We recently connected with Shawnti Refuge and have shared our conversation below.

Shawnti, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an anecdote or story from your schooling/training that you feel illustrates what the overall experience was like?

In my training to be a Certified Lifestyle Coach, I learned to listen & to see things from another person’s perspective. I learned that it is important for a person to be heard and supported. They don’t always want an opinion or advice, but just a non-judgmental ear to listen.

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.

I never planned on making a career in Mental Health until after my own mental health was threatened. It’s funny how we as humans don’t acknowledge or pay attention to mental health until it effects us or someone close to us.

Once I decided to take my mental health seriously, I hit the ground running; advocating for EVERYONE to take their mental health seriously. I learned that mental illness and mental health are to different things, so I decided to advocate for mental health to educate the world on the difference. I started with creating a series of guided journals to help people who were searching for healing with guided journals. I then expanded to public speaking, telling my own personal story of my mental health. I again expanded to becoming a Lifestyle Coach. A Lifestyle Coach is someone who partners with clients, helping them achieve their goals, overcome challenges, and make changes in their lives. They help clients identify their own strengths and use that power to create the changes they seek.

It wasn’t easy for me to get started because I was terrified at the thought of revealing my mental state to the world & being judged or not taken seriously because of it. Another aspect that made me getting into business not easy was because when I first started out, I was trying to be Super Woman and do everything from scratch, by myself.

Once I came to the realization that I wasn’t able to get the business set up on my own, I reached out for help, but to the wrong people. I was scammed out of thousands of dollars in the beginning, so I had to literally start all over from the beginning to get my business where it needs to be. Starting all over meant doing my research for the best Mentors & Coaches out there. I found them and they are my tribe!

I’m Journal Bae. I believe that you deserve to live your best life being free from emotional baggage by getting to the root of the issue, working through it, and healing naturally. I am most proud of my brand because I turned my pain into power. I didn’t play the victim of my situation. I’m a generational curse breaker and I can show you how to be one too!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

In my market, it is very important that I be transparent. I want my clients to not only know, but feel that I am a woman with everyday issues like them. I want them to learn from my experiences and even handle things better than I probably would. I share my wins, lessons, and tears on my social media and I believe this helps me build my reputation and personal brand. I’m not selling anyone a dream. I am showing people that they can overcome any struggle in life when they are equipped with the right tools and support systems in place.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele as a Coach is to let people know up front that I do not have all the answers, and if I determine that they may be better served by someone else, I am happy to refer. I have seen too many people being taken by someone who offered empty promises (including me). I am not in this for a paycheck and I let it be known that my concern is helping others with their mental health first; the money will come later.

Contact Info:

• Website: shawntirefugejournals.com
• Instagram: @shawntirefugejournals
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/shawntirefugejournals
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawntirefuge
• Twitter: twitter.com/srefugejournals
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCphZdqbNfPI0wwCgFX8IwRQ

Image Credits
B2Ful Photography – Patrina Anthony