Keiona’s Pages of Epiphanies

Coaching, Cultivation, Consultation Defined

The BFA Institute has three core values from which all work is based, Identity Reclamation, Interpersonal Empathy, and Manifest Action.

Identity Reclamation: We do not discover our identity. What we do are discover the parts of our identity that we habitually magnify and order our lives after. Every identity includes both positive and negative aspects. It is what makes us human. However, what we attend to within our identity is what we manifest in our day to day lives. Our beliefs define our reality. That is why people dealing with similar circumstances and means create completely different solutions to those obstacles and thus develop different lifestyles. This does not negate or belittle systemic and systematic strongholds (i.e. abuse, neglect, racism, sexism, and all other -isms), however, it does clarify the difference between those determined to overcome from those who embrace self-defeat.

Inter(personal) Empathy: Leadership, no matter the form, is an act of caring for or nurturing those under our stead. However, we can only care for others with the same depth as we care for ourselves. If our self-empathy is based on performance, perfection, and people pleasing, our empathy towards other will be an exact reflection. Leadership therefore begins and ends with self-work - making it abundantly clear that leadership cultivation rests on the foundation of and commitment to personal development (i.e., identity reclamation).

Manifest Action: What you say and think about yourself will always determine your path. Your identity leads you to your destiny. To break it down even further, what you believe about yourself, both subconsciously and consciously, will influence your thoughts. Those thoughts will determine your actions and behaviors. Your actions and behaviors create patterns or habits and habits set you on your path. That path leads to your destiny. Our destiny is, therefore, a manifest action of our internal world. We are less likely to take chances, open ourselves to new experiences, or break generational patterns of behavior when our minds are focused on our limitations. Once we change our beliefs about ourselves and what we are in this world to accomplish, we will find ourselves in places that we never dreamed possible before.