Meet Cesly Burgess

I remember sitting in my grandmother’s living room in Richmond Heights, watching Iyanla Vanzant on ‘Starting Over.’ I quickly became mesmerized by the way these women were moving into the house emotionally broken and scarred by life – and yet – left the house completely transformed and whole.

Interestingly enough, I recall reading about the profession previously but Iyanla and ‘Starting Over’ were truly my introduction to the type of impact a Life Coach could have on those in need of guidance on their journey to healing and wholeness. At 15, I welcomed the idea that I’d become a Life Coach, aiming to help women heal from past hurts and see their worth…after I retired from a successful Marketing career in Corporate America. #Money

Well, this is where the line “if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans” comes into play, because at 24 while climbing the latter in Corporate America as a Social Media Manager, I enrolled in the CaPP Institute’s Life Coach certification program. Twenty-four: nowhere even close retirement like I originally planned, haha! Still, it was an opportunity that came at the perfect time as I was poetically living my “year of yes!” so I took the leap and began the program.

Today, I stand as a Certified Life Coach, helping women conquer their fears and find the confidence to live life on their terms. I use everything that I’ve successfully learned + launched in the corporate world to create and sustain the social media presence for small to medium-sized businesses, as a freelance Social Media Manager.  And in 2018, I published my first book ‘Dating with Dignity’ – The Single Woman’s Guide to Sustaining His Standards, to help women learn from my dating mistakes (and I share lots of them!) while revealing what I call a “love letter from God, to them, through me.”

Never did I imagine that my purpose or positions would be so diverse, but I love every bit of what I do on all fronts. So, cheers the trailblazers and unique path creators!

 Easy? Not even close. Beyond the typical struggles of being raised in a single parent household, I still vividly remember plenty of moments when I doubted my ability to thrive. All of which I now know sprouted from the fear that I wasn’t good enough.

For example, I’ve loved to write ever since I was a kid seeing my work published in the Pinecrest Tribune, but was once told by a manager that my “written communication skills were horrible.” I loved helping people, however, I had my own issues to work out. I loved Social Media Management but didn’t really see how it was going to become fruitful enough to make it into a career.

Thankfully, as the years went on I learned two things. The first is what God has for me, will never miss me – even if it tried. The second is that if I don’t take a chance on me, there’s no reason that anyone else should. So with doubt, fear, thoughts of inadequacy, and whatever else attempting to cloud my ambition, I continuously prayed and took a chance on myself over and over again…Which is exactly why I’m in this position today.

Okay, let me make break this down a bit…

 As a Social Media Manager — I strategize and support the social media presence for businesses, TV personalities, and brands; managing everything from goal setting, strategy building, content + asset creation, to paid/promoted content. At the end of the day, my goal is to ensure that my clients have ample time and energy to focus on running every other part of their business, while I completely oversee social media and regularly share the results of their investment.

As a Life Coach + Published Author — I work with women to find their voice, their purpose, and their confidence to unapologetically live. Through Dating with Dignity, I take a transparent dive through the lessons I learned from my dating, share how to heal from past hurts, and focus on the importance of self-love; which ultimately ends the toxic dating cycles to reveal an overall better companion.

What I’m most proud of about all of the above is that – well, they’re all a part of me. I’m beyond grateful and fortunate to be able to do what I love, without having to choose between one or the other. It allows me the freedom to walk in realms that may not always intersect, while still creating an invaluable impact for my clients. That in itself is a blessing.

I wholeheartedly believe that everything happens for a reason, at the appointed time, and in the appropriate season. So while I’m sure I can obsess over mistakes made and moments where I could’ve taken a W over an L, I wouldn’t change anything. It all made me who I am and listen…I LOVE the woman I see in the mirror! *insert your fave sassy gif*