Reinvention Adventure - Kashonna Holland
I first met Kashonna Holland, CEO of Simply Kashonna, in fall 2018. I had just started Melissa Curtin Coaching in August of that year and I was at the beginning of my most recent reinvention adventure.
I was attending an event where candidates for elected office were responding to constituent questions. We were all asked to introduce ourselves around the room.
This was my first outing in my new skin. I wasn’t yet owning that I was the CEO of my own business, a coach, and a consultant.
As they started in the front row on the other side of the room, I remember thinking to myself, “Thank goodness I sat in the back. Maybe they won’t get to me today.”
I listened to everyone stand up and share their name and affiliation, some not bothering to turn around and face the audience behind them, when seemingly out of nowhere, this fabulously dressed, shining light of a woman stands up, faces the crowd, and says:
“Hello everyone! I’m Kashonna Holland and I’m the CEO of Simply Kashonna. I’m a life coach, motivational speaker, and author. It’s great to see all of you here today!”
Her energy and radiant smile filled the room.
I quickly forgot how nervous I was to introduce myself. All I could think about was how I wanted to be that bold and confident. I had to meet her.
After my turn to introduce myself came and went, I had to leave early for a client meeting.
I didn't have business cards yet, so I remember writing Kashonna a note with my contact information on the bottom of my notepad, folding it over and tearing it off.
I crept up the aisle to where she sat on the other side of the room and slipped her my note asking her if she would be willing to meet me for coffee sometime.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Kashonna emailed me soon after and we met for our first two-hour-long coffee date.
She has turned into a dear friend, colleague, and confidant who continues to inspire me in ways she can never know.
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Kashonna Holland, CEO, Simply Kashonna, LLC
Kashonna grew up in Houston, Texas, supported by a Southern family that thrived on comfort food and faith. She was a high school cheerleader -- popular and confident -- who aspired to be a lawyer. From an early age, Kashonna used her voice to help people get the justice they deserved.
In college, Kashonna majored in international business. Driven by her desire to serve, she entered the human resources field where she worked for various companies, always with the ultimate goal of helping others. Eventually, after changing jobs every one or two years, Kashonna drifted away from the corporate world.
Faith has been a vital part of Kashonna’s life since childhood, so it was at this point in her career that she accepted a role as an associate pastor at her church. This was a significant life change for Kashonna. Although many of her previous jobs involved helping people, the church gave Kashonna the platform to do so on a larger scale. And to use her powerful voice.
Kashonna shared, “I was challenged to go outside of the walls. I was challenged to get outside of my comfort zone. I was challenged to grow. I was challenged to become more impactful. And I was challenged to become even more relevant. And I decided to take advantage of that challenge. I decided to say, ‘Okay, I will accept the challenge and do what I need to do.’”
Kashonna highlights that listening to and following her entrepreneurial spirit isn’t always easy. Sometimes it is uncomfortable, like when she is the only woman in the room, but Kashonna has always pushed beyond the boundaries of familiarity.
“As my life has evolved on so many different levels, I've realized that I can never miss an opportunity. Therefore bold, fearless, and courageous have always been my tagline. Everything in my life has taken boldness, it has taken courage, and it has taken fearlessness to go to the next level,” said Kashonna.
Kashonna founded Simply Kashonna, LLC on the principles of bold, fearless, and courageous living. But business isn’t the most important aspect of Kashonna’s life; she values family above all else. As a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend, she has made many sacrifices. But at the end of the day, the harmony she has created between her family and work-life has allowed her to find success.
Kashonna advises, “Make sure that you tend to that part that's playing louder than the other, but don't forget that there's something in the background.”
When asked if Kashonna has any advice for others on their reinvention adventure, Kashonna offers this:
“It's really letting go of you. It's understanding that there is more of you to discover, and stepping into that. Because that opportunity may never come around again.”
Listen in as Kashonna shares her journey, including a turning point in her life when she jumped out of an airplane!
