Story & Lesson Highlights with Dominique “Coach D” Williams of Brooklyn

We recently had the chance to connect with Dominique “Coach D” Williams and have shared our conversation below.

Dominique “Coach D”, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
My commitment to being more disciplined and regimented. I am usually a “go with the flow” and live in the moment kind of person but over the last 4 months I have been really dedicated to waking up earlier, being more productive and consistent with how I work, and organizing my days.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Coach D. I am a Brooklyn, NYC native known as “The Mental Hygienist”. As a speaker, teacher, and coach breathing meditation and mindfulness are the foundations of my work. “JUST BREATHE.”, is the quote I often use to bring awareness to my brand GET FIT FFLY RIGHT to pay homage to my late mother and illustrate the power intentional breathing can have on one’s mental and emotional wellbeing.

I am a feather ruffler and my message of mental hygiene for all often challenges the way others think about conventional self-care and mental health. I began her career in youth development and sports-based youth development as a basketball coach. Since 2018 my mission has evolved from one of positivity through sports training to one of resiliency and restoration through breathing. I strive to be an example of my mission and often speak on how to repair mental or emotional dysfunction with mental hygiene.

Most recently, in 2023 I have shared my message with fellow coaches at the Jr. Knicks and NBA Coaches Conventions. My ultimate goal is present mental hygiene at Madison Square Garden arena with 30,000 people joining me for a moment of just breathing celebrating wellness and promoting self-awareness.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
As a child, my mother was adamant about her daughters being treated as ladies and more importantly acting as such. She often would talk to me, and encouraging me to “just breathe.” She knew I was a force of nature and instead of attempting to tame me she sought to teach me how to move with grace, peace, and intelligently. She affirmed my outspoken nature and constantly used different phrases for me remember when she was not around. I watched my mother defend her approach to raising me even against close family and relatives. My mother praised my ability to chlllenge things and used my own mind. In turn she nurtured my curiosity instead of belittling it like most adult under the guise of authority. She made me feel seen and safe to be all of myself.

After her death in 2009, I was lost, angry, reckless, and unhinged in ways that in retrospect make me supremely grateful that I am still alive. My mother’s words gave me a sense of self and knowing that I would always be ok. “Nique, just breathe.”, was the phrase she’d say to me the most and 16 years after her death it has shaped the way I approach my career, my business, and my personal life. My mother believed in me and my ability to think and make the best decision when I take a moment to stop and just breathe. Even after death, I hear her words. I continue to honor her legacy and the belief she had in me by the way I live and see myself, not just as a coach but as a woman.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
As a child I was rarely scared of anything. I grew up seeing a lot that desensitized me from the boogie monsters and bad people. Instead, unfavorable and unfortunate circumstances were the norm and hardship was something that was all too familiar. Fear was a luxury I couldn’t afford because things needed to get done. Yet, sadness was a thing. I often felt stifled, alone, and yearning for the big family dynamics I saw that others had. I saw a lot of sickness and death as a child and it made me often rebel, leave home, and look to others to fill this need of mine to feel a part of something bigger than myself. So, when I felt sad or alone, I would listen to Anita Baker albums, sit in the sun and sing. Those moments gave me peace, resolve, and calm from the many storms of life that were around me.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I believe in my brand Get Fit Fly Right, building it into a million-dollar business and spreading TAP mental hygiene changing the way mental health is approached in youth development. I have been building this brand since 2020 and I believe in the power of perseverance. Regardless of how long it takes, I believe in the power of ownership as an avenue for wellbeing. I run not a successful black-owned company but a successful global enterprise. Through ownership I am supporting my people build the confidence, competence, and self-determination to heal themselves. Building GFFR is how I serve others and ensure my mothers legacy isn’t forgotten.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
The story I hope people tell about Dominique, Coach D, Domo, or D is one of hope. I want them to say that I made them think and challenged the way they saw the world and themselves. I hope others know that I poured my heart into everything I did and that I was unapologetically myself. I aimed to give them the courage to be the same—to be themselves and be seen, even if by no one else but themselves.

I hope the story they tell is that they were loved by me because I cared, I shared, I challenged, and even sometimes, I might have “pissed them off.” I lived fully and asked them to join me, even if only for a moment. I hope every interaction left an impression that made them want to check in, check up, and go within.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photos by: Jordi Foster, JFS Photography
Courtesy of: Dominique Willaims

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