KHADIJA ZAHRA JACKIE MCNAIR
is a mother of three wonderful children and a grandmother, a Moroccan-born bestselling author of“ Khadija’ s Journey: What Love Is,” healer, spiritual cook, and a guide to wholeness. She blends ancestral cooking, divine feminine wisdom, and soulful storytelling. Khadija is the creator of the self-love workbook“ Whispers of Love.” Her inner calling led her to undertake a heartfelt journey of empowered self-discovery, culminating in a solo trip to India and her personal transformation. This impactful, life-changing experience helped her release dogma, prejudice, and pain that once colored her life, allowing her to find forgiveness and peace. She now embraces her ethnic roots and combines the best of her spiritual practices to love and accept every part of her life and those who enrich it. Khadija graduated from the Edgar Cayce / Reilly School of Massage and uses all modalities as an energy healer, light worker, and private chef. A seasoned world traveler with over 20 years as a restaurant manager and owner, Khadija loves creating delicious, healing foods infused with love and gratitude that delight the senses and nourish the soul. When she isn’ t writing or cooking, she enjoys cuddling and playing with her grandchildren and her Bichon Frise, Neo. I am honored to have Khadija share her heartfelt, passion-driven story,“ My Journey to Discovering and Understanding What Love Is,” in our Hot Off The Stove section. and her husband are parents of a 29-year-old daughter living with autism and an intellectual disability, and a 31-year-old son in Gwinnett County, GA. As an experiential consultant, she helps parents create meaningful life plans and establish successful transition plans for school-aged children with disabilities into adulthood. As a parent mentor in the Dept. of Special Ed. for Gwinnett County Public School Sys., she helps families understand the Individual Education Program for special education students navigate support and services in their homes, schools, and communities. A 2000 Partners in Policymaking Program graduate of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, she served as their Regional Advisory Council board member and with the Autism Society of America. A 2016 Gwinnett County Citizens Academy graduate, she was recognized by County Commissioner Charlotte Nash. Jackie is a 2017 Phil Pickens Georgia Parent Mentor Leadership Award recipient. She is on the Sangha Unity Network and Shine Community boards, agencies supporting adults with disabilities, and Travel Light Network. She authors a Substack newsletter, Jackie Mcnair @ BeyondTheIEP. Jackie returns with excellent advice on how to celebrate the joys and recognize the setbacks, which can serve as a strong foundation for the upcoming year, in her inspiring story,“ Wrapping Your Year in Joy and Happiness,” in our Empowering Families and Individuals with Disabilities section.
JESSYKA COULTER had a dream since 4th grade to graduate as valedictorian when she finished high school. It might seem silly to a lot of people; however, she was determined, and since then, every homework assignment she completed or test she studied for in middle school and high school was done in the hopes of earning a 4.0 and being at the top of her class, the valedictorian. Today, besides accomplishing her dream, Jessyka founded Ace Cookie Tutoring to help students of all ages excel in their learning journey by offering them her 12 study skills that are personalized to their learning habits and personalities through her Love to Learn study skills program. When students discover“ How to Learn” at their own pace and understanding, this makes it easier for them and their parents. She works with tweens, teens, and college students to help them achieve their maximum learning potential. Since learning is part of our human DNA, I am sure we can all benefit from these study
skills as adults. Jessyka returns with excellent insight and advice on how the right“ Test-Taking” strategies are an essential tool in educating our children, and also serves as a wonderful bonding technique we can have with them in her empowering story,“ Help Yourself AND Your Teen Prove What You Know,” in our Cultivating The Love For Learning section.
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