About Me, Valerie
In addition to an Internal Liberation Coach, I call myself The Dancing Life Coach™ and a Mindset Magician.
But way way way before all that, I thought I was too ugly to be an actress and on-camera host, with an agent, going on auditions and booking work.
I fulfilled that.
I thought I was too fat and untrained to become a dancer and get paid teaching others my blend of dance.
I fulfilled that. And I danced publicly again and again and again and again and again.
And I created a career as a dance teaching artist/arts educator working with various arts organizations, K-12 schools, university, dance/fitness studios, and others. My go-to styles are Afro House Fusion and Salsa Hip Hop, though my dance background and trainings also included West African, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Samba, Kompa, and Jazz.
It was during this time that I also became the race and equity DEI Lead Teacher and Race and Equity Strategic Planning Brain Trust Member at Gabriella Charter Schools in Los Angeles. In those roles, I facilitated deep-work organization-wide race and equity professional development workshops and inquiry labs and was part of a team of stakeholders (staff, caregivers, and board members) In partnership with Good Influence Consulting, we created a 4-year roadmap to center racial equity and justice in the school's leadership and work initiatives.
But I digress.
I also wanted to write and publish a book since I was a child, but had no idea how and when that would ever happen.
I fulfilled that and published my first book in 2017.
When I worked full time in the corporate-desk-job-office life, I ached for the day I could earn a living outside of that environment.
It's been 8 years that I have not had a full-time corporate job.
I left a religion that WAS my identity, a religion I feared questioning.
And I haven’t looked back.
For a long time, I thought that I would have died by suicide by now, due to extreme mental and emotional anguish.
I’m still very much alive and living a vibrant life aligned with my values and priorities.
I’ve done, and I keep doing shit that I thought was impossible for me to be, do, and have.
I am proud of the person I am today.
And I love myself.
I enjoy helping others accomplish their impossible feats, the stuff they have little to no idea how to make happen.
That’s why I became a life and mindset coach.
I’d love to work with you.
Book a consultation with me now.
I share, in detail, my journey with most of the above in my book Feel Good Kick Ass Confidence: Using Your Body to Rock Your Life, available on Amazon.
Oh! A few more things: I'm Afro-Caribbean-American (an immigrant, in fact) and I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Communication. I hired my first life coach in 2007-2008. I, myself, got an informal taste of what it was like to BE a coach as a mentor in multiple recovery programs for over a decade. I started coaching professionally in 2015, the same year I got my first coaching certification through Marcia Wieder’s Certified Dream Coach® Program. I got my second coaching certification as an OMLife® Coach and Certified OM Trainer. Many many other coaches and non-coaching-specific practices have influenced my present-day coaching approach and philosophies, including Brooke Castillo's The Model, UCLArts & Healing trainings for social emotional cognitive healing and learning through the arts, my ACTIVATE Arts Education Advocacy Fellowship through Arts for LA's 2018-19 program, the inaugural 2019 California Arts Education Leadership Cohort Emerging Leaders of Color Program, Flourish Agenda's Healing-Centered Engagement, Domenica D's Smashing Patriarchy Club, not to mention my trauma-informed and trauma-responsive background as an arts educator.
Testimonials
I had problems with organization and creating boundaries. I was fearful and I had buried my desires and hopes. Valerie is a gifted coach. She is compassionate and patient. She allows her clients to open up and speak from the heart and all the while she gently keeps you focused on the your goals and desires. I learned to create boundaries for myself, and unearthed desires that had been dormant in my life and healed past hurts. Now I am on the other side of my desires and I feel lighter with greater focus.
- T.W., Senior Personnel Analyst
I came to Valerie after hitting a rough patch in my life. I was overwhelmed, and realized I needed help to change my perspective, and get some mental & emotional tools that would help me going forward. Within the first week of getting coached by Valerie, I had already felt an immense lightening of my mental strain. With her support, I learned to give my Fears a voice- not too loud a voice that it would determine my actions, but voice enough to acknowledge that it is in the room… Valerie supported me in going deep with myself…and challenged me to discover the voice within me that I want to share and my partner wants to hear..is BEGGING to hear. With her coaching, I was able to touch a deeper spot within my relationship as well. I can't say enough about Feel Good Kick Ass. If you're in need of coaching, look no further.
- Derek Opperman | Life Up Health Coaching
The qualities in Valerie that make her an appealing coach to work with: She isn't afraid to say confrontational things. She takes time to pause and check in with herself about the next right question. She uses her intuition. She helps her client get to the deeper truth. She has a good mix of support/love and penetration. She helps you keep your focus on yourself.
- Karen B, CPA
I took Valerie’s life-coaching-through-dance workshop in November 2017 and I immediately felt something magical about her class. She made me feel comfortable to explore and express myself. Prior to coming to the workshop I’ve had some struggle with my body image and knew that having top surgery would help me but I thought it was financially impossible. So when Valerie asked in class what do we wish to happen in our lives, it took me a moment. But when I said it loud “Top surgery” I felt free and finished the class with a sense of accomplishment. Then a few weeks later, the miracle took place. I found out Cedars Sinai has just started a new program for transgender surgeries and my health insurance would cover for top surgery. When I researched in October this information was not available so I was really surprised. All the insurance paperwork went smoothly and I was able to have top surgery in March 2018. What I thought would be impossible became POSSIBLE in such a short period of time. I definitely believe Valerie’s workshop helped me break my limited thinking. Because of it I became open to receive all the resources necessary for my healing. I am so grateful, thank you Valerie!!!
- N., TransLounge Program Participant, Los Angeles LGBT Center
I’ve been attending Valerie’s monthly healing circles for Black women for a few months now. I thank her from the pit of my soul for these gatherings. She breaks things down about the patriarchy, white supremacy culture, and how to navigate it all in the workplace, in relationships with others, and my relationship with myself, in eye-opening ways. Her understanding of the material, her explanations, and her guidance are perfect for me. I’m also on her email list. It's as if she’s reading my mind when I read her messages. She articulates my life and thoughts in ways that others thought I was crazy for thinking. I finally feel validation I never thought I needed, but feels so so good to receive. Every time I read her emails and attend her events, I power up. I am so excited to be part of her movement. She’s very good at what she does!
- Gina Williams, TX, Retired Hairstylist
Past Organization Clients
