Meet Octavia Moore of Gemstone Coaching and Consulting LLC

Meet Octavia Moore of Gemstone Coaching and Consulting LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Octavia Moore.

Hi Octavia , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Though my name is Octavia, I am fondly known as Octavia | The Surrendered Gem. I have a business that is slowly also turning into ministry, called Gemstone Coaching & Consulting LLC. Through Gemstone, I mentor women to go deeper in their faith walk with God by learning what it means to surrender, obey, and become disciplined. Gemstone started via an encouraging word I received in one of the hardest moments of my life. Simply put, in a Facebook Message, someone sent me a word of encouragement as I was sobbing and crying out to God and at the end of that message, they called me “Rare Gemstone”. I can’t fully explain all of the “why” but upon looking up that definition and reading “an imperfect rock carved into a perfect jewel” when it came to a Gemstone, my future took a direction I never saw coming. It first started off community focused- hosting events for women, youth, and those in need. In 2014- Gemstone was under a non profit and had a slogan- “You are Somebody!”. That’s what the definition of gemstone meant to me- that we all have purpose! We are all somebody and though we have flaws, those flaws don’t define who we are. Over time, especially recently, God has called me into a different direction and Gemstone was given back to Him. Now it focuses on helping women 18+ , to walk in identity in Christ, to embrace purpose, and put off shame or the false belief that everything has to be perfect. God is perfect and He uses our imperfections for His perfect will! Over the past few years, women have entered Gemstone and engaged in 1:1 sessions, have gone through THE GEM METHOD™ groups (5 cohorts have been completed), and have shown up for each other during times of grief, celebration, and all things in between. Gemstone has a private community of women called The Hidden Treasures Community that do life with each other by checking in weekly if not daily, have monthly virtual check-ins, and quarterly in person meet ups. The fruit God has produced through Gemstone within the sessions and groups speaks for itself! Women are rebuilding businesses, restarting or starting movements, returning to school, leaning into their faith, stepping out into ministry, writing books, creating journals or other resources to help other women, and/or being guests on podcasts and other spaces. It’s literally amazing what God has done through Gemstone. If that wasn’t enough, under the umbrella of Gemstone is the Heart Sleeve Podcast- a podcast God called me to start in 2025. What started off in a studio for Season 1 (Breakthrough Sounds in Valley View) has now gone virtual for Season 2 and I have become the producer, host, and editor in Season 2! (I’ve always been the host). Season 2 is wrapping up and we’re looking for guests for season 3. The podcast has an accompanying journal available on Amazon where folks can journal and journey alongside the guests, writing about what resonates with them as they listen. Season Two’s podcast journal drops within the next few weeks! Heart Sleeve has been an honor to host and welcomes guests who desire to share hard and challenging things they’ve experienced that might not always get talked about in the church community. It’s a podcast that embraces vulnerability, transparency, and healing. It’s a podcast that believes and holds the values of the Holy Bible and that also believes God is okay with our emotions. I can go on and on about how God has moved via Gemstone and Heart Sleeve but I will stop here. I’ve been through a lot in my life. I am a mother of 5 kids, have raised several of my siblings, am a former Councilwoman (was the first Woman of Color to be appointed to City Council in Ashtabula, OH), and am a licensed social worker. I am a walking, breathing testimony of God’s grace and miracle working power. There’s so much to my story but it all boils down to this- surrender is where God met me. And in surrender, He’s meeting so many others as we walk in purpose together, as God’s Rare Gemstones.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. I have experienced divorce which was hard but God met me there. I am remarried now and had one of the greatest blessings happen almost 3 years ago- I gave birth to my only son (I have 4 daughters and raised 2 of my sisters). He is such a blessing because for years the doctors told me I shouldn’t have another child. I’d had 4 c-sections and my son was my 5th. I was told I would likely not make it. But 14 years after my youngest daughter was born, and 9 months into being newly re-married, I learned I was pregnant. I was excited but I was terrified. The 10+ years of the doctors telling me how dangerous birthing another child would be, plagued me. But something else had happened over 10 years ago too. I’d received a prophetic word. A Man of God prophesied, saying, “You will have another child. Your next child will be a boy. It will be with your husband. You will make it. Your son will make it. You will be healthy. Your son will be healthy”. So fast forward 14 years- while pregnant, I had to choose daily to believe that I would live and not die. Each day I prayed “please don’t let me die God”. When I was treated like nothing by my doctor at that time, I had to believe God. When the doctor I was seeing for that pregnancy told me it was likely my son would make it but I wouldn’t, I had to believe God. I had to surrender all I knew and was hearing to Him and simply believe that He had me. And He did. My son is here. I am here. We are healthy. We made it. Prior to all of this, I grew up in foster care. I was adopted at around 9 years old. I endured sexual abuse as a child. I re-entered foster care as an adolescent. God used a random neighbor to re-unite me with my birth family by happenstance when I was a teen. I married young, at 19 years old, and birthed my first child who was born with a physical disability. This was learned after an emergency c-section due to having no fluid around the baby. Having my first child was an intense experience. I was young and had an extensive hospital stay, along with my daughter, due to becoming very sick myself. Once we left the hospital, we spent many years getting her therapies, surgeries, and other services for the disability she lived with called arthrogryposis. At 21 years old, pregnant with my 3rd child, I took in 4 of siblings after receiving a call from Children Services saying that if I didn’t come get my siblings, they’d go to foster care. So much happened throughout my life but God always met me in surrender and He always took care of me. He placed me in positions I could have never imagined such as City Council, where I served as the first Woman of Color to be appointed in that city. He connected me with people who never let me fail such as a city official who housed me and my family when we faced homelessness. After a quick prayer of “God this week, I’d like to find my biological father”, after 30 years of not knowing my bio dad- I found him that week! So much I could say about the things I’ve endured- but this is the summation: there were lots of struggles. It was rarely easy. But God always had me. So I always showed up to help others because He showed me that yes we are being carved in Him, into perfect jewels. But we were never meant to keep the shine for ourselves, and never meant to shine alone. Therefore Gemstone was birthed.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Gemstone Coaching and Consulting LLC?
I am the founder of Gemstone Coaching and Consulting LLC. As aforementioned, I mentor women 18+ through various methods, to walk deeper in their faith in God, to embrace surrender, obedience, and discipline, and to walk out the “how” of their God-given purpose. I’ve mentioned already too, what fruit has come from this. I believe what sets me apart from others is the desire and walked out life I exhibit of daily surrender to God. No glory to myself- all glory to God- there is so much evidence of what He’s done in this surrender. I also believe people value the realness of working with me. There is no pretense of perfection and no promise that everything will be easy. But it will be worth it and if the women come ready to do the work, they leave transformed. Lastly, I believe the women value the true nature of the community. We are not a community of mere words, but of action. We pray yes. But we show up. We drive to other states to meet with women in need. We encourage. We celebrate.We grieve. We worship God. We do life and purpose together. I believe in the fullness and wholeness of God but I also believe that He wants us to be mentally healthy just as we are to be physically and spiritually healthy. To that end, I am, at my day job, a licensed social worker. I am a Manager that helps folks using clinical skills. I know what it’s like to serve and I will and do serve. I know what it’s like to lead and will and do lead. But I understand through God’s Word, a strong leader is an even greater servant and no one is above the other. I am proud of the community within the brand. I am proud, that like the story within Nehemiah, the women have come to build purpose. But they understand that no matter the title, no matter the status–everyone is more powerful and successful when we work together in humility, love, and unity. I want readers to know that through THE GEM METHOD™ courses, 1:1 sessions, gatherings, and events- transformation happens. Community strengthens, accountability is welcomed, and purpose is walked out. If any women are seeking to go deeper in their Christian faith and walk in their God-given purpose, this is for them. They are not too far gone and God has a prosperous future for them!

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Oh my! I see my industry taking off over the next 5-10 years because it’s real change. Real hope. And hope is powerful! I see workshops and retreats! I see gatherings and experiences but not just gathering to gather- but gatherings that empower. That equip. That teach. That disciple. I am excited!

Pricing:

• $25 or less for products like journals or workbooks
• Free- sessions and THE GEM METHOD™ group

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gemstonecc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.surrendered.gem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/octavia.yates
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/octavia-moore-85071961/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@the_surrendered_gem?si=tT2DysJc9qephXnF
• Other: https://www.gemstonecc.com/voice-surrender