Kisha Gulley of Ahwatukee on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Kisha Gulley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kisha, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’m being called to teach from my truth.

Not from a place of perfection or expertise, but from the raw, vulnerable parts of my story. The places I used to hide. The chapters I once thought disqualified me are now becoming the very thing I’m being asked to share.

For a long time, I was afraid to be fully seen. I was afraid of what people would think if they knew the whole story, not just the wins, but the wounds. Not just the polished content, but the lived experience behind it.

But now? I’m feeling this pull to show up as my *whole* self, and invite others to do the same.

I’m being called to teach through my lived experiences as a Black neurodivergent mom. To open up about the messy moments, the quiet breakthroughs, and the hard-earned lessons. To stop shrinking and start shining in spaces where our stories are too often erased.

I’m being called to share my vulnerability, not as weakness, but as a bridge. A bridge to connection. A bridge to healing. A bridge to someone else’s breakthrough.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Kisha Gulley. Content creator, writer, advocate, and the heart behind “The Kisha Project”, a lifestyle and parenting platform where vulnerability meets purpose. I’m a proud Afro-Latina, a wife to a commercial pilot, and a neurodivergent mom raising two incredible neurodivergent boys in Phoenix, Arizona.

What started as a blog to document our family’s journey quickly evolved into a deeply intentional space where I could speak directly to other parents. Especially those navigating motherhood, mental health, autism, identity, and everything in between. With honesty, humor, and heart.

Through my brand, I share stories that often go unheard. Whether it’s our experiences in special education, creating sensory-friendly routines, or simply styling a “mommy and me” outfit that helps me feel beautiful and seen again, “The Kisha Project” is rooted in real life. It’s part diary, part resource, part mirror for others who need to feel a little less alone.

What makes my work unique is that I show up as “all” of me. The mom, the advocate, the former flight attendant turned storyteller. I speak to the intersection of race, disability, and motherhood because that’s the life I live. I believe that sharing from that place of lived experience is where true impact happens.

Right now, I’m working on expanding my platform through YouTube and my newsletter. Both spaces where I’ve begun showing up more vulnerably, teaching through my truths, and sharing the moments I used to be afraid to speak out loud. I’m also building out more blog content that’s not just educational or entertaining, but empowering. I believe our stories have the power to heal others “and” ourselves.

My hope is that when someone lands on my platform, whether it’s through a blog post, a Reel, or a Pinterest pin, they feel seen, inspired, and equipped to navigate their own journey with a little more grace.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world layered its labels on me: Black woman, mom, wife, neurodivergent, advocate. I was simply Kisha.
Whole. Wonder-filled. Wild in the most sacred way.

But the world tried to teach me to shrink. To silence. To perform.
To only show the “strong” parts.
To code-switch to survive.
To put myself last—always.

And for a while, I did.

But now? I’m remembering her.
The girl who was never afraid to speak up, even if her voice shook.
The one who made people feel seen without even trying.
The one who knew she was called for more.

I’m no longer trying to be who the world told me to be.
I’m reclaiming who I’ve always been.
And this time, I’m bringing her with me. Loud, joyful, unfiltered, and free.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain the moment I realized silence wasn’t saving me, it was suffocating me.

For so long, I believed that strength meant smiling through it, pushing through it, never letting the cracks show. As a Black woman. As a mom. As someone navigating life with invisible weights. I thought if I just held it all together, no one would see how close I was to breaking. The strong Black woman trope is killing us.

But pain has a way of demanding to be seen.
It creeps into your voice, your body, your relationships.
And mine started whispering, “What if your story could help someone else breathe again?”

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. The public version of me is the real me.

What you see is what you get. Whether I’m writing a blog post, recording a YouTube video, or standing in front of my preschool classroom. I don’t know how to be anyone other than myself, and honestly, I’ve worked too hard to become this version of me to start performing now.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m with my family.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thekishaproject.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/panamakish
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kisha-gulley-/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekishaproject
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thekishaproject

Image Credits
Alexys Brandon