Niambi Jaha-Echols

www.NiambiJaha.com

About Me:
Hey there! I'm an Author, Cultural Agility Strategist, Thought Leader, Soulful Spiritual Alchemist, and a certified Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath® Practitioner. For the past 30 years, I've been passionately working as a nationally recognized Transformation Advocate, training with Indigenous Shamans, spiritual teachers, and master Shadow Work practitioners.

What I Do:
I am the Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer here at Earth Purpose Institute, a nurturing and courageous learning sanctuary for personal growth, social innovation, and collective transformation. At Earth Purpose, we embrace a holistic, spiritually grounded approach to helping individuals and organizations realign with their highest potential.

I’m the creator of four transformational frameworks--Transforming Alchemy: Sacred Shadow Work™, Roots of Wholeness™, the Seven Vortexes of Healing™ and Heart-Centered/Collaborative Governance™—each designed to illuminate the path of healing, awakening, and empowerment for those devoted to personal and collective transformation.

Whether I’m facilitating sacred circles, guiding women through profound inner alchemy, or supporting communities in navigating the deeper layers of cultural and ancestral healing, my work bridges the spiritual and the practical, the personal and the collective. My areas of practice include spiritual and executive coaching, shadow work facilitation, cultural healing, and cultivating environments—within individuals and organizations—where authenticity, wholeness, and purpose can thrive.

In addition, I serve as a Coach with the Windcall Institute, where I support movement leaders during and after their residencies in sustaining resilience, clarity, and alignment with their deeper purpose. This work allows me to walk alongside organizers and change agents who carry the weight of justice work, helping them restore vitality and reconnect to the inner wisdom that sustains lasting transformation.

My Work & Writings: 
Writing is one of my sacred callings. I’ve contributed to African Americans and Community Engagement in Higher Education (SUNY Press) and served as a longtime contributor to the American Camp Association's Camping Magazine. My published books include Project Butterfly, Inspiring the Souls of Our Girls, What Color Is Your Soul?, Restoring the Light, and the upcoming Healing Our Roots (Fall 2027).

My work has been honored and featured in Essence, Ebony, MSN.com, and on Oprah’s Angel Network. I’ve been recognized by the State of Illinois and Essence Magazine as a woman shaping the world.

As the Founding Visionary of Project Butterfly and The Butterfly Movement, I’ve guided thousands of women and girls through profound transformation using the sacred metaphor of the caterpillar-to-butterfly journey. From 2004–2015, I led the beloved Camp Butterfly summer program and developed a national after-school model that continues to inspire.

In Community:
I’ve had the honor of serving on national boards, supporting graduate students at DePaul University, and facilitating programs for the Art of Living Retreat Center, Inside Circle, and Unlikely Conversations. I’m also a former faculty member for Expert Online Training.

My Approach:
Rooted in ancestral wisdom, spiritual depth, and practical experience, my work supports the healing of emotional wounds, the release of limiting beliefs, and the expansion into unity consciousness. Through my signature framework--Transforming Alchemy: Soul Work Through the Sacred Shadow™—I guide individuals through a sacred process of spiritual shadow integration, helping them restore their inner light, embody their authenticity, and rise into wholeness.

A Personal Note:
I’m also a licensed spiritual coach, visual artist, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and spiritual godmother to many. These sacred roles keep me grounded in love and humility. My family and I reside in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where we respectfully acknowledge that we live on the ancestral land of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation.