The Evolution of Cultivating Kerri
I am so extremly excited to present to you, Cultivating Kerri!. Cultivating Kerri is my life, it’s my mission, my passion, and my gift. It’s such a blessing to be able to share it with you. “Cultivate You!” About four years ago, I heard these words very clearly as I prayed about my passions, career goals, and future. It was a word I didn’t frequently use so I knew it wasn’t something I thought of myself. It was implanted in my heart by God and I had no idea it would evolve into what it is now and what it will be in the future, but I am really excited!!
I had recently graduated from college, Spelman College that is, was working as a Program Manager for a youth education program, and was in school again taking advanced science classes in preparation for medical school. For some reason, in all the things I was doing at that time, I felt out of balance. Like parts of who I was were being neglected. When I fully invested myself in my studies, my own personal health suffered due to stress and worry. My spiritual relationship with God was on the “rocks” because I was grabbing my biochemistry book more than I was grabbing my bible. I also had many passions, but didn't see the connection between them. If I pursued one, others fell behind. I was trying desperately to balance it all, but wasn’t succeeding. So of course, I began to pray! And God told me to CULTIVATE. I remember telling my best friend, this is the summer of Cultivating me.
To cultivate is to break up or prepare the soil for growth of crops or plants; to foster growth, to develop; to seek or pursue; to refine.
At the time I thought this journey of cultivating me was about embracing life’s circumstances and growing from them, doing what I enjoy, and being the woman God was grooming to be; but now I see that was only part of it. Cultivating Kerri has evolved!!! It has now become a space where I can live out all my passions. I eventually left my med school prep program and started pursuing ministry full time. I didn’t know If it meant that I would not be a physician someday, but I was sure God was calling me into ministry at that time. So I packed my bags, moved to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and began traveling the country inspiring teens to live pure. Little did I know was that my passion for health would follow me; it was still apart of who I was. People noticed my passion mainly through what I call my “moderately healthy" eating habits. They would always ask how I could eat so healthy. Overtime, I realized that a love for nutritious foods wasn’t something that came natural to everyone.
After traveling and speaking for 2 years, I also developed a passion for inspiring others through speaking and there was my passion for ministry too. While in college, people had encouraged me to look into holistic health and wellness, but I was so focused on becoming a MD that I completely ignored their advice. However, sometime last year, God brought those words back to me and as I gained more of an understanding of what it was, I knew that it was a good fit for me. It seemed to tie in all of my passions. Wellness is about looking at the well-being of the total person and how that contribute to your overall health. Therefore, in pursuing a career in wellness, I don't have to neglect my passion for health, or for ministry, or for speaking, not even my passion for children. All of these things can be applied to the overall wellbeing of the person. Now I understand that God was telling me to cultivate all aspects of who I was, mind, body, spirit, and emotions and embrace the ways in which He is also cultivating me into a whole and healthy young woman. Doing so, I would be able to continue to not only cultivate myself, but inspire others to cultivate as well. So Let The Journey begin!