Today we’d like to introduce you to Althea Bates.
For over 18 years Althea, has worked in social services and workforce development. Growing up in a strong Jamaican family that always encouraged her to dream and work hard Althea has found her way to becoming more than she had initially set her eyes onto. She has found herself functioning as an Entrepreneur, a Professor/Lecturer, a Nonprofit Leader, Directors for various organizations and most recently an author and a Champion for women empowerment issues. Within her educational pursuits she has received a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from Temple University, Masters of Science from Springfield College in Human Services with a concentration in Organizational Management and Leadership and is currently a Doctoral Candidate at Capella University.
As a Consultant, Author, Resiliency Coach, Motivational Speaker/Trainer and thought leader in the area of girls and women she understands the varying areas of personal development that many struggle with including fear, lack of confidence, lack of self-esteem etc. One thing that she has come to understand in the work she does especially with women and young girls is that we are all linked to one another and our connection to one another brings forth healing, growth and resiliency. Mrs. Bates not only encourages the women she works with to take this guided journey of self-discovery but she challenges them to invite someone else in their inner circle to take it with them because in doing so you become accountable to someone else in committing to your own exploration, self-discovery to bring about its manifestation to ultimately discovering the favor of your secret sauce within the failure of the experiences that groomed, shaped and molded you.
The world has shifted and people now more than ever want to find their “why” for the work they do or the passions they pursue. Bates shares “My why stems from one simple fact; people need safe spaces to emote. They need safe spaces to be able to hit the pause button on their lives and look inward. They need to reflect on where they have been and why they have been there physically, emotionally and mentally. I believe that we pick up all sorts baggage along the way sometimes the baggage is ours and sometimes we carry the load for others. My Resiliency work focuses on unpacking all of this, so an individual can find their own “why” in fulfilling their own purpose.” A person tapping into and understanding their own why is one of the strongest motivators. Ms. Bates states “I have a strong passion for doing this work, especially for women. Being a woman myself I can identify with feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, being out of sync and out of alignment with your life.”
Today Althea seeks to facilitate personal and professional growth while motivating her audience to find their resilience personally and professionally using their narratives to facilitate the path to success. While inspiring others professionally she hopes to be inspiring the ones she loves the most her son Zyaan and daughter
Has it been a smooth road?
Brokenness, Baggage, and Blessings (the title of her forthcoming autobiography) has served as the backdrop for her life story. A story of happiness, hurt, growth, pain, anger, fear, boldness, and most of all resiliency. A life documented, lived, and survived. She deems herself a survivor. Bates has not only survived she describes “I have thrived on my journey to becoming Althea Webber Bates. I am still learning and being molded into the best version of myself. I am sharing what I have learned so far on the journey to becoming me in the hopes that I may inspire someone else.”
Bates states “Failure was in my DNA so to speak I was born into a situation where the odds were already stacked against me.” She describes in detail that in her 43 years of existence “I have survived being a sexual abuse survivor, marrying young, divorced young, being a child out of a wedlock relationship between my mother and father’s affair, teen abortion, bullying, failed dating relationships, struggles in my academics, two broken legs, job lay-off, etc.” She further states “the failure was embedded in me not by messages I received from my household growing up but from my own self-inflicted messages of self-hate, self-doubt and lack of self-esteem.” Mrs. Bates describes “sometimes I feel like I am having an out of body experience when it comes to things I have been through. I mean how does this happen to someone like me, someone with goals, hopes, dreams and a vision for their life end where I did….stuck.” Bates shares “the truth is I was busy trying to appear to have it together hoping no one would suspect that I was failing at that as well.”
The ultimate favor in failure Bates states she gained from examining the various points of “epic fails in my life is that I would not be me without any of these experiences, paths or journeys explored throughout my life. The journey to myself has been on that I would not change because it molded and shaped me into the best version of myself. My favor in failure led to my husband, my being an author, my starting my businesses, my working on a doctoral degree, my being a mother, a daughter and one of the things I am most proud that favor in failure to was my Non-Profit Project Resiliency Movement, LLC a social movement go birthed in me to support, encourage and empower women in areas of resiliency and self-care.” She now uses and shares the beauty in her failures with women that she comes in contact with she shares the message of resiliency and self-care with women.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Project Resiliency Movement story. Tell us more about the business.
Mrs. Bates currently operates as the CEO and Founder of A. Bates Consulting which provides a range of training -related consulting services to nonprofits/municipalities relative to topics and areas in youth development, case management, workforce development and human services practices. In August of 2016, Althea launched and founded The Project Resiliency Movement and kicked it off with the #Resilience Conference in 2016 which hosted over 250 women of all backgrounds supporting each other through workshop and interactive activities while women embraced the fact that they don’t always have to be strong. This conference opened the path for a 2nd conference entitled Destination Resiliency which inspired the writing of “Destination Resiliency: A Self-Care Planner and Guide (2017) which has reached over 600 people since its initial printing. The theme for both events came from Mrs. Bates belief that “we can as women of color uplift each other consistently, because supporting my sister in her time of need provides healing and resiliency to both of us.” As these women empowerment programs continued to enhance those around her and the connections to women she gained seemed to evolve, Project Resiliency was born. Project Resiliency has become a social movement that seeks to encourage and empower women of color in areas of self-care and resilience related to mental, physical and emotional health while providing connectivity and supports to other women of color through resilience circles (organic meetups in a local park), conferences, workshops and summer seminars. This also highlighted that women wanted to remain connected for longer than just the moment. Watching true relationships bloom in others motivated Althea’s own desire to write her own stories; to heal others, as she healed herself. Althea Webber Bates continued her work as an author & co-author putting put book projects including: Favor in Failure (2018); Life Balance for the Women on the Rise (2017) and Soaring into Greatness (2017) as well as Brokenness, Baggage and Blessings (2018). In finding her voice and owning her journey she also found in herself the gift of presenting high energy messages that takes the audience through her own personal journey and the purpose she found as she built her Resiliency. Throughout her years as a motivational speaker and author Althea relates to teens, adults and corporations alike inspiring and motivating them to begin the process of healing through empowerment.
Project Resiliency Movement supports women in-engaging the tools they already possess to move beyond their current circumstances or situation.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Bates states “I see a big shift in the move for women to start looking inward to do more work related their personal growth and development. Self-Care and self-help related feels are becoming huge industries for women as entrepreneurs and consumers as this relates to book sales, women empowerment conferences, seminars, symposiums and forums. Women are recognizing that it is truly our time to shift the paradigm and to support each other while saving ourselves.” She thinks we will continue to see growth in the areas of health, wellness, coaching and consulting as lines of business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abatesconsultinggroup.org
- Email: projectresiliencymovement@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Photographer: Harry Bates Jr.
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