Hi there - WOW, I’ve recently been invited to join in on a COOL Cross Blog Conversation(CBC) with Arika.

First I have to say that I was so excited and honored when Arika asked me to join in on this with her because I admire this woman so darn much!! She is a Great mother, a Fantastic VA and honestly, a darn good friend.  We will get to dig a bit deeper into Arika’s life as I ask her questions.  I hope she is ready because you all that know me know that I LOVE to get juicy, in depth details about people.

Just a Teeny background on Arika and I before I tackle her question.  She and I have been working together for  2  years!! Yes, it started off with me asking her to write one article for me then it blossomed into much more. Stick around this CBC and you will find out all of the things we’ve done together (Don’t worry, it’s all Legal…lol)

So off to Arika’s Question.

 She asked me

“Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be the awesome woman you are today?”

WOW, what a loaded question.  Well I am now 37 Years old (will be 38 on Christmas Day) and I was brought up in a VERY, VERY dysfunctional home. My Father was abusive and a drug user and my mother was an alcoholic and drug user for her entire life (Both have passed on).  I really had it bad as a child living with my parents and from birth - 12 life was pure HELL.   When I turned 12 I moved into my Grandmothers house in NY and she was the 1st adult figure that I really felt loved me.  She instilled in me that “you are not where you come from, you ARE who you become”  From that moment on I knew I wanted to grow up and help people!   Well I stayed in NY for my Middle and High School years.

I had my 1st child very young but didn’t let that stop me from graduating from HS with Honors AND getting a Full paid Track and Field Scholarship to a University in Washington, DC.  Guess what?  I took my baby right along with me some thought I was crazy but I did what I felt I had to do.  Times were good and bad but I felt I had a light in me that one day was going to shine so I kept pressing forward.  I got my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and also studied Psychology and soon got a job. 

Without typing out an entire book on my life (lol) I would say that since I grew up feeling unloved and since I was mistreated and abused as a child and I had a deep sense of feeling that I was really robbed of having a ”NORMAL” Childhood & Teen-hood I vowed to speak to other mothers as I grew stronger in myself and I also vowed to design my own family filled with Love, understanding and truth!   So, I didn’t become the woman I am today to say “SEE Everyone I Made it!” I know that I became this woman to say to other women ”See, YOU can Make It too!”

I decided to attend a fully accredited Life Coaching school and get my certification to be a Personal Life coach and using my own story, my own lessons, and what I learned in psychology and life coaching school to now help other women design the life THEY Want!  This I believe is my true passion and my calling from God!

WOW - that was cleansing!! 

 So now for my question BACK to Arika - since this is my 1st question to her I will make it kinda basic so we ALL can get to know her

Arika, Who are you? (meaning tell us about you, your likes, dislikes and family) Then please tell us why you chose to be a WAHM!