Biz Her Way Series: Meet Author and Life to Death Coach Erin Faith Kabba
Helping women destroy the mask and become their authentic selves.
By Sacha Walton, Editor and CEO of SWI Management Group
Hi, I’m Sacha Walton, founder and editor of Biz Her Way. My mission is to celebrate women business owners and entrepreneurs who are disrupting their industries, trailblazing the norm, and impacting change within their communities.
Women are making an impact worldwide in business ownership. Whether they are Entrepreneurs, mompreneurs, authors, speakers, creatives, or intrapreneurs as C-suite employees; they are playing by their own rules and creating their narratives.
According to the Small Business Association (SBA), “over 13 million women own businesses in the US.” Women are taking their place in society and scaling businesses with ideas, talents, passions, and skillsets while staying focused on legacy building.
My heart desires to see women win and I’m excited about sharing the amazing stories of these phenomenal women.
Let’s lift up and applaud all the amazing, talented, inspirational, and diverse women around the world who are making their voices heard.
Recently, I had a wonderful interview with Erin Faith Kabba, founder of The Oya Collective, LLC. One of Biz Her Way’s Top 25 Women to Watch in 2024.
Thank you for having this interview with me. I’m excited about sharing your story in our Biz Her Way Series here on Medium.com.
Our readers would love to learn more about you. Please tell us who you are and a little something about yourself.
Wow! Where do I begin? I am Erin Faith Kabba, a newly published author of Destroy the Mask: A Woman’s Guide to Unlock Her True Self, Live Out Her Purpose, and Leave a Legacy of Power. I believe many of us, especially women, have been conditioned to be a certain way, live a certain way, and do things that may go against who we truly are at our core.
I believe that we all have to undergo some sort of rebirth or awakening to get back to who we are authentically and to live the life we were created to live. I also believe in legacy. I am a firm believer that we are all on this earth for a purpose.
Whatever we do now can impact this current generation and generations to come. Many people live life, wasting time doing things according to what other people say. In the end, only to realize they should have done something differently. When it all comes down to it, our legacy is the only thing that will be remembered for.
Everyone has a story behind the beginning of their business. What inspired you to start your own business, and how has your journey been so far?
I grew up in a very cult-like religious denomination and realized that I was living according to a blueprint that didn’t serve me. I was living out of alignment with who I was and what I was supposed to do. I went through my rebirth and deconstructed what I was taught to believe about the world and myself.
I made the commitment, to always strive to live life in alignment with my authentic self, even if it went against the norm. After prayer, research, deep meditation, and doing the work, I was able to transform areas of my life and achieve things I never thought were possible!
I realized that life is precious and want to depart from this earth leaving a legacy while knowing I did exactly what I came here to do. Now, I am devoted to helping women in achieving the same.
In my business, The Oya Collective, LLC, I help ambitious women gain clarity on who they are, what they want, and how to get it so they can create a lasting impact in their personal and professional lives.
I was inspired to start this business because I see so many women living according to and following a blueprint that doesn’t align with their authentic selves.
Many of us have dreams of accomplishing certain things or living certain ways and are scared to act because it goes against what is expected of us. I want to help women break free from fear and societal, cultural, or religious expectations that don’t align and start living an authentic life.
Tell us about the pivotal moment when you knew your business idea had great potential.
When I first started my business, I said I was a life coach. However, I was drawn to the death doula path and became a certified death doula. I didn’t know how I would incorporate it all when I began. I just knew it was something I felt drawn to.
During my training, I would sit with people who were actively dying and got to see and hear a lot of things. Listening to their family members, I heard about dreams being unfulfilled and things they wished they would have done or said to their loved ones.
After going through the program and putting all the pieces together, I realized that we often don’t think about life until death is staring us in the face. There is a 100% chance that those who are living today will eventually die. Yet, we still live life going through the motions and living unfulfilled.
I was already helping women in their rebirth journey and now I wanted to help them live intentionally and die empty — leaving nothing behind. This is when I decided to call myself a Rebirth-to-Death Doula and merge the power of life and death together.
Which quotes or affirmations inspire you?
I have two quotes that inspire me:
“We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are” — Oprah Winfrey
“ The richest place on earth is the cemetery because that’s where you’ll find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.” — Les Brown
How are you making an impact with your business or project?
I am helping people see that life is precious. That you can do and have the things in life you can’t stop thinking about. I have had women message me after reading my book sharing being scared to act on dreams or questioning what they have been told to believe. Being scared to act was the common conversation with all of these women.
Through my book and my coaching services, women have gained the courage to take the first step to create the life they desire. I am also helping people create their legacy and undergo proper end-of-life planning. Many communities of color still lack legacy and end-of-life education, and I want our families to be set up well when someone passes away.
What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs looking to start their own ventures?
If you have the desire or vision, lean into it and do it! Most of the time our dreams and desires are connected to our purpose. We often think that dreams should stay dreams and we don’t think they are supposed to be achievable, but they are often things we are supposed to do. Start researching and take actionable steps to begin your venture!
We celebrate women entrepreneurs in our publication. How do you make a difference in lives of other women entrepreneurs?
I help them unpack limiting beliefs and/or things that may not be serving them. I sit with them to create action plans and act as an accountability partner so they can accomplish the goals they have set.
How do you balance the demands of entrepreneurship with personal well-being and self-care?
Lots of meditation and prayer. I often find it hard to relax, but I have started to force myself to take some time to do nothing and it has really helped me mentally and emotionally.
Provide words of wisdom in 2 -5 sentences for another woman.
You are powerful and can do hard things. The journey of destroying your mask and living authentically can be difficult, but it is extremely rewarding. The journey never stops, but there is joy and liberation in living a life where you can show up as you are and do the things you are meant to achieve.
What’s next for you?
I am creating a Destroy the Mask Membership Community and an intensive coaching program. Both are inspired by my book for women who want to deconstruct and dismantle things that don’t serve them, embark on a journey of self-discovery, and start to transform dreams into tangible realities.
Sacha Walton, business strategist and owner of SWI Management Group helps entrepreneurs level up their businesses with strategic planning, marketing, and branding, which drive business growth and visibility. If you would like to be featured Biz Her Way Series, email us at info@swimgtgroup.com
