We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Keisha Pinnock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Keisha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
In 2018, I had reached the pinnacle of my career in the corporate world. I was a Senior Vice President making a 6-figure salary, working for a Fortune 500 company, managing a team of over 50, and coordinating activities in the US, the Philippines and India. However, I was unhappy, the mounting pressure was leading to anxiety, and I was just unsatisfied overall with my life. I was overweight and knew I had to make a change.
So, I quit my job, decided to hire a personal trainer, and returned to a plant-based lifestyle, which I had enjoyed 2 years earlier. The change was gradual, but as I began to restore my health, lose weight, and reconnect to myself through journal and daily meditation, I knew this was the path forward. That emptiness I was feeling months below started to close and I realize what I was missing was me!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Once I transitioned to a plantbased (vegan) lifestyle in 2018 and began noticing the benefits: glowing skin, feeling more alert without the use of coffee (I was a Starbucks junkie for a long time!), weight loss, and just feeling that I was doing something positive to honor my body, I knew I had to not only adopt this as a permanent lifestyle, but also learn more about this way of living.
I listened to YouTube videos, researched and learned as much as I could online, started trying new recipes, learning about herbs, and reading books to deepen my knowledge. I experimented with fasting using natural juices and raw foods and just used my kitchen as a lab. I started sharing my dishes online and connecting with other individuals who were already on this path or were simply curious about incorporating more fruits and veggies into their diet.
In 2019, I stumbled unto Queen Afua and her books and my mind was blown. I read her Heal Thyself book, which provides information on different modalities of healing and detoxing using food, enemas, colonics, and yoga/movement. But even more important, it not only provided tools for healing myself, but emphasized the responsibility to share this information and serve as the catalyst for healing our community. In 2020, I took it a step further and completed her Sacred Woman Rites of Passage program, which focused on healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit through 12 gateways (areas of focus).
I continued my studies by getting certified in Kemetic Reiki, completing herbalism and plantbased nutrition courses and working on my certification as a holistic nutritionist and health and wellness coach. I am also a facilitator for Cacao Ceremonies, a sacred and spiritual practice that facilitates healing and transformation.
In 2024, after years of helping others to treat certain health issues using food, plant medicine (herbs), and spiritual practices, I decided to formally launch Aja Wholistic. The name “Aja” comes from Yoruba (West African) tradition and holds significance as the word for both forest and animal. The goddess Aja is revered for her connection to wealth, fertility, and herbal medicine.
Through Aja Wholistic, I provide an array of services. I offer holistic coaching that focuses on restoring harmony and balance to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of clients. This is complimented with plantbased nutrition, herbal blends, cacao ceremony, and reiki sessions as necessary. I also create and offer 2 options for 3 day juice cleanses using natural and organic (when available) fruits, vegetables, and superfoods along with herbal blends, juice shots, and daily affirmations. Since I enjoy sharing my love of eye-catching and nutritious plantbased foods, I also provide catering for wellness events. Lastly, I take full advantage of speaking engagements were I share information on various topics, but all with a common element – healing and restoration through holistic lifestyle practices.
What distinguishes my service from others is that I look at the individual as a whole and multi-dimensional being. Where some coaches focus on physical, or nutritional, or even mental, I look at them all. If I don’t assist the client in addressing their thoughts and mindset, it’s almost impossible to see behavioral changes and they are less likely to achieve their physical and nutritional goals.
My typical clients are busy female professionals, mompreneurs (entrepreneurial moms), middle aged men, and transitioning or established vegans. I am also expanding my offerings to support wellness initiatives for corporations and residential communities.
For more information, please visit my website at www.ajawholistic.com or follow me on instagram @AjaWholistic.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn that I was not automatically destined to have the same medical issues as my family members. Through years of research and through my own lifestyle, I have learned that many diseases and medical issues can be linked more to poor lifestyle choices, such as eating heavily processed foods, saturated fats, not exercising, chronic stress, or not dealing with mental challenges vs genetics,
My family is Jamaican and so many of our cultural dishes include consuming lots of rice and animal protein. This is not a healthy combination for lasting health. Both my mother and older sister have had hysterectomies and there’s a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer. While consuming a plantbased diet is not a cure-all, it certainly puts me in a better position to not have some of these issues. So far, I know that I am on the right track as I am not on any medications and do not have any of the dis-eases that are part of my family dynamic.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of my favorite quotes and one attributed to Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is “Change is the only constant.” What an irony!! While I think it’s important to have plans, we have to be adaptable and obedient as sometimes the Divine, the Universe, God or whatever higher power you believe in, creates an opportunity that you didn’t see coming.
That happened to me back in 2022. In addition to Aja Wholistic, I’m also the founder/CEO of KeiP Consulting, a boutique healthcare consulting firm that I formed back in 2014. I was traveling weekly from Miami to Atlanta for a consulting gig and each week, I’d find new restaurants and/or events in Atlanta to attend. The city started to grow on me. When my lease came up for renewal in Miami, I felt a nudge (perhaps intuition or the Divine) to uproot my life and move to Atlanta. And so on Thanksgiving Day in 2022, my son and I loaded up my SUV and moved to Atlanta to an apartment I found in less than a week!
That decision proved to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as through networking and relationship building, I kept getting more and more inquiries about launching Aja Wholistic and the need for plantbased nutrition coaching and education in our communities. Through Aja, I’ve been able to partner with business coaches, fitness professionals, spiritual practitioners, and women organizations to share what I now know to be my purpose.
Change is good!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ajawholistic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajawholistic?igsh=djJpcTZ6ZnoyYXBj&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AjaWholistic
Image Credits
Keisha Pinnock