Today we’d like to introduce you to Yolunda Lynette Hopps
Hi Yolunda Lynette, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was Born in Detroit, MI to an educator mother & a father who worked automobile industry. After my parents split up, we moved to my mother’s Southwest GA hometown. Being raised in a home with my grandmother meant having a very strict Baptist upbringing. She sent me to piano lessons at the age of 5 & by the time I was 10, I’d become a church pianist. This altered my childhood experiences somewhat & I always felt the weight of that responsibility. So, I spent a lot of time striving for what I know now as unattainable perfection. I was always different and I knew I had a gift. I can remember having visitations & other unexplainable encounters that my folks brushed off as being a part of my “wild imagination”. So as time went on, those experiences faded until they were no longer present. Fast forward to my Junior year in high school when I became a mother for the 1st time. While still serving as church pianist, I was excommunicated from the church. I was allowed back after some time had passed, but it took me years to reconcile the pain I felt from that level of rejection. After all, I had dedicated the better part of my childhood to serving the same religious organization that turned its back on me when I needed it most. When I came back to church, I resumed my position as pianist & spent the next 30 years serving and eventually being promoted to the title: Minister of Music. During that time I’d finished college, gotten married, and given birth to 3 more children. I worked in social services & counseling before changing careers & becoming a teacher.
Fast forward to 2012. I relocated to Savannah in after retiring from the music ministry & going through a divorce. I took about a decade long hiatus from organized religion/church leadership & decided to seek God on my own terms.
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and the world began to shift, I went through what I like to call a spiritual awakening or dark night of the soul. This went on for about a year & by 2021 I was in a completely different space; both mentally & spiritually! During this time I began to question everything I’d ever been taught. I finally built up the nerve to study other facets of spirituality that had always intrigued me but were considered taboo in my home. I studied everything spiritual. I gained a new found appreciation & respect for religions from different cultures around the word. I found that most of them had a similar message to Christianity minus the condemnation & underwent such a tremendous transformation that I decided to leave education & pursue becoming a spiritualist full time. That’s when Yo The Spiritualist was born.
Something about being kicked out of the church for something as natural becoming a mother made me want to show people that that self-acceptance was the key to living a fulfilling life & that the Creator loves us all. Finding my own quest for truth taught me that spirituality is about you & your relationship with your Higher Power, NOT an institution. I got in touch with myself, my spirit. I stopped defining myself based on years of disappointment & misinformation and found my own path. As a spiritual coach/advisor, I get to help people see that everyone’s path is unique & only you should get to dictate what that path is. Shortly after starting my business, I became an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church and a year later was initiated into West African Vodun. I’ve never been more in touch with who I am. My journey has been a unique one, & though I’ve experienced a lot, I still feel as if I’m just getting started.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, The road has not been a smooth one. Deconstructing commonly held Christian beliefs is a huge undertaking. One that is not for the faint of heart. Moreover, sitting with the pain, overcoming the fear of rejection, sometimes being my own worst enemy and simply finding a new way to stand have all been obstacles in my path. What I’m most proud of is coming into the understanding that my story is one that has been written over many lifetimes & that there’s still more to be told.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a spiritual advisor known for helping people find answers to life’s most pressing questions: who am I? Why am I here? What does God/The Divine expect from me? How can I achieve my life purpose? Do I have to do it the way my ancestors did? I believe that understanding one’s heritage & how there are common themes & patterns that traverse throughout the generations. Embracing some while healing or abandoning others is key in shaping our life experiences!
Formally, I hold a grad degree in Mental Health Counseling. I later got certified in Ancestral Healing, Spiritual Coaching & Mediumship. I not only specialize in those areas, but read tarot, practice hoodoo, & teach human désign & astrology among other metaphysical disciplines. I don’t believe in a one size fits all approach. I’m best known for accepting & meeting people where they are & tailor making my approaches to the individual.
What sets me apart from others is that I’m a spiritual adventurist. I’m most proud of the fact that I survived! I don’t allow societal norms to dictate how I live my life or conduct my business. I used to try to niche down then later realized that wouldn’t be true to who I am as a person.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was always a talker. I even got in trouble in school for it! I was extremely interested in fine arts, but also in social justice, educating and counseling people. Music is everything to me. I always loved singing, playing piano, & even acting in school plays. I used to dream of being an entertainer. I also found cracking jokes & doing impersonations to be a fun stress reliever! I was rather gifted academically & excelled in school. I always loved a good adventure & that much hasn’t changed!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://yothespiritual.one/
- Instagram: IG: yothespiritual1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yothespiritual1?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: @YoTheSpiritual1
Image Credits
JP Make Da Photos
Corey Hopps
