The Kharisma Magazine The Kharisma Magazine (Full) Premiere Issue | Page 66

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{
I cried
as I
boiled
the last
of the
pasta....
HOPING
IT WOULD
BE ENOUGH
to feed
my kids...
As the months grew more and more tight and the bills were
stacking up, I fell into a deep depression. With three small
children and my husband pulling triple duty, I felt like the
world’s worst wife and mother. Why couldn’t I just get over this
silly fear of mine and get back to my old self?
Something inside me had changed. My mission to help families
had been tainted by their unwillingness to help themselves. I
wanted desperately to spread my wings and show the world
what I was truly capable of, and felt deep within me that I was
not living up to my true potential.
I cried as I boiled the last of the pasta in my bare pantry, hoping
it would be enough to feed my kids as I contemplated how I
would get us out of the mess we were in. Collections agencies
were calling. Rent was due. Car repossessed. Everything was
falling apart.
Out of desperation, we moved from our downtown city home
to a townhouse in a neighbouring suburb. I was desperate for
someone to give me guidance. I read every free online e–book
and resource I could find. Enough was enough. I knew I needed
to change, I just didn’t know how (yet).
In September of 2016, I attended a live event for female
entrepreneurs hosted by Chantelle Adams. I had to borrow
money and pay bi–monthly instalments to go. I carpooled and
shared an Airbnb to cut costs, and it was the best decision
EVER. I made some incredible new connections and learned a
lot from the various speakers who had travelled from all over
the world to present. My eyes were opened to a whole new way
to do business, and it sparked something inside me. I realized I
wasn’t a failure. I realized the market I was serving just wasn’t
ready for what I was offering.
WHAT
LED
YOU
TO
#THEEXPANSIONPROJECT?
FOUND
THE
After attending that live event in September 2016, I connected
with some of the most incredible women I had ever met;
P R E M I E R
I S S U E
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K H A R I S M A
M A G A Z I N E
women on missions of purpose so much bigger than their
businesses and themselves. It was incredibly inspiring and
beyond anything I had experienced in my ten years in business
“offline”. Although I had been passionate about helping families
help themselves with free financial literacy workshops and free
financial planning services, this was even BIGGER than that. I
had so many ideas running through my head about how I could
scale my company and integrate a giving back component, that
I spiralled for a little while.
I hired a business coach in January 2017 who helped me work
through some of the ideas and how to ensure I was following
my bliss to make it a successful endeavour. And honestly, that
was something I had NEVER done before. In the past, I did what
I enjoyed and was skilled at, but didn’t follow my BLISS: the one
thing that I love to do so much in this world that I would pay a
LOT of money to do it. For me, bliss is connecting with other
souls and helping them discover their true calling, alongside
travel. Now that I had the pieces to the puzzle, so I began
brainstorming ways I could travel, while connecting with men
and women seeKing more meaning and purpose in their lives,
AND give back to the causes we care so deeply about. After 2
weeks of journalling, meditation, talking with coaches and a
LOT of prayer, #theExpansionProject was born.
WHY ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT
GIVING BACK?
One of the biggest reasons I am so passionate about giving
back is because I was once a recipient of charity. I grew up with
a single mother, putting herself through college, on welfare,
and were often nominated for food baskets and Santa’s
Anonymous. Most of the clothing I wore came from donations,
and we frequently shopped at second–hand stores. Despite my
meagre childhood, I never went without. I never missed a meal,
and I always had a warm roof over my head. When I look back
at those times, there was so much we DID have compared to
other parts of the world.
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