1. What type of work do you do as a Lifestyle Empowerment Alchemist?
First and foremost as a LIFEstyle Empowerment Alchemist, I AM dedicated to awakening hearts, minds and most especially Spirit to our innate Power from within. That’s our Authentic Power from Within! The Power to thrive rather than merely survive!
Alchemy is the medieval forerunner of chemistry. The transformation… The art form… The act of changing into another state. In this case… Changing that adversity, challenge and struggle in our lives into opportunity regardless of situation circumstance or event.
Finding the gifts and the blessings in the joys of life… As well as the gifts and the blessings in the sorrows of life… That not so good stuff!
My joys and sorrows have not only Empowered and strengthen me… But I’ve come to serve those who I influence and surround and who influence and surround me.
With my clients and audiences… I get to help those who wish to help themSelves uncover and identify … And know what they want… Even when we must start with what they do not want! And that’s often where we start! So that adversity… that struggle… that challenge… that not so good stuff will serve us rather than anything less…If we choose!
As a lifestyle empowerment Alchemist, Coach, Author, and Speaker, I help individuals who choose to Live an Empowered Life… To Live the Life they Desire… Perhaps to Live the Life that they dream about! Rather than merely settling for less year after year living life in default mode!
Understand we are the author, the developer… The artist of our Life so we get to choose our LIFEstyle in every area of our Life…Our health… Our purpose… Our relationships… And, most especially, our sense of Self!
That authentic power from within that we all possess… No matter the fear, Chaos, commotion or drama… It is that which attends to the agenda of our Soul… And not merely our external world.
2. You spent 7 years in a women’s federal prison. What were you serving time for and what was that experience like? How did you spend your time and what did you learn?
I was serving time for a nonviolent…non-drug related crime. Although there was never any intent to commit a crime, I made some poor choices that led me not only into prison but to what I do today as an Alchemist. So… You see even the nuts so good stuff in life as a gift and a blessing… If we look for it!
I take total responsibility for calling forward that experience. Yes…I missed every holiday And birthday with my daughter and members of my family for six years. However, I needed to be incarcerated in order to be liberated… To regain my sense of Self!
While incarcerated I became an advocate and a teacher for my fellow women inmates to make some Life changes… And truly live the best life they could regardless of their circumstances. What followed was the BEginning of my Journey of Transformation. For we are never too old for Transformation!
Of this…I AM certain!
I realized that the only person I could take responsibility for was mySelf. That’s when I began my Journey of helping people help themSelves. I was coaching women to lead a better Life and understand the strength within themSelves to help themSelves. In some cases…as part of an already in place program to get their sentences reduced by a year.
I was in a prison physically…but many people are in prisons mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It’s my Life goal to help others conquer their most negative habits and build new, healthy and successful lives for themSelves based on their needs and desires.
We all have sorrows in life. We all have adversity at times and life!
I also believe we call it all forward so that we can learn the lessons we have been brought here to learn. It is our joys as well as our sorrows the good stuff as well as the not so good stuff, that will either serve us or not. I chose to Empower mySelf to take the good, as well as the not so good and make it work for me!
That is why I am passionate about awakening hearts, and minds, and most especially Spirit to The Authentic Power that truly resides within each one of us! Source, Universe, Divine, God…IT’s The way to a better and a more meaningful Life!
Moreover… The likelihood is that I was incarcerated so that I could be pivoted back to the Purpose I AM here for… To BE of service to others!
You asked what I learned from my experience in prison.
Number 1 would BE that sometimes things just have to fall apart in order to come together for our highest and our best good… Or something better… For the highest and the best good of all concerned!
Looking back over my challenges and struggles… But not so good stuff in my life… I realized that out of chaos truly comes order… Divine order!
It’s out of the chaos and the confusion that something new is BEing born… BEing birthed… Something better for a more perfect, conscious, Empowered and complete Life. Something Divine!
Number 2 would be that I learned freedom from my prison experience!
BEing liberated from whatever prisons we happen to find ourselves in… Requires healing! And that healing requires Self-care and Self-love. The ability to nourish and nurture ourSelves.
That’s some thing I know that I not only needed to learn… But to continually practice each and every day. My feeling is that, especially as women, we are really good at nourishing and nurturing others. When it comes to ourSelves… We might just need to take a breath and remind ourSelves that it is only through nourishing and nurturing Self… Practicing Self-care and Self-love that we are available to show up as the best version of ourSelves for others… For each other!
Number 3 of my prison learning experience is the following. Regardless of situation, circumstance or event… Our Life story encompasses us as the hero or heroine… the villain or the victim! IT remains our choice!
3. What advice would you have for other people who are facing long prison sentences?
My advice to those who are facing long prison sentences… Actually, any type of prison sentence or incarceration is the following.
Understand that you have called this “time” forward… As did I… To go within and attend to that which needs attention from the inside out!
Find the gift and blessing in each and every day… for they do exist! Trust and believe… I know!
Living our highest and best Life…The Life that we Desire… Regardless of situation, circumstance, event, or location is an “Inside Job”!
Once you’ve come to understand that… Regardless of where are You happen to BE…You will then BEgin to stop settling for less and living your life in default mode!
4. You have overcome a lot of challenges in life including overcoming breast cancer and living through three divorces. What helped you overcome those challenges and what advice would you give to other people who are facing difficult challenges?
Yes… I have overcome a lot of challenges in my life! Whether it was incarceration…Breast cancer…living through three divorces and failed relationships…Totally messed up finances… As well as the not so good feelings and emotions that accompanied all of those… My work here in our world is not done!
I chose not to be the victim in the scenarios and challenges that I found mySelf in!
Instead… By The God of my understandings Grace… The God Within me… My Authentic Power from Within… I managed to find the gifts and blessings… The opportunity to press the reset button … To peel the onion skin a little bit farther away… And find my sense of Self again!
Incidentally… this is an ongoing process for each and everyone of us individually as well as collectively!
5. Your mantra is “Fix your reflection first.” What does that mean and how do we do that?
Yes… Fix Your Reflection First … And Live Your Best Life Ever!
It BEgins with treating yourSelf well! With caring for yourSelf! With BEing kind and gentle to and with yourSelf! With loving yourSelf! With forgiving yourSelf!
Look at your reflection… Look at You in your mirror… And know with all Your heart that You are whole, perfect and complete… Regardless of poor choices, mistakes… Or what you may call failure… just the way You are!
That’s just the BEginning! Stay tuned!
6. Anything else?
Yes there is something else!
Know that You are never alone! Rather than isolating yourSelf… Reach out to someone You trust… To someone who will not judge You and talk about what’s happening with You on the inside!
Source, Spirit, Divine, Universe…God is ever present within You… Lighting Your way and guiding You!
Listen to that ever present voice within You…and move forward to BE Your highest and Your best good in every area of Your Life!
Understand that You are the main character in Your Life! Wherever You may go You take yourSelf with You!
Most importantly… I invite You to treat Life as if IT were ice cream… and Enjoy IT before IT melts!
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For more information about Rhonda, please visit https://helpmerhondanow.com/