Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Fleming.
Hi Candace, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been someone who is kind and friendly and loved to help people. My earliest memory of truly helping someone was tutoring a friend in middle school. I didn’t know how much it meant to her and her parents but I thought it was cool that I could help her understand something that was difficult. Fast forward to high school I had this urge to help women and young ladies in mentoring. In my vision this would be me and my mother who I thought was a great mentor to women. I didn’t have a plan, I just had a thought. Fast forward to my mid twenties I began working for a woman who didn’t just think she could do anything, she began doing whatever she put her mind to and I had a front row seat to this excellence. She did it with ease and I got the bright idea I could start a motivational company because I too could do anything I put my mind to. June 2019 I started Essential Motivation and had no luck booking anything lol. So I created my own event. A women’s conference! This was my stage, my vison, my mission and my first supporter was the lady I still worked for. Not only did I watch her do anything, she was supporting me and believed I could do anything. The conference was a hit! However, I still didn’t know what to do next. But one think I kept saying is that I would keep going. I had a few things I did after that before covid hit and then I went silent. But my mission was still alive. I had a kid in 2015. I got married in 2016, I started a podcast in 2021 (with my mom as the cohost), I got divorced in 2023 and the ultimate thing happened for me. I got closer to God. I began to get clear downloads on what I should be doing. And the only thing I needed to keep doing was, the work. 2025 I did my second women’s conference, alongside my mother, which was even better than the first. In May of 2026 I started a non profit. You won’t believe it but that same woman who encouraged me from the beginning was/is still helping me light the fire to greatness. Today I’m planning for more conferences, more events and more ways to make the world a better loving place. I hold multiple spiritual mental health certifications and will continue to pursue people with the love of God leading in a way like Jesus Christ.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part what I’ve done has been smooth, or at least that’s my outlook on it. The biggest obstacle has been finances. Getting people to belive in your mission can be difficult when people don’t know who you are. They have to decide if they can even trust you to deliver the vision you have. Also, the world we live in, so many people want to know what they can get back in return and how they can benefit from helping you. On this journey, I realized I don’t want things from people. I want to be able to pour out. I want my events to be free to the attendees. I want them to have the rest they deserve in this fast paced world. I want them to walk away with more than they came with and not just words to hold on to. I know that the resources I’m suppose to get will be given just as they were for Jesus. The obstacle I face, will clear the way for the obstacles people are facing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Essential Motivation was born from a personal journey and a simple conviction: when one person heals, families, workplaces, and entire communities begin to heal too. What started as a passion for encouraging others has grown into a purpose driven organization dedicated to helping people live more intentionally and know that their journey is for them. Everyone has a purpose and it may not look like someone else’s but that doesnt mean it’s not the right journey for you.
I am a speaker, certified Christian Life Coach, podcast host, and founder of Essential Motivation and President of Essential Love and Light Foundation, the nonprofit. I have the privilege of creating spaces where people can have honest conversations, feel safe, be raw, rest, meditate, learn, network, be in community, create and grow. I get to do this using all the skills I have gotten throughout my life including the arts. Having a BFA from Howard University I get to incorporate one of the greatest tools that encouraged the world through the great depression, the arts. But also working at a meantal health private practice for almost 10 years, I also get to bring compassion to every person I encounter. Lastly, modeling as Jesus has, I get to show unconditional love to all who cross my path.
What makes Essential Motivation different is that we believe transformation begins with authenticity. We are also different because we literally want to be different. There is no blueprint that has been laid that we follow. There are actually times I say, has that been done, then we need to do it different. Is that a trend, then we need to pivot. We meet people with compassion instead of judgment and focus on practical, lasting growth rather than temporary inspiration.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that our brand has never been about building a platform; it’s about building people. Success isn’t measured only by attendance or accomplishments it’s measured by the lives that are changed long after the event is over. Attendance is only important because without the people the vision doesn’t has it’s reach, but we only need one to change a life.
If there’s one thing I hope readers remember, it’s this: I see you! I love you! And if we ever cross paths I want to get to know your story. Your story has purpose, your growth matters, and it’s never too late to become the person you were created to be. Allow what’s meant to be, be and don’t force what God has already given you.
What matters most to you?
The love and light of God matters most to me. How I steward what God has givin me is important because I want to do well. The reflection that I am to my daughter is important to me. At the end of the day I get to be her living example of doing my best in God’s image. I know that she will be the greatest version of herself because she has seen me do my best to be the best version of myself. I belive God trusted me with the task of being a mother and Essential Motivation is just an out loud way of showing her how we love thy neighbor.
Pricing:
- If someone wants to sow a seed into the mission they can do so from my website or the podcast or my Instagram
- 1 on 1 mindset development coaching starts with free sessions if we feel there is an alignment.
- Look forward to the free More Than Xperience community in the future
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Essentialmotivation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candacepatricemotivates?igsh=MXhjYzJzemJhNjRqeg==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BNQ3GApT9/
- Other: https://Essentialmentalhealing.buzzsprout.com
