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Journeying through life unapologetically! Here's to a journey of peace, transformation, happiness, healing, and growth!

On my journey ...

I started working and feeling like I had to take care of myself at 12 years old.

I was accepted into a top university for Fashion and needed to move to NYC. I didn't have money so I sold my car, subleased my apartment, bought the flights nd slept on a friend's couch for 1 year. During this time my mom fell into an alcohol addiction.

The global pandemic happened and I realized that I had a lot of anger, trauma, fear, and shame. I decided to leave America and bought a one way ticket to Indonesia.

I was born in 'Sweet Home Alabama'. 🎶 Country girl at heart!

I unknowingly started on a spiritual journey, studying yoga and healing modalities that helped me to unravel layers of anger, trauma, and fear. Step by step I started untangling knots in my body and mind, releasing unhealthy habits, and embracing life fully!

I moved to 'The 305' (Miami, Florida) with my mom after my grandmother died of a drug overdose and my great grandmother died of cancer. My mom was 17 years old.

I was accepted into college on a first generation scholarship and left my city.

I started a "successful" career in fashion and it appeared that I had escaped poverty and had a happy life.

I continued to travel reaching collectively 30+ countries searching for answers to peace and happiness.

The journey is ...

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A Compass

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Daily Adventure

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Travel Companions

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Your Unique Path

If your journey is like exploring a big forest, think of the compass as a guide you can trust. It's like having a friend who knows some of the paths, obstacles, and hidden gems within the woods. A teacher is nothing more than that friend, a reliable compass to help you navigate life's ups and downs, offering insights and wisdom to make your journey smoother and more clear.

Each new day is an opportunity towards a new life. Your practice is the path you take to grow. It's like taking small steps forward, getting closer to discovering more about yourself each day. Each time you practice, it's like adding another chapter to your adventure, shaping who you are and preparing you for what comes next.

Even when we feel we may be journeying alone, life is never a solo trip. We are connected to everything and having a community of fellow travelers journeying along a similar path, exploring diverse landscapes, sharing stories around the campfire, and uplifting each other along the way is so important. They keep us warm, make us laugh, hold us accountable, and remind us to keep walking.

You are writing the story of your life and it’s up to you to make sure it’s a good read. You have to actively write, edit, add depth, and remove errors to your truth. Self-reflection is the constant exploration of your inner world, making each page a unique revelation in the book of your life's journey. Write well.

I create spaces where people can rest, grow, and be the most authentic versions of themselves!

I host workshops and retreats to guide people in discovering peace, happiness and freedom in simple, fun, and practical ways to use in their every day life.

Peace Boot Camp is a transformative 30 day mission towards a life of peace and happiness!

Cultivating new habits and shedding old stuck habits

Practices and guidance that can be used in every day life like:

- How to start the day peacefully

- How to create a sustainable daily routine

- How to nourish and feed your body and mind

- How to properly rest through life

A safe space to heal, grow, rest, and play

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Accountability partners and community

Let's Journey Together

These experiences are designed to meet you exactly where you are on your unique life journey. They offer a self-exploration journey to discover the power that each of us posses within to be able to live life fully and freely.

Discover Your Inner Guru
A 30-day challenge towards peace
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Explore Your Inner Guru
A 90-day deepening journey
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Immerse Your Inner Guru
A 5 day immersive workshop and retreat experience in Bali, Indonesia
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Peace & Happiness Starter Pack

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09:21

hosting a retreat in Bali | part 1: creating something you love

Never in a million years could I have imagined I would end up doing this. In fact, I always rolled my eyes at anything concerning yoga and spirituality. To be honest, modern day yoga is weird! With more than 700 hours in formal yoga teacher training and accreditation on paper I still vowed to never teach yoga. It still seemed like a cringe world of hierarchy, flexibility, crazy hippies, tight yoga clothes, the reciting of ancient texts, spiritual sex parties, amongst a whole bunch of other stuff. I was just curious to know it to its depths and try to get to the root of what it actually was and if it was actually as useful as people made it out to be. What is this yoga business really all about? And what I found led me here …. Journey with me on this 4 part series of hosting my first yoga retreat in Bali!

05:32

hosting a retreat in Bali | part 2: defining the content & structure

In the process of preparing for this yoga retreat I asked myself what is most message is most important? What is it that I am really here to do? What things are non-negotiable? What is the content and structure that I am sharing? It sounds like a lot to figure out, but actually it was clear, simple, and easy. No confusion. No hard brain work required. The most important part of teaching or sharing … YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN PRACTICE! You should be an embodiment of what you are sharing. This way, there is no conflict with what you are offering. No confusion because you are sharing a part of your own Life. I start off with a disclaimer at the beginning of the retreat. A set of clear intentions and values. It’s a bit bold. It’s straightforward, but it honest. We don’t have much time here on this planet. Life goes by quickly. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time!

06:01

hosting a retreat in Bali | part 3: designing the experience

At some point on our journey someone told us to “GROW UP!” At some point we started to feel guilty for resting, for doing things that brought us joy, for not being productive in the sense of gaining something or out of fear of losing something. At some point we forgot to play and started to become very serious people with very serious jobs, statuses, credentials, titles, and roles. When was the last time that you played with no agenda? When was the last time you actually rested into Life? As I designed the experience of this retreat three things were of most important to me — 1. No hierarchy 2. Accessible 3. PlayFULL! Journey with me on this 4 part series of hosting my first yoga retreat in Bali!

06:17

hosting a retreat in Bali | part 4: the feedback

Omg! The finale! The moment of unapologetic truth about what my friends thought about my first time sharing Yoga! To be honest i can’t believe these people trusted me with 3 days of their lives out in the middle of nowhere! Talk about crazy! LOL. I was so nervous and shy to watch their feedback that I waited until it was time to edit this video and boy oh boy …… Here is the moment of truth!

BALI RETREAT

Meet Akia

Hi friends! My name is Akia, born in Alabama raised in Miami, Florida, currently resting and growing in Indonesia. On a journey around the world after packing my bags with a one way ticket out of America I continued to look for a sense of peace, happiness, and freedom after deep rooted trauma from sexual abuse, abandonment issues, and severe anger. I found myself constantly questioning life and searching for the meaning of suffering and peace. So I became a student — formally and informally. Informally, traveling over 30 countries and being immersed in cultures and experiences that have deeply changed my life and formally along the journey discovering paths that lead me to hundreds of hours of trainings around the world rooted in healing, transformation, and what I like to call, the art of living fully — techniques, practices, and wisdom that guide people in discovering happiness and freedom! I am passionate about living life fully, authentically, and unapologetically!

Akia Merritt

Start Your Journey Today

30 Day Guided Journal Workshop Book

Discover Your Inner Guru

Your 30-day workshop, guidebook, and journal to a peaceful life! This e-book is like your personal trainer, helping you understand and reshape your habits which will in turn allow you to see clearer. An easy-to-follow comprehensive program that equips you with powerful tools to conquer daily suffering and walk the path towards a more peaceful and happy life. Through daily exercises and reflections, you'll learn to cultivate new habits, leading to lasting changes in your body and mind.

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AWAKEN YOUR INNER GURU

Discover Your Inner Guru

Discover Your Own Inner Guru is about returning back to yourself. If anyone has any answers to your peace and happiness it is you. This offering is designed to show you who you really are by revealing any habits and conditioning that may be preventing you from seeing the Truth.

Program:

Peace Boot Camp 30 Day Guided Program

Explore Your Inner Guru

Explore Your Inner Guru is a journey of deepening your understanding of peace and how it relates to the laws of nature. Here you get a deeper understanding of who you are and explore how that applies to peace in your everyday life.

Program:

Peace Boot Camp Advanced Program

Immerse Your Inner Guru

An immersive workshop and retreat experience guiding you to live and embody your inner guru and embrace life fully. When you know who you are the only thing left to do is BE. You can rest and retreat in all of the simple joys of being alive!

Program:

Living (Peace) Fully Bali Retreat February 2025

"The only journey is the journey within."

Rainer Maria Rilke

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