ABOUT ME
am the founder of K.Y. Smith Coaching Solutions, a Certified Empowerment Coach/ Philanthropist, Motivation Speaker and a Breast Cancer Warrior. My mission is focused on helping women overcome life’s obstacles, understand their identity, and tap into their true power by removing the negative thoughts of a confined mindset.
A Virginia native, I also lent my leadership skills while educating and empowering incarcerated women at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Fairfax, VA and the Prince William Adult Detention Center in Manassas, VA. I hold a Master of Science in Human Resources Management and a Bachelor Degree in Business Management. I am also a Certified Real Colors and Crossroads Facilitator trained to deliver Evidence Based Cognitive Behavior Change Curriculums presented by the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), and issued by the National Curriculum and Training Institute (NCTI). Additionally, I am a Certified Reentry Employment Specialist (RES) trained to recognize the national trend toward modeling language that encourages respectful and supportive interactions in working with correctional clients (e.g., parolees, probationers, inmates in institutions, residents in transitional houses, or offenders in general). Some of my professional memberships include: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce (NVBCC), and The National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ), The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Prince William County Chapter (NCBW PWCC) and Small Women and Minority-Owned (SWaM) businesses. I am also a trained NARCAN Opioid Overdose Administrator, a Peer-To-Peer Specialist, and a Certified Motivational and Empowerment life coach recognized by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Certified Coaches Alliance (CCA).
I understand first-hand how sometimes we can let our past enable our future. I have witnessed this myself growing up in a dysfunctional family as an only child seeing my parents’ abusive behavior towards one another. This paved the way into my early adulthood, it was the only thing I knew and it was very normal behavior to me. Then I began to realize, something is not right but my mind was incarcerated from the behavior that I witnessed as a child. I knew I had to change my mindset to a no-nonsense approach before I could even began to heal my mental behavior. That is when I began my journey to take back control of my mindset. But first, I had to experience transformation in my own life. Through my journey the most important thing I had to understand is that I had to be transparent with myself before I could start on my journey of healing. Staying true to myself allowed me the power to heal and move forward, to become a woman with a vision and a purpose.