The Peace that Comes from Knowing You’re Worthy With Donita Cook
— EPISODE 30 —
Click here for the full audio-visual experience!
What does it take to trust in myself and others? How can I feel content in life again?
Donita Cook enrolled in the Unconditionally Worthy Course back in the spring after she noticed that she was missing something in her life. For too long, Donita found herself seeking approval and validation from friends and family.
Having moved around the country multiple times for her career, she sought out a therapist to talk about what she was going through in life, which was great, but soon realized it wasn’t enough. Then, she went on a journey to explore herself, and after she found my Tedx Talk, Donita realized she needed to embark on a journey of discovering her unconditional self-worth.
In this episode, Donita sheds light on her self-worth journey and the powerful impact this course had on not only her personal and professional lives but also her romantic relationships.
Donita Cook is a knowledgeable, driven, goal-oriented and savvy professional with experience in operations management and higher education. Currently working as an administrator at the University of Chicago Law School, her passion is helping students accomplish their educational dreams.
Over the years, Donita has pursued multiple degrees and certifications to feel fulfilled and to prove that she was worthy and intelligent. What she’s learned through her self-worth journey is that she doesn’t need to constantly achieve more in order to be worthy of love, success, and admiration.
The questions around why you’re doing something become different when it’s no longer in pursuit of self-worth.
When you’re not in pursuit of worthiness, you can break free from questions like “Am I capable of getting a law degree?” or “Do I have to get this degree to prove that I can be a lawyer if I wanted to?” When your self-worth is not in question, you can begin to explore whether that next achievement would truly benefit your life path and get you to where you ultimately want to be. Donita always says to her students, “At the end of the day, you have to make a decision that is best for you financially, culturally… and then is this something that you really want to do?”
You can make more intentional, thoughtful decisions about your life when you have a strong foundation of self-worth.
When you know you are worthy unconditionally, you can have peace of mind about the phase of life you’re in and the actions you take. Like Donita, you won’t settle in life. You won’t settle for loneliness in relationships, ongoing trust issues, or relationships that cause you anxiety.
“There’s beauty in the process of waiting,” Donita says, “because you can absolutely get to know yourself and you understand exactly what it is you want if you do the work.”
Through the Unconditionally Worthy Course, Donita also learned:
The importance of self-forgiveness
How to let go of self-judgment and fully accept yourself
How to develop compassion for yourself
The power of acknowledging and accepting the past
How to be more present with others
Through self-compassion, self-acceptance, and self-forgiveness, Donita became unstuck. She is now moving forward with grace and becoming free to live life on her own terms. She’s no longer looking to external sources for happiness… she’s looking to herself, the only person that can truly create her happiness.
“I am a lot more patient with myself; I definitely was not before. I would get frustrated and completely shut down and now I don’t do that. Now, I take a moment to kind of regroup and think about what’s going on and sometimes I can move through it and sometimes I have to say, okay, I’m just gonna come back [to that],” Donita shared, “The biggest takeaway from the course is just trusting in myself and trusting in my decisions.”
“Absolutely take the class just because it’s gonna change your outlook on life. It’s going to change the way you react to things and situations and also how you interact with people, and more importantly, how you interact with yourself,” Donita says.
If you’re ready to quiet the critical voices in your head, make peace with yourself, and trust the good in life again...
Sign up for the Unconditionally Worthy Program waiting list: www.dradiagooden.com/learn-from-dr-adia
About Donita Cook
Donita Cook is a knowledgeable, driven, goal-oriented and savvy professional with experience in operations management and higher education. Currently working as an administrator at the University of Chicago Law School, her passion is helping students accomplish their educational dreams. Her motto is: “Lack of money should not deter a student from attending college. If you want to go to school, let’s figure out how to get you there.”
Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Donita worked at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, City Colleges of Chicago, and Strayer University. Her main focus was program management and helping students navigate the complex world of financial aid. Donita also has extensive outsourcing experience as she spent a decade working for Accenture. As a Functional Lead at Accenture, her main priorities were responding to requests for new business and managing a team to exceed client expectations.
Donita holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas, a Master of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management, and a Master of Public Administration from Strayer University. In addition, she holds an HR Management Certificate from Triton College and several financial aid certifications from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).
Donita grew up in Bellwood, IL, a west suburb of Chicago. Being so close to the city, she often traveled downtown Chicago’s famous “Magnificent Mile” to window shop. She has always had a passion for fashion! She is a fashion stylist to the “stars” (stars being her family and friends) and is in the process of opening an online boutique that will have trendy women’s clothes and shapewear.
To connect further with Donita Cook:
Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nita_cook555/
Connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donita.cook.9
If you’re interested in getting started on your journey to embracing your unconditional self-worth…
Sign up to receive my free e-book on 4 Practices to Connect to Your Unconditional Self-Worth.
Stream & Download The Unconditionally Worthy Podcast NOW for FREE on Apple Podcasts, Google, Stitcher, and Spotify!
Leave a review and share this podcast, or DM me on social media to let me know your thoughts on this topic!
