StartUP and Thrive

If you think this episode advocates taking ill advised leaps of faith on your journey to becoming boss, you would be mistaken.  I believe we use God as an excuse when we don't do enough of the pre-work in life and simply wing it as we 'hope' for the best. That's my opinion, I'm sticking to it. Anywho, the pre-work is what makes the leap of faith feel right. Take a listen and you'll understand what I mean. Music sampled by Joe Bagale via YouTube Free Music Library

#startup #motivation #smallbusiness #entrepreneur #lifehack #freelance #womeninbusiness #businesswomen #girlboss #faith #startupandthrivepodcast #startuplife #businesstips #podcast #newbusiness #businessadvice #reflection #soulwork #sidehustle

Lillian Charles is one of several guests who lent their voice to a special StartUP & Thrive podcast series about self-care awareness. In this episode, I converse with Lillian, an Atlanta based stylist and client confidant, about how she's created the space to forgive her past self, appreciate her present self while planning for her future self. Lillian expresses how an authentic life is most important to her and coaching women is all she wants to do with her life... but in her way. While what Lillian refers to as 'Style Therapy' may not be the first thing one thinks of in terms of coaching, her approach to helping women find and glow (not just grow) into their confidence has changed the lives of many of the clients Lillian's worked with.

Lillian believes how you show up in the world outwardly directly impacts what you manifest to show up for you. Take a listen to the full episode and Lillian's take on self-care. Lillian Charles is currently an ambassador and lifestyle evangelist for both Lululemon and #ChooseATL. Follow Lillian @lilliancharles and @intentionallygray or visit her at lilliancharles.com.

#lilliancharles #styletherapy #intentionallygray #fashionstylist #personalstylist #fashion #lululemon #chooseATL #fashionweek #selfcare #therapy #metoosurvivor #femaleentrepreneur #womensstudies #agnesscottalum #meaningfulmindfulness #brandimage #imageconsultant #womeninbusiness #womenempowerment #selfcareawarenessmonth #startupandthrive #beforeyouquityourjob #eventualentrepreneur #entrepreneur #beyourownboss #workfromanywhere #successtips #socialinfluencer #girlboss

When the Corporate America experience no longer works for you, what do you do? Mash on life's emergency brakes and backpack through Southeast Asia naturally right? Well that's just what Rachel Hill of RachelTravels did and for her, the gamble turned out to be the right move. From six figure salary earner living in posh apartments in New York then Philadelphia to world traveler, accidental travelpreneur and influencer Rachel shares her unexpected startup story that arguably began with being diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression. With her backpack (and I imagine a map) in hand, Rachel sought answers to the burning question this podcast continues to pursue...."what does my fulfilled life look life"?

In this episode Rachel and I talk about her travel experiences, new life as an expat living in South Africa, getting past her embarrassment to seek therapy, working with brands seeking multicultural influencer collaborations, helping future travel industry influencers break into the industry and her unwillingness to not try among other topics. If you are interested in leaving your job to create a more fulfilling version of your life and start a business, you'll learn a lot from Rachel's story and conversation with host Charlene Sanders. Enjoy this episode!

P.S. If you've heard that done is better than perfect, please keep this in mind as we did experience a bit of audio quality issues at times while conducting the interview on the go. If you are REALLY tuned in, you'll barely notice it. Hey at least I'm honest!

#RachelHill #Travel #Travelpreneur #Entrepreneur #AnxietyDisorder #Depression #ExPat #WomenInBusiness #FemaleEntrepreneur #EmployeetoEntrepreneur #Startup #TravelIndustry #IndieTravel #IndieTravelPodcast #TravelPodcast #TravelTips #DestinationTravel #Backpacking #LiveAbroad #TravelNews #BlackEntrepreneurs #FAMURattler #TravelBlogger #TravelBlog #DigitalMarketer #WorldTraveler #SocialMediaMarketer #Influencer #EventualEntrepreneur #StartUPandThrivePodcast

Charlene speaks with tech entrepreneur Renee Barnes, founder and CEO of ComplyTrain and VeraTrain about her experience in the Founder Institute Atlanta accelerator program and being irrevocably unemployable not wanting to work for anyone but herself. Renee opens up about watching her parents' work life which helped her decide how she wanted to create her own work life aspirations. In this episode Renee and I discuss how benefits offered by employers was never enough to draw her in as an employee and her inability to reconcile that her best skills and talents being used in an employee-based role would not be in service to her family but to an employer who would limit her compensation.  Other topics we discuss include building a product-based business from, the dangers of picking the wrong partner for your business and overcoming that separation and Renee's quest to provide HR compliance and training solutions for startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses. There's a lot you can glean from in this episode. Enjoy! Connect with Renee @its_reneenicole and Charlene @ceocharlene on Instagram

#techentrepreneur #founder #complytrain #veratrain #founderinstitute #startupaccelerator #entrepreneur #femaleentrepreneur #happiness #happiness #tech #blacktech #techsofcolor #technology #blackwomenintech #blackwomeninstem #hrcompliance #hr #mompreneur #freelance #independentcontractor #traininganddevelopment #professionaldevelopment #startups #beyourownboss #technicalwriter #Atlantatech #Atlanta #womenintech

Charlene talks with fellow podcaster, Mavenly + Co. founder and CEO, Kate Gremillion about how her happy life is a direct reflection of the work she does supporting women and our professional goals. While she did not set out on a quest to start her own business, her stable corporate high-rise PR job just wasn’t enough to satisfy her need to contribute at a much higher level. Kate shares how she manages to work happy while strategically surrounding herself with subject matter experts smarter than her in their chosen field. Kate admits her transition wasn’t a clean break but a series of smart intentional actions that included having a savings fund to carry her through her transition, doing work for other entrepreneurs around in areas that would be excellent on-the-job training for what would come to be Mavenly + Co. Kate asserts finding the right mission driven partner that is the ying to her yang with trust and empathy at the forefront of their working relationship has proven to be just what she needed. Keep an ear out for Kate's business book recommendation for entrepreneurs at every level. Connect with Kate @KateGremillion or @MavenlyCo on Instagram and Charlene @CEOCharlene

#mavenlyco #womenworthwork #womenworthworkconference #femaleentrepreneur #entrepreneur #womeninbusiness #womenempowerment #branding #professionaldevelopment #selfcare #business #entrepreneurship #businessowner #conference #Atlanta #kategremillion #selfhelp #bookclub #bookrecommendation #businessbooks #startup #startuplife #startupandthrivepodcast

In this spirited episode Charlene speaks with tech veteran entrepreneur & founder, Sheffie Robinson about how to easily create your MVP, minimum viable product, teaching the lean startup method and the value of being a self-taught developer. We also take a deep dive into the shortcomings of supposed diversity and inclusion in the technology space. Sheffie speaks candidly on her thoughts about the state of the black tech ecosystem making an impassioned plea for all parties to connect more intentionally and often. Sheffie encourages us to do more work directly with small minority startups instead of ONLY choosing the Big tech silicon valley brands. An interesting admission from Sheffie is her wish to have failed far more than she did early on by taking far more calculated risks in spite of her fears of starting as a women in tech, an industry dominated by men.

Sheffie gives props to tech titans UrbanGeekz, ThePLUG, Blavity, the Atlanta Black Tech ecosystem, Technologists of Color, Goodie Nation, Digital Undivided, Batunium Labs and Ascend 2020. Sheffie currently serves as founder & CEO of Touco Direct, managing director of Founder Institute, Atlanta Chapter along with founder and mentor of Bantunium Labs. You can connect with Sheffie on IG @SheffieRobinson or Twitter @SheffieCochran and Charlene @ceocharlene.

#techentrepreneur #blacktech #blacksintech #tech #womenintech #toucodirect #INCbuildr #mobilebuildr #founder #technology #mvp #leanstartup #blackwomenintech #nerds #blerd#blacknerds #selfcare #founderinstituteatlanta #founderinstitute #digitalundivided #saas #BantuniumLabs #Diversity #Inclusion #Ascend2020 #Urbangeekz #ThePlug #Blavity #Atlanta #Startups

The world of fashion looks glamorous but the road to becoming a part of the fashion industry isn't necessarily paved with glitter and gold. Fashion style + tech entrepreneur, Evonya Easley of Love E Fashion takes openly with Charlene about transitioning from an employment background in finance to becoming an entrepreneur. What will strike you from the onset of this interview is Evonya's unyielding hustle and commitment to believing she can and she will. During our conversation Evonya shares the realities of building a life you love with specific incidents of overcoming hardships and enjoying the fruits of her labor. Post divorce Evonya uses her desire to exhibit the attributes of a strong mother as a source of inspiration to not give up. Evonya cites her background in finance along with implementing systems, processes, reading and a great network of friends and women in business as important factors to getting to the next level as a fashion entrepreneur. Evonya's current idea of self care includes traveling the world, frugally and a few books that have proven to inform her entrepreneur journey in a big way. Connect with Evonya on Intsagram @loveevonya, Twitter @LoveE79 and Charlene @CEOCharlene.

#evonyaeasley #fashion #becomingboss #femaleentrepreneur #womeninbusiness #fashionstylist #stylist #fashionentrepreneur #startup #Atlanta #loveefashion #mompreneur #techentrepreneur #fashionindustry #fashionista #fashionweek #bookclub #atlgirlboss #employeetoentrepreneur #ceocharlene #startupandthrivepodcast #fashiontech

Can you imagine being a part of a rich legacy with a grandfather who started the family business out of the trunk of his car to become the go to wholesaler of R&B and Blues music for mom and pop stores on the West side of Chicago, during the Jim Crow era? Well that is 3rd generation entrepreneur, Rai Barney's, legacy and where her entrepreneur story began. While Rai has enjoyed 10 years as a resume ninja and founder of Optimal Placement Services, she continues to love her career as an HR professional. In this episode we explore the entrepreneur's journey, trusting yourself and her dedication to helping others craft the best bio and resume to get noticed. Legacy, impact & purpose as God intended is what Rai finds most meaningful as a mission driven entrepreneur. Agreed! Connect with Rai on @IvyCareerCoach, @RaiBarney and me @CEOCharlene.

#RaiBarney #Entrepreneur #SideHustle #Business #FemaleEntrepreneur #WomenInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #startup #womenempowerment #girlboss #optimalplacementservices #ivycareercoach #careercoaching #resumewriting #branding #personaldevelopment #resume #founder #hr #hrprofessional

I almost named this episode "The rewards and challenges of leaving a 6 figure salary to build 2 successful businesses + a womens empowerment conference" but I guess that would be a bit on the nose, however it is a true story. Meet Tosi Ufodike. Tosi faced her fear of uncertainty and won by becoming the successful entrepreneur she believes she was destined to be. Tosi is quick to remind eventual entrepreneurs that yes being an entrepreneur is very hard work yet it is also very rewarding if you are persistent (and have the other right stuff). Tosi cautions us to NOT GET SUCKED INTO THE #IMABOSS rhetoric you see on social media. Proudly giving God the Glory for her success, Tosi shares how she was not an overnight success and the tricky nuances of being in business with your spouse.  Tosi is founder is HairYum and the Dare2Aspire women's conference. Connect with Tosi on Twitter and Instagram @tosiufodike @hairyum or @dare2aspire. You can find me using @CEOCharlene.

Ebony Campbell is a professional certified makeup artist and fine arts photographer. We talk about the ingenuity and gumption of taking ownership of and solving your own problems as an emerging side hustler and entrepreneur. In this fun free spirited chat we cover several topics including how creating a solution for yourself can become your entry point to a profitable income stream, creating your own apprenticeship by simply asking for the opportunity to learn,  how the library and books were her greatest resource, not the Internet, to connect with professionals in the beauty industry,  her sacrifice and hustle of taking Greyhound in between work hours, traveling to different cities just to work for free because she knew she would make it work to her good. Ebony also discussed the evolution of the beauty industry for darker toned #womenofcolor, learning from drag queens, rising above slander, trusting God and much more, if that's possible.

Connect with Ebony on Facebook + Instagram @EbonyCampbellBeauty and me @ceocharlene

#beauty #beautyindustry #makeupartist #creativedirector #entrepreneur #filmindustry #creatives #skincare #beautyblogger #youtube #instagram #ebonycampbell #womeinbusiness #femaleentrepreneur #professionalmakeupartist #airbrushmakeupartist

Tech entrepreneur Stefanie Jewett, is the founder of the Activvely App & Startup Sisters USA. After meeting Stefanie at her first Startup Sisters event in Atlanta, she has proven to be a genuine supporter of women collaborating, more than willing to use her platform to give other women a voice.  In today’s episode, Stefanie and I talk about the 'if you build it they will come' myth, the importance of finding a tribe to connect with, women in tech, it’s lack of diversity and the men who support them. Additionally listening to your positive inner self when it’s time for you to start and four people who have either mentored her, supported her or inspired her in her entrepreneur journey that you and I should make it a point to connect are each topics we discuss. Connect with Stefanie on IG @Stefanie_juju and @Activelyapp on Twitter at @StefanieJewett and Charlene @ceocharlene

#entrepreneur #womenintech #fitness #fitnessapp #techentrepreneur #girlpower #weiatlanta #Atlanta #femaleentrepreneur #diversityintech #womeninbusiness #stefaniejewett #startupsisters #activvely #turntableyoga #girlboss #latinaentrepreneur #cubanamerican

Let's talk about the WHY behind the StartUP & Thrive podcast. I'll explain who should get plugged in if you are not already. If you are a called-to-be entrepreneur you can achieve everything you aim for in life, if you pursue it with INTENTIONALITY. For the next 31 minutes and 27 seconds we are going to peel the layers back around: the entrepreneur journey, being a frustrated employee, living an unfulfilled life, deciding to champion your own life, finding a community of supporters doing what you want to do and the roller coaster ride of being an entrepreneur.  Let's stay connected! You can find me @CEOCharlene on social media.

#business #womeninbusiness #sheleads #entrepreneurleader #successtips #blackexcellence #buildyourempire #womenwhohustle #womanpower #femaleboss #bosschick #womenempoweringwomen #blackgirlsrock #businesswoman #girlCEO #girlboss #bosslady #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #smallbiz #creativeentrepreneur #atlgirlboss #atlgirlbosses #atlgirlbossgang #atlgirlceo #atlantablackgirlboss #atlantablackgirlboss #thebusinesswomanproject #blackgirlbossrules #savvyatlgirlboss #startwithwhy #beyourownboss #entrepreneur #femaleentrepreneurs #atlanta #podcast #happylife #clarity #motivation #startup #quityourdayjob #affirmation #ceocharlene

CALL TO ACTION. Hey there! I'm Charlene, the host of THE podcast for aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs. I want to empower you to take ownership of your life and play small no longer if you believe you have what it takes to win as an entrepreneur. First, it's important you know something about me. I can be candid...very candid. There is a reason I end each of my blog posts with "candor, chutzpah + hugs." The truth will set US free. 

In this introduction episode I feel it's essential that we stop giving ourselves all the excuses why we can't or shouldn't do something and instead figure out HOW WE GET IT DONE. We are not exempt from greatness or happiness doing work we love. We can get in position to make it happen. It isn't necessary to continue hating your job when you don't have to. You can do something about it. You do have choices in life. For anyone who wishes to become a full-time dedicated entrepreneur, there is no better time to act than now.  Those of us who actually WANT TO BE and those who feel we are CALLED-TO-BE entrepreneurs understand that a job is not guaranteed security.  Neither is entrepreneurship. You have to make it so. We can choose to show up and create our lives by design or we can sit on the sidelines and watch life happen by default. What choice are you making? Connect with me everywhere @CEOCharlene

#entrepreneur #beyourownboss #business #girlboss #inspiration #startup #solopreneur #creativepreneur #femaleentrepreneur #motivation #success #advice #businesscoach #entrepreneurs #loveyourlife #happylife #meaningofwork #startuplife #startup #startupgrind #womeninbusiness #savvybusinessowner