I help people break cycles, reclaim their stories and arrive at the life they were made for.
Through memoir, coaching and real conversations, I guide people back to themselves.
Break Cycles, Reclaim Your Power. One-on-one coaching and guidance to arrive at the life you were made for.
Merry-Go-Rounds: The Scenic Route to Freedom. A raw, culturally rooted self-help memoir tracing one Black woman's journey...
Conversations on Healing & Freedom. Workshops and talks rooted in real life, real culture, real transformation.
It's going so fast you can't even see who's pushing it. Everyone's pretending to enjoy it but secretly terrified. And everything in you is screaming I want to get off.
A raw, culturally rooted self-help memoir tracing one Black woman's journey through cycles of addiction, trauma and survival — and the scenic route she took to freedom. Written for the person who has never seen themselves in a self-help book.
The cage was always open. This book shows you the door.
Coach · Speaker · Author
Xena is a single mother from Inglewood, CA — a former Division I athlete, a flight attendant of 20 years, and a lifelong student of the human spirit. She holds an undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies — with concentrations in Critical Thinking, the Psychology of African Americans, and Behavioral Psychology — from Norfolk State University, a proud HBCU. She is currently completing her Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. But her most formative education has come from lived experience.
Her journey through struggle, loss, and transformation is what fuels her work today. Rather than hiding from her past, Xena leans into it—using her lived experience as her greatest teaching tool. She understands what it means to rebuild, to choose yourself, to break cycles that have been passed down for generations.
Today, she thrives. She's the founder of The Lighthouse Center for Holistic Well-Being — a nonprofit creating spaces for marginalized communities to heal, connect, and thrive through music, art, books, and movement. She's writing her debut memoir, Merry-Go-Rounds: The Scenic Route to Freedom. She's building an amazing career as a flight attendant. She's in graduate school studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She's surrounded by community, beauty, and a life she intentionally chose.
Freedom is the destination. Healing is how we arrive.
You'll likely find Xena coaching middle school basketball, singing in her cover band, losing herself in books and the kind of music that moves the soul. She's a seasoned traveler who believes seeing the world is its own source of healing, a recreational sports enthusiast, and a devoted mother who is joyfully in the thick of raising her children. Rest and self-care are non-negotiable.
In other words — she practices what she preaches.
Break cycles. Reclaim your power. Arrive at the life you were made for.
This can't be life. There's gotta be more.
There is.
I guide people around beliefs, freedom, self-belief, autonomy, and transformation — using books, music, articles, and conversation as integrated modalities. Not looking outside yourself for the answers. I guide you back inside, where they were all along.
Because we weren't meant to go this alone.
I was born in San Antonio. Raised in Los Angeles and Inglewood.
I grew up as one of four children raised by my single mother while my father struggled with drug addiction. Despite these circumstances, I was placed in the gifted program in first grade. I earned a full basketball scholarship to Norfolk State University, an HBCU. I built a 20-year flight attendant career.
But in reality, I was reeling in insecurity, self-doubt, and hopelessness. I did everything "they" said would lead to happiness and success. And I felt neither.
So I poured myself into relationship after relationship, expecting them to make me happy, define me, validate me, fill me.
Fast forward to 2018. Pregnant with my second child from my second baby daddy. A 6-year-old. A mortgage. A car note. On maternity leave, trying to survive on short-term disability.
How the hell did I get here? And was there any hope for a decent future?
Today my daughter is 14. That unborn baby is now 8. Not only did I survive — we're thriving.
I'm building an amazing career as a flight attendant. I'm in graduate school studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I'm the founder of The Lighthouse Center for Holistic Well-Being — a nonprofit creating spaces for marginalized communities to heal, connect, and thrive through music, art, books, and movement, all while harnessing the healing power of community. I'm writing my debut memoir, Merry-Go-Rounds: The Scenic Route to Freedom. We're part of an amazing, safe, supportive, and downright magical community full of badass women and men who remind us every day of what's possible. We're surrounded by beauty, nature, art, and ingenuity. We travel the world.
Is my life perfect? No. But I didn't allow my circumstances to determine what was possible for me and my children.
I'm passionate about being an example of what's possible when mental health and holistic wellness, self-awareness, and connection to source and community create a trifecta for true joy.
Each of us is the expert in our own experience. Understanding that is key. Instead of looking outside yourself, let me guide you back inside. We weren't meant to go this alone. Every single person is worthy of a better experience. Let me help you tap into that, no matter where you are in life. Trust me — I can relate. I've been broke and broken. Weak and confused. Misunderstood. Stuck. I've felt like I was not enough and simultaneously too much.
I've wondered why me and why not me.
Our lives change the moment we allow ourselves to see that no matter where we are, what we've survived, what we've done, we are worthy of freedom. Of choosing ourselves. Of what comes next. I'm here to help you write that story.
Personalized, deep work tailored to your unique journey. Custom pacing. Complete focus on you and your transformation.
Small group facilitation exploring beliefs, freedom, autonomy, and transformation. 4-6 people. Intimate. Real.
Books, music, articles, homework, and real conversation. Tools that speak to the whole of who you are.
$50 per person per group container — sliding scale. Custom pricing for 1:1 work. Wellness shouldn't be a luxury.
I am trauma and culturally informed. It's all connected. Let me facilitate a way through — because it's the only way out.
Schedule your 30-minute consultation. Let's see if we're a good fit.
High-energy talks that make complex topics plain and relatable
Real stories. Research. Music. Humor. Movement.
I bring vulnerability, research, and real conversations to stages, panels, workshops, and webinars. My talks are interactive, accessible, and grounded in lived experience. I'm here to help audiences feel seen, valued, and capable of writing a different story.
Whether you're a nonprofit, conference, corporation, church, or community organization, I show up with energy, authenticity, and a commitment to making the hard stuff feel possible.
30-45 minutes of high-energy, interactive storytelling. I weave personal narrative, research, music, humor, and movement to help audiences reconnect with their inherent worth and possibility.
Real conversation about real topics. I show up ready to go deep on healing, freedom, breaking cycles, cultural identity, and what it takes to arrive at the life you were made for.
Hands-on facilitation. Smaller groups exploring beliefs, freedom, autonomy, and transformation. Books, music, conversation, and movement—tools that speak to the whole of who you are.
From my 20 years as a flight attendant, I learned an essential truth: you can't pour from an empty cup. This talk explores what it means to put yourself first—not as selfish, but as sacred. How do we oxygen our own lives before we help others? How does self-care become an act of resistance and freedom?
What narratives are you carrying that no longer serve you? How do we identify and release the stories that keep us stuck?
Your value isn't tied to your productivity. How to reclaim worth as an inherent truth, not something you have to earn.
What does true freedom look like? How do we access the power to choose ourselves and our futures?
Generational trauma, relationship patterns, belief systems—how to identify cycles and choose a different way.
Finding your why. Connecting to your ancestors, your community, your purpose. Healing as an act of resistance.
Let's talk about what your audience needs. I can customize talks around healing, identity, culture, resilience, and more.
I bring my whole self. My story. My wins and my wounds.
Complex ideas made plain. Grounded in data and lived experience.
This isn't a lecture. We're thinking together. Moving together. Growing together.
Trauma-informed. Honoring history, identity, and community. Speaking to marginalized experiences with specificity.
No jargon. Real language. Stories that land. Humor that heals.
Music. Movement. Presence. I bring the energy to match the moment.
Keynotes. Panels. Workshops. Signature talks or custom conversations. I show up with energy, vulnerability, and a commitment to helping your audience feel seen, valued, and capable of writing a different story.
The Scenic Route to Freedom
It's going so fast you can't even see who's pushing it. Everyone's pretending to enjoy it but secretly terrified. And everything in you is screaming I want to get off.
A raw, culturally rooted self-help memoir tracing one Black woman's journey through cycles of addiction, trauma and survival — and the scenic route she took to freedom. Written for the person who has never seen themselves in a self-help book.
The cage was always open. This book shows you the door.
Coming 2026 • Halfway through manuscript • Agent queries begin November 12, 2026
This book is being written in real time. I'm halfway through the manuscript. The journey is honest. Some days it feels impossible. Other days it feels like the most important work I could be doing.
This page will evolve as the book does. But know this: the cage was always open. This book shows you the door.
I'm here and ready to talk about what's calling you
Whether you're interested in coaching, speaking, collaboration, or just want to say hello — I'm here for it. Let's create space for real conversation.
Ready to explore your transformation? Let's talk about 1:1 facilitation or group containers.
Send EmailWant to bring real conversation to your event, panel, or workshop? Let's connect.
Send EmailI aim to respond to all inquiries within 5-7 business days. Thank you for reaching out! 🙏
Follow along on Instagram for behind-the-scenes moments, real conversations, and the journey happening right now.
Every inquiry matters. Every message is seen. I'm grateful for you and for the courage it takes to reach out.