Hi, sweet friend 💛

I’ve been too quiet these past few weeks. Listening, but not speaking much.  Maintaining— head above water, figuring things out. And I can’t decide if that’s wrong or right: to step back and listen first. But what I do know is that it’s a privilege.  And it’s a privilege that BBIPOC don’t get. And it’s time for my business rhetoric to match my personal rhetoric. I’ve always been an (imperfect) ally of the BBIPOC community, and I’ve always put my money, my vote, and my voice to work. But it’s not been nearly enough, (and how I feel about my past advocacy isn’t the point). The point is that systemic racism, white supremacy, and the silence of white people have ruthlessly killed and oppressed generations of BBIPOC. And what you’re seeing right now? The protests and the violence, the outrage and the agony? It’s not a moment, it’s a movement. One that I am a part of, and that Brave Heart Open Mind is a part of too.  Brave Heart Open Mind has always advocated kindness, and love, and now we most certainly advocate for justice too. Not only do #blacklivesmatter, but black lives are also brilliant— worthy of love and celebration. And I’m telling you all of this to help you feel empowered— because if you’re white, and you follow me, you have so much power to advocate for BBIPOC!  Use it for good— Quietly by using your dollars to support BBIPOC owned and operated businesses; quietly by voting for candidates that represent justice, diversity, and advocacy; or loudly by speaking out on social media, protesting in your own community, and creating opportunities for BBIPOC to express their voices, creativity, and advocacy.  Today I’m working on plans to ensure that not only does Brave Heart Open Mind advocate for justice, but that it also creates opportunities for BBIPOC.  Stay tuned. And know that I’m still listening— to people like Sonya Renee Taylor (@sonyareneetaylor), Reese Evans (@yessupply), Cleo Wade (@cleowade), Aminatou Sow (@callyrgf), Carcia Campbell (@carciahercastle), Andrew Aleman, Megan Crabbe (@bodyposipanda), and so many others.  Their burden is so heavy and I thank them so deeply for allowing me to listen and to learn. And I’m modeling my advocacy after other white women who are already doing it better than I am, like Ash Ambirge (@the.middle.finger.project) and Katy Prince (@itskatyprince).  White women can’t leave all the work to BBIPOC. (They have more than enough to deal with than taking on our education too). We need to hold each other accountable for learning better and doing better too.  Want someplace to start?  Sonya Renee Taylor’s videos are 🔥fire. @sonyareneetaylor Call Your Girlfriend, Aminatou Sow’s podcast with her bestie Ann Friedman, has an excellent episode on white privilege. https://www.callyourgirlfriend.com/episodes/2018/8/31/white-fragility Cleo Wade’s words carry so much wisdom and emotion. (This link will take you to a black owned bookstore that carries her book Where to Begin: A small book about your power to create big change). https://brainlairbooks.handseller.com/home/bookdetailsin/1982152796 Ash Ambirge has an excellent article on how to advocate as a white ally. https://www.themiddlefingerproject.org/white-apathy-and-the-bullshit-argument-that-they-could-help-themselves-if-they-really-wanted/ The ACLU has excellent resources. https://www.aclunebraska.org/en/news/fighting-racism-nebraska Love,

Meet Your Self-Love + Confidence Coach, Kayla Vavra!

I founded Brave Heart Open Mind, this enthusiastic self-love development studio, in an effort to empower women with the ability to live their happiest, most confident lives!

Because I’ve walked the path of feeling like I wasn’t good enough— drowning in self-doubt and self-hate— and it genuinely straight up sucks. (It does, for real. If you’ve been there— ugly-crying on cold floral linoleum— you know it’s true).

Part of the entire existence of Brave Heart Open Mind is to allow me to help you get to where I am— in a place of self-love; in a place of consistent confidence; in a place of self-empowerment! And to help you get there faster than I did. 😅🤩

It took me over a decade to get to where I am today.

From my own rock bottom— sitting at the end of an emotionally abusive relationship, fully depressed, with imbalanced hormones, halfway through college, unable to do anything other than barely hang on and pretend I was fine, (when really my self-image was a total dumpster fire on the inside). There were real moments of sobbing-on-the-floor feelings of wretchedness, catatonic-in-bed feelings of hopelessness, and hiding-blades-from-myself urges of self-harm during this time.

Medication to balance my hormones helped regulate my brain chemistry to smooth back the depression and darkness, but I was still left with a completely trashed self-image. I wanted to love myself, and it took me over a decade to figure out how to actually make that happen.

My personal journey over the course of that decade has thankfully brought me all the way to where I am now: the founder of an amazing and fulfilling business, totally loving my life!

And if I can help you skip the trudging, slow-as-heck, mountain climb out of the trenches of self-doubt and self-hate, and streamline a decade for you— like, that’s amazing! Why wouldn’t I help you? How could I not??

And through painstakingly building positive lifelong habits for myself, I’ve paved a new path: One where I consistently push myself to grow, feel good enough, and live in a place of calm, centered confidence.

And these habits aren’t magic— anyone can learn them! Everyone deserves to learn them. They’re rooted in solid verbal communication skills, body language tactics, and powerful mindset shifts. Meshing these three skillsets together creates a powerful range of habits that can make any lovely human feel confident! All you have to do is learn them and consistently work hard to practice them throughout your life. When you’re ready to commit to yourself, when you’re ready to finally let yourself feel good enough, when you’re ready to live a life of confidence, I can help you learn and practice these habits! You’re worth it 😀 (You SO are!)

I’m also a total scifi nerd 🤓 

I can’t wait for us to work together! Seriously, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with! You’ll learn such powerful new habits, and you’ll feel so much power in the confidence that you’ve unlocked! Heck yes!!

In other nerdy news, you should also know that I’m a total geek and an avid life-long learner: I am certified to teach public speaking (and more!) with a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication & Journalism and a Masters Degree in Education by the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I am certified as a Life & Success Coach, Hypnotherapist, and NLP, EFT, and TIME Practitioner by the International Board of Coaches and Practitioners. I’m currently pursuing my certification as a Master Practitioner by the IBCP, as well as my certification in The Science of Well-Being by Yale University 🤓