Turn A Life-Changing Event Into A Professional Passion Like Erika Nicole Kendall

(Photo courtesy A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss)

Oprah Winfrey once said, "Turn your wounds into wisdom." And believe it or not, many life experiences can propel you into your career passion. While you don't want to trivialize tragic events, you can take a major life-changing happening–whether positive or negative–and turn it into a livelihood and inspire others in the process.

"We all agree life-changing events are inevitable, but it's how we respond to them that defines success or failure," explained life coach Sheila Swanson McIntyre of Abundant Life Coaching. "Some of the most devastating events can be the most freeing and inspirational. It forces us to step outside our comfort zone and look for new and creative ways to move forward. Quite often people have the desire to change careers, leave an abusive relationship or try something new but the fear of the unknown keeps them from progressing past day dreaming."

That's what Erika Nicole Kendall did when she embarked on a fitness quest. She started blogging her weight loss and fitness journey via A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss (BGG2WL) in 2009. The site eventually became a full-fledged business, though at first Kendall admitted it was sort of a self journal. "Honestly, I just wanted a space where I could keep a record of what I was learning on my journey. I didn't think anything about this becoming what it has thus far—I just wanted a space for intellectual accountability. I could never look myself in the eyes and say, 'I didn't learn that.' I wrote 1,000 words on it!"

Kendall admitted the public's response to her initial blog was a bit unbelievable. "But then I realized what BGG2WL represented to so many women–a space where people could come and get that kind of communal learning like you'd get from a heart to heart with a big sister," she said. "Once people started referring to me as their 'big sister in their head' or their 'BFF in their head,' it started to make more sense to me."

Needless to say A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss took on a life of its own, and Kendall went with it. On the blog she now covers everything from weight loss and wellness to fitness and body image and even features recipes. And the site has actually opened various opportunities for Kendall. "My primary goal with being self-employed was being able to stay home and be with my daughter, and over the course of the blog I've picked up a husband and–most recently–another child, so I'd say the most valuable opportunity has to have been the ability to stay home and spend more time with my family," she said. "In terms of non-family related benefits, I've had the privilege to partner with major brands like Microsoft, the American Heart Association, ASICS, and even the U.S. Army in ways that have aligned with my principles instead of compromising them. I've been able to bring my particular kind of writing to places like NPR, Salon, EBONY.com, Fusion, US News, I mean� � all kinds of places. I mean, the hard work has really paid off."

Now Kendall is looking at new ways to grow her brand. "At this point, the aim is to begin teaching live classes this coming summer, and there's a book on the horizon! So, keep your eyes peeled for that!," she teased.

While Kendall's lifestyle-change-turned-business was spurred by a positive life event, even events that would otherwise be deemed as negative can create new life ventures. "Most often those 'devastating' circumstances surprise a person. Their first response is not, 'How am I going to use this as a business launch pad?' But once they have done so much research, connecting, reaching out and learning about how to cope, learning what resources are available, it is almost like going to graduate school," explained Vivian Geffen, founder of CreativityMuse, who coaches and trains people on the use of Creative Thinking for personal transformation."If that person is cognizant, and finds themselves in a position of knowing what others in the same boat don't know, then they find themselves in a position of helping others as an act of service. If that then gains momentum and they find themselves devoting much time and energy to it, then, if they are of a mind to do so, they start to ask how to turn this into a business."

That's essentially what McIntyre did when she became a life coach. "I'll use my own experience as an example. I struggled with alcohol addiction for 10 years. I entered several treatment centers, tried hypnosis, and acupuncture, all with no success. During this difficult journey I struggled with a desire to reinvent myself but had no idea what direction to go. One day I discovered the Life Coaching program I now teach and it was like being struck by lightning. I knew deep in my soul that this was what I had been searching for. Shortly after I received my certification I stopped drinking. But it wasn't like any other time before. This time it was as instant as, one day I wanted to drink—the next day I didn't. All desire, all compulsion had completely disappeared. It was my miracle.

"Since then, my Life Coaching business has been the most rewarding and inspiring work I have ever done," she added. "I have found my passion. This is what makes life changing events spectacular opportunities to recreate a fulfilling and abundant life."

Of course, it is a process–and not a quick heal. You must be prepared to share your experience openly and honestly with others. And you have to be mentally ready for the transformation. As Geffen explained, "It takes clarity, presence of mind, willingness to say yes when asked to share or help, an abiding sense of purpose, some luck and a population of people who want to know about what you have learned. It takes connecting to a purpose larger than the devastation of the experience you just went through and deciding that it is worth all the hard work that starting any new venture will require."

Source: Turn A Life-Changing Event Into A Professional Passion Like Erika Nicole Kendall