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Course aims to bring out ‘Young Inner Warrior’ in teenage girls

FROM LEFT, TEAGAN Wills, Grace Meise, Debbie McKinzie, Ginger Majurin, Katrina Conners and Mackenzie Heimerl are shown after finishing the first “Finding Your Young Inner Warrior” seminar through The Healing Lounge in Iron Mountain. (Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Debbie McKinzie wants to teach teenage girls how to tap into their “inner warrior.”

Her course offered this Sunday, “Finding Your Young Inner Warrior,” aim to build confidence, motivation, goal setting and meditation before the start of the new school year.

“School can be hard. I have worked with young girls that have been bullied. I have listened to the crying mom that is exhausted and the aunts that want to help their nieces become stronger. It takes a community to help these kids become the best that they can be,” McKinzie said.

After attending several personal growth seminars, McKinzie has developed a workbook to help inspire young girls to love themselves and share their gifts.

“I am not a therapist, nor am I a counselor. I’m a coach with a hell of a lot of passion to help young women realize and unleash the power within,” she said.

Grace Meise of Kingsford said she enjoyed the first “Finding Your Young Inner Warrior” course that took place in April. “All the tips she gave us were very inspiring,” she said.

The seminar began with McKinzie handing each girl a workbook and journal. She asked questions such as: “How do you love yourself?”, “What makes you beautiful?” and “What is your best trait?” She wanted the girls to write down positive feeling about themselves and look at them every day.

“Daily affirmations are a way to combat low self-esteem,” McKinzie said, adding, “When negative voices come into your head, you need to go back to your affirmations — ‘I am strong, I am beautiful, I am compassionate.'”

She instructs the girls, “Don’t be afraid to be yourself; it’s totally OK if not everybody likes you. Surround yourself with people who understand you and think of them as your tribe,” she said.

McKinzie’s idea was to bring the girls into a safe, comfortable, relaxed environment and give them the tools to find their inner voice.

“I liked how the kids opened up as we went along,” she said, adding “I feel God put it in my heart to help young kids that need to build their confidence and realize their strengths and overcome their fears.”

The second course is set for 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at The Healing Lounge, 323 S. Stephenson Ave. in Iron Mountain. The cost of the course is $49 and space is limited. For more information, visit McKinzie at Jodeco Salon, 315 S. Stephenson Ave., or call her at 906-396-2914.

McKinzie said she looks to turn the seminar into an online course through a secret group on Facebook in the near future. “You would purchase the course for a minimal fee and then be added to the group,” McKinzie explained, adding, “I would like to offer the course for free, but I have to pay for the materials.” She does have sponsors who will pay the cost for students who want to take the course but can’t afford the fee. Those who might want to sponsor a child can contact McKinzie.

McKinzie, who operates two inspirational Facebook pages, The Healing Lounge and The Dam Ladies Lounge, said she journals every day and aspires to be a motivational speaker.

“I was in a sad place in my life when I started journaling. I write God a letter every single morning,” McKinzie said. “I always start of on a positive note. I say, ‘Dear God, today is going to be a beautiful day’ and then I tell him my struggles and I ask him to give me patience. It’s really hard to be depressed and have anxiety when you are grateful and thankful for the good in your life. When you are focused on the really good things, it makes the bad things not as bad.”

McKinzie said her goal is to empower young women with their own strength. “I have created systems and strategies to help them grow throughout the year. I want them to realize the potential that they have inside of themselves,” McKinzie said. “I want them to have the strength to say no when bad opportunities come their way, because they will. We all know that.”

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