We had the good fortune of connecting with Khadeshia Beam and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Khadeshia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting my own business the second time around was a very self-reflective process in which I looked at everything that mattered to me, my children, my well-being, life purpose, helping people and financial stability. I decided to start my own business for many reasons. My children are a tremendous reason for me starting my own business along with my need for freedom, flexible schedule, creative control, self-healing and being of service to others in a way that is in alignment with my values and morals. Being present and available for my children is of the utmost importance to me. Often times I felt as though my 9-5 was not only causing an imbalance in my family life and creative life, it was not impacting my overall well-being in a positive way. When I started Akoma (Heart) Bloom Wellness LLC, I knew that it would be imperative for me to share holistic (mind, body, spirit) wellness practices with the entire world, having rediscovered parts of myself, having healed some of my trauma by commiting to consistently practicing holistic wellness and yoga. Community, exposure to nature, habitual wellness, transforming wellness practices into a way of life, happiness, intense healing, unity, love and peace of mind were and are all pivotal aspects of my business. My vision of experiencing this individually and collectively is what propelled me to start a heart centered, integrity driven wellness business. I had all of these ideas and they all aligned with wellness and that gave birth to Akoma (Heart) Bloom Wellness. The state of my inner world and the outer world was heavily on my mind. Additonally, I felt called to do work that would assist people who may be struggling internally and or externally in some way, just as I was.

What should our readers know about your business?
Akoma (Heart) Bloom Wellness is a heart centered integrity driven Holistic Wellness business. I would say what is unique about us is that our services infuse various aspects of wellness such as employee wellness programs, cultivating community centered classes that take place outdoors in nature, online and onsite yoga, meditation, healthy food demos, creative expression and exploration, diy workshops centered on creating your own natural products and journal writing. The variety of wellness services offered, the desire that I have to bring awareness to the truth that our well-being has to be looked at Holistically in order for us all to be healthy from the inside out and transform wellness into our lifestyle rather than an after thought is what is reflected in the classes, workshops and retreats offered.

As a student and teacher of holistic wellness, I am most grateful for the connections and uplifting, loving, positive impact that my practing and teaching of yoga has on the wellness of my children, students, friends and perfect strangers.  Through doing this work that aids in the process of healing, helps people and the world transform for the better, I continue cultivating healthier personal and professional relationships. My awareness of the presence I have in the lives of others is increased and vice versa. Doing work that I am an active participant in allows me to experience continued healing personally also.

I am excited about the birth of “Embrace Me” which is an event centered on prioritizing healing and unity among black people, black history and yoga. Given the current climate of our world, I wanted to create a space for us to have family conversations, prioritize holistic wellness, have open dialogue and heal without triggers of racism. Our first event on July 5th was truly insightful.  The cultivation of “Embrace Me” changed my life and allowed me to connect with someone who puts his heart into doing this healing wellness work, Tyrone Beverly, the Founder of IM’Unique. Tyrone lead the history portion of the event and shed light on pivotal moments in black history and more. IM’Unique supported me in bringing this event to life! It is exciting and affirming to have support and encouragement from someone you have never physically met in person, yet when you speak to them it feels as though you have know them for years and they can see your vision and offer you support.  The inspiration and effortless ease, I found in connecting and collaborating with Tyrone is the very foundation on which Embrace Me was created. My intention is to inspire the same type of connection and family oriented relationship among all black people who attend and or hear about Embrace Me and for that inspirational, effortless, uplifting, supportive relationship to be transferred energically and manifested in the cultivation of unity among all black people worldwide.

Our Employee Wellness Programs have grown and we just launched one that merges Mindfulness and Business called “Structure and Bliss”, in partnership with TaJuanna M. Taylor, Founder of Boot Strap Dreams. Structure and Bliss is literally the best of both worlds for entrepreneurs,  big and small businesses looking to prioritize wellness, boost morale, deep dive breakthrough strategies and more! TaJuanna and I connected effortless, we found alignment in our common goal which in short is to help businesses and individuals prioritize wellness, cultivate work life balance and achieve their unique goals! Through creating Strutcture and Bliss we began to cultivate sisterhood among one another, we continue to discover the interchangeability in the language we use in our unique fields though the words may be different, which further demonstrates the need for merging mindfulness and business instead of separating the two.

I arrived at the place I am today through doing a lot of inner work. In order for my business to begin growing, I had to look in the mirror. It is difficult for me to work from the outside in so my journey has had more to do with me going underneath trauma, societal conditioning, fear and mental barriers that had prevented me from committing to working on my business more full time. I have had to do a lot of unlearning and the process still continues. I am still learning a lot. I think being open to learning and receiving help has helped me tremendously. I would also say my relentless pursuit of more freedom and ease in my life motivates me to continue on this wellness path for both my personal and professional growth. Much of my life has lacked ease, I grew up watching my mother struggle and people in my family struggle and then struggle became my reality. Some of the ways I have overcome challenges is by assessing myself often through my holistic wellness practices such as yoga, meditation, prayer, journaling, intuitive eating, learning to mother myself, having unspoken and spoken conversations with God, spending time in nature and examining my relationships with people and even with animals. Of the many lessons I have learned along the way, I would say the biggest lesson I learned was to connect to myself. In connecting to myself, I began to do more than believe in God, my dreams and people, I started to connect to them. That is what made it all real for me.

I think often we are taught to compartmentalize the makings of ourselves and our life. I think that can be extremely toxic and it inspires disconnection from our spirit. I have learned to work on my business and self as much as I work in them. This is still a balancing act yet it is a lesson that I receive and am honoring more. The most important thing I want the world to know about my brand and story is that my story has inspired my brand. I do the work that I do because in my own experience it has helped shaped my well-being.  I feel compelled to share what worked for me with others so that they feel inspired and empowered to shape their well-being and use their power for good.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area I would take her to Desta Ethiopian restaurant to eat some delicious Salmon Tibs or Lamb Pasta. The service and the food is amazing! Then we would go to Jayida Che Herbal Tea Spot in East Atlanta to have some of the best fresh herbal tea I have ever tasted. We would go to Stone Mountain Park for a hike afterwards to experience nature and the energy of the mountain.  

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out my Reiki Practitioner and Holistic Counselor Dr. Fanike-Kiara Olugbala owner of Keys to Women’s Wellness in Roswell Georgia, My sessions with Fanike helped me to mend my heart after my mom transitioned in 2012. Fanike has been a constant support for me throughout my healing process and has helped me deepen my spiritual practice, focus intensely on my relationships, my business and healing through her reiki and holistic counseling. Fanike is extremely thorough and approaches counseling and reiki holistically. You are going to get a thorough experience in which she will let you know how your are doing energetically, mentally and physically. I am truly grateful for her guidance during my healing process. I always leave my sessions with Fanike feeling clearer, empowered and rejuvenated. I could go on and on. Yet I will just say I am truly grateful for the support, guidance, encouragement, compassion and honesty Fanike offers me continuously.

Shout out to both my suns (lights of my life) who constantly inspire me to be a better me. My children are my greatest teachers. They teach me to love unconditionally and constantly inspire me to enhance my self love so that they have the blue print to loving themselves unconditionally. I am reminded of the importance of honoring and following my dreams and doing what I love, so that they will be empowered to do the same. Thank you for choosing me.

Shout out to everyone who gives me their love, support and encouragment continuously: my friends, family, students, business/creative connections, partnerships and or collaborations. You inspire me to continue doing this work that encourages healing and complete well-being in our inner and outer world!

Website: heartbloomwellness.com
Instagram: @amodelyogi and @akomabloom
Linkedin: Khadeshia Beam
Facebook: Akoma/Heart Bloom Wellness
Youtube: Khadeshia

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