We recently connected with Serena Kumara and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Serena, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?

At my first corporate job, there was a period of time when we focused heavily on our personal vulnerabilities, how they impact our work, and how we could either move past them or use them to our advantage. In doing those activities I was able to see how much I didn’t trust myself. Up until that point I had been completely unaware of how that mistrust was blocking me from performing at my best.

Needless to say, that self reflection revealed way more than I bargained for. I challenged myself to start trusting the choices I made and slowly I began making bolder, more impactful decisions. I believe this ultimately led to me trusting myself enough to step into entrepreneurship.
Some people may not think that spiritually introspective activities don’t belong in the workplace, but I’m so grateful they were offered because I learned two major lessons.

First, I learned that self discovery positively impacts all areas of our lives. And second, I learned that opportunities to build self awareness and personal development are so necessary in the workplace. And I wasn’t the only one – many breakthroughs were made that day.

Serena, 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?

Hey y’all! I’m Serena and I run a spiritual wellness company. Everything we do is designed to help bring our clients back home to themselves through self discovery and inner healing. We believe in the power of authentic living and how it can improve every facet of our lives. We teach our clients how to use their natural connection to the Divine, the principles of Human Design, and modern mindfulness to improve their relationships with themselves so they can live their most liberated lives. I love leading private workshops, intuitively advising via 1:1 sessions, and curating the products that support my community on their self discovery journey.

If you would have asked me ten years ago if this is what I would be doing I would absolutely say no, but I’m truly grateful to be here.

I stepped into healing work in a very natural, unplanned way. I had been on my own self discovery and enlightenment journey for a few years, I knew I was meant to start a business. My background is in fashion so I thought my business would be in that industry, however I still needed more clarity and direction. I had already been attending mental health and mindfulness events, but I decided to add business conferences into the mix for a little inspiration and guidance. During one of the conferences it hit me that I wanted to create experiences that fused the impact of the self healing workshops with the aesthetic and excitement of an entrepreneurship expo.

I was shocked that THAT was what I felt called to do. I didn’t even see myself as a potential host or an “expert”, but I opened the notes app on my phone and about fifty-five ideas just flowed through me. That’s how I knew it was right. I took a leap of faith and held my first intimate workshop in a hotel suite. We talked about how to take a radical approach to holistic self care. That’s the day I fell in love with helping others heal and I’m so grateful the feedback was incredible.

I continued to curate events with the intention to show my community different approaches to building a loving relationship with themselves and ultimately create a life they love. Back then, I wasn’t seeing events that featured both traditional healers and mental health professionals showcasing tangible and practical ways to make changes. And since both energy work and therapy, combined with my personal inner work transformed my life so much, I wanted to bring all those elements together. I’m proud to have successfully done so.

Eventually, it became clear that I was ready to support clients on a 1:1 basis. I found myself giving intuitive messages at my events and getting inquiries for mentoring. So, I finally took the leap to offer my gift to people outside of my immediate family. I was nervous about it at first. Most people didn’t know about my spiritual gifts. This was mostly because I spent many years running from them. I was also nervous about people’s reactions. In the end, I realized that what I’m called to do has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else’s judgments.

When I think about what makes The Milk & Honey Project different, I’d have to say it’s our approach. We take a step-by-step approach to making big, lasting transformation in a realistic way. Yes, the basis of my work is spiritual, but my approach is practical. We prioritize ease and flow, so it never feels like some sort of self improvement bootcamp. Lastly, we’re focused on supporting clients on becoming their most authentic selves, not some idealized version of their “best self”. It’s about creating YOUR version of personal freedom.

The thing I’m most proud of is the impact I’ve made through this work. Most of my clients are staples in their communities – they’re therapists, educators, mentors, parents, community leaders, etc. And they share the information, epiphanies, and tools they gain through their work with The Milk & Honey Project with those within their circle. So now, instead of one person being touched, 5, 10, 20 people have been impacted. I’ve had previous clients share with me that they’re thriving in their work, they’ve improved their relationships with their children, and they’re just generally feeling better as a result of what we do together. I’m always so grateful to be a part of that journey.

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

Unlearning the ideas of what choices and traits lead to success has been so important. Much of what has been widely accepted as “habits of successful people” do not account for the fact that we are each beautifully and intentionally unique, with different strengths, challenges and needs. And, as a result, many of us feel like we need to make ourselves fit into a box that we’re not meant to be in.

Exploring my personal makeup through Human Design, Astrology, and Numerology were game changers for me. Being able to see my personal charts allowed me to see that I was exactly who God designed me to be and helped me to frame some of what I previously viewed as flaws as unique strengths.

We’ll take my Human Design chart. I am considered a Projector, one of the more rare types. We’re known for our powerful perspective, and we’re here to guide. But, we don’t have the consistent access to energy that others do. Essentially, we’re meant to achieve more by doing less. But that’s the opposite of what we’re taught. And for me, that resulted in guilt for not “doing more” when I ran out of energy. So, I often pushed myself to burnout. And that led to bitterness. It was a vicious cycle.

Once I took a deeper dive into my Human Design chart and how to use the information in it, I was able to make decisions and changes that worked with me rather than against my authentic self. From changing the way I planned my schedule to making intentional changes to how I spent marketing dollars, allowing myself to explore a new, authentic way to approach my life has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

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

The biggest pivot I had to make in business was when I decided to pause producing public, ticketed events. It made me a little sad, because I loved throwing these workshops, meeting new women, and providing them a space to grow and connect with other women. However, I knew it was time.

After expanding into 1:1 mentoring and leading workshops for private groups, I found that when I was able to just focus on the magic – the lessons, the activities, the clients, etc – without having to spend so much energy on the logistics and ticket sales, my work was even more impactful and I was less exhausted. Focusing on these two areas of my business best supported me in honoring my clients while still honoring myself.

Ultimately, I believe I’ll eventually re-enter the event space in a different way and I actually look forward to it. And when it’s time, I’ll pivot again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.milkandhoneyproject.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/milkandhoneyprjct
• Facebook: facebook.com/milkandhoneyprjct
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-kumara-grant-256950219?

Image Credits
Isha Gaines Sherina LaShay