Mercy Kipligat

Mercy Kiplagat is a confidence and mindset coach, women’s empowerment advocate, international-development leader, and the founder of R.E.A.L. Self Academy™, a coaching platform that helps women, immigrants, and individuals navigating major life transitions reconnect with their identity, recognize their self-worth, and move forward with greater confidence and purpose. Through R.E.A.L. Self Academy, Mercy helps people identify the limiting beliefs, cultural expectations, family patterns, and internal doubts that may be preventing them from living authentically. Her coaching emphasizes self-awareness, emotional processing, consistency, mindfulness, accountability, and the development of healthier beliefs and habits. Rather than offering superficial motivation, she creates supportive spaces where people can have honest conversations about who they are, what they have experienced, and who they are becoming. Mercy’s work is deeply connected to her own journey. After growing up in a small community in Kenya and building a life in Toronto, Canada, she developed a personal understanding of the resilience required to adapt to a new culture, overcome uncertainty, and establish a sense of belonging. Her experiences inform her commitment to helping immigrants move beyond simply surviving in unfamiliar environments and begin building lives rooted in confidence, opportunity, and personal fulfillment. She is also the founder and executive director of Rafiki Bridge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women, girls, refugees, and other underserved communities through education, mentorship, economic-development initiatives, and community-driven support. Its programs include Bridging Cycles, which addresses generational poverty and limited economic opportunity, and the Adolescent Girls’ Mentorship Program, which provides young women with life-skills training, educational support, mentorship, and the confidence to pursue their goals. Mercy’s passion for this work began after witnessing the barriers faced by women and girls in her community, including limited access to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and reliable support systems. Those experiences inspired her to become an advocate for equity and to create spaces where women and young people are equipped not only to overcome adversity but also to become leaders and sources of support for others. Mercy’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled “Resilience and Confidence in a New Land,” explores the cultural and emotional challenges of starting over, finding one’s place in a new environment, and developing confidence from within. Her story is a powerful reminder that adapting to change does not require abandoning who you are. Instead, meaningful transformation begins by embracing your experiences, trusting your abilities, and boldly creating the life you believe you deserve.