We had the good fortune of connecting with Mia Bradford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mia, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
God has me on an interesting journey which started right before one New Year’s that has transformed my life tremendously, I wanted to share my journey in case it could help someone else get closer to harmony and a self-care lifestyle. God gives us two commands: Love God, love people. At our very core as women we want to love and be loved. However, we can’t love others well unless we love ourselves well. And face it, we say we love ourselves, but is that truly reflected in how we treat our mind, body and soul on a daily basis? In December 2017, I was depressed because of negative self-talk and the lies I was believing, always in some kind of pain, whether dealing with a migraine, sinus pressure, asthma, allergies, knee or back pain. I was always tired, lacked energy and wasn’t always on top of my A game. I also had some emotional issues that I needed to deal with, like unforgiveness and issues around rejection and abandonment. During my journey, I learned that my thoughts were causing physical symptoms. A lot of our physical issues stem from emotional issues also known as psychosomatic conditions. This also caused me to get away from the strong money habits I developed and caused me to return to a debt filled lifestyle. Prior to my transition to Houston, I only had student loans to finish paying off. I then added credit card debt, a car loan and a mortgage (SO NOT ME!) Believe it or not, money habits are not just about dollars and cents but it’s a mindset and my mindset was causing me to go backwards in my progress. By creating my business, it held me accountable to the lifestyle I want to live and model for others. My life’s work is to empower high achieving women to give themselves permission to release the guilt of taking time for themselves. My mission is to create a new definition of self-care that is holistic in nature; focusing on emotional, physical and financial well being. After working with me, women have a financial plan in place, are able to practice guilt-free self-care and are working towards wholeness in all areas of their lives, emotional, physical and financial.

What should our readers know about your business?
My lofty goal of redefining self-care to include financial well being, definitely sets me apart from others. No one I’ve ever spoken to has heard of self-care and finances coming together. Often times, I am asked, ‘how many businesses do you have?’. I smile and remind them that it’s one business and to be whole and well we must approach wellness from an integrative standpoint. It’s not just mental, just physical or just financial. We must address the whole person. I am most proud of myself for stepping out and finally launching the financial aspect of my business. I tried to launch over 10 years ago but the negative self-talk was so loud in my head that I did not follow through. This experience has taught me that fear and not believing in myself is truly the only thing that is stopping me from meeting my dreams and goals. This is selfish because I now realize so many people wanted what I have to offer. We never know who is on the other side of our obedience. Finally taking this leap of faith to integrate all parts of my business has been difficult because it’s taken courage and stepping outside of my comfort zone. In practical terms, having enough capital (without going back into too much debt), marketing, and pulling all the necessary pieces together to run a legitimate business has been a true stretch, as has my ground yoga practice. It has taught me when to ask for help, when to outsource, and stick to my strengths. Beyond the Busyness exists to help you examine your relationship to yourself and self care, make and maintain any shifts you need to make, and develop a healthy relationship to your finances, emotions and physical wellness. I host online events focused on building a strong financial foundation, aromatherapy, yoga, and alternative methods of health and wellness. I am an aerial yoga instructor (soon to be all types of yoga), licensed financial professional and a travel junkie. My ultimate passion is to educate, empower and inspire others to actions that allow them to meet their goals and dreams.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
OMG! This is so hard because I am an introvert but I do love to eat and I do love the sun…. Day 1: After I pick them up from the airport, our first stop is Soul Food Vegan in 3rd Ward followed by a walk in Discovery Green for some fresh air and to digest 😉 Trill Taco for dinner because it’s my favorite spot in my neighborhood. Day 2: We are going for a day of pampering at Essential Body Bar and Gloss Glam Nails followed by lunch at my fav vegan spot, Sunshine’s. Then we would go and have dinner with my parents because my parents LOVE my friends. Day 3: Breakfast with my parents because they can’t get enough of us. Then off we go to the Kemah Boardwalk for some fresh seafood, a little fun in the sun, and watch my niece and nephew have fun on the rides. Then we would head to Galveston for our Air BNB and go grab some Mexican food for dinner. Day 4: Beach Day in Galveston followed by a stroll on the Strand for some boutique shopping and fresh seafood for dinner. Day 5: Breakfast Klub for breakfast, Shopping in the Galleria (because that is something they would like to do, not me). Lunch at Lucy’s or Blue Nile because I love Ethiopian. I’m cooking tonight because I have spent a ton of money already. Maybe a picnic in Menil Park would be nice. LOL! Day 6: We getting up there in age so we are chillin around the house with no agenda… maybe a game and movie night. Day 7: Ray’s BBQ (depending on their diet) and back to the airport!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow! I am grateful for so many people that have supported and cheered me on during this entrepreneurship journey. Thank you to Dr. Lindsay Banks for recommending me for this opportunity. Thank you to my solopreneur Board of Directors/ Sister Coaches, LaKitia Woodard, Candace Strother, Tai Abrams, Nadine Kennedy and Tracee Jordan. I cannot go without thanking two of my phenomenal business coaches for leading me in the right direction and encouraging me when I didn’t believe I could do it… Jullien Gordon and Tiffany Washington.

Website: www.beyondthebusyness.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/beyondthebusyness
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/beyondthebusyness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/beyondthebusyness
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4LnE12mqbiwgwpkjCxGbcQ
Other: https://wfgconnects.com/miabradford, https://oily.life/beyondthebusyness/

Image Credits
Ke’er of Point and Click Photography

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