Although she was living a life of privilege, Kiana Webb (kianawebb.com) was profoundly unhappy. In addition to personal traumas, she was dealing with generational trauma and the daily stress of being a Black woman in America. Addressing psychological issues rooted in childhood sexual abuse led to a spiritual awakening and a new approach to life.
Webb describes her journey in her unflinchingly honest memoir, “A Glorious Arising: A Journey to the Remembrance of Me.” She admits that she had spent decades cut off from her emotions and describes how her spiritual awakening reintegrated a splintered 5 year old into a woman of substance and purpose.
One of the issues Webb navigated was being extremely tall at a very early age. It led to endless teasing and self-esteem issues, but eventually became a source of pride when she began playing basketball. Today she embraces her almost 6-foot-3 height. A mother of three — a son and two daughters — when her first daughter was born, she was determined that her daughter wouldn’t experience the uncertainty of height.
“It became a mission of mine to overcome the challenges that my youth brought around being uncomfortable with being this height in eighth grade,” Webb said. “I love being tall … and I think it’s really beautiful we are not all the same.”
Webb attained considerable success in business. She was the CEO of Webb Family Enterprises, a family business that included 17 McDonalds franchises among its many holdings.
“Witnessing suffering on people, especially the angst, stress, guilt and shame that I could see within my parents as well as my siblings and my cousins, I just got to point where — there’s this comedian from way back in the day, Moms Mabley, and she said, ‘I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,’” Webb said. “I needed to be the change.
“The experiences that I had said, ‘Kiana, if you want to be happy, if you want to be free, then you have to go out and create that.’”
Webb paused from sharing her story to hug her 14-year-old daughter when she returned home from school. Always one to observe the behavior of others, an invitation to the Landmark Forum, a personal development program, helped her reflect on her own life. In doing so, she saw how she could become something different.
Webb stepped away from her position as CEO, officially leaving in October 2024, but still maintaining a space in the office and the position of board chair of Webb Investments. Before her father passed away last year, Webb and her two brothers agreed they could follow their own paths and interests. A business partner came in to take over the day-to-day.
She founded Glorious Arisings (gloriousarisings.com), a source of tools and resources to help people get to the next level of spiritual awareness and let go of what no longer serves them. Utilizing her leadership skills and principles as well as her entrepreneurial spirit, Webb has created a digital workbook with tools and tips people can use, and events are also being developed.
“My previous way of existence was all about my way of doing, and now it’s all about my way of being because who I am, how I feel, what I want to create and how I want to go forward in life stems from how I feel about everything that’s in existence within myself,” she said. “We focus on the beingness of us, so that no matter what we do we stay in harmony, alignment and we are centered. That creates a consistent, authentic and healthy loving experience for yourself and for others.”
Ten years ago, a woman told Webb that she would someday write a book. Two years ago, an artist friend encouraged her to actually do it, knowing that her story could make an impact on the lives of others. She connected with a publisher and met someone who could turn her story into the written word. The goal was for it to be the language of the heart.
“It was very important to me that people can witness what happened but not see judgment or blame,” Webb said about her story. “I hope people would see a whole bunch of love and see themselves in it and there is a pathway to healing.”
“A Glorious Arising” can be found on Amazon.com and at wordeee.com.
Webb is currently combining book signings with events that help people with their own healing. Sacred Ground: Finding Home Within the Unknown will take place at two venues in the New York area next week: on Tuesday, May 13, 6:30 p.m. at the Valley Cottage Library; and on Wednesday May 14 at Huemanbooks @ Ground Central Coffee Company in Manhattan.
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