He may have lost his sight, but he didn’t lose his vision. Today’s guest, Kijuan Amey, is a dynamic speaker, author, and advocate for resilience. He shares how a motorcycle accident that nearly took his life became the catalyst for growth and why he’s so passionate about helping others win in life’s lessons.
“Don’t let your situation define who you are. You define who you are.”
Today’s guest, Kijuan Amey, is a dynamic speaker, author, and advocate for resilience. He shares how a motorcycle accident that nearly took his life became the catalyst for growth and why he’s so passionate about helping others win in life’s lessons.
In a moment, his entire life changed (as it sometimes does), and he learned some invaluable lessons in guiding himself–and now countless others–through it.
Listen in for a harrowing and inspirational story from a man who may have lost his sight, but didn’t lose his vision.
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Kijuan Amey, founder of Amey Motivation, is a dynamic speaker and advocate for resilience. Born and raised in Durham, NC, he graduated from Southern High School before serving a decade in the U.S. Air Force as an In-flight Refueling Specialist, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant.
After being medically retired, he pursued higher education and established Amey Motivation LLC to inspire others. Kijuan has served as the vice president of the Carolina regional group of the Blinded Veterans Association and is a dedicated mentor and ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warriors program. With over 25 years of drumming experience, on-stage acting, and his book, Don’t Focus on Why Me, his talents extend far beyond the stage.
On May 5, 2017, a motorcycle accident took his eyesight, but not his vision. Embracing his journey, Kijuan empowers audiences with his story of perseverance. Whether speaking to thousands or engaging in intimate discussions, he is a catalyst for transformation, ready to inspire and uplift. For speaking engagements, contact Kijuan at (919) 641-8150 or kijuan@ameymotivation.com. You can also connect with him on all social platforms by searching his name, Kijuan Amey.
Céline Williams: [00:00:00] I'm Céline Williams and welcome to the Leading Through Crisis Podcast, a conversation series, exploring resiliency and leadership in challenging times. My guest today is Kijuan Amey, retired Air Force veteran, chief Motivation Officer of Amey Motivation and author of the book, don't Focus On Why Me, from Motorcycle Accident to Miracle.
Welcome Kijuan.
Kijuan Amey: Thank you so much for having me, Céline.
Céline Williams: I am really interested in your story, knowing a little bit about you. But before we dive into any of that, I always start with a question. You know, the name of the podcast is Leading Through Crisis. When you hear that phrase, what comes up for you or what does that mean to you?
Kijuan Amey: First off, I have to say leading through crisis. It is a great podcast name. Um,
Céline Williams: thank you.
Kijuan Amey: And the reason I say that is because not too many people will. They won't lead through crisis. They know how to lead when nothing's going on or when it's just, you know, a regular time, peace time, as we [00:01:00] call it in the military.
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm.
Kijuan Amey: Um, but when it comes to a war or a something serious, are you willing to take the reins?
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm.
Kijuan Amey: Are you willing to jump out and say, I'll do it.
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm.
Kijuan Amey: And, you know, leading in crisis, that's kind of what that means to me. You know, I, it just takes me back to the military. Will you? I. Take the reigns, will you lead the troops into battle and come out victorious?
So lead me into crisis, but also I wanna be, I wanna come out victorious too. So.
Céline Williams: Well, I love that. I love that kind of analogy between the two, especially because I think most people, and I'm saying most generalizing, let's say, many people, not only will they not lead the troops, they won't even lead themselves through crisis.
Kijuan Amey: Yeah. Yeah.
Céline Williams: And if you don't start with that because you are avoiding or you're, you know, just let's get through to the next peace time or whatever it is, it's not a healthy [00:02:00] starting point for any situation or challenge that you have to deal with.
So I'd love to hear a little bit about your story. I know it's many layered, but you started, you, you know, you mentioned the military and your intro mentions the military as well. So I'm not sure if that's where you, where you would wanna start, but I'd love to hear a little bit about that. Uh, your journey to doing what you're doing today from retired Air Force veteran to chief Motivation officer
Kijuan Amey: and author.
Céline Williams: By the way, let's not forget author.
Kijuan Amey: Can't forget that. So just going back to, uh, right before the accident, uh, I'll give you just a little bit of background on what I was doing.
Céline Williams: Okay.
Kijuan Amey: So again, United States Air Force at this time, I am a reservist. I did serve four years active duty, but I am a reservist and I served all of my years, which were a [00:03:00] decade.
In at the same base. Okay. So in, in North Carolina at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and I was an in-flight refueling specialist, uh, that's where you refuel planes in midair. For those who don't know,
Céline Williams: that sounds scary. Just for someone who has no idea what that entails, that does, that does sound scary.
Kijuan Amey: Can be. Yeah. Um, very much so. There has been those times, not just what I've heard about. But what's happened to me, I've actually seen a fireball. Yeah, that's not good when you got a bunch of gas up there. Okay. No. So, um, just to give you a quick rundown of like how to envision what that really means. So you know how you're driving around down here, um, you know, around town if you need gas, you just pull up to the gas station.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: Fill her up, whatever.
Céline Williams: Yep.
Kijuan Amey: Well, in the sky, in the military, shall I say, not commercially in the military. They have a [00:04:00] flying gas station and that's basically what I was, I was on a flying gas station, the KC 1 35 straddle tanker, and I was the guy controlling what we call the boom. And the boom was what you would use to refuel the other aircraft.
Whether that was a fighter, a bomber, a cargo plane, reconnaissance plane, even another tanker that could be refueled, you would gonna refuel it. They also had, um. Navy. Mm-hmm. We could refuel the Navy as well. Wow. Um, the F eighteens the EE EA six Bs. Um, they, that's type of type, another type of reconnaissance airplane on the, I think the p threes, I believe are what they're called.
Like they got different planes that you can refuel. You can refuel a marine plane, which is the harrier. You can refuel them. It's so cool what we can do.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: And you know, just the diversity as well. But there's also not just the refueling part to [00:05:00] that mission, I was also a cargo loader. Okay.
So I knew how I could load cargo on my plane. Mm-hmm. Um, whether that's pallets, whether it's even it could have even been like an engine apart. Anything like that. If, if it could fit, it was going in.
Céline Williams: Yep.
Kijuan Amey: You know, um, of course you loaded passengers, but, uh, we could carry passengers and I think we could go up to about 42 before we needed a waiver.
Wow. Um, 42 total soles on board, I believe it is. If I'm not mistaken, until we needed a waiver, but yeah you had a aero medivac. So that's where you, you know, go if you, what you go into. It doesn't always have to be a war zone, but you go into, like, for example, maybe somebody got pulled out of a war zone.
We go to a base that they got, they got taken to, and we take them from that base, bringing them back to a, a local hospital or one of our hospitals that might have been overseas,
Céline Williams: right. As
Kijuan Amey: close as [00:06:00] we, they can get to it, you know, and so we'll have basically a medical team. Like a whole medical team on board flight, medi, medical crew.
And they'll have stanchions set up, they'll have stations set up. They'll have everything that, that needs to be there for that, those patients. 'cause it's not usually just one. It's multiple usually. Right. And it's, so it is, I don't really want to use the word cool because it's not cool to be taking people that are injured, but I was loving the fact that I could help my people.
Get back home.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: You know,
Céline Williams: um, you're having a real impact on them.
Kijuan Amey: Exactly. Yeah. So it's not just the refueling. Mm-hmm. It's not just the cargo. Mm-hmm. It's, it's, it's a lot more to this mission, you know? And so that was what I was doing in the Air Force. I also taught it, so I was an instructor as well.
Um, and then. As a reservist, I also would [00:07:00] be going to school full-time. Mm-hmm. So I was getting my degree in computer information systems with a specialization in systems analysis and integration.
Céline Williams: Wow. It's a mouthful. Uh,
Kijuan Amey: fancy way to say nerd. Just that, that's another way of saying I love computers and software.
Yeah. And then I also started my own business, so I was an entrepreneur as well. This is all happening at the same time, by
Céline Williams: the way. Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: And the business was called Kiwi Enterprise.
Céline Williams: Okay.
Kijuan Amey: Kiwi. Oh, I know. You're probably like, what
Céline Williams: I was wondering, so
Kijuan Amey: about Kiwi was my call sign in the Air Force. Ah, okay.
But it was also my nickname as a kid. Oh, cool. And I was gi Yeah. I, I was given that nickname by my great-aunt God rehearsal. Um, she gave me that when I was a little kid and I, nobody can call me like she can
With that name, you know. Mm-hmm. And, uh. I, I miss it dearly. I really do miss her. But yeah, I wanted to keep her alive, so that's what I did.
[00:08:00] I named my business basically after her to keep her alive, but I also carried her on my chest.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: Because of my name.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: Love that. And so that was pretty cool too. And Kiwi Enterprise, I did website design and management.
Social media marketing. Photography for small businesses because you know, a lot of people tend to leave out the small fish.
Mm-hmm. I say, okay, that's okay. I'll go collect that money. Yeah. Y'all could go ahead and deal with the big fish. I'll go collect the small fish money. They got money too.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: It fills my pockets as well. So that's what I did with that. Yeah. But um, you know, this one day May 5th, I. 2017 some might call it Cinco de Mayo.
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm. I call
Kijuan Amey: it my new life's journey.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: Because that's when everything would change for me. I would be involved in a motorcycle accident that would change my [00:09:00] whole life.
Céline Williams: Mm.
Kijuan Amey: I was going to a lake and for those who, you know, purchased my book. You'll see on that front cover of it, it's a motorcycle and there's also the backdrop, which is like trees and dock and a little bit of water, a little bit of rocks.
That was where I had just left from that same location that's on that cover, and just re remember, just a few minutes ago I mentioned that I did photography.
The pictures on that front cover I took.
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm.
Kijuan Amey: So the picture of the motorcycle was actually my motorcycle. That's Nina. So y'all can say hi to Nina.
And that lake was the lake that I was actually leaving from, and that's Jordan Lake here in North Carolina. And so, um, that was where I used to go, you know, to get like my, my, my meditation, my relaxation, my peace, my [00:10:00] zen, you know, just to be alone, be at one and just relax. And so I had to work that night for the military, or actually that whole weekend, but I would hear a car go by 'cause of that where I sat was nearly was near a highway.
And so I heard a car go by and it was, it was rare that you would hear it because of where it was like, I'm, I'm really in the woods, like in the woods. So, um, this car goes by and I'm like, oh, snap. What time is it? So I looked down at my watch and I, oh, gotta go. So I jumped back on the bike, you know, take off and I have a, you know, Bluetooth headset capability on my helmet.
Céline Williams: Yep.
Kijuan Amey: And so I'm riding and I love to listening to music while I rode. It was so fun. And just to listen, to be able to listen to music while you're riding a motorcycle. At first, I didn't know if it would like impede my. Capabilities to react.
But no, it was actually like the way they [00:11:00] did it you could turn the volume up and down, so it wasn't like you, you had to, it was blasting Right.
You know, in your ears. So that was good. But, um, I was jamming and again, this is 2017, so for all my Bruno Morris fans. 24 karat Magic had just came out not too long before that. So I'm, I'm pretty sure I'm listening to that album, um, by Bruno Mars. And as I'm riding down the street, I mean, everything was just so beautiful that day until it wasn't.
Céline Williams: And
Kijuan Amey: this is where this silver Honda Accord would pull out in front of me from an intersection. And, uh, as I always tell this story, I had three options. I could go right and go into the trees because there are trees all along this two lane road, the lane that I'm in and the lane that's coming past me. So there's trees all up and down this road.
So I could go right and go into the trees. I could go left and go into the [00:12:00] oncoming traffic, or I could do what ended up happening, and that's freezing up and hitting him. So as you can see outta all these options, nothing's looking good at all. No. I'm running about 55 mile an hour on the motorcycle, which is what the speed limit was.
'cause it, like I said, it was a, a little back, little highway, um, highway 7 51 and that was the, the, um, speed limit there. Mm-hmm. So on these back streets like this though, would've been, you know, two lanes. You don't have a lane to turn into kind of thing. So they cut the trees back so you can see if any traffic's coming.
Either way. Right. You know, and, um, I make this point because on the police report, because I, I have I have no recollection after this collision. I know nothing.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: So on the police report, there were two witnesses, [00:13:00] which were two cars that were right behind this Honda. And they both stated on that police report, both of them said, they saw me coming, said don't.
They don't know why he didn't. Wow.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: So when I hear something like that, it made me angry because now I'm wondering what were you doing?
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm.
Kijuan Amey: What made you wanna pull out in front of me? Hmm.
If it was a semi-truck or 18 wheeler, as most people call it, I bet you wouldn't have pulled out in front of it. Yeah. Because you would've went down the road with it. Yeah. I promise you're not stopping that thing. And so it's one of those things that you kind of look back on. And say, you know, I'm [00:14:00] glad I'm still here.
Of course, definitely glad about that. But you say at that time, oh man, I didn't want nothing to do with any of it. Nothing.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: I mean, don't get me wrong, I still have my days, but I'm doing the best with what I have.
Céline Williams: We're all human at the end of the day, right? Yeah. So of course you're gonna have your days. That's part of any, I mean, I hate to say it, part of the process, whether it's a healing process or whatever process we're in, that's part of it. We're no one is a hundred percent good days. And if they tell you that they are, they're lying.
'cause that's not real.
Kijuan Amey: Oh yeah.
Céline Williams: And I think after. An experience like that, an accident like that the fact that you have more good days than bad. Mm-hmm. I think that's a [00:15:00] win. I think that's really commendable. Oh, yeah. Because a lot of people stay in that place of anger or mm-hmm. Depression or whatever their version of it is.
Kijuan Amey: Oh yeah. No, see, definitely you're, you're, you're exactly right. And this is also why I don't, I'm not just a motivational speaker, but I'm also a mentor.
Céline Williams: Mm. And
Kijuan Amey: I'm also a resilience coach because I've, I've been through it and I'm going through it. Mm. So who better to learn from hear experiences from or to ask questions to.
Than somebody who's been through this or is currently going through this. Because if I go ask all my friends, that's never been through anything, it doesn't matter who it, cousin, uncle, my, my grandmother, who they've never been through this.
So if I'm asking [00:16:00] them all these questions about what I've been through that they've never experienced, guess what?
They don't know what to say.
Céline Williams: Yeah,
Kijuan Amey: they just try to give you hope is what they try to do. Now, me, I've been able to mentor guys, like, I have this one guy that I'm mentoring and, uh, he's really worried about, you know, 'cause he's getting ready to get married this year. So he's really worried about, you know, getting married, having kids, not being able to see his kids grow up because he is losing his eyesight and things like that.
I said, don't think of what, what you won't be able to do. Think about what you will be able to do. And he was like, what do you mean? I was like, so with me, with my nephews man, when I see them, like I'm trying to interact with them first and foremost. When they come down the stairs and they're getting ready to go outside or they're getting ready to go out and see people, Hey man, how you doing?
Good morning. What you got on? [00:17:00] Oh, I got on a t-shirt with, I said, oh, what's on your t-shirt? It's a shark.
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm.
Kijuan Amey: Oh. What color is the shark? Blue. Oh my God, dude. Is it from a TV show that you like? It is. That's awesome. Now I'm interacting. Now I'm learning and hearing what he's wearing. I don't have to see it.
My mind can create that vision. Mm. Use every tool you have. And that's what I, I do my best to teach when I'm mentoring, when I'm coaching, when I'm just out here just living life, because I'm learning lessons every day. I'm, I don't have this thing figured out. Not a hundred percent anyway. Yeah. I'm pretty high, but it's not a hundred percent, you know, still human.
We're all Exactly right. Yeah, exactly. I mean, things change all the time. Yeah. So I have to also adapt, but as I'm adapting, [00:18:00] guess what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna tell you how I did it.
Because if I'm holding back, it doesn't help you.
Céline Williams: Mm.
Kijuan Amey: Now I'm being selfish. Yeah. And I don't, I don't like being selfish.
Yeah. Unless it's over food. I'm sorry.
Céline Williams: That's a whole other conversation we can have.
Kijuan Amey: But yeah, so,
Céline Williams: so I am. So first off, thank you for sharing that and uh, I do truly appreciate it and I very much appreciate what you're saying about mentoring and giving back and teaching from your experience and in kind of the, in that arena.
I'm blanking on the right word, but you know, in that arena, I'm just gonna say that. What were, so I can only imagine how devastating the accident was and not remembering it, and then recovering from that. What were some of the, [00:19:00] what are, or were some of the key things that you learned that stand out to you or that you continuously share with people when you are mentoring or talking about these things?
Kijuan Amey: The one thing that I continue to share is I, well, first off, I'm trying to make sure that we are staying connected because I can talk all day about what is best for me. Yeah. But does it help you?
That's, that's what I'm trying to get to. Yeah. I'm talking about my accident. My, I, my, I lost my eyesight.
I broke my spine. But if none of this happened to you, you are just like. Here he goes, talking all day. You know, it doesn't help. So my whole thought process, as soon as I get you on a, on a mentor call, a coaching call is to figure out you. I want to hear you. I'm not here to push me because you should know about me already.[00:20:00]
It's not to say that I'm like this big, glorified person. No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying you came to me for a reason, right? Because I know something that you want help with. So now I'm gonna help you by listening to you first, and after you tell me what you need help with, my goal is to assist, not to, not to take over, is to assist.
There's a difference. Yep. And so, what I like to bring to people is the mindset shift. That's the first thing. That's the first thing I always bring to people is a mindset shift. You've got to shift your mindset in any situation, especially when it comes to overcoming any adversity or hardship. You gotta shift your mindset, because if your mind is still stuck in, I don't know how I'm gonna get outta this.
I can't handle this, but guess what? It's gonna stay that way.
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm.
Kijuan Amey: I don't care what you gain in life, you, [00:21:00] your mind is still over here, so it's focused on this even though you have this. Mm. And so I tell people all the time, this is just one thing, don't let your situation define who you are. You define who you are.
When they're putting all these different labels on you. I got all kind of labels. I got PTSD, I got uh, blindness. I've got the spinal cord. I got, you know, the broken legs the everything you, traumatic brain injury, short-term memory loss, anything you can think of that they try to label me with. I'm doing my best to beat it every day.
If I feel like I'm regressing in memory, I'm gonna try to go study something.
Céline Williams: Hmm.
Kijuan Amey: I'm gonna try to read something. I'm gonna go recall something. Hey, I, I read something earlier today I need to tell you [00:22:00] about.
I just want you to hear me so I can know that I can still remember something. Yeah.
You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. So it is not to say that I'm, I'm wanting to talk all day long. It's to just to make sure my mind still functions. I can recall information. That's what I'm trying to do, you know? And so that's what I want to do. I want to be able to not just talk about me. I could talk about me all day.
I'm never, I'm, I don't even like talking about me, to be honest. My story. Okay. I could talk about that. Yeah. But me, eh, I so much, I literally forget things that I have accomplished. It's not because I don't wanna remember them, it's because I try to avoid. Knowing that mo, knowing that much about myself
Céline Williams: because I don't
Kijuan Amey: wanna boast about me.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: Because I, I won't be able to turn it off. You know what I mean? So that's all I'm saying about that.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: Yeah.
Céline Williams: So I'm gonna the mindset shift you're talking about, which I think is really [00:23:00] important in any kind of. I'm gonna say crisis, right? Yes. Since that, but like, I think that mindset shift is really important.
I think the idea of, and I really resonate with the idea of not letting a label define you. Yes. Right? And I'm also gonna acknowledge that there are times where people attach to labels in a positive way, and it can define them positively. And that's okay if it's a choice, right? Mm-hmm. If you're choosing that, 'cause you're like, I am.
This thing, whatever the label is great. However, what you're talking about, I just wanna distinguish that. But what you're talking about is not that, it's not choosing, I, you know, I'm a, I, I really feel the label of traumatic brain injury defines me and I'm going to lean into That's not what you're talking about, right?
It's, it's a shift. So.
Kijuan Amey: Yeah, I can give you an example to help you with that. Please. So I said this the other day. I said, uh, when I go talk to my nephews, I don't want them to think that [00:24:00] I have a blind uncle named Wan.
Céline Williams: Mm-hmm. No,
Kijuan Amey: no, no, no. It's the other way around. You have a uncle who is now blind.
That's the difference. Yep. So that's how that should be. It should be okay. This is attached to me.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: But it is not me.
Céline Williams: Yes. It's not your identity.
Kijuan Amey: Exactly,
Céline Williams: yes. So I, you know, in service of that, and I'm going to, and I, you know, if you're comfortable with this, if you're not, that's mm-hmm. Totally fair. I am guessing that after your accident is part of your story, you weren't, you didn't just wake up and say like, okay, well those things are not me, and I'm gonna, you know, positively full of hope, March down this path in the way that I am now.
That would be my guess post. An accident, like that's probably not what happened, assuming that is in fact true. You're smiling. So I'm gonna assume, I'm gonna guess I might be, I'm
Kijuan Amey: smiling because if somebody is thinking that way, they're probably gassed [00:25:00] up. Right. Okay. They're they're loopy right now.
Right.
Céline Williams: So
Kijuan Amey: there's no way
Céline Williams: that Exactly. So understanding that, how, what was your journey to your own mindset shift? What was. How did that come about? Because you do, you work with other people to help them through their journey, but, and maybe you did have someone who was there for you specifically.
Wonderful. I'd love to hear that. And if you didn't how did you get to where you are now? How did you shift your mindset?
Kijuan Amey: Yeah. So of course it took time. Yes, it definitely took time. It's, uh, may of this year will make eight years since my accident. So everybody likes to say, well, you know, it, it is one day at a time.
One day at a time. Mm-hmm. I, nah, one day at a time is okay, everybody lives one day at a time. I need you to take it one step at a time.
Céline Williams: Mm.
Kijuan Amey: And the difference is. [00:26:00] That there are steps that need to be had in order for you to get where you need to go.
I can't take, if I wanna go from right here to the kitchen, guess what I gotta do?
I gotta take steps. Because if I don't, I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna be sitting right here. Yeah. Until I take those steps. So what I'm getting at, and what I'm trying to say is, if you don't take the steps in order to become a better you. Or a more refined, you guess what? You always be the same.
You, you have to find some way to grow. I remember when I had to learn how to walk again in order to get to the end, to the other end of that parallel bars. Mm-hmm. I had to move. Yeah. And they weren't gonna let me use the wheelchair. So I had to get up and walk down the parallel bars until I got to the other side.[00:27:00]
Yeah, so that's, you have to take steps in my step number one, change your mindset. Step number two, figure out what you need to do. I look for every resource I possibly could. First off, I needed to get, you know, back strong so that I could move around.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: So that was the first thing I was doing. You know, like, that's what I mean by this.
Like, figure out what your steps are.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: You know, uh, when you get in the car, the first thing you should do, check your mirrors, put on your seatbelt you know, check your blind spots, check behind you. Turn the car on, put it in gear. Let's go. Maybe you wanna put your GPS on, let's go. Yeah. There are steps though.
You can't just jump in the car and you already gone. No, that's not how that works. No. Something, some things have to be done first. Mm-hmm. And [00:28:00] that's what I'm getting at.
Céline Williams: Yeah. And I think that's a really important reminder. And I think that the first step is, you know, as you've, as you're saying, is changing your mindset.
It is. Whether that starts with recognizing the mindset you're in to be able to change it, which is sometimes the hardest thing, fully gonna, you know, if you've dealt with any kind of challenge, you know personally, you know that that can be the hardest thing is just even recognizing that you are not in a productive or constructive mindset to start with.
Yeah. And then taking it one step at a time, not, you're not trying to. There's a word that I'm, there's a phrase that I'm can't remember right now, but you're not trying to, it's, you're not trying to do everything all at once. Right. You're not trying to, the end goal is this, so we're just gonna be there.
That's what's demotivating and that's what keeps us stuck in our mindsets. Mm-hmm. So I love the way you've broken it down. It's, it's, I think it's super important for anyone and any leader to hear that. [00:29:00] Thank you. Before we wrap up, is there anything. We didn't get to that you wanna make sure to share or something you wanna emphasize inside of what we did talk about because you have such a powerful story and you know the work you're doing is incredible.
So I wanna give you the opportunity if you would like it.
Kijuan Amey: I mean, honestly, I'm getting ready to host my own event here coming up in May on May 3rd, and the theme of the event is Will to overcome. And Will is an acronym. So WILL stands for Win in Life's Lessons.
Céline Williams: Hmm.
Kijuan Amey: So at this conference, at this the event, I'll be teaching everyone that shows up how to win in life's lessons in order to overcome adversity, because that's where it starts.
Life teaches you [00:30:00] lessons. If you just gonna take these lessons and just be like, oh Lord, here, something goes again. Or I'm just gonna keep blaming the lesson. No, learn from the lesson because if you forever just act like it didn't happen, you'll never learn from it and it'll keep happening over and over and over.
That's just like, and I hate to use this. But it's just like abusive relationships. If you keep allowing that cycle to go over and no guess what'll never happen, you'll never have a great one because you're used to something that's negative. Learn from that lesson of abuse and find better.
Céline Williams: Yeah.
Kijuan Amey: So that's all I want to add.
Céline Williams: Well, I, I appreciate that and. I can people find out more about the [00:31:00] conference you're hosting on your website? Is that where they would go? Amey motivation.com? Is that the place?
Kijuan Amey: No, uh, you can find it on my social media for sure. Okay. So all of my social media handles, um, whether it's.
Go ahead. I'm sorry.
Céline Williams: No, I was gonna say they'll all be linked in the show notes for
Kijuan Amey: the record. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So whether it is, uh, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter, all you have to do is search my first and last name, which is Kijuan, Amey, K-I-J-U-A-N-A-M-E-Y. And you'll find me I've posted the event up there.
It's on eventbrite.com and it's titled Will To Overcome. So, yeah.
Céline Williams: Perfect. We will have all of that linked up for everyone who is listening. And thank you so much for chatting with me today and taking the time. It's been a pleasure getting to know you, and I hope your event is a raging success. Thank you so much.
Thanks for joining me today on the Leading Through Crisis podcast. If you enjoyed [00:32:00] this conversation, please take a minute to rate and review us on your podcast app. If you're interested in learning more about any of our guests, you can find us online at www.leadingthroughcrisis.ca.