Meet Iman Blackwell | Coach, Speaker & Registered Nurse

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

Hi Iman, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
One of the most important lessons my business and career has taught me is to move at my own pace and not compare myself to anyone. I learned that comparison will forever be the thief of joy and progress. Whether i’m in the hospital setting, in a coaching session, or on a stage, I have to focus on what I am doing in that moment and show up as my best self. When you compare yourself to others, you find yourself focusing so much on what you are lacking, or you focus on your weakness that you neglect to see your strengths and fully utilize those strengths. Both personally and professionally, knowing how to acknowledge and work in your strengths will always be the determining factors between success and failure.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
As a mother of two, my time is extremely precious to me. I am extremely intentional with where and how I spend my time. I understand that in order to have the time freedom, and mental clarity necessary to be fully present in all the roles that mean the most to me, I had to make changes in my life. I had to learn to prioritize the things that were a priority to me while still maintaining the necessary stuff. As women, mothers, and parents overall, especially in America, we often have to choose between providing for our families and being fully present in their lives. As a full-time registered nurse, I felt as if I was building my life around work, not my work around my life, and I hated that. I think the pandemic taught me two things: life is short, and we don’t have to be away 40/7 for the world to run.

I read a quote that said “whatever you are not changing, you are choosing,” and I knew the way I was living was not the life I would have consciously chosen for myself, so I decided to make a change, and this change could not happen alone. It required guidance, community, support, and family. It required help, which I learned was something many women didn’t have. So I started a networking community to help ambitious women redefine and accomplish their personal definitions of success. I wanted to create a space for women to feel supported and empowered to change the things they no longer wanted to choose. As someone who has always been obsessed with business and entrepreneurship, I had to add a business swing on it and promote entrepreneurship of course.

What I am most proud of when it comes to Womanifest Club is its uniqueness and effectiveness. Every woman who joins comes with goals and talents that are just waiting to be tapped into, and witnessing the progress they make in the club and help each other make is truly inspirational to witness and be a part of.

I am so proud of the growth of the club. It is constantly changing and evolving, and I love that so many women are present to witness that. It shows the beauty of starting where you are with what you have and figuring out the rest as you go along. Because that is literally what I had to do. I knew what we needed and provided the solution. However, as the club grows, the needs change, and as the needs change, the club transforms and blooms. Its continuous growth and I hope that never stops.

I got to where I am today professionally by letting go of anything not aligned with my core values and the things I want in life. No matter how much money something made me if it was taking me further away from the people, places, and things that made me happy, It had to go. I accepted it was not for me. And that takes a lot of courage and faith. It requires you to let go of total control and believe in something greater than yourself. But once you learn to focus your attention and energy on the things you want in life, the things that genuinely make you happy, you begin to attract things and opportunities in alignment with the life you want, and you find yourself making decisions and actions that create progress towards a greater goal.

Getting to where I am today was not easy at all, but neither was running on autopilot in life.

A major lesson I learned was to stay focused. Know what you want in life, set goals for yourself, and go after them. Every day we are bombarded with ideas, snippets of other people’s lives, and information constantly being thrown at us every which way. It gets loud and distracting. But you must stay focused on your life and what you’re doing and working towards. Life is short and too short to be distracted and consumed with things that don’t matter. Be intentional with your time and how you spend it because that is how you are spending your life. Spend your time on the things that matter most to you, the people that matter, go to the places that matter, and make the memories that count. Focus on that and only that, move in that direction at all cost, and let go of anything that pulls you in the opposite direction without a second thought. Have faith that what is for you will not miss you, AND be ready to work toward that reality.

When the world here’s Iman Blackwell or they hear Womanifest Club, I want them to feel empowered and supported. I want them to associate Womanifest Club with growth, goals, and progress. I want it to be a constant reminder that we are no different. If I can do it, you can do it, she can do it, whoever. The life is yours to live, the dream is yours to dream, the work is yours to do, and you owe it to yourself to at least try. Start with what you have, where you are, and with what you know. Get clear on what you want, focus on that, and allow yourself to manifest it all! I always say, its Progression over perfection!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them skating In New Jersey at Millinium skate world that would be a must. We would hang out at Pennslanding and watch the water, maybe read some books. We would certainly have to go to surreal creamery for Icecream, and the head Cira green roof top for games and to just relax.

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 want to dedicate my shoutout to everyone who has supported me and my vision. Creating something from nothing is something that can only be accomplished with help. I want to thank my sisters for consistently picking up pieces and pulling things together when I was carrying too much. I want to thank my family and friends who would stay up late at night, helping me work through my thoughts and helping me gain clarity on what needed to be done. I want to thank everyone who pushed me and believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. I want to thank everyone who purchased my book, attended my events, and gave me words of encouragement and support. You all matter and played a huge role in where I am today. You know who you are!v

Website: https://whenimanifest.com

Instagram: @womanifestclub