We were lucky to catch up with Ashriel Walker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashriel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

For me, it was the only option I had. I had developed severe carpal tunnel, so my career for the second time has been compromised as an efficient Chef. Having said that, I had to go back to the drawing board of the things that burdened me the most: the trauma that people endure, but complacent with the effect it has on them because it is just that – comfort.

It was vital for me to start something that was going to absolutely make a difference in one’s life. It is in my heart to ensure that I could impact the life of another individual. I have always loved the art of giving. I have always loved being able help people dig beneath the surface of their masks that they wear on a daily. Because of that, I began the journey of life coaching women.

Mid-year of 2o21, I noticed my hands, fingers and wrists on both sides causing me trouble. Now, previously, I already had some nerve damage on my right hand and with a different nerve. Because of the increased level of pain that I was battling with just my right hand, I opted into getting surgery for cubital tunnel, which effected my ulnar nerve (pinky and ring finger, radiating to that side up to my arm at times). The surgery fixed a problem, but it did not fix the other problems that I did not pay close enough attention to. So I was in denial that something else was on the horizon for a couple days. Then I noticed that things started to worsen. Because of that, I had to make the decision to either wallow in my defeat, or move forward, exuding in the confidence that I was made for more.

In January of 2022, I made the pivot to do something that was totally outside of my norm. I came from catering for over a decade, on a professional level to doing something that I was actually afraid to do because nobody knew me for that. I was soley known for cooking and serving. Nonetheless, it was time for me to serve in a new dynamic that would also create a greater impact, whilst fulfilling my internal being.

In February 2022, I wanted to give back to my community. I never opened up, publicly that I had pivoted into coaching because I was simply afraid of not being “qualified”. For Black History Month, I released a couple of things: a children’s book “Color Strong” and announced that I was taking clients for coaching for a very temporarily discounted price. It was a price that I was called “crazy” for because it stood against the norm.

I did it afraid. I had a conversation with my coach about how unsettled I felt about catering consulting because I deeply believed that I was destined to do something greater. She immediately celebrated me for knowing what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do it.

Anyone that knows me, also knows that I choose to not follow the trends of what makes sense to society. Rather than that, I choose to embody my true authentic self, so I did not seek counsel on the financial side of things. I wanted to witness transformation and journey with women to their breakthrough.

Not to go too far off topic- within the same hour of being released from my coaching call, I got into the mindset of “execution”. I wrote down some very pivotal things that would set me apart from what others are doing. Although I love the differentiations of all business owners, I too, had to get to a place where I could differentiate myself from many others.

With that being said, I looked within. I saw the little girl within who went through a great deal of trauma and then I remembered that multiple women just like me were going through the things I had already conquered. For that reason, I made a bold commitment to get into life and business coaching for women who battles the trauma they never let go of.

When I announced that I had pivoted, I wrote down my vision and I made it plain. I organized what it would look like for me to coach on a 1:1 basis from start to finish. I came up with the time frame for my program. I got down to the point of wanting to know what the client should leave the program feeling like and seeing in the natural realm of things. Women began to gravitate to the idea of wanting to experience freedom, love, and a true sisterhood. That’s who I am, and I don’t shy away from it. So, that’s what I delivered.

To sum it up, my execution process was helping women execute their potential, detach from trauma, embody their true authentic self, help them locate their identity, and so much more. It has been a lovely journey and I will continue to do my part and help one stuck person at a time, by journeying with them to live a joyful and fulfilling life.

I would convey to each woman that she is more than welcome to maximize the days to work on herself or split it up to work on her business idea. Although that offer was on the table, a lot of tears and prayers were shared because let’s be honest here: detaching from trauma is not easy. Because they said “enough is enough” they did the work, and their transformation gives me goosebumps till this day!

That’s what execution looked like for me, from start to finish.

Ashriel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am primarily a life coach. I offer business coaching. However, my focus has been on the internal work of my clients. How I got into the industry of life coaching began in August of 2019. I was scrolling through Facebook and saw that someone was offering a class to receive a life coaching certification. I have no idea what came to my mind when I took on the task of completing the course. Nonetheless, I chose to move forward.

I love everything about being challenged and then the execution that comes with being challenged beforehand. I was given around twelve weeks to complete the course, but I completed it within a couple of weeks because it was something that continued to intrigue me. The course instructor taught her class very well and I felt like I was not done. I’ve mentioned the type of industry I was going to move into, to close people to me at the time. However, I was told that it was not something I should get into because it did not seem legit or lucrative. I took that information, became discouraged for a few days and finished the course with grace and then celebrated myself for finishing something new.

Although it was completed, bills had to still be paid right? So, I had to swallow my pride and go into an industry that would be the total opposite of something I saw myself doing in my lifetime. I did a lot of office work. While being there, I felt something stirring up inside of me: purpose. Purpose was manifesting and I did not know why because I was just trying to pay my bills. There was no way I was meant to sit on what I give out now.

On one of my days off, I felt compelled to do something about what was surfacing. I reached out to one of my sisters and told her what I was getting ready to do. I told her that I wanted to coach and plant but honor our now deceased mother at the same time. Little did I know, I had to go through a season of pruning before I could plant seeds of hope in others.

I registered my business as “Planting Dream Seeds & Coaching”. My business name was rendition of what my mom’s business name was “Dream Seeds Boutique”. The moment I registered my business, I went through a great deal of things that keeps me in a state of serving others. It reminds me that I will never be exempt from the trials of this life. Yet, my business now offers a working strategy, tools, accountability, and a genuine sisterhood.

Planting Dream Seeds is all about helping women break through the concrete that keeps them from encountering a “rebirth”. More than likely, it’s attached to trauma. The things that I have endured from the age of seven (that I recall) up until the moment that I chose to heal healthy, was not meant for me. It was meant for the women I coach to success and liberation.

My business has a foundation of my belief. Those who can identify with that same belief, are the ones who will get the most out of the program because we have a similar way of being grounded in something that sits well with our soul. From there, it is my purpose to get them closer to their vision by helping them get rid of the toxicity that has taken up room, and then move forward in the external realm of things (business, health, finances, surroundings, etc.).

As an extension of my business, I set the stage by walking out what I teach. I’ve written and self-published four books of my own. my most recent one is the one that I am most proud of because I wrote it during a time of being isolated. I wrote it with the intent to serve the reader. That book is “Authentically You”. I’ve received so much feedback from not only my clients saying they feel even more connected to me, but also those who had no idea who I was at my core. The readers are now feeling empowered and emboldened to do the work and never stop growing. That’s what my brand is about. Creating impact by making my mark from a pure heart. I cannot express it enough how much I just want to see people free from the things that held them back or keep them mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically debilitated.

In addition to my coaching and writing, I display my gifts and skills as they become necessary because I will maximize my potential, by any means. I’ve been a spoken word artist for quite some time now, a course and content creator, and more than anything – making a difference by being different.

I am resilient, so my resilience leaks into anyone whom I coach. I am who I am – authentic, so my authenticity is what compels others to tap into theirs through my coaching. I am dynamic, so I don’t just coach on a surfaced level. My style of coaching is to find who the client is at their core and cultivate it. I am deeply grounded in my belief system as a faith-based business owner, and core values, so that spills over into my coaching. The clients I have now and the ones who have already completed my program highlights that as giving them the permission to fall apart, as we work together to put her back together, but better than before.

Planting Dream Seeds is continual. It is a journey, and the journey is meant to be embraced because seasons do change.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the lessons that I had to unlearn was that “I can do this by myself”. That is a misguided theory that many communities operate off of, I do not agree with that.

I grew up with that mindset and I was still finding myself stuck in so many areas of my life. I was unhappy, felt alone, burnt out, and not getting anywhere.

I scrolled past an ad that was directed towards faith-based entrepreneurs on Facebook. A couple of days went by, and I finally caved into clicking on it. One of the best decisions I have made was clicking the ad and trusting the process because I was tired of not being challenged.

Because of that, I have learned the art of abundance. Abundance is not all about the financial side of things. That’s totally a fraction of it. It’s also about connecting with like-minded people. It’s about collaborating with those same individuals, if the vision is the same. Jealousy and envy have to absolutely become nonexistent in your life, there is no room for that when you want to move forward and execute your dreams. There is no room for competition. Work with others and create an impact that serves a purpose that is bigger than you.

Unlearning that mindset and behavior has been so liberating for myself and my business. Since I have done that life-shift, the narrative shifted entirely. Anyone I connect to; they will leave knowing that they are loved and that I am determined to see them win. If you really want to encounter a shift in your life, I encourage you to examine your heart and your mindset. The language you speak to others. Assess your circle of friends or family that you hang around or speak to often. Those people should be able to tell you where they see themselves in 12 months to five years of the time you’ve had that discussion. If they do not have a growth mindset, it may be time to connect with others who what to create abundance, by embodying the attributes of it mentioned.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In 2021, I went through a major life-changing circumstance. I was diagnosed with severe carpal tunnel in both hands. That was just the tip of the iceberg of what I was encountering prior to that in life, my business that was put to a halt, finances, etc. In March of 2022, while trying everything to heal from the carpal tunnel, I encountered my second brain injury.

The doctor told me that I was going to deal with the post-concussion symptoms past five years. She mentioned that because it took five years to heal from the previous one. I did not accept that report. I said, “Okay.” Then, I chose to change my way of thinking and how I will move forward to heal sooner than five.

I was just getting into building one of my courses and then I had to reach out to my course creation coach to let her know that I’d have to put the building phase on hold for the millionth time because again, I was dealing with a lot.

Nonetheless, she instantly put the course on the back burner and got into the mindset helping me get through this second brain injury. I then reached out to my other coach who was more of my life and business coach. She and her mother prayed for me, gave me suggestions and also stepped into helping me heal.

I was one week into post-concussion, and I already had “discovery call” booked with someone who wanted to ask more questions about my coaching and aim to help her see further. I know that I should have been resting and I was previously. However, it was not in me to give up. So, I didn’t. I took her call, and I am forever glad that I had. She was also healing from a brain injury. She needed something that I knew I could offer her. That woman booked me for the next twelve weeks. I told her that I recently had one for the second time, and it emboldened her to overcome hers as well because I was not where I started.

Within a few weeks, with their loving support and help, I got through some of the toughest things, whilst battling something so difficult. Anyone who has endured a brain injury or dealing with the after math of it, will also know that it is not for the faint at heart. You are afraid to be in your own body. Many of us lose our memory. There are those of us who develop a sensory overload that creates anxiety. We will sometimes develop impaired vision, sleep insomnia, massive migraines that even medicine can’t help. Our words will become scrambled, and we cannot make simple decisions. I operated at a fifth-grade level, after my first brain injury and it took my five years to overcome that. It took a few weeks to overcome the same thing. Resilience is something I hold onto, in terms of a characteristic of mine because it gets me through things that others could not.

I still battle some things, such as short-term memory loss at times and slight headaches for sure. But it did not take me the length of years like the doctor told me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://planting-dream-seeds-coaching.mailchimpsites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashriel_walker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantingdreamseeds
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR3X3DkkW-b9w4_O4so4KyQ
• Other: email: [email protected] Book: https://academy.plantingdreamseeds.com/authentically-you

Image Credits
Outside photo credit: Rayshawn Anderson Seasons change…embrace your journey design credit: Avery Walker