Coach Kiah encourages FFA students at national convention

INDIANAPOLIS — Kiah Twisselman Burchett describes her love for agriculture as a seed that was planted when she was very young, growing up on a cattle ranch in rural California.

Her love for leadership was planted through FFA. And at the recent National FFA Convention & Expo, she shared how the seeds that are planted in us shape our lives.

“Not all those seeds that are planted in us when we’re young actually bloom into wildflowers,” she said. “In fact, some of those seeds turn out to just be weeds.”

Growing up, Burchett dreamed of being a star. She wanted to sing and dance and perform, but a seed of doubt slowed her down.

The seed was simple: “Once I lose weight.”

“At a young age, I had a seed planted in me that in order to fit in, in order to be worthy to belong, I needed to look the part,” said Burchett, known as Coach Kiah.

“Suddenly all my dreams were clouded by this one thing. Once I lose weight, then everything will be different.”

Burchett did realize that dream. In 2020, she lost 100 pounds. She was featured on television shows and in magazines.

But she realized that she had been chasing a lie.

“Every time I’ve ever reached the peak of a mountain, I’ve only discovered more mountains to climb,” she said. “It’s a never-ending race that leads to burnout.

“Hear me correctly. I’m not saying don’t set goals. The real goal is not to arrive at some destination. The real goal is to find joy in the journey of getting there, to fall in love with the process.”

If you don’t stop to enjoy the pursuit of your goals, you’ll miss out on life, Burchett said.

“Joy withers when we compare ourselves to others to find our worth, when we change ourselves to fit in and when we water the seeds of self-criticism,” she said. “Things grow where water flows. The more we feed into those lies, the more real and true they’ll feel.”

Joy grows when we’re grateful for where we are, authentic to who we are and using our gifts to help others, Burchett said.

“Sometimes life hands you a crappy hand, something that’s not fair, that you didn’t deserve, that you didn’t ask for, that you wouldn’t wish on anybody — but we get to choose how we grow through it,” she said.

“Maybe there’s some good stuff in that manure that allows us to bloom even brighter on the other side.”