Meet Buffie Williams | Therapist, Author, Yoga/meditation Instructor

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

Hi Buffie, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I love that you asked the question about risk. Risk has been one of the things most people have questioned me about throughout my life and my career. Frequently you will hear multi-millionaires talk about risk-taking and why they take risks, and not being afraid to fail. The truth is failing is inevitable; you need to cross that hurdle. If you do not do anything, you do not move forward; if you do something, at least you know what things to eliminate. I do, however, caution people to take a calculated risk. Do not be so hesitant in your dreams and your ideas that you do not take any risk. If you bet on anything, bet on yourself. This means preparing yourself with the education needed for the material or surrounding yourself with experts in the field who know what your limits are and when you need to reach out for expert help. These are all things that are not new; most things have been repeated for centuries. In the book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill spoke about the person who usually gives out just before they realized their dream. Don’t be the person that kills your dream in life or your career, so strategize playing and take a calculated risk towards what you want to achieve in life and if it doesn’t work out the way you want it to revise your plan. I also must say I am a person of faith. So, I believe in asking God to cover you for the things that you cannot see—shielding me from the pitfalls that you can avoid. You must have a strong foundation because you will have stumbling blocks, and you need the courage to move forward and get up and begin again.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
One of the things that I’m most proud of about my business is that I could hold on to be true to who I am. Many people trying to realize their dream give up pieces of themselves along the way. Many have stated that I am a little too deep. I am unique and specific, and maybe I should do things differently. I do understand the premise of making your brand digestible for people. I also think that sometimes it takes us a while to digest our brand and define it to ourselves. I have always known that I would come from a holistic perspective. I have always been of the mindset that who we are is shaped by every dimension of our being. I have never been the type of person to bring you parted to me and leave the other parts out—for example, my spirituality or faith. If you accept B you accept all that I am, a therapist who believes in God, who believes in people. Someone who believes that your finances directly connect to your relationships. Your relationships connect directly to your career. Your career correctly connects directly towards your future, your future to your current state in life, and life to your children and family and your community. Everything is intertwined. It has not been easy. I became a mother at age 18. I was a divorced wife of two at age 27, and I went back to college as an adult. It was a challenge. I was fortunate enough to have a great support system in my parents and extended family, and it was still hard. I am a first-generation college student, so my parents had no idea of college life or what trajectory I should take. So, for me, the path of least resistance was never available to me. So, I learned a lot of things by making mistakes. I own that, and I would not take it back because it taught me some precious lessons about finance, relationships, and my career. All of those experiences shape me into a person who values mentorship values Council, and friendship. We operate in this world better together if we work with each other rather than against each other.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The most important thing about any city to me is culture. I like to know what the heartbeat of a city is. I typically find that at art galleries and off the beaten path, mom and pop restaurants give you the sincerest look into the way a city treats its constituents. I also love the theater, so if the town has a community theater and I can attend a show or art show with a local artist who tells me a lot about the city. I want people when I visit a place to experience the city’s heartbeat, not the facade of what tourism says is the place to be. I want to experience it for myself and determine where the best place to be is.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Often, we forget you who gave us that initial spark. I have had many people in my life who gave me my spark. Multiple sparks ignited my flame, but my first spark came from my grandparents. My maternal grandparents were so inspirational and encouraging in my life. My grandfather started as a sharecropper and ended up the school bus driver. My grandmother never worked outside of the home. They both were firm believers in God and education, and they always showed us (the grandchildren) that we could be more than what we saw. I saw the strength, and I saw the determination in them. I saw the fear of God in them, and it inspired me. Most of all, I saw the joy and love in them. I realized that the same joy and love is the same joy and love that I tried to bring to everything that I do and everyone I see so that everyone in this world who comes in contact with me knows that joy is possible.

Website: https://www.awakenholistic.org/

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Twitter: @buffie_awaken

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Image Credits
Troy University