Personal Growth Coaching

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  • 20+ years of leadership & reinvention experience.
  • Trusted by founders, executives & creatives.
Google Reviews
4.9 out of 5.0 from 5 reviews
Trauma-Informed Black Woman-Owned Culturally-Informed
Trauma-Informed Black Woman-Owned Culturally-Informed
Trauma-Informed Black Woman-Owned Culturally-Informed
Trauma-Informed Black Woman-Owned Culturally-Informed
Trauma-Informed Black Woman-Owned Culturally-Informed

Navigate career transitions, personal healing, and leadership growth with a certified life coach.

Arecia is a professional development coach who meets you exactly where you are, giving you to the tools to succeed and take your life to the next level. 

Happy Coaching Partners

Arecia’s coaching has strengthened, challenged, and refined my leadership and management skills, preparing me for the next stage of my career. Her professional insight and ability to equip leaders for today’s evolving workforce are unmatched. I’m truly grateful that our paths crossed.

Reverend F.

Senior Program Manager

Working with my life coach, Ace has been a truly transformative experience. Before beginning coaching, I felt stuck, with goals but no clear path to achieving them. However, through our sessions, I gained clarity, practical tools, and a renewed sense of confidence. What I value most is the supportive and non-judgmental space she creates. This environment allowed me to dive deeper, challenge old habits, and finally make the changes I had been avoiding for years. As a result, I am now more focused, motivated, and aligned with the life I want to build. In conclusion, getting a life coach was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Tysha L.

Fashion Designer and Owner of Lockame Design Co.

Arecia’s leadership and coaching have played a vital role in advancing my career. She brings a high level of professionalism that blends clarity and genuine care, creating a space where growth feels both challenging and supported. Her guidance has helped me become a more confident, intentional and effective leader.

Sarah O.

Program Coordinator

Arecia has a rare gift for challenging leaders to achieve authentic growth. Working with her, I learned how to truly communicate, listen effectively, command a room, and navigate difficult spaces with confidence. She doesn't just teach leadership; she models it, and every moment of her wisdom is worth grasping.

LeRoya S.

Aquatics Director and Comedian

Arecia’s  leadership has been truly transformative for me. Her mentorship taught me how to lead my team with confidence, authenticity, and encouragement. Because of her guidance, I now believe in my ability to succeed in any job and in any leadership role.

Nicole S.

Professional Fitness Manager

My Mom who many know as Arecia, is the kind of woman whose presence alone brings stability, clarity, and reassurance. Her consistency is unmatched—her word is her bond, and there has never been a single moment where she hasn’t shown up for me. She has supported me through every season of my life, and she has done it with grace, strength, and a deep sense of purpose. Everything I know about confidence, hard work, poise, and integrity, I learned by watching her. She doesn't just teach those values—she lives them. I’ve seen firsthand how she walks into a room and commands it effortlessly, how she holds herself with quiet power, and how people naturally gravitate toward her because she moves with intention and authenticity. She says what she means, she means what she says, and she follows through every single time. She is the type of woman who makes you believe that transformation is possible because she has modeled transformation, resilience, and self-belief throughout her own life. 

To any woman blessed enough to work with her, she is a guide, a mentor, and a source of real, practical wisdom. I am so fortunate to have grown up learning from her, and I know that any woman who chooses her as their coach will experience the same empowerment, clarity, and confidence that she has poured into me.

A.J.

Manager, Artistic Creative, Dancer

Plenty of people refer to themselves as “bosses” meanwhile, Arecia is the real deal. She is a genuine leader in the truest sense of the word. She meets every individual right where they are, and offers a combination of development, accountability and dependability that is so refreshing and effective in workplace productivity. 
I loved learning from Arecia and am without question, better from it.

Robin C.

Fitness Professional

Arecia’s Mission & Philosophy

Taking First, LLC is deeply committed to serving Black Indigenous Women of Color (BIWOC) and their allies. As a Black woman, Arecia is deeply committed to bringing lived experience, cultural competence, and deep understanding to the coaching relationship.

This commitment shows up through:

  • Culturally competent coaching practices
  • Trauma‑informed, judgment‑free sessions
  • Emphasis on empowerment, self‑love, and community support

Coaching That Meets You Where You’re At

Coaching in Los Angeles

Based in Los Angeles, Arecia offers in-person, locally grounded coaching for clients who want to connect face-to-face and benefit from support rooted in the city’s diverse environment.

“Arecia brings a rare balance of clarity, professionalism, and genuine care.” 

– Richard Baker

Online Coaching

Virtual coaching sessions are available for clients who prefer flexibility, while still offering the same personalized, supportive experience in every session.

“Arecia doesn’t just teach leadership she embodies it. Her mentorship helped me communicate clearly and lead confidently.”

– Eva Bryant

Navigate your growth with Arecia

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Frequently Asked Questions

Arecia Hester is a certified personal life coach in Los Angeles and the founder of Taking First. As a Black woman and trauma-informed coach, Arecia brings lived experience, cultural awareness, and compassionate structure to her work. Her coaching style is grounded, affirming, and focused on helping clients move forward with clarity and confidence. 

A personal life coach helps you gain clarity, navigate transitions, and build momentum in your life and career. As a personal life coach in Los Angeles, Arecia supports clients through identity shifts, burnoutbuilding confidence, setting boundaries, navigating career changes, and fostering personal growth, all while honoring the realities of living, working, and thriving in a fast-paced city.

Arecia primarily works with Black women and women of color who are ready to prioritize themselves without guilt or explanation. While Taking First welcomes anyone seeking growth, Arecia’s approach is especially supportive for clients who want a coach who understands cultural context, lived experience, and the emotional weight that often comes with ambition and responsibility.

Taking First offers trauma-informed, culturally competent coaching that goes beyond surface-level motivation. Arecia doesn’t believe in pushing clients past their limits or offering one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, sessions are personalized, emotionally safe, and designed to support sustainable growth, not burnout or performative productivity.

While our services can have many benefits related to improving your life, Arecia is a Certified Professional Life Coach, not a therapist. Therapy often focuses on processing past experiences, while coaching centers on forward movement, clarity, and intentional goal-setting. Arecia’s coaching approach is trauma-informed and emotionally aware, offering a supportive and reflective space that many clients find empowering without feeling clinical.

While Arecia is based in Los Angeles, she offers coaching sessions virtually, allowing clients to work with her from anywhere. She offers the choice of having sessions by phone or online video (via Zoom, Google Meet or Teams) or a combination of both.

To get started, reach out to schedule an initial conversation with Arecia. This call is an opportunity to share what you’re navigating, ask questions, and determine whether Taking First is the right fit for your goals and season of life. Schedule a free consultation today!