries biology with a marine emphasis. I did some years in community college in San Diego, CA, and then transferred to Cal Poly Humboldt in Northern CA to finish my bachelor’s degree in science. I am thankful for that experience because it helped me learn so much about our natural world. That’s why I feel like I am now dedicating myself to the mineral world. This current business I have combines my passion for science, spirituality, and art.
Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?
A: I have learned so much about myself and how to treat myself with love and respect. I used to sabotage myself with negative thoughts, which put me in a very low vibrational state. Ever since I lost both my parents and my dear grandmother, life became harder to enjoy. But, thanks to using minerals as tools for meditation, I have realized that I have to enjoy the present. Our loved ones who have passed are and will always be living in us. This is the time for us to shine and thank ourselves for everything we are.
Q: What does feminism mean to you? A: Feminism means to me, a support system for women to share their experiences and to feel like we are protecting each other. We are not alone.
MORE ABOUT AIDE: I am a dual citizen (Mexican-American), and I speak fluent English and Spanish. I would like women to ask as many questions about minerals and help each other live the present to the fullest!
The Woman Wednesday Blog 