Meet Joan Mwangi | Certified Adult Chair ® Coach

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

Hi Joan, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously.”-Prentis Hemphill

I love this quote because it is a reminder that loving someone else or loving others does not equate to me loving myself less or me not loving myself. It is a reminder that multiple truths can co-exist.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I work as a Human Capital Management software consultant and I am also a Certified Adult Chair ® Coach . I am driven to ensure that the software I implement changes the HR experience for my customers and their employees and to impact as many people as I can as a life coach.
My journey to software consulting has been challenging but insightful. I immigrated to the US from Nairobi, Kenya in 1997 to go to school and shortly after in 1998 my dad was killed in the bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi. Going to school full time while settling in a new country thousands of miles away from family while experiencing compounded grief was excruciating. However, I knew I had to stay focused, care for my young daughter and finish my education. I obtained a bachelors degree in Human Resources Management and a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership. While in school I worked as a payroll implementation specialist and gained experience helped me transition into software consulting which I truly enjoy because I get to work with different types of organizations and people.

From a coaching perspective, I am helping people transform their lives everyday through my signature Inner Child Reparenting journey and the 8 week Boundaries masterclass. My desire is for the current generation to identify and heal their generational wounds so that the next generation does not inherit generational wounding. We can collectively pass on generational wisdom if we work on the invisible wounds that keep us stuck in dysfunction.

How I was raised informed how I raised my daughter which contributed to her struggles with her mental health in her late teens and early 20’s. I came to the realization that the suffering had to stop with me and the only way to end the generational cycles of dysfunction was to go to therapy and eventually get coaching. It was in this journey I learned about adverse childhood experiences and how they inform who we become as adults. My journey sparked a curiosity about Inner Child Reparenting for black people especially from Africa because I could relate to their struggles and their experiences.

I got certified as an Adult Chair ® coach because the model is simple and easy to understand. It allows us to look at a human being from the perspective of identities. The child, adolescent and adult. The child is the most authentic version of us, the part of us that hosts our curiosity, true emotions and needs. The adolescent is our ego, our protector, the false self. The part of us that lives in story and assumptions, constantly triggered, brings the past into the present and brings the future into the present. Then the adult is our highest self, present in the moment, consistently asks, ‘what is truth and fact about this moment.’ This is who I coach my clients to be. When we live in truth and fact, we embrace our emotions, we acknowledge and respect other people’s emotions and boundaries including children’s.

One thing that I have learned along the way is that people want to be seen, heard and understood. Working with people becomes hard when they don’t feel seen.

I would like people to know that healing oneself is healing generations before us and generations after us. If this girl from Nairobi Kenya was able to do it. You can do it too with the right help and resources.

I use my story of multi-generational healing as an example of what’s possible if one person is open and vulnerable enough to rip the bandaid off the emotional wounds and start healing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is a melting pot of all sorts of wonderful experiences. We would explore the food scene for sure. We love ethnic foods from different parts of the world. I would suggest we go eat Ethiopian food at Desta Ethiopian Restaurant, we would also eat Persian food from Rumi’s Kitchen or Zafron in Sandy Springs. Another place we would definitely go to is African Soul Food Restaurant in Marietta fo some good Kenyan food.

In terms of activities we would go to Amicalola Falls, Stone Mountain and Helen GA, to enjoy nature and views.

A trip to Atlanta without going to the Martin Luther King Memorial, World of Coca Cola, The Georgia Aquarium and the Civil Rights Museum would be incomplete, so we would definitely go to all or some of these memorable places.

If it’s in the spring ,summer or fall, I would also recommend that we go to an outdoor concert at Mable House Amphitheater or Cadence Amphitheater. I also think the various outdoor events organized by City Springs in Sandy Springs or the Avalon in Alpharetta would be fun to attend.

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 dedicate my shoutout to my mom. She has always been my champion and my cheerleader. She always believed that I could do whatever I set out to do.

My daughter Angela for pushing me to my limits and being my mirror. I wouldn’t be the coach I am if it wasn’t for her.

My Life Purpose Coach Jean Adero for pushing me and encouraging me to live in my purpose.

My Adult Chair Coach Michelle Chalfant and my fellow Adult Chair coaches.

Finally, my family, friends and clients. I am who I am today because you have all believed in me, supported me, spoken my name in many places creating opportunities for me.

Website: https://www.joanmwangi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joan.w.mwangi/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwmwangi/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnEarthAConsciousYou

Image Credits
Photo of Mom and 1 #3- Cell phone photo
Photo #4 taken by Mianyas Photography
The rest taken by Lexron Photography.