We recently connected with Lakeisha Grimes Fletcher and have shared our conversation below.
Lakeisha Grimes, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic comes from my ability to believe in me which started at home. I have high self-efficacy, which means my self-belief and self-awareness to reach my goals are at a high level. This allows me to value myself and the work that I do for myself. This also allows me to reach my short- and long-term goals.
At an early age, my grandmother instilled into me the belief that hard work pays off, as well as, the importance of valuing what I do in this world. I grew up in a household with structure and love. The structure was demonstrated through hard work such as consistent employment, being present and on time, and the responsibility of home ownership. The love was demonstrated through family gatherings, support through my schooling and unconditional love through life’s experiences. My support system provided me with a high level of self-efficacy. Hence, my goals have always been to do my very best; take up space when I show up and to value what I do in this world, which aligns to a good work ethic.
So when I perform, I perform well. When I write, I write well. And, when I show up, I show up well. It is because I value myself and the work that I do for myself. Not only am I accomplishing my personal goals but increasing my work ethic.
There have been moments in my life where I did not perform well, write well, speak well or show up well. I’ve been able to use those moments to learn ways to be better, which comes from my high self-efficacy. I am committed to me!!
Thus, my work ethic is a mixture of accountability, reliability, consistency and a proactive attitude within me to continue to show up for myself. No matter where I go, I work hard and value what I do because I have a supportive support system and a great sense of positive self-belief and self-awareness that I can always become a better version of me.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As a published author and poet, I have a heightened sense of awareness and creativity that has brought mindfulness to the pages of my first book, “Rediscovering The Goddess…Journaling Through My Journey to Refine Me” by Lakeisha Fletcher in 2024. What is most exciting about my first book is what I call going on a “poetic journey!” I take my readers through my perspective of life transitions with love, sex, relationships and self-acceptance. I create artwork through my words in the form of poetry with love poems, happy poems, inspiration poems, and the list goes on! I am also a Transformative Life Coach and Healing Leader, where I combine my self-awareness with healing and self-love to serve and empower people. And as a yogi and mother, I focus on renewed strength, vitality and the art of intentionality to help heal and guide our future generations.
As a native from Washington DC, I began writing poetry in high school. After graduating from Eastern Senior High School (DC), I received my undergraduate degree in Sociology from Tennessee State University (TN) and a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Capella University (MN). I received my life coaching certification from The Love More Movement, Inc. (Washington, DC) and serve as a transformative life coach and healing leader to individuals who want and need help navigating major transitions in their lives; healing from past trauma; and unlearning what was once learned to build a more fulfilling lifestyle.
Check out my website for upcoming events and to schedule speaking engagements at www.LakeishaGrimesFletcher.com.
Social Media Links on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @ Lakeisha Grimes Fletcher
Website: www.LakeishaGrimesFletcher.com
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that have been impactful in my life are consistency, adaptability and collaboration. Through consistency, I have increased my confidence and decreased my nervousness around public speaking. To explain, the more I speak, the feeling of nervousness deceases. This is hugely impactful in my journey as a performing poet where I speak at varies engagements and poetry sets. With adaptability, I embrace setbacks; I accept change; and I practice patience. For me, adaptability has been my biggest quality to succeed as I am able to pivot, from my original plan, and still progress and be productive. With collaboration, I can build my goals and dreams into my reality with help from others. I know that accepting help doesn’t make me weak. I know that working with others, through positive collaborations, will increase my visibility. In turn, it makes me smarter, stronger and more marketable. And as a result, I can use the vast resources in this world to make my vision come to life.
To improve these qualities, there are three recommendations for any individual who wants to improve in these areas. First recommendation is to stay focus with regular and consistent check-ins with yourself. Create a list of goals and check on your goals regularly. This will assist with creating a routine of consistency.
My second recommendation is to increase adaptability and to try something new. If it is uncomfortable yet safe, try it. Get use to being comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Lastly, my third recommendation for collaboration is to reach out for help. Trust the process! Know that the universe is here to support you and to give you everything and everyone you need in your life to succeed. So, trust the process and trust in yourself that you will attract the prefect things and prefect people that are best for you!
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
In high school, I chose, “ I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, for a book report. This book is an unforgettable autobiography detailing the strength, courage and wisdom of an amazing Black woman. I researched why a caged bird may sing:
1. Struggle
2. Unfair treatment
3. Unrest in the soul
For me, I experienced all three at some point in my life. In addition, there was an internal struggle of wanting to be it all: a mother, wife, entrepreneur, daughter, sister friend and world traveler. I felt a sense of unfair treatment within the patriarchal world that demonstrated an imbalance amongst gender roles inside and outside of the home. Thus, this book spoke to me. In addition to the unrest in my soul breeding resentment that rose from me having more workloads and less playdates in my life, year after year, I felt caged.
The most valuable and impactful nugget learned from this book was the acknowledgement of will-power. In understanding will-power, I’ve learned how to carefully and strategically navigate from relationships with others into a relationship with myself. I’ve learned the ability to be caged is one’s inability to be different, to stand out amongst the crowd and to be a cycle breaker. In doing so, I believe I can and so I do. I acknowledge I don’t have to be limited in my thinking or restricted in my living or condemned for my decision-making process. I trust everything will work in my favor, and it does!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.LakeishaGrimesFletcher.com
- Instagram: Lakeisha Grimes Fletcher
- Facebook: Lakeisha Grimes Fletcher
- Linkedin: Lakeisha Grimes Fletcher
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