We had the good fortune of connecting with Kijan “FLOURISH” Simmons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kijan “FLOURISH”, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
I disagree with needing to have a work-life balance. I don’t believe there will ever be a balance for people who are following his or her purpose. What we can do, however, is make sure the time we spend on things in our lives are structured and full of quality, not just quantity.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My brand is “FLOURISH”. I was always taught to get a good job and retire at 60. One day I realized that all that does is help build someone else’s dream and purpose. I believe I was put on this earth to do something more, something life-changing. I noticed that I used to “dumb myself down”for other people not to feel less that. I didn’t realize at the time that continuously being the best version of me and striving for more could inspire others to do the same. So, I traded in working 9-5 for someone else to working 24/7 for myself. I decided to “ Go forth and FLOURISH”. I am inspired by the possibility of something new. I’m inspired by all of the people of our world letting their creative lights shine. But, most of all, I’m inspired by failure. Continuous effort and failure is the only path to success. The more I fail, the closer I feel to success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, we would definitely eat at Pann’s for breakfast in Inglewood. For lunch, I would take them to Johnny’s Pastrami in Culver City, then Fixin’s Soul Food next to LA Live for dinner. Later we would go to the Wayfarer rooftop bar on Flower Street and have one of the best Mezcal Old Fashion Cocktails I’ve ever tasted. The next few days would be spent introducing them to my contacts and local Networking events to show the amazing opportunities that LA has to offer. Then we would contact Alahn Visuals for a proper professional photoshoot. That way I have shown them my favorites and they would now have some favorites of their own.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that have had a direct impact on my success and in molding me to who I am today. My mom is definitely my guiding light.

She told me to go to class… I did music
She told me to stay in school… I joined the Army
She told me to be safe…. I jumped out of planes
She told me to keep in touch…. I deployed
She told me to slow down…. I got married
She told me to take classes… I traveled the world
She told me to secure my future …. I had a son
She told me to save money…. I bought another car

I got cheated out of a record deal… she said try again
I failed my first MOS…. she consoled me
I went to war….. she prayed for me

She always told me to do as she said and not as she did….I did the opposite. Yet, through it all she is still my biggest supporter and I’m still a Mama’s boy!

Website: www.Instagram.com/kijan_ceo

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/flourish_bykj

Other: E-mail: BookKijan.Flourish@gmail.com

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