Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiah Chism.
Kiah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My family has called me an entrepreneur as long as I can remember. At eleven years old I remember being in my Papa’s electric shop asking to be the secretary so I could earn some summer money. “Good afternoon this is Jerry Haynes Electric Company, how may I help you,” I would say as an adolescent girl. As I got older I began designing, creating, and making everything from custom homecoming jeans to Neiman Marcus Bars for my fellow classmates.
Some of it was because it was easy for me to sell, but I mainly couldn’t stand asking my family for anything. Not because they were mean; my family is beyond loving and I praise God for them. But I knew everything wasn’t always sweet for us, so selling hot chips at school or writing papers for $40 became ways I worked before I could legally obtain a job. By 16 I got my very first “job” and I worked over 46 hour weeks on top of being a multisport athlete, daughter, girlfriend, etc. Looking back, I don’t know how I balanced it all but it was fun for me. Until it happened…
The summer going into my junior year of high school I had a scoliosis correctional surgery that inserted 12 screws into my spine and 4 rods to hold them all into place. I spent three days in the hospital (when I should’ve spent a full week) having family members come in and out to visit me, receiving shots and getting my blood tested every two hours, having my mother bathe me, and learning to walk again. It was when I convinced my doctor to let me go home that started my journey to becoming who I am today.
“I’m tired of laying on this couch. I’m sick of taking this medicine that only puts me to sleep.” I said this as I was “recovering” from my spinal surgery after two weeks. I stood up, touched my toes (completely against doctor’s orders) and felt my stitches tear. It was liberating. I walked to the bathroom, undressed, and stared at the body I now had. 17 years of training gone, no abs in sight, no muscle definition, just skinny fat.
I vowed to train myself, said screw it to my surgeon, and worked my way back onto the track team. Six months into my personal rehabilitation, I was back on the team and sprinting again (almost a year ahead of my surgeon’s advice). By the time I was a senior I was deadlifting 300 lbs., training my fellow athletes, and creating plans for free for my little Instagram page. I decided to take all the salesman skills I developed as a child and my testimony to create BSM Fitness.
Initially, business was booming. I got to train with collegiate athletes, work with sports coaches, train consistent clients and hosted several community boot camps. But as life does, I began to grow, change, and became unsatisfied with the brand. It wasn’t until 2017, the summer after graduating with my Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology, that BSM Fitness turned into Enigmatic Soul, my online wellness platform for Millennials. I began wellness mentorship, virtual training, and blogging about different topics that fall underneath wellness and illness. on top of the previous services I offered.
And then life hit me again and I realized I wasn’t operating fully in my calling. So I stuck with Enigmatic Soul, but I began implementing my gift of communication by launching www.kiahchism.com, speaking at various events and colleges, and mentoring both wellness and brand clients. I realized my heart was in service, not necessarily wellness specifically and it opened up doors for me to become the popping mentor, speaker, and coach that my clients know me as today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
“Life ain’t no crystal stair.”
No, building my brand hasn’t been smooth at all and to be frank, I’m still pulling myself out of the breakthrough phase. My biggest struggle has been finding balance in it all. I’m a graduate student; I work a full-time and a part-time; I’m on committees at my college, I speak and write for different platforms, and I run my personal brand, wellness platform, virtually train clients, create meal plans, guide a Brand Ambassador for Enigmatic Soul, serve my contributors, and I mentor almost 10 different clients every week for different reasons, both within wellness and brand building.
Honestly, I know it’s been my faith that’s kept my sanity.
Please tell us about Kiah Chism.
This question is always funny for me to answer because I am my business/company. I specialize in speaking, writing, and coaching/mentorship; these are what people think of when they hear my name.
I’m most proud that I’m able to build a personal brand that’s grounded in service, not virtual engagement. Although a slight jab, I am a firm believer in doing real work, in real life. From starting up a service event titled, “Survival Bags For The Homeless,” where I and a few Dallas citizens create bags of items homeless citizens don’t often receive and drive to various areas around the city to deliver them, to free consultations for those transitioning from college into their careers; I’m proud to say I get to serve people in a very literal way. It’s my drive to serve no matter what I get in return that sets me apart from others.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing. The mistakes I made taught me so much about my niche, my lane, and my target audience that I’d lose too much ground to go back and make it perfect now.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kiahchism.com
- Phone: 231-660-1656
- Email: kiah@kiahchism.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiahchism/
- Other: www.weareenigmatic.com
Image Credit:
Briana Foreman, Deon Egenti, Tree: E.S. Logo, Mentorship Flyer, GYL Conference Quote, GYL Conference Flyer, Shedrick Collins @drivenimage
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