We recently connected with Sakilé Of Embrace Your Free and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sakilé, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
At Embrace Your Free LLC, our motto is “Being Free to Create and Live the Life of your Dreams, not someday, or oneday, but today.” My ability to take risks developed from a strong desire to live a life without regret. One fateful day in 2008, I attended the funeral of a man I deeply respected. He had done everything right—a loving wife, wonderful children, prosperous business, and countless contributions to the community. He and his wife had planned to retire early at 55, buy their dream house, and travel the world. They did it! They retired and bought the dream house, but on their first trip, he developed a pulmonary embolism and died, his body sent home in a casket.
At that funeral, I saw myself and so many others whose dreams were deferred for that elusive “someday” when all the ducks lined up perfectly. I heard a stat that over 90% of people die with most of their dreams unfulfilled. I realized I was on the same trajectory, waiting for my four children at the time (we now have six) to be a little older, my bank account a little fuller, my business a little more established. But tomorrow is not promised.
That weekend, my family began world schooling. We were already homeschoolers, but now we would use the world as our classroom, engaging in experiential learning. We started by exploring our city. By 2012, we were traveling six months a year. By 2016, we were traveling full-time, embarking on our 100-city USA tour. In 2020, despite COVID-19, we began our 100-country international tour. We made mistakes, picked ourselves up, pivoted, and kept going. We discovered effective ways to homeschool without stress and frustration, cultivated our children’s genius by teaching to their learning styles and personalities, and learned to travel the world safely and affordably while making money doing what we love from anywhere. Now, we teach other families to do the same and Embrace their Free.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Thank you for the opportunity to share more about myself and what I do. I am Sakilé, the Co-Founder of Embrace Your Free LLC, where we provide coaching, consulting, courses, books, and lectures to help people create and live the life of their dreams—not someday or oneday, but today.
I have been a wife for over 20 years and am a mother to six world schooling children. I believe the world is our classroom, life is the best teacher, and experiential learning is the gateway to reawakening our children’s genius.
One of the most exciting aspects of my work is my Signature Certified Coaching Program, W🌍RLD Class Schooling. This interactive program helps parents create and finance a stress-free homeschool curriculum with affordable, stylish, and safe travel in 60 days. It enables families to effectively use the world as their classroom while making money from anywhere doing what they love. I have helped over 7,500 families globally create a world-class schooling life, allowing busy parents to spend more quality time with their children, reawaken their children’s passion for learning, and demonstrate how to live a life they love without regret.
I also operate the Black Homeschoolers Unite Facebook Community, a platform with over 10,000 members where black homeschool families can unite, uplift each other, and share diverse perspectives. This community provides essential resources and support.
In terms of education, I studied Business at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) and the University of Bourgogne in Dijon, France, graduating summa cum laude. I then studied Education at Chicago State University (CSU), maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I had the amazing opportunity to work with the Ghanaian Ministry of Education, USAID, and CSU on the “Textbook & Learning Material Program,” creating, distributing, and monitoring over 5 million culturally relevant textbooks.
My family and I began worldschooling part-time in 2008. By 2016, we were traveling full-time, completing a 50-state USA tour in four years and starting a 100-country international tour in 2020 despite the challenges of the pandemic.
I am also an author and have written multiple books, including:
*“Mama Raised NO Fool ~ Homeschool: The Ultimate Black Homeschool Resource Guide”
*“The Homeschooling Revolution: The Ultimate E-book that will Challenge your Misunderstandings and help you Embrace Possibilities”
*“Make that Money Honey: 20 Ways Sweet, Reliable & Legitimate Online Income for those Busy-Bee Parents”
*“Nourish Peace: Keys to Fostering COOPERATION Within Your Family”
*“Embrace World Schooling: A Complete Worldschooling Resource Guide”
*“80 Ways to Make Money from Home (in Your PJs): Make Money this Week with these Time & Location Friendly Opportunities”
*“The Success Guide to Worldschooling: 5 Keys to Begin your Worldschooling Adventures”
*“The Juggle is Real: A Workbook on Balancing Homeschool, Work & Life”
*“The Brainiac’s Blueprint Planner – (Simplify-Organize-Excel) Unleash Your Child’s Brilliance with this Homeschool Planner and Essential Organizer”
*“Pathways to Grow: Homeschool Socialization & Enrichment Journey Workbook”
Many of these books are accompanied by workshops, bootcamps, or courses, such as “The Juggle is Real: Balancing Homeschool, Work & Life” and “80 Ways to Make Money at Home in Your PJs.”
Some of the courses and coaching programs I offer include:
*World Class Schooling: A group coaching program with a course, community, and meetups focused on homeschooling without stress and frustration, affordable and safe travel, and making money from anywhere doing what you love.
*From Pajamas to Prodigies: A live 8-week intensive and mastermind program with a course, community, and meetups, designed for effective homeschooling.
*The Juggle is Real: A live 1-day bootcamp with a workbook that helps balance homeschool, work, and life.
*80 Ways to Money From Home in Your PJs: A minicourse/tutorial and ebook on earning income from home.
*The Golden Ghanaian Masterclass: A comprehensive course.
*Journeying Beyond the Classroom: A course on homeschool enrichment travel.
*World Class Travel: An intensive training with over 100 travel and safety hacks for affordable and stylish family travel.
In addition to being an author, I am an award-winning homeschooling coach and consultant. I was honored at the 9th Annual Liberated Minds Black Homeschool and Educational Expo. I have also been a featured speaker at the All Black National Convention, a four-time speaker at the Liberated Minds Homeschool Expo, and a speaker at the Unleash Your Ambitions conference, among others.
I host the podcast “Learning Outside the Box: The Homeschool Chronicles” and run the thriving “Black Homeschoolers Unite” Facebook community, a vibrant network of over 10,000 black homeschoolers providing invaluable support and resources.
I am passionate about creating transformational, life-altering content and helping others Embrace their Free.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, the three qualities that were most impactful in my journey have been Purpose, Mindset, and Focus.
*Purpose: Having a strong “why” has been imperative. Your purpose must be bigger than yourself. My purpose involves the betterment of my family, community, and the world at large. We never know who we might impact, but walking in our purpose can make a significant difference and even inspire others to walk in their purpose by our example.
*Mindset: As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t—you’re right,” and Napoleon Hill added, “What the mind can conceive, and bring itself to believe, it can achieve.” The keys to success lie in our mindset. Many of us focus on our conscious mind and are unaware of the subconscious programs or blocks that prevent us from reaching our goals and realizing our dreams. Mindset training and development have been crucial for me.
*Focus: I tell my students, “Hocus Pocus Focus.” F.O.C.U.S. means “Follow One Course Until Successful,” as Robert T. Kiyosaki advises. Having laser focus has helped me move forward without multitasking, which dilutes focus or uses it as a form of procrastination. With focus, I am able to accomplish tasks and reach goals in record speed.
My advice for developing these three attributes:
1. Create a mission statement for your life and your business/service/goal. If you have no end goal in mind, you will wander aimlessly, going nowhere fast.
2. Get a great coach or mentor, someone who has been where you currently are and has the success you desire. A coach or mentor can create a blueprint or roadmap to get you where you want to be quickly, bypassing many of the roadblocks they may have faced.
3. Read books on mindset, personal development, and biographies. Surround yourself with people who have the success you desire or are heading in the same direction.
4. Have an accountability partner or partners to help you focus. Focus on activities that will get you to your results and minimize busy work. Try to outsource tasks if you can.
Developing these qualities will set a strong foundation for your journey, enabling you to make a lasting impact and achieve your dreams.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
The most helpful person in my journey has been my husband. We’ve been married for over 20 years and have known each other for over 25 years. No one knows me better than he does. He is incredibly entrepreneurial and passionate about personal development. He has introduced me to numerous books, new ways of thinking, and essential business acumen. He takes me to business conferences and has recommended many of my phenomenal coaches. He often knows what I need before I do.
His positivity and encouragement are unwavering. As a visionary, he sees opportunities and potential that I might miss. Having him as a husband and business partner has been life-changing, especially since he is strong where I am weak. While I was content being a stay-at-home mom, he pushed me to become a success-at-home mom, even when I thought it was beyond my scope.
It is invaluable to have someone in your corner who not only sees you as you are but also envisions your future best self and guides you toward greatness. He is truly happy to see me win, and his support has been a cornerstone of my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Embraceyourfree.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sakile.embraceyourfree
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EmbraceYourFreeTV
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackhomeschoolersunite community of Black Homeschoolers where we share guidance, resources, and support. We also host the podcast, and showcase it live here
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
