A Guide for Women to Go from "Barely Making It" to Beast Mode

The 'Beast Mode' concept may seem foreign to many women in a world that often demands us to be gentle, compliant, and nurturing. However, Beast Mode is not about aggression or dominance. It's about tapping into your inner strength, resilience, and power to overcome challenges and achieve your goals. "Beastmode" is one of my favorite hashtags on social media, so much so that a dear friend created a custom t-shirt for me with my famous phrase.

To give more context to my definition of beast mode and how it applies to me, before 2018, I was trotting along in life with an excellent career, a home, great cars, a wonderful wife, and kids. But I certainly was not in the spotlight and never received anything besides little federal government recognition/awards here and there. And I was okay with this! No complaints at all! I was living the typical American dream life -- albeit still experiencing pockets of discrimination for being black and lesbian. Ha!

But suddenly, like a plane crashing out of the sky, my life changed as I once knew it when I suddenly and unexpectantly lost my mom. She passed away.

Grief took its toll on me and still does at times. However, a strong will and determination emerged inside me over time, which I call the "beast mode."

Through tough decisions, grit, determination, and thanks to the love from my wife, children, and grandson--- and in an effort to honor my mother's legacy, I achieved some remarkable achievements in the following years.

I talked about my perseverance and remarkable courage after my mom's passing in great detail in my bestselling memoir "30 Days".

During a time when most people could barely make it out of bed due to their grief and anguish, I channeled my pain and energy in such a way that I became an unstoppable and notable figure in the Washington, DC, area. From becoming a best-selling author of four books to spearheading the 1st memorial tree-planting at THEARC to honor my mom to launching several businesses, including a non-profit organization (The Heart of Miss Bee, Inc.), to becoming one of the 1st black women to receive an award for the Best Inclusive Luxury Beach Towel Design in 2022 and 2023, to having my beach towels appearing in both a feature film and reality to TV, and featured at DC Fashion Week, to ultimately being named the Nextsar Media Group's 2023 Remarkable Women of The Year for the DMV, I went into full beast mode to make all of that happen. These are just a few examples of a long list of beast mode activities! And here's the kicker -- I wasn't looking for any awards or accolades. As I said before, my goal was to honor my mom, but I became a "beast" in the process.

Here's how you can transition from barely making it to living in Beast Mode.

1. Embrace Your Strength

The first step to Beast Mode is acknowledging your strength. As women, we often downplay our abilities due to societal expectations or fear of being perceived as 'too much.' It's time to let go of these inhibitions. Recognize your strength, embrace it, and let it fuel your journey towards Beast Mode. Go full steam, go crazy, and go hard for what you want. You can build your dreams or work for someone else and help them build theirs.

2. Set Clear Goals

Having clear, achievable goals is crucial. Whether it's a career goal, a fitness goal, or a personal development goal, having something to strive for can motivate you to push beyond your limits. I aimed to honor my mother and went into full beast mode. Consider breaking down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks and celebrate each achievement. Be sure to celebrate achieving your goals to distinguish it from another ordinary day. If you need help or accountability with goal setting, consider working with a life coach such as InHer Bliss Life Coaching.

3. Cultivate a Positive Mindset

A positive mindset is a powerful tool. It can help you overcome obstacles, stay motivated, and maintain your focus on your goals. Practice positive affirmations, visualize your success, and surround yourself with positivity. Pray without ceasing. Prayer is powerful, and prayer changes things. Believe in yourself.

4. Prioritize Self-Care

In Beast Mode, self-care is non-negotiable. This includes regular exercise, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, journaling, showing gratitude, and time for relaxation and activities you enjoy. Every day, I rejuvenated by doing something that was all about me. It wasn't always exercise; it was eating a dessert that I loved or splurging on a new dress and stilettos!

Taking care of your physical and mental health can boost your energy levels, improve your mood, and enhance your overall performance. Always remember to reward yourself.

5. Build a Supportive Network

In an ideal world, having a supportive network can significantly enhance your journey to Beast Mode. I had NONE (other than my five immediate family members and my heavenly mom). And I still made it.

But it's nice if your circle of support is different and shows up for you --surround yourself with people who inspire, encourage, and challenge you. Seek mentorship from those who have achieved what you aspire to. Remember, Beast Mode is not about doing it alone; it's about harnessing the power of community. In my case, my new motto is #buildanewcommunity.

Be prepared for the backlash from people you'd least expect. Some people will not like how progress looks on you. These will be the people who have known you the longest, like family or close friends. You'd think that most people would want to see you thriving and breaking generational curses, but that ol' crabs in barrel mentality is alive and well. Some people like you to do well, but not better than them. Some people won't understand why you don't have the same mindset that you did 20 years ago because that's where their mind still is. Keep going anyway and build a new tribe or community. Your people will find you.

6. Keep Learning and Growing

Beast Mode is a continuous journey of growth and learning. Embrace new challenges, learn new skills, and seek personal and professional development opportunities. In addition to reading my way to the top, I've participated in several programs for entrepreneurs and even achieved a Master Life Coach Certification (meeting the ICF standards). Remember, every setback is a setup for a comeback.

Transitioning from barely making it to Beast Mode is a process that takes time. Sometimes, you don't even realize you've kicked into beast mode until you sit back and observe what you've accomplished with supreme focus and dedication. Beast mode requires commitment, resilience, and a lot of self-love, even in the face of extreme adversity and resistance.

Remember, every step towards Beast Mode is a step towards a stronger, more empowered you. So, embrace your inner beast and #shinegirlshine!

Kinyatta E. Gray founded The Heart of Miss Bee, Inc, Flights In Stilettos and InHer Bliss Life Coaching. Gray is also an award-winning entrepreneur and won the prestigious title of Nexstar Media Group's Remarkable Woman of the Year in 2023 in Washington, DC.

Support ResourcesflightsinstilettosNovember 30, 2023Comment