Today we’d like to introduce you to Valari Boston.
Hi Valari, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I didn’t reinvent myself in a boardroom—I did it at 30,000 feet.
After my divorce, survival became the immediate objective. Financial pressure and the quiet weight of an unfulfilled life forced a reckoning: remain defined by what had ended, or choose who I would become next. Having spent decades as a mother, pastor’s wife, educator, and preacher of 35 years, I paused to examine the leadership roles I had lived long before I ever named them—sales person, radio DJ, counselor, mentor, seminarian, and ultimately, flight attendant. Acting on conviction rather than certainty, I applied the next day. Within a month, I was flying.
That decision reframed my understanding of leadership. Over the next decade, I traveled across the continental United States, Africa, and Europe, remarried, and built a fulfilling second career as a flight attendant before retiring. Along the way, a consistent message followed me: Tell your story. Teach what you’ve lived. That encouragement became the foundation for my first book, Intentional Living, a guide and memoir grounded in resilience, adaptability, and purpose-driven decision-making.
Once a runaway teenager struggling with rebellion and substance abuse, my life is now an example of transformation through accountability and intention. I speak candidly about adversity—not as a liability, but as a leadership asset when leveraged with clarity and courage. Today, my work focuses on helping individuals and organizations rethink limitation, lead through transition, and move forward with purpose.
With more than 40 years of experience teaching, mentoring, and speaking, I continue to work globally with leaders who understand that influence is not defined by titles, but by impact. My message is simple and strategic: growth requires intention, reinvention demands courage, and leadership—at every level—begins with the decision to rise.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, life is not always about smooth roads. The journey to victory is marked by relentless challenges and layered disappointments. After years of structured airline schedules, clear expectations, and constant responsibility, the sudden openness of retirement can feel disorienting. I began to lose my focus. The pace slowed, deadlines disappeared and without realizing it, purpose began to feel less defined. What once demanded attention now requires intention. Staying focused becomes harder not because there is nothing to do, but because there is no longer an external framework telling you what must be done next. This obstacle brought me to the title of my book.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work/life centers on helping people. I enjoy assisting others gain clarity, heal from transition and move forward with intention.
I do this through being available and interacting with people wherever I go through counseling, mentoring, coaching, teaching and conversation – meeting people at different stages of growth and leadership, no matter who or where they are. I enjoy helping people navigate personal challenges, process loss and regain emotional and spiritual stability. I also build relationships through mentoring by walking alongside them, helping men and women grow in confidence, discernment and purpose.
I’m known for teaching that is clear, grounded and actionable – connecting lived experiences and principles that inspire change.
I am extremely transparent. It brings people to understand that they are not alone in their situations.
What matters most to you? Why?
Being authentic! For me, being authentic means showing up without pretense, titles, or performance. It’s the willingness to tell the truth about the journey, not just the victories. Authenticity requires courage because it strips away the comfort of image and replaces it with honesty. Yet it is that honesty that builds trust and creates real connection.
In my work, authenticity is foundational. Counseling, mentoring, coaching, and teaching only work when people feel safe enough to be real. I don’t lead from perfection; I lead from experience. I speak from lived lessons, hard seasons, and the clarity that comes from growth. Authenticity allows transformation to begin where people actually are—not where they think they should be.
Being authentic also means consistency—who I am privately aligns with who I am publicly. There is no separation between message and life. That alignment is what gives teaching credibility and leadership influence. People are drawn not to flawless leaders, but to those who are honest, grounded, and willing to evolve.
My authenticity does not mean oversharing or lacking boundaries. It means speaking truth with wisdom, humility, and purpose. It is choosing substance over image and integrity over approval. And in every room I enter—whether counseling one-on-one or speaking to thousands—authenticity remains my greatest qualification.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.VKBMinistries.com
- Instagram: SkyAngel66
- Facebook: Valari Knight Boston Pastor Val
- LinkedIn: Rev, Valari Knight SkyAngel Boston
- Twitter: VK Boston (Ochanya60)
