Overcoming adversity, while seemingly impossible in the moment, is what motivates us to pursue our dreams. In today’s episode of IntHerrupt, Linda is joined by entrepreneur and business owner Monica Smith to discuss how she worked to reach her dreams and overcome the obstacles that got in her way.
As a child, Monica’s family life wasn’t perfect:
- While her family was close-knit, her father’s alcoholism fostered familiar dysfunction.
- Monica began to daydream to escape her family life, and she lost focus in school. Her mom knew something was wrong, so she sent Monica away to her aunt.
- Monica started to do better in school. But life took a turn, and she fell into the wrong crowd. She was in a gang, experienced drug abuse, and her life spiraled.
- Her dreams fell by the wayside, and he had a baby at 17. She graduated high school and earned her diploma, but life was challenging.
- She lost custody of her kids, but life is all about overcoming adversity. And those obstacles brought her to where she is today.
Sometimes things come up, and you have no control over them.
- Some of her dreams were to become a fashion designer, create a unique product, and just be successful.
- While she didn’t become a fashion designer, Monica found a job with a purpose (helping women affected by homelessness and substance abuse), and she worked with women for nine years.
- She went back to school for a degree in health and human services, and then she created a hair care product after going through chemotherapy.
- Losing her hair made her lose confidence in herself. So, she crafted a product to help grow back hair with an alcohol-free formula. This took her on a new journey of entrepreneurship and helping people.
What are three things or steps or tips to encourage someone to help make their dreams come true:
- Don’t give up, and don’t get discouraged. You will fail more times than you succeed, so trust the process and stay strong.
- Have a strong understanding of your beliefs. Know what you want out of your vision because it’s easy to go astray.
- Enjoy the ride because you’ll meet people along the way who didn’t push through their adversity.
Who has impacted Monica’s life?
- Her mentor. Monica’s mentor pulled her out of the negative situation, gave her a job, and taught her how to productively work towards her dreams.
- Her mentor taught Monica the value of daily maintenance - meditating, reading spirituals and books, and allowing herself quiet time.
Overcome feelings of anxiety:
- Listen to your body. Don’t be afraid to lay back rather than push forward if your body needs the rest.
- When she’s well-rested, Monica still daydreams. That’s when her mind works best.
Monica’s final piece of advice? Look at the lessons you can learn through the journey. To see Monica’s hair care business, visit soberroots.com.
For more great content from Coni, visit her profile on LinkedIn and view her books available on Amazon. Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieve their sales goals. Subscribe to the IntHERrupt Podcast so you won’t miss a single show. Find us on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and Stitcher. Audio created by Ryan Rasmussen Productions.
