Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Akeia Simmons.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dr. Akeia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I knew early on that I had a calling on my life. I was convinced that God wanted to use me in a special way. I was told that I was special and I believed it. However, as I matured a little, I began to face numerous challenges and those things I faced told me that I was not, and I believed them too. Needless to say, this brought war to my little soul. I knew “how’ to act and how to make good decisions, but I could not get my actions to align with my belief. I found myself doing poorly in school (which led me to fail the 7th grade), in a fight with my sexuality verses my belief, depression, cutting, battles with suicide and a host of other things. I was fighting, but I was not sure exactly how to win. I could not find the me I wanted to be, so I wanted to destroy the only me I could find.
Fast forward. I am living the best life God designed for me. However, getting here was more than a challenge. It included more battles that I could ever name. It was HARD. REALLY hard. However, I learned early in order to be free, I had to fight my way out. During these battles, a warrior was born. I did not always have someone to tell me how to fight, so I promised myself that when I overcame, I would help others do the same.
I realized that I was equipped with everything I needed before I got here. I was born equipped. I was born ready. I was “Born Battle Ready”! Now, it is time for the world to know that they too have everything IN them to defeat what’s trying to defeat them. They do not have to get ready – they were born ready!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I literally chucked after hearing this question. It was definitely not a smooth road. In fact, the road was bumpy, had deep pot-holes, curvy, and even had a few dead ends. I described a few of my struggles above. However, my biggest struggle was not with an enemy, but it was with my inner-me. I struggled with self-acceptance after losing some acceptance with others. To them, because I loved so hard, I was hard to love. I was looking for love in all the wrong places, and because I could not find it I began to reject myself. I can name all of the struggles in the world and most would be able to relate to them, but I learned without this one component of knowing who you are and accepting that you are already loved you will continue to allow outward manifestations to cause an inward war. Once you understand the love that God has for you, it impacts how you perceive everything else. Things simply do not seem as difficult as they once war. Let me just say, gaining this understanding can be a war all by itself!
Born Battle Ready – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from others?
Born Battle Ready is a Christian based ministry for YOUth and Millennials, which people of all ages have come to benefit from. We specialize in building a Kingdom Army. We are here to teach a generation about their weapons of this spiritual war that we are in and how to fight for their freedom. We also teach them how to fight for their generation and take back what belongs to them. Our creativity sets us apart as we find the most creative ways to connect real-life situations to the Word. We find unique ways to share the gospel and are a mission to impact this world one kingdom general at a time.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
As stated, I failed the 7th grade. I BARELY graduated high school and refused to take any college prep courses because I had absolutely no plans to continue my education. However, in May of 2018, I walked across the stage to get my doctoral degree in Business Management. This was indeed an accomplishment that I never thought I could obtain. It will forever be the reminder that ANYTHING is possible!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bornbattleready.com
- Phone: 678-324-2225
- Email: info@bornbattleready.com
- Instagram: @bornbattleready
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/DrKiaKia
- Twitter: @bornbattleready
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