Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kiani Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kiani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In my years of striving for success, I’ve found that true success boils down to our attitude, perseverance, and consistent growth.

Attitude is our response to the external. Our journeys will never be perfect and there will almost always be bumps or cracks in the road. Despite the chaos that surrounds us, having faith that it will all work out and choosing to live with a peaceful heart each day is what gets us through to the next win.

Perseverance can be intimidating, especially when we’re struggling, but it’s truly the solid ground that keeps us from sliding back into our comfort zone. The more we fail, the more we learn. The experience we receive through failing is often the stepping stone that leads us to the next amazing opportunity. You never know what’s on the other side of the wall you’re facing, so keep on chipping away at it!

Consistent growth has 2 parts: on one hand it involves showing up each and every day no matter how terrible it is and on the other hand, it’s having a desire to get better and never settle. When we learn how to channel our drive and motivation into a habit that gets results, that is when we really take off.

For me, I flashback to when I started my first company selling and painting residential paint jobs. I lacked the sales skills to close any deals for my first 3 months in business and man was I discouraged. I thought about quitting every single day and felt miserable, yet I kept on showing up and doing the best I could. I kept a smile on my face, continued to learn, and worked until I finally saw sale after sale after sale. Soon enough I had sold more than most of my counterparts.

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?

I’ve seen how negativity, an unmanaged mindset, and low self-awareness can wreak havoc on my life and those around me. I had the determination, motivation, and personality for success and I had seen myself achieve much, however, I was unhappy and unfulfilled.

Working on myself non-stop and consistently learning how to become better at mastering my mind played a huge role in getting me to reach life-long dreams while feeling more satisfied, and enjoying life to the absolute fullest.

It breaks my heart to see women living life in a hole like I was, not being able to see their life improve or spiraling through the same habits and situations that plagued them before. This is why I started Grow To Be Free, a podcast brand that’s focused on helping ambitious women learn how to pursue their dreams while finding peace, joy, and maintaining a strong mental health. We talk about how to get the most out of life in the areas of business, relationships, finances, and faith.

I’m proud to say that through inspiring and entertaining content, the wisdom I and many other successful women have attained is shared to help other women who are following not far behind. I’m excited to one day live in a world where everyone uses their developed mindsets and ambitions to make a true impact on the world.

Change starts with yourself, and once you change yourself you have the ability to change the world around you.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

For a few years, I had a couple of mentors who were helping me in a business that I decided to do more out of selfish ambition rather than genuine desire. I learned a ton of useful mindset hacks and skills for working with people, and much of what I do now was inspired by seeds that they planted when they mentored me.

However, there came a time when I realized that God was calling me in another direction. It’s not that I wasn’t happy, it just one day clicked that there is another path that was where I was supposed to be.

This other path required more of me than what the other business would allow, so I had to make a pivot. It was a tough decision because I had dedicated so much of my time, energy, effort, and even finances to the other business and it didn’t feel easy to let it go.

I knew that pivoting, although difficult, was the right move to make for the sake of my future and happiness. I can honestly say that it paid off making that decision, because now I get to do what I love, creating content, and get to impact people in a more widespread way.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a game changer if you’re looking to improve your process of attaining goals. How to Win Friends & Influence People is a timeless book that gives helpful insights on how to work with people. No Limits by John C. Maxwell is great for challenging your mindset around leadership. The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz will help you train your mind on how to expect and get the most out of each area of your life.

For listening experience, I strongly recommend On Purpose with Jay Shetty as one of my favorite podcasts of all time. The Ed Mylett Show is also a great one for mindset. Lastly, I would recommend Grow To Be Free if you’re an ambitious lady looking for support in all areas of life!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://growtobefree.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/growingtobekiani
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiani-williams/
• Other: Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/1PiaVt3Ew8SDoUHFrGkuwS?si=vUp3-KLnSnaeBlQko8hgzQ Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grow-to-be-free/id1553806464 TikTok – https://tiktok.com/@growingtobekiani All Links – https://linktr.ee/kianimarie