By Katrice
What inspired the Refresh concept?
There is a saying I love "When the student is ready, then the teacher appears." Well, I was taught in a few different ways. One of my best friends called me up one day and challenged me. She told me that I was a disgrace. She said, "if God gave me one talent, He gave you five and you have done nothing with them!" Wow! As you can imagine that was really hard to hear. And she went on. She was so passionate about it that I made a pledge to do something on that very call. Shortly thereafter, i wrote my first book, a novel and I thought that was it. The missing piece. But it wasn't, I was still just on the surface of the life God had intended for me.
So God intervened. And the bottom fell out of my life in many ways. The very things I was holding on to for security, became completely and utterly insecure. So I was forced to reconfigure. Now the thing about adversity is that if we can keep our wits about us and "get out of our feelings" sometimes we can see that negative experience for what it is. A chance to redefine your life. A chance to hit refresh.
It was then that I decided to just start over and hit refresh in my life. I made some radical changes. Most of which where internal, but many were external. There was a shift for me that changed me completely.
You see hitting the refresh button is not a catch phrase for me. I mean it with everything inside of me. I want women to stop lying to themselves, stop believing lies about themselves and to hit the refresh button, reload their potential and do something about it. Stop wasting time.
What type of woman do you hope to reach?
Every woman actually. You are never too old or too young and the need to refresh is not specific to a race or culture. I have worked with so many women at different stages of their lives. Maybe you are married and just had a baby and now feeling not quite like yourself. Maybe you are just out of college, working at a job but you just feel like life should be more...and you need some direction. Maybe you are in a relationship with a married or otherwise involved individual and the truth is, you know you deserve more, but you just can't seem to break it off. Maybe you are hoping to finally get into a healthy way of living. My message is for every woman and also for me, every single day, because this Refresh walk is a process and a journey and I pledge to keep stepping.
How does Refresh differ from other women's empowerment brands?
At Refresh + You = Fabulous, our live event in Atlanta happening on March 2nd. Participants can look forward to walking away with powerful information about the Refresh dimensions that they can apply to their lives immediately (Plus they will get an e-workbook that will help them create a plan). They will enjoy interactive activities and opportunities for reflection. They will do fun things that will help them get out of their comfort zone, break though their resistance and release their fears. Past participants have reported feeling empowered enough to start businesses, get sexified, recreate their relationships and more.
I believe every participant that engages will walk away feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go for it in life.
How do you stay "Refreshed?"
1. Stay process oriented not results oriented. I learned a long time that if you implement the right process then in time you will see results, however if you keep looking for short cuts to get your results quicker and faster then you will ultimately struggle.
2. Set backs happen. No big deal, it is just an opportunity to S.E.T (Stop, examine, think). I have a video on this on my YouTube channel.
3. I deserve to be fabulous and the world deserves a fabulous me. Being fabulous is crucial to my mission. I don't mean fabulous just on the outside, I mean fabulous on the inside, with a right mind, right heart and passion to go the distance. Just think about what the world would look like with women who are fully refreshed all over the place.
When a woman finds her passion in life and begins to operate in it she's often inspired to pay it forward — helping others find theirs. It really is like a spiritual awakening. Exhibit A, Ekene Onu. Onu was working as a registered pharmacist and active in the health professions, was a mother, a wife and on paper her life looked fine. She was making six figures, lived comfortably but the truth was she was unhappy. So she started to dig deep and what Onu found was something that many can relate to: What she wanted in life was quite different from her actual reality. So, she went after the life she wanted. Yes!
Now, a speaker, author and lifestyle strategist, Onu is a crusader for women living fully engaged lives. {She and I are on one accord.} Her strategy — coaching them to push past their boundaries into their destinies. Yes, yes! Her forum: Refresh with Ekene, and the Refresh + You = Fabulous conference — an event not about faking it by focusing on all the things that make you look like life is perfect, but one that will offer the tools to improve your life by refreshing it. Onu will lead you in activities and experiential learning that will set you up for success in life, love and health. {Refresh + You = Fabulous is coming to Atlanta, March 2nd!!}
I sat down with her for the ins and outs of "refreshing."
What inspired the Refresh concept?
There is a saying I love "When the student is ready, then the teacher appears." Well, I was taught in a few different ways. One of my best friends called me up one day and challenged me. She told me that I was a disgrace. She said, "if God gave me one talent, He gave you five and you have done nothing with them!" Wow! As you can imagine that was really hard to hear. And she went on. She was so passionate about it that I made a pledge to do something on that very call. Shortly thereafter, i wrote my first book, a novel and I thought that was it. The missing piece. But it wasn't, I was still just on the surface of the life God had intended for me.
So God intervened. And the bottom fell out of my life in many ways. The very things I was holding on to for security, became completely and utterly insecure. So I was forced to reconfigure. Now the thing about adversity is that if we can keep our wits about us and "get out of our feelings" sometimes we can see that negative experience for what it is. A chance to redefine your life. A chance to hit refresh.
It was then that I decided to just start over and hit refresh in my life. I made some radical changes. Most of which where internal, but many were external. There was a shift for me that changed me completely.
You see hitting the refresh button is not a catch phrase for me. I mean it with everything inside of me. I want women to stop lying to themselves, stop believing lies about themselves and to hit the refresh button, reload their potential and do something about it. Stop wasting time.
What type of woman do you hope to reach?
Every woman actually. You are never too old or too young and the need to refresh is not specific to a race or culture. I have worked with so many women at different stages of their lives. Maybe you are married and just had a baby and now feeling not quite like yourself. Maybe you are just out of college, working at a job but you just feel like life should be more...and you need some direction. Maybe you are in a relationship with a married or otherwise involved individual and the truth is, you know you deserve more, but you just can't seem to break it off. Maybe you are hoping to finally get into a healthy way of living. My message is for every woman and also for me, every single day, because this Refresh walk is a process and a journey and I pledge to keep stepping.
How does Refresh differ from other women's empowerment brands?
I think what makes Refresh different is a combination of two things.
1. It was birthed out of experience. Yes, I have training. Yes I am a health care professional and yes, I am an author, speaker and trainer. However the biggest yes, is that I am a living, breathing case study of why and how Refresh works. I think it's refreshing (excuse the pun) to have someone lead you who knows what it's like to get down in the trenches. For example I have seen fitness experts raise their eyebrows when their clients say something like my knee hurts, because they think it is an excuse. However, someone who has been on their own journey understands that sometimes they do hurt and it's real and can help you figure out a way to navigate around it. So I live Refresh, it's not just a brand for me and it's not just about money for me. Refresh is my calling and my passion.
2. My signature Refresh dimensions. Most women think they should just be able to man up and get things done, well over the years, I developed these dimensions of refreshing through research and case studies and I realized that these 8 dimensions are crucial to be able to harness the energy you need to live your best life.
Refresh is about living your life fully. It is not a just do it message, it is not a message that will make you feel like crap if you fail. It is a philosophy that anyone can apply to their life at any stage, starting from where they are and they will see improvements.
What can participants look forward to walking away with?
1. It was birthed out of experience. Yes, I have training. Yes I am a health care professional and yes, I am an author, speaker and trainer. However the biggest yes, is that I am a living, breathing case study of why and how Refresh works. I think it's refreshing (excuse the pun) to have someone lead you who knows what it's like to get down in the trenches. For example I have seen fitness experts raise their eyebrows when their clients say something like my knee hurts, because they think it is an excuse. However, someone who has been on their own journey understands that sometimes they do hurt and it's real and can help you figure out a way to navigate around it. So I live Refresh, it's not just a brand for me and it's not just about money for me. Refresh is my calling and my passion.
2. My signature Refresh dimensions. Most women think they should just be able to man up and get things done, well over the years, I developed these dimensions of refreshing through research and case studies and I realized that these 8 dimensions are crucial to be able to harness the energy you need to live your best life.
Refresh is about living your life fully. It is not a just do it message, it is not a message that will make you feel like crap if you fail. It is a philosophy that anyone can apply to their life at any stage, starting from where they are and they will see improvements.
What can participants look forward to walking away with?
At Refresh + You = Fabulous, our live event in Atlanta happening on March 2nd. Participants can look forward to walking away with powerful information about the Refresh dimensions that they can apply to their lives immediately (Plus they will get an e-workbook that will help them create a plan). They will enjoy interactive activities and opportunities for reflection. They will do fun things that will help them get out of their comfort zone, break though their resistance and release their fears. Past participants have reported feeling empowered enough to start businesses, get sexified, recreate their relationships and more.
I believe every participant that engages will walk away feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to go for it in life.
How do you stay "Refreshed?"
1. Stay process oriented not results oriented. I learned a long time that if you implement the right process then in time you will see results, however if you keep looking for short cuts to get your results quicker and faster then you will ultimately struggle.
2. Set backs happen. No big deal, it is just an opportunity to S.E.T (Stop, examine, think). I have a video on this on my YouTube channel.
3. I deserve to be fabulous and the world deserves a fabulous me. Being fabulous is crucial to my mission. I don't mean fabulous just on the outside, I mean fabulous on the inside, with a right mind, right heart and passion to go the distance. Just think about what the world would look like with women who are fully refreshed all over the place.
For more information about attending the Refresh + You = Fabulous conference in Atlanta on March 2, 2013, click here.
