We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kisha Woods a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kisha, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
2020 began a transformational shift in my life. I was in a mental slump and had been suppressing my feelings and emotions for years. Although I was living, I wasn’t LIVING. I was unfulfilled, and unsatisfied with where I was at that time.
April 2020 started a self-discovery journey like no other, leading up to discovering my purpose. This required 3 things from me: Reflection, acceptance, and accountability.
To figure out my life purpose, I had to reflect on what I had been through in the past, be accountable for the not-so-good decisions I’d made before, and accept that I was in total control of how my life would go from that day forward.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a women’s personal transformation and entrepreneurial development coach, Amazon best-selling author, motivational speaker, podcaster, and founder of Upgraded MindsetZ, LLC.
Upgraded MindsetZ offers a wealth of inspirational services for women through administrative resources, coaching, podcasting, and other motivational initiatives focused on personal development and start-up entrepreneurship. I created this supportive space and business to be the person to other women that I always wanted for myself. We all need to feel supported on every level in life and that is what Upgraded MindsetZ has been effectively doing since its launch in June of 2020.
After silently struggling with my mental well-being throughout the years I became tired of the havoc and reached a breaking point in March 2020. I documented those critical first 30 days of my transformational journey back in 2020 and in 2023 I turned it into an Amazon Best Seller ‘From Havoc to Healing: 30 Days of Reconditioning’. I chose to publish these intimate details as motivation to individuals about the importance of healing and enabling our self-discovery journey to thrive.
I was coaching part-time until I was let go from my corporate job in November 2020 and transitioned into full-time entrepreneurship.
I also co-own UPM Suites in Peoria, Illinois, which is a brick-and-mortar hub that offers resourceful, supportive solutions for personal and entrepreneurial development. It is also home to an expanding roster of small businesses that offer retail products and services in our community.
I am an active member of:
NAMI Tri-County Illinois
International Association of Professional Life Coaches
NAWBO Central Il Chapter
NAACP
Better Business Bureau of Central Illinois
My signature supportive community is called G.R.O.W.T.H. (Gratitude. Resilience. Optimistic. Wellness. Thriving. Happiness.) Over Everything. This is a growing network of like-minded women who share the values of building a supportive community, networking, and being an inspiring safe space to find motivation to grow personally and professionally. I host these free meetups virtually as well as in person as another resource for supporting other women personally and professionally.
I remain committed to the mission I began in 2020 to help others discover their purpose, prioritize their mental well-being, and activate a more satisfying quality of life individually and as a whole.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Realizing that there are barriers to SELF that need to be broken is a very critical first step in making transformational changes in our lives.
Breaking self-limiting barriers means being ready to think OUTSIDE the box in key areas relevant to your life and willing to enforce those thoughts no matter what.
It involves recognizing and challenging your values/beliefs, even if you grew up abiding by them.
You must be willing to broaden your own experiences and perspectives while also seeking to educate yourself.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get more information independently instead of relying on mainstream narratives.
Breaking those self-limiting barriers of our mind will help us fully activate our best life and allow us to discover passions and talents that we never knew existed. Doing this will help you align yourself with clarity and fulfilling happiness in your overall Life.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
In the past when I got overwhelmed, I would just keep going. I would never take time out to reflect and even acknowledge that I was overwhelmed which ended in me being super frustrated, stressed, and angry. None of those things were beneficial to my mental well-being and it as well as other factors took its toll on me.
Understanding that I cannot control things outside of myself, I now will take a moment to gather my thoughts and figure out why I am overwhelmed at that moment. Balance can do the body well, and I am a firm believer that it begins with our breathing
This technique is called Equal Breathing: You inhale for 4 seconds – and exhale for 4 seconds – doing so through my nose. The goal is to calm my nervous system, increase focus, and reduce that overwhelm at the moment so I can stay effective.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ coachkaytransforms/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ coachkaytransforms/ - Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/ coachkaytransforms/ - Other: The Upgraded MindsetZ retail store promotes inspiration, motivation, and positivity through clothing, housewares, self-help resources, and more. Visit https://
upgradedmindsetz.shop/ and start shopping positively today.
Image Credits
Images By: Michelle Mcfadden Photography Kisha Woods – Upgraded MindsetZ
