Takeyla Benton

Fabulous People: Takeyla Benton

Takeyla Benton is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion analyst by day–but her long list of talents doesn’t stop there. The self-described “melanated mystic mamma” is also a tarot reader, Reiki practitioner, guided meditation coach, ordained minister, writer, poet, storyteller and head of Key Transformations, a personal empowerment practice. Learn about Takeyla Benton…

Hometown: Chicago, Il

First job: Urban League of Greater Madison. I was a teen/peer HIV/AIDS educator. 

Favorite ways to spend your free time in WI: Walking or riding my bike around the lake loops from about late spring to early fall. Mostly spending time with my kids whenever they feel like I’m cool enough to hang with these days. I’m growing to explore the city in different ways like hiking and getting on the water and enjoying it. 

Your biggest accomplishment and why: My SELF. I feel that has to be everyone’s biggest accomplishment as that will drive all other things you accomplish. Not anything I’ve gained externally, just who I am as a human and how I choose to be present even in moments of pain and choose to love as often as I consciously can. 

The biggest obstacle you overcame: Hmmm. That’s tough because I don’t think I give my obstacles weight. It’s all super heavy at the time and feels lighter as time passes. If I had anything close to that it would be realizing that truth in the saying “Everything happens for you, not to you.”

Someone who inspires you and why: So, so many. The last few months it’s been Tina Turner because she’s humble yet an in-your-face inspiration. The more I learn about her real life, the more it gives me light to keep going. 

Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: If you want to explore your spiritual gifts or writing gifts, it all starts with from the same place: love. Loving yourself first and, if you don’t, do shadow work to get to a place of love. From there, self-confidence follows easily which will help you be still and focus and listen to how the universe is whispering to you in the your own unique way, either on your spiritual path or via the muse with some inspiration for your writing. Journal to dream, to let go and to embrace all that’s meant for you! Oh, and read/study a ton. Always remain in student mode; people lose this and don’t get you can consider yourself an expert and guide others yet remain a student to life. 

Favorite quote: “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” -Rumi

Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I don’t travel much, and I’ve never left the country. Not that I don’t have a desire to; it just wasn’t a huge priority being a single teen mom, plus being an introvert and ultra empath. I’m working on it and getting my passport is has made its way to my current vision board for the year.  

What makes someone fabulous: Owning your story makes you fabulous. It’s literally the foot of the root-story/legend/fable. There is no one like you and no story like yours, and there is nothing more fabulous than loving and owing all of YOU! That’s what I found for myself, and it’s my goal through Key Transformations: to share the joy of healing and turning your pain into purpose and owning your power and your fabulous story!

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