by Joyce Kyles | Mar 28, 2018 | Blog

Have you ever considered your relationship with self, family, friends or food? Make plans now to join Katrina Kimble and I for our first joint workshop of 2018! This is not another event, but a journey to whole-person wellness!
Each person’s definition of healthy is as unique as your fingerprint. Come discover what is healthy for you. We will look at our relationship with self, family, friends and food!
We will have open discussions with activities to stimulate and engage you. You will not leave the way you came.
I’m excited to be partnering with Awaken Wellness Consulting on May 5th! Healthy Relationships from the Inside Out is going to be an amazing time of food, fun, fellowship, learning, activities AND some great giveaways.
We’re committed to giving you some great giveaways and takeaways you can use and apply long after you leave the event. Get registered asap, as there are no tickets being sold at the door and we have limited seating for intimate engagement. Register Details can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healthy-relationships-from-the-inside-out-tickets-45123170618
AWC is awesome, credentialed and we both love what we do. To learn more about Awaken Wellness Consulting, please visit the website, http://www.awakenwellnessconsulting.com/
by Joyce Kyles | Aug 1, 2016 | Blog
I just wanted to take a quick moment to acknowledge my 2 year wedding anniversary to my amazing husband, Jason. People often ask me how I gained enough trust in someone to allow them into my heart after having dealt with abuse. I dedicated an entire chapter of my book, Restoring the Whole in My Soul to our story because I felt that others needed to see and know that love after abuse is possible, and the HOW it happened wasn’t a fairy tale knight in shining armor type of story. It’s about real people who established a friendship which set the foundation for love, trust and understanding on a holistic level.
I absolutely love my husband for helping me to grow, trust, love and pursue my dreams. He encourages me to go further, push harder, dig deeper and explore infinite possibilities. He helped me to develop a business brand, a nonprofit and a confidence to share my knowledge and experiences in a way that is both professional and personable. I have never felt more safe, secure and encouraged in a relationship. I not only speak and train about healthy relationships, micro enterprise, personal development and life after abuse. I live it daily. It’s evident in the way I carry myself. It’s evident in my conversations. It’s given my family, friends and colleagues an opportunity to see my growth. I am grateful for this phase of my journey and all of the wonderful adventures that my husband and I will share for years to come.
by Joyce Kyles | Feb 18, 2016 | Blog
With February being known as the month of love and inclusive of Valentine’s Day, society has convinced so many people that it is necessary to buy expensive gifts and eat at fancy restaurants. And, with social media being the driving force of real time information, everyone’s in a competition to see who can buy the biggest and the best of everything so that it can posted, tweeted and instant messaged for all to see. But, is this the true meaning of love? Valentine’s Day is one day. We have 365 days in a year (366 during leap year). Are you any less loved or cared for during those times?
The truth is, not everyone can afford to buy expensive gifts. Not everyone can afford to buy gifts period. That doesn’t mean that you are any less loved or valued. It doesn’t mean that the love you have for others should be measured by what you can provide with material options. Love is an action word, and that action can be displayed in the time you spend with those that you love and care about. Say I love you. Talk about those things that make the person special. Compliment their cooking. Want to do something tangible? Create a list of 10 things that make that person great. Put them on note cards and place them in areas that the intended reader is certain to find them.
Just a quick note to say that if you’re reading this, thank you! I appreciate you. You took out the time to read what I had to say, and for that, I am grateful. My way of showing the community that I care is through my blogs and hosting the radio show, Boots on the Ground. I also do my best to be transparent in the way that I speak and carry myself. I give what I can financially to individuals and organizations. I often write handwritten notes to send out to others to say thank you, I appreciate you or I love you. I do it randomly throughout the year. I feel that these are some way to REALLY show someone how you feel about them. I encourage each of you to act in accordance to your means to express love and appreciation. And, concentrate on letting everyday serve as an opportunity to love yourself and others. Society as a whole may label February as the specific time to express it, but real love shouldn’t be defined by a day, but rather, by consistent actions that can be seen, felt, heard and remembered long after February has come and gone.
by Joyce Kyles | Feb 2, 2016 | Blog
February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention month. It is the time that we, as a society, should be making a conscience effort to educate and inform our teens about the importance of establishing healthy relationships, setting boundaries, knowing the signs of abuse and what to do if you find yourself in an abusive situation.
The problem is, in my opinion, we still have too many adults who are not aware that this month has been set aside for such a purpose. We still have too many adults who don’t quite understand abuse themselves, and therefore, simply cannot educate young people about it. There are too many adults that are still living in their own fear of their abuser, what people will think of them if they tell anyone about being abused (past or present) or struggling with their own lack of self esteem and self worth. I was one of those adults. I always knew that I didn’t want my children to be in unhealthy relationships, but I wasn’t providing them with a positive role models. Nor did I spend as much time as I should have in seeking them out. Although we’ve worked through a lot of our individual and collective hurts regarding the aftermath of abuse, it is still something that I regret.
Thankfully, I am a different person, and I have been able to speak to teens and tweens about abuse and reassure them that it’s not their fault, talk to someone they trust and that help/resources are available. What I enjoy most is talking with the parents and the children at the same time. It gives me the opportunity to in turn, tell the parents to BE the person that their child CAN talk to and trust, face their own fears, leave the unhealthy relationship and know that help and resources are available for them as well as their children. I also like to remind people that they are talking to young people, so if it’s difficult for you to know what direction to take, consider that it’s that much more difficult for a child.
Be sure to search for programs that mentor teens and find out if domestic violence/teen dating violence is covered in their programs. If not, then make the suggestion to have it included. I welcome the opportunity to provide insights that will assist in making our young people feel safe and educated.
by Joyce Kyles | Dec 28, 2015 | Blog
Let me start by saying that I’m not trying to convince anyone of celebrating Kwanzaa anymore than I would tell someone to celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Easter or anything else. I believe that everyone should acknowledge every holiday and it’s rituals/traditions as it relates to their own personal values and beliefs. Having said that, I have come to have a real appreciation for Kwanzaa over the years. As this year is coming to a close, I find myself being more intentional about ensuring that I’m learning more about myself as a black woman in society, what I have to offer, what is being accepted/rejected and how my work plays a positive role in my community and society as a whole. I encourage everyone who reads this to at least think about the seven principles and if what you’re doing is helping or hurting your personal and professional path for holistic success and prosperity.
Umoja-Unity; Kujichagulia-Self Determination; Ujima-Collective Work and Responsibility; Ujamaa-Cooperative Economics; Nia-Purpose; Kuumba-Creativity and Imani-Faith
*Pictured is me after receiving the Kujichagulia award from RBG Entertainment as part of their 2013 Kwanzaa Pageant, which is a wonderful program hosted each year to showcase the beauty and talent of children.