FWM: Introduce yourself and your business.
My professional career has spanned across nonprofit organizations, architectural, investment banking and media and entertainment industries. My innate gifting is in administration and leadership. With more than 20 years in executive support while in Corporate America, its allowed me to cultivate a career teeming with knowledge, skills and business acumen to be a highly skilled and sought after senior administrative professional.
Providing senior executive assistance to c-suite level executives and all this position entailed has shaped and prepared me for where I am right now. When you spend the majority of your career being the right-hand woman for a leader of an organization its causes you to think and act differently. It raises your level of awareness of how you show up every day because how you show up impacts more than just you.
I understood wholeheartedly while in those roles that influence is a force but it’s not forceful. When you harness the power of your influence, you understand the power of your presence. My position carried weight and responsibility yet my influence impacted countless people even when I wasn’t aware. I became keenly aware of the impact on a daily basis. I showed up in excellence every day. The same weight and responsibility rests upon me as the CEO of Hope Fulfilled Life Coaching. What I’ve learned in Corporate America has influenced how I conduct my business. My business provides group and individual coaching services, mentoring partnerships and empowerment encounters.
All of these offerings are in existence to inspire hope, ignite passions and rewrite futures. Speaking nationally and internationally is an additional platform that is one of my greatest joys as it allows me to flow freely in my God-given ability. I am a certified master life coach and have the unique pleasure of seeing my client’s goals and dreams come to past. As an ordained minister and pastor, I’ve been blessed to have many years of practice speaking, leading and empowering people to be their absolute best selves.
FWM: Why did you start ________ (company/brand)?
When you realize the power of your story and how it influences others, it compels you to respond to the greatness within yourself and others. About five years ago, women begin to flood me with requests to mentor them. I earnestly wanted to give them my absolute best self; therefore, I enrolled in a coaching program and received my certification by an accredited organization. I immediately begin to think about what else I thought I needed to add to what I already knew in essence negating what was already resident within me to empower them.
My husband brilliantly pointed out to me that I totally neglected to understand the value and worth of who I was, at that moment, and what originally inspired them to ask for my guidance. When people are drawn to you because whatever you possess touches them deeply, it may not be readily known by you initially because it simply flows effortlessly from you. However, I realized that the women who reached out to me were already impacted by my life exactly where I was. The ability to inspire and ignite others to act upon their aspirations brought me and still brings me great joy.
These reasons embody my why because I love seeing others rewrite their futures simply because they took a chance and believed in themselves enough to take action; therefore, shaping and rewriting their future. This is why I started Hope Fulfilled Life Coaching. Empowering others to believe again and see their dreams realized is priceless.
FWM: Describe your journey to success.
One of the definitions of success is an accomplishment of an aim or purpose. It can simply be stated as achieving one’s goals. If I solely rely on this to equate success for me personally, it would be accurately defined but wouldn’t be my complete story. I agree with the definition; however, it carries a greater meaning for me personally. My journey of success has been one interfused with disappointments, challenges and overcoming self-limiting beliefs. Many successful journeys are not paved with ease but the end result after having come through the tough places creates sweet victory. Although struggles paved the waved for my success, it doesn’t have to always lead the way. I realize that without the challenges I’ve faced, I would not have been able to sustain success in certain areas.
My muscles of endurance where built to last and stand firmly and successfully in the truth I learned along my journey. Truth taught me many valuable lessons. There are many things that are true but all may not be your personal truth. This type of personal truth causes you to govern your life accordingly. The truths are irreplaceable and foundational values of your existence. I know what is true—I am where I am because I didn’t relent. Through the tough places success was established. I am a work in progress understanding that there are many more successes I will experience as I strive to be, do and live better.
FWM: What is your super power?
My super power is speaking life to dormant dreams. When you help someone recognize their super power, it unleashes a force that cannot be tamed. The force is their self-confidence. Appreciating one’s abilities and qualities is essential to walk purposefully. A few years ago while creating content for a group empowerment session entitled, Awakening Your Dream, I created an acrostic for the word D.R.E.A.M. The words are Divinely – Realized – Expectation – Awaiting – Manifestation. ™
I specially crafted this four-week session to provoke those taking the course to spur them to awaken dreams they’ve put on the shelf, dream big and be intentional about what they intensely desired to accomplish. It’s immensely fulfilling seeing someone who has given up because they don’t believe they are capable of accomplishing whatever dream or aspiration they’ve sat on the shelf and left to die. When the light bulb turns on and they realize the only thing stopping them is themselves, their super power is uncovered and they can learn to soar and in turn strengthen someone else.
FWM: What would the seasoned you tell the younger YOU?
Life teaches us many things if we are willing to learn and alter our behaviors in order to grow and mature and not repeat the same lesson. I’ve experienced some very dark places and because of those experiences it impacted me believing in myself. There were times in my life where I thought I’d never be doing the things I’m doing now. They honestly were never a thought. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I didn’t imagine traveling locally and internationally speaking and empowering others. I didn’t have positive affirmations assuring me I could do and achieve anything I desired.
I don’t ever recall someone telling me as a young girl or young woman they believed in me. I’ve felt like I was an underdog and under achiever. Therefore, I’d tell my younger self, you are capable, you are more powerful than you can imagine, you can do whatever you put your mind to—believe in yourself because others are waiting on you. They need your voice, your message and your passion to spark and unleash their dormant dreams.
FWM: What mechanisms have you put in place to help women? And why women?
Being a woman, innately qualifies me to understand women particularly those that have had to overcome traumatic life experiences but not limited to those women exclusively. When you’ve walked through sexual abuse, illness, low self-esteem or whatever other area you can name that makes and indelible mark upon your life and you emerge in victory, you are qualified to respond to the need in those areas and provide solutions where possible. Methods that I’ve utilized that have proven to help women along their journey are intimate gatherings—connection points where women can be free to be themselves. In settings like these, focused conversations guide our time and/or activities and ultimately helps them to start the process of facing whatever challenges may be holding them back. They are able to reflect, realign and realize what can be possible as they overcome their areas of challenge. Teaching is a powerful method of transformation.
When people come to me and state they are ready for a change, they have already recognized that where they currently live and function is no longer acceptable which is why they are compelled to change. Mentoring is another powerful mechanism utilized which continually proves to be integral as skills, expertise and experience is imparted to a willing learner. Connection points, teaching and mentoring are just a few areas that I have in place to empower women.
I am passionate about lifting, empowering, stretching and growing women because I am a woman. I know first hand what it’s like when you feel defeated with no seemingly recourse in sight. I was intimately acquainted with not understanding my worth and value.
When you don’t know who you are, you’ll accept what someone tells you even when it’s not the truth. Speaking life to women that don’t understand who they are and are searching for significance fuels me to leave no woman left in despair and uncertainty. I’ll believe in her so she can believe in herself.
FWM: How can our readers connect with you outside of this interview?
I’d love to have readers connect with me via Facebook as Nedra Buckmire or Hope Fulfilled Empowerment. On Instagram and Twitter, you can connect to Lady Buckmire, via my website at www.nedrabuckmire.com or via email at hopecoachnb@gmail.com. I look forward to connecting soon.
