Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Weah.
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
After the sudden loss of my youngest daughter Cayla, I knew quitting was not an option as my other children depended on me. However, the thought of moving forward without her pained me so greatly, it challenged me to spend sacred time with God to understand how I arrived here and what forward looked like. From this intimate time with God, Vilomah was birthed!
Vilomah means “against the natural order of things.” It comes from Sanskrit, the same language that gave us the word widow which means “empty.” Bereaved mothers unwillingly enter into an exclusive club to which no one would want membership. We indeed are living against the natural order of things. The word ‘Vilomah’ helps us to identify each other beyond looking into the eyes of a stranger and having a weird sense that “they know what this is.” (Suzanne Berndt, LPC) This painful journey shows us that we need more than counseling, we need connection.
In addition to Vilomah, I am also a senior pastor in the heart of Baltimore’s Sandtown community, nationally known from the historic Freddie Gray uprising, Bishop of the Office of Auxiliary Bishops & General Overseers of The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, a sitting member on the State of Maryland Council on Child Abuse and Neglect and adjunct faculty program director, instructor, cohort leader, and trustee of the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Add my most prized roles as Mom, Gigi and caretaker for my mother to that equation and I think one can conclude, my plate is full.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not! The greatest challenge of course, is tackling personal grief in such a manner, I don’t bleed on those who consider me their leader. This includes both my natural and spiritual family. I am also mindful of the various responsibilities and commitments which require my attention. The world continues although at times, mine comes to a screeching halt.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I provide Christian grief coaching, care and community for Vilomah mothers. In addition to our monthly group sessions, I provide one on one counseling, conferences, workshops, empowerment events and more. What sets me apart, is that my audience is solely parents who have lost children via miscarriage, still birth, natural or traumatic deaths.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Trust your gut and acknowledge what won’t allow you to rest. Translation, deep within, there is a vision, a dream, a desire that appears and reappears, screaming for your attention. Acknowledge that “thing” that idea, pray about it, write the vision and manifest it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lisaweah.com/Vilomah-Inc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.weah/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drlisaweah
