Today we’d like to introduce you to Simyona Erica B.M.
Simyona Erica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
“Many are called, few are chosen.” (Matt 22:14). Words that would give meaning to my story that can only be described thus far as a beautiful storm.
From that fateful day when my mother stood at the kitchen sink, eyes slowly succumbing to uninvited tears, she knew that this moment would encompass significant meaning for the rest of her life. She later reveals to me that she heard a voice who instructed her to “offer her up to me,” a prophetic word that would reveal the sex of her unborn child, a girl, Simyona. Simyona, meaning “heard by the Lord.”
From the very beginning, education and the idea that “success is when preparation meets opportunity,” would shape many of the experiences I had growing up. Although I had an absentee father and a lack of financial resources within my home, my mother and I worked as an assiduous team to educate ourselves on programs that were available to me. She tirelessly filled out financial aid forms, grant proposals, and diligently educated herself on ways to ensure that I was awarded the best education.
Today, I am an educator and a storyteller and I reflect on the chapters that my students are writing each day. They all have different stories to tell–some with tragedy and some with triumph. And for this reason, it is important to remind them of the many battles won by people who persevered in the face of great obstacles.
Learning to embrace the tools required for forward movement is a personal journey for my students that not only focuses on academia but also impresses upon them new ideas and inspires them to become thought leaders and innovators who selflessly make contributions for the betterment of humanity.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, but necessary. I truly believe that our life experiences are our best teachers. I have learned what to take with me on this journey and what to leave behind, especially when the weight that I am carrying has caused great stress.
At times, I have been so focused on the task in front of me that I have lost focus on the bigger picture. And the stress has caused great strain on my body. This has led to noticeable difficulty in my everyday life and a great appreciation for the days when I “feel good.” I have now learned the true value of rest.
My faith has given me the ability to shift to a place where I no longer feel like I haven’t done enough. I now celebrate my small wins as I champion toward fulfilling the highest version of myself. I no longer compare myself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy. I am now running my own race at the pace of grace.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Start To Finished – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
In my online course, Start to Finished, I teach everyday people, who know they were made for more to stop playing small and actually start and finish what has been pulling them at their core for some time now.
I created Start to Finished for adults because, as a teacher of adolescents, it pained me to see them give up just because things got a little hard or they didn’t know what to do next, especially when they were so close to figuring it out. We all remember this feeling when we encountered a difficult subject or a difficult teacher and we just didn’t have the will to move forward.
So it became my mission to make sure that these children did not become defeated adults, so I took on the tasks of teaching both children and adults. There are too many projects, businesses, and ideas that get started, only to be abandoned when things get too hard, too stressful, or too overwhelming!
So, I teach people just what to do when all of these come up because they will. Since starting Start to Finished, I have had the opportunity to work with amazing people who need clarity on what they want and a simple guide on how to get it.
After working with me to clearly define their goals, they’ve learned a few simple shifts that have led them to becoming authors, leaders in their respective fields, and confident business owners who’ve gone from interviewing to creating their own positions.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
I love that I live in Los Angeles! It is a land full of dreamers. It seems that most of the new people I meet were not even raised here and yet they are here working hard to achieve their dreams. But I have to be honest. If I could change one thing about LA, it would be the same reason why I love it.
Everyone is looking for an opportunity instead of creating one. It is not very often that people are not networking or trying to figure out who you are and how you can help them! It is so refreshing when you meet real people who are genuinely interested in who you are. I live for those authentic connections! So I create them for myself!
I do this mostly through my work as an educator where you will often find me encouraging my students to abandon their limiting beliefs in order to be the voice in their forgotten communities. I explore the city with my students as the co-operator of the non-profit, The Human Race Project, where we plant organic gardens, donate our time to churches and organizations that clothe the homeless, and write letters to the local children’s hospital.
When I am not guiding the students in my classroom, I am challenging the students in my online course, Start to Finished, to figure out what they want, why they don’t have it yet, and how to get it! My mission is to make sure more people are fulfilling their dreams right here at home and abroad.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.starttofinished.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/simyonaerica
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