Trauma. We all see it and experience it at some point...to some degree. What is it? What can we do about it? How do we move through trauma? How do we find and embrace healing?

In this episode of What’s the Point?, host Bill Ellis sits down with Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez, a Professional Coach and Consultant, Trauma-Informed Certified Coach, and Founder of GKF Coaching and Consulting/Families Blossoming LLC.

Gigi has a deeply personal connection to trauma and shares her compelling personal story of navigating significant life’s rollercoasters, and how these lived experiences, coupled with her professional expertise across continents within the health sector, led her to a deeper understanding of and passion for purpose, resilience, healing and finding joy along the way. Gigi offers insight into her own journey, including experiencing loss, medical trauma, and raising a child with special needs.

With warmth and wisdom, she walks listeners through the importance of defining your own narrative when faced with trauma and the importance of always making room for healing and hope. Whether you're navigating a traumatic event, know someone who is, or are simply seeking clarity, Gigi’s story and practical strategies offer encouragement, empowerment, and inspiration.

Episode Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• Transition as Transformation: Gigi believes transitions aren’t just events but opportunities to transform into who you’re becoming.

• Reclaiming Identity: After years of shaping her life around others, Gigi chose to ask: “What do I want?” That question changed everything.

• Language Matters: Words like “should” and “must” carry heavy energy. Reframing your language can shift your mindset.

• Redefining Success: It’s okay to pause and reassess what success looks like to you—especially if your definition no longer fits.

• Parenting with Purpose: Raising a neurodivergent child deepened Gigi’s empathy, patience, and commitment to coaching with compassion.

• Permission to Heal: You don’t need anyone’s approval to start your healing journey. Sometimes, the person you need permission from is yourself.

Connect with Bill:

• bill@brandingpillars.com

• www.brandingpillars.com

• www.brandingforresults.com

• IG - @wcellis

• Facebook - @CoachBillEllis

• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/wcellis

• Book: Women Who Won

Links for This Episode:

• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigikhonyongwafernandez

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gigi.khonyongwafernandez

• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/yourjoyfinder/

Quick Episode Summary:

1. 0:00 Welcome and introduction to Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez
2. 2:15 Gigi’s global background: From the U.S. to London to Zambia and back
3. 5:45 Starting over after a divorce and why it led her to coaching
4. 9:30 Reclaiming identity after years of people-pleasing and shifting roles
5. 14:10 Redefining success: What it means when your old goals no longer fit
6. 17:50 On raising a neurodivergent son and how it reshaped her perspective
7. 23:30 Coaching as a calling: Helping others find clarity during their transitions
8. 27:45 The power of language in shaping mindset and confidence
9. 34:10 Advice for those feeling stuck: Start by asking "What do I want?"
10. 39:00 Final reflections: The point is to live intentionally and authenticall

Final Thoughts: Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez’s story is a powerful reminder that life’s most uncertain moments can become the most transformational. Through her lived experience and coaching insights, she invites us to lean into discomfort, reframe our narrative, and confidently embrace our next chapter.