We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ernestine Hopkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ernestine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is Women’s Empowerment Coaching in which my mission is to empower girls and women to overcome adversities and trauma and become the best version of themselves. A few years ago, I lost someone who was sexually abused as a child, was in a physically abusive marriage, and as a result battled with drug addiction, depression and anxiety. She was unable to see any other reality other than what she experienced and was not properly equipped to fight. Becoming a certified Women’s Empowerment Coach and a trained trauma debriefing specialist was important to me because it enables me to equip women to breathe, laugh, love, and live again, despite any of their life experiences.
To spread awareness about domestic violence and mental health, I am hosting live monthly online events via Zoom called Health Talks. Our special guest in March is Marta Peláez, the President and CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services – The Battered Women and Children’s Shelter. Anyone interested in attending these events can visit my website to find the Eventbrite registration information. They will also be able to catch the replays of these events on Redemption Train’s YouTube channel.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
After being the former co-director of Girls Who Conquer and losing someone tragically, I quickly identified that girls who haven’t healed become women who haven’t healed. This lead me to become a Certified Women’s Empowerment Coach and a trained Trauma Debriefing Specialist. I offer personalized one-on-one coaching sessions, group coaching sessions, workshops, and conferences. What I think sets me apart is I walk alongside my clients as they navigate through the evolution of self-discovery and re-align with the greatness God put in them. I help them see past their circumstances and equip them to fight for their future, their inner peace, and their happiness.
To further spread my message of hope to girls and women, on January 2, 2022, I released the Redemption Train – Teaser on YouTube. Redemption Train is an upcoming web series appearing on Youtube that is based on a book I published in 2014 titled, “Saving Myself From Me.” It’s my hope and prayer that as girls and women watch Redemption Train, they connect with the characters, see how the characters navigate their adversities, and walk away empowered to fight and become the best version of themselves.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Working on the Redemption Train web series project has been challenging because it was unchartered territory for me. I did not go to film school, so I was not trained on how to execute a project like this. In addition, I did not have the support or the financing to fund my project. Despite the many roadblocks that presented themselves, I was determined to move forward by filming, funding, and releasing the Teaser for Redemption Train. With the help of my mentor, Shanna Byrd, I was able to navigate this process. My current challenge is filming and financing the web series. No matter what, I refuse to give up because lives will be impacted in a dynamic way by this project. I am fundraising for this project and applying for grants.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been referrals. As I have successfully coached women they have referred me to their friends and family. Another great source has been social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ernestinehopkins.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ernestinehopkins/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ernestinehopkins
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernestine-hopkins-b141b6b0/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ernestinhopkins
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/EMMXW6UyPWA
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/redemptiontrain https://www.instagram.com/redemptiontrain