The Rise Society: Recent Episodes

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Today, I wanted to share my experiences navigating the education system as a parent. It's been quite the journey, and I've been surprised to find that many parents are supplementing their children's education with personal tutors and enrichment programs, even if they attend a highly rated school. When my son started school, I thought extracurriculars and sports would be enough to supplement his learning. But boy, was I wrong! As a parent, it can be incredibly frustrating to realize your child is struggling with something and not know how to help them.

Now, I know some of you might be thinking, "Why isn't your son getting all of his academic needs met at school?" Well, that's exactly what I want to talk about today. While attending a great school is important, it's not always enough.

So, let's start a conversation about what needs to be done to prepare our children for their future. Because, trust me, you are not alone on this journey.

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How do you decide when something is good enough? This is a hard one because we don't want to settle, right? But, it's really easy to get into a cycle where you can never be satisfied and enough is never enough. This can be hard on your mental health and make it difficult to celebrate the wins and the progress in your life. So in today's episode, I'm going to walk you through three strategies to make sure you're locked in on what enough looks like in your life. Having a firm grasp on this will help you feel more successful and accomplished so you can actually enjoy your success.

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Have you heard of the loneliness epidemic? Currently, more than half of American's report feeling lonely very often and loneliness can actually shorten your life. According to a Harvard report: "One study...found that lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% — an effect on mortality risk roughly comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and greater than obesity and physical inactivity."

So many of us are doing life alone when we really don't have to. In this episode, I talk about building community and meaningful friendships. When we put in the intentional effort, we can cure our own loneliness. I'll walk you through different types of friendships and their purpose in your life, so you can start being strategic about building a strong community. I will also share my best advice on making friends and deepening your relationships.

Full the full show notes visit my website.

You can also download the worksheet mentioned in this episode to jumpstart your intentional efforts to build strong connections and a robust community.

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If you've ever struggled to do the things you knew were necessary to make your dreams a reality or if you have been so busy you don't even have time to dream...I think you are going to really love this episode. I'm diving into the importance of using visualization exercises to connect to the emotion attached to your dream so you can keep it alive.

Part of the process of getting to that next level is going to be really, really hard. You are going to have plenty of negative emotions along the way. To push through, it helps to give positive emotions, equal airtime to the negative emotions.

It'd be great if you could always be positive, but we know that's just not how our brains work. If we're you're down, making time for a visualization exercises will help balance out your negative emotions.

I'm going to share three of my favorite visualization exercises in this episode. Email me for a copy of the transcripts at hello@shareeawoods.com.

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Amy calls herself 'a mad scientist that loves to party'. She took her passion for gathering friends and cocktails and turned it into a wine brand. On this episode, we talk about her inspiration and her journey to become an entrepreneur. Amy gets real about the challenges and setbacks that are inevitably a part of entrepreneurship. We also talk about her journey to show up as her full self in the branding of her wine company and dig into challenges and opportunities specific to being a Black Woman in business.

Amy started her entrepreneurial journey by launching a wine company called Sociologie Wine, expanded to host Raise Your Glass epic garden parties, and then pivoted to launch an apparel line company, Amy Holly Caftans. Now she's relaunching Sociologie wines in a brand new way.

@amyohampton

@shopamyholly

@sociologiewine

@raiseyourglassdallas

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In this episode, I'll help you figure out how to make simple changes that make you feel like you added hours to the day. Tune in for a crash course in time management. I'll share my favorite time hacks. Then, I'll help you get clear on what's most important to you, take account of how you are currently spending your time, and start working on a plan to refocus your time. By the end of this episode, you will be ready to start making more time for the things you really want to do.

There is a lot packed into this episode, so I created a free companion workbook to help you follow along. You can download it here: https://shareeawoods.com/time/

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As a woman approaching 40, I'm starting to give some serious thought to my skin...maybe for the first time. I invited Beth Kenerson, a skin care expert, on the show to share her best tips and strategies for taking care of your skin.

In this episode, we dig into:

• What esthetician do and why you might need one,
• How we should think about our skin when it comes to aging, and
• Skin challenges that are unique to highly melanated women.

This one is full of gems that will help you look your best!

Beth is A 20 year veteran of the licensed esthetics industry. Beth has a decade in the treatment room and over 15 working with companies including L'Oreal, Jane Iredale, and Dermalogica. Having taught everywhere from the esthetics classroom and major spas nationwide to tradeshow mainstages, recent years have found Beth developing expert content for beauty companies and small spa owners. Later this year she'll be releasing an expert course on cosmetic ingredients backed by a new cosmetic encyclopedia for beauty pros. You can learn more about Beth at https://www.estheticiansuccesslab.com.

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Is it just me, or is homework time worse as a parent than it was when we were the ones actually doing homework?! I figured out how to at least make one part of homework time easy by helping my son fall in love with reading.

I'm sharing my favorite strategies encouraging your kids to love reading. Once you make reading fun for your kids, it will be one part of learning that's on autopilot because your kids love to read on their own. This episodes even includes a few cameos from my son Sean, talking about his experience with reading.

Click here to download my free guide to helping your kids fall in love with reading. It also includes a list of my son's favorite books.

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In this episode, we learn about Megan's journey to start a real estate career and leave corporate America.

• Megan's shift from corporate to real estate was driven by a desire to be able to pick up her daughter from kindergarten and to be available when they need her.
• She negotiated an exit from her company to create a runway to start a business instead of just quitting. When reflecting on her motivation, she said: "If I had to fight for myself, I wanted to fight for the future I wanted."
• Megan shares her journey to achieve financial stability, how long it took her to make a predictable income from real estate, and talks about her biggest challenges.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine. By Mike Michalowicz.

Megan Johnson draws on nine years of experience with real estate sellers, buyers, and investors. Prior to re-entering real estate full-time, Megan was a seasoned executive level brand marketing and customer experience design professional. Megan Johnson holds an MBA in Marketing, Strategy and Entrepreneurship from Southern Methodist University and a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Southern California. Megan is an adored wife and mother of two.

Social & YouTube Handle @modernestrealty

Website: ModernestRealty.com

Links may include affiliate links that pay a commission to our podcast if you choose to purchase. There will be no extra charge to you.

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It's crazy to think I got my first hair relaxer when I was in elementary school. I never loved the process, but until I got to college I never really thought much about it. When I discovered I could get the straight flowy look I wanted without using a chemical relaxer, I grew it out.

However, I didn't actually start wearing my natural hair texture consistently until the pandemic started and I felt like I had space to experiment with my hair at home. I've loved my coils for a long time, but I couldn't figure how to get them to look the way I wanted consistently.

Over the past few years, I've figured out a routine and the right products to wear my hair curly without having it take over my life.

In this episode, I discuss:

• The reasons I decided to wear my hair naturally curly hair consistently,
• The 10-minute wash-and-go routine I use to make wearing a natural hair style work for my busy life, and
• The changes I made that helped my hair grow longer.

We all have to go on our own journey to figure out the right products and routine for our hair. I hope this episode helps you find your right mix much faster than I did!

Click here to download my complete Wash-and-Go Guide here.

Inside you will find:

• The step-by-step process for my 10-minute wash-and-go routine,
• All of the products I use for my hair and why, and
• The lifestyle and product changes I made that led to serious hair growth!

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I had one of my best birthdays yet this year! My husband and I went to Miraval Austin Resort and Spa, which is wellness focused resort. I don’t think it’s an over statement to say the trip was transformational for us. It’s one of the first times in a long time that I was completely relaxed. My biggest fear when we headed home was not being able to maintain the calm and focused intention we experienced while we were at Miraval.

Today, my husband is joining me to share the full break down of our trip.

In our review of Miraval, we discuss:

• The overall Miraval experience, including the vibe of the resort, food, views, facilities, and what’s included with the all-inclusive price.
• Our foodie adventures at Miraval including a pasta making class, a bubbles and bites tasting dinner, and a 6-course dinner cooked by a private chef.
• Our review of the meditation, fitness, and adventure classes we took while at Miraval.

We also talk about our takeaways from the experience and the lessons we want to carry into our daily lives.

Resources Mentioned:

Pasta Grannies cookbook recommended in our pasta making class.

Information about foam rollers for assisted stretching on Wikipedia Here.

Affiliate links may be included in this description. If affiliate links are used, we will receive a small commission for your purchase, but there will be no extra cost to you.

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If you feel like you are doing everything "right" and checking all of the boxes, but you're still unhappy - you're not alone. In this episode I dig into 3 very common reasons why you might be unhappy:

1. Your reality is not meeting your expectations: It doesn't matter how successful you are if you don't feel successful. Feeling successful is connected to setting realistic and incremental goals for your life. Big dreams are awesome, but only if put the in their proper place - as ideals. Measure your success based on how far you've come and get clear on what's in your control and what's not to feel more joy in your daily life.
2. You don't have a clear vision for your life: Happiness only comes when we achieve the unique things that bring us fulfillment. To understand what those things are, we have to spend time reflecting and getting clear on what we actually want. Once you have a clear vision for your life, it gets a lot easier to make it a reality.
3. Your vision for your life isn't your own. It's easy to look at people you admire and copy their approach to try to find happiness. True happiness comes when the life you are designing matches your true desires-not what your friends, family, or society want for you.

Download the Companion Workbook for this Episode - Unlock Joy

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Have you ever felt the pain and frustration of being misunderstood? Sometime you can have the best intentions, but if you are not able to communicate them well, the situation still ends badly.

In this episode, I interview licensed relationship therapist, Shemiah Derrick. We dig into communication in relationships, starting with dating and continuing into marriage. We discuss:

• Navigating the dating process in the age of apps. Including building your dating resume, so you can recognize a great match when you meet them and how to ask questions that help you really understand your partner.
• Tips on how to navigate difficult conversations in marriage and transitioning from a friendship and dating relationship to a committed relationship.
• The role of therapy in a relationships. Shemiah answers the question, "Is it ever too late for therapy?"

Shemiah Derrick is a Licensed Relationship Therapist who teaches individuals and couples how to communicate and create exciting relationships. With hr straightforward and down-to-earth approach, Shemiah provides clients the introspect and tools needed to cultivate communicative relationships and build strong, happy marriages.

Shemiah is the founder and owner of Profound Peace Psychotherapy Collective, a private practice that provides individual, couples, and family therapy in Illinois & Wisconsin.Acknowledged as one of the best couples therapists in Chicago by Marriage.com, she is also the founder of Relationships Redefined, a program that empowers couples with communication tools and tips to complement ever-changing relationships and life’s challenges.

Her education background includes an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University. Shemiah lives in Chicago with her husband.

Learn more about her at ShemiahDerrick.com and follow her on Instagram at @Redefine.Your.Relationship

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I’m not sure a parent exists that has not dreamed about having complete control of what our kids are learning. If you are like me, you’ve probably never seriously considered homeschooling, but you may be aware of and even curious about people who do.

Today, my good friend Janal Reid is going to take us behind the scenes into her life as a homeschooling mom, so we can all really understands what goes into it. Even if homeschooling is not an option for you right now, this is still a good listen as you’re navigating the process of figuring out the right educational approach for your kids.

Janal dives into:

• The reasons she and her husband decided to homeschool and the process she went through to design the right approach for homeschooling her son.
• Challenges she faced with getting adjusted to homeschooling and creating a good fit for her son and their family’s lifestyle.
• How she decided what to teach herself and what to outsource. She also shares how she found tutors to fill in the gaps and the associated costs.
• We also talk about the challenge of dealing with social differences between homeschool and traditional schools.

Resources mentioned:

Varsity Tutors

Connect with Janal:

Serveway Heating and Air Conditioning

Instagram @servewayheatingandac

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Do any of these sound like you? ‘I’m burnt out and sick of being the catch all.’…‘I’m a grown woman and I still don’t know what I want to do with my life.’ or…‘I know there is something bigger in this world for me, I’m just not sure if I’ll ever figure out what it is.’

I hear you, sis! Whenever we make a little progress, another challenge arrives. It’s never easy…but you’re better than easy. If you’re building your career, starting a business, finding love, raising kids, building wealth–or maybe all those things at once–this is the show for you.

The Rise Society Podcast is here to inspire and equip you to design a life full of joy, balance, and accomplishment. Join me as I host live workshop style episodes with step-by-step strategies for success and interview women with personal journeys that inspire and practical strategies to grow.

Together, we’ll redefine leveling up, so you can achieve success that’s authentically yours. Launching in February!