We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Angela Mitchell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Angela below.

Angela, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Whew, where to start? So, around four years ago, I struggled with my mental and emotional health. I wasn’t sleeping, eating too much, and gaining a ton of weight, and there were days when I couldn’t even get out of bed. I really was in one of the darkest periods I had ever experienced up until that point in my life. There came a time when I didn’t know if I wanted to be on this earth anymore because I was beyond miserable and couldn’t figure out how to get out of that space. It affected how I showed up (or didn’t) in my business and relationships. I didn’t know why I would have long periods of low and depressive moods, while other times, I was so full of energy that I thought I could take on the world.

That’s what bipolar depression feels like, and it sometimes seems as if you can’t climb out of the dark tunnel you are in. I was reaching for the light, but I could never get there. But I knew I had more to do, and if I could get the help I needed, I could get out of that darkness. So, I decided to ask my primary doctor for a referral for mental health services to regain control over my mental health. Once I was officially diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and bipolar depression, I learned how to handle the feelings.

It was crazy (for lack of a better term) that I had gone on for most of my life not understanding the why of my feelings and jumbled mind and never thought to check my mental health status. I was so afraid of what other folks might say because I was supposed to be the strong one, the one who held everything down and never fell apart. I was wrong, and I thank The Most High for giving me the faith and the strength to get back up.

I got into counseling, started medication, and finally regained clarity and confidence. That’s when I decided to write my first book; well, actually, it was a chapter in an anthology titled “The Image in The Mirror: The Reflection That Inspired Me to Live Limitlessly. Nineteen other amazing women from all walks of life shared their stories of pain and triumph. The chapter title is “She Needed a Hero.” In it,  I talked about my experiences with sexual abuse during my childhood and the domestic violence I suffered in my relationships. Some things I had never told a soul.

Many events impacted my mental health. So many women saw themselves in the small glimpse of my life  I shared, and I would get messages from women worldwide telling me how my story inspired them to work through their mental health challenges. These women wanted me to help them along their paths to healing and would ask me if I taught any personal development classes or workshops. Which, at the time, I did not. That’s when the idea came to me, but I had no clue how to get it off the ground.

What I knew for sure was that there were others with similar stories, and they were looking for help rebuilding their lives and businesses. So I decided to create a support group on Facebook to bring women together with the idea of growing and healing. I started with personal development and life coaching, and I even became a Certified Master Life Coach because I thought I was living out my purpose. The original name was Out of The Shadows because I felt like that was where I had emerged from. I decided to continue my story in the second installment of the anthology series, titled “The Image in The Mirror ll: Manifesting a Dream Deferred. My chapter title for this book is “Struggling to Survive,” In it, I go a little deeper and share a lot more.

This time there were 15 other authors, including one man, who told their stories of dreams that had been deferred for one reason or another. So I approached this book with a new perspective and understanding that it was time for me to use my story and my gifts to create a real impact and change in the lives of the women assigned to me.

When this group started, I had an idea but not much else, no structure, no plan, and no real direction. But, I knew I wanted to help them get to the other side of the struggles of living, loving, and working with mental health and mood disorders. I was determined to be the woman I so desperately needed at once in my life. Becoming an author gave me the power to reclaim my voice and was the catalyst that shot me headfirst into the entrepreneurial space full-time. Back to her was borne, and I started holding workshops and meet-ups for other women entrepreneurs who were emotionally overwhelmed and struggling in their personal and business life.

I started working for the woman who published both anthologies as her executive assistant, but I was also creating all the marketing strategies for the company. I flopped around a bit and tried my hand at editing. Although I enjoyed helping authors share their messages, it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I am most passionate about assisting women in building their brands through content and digital marketing. I love helping them establish their digital presence, and since I’m a writer at heart, I especially love creating bomb copy for them

Over the last two years, I have grown into the woman, CEO, mentor, and Boss Brand Builder I was meant to be. So, finally, I get to show these women that there is no specific time that you have to accomplish your goals and dreams. It took me nearly 30 years to find what I loved to do, and there were plenty of dark times and struggles along the way.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Let’s see… I have my hand in a few things and wear many hats! I’m an award-winning, international bestselling author, international speaker, Certified Master Life and Business Coach, Certified Content Marketing Specialist, and Digital Marketing strategist.

I am also a mother, grandmother, and mental health advocate. But most importantly, I am the daughter of The Most High!

I work with authors, speakers, coaches, entrepreneurs, and most service-based businesswomen who want to change their lives, impact other women’s lives, and make more money doing it! I aim to empower women to build profitable brands using quality content and digital marketing to establish a solid digital presence.

What sets me apart from others is that I got it out of the mud, man. I know what it’s like for life to knock you down and for the world to kick you while you’re down there. I did the street life thing, sold drugs, ran scams, and many things in between, so I’m a hustler by nature. I have been on food stamps and Medicaid, and I had times when I didn’t know how I would feed my kids. But, when I tell you I can make a dollar out of nothing, that’s just what I mean, and I love to show other women to do the same. We are all in business to make money, and financial freedom is the goal. But I understand what it’s like want to do what you love but not know how to get there.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking anybody else’s hustle, but some of the prices they charge don’t match the message they send. You can’t say you want to see us win, and your actions do not add up. Nevertheless, I made it to the other side, and God made it clear that I must bring as many of my sistas as possible. That’s what I’m most proud of, not the degrees, certifications, or awards, but that I can use my knowledge and experience to fulfill my life’s purpose.

I want people to know that Back to Her is more than a brand; it’s a ministry about taking back your power. It’s about returning to the woman you were before the pain and the lost dreams. It’s about learning how to live as the highest and most truthful expression of yourself and being free to live a life filled with the Abundance of God’s promise. That’s the other thing I’m proud of. I’ve built a brand that represents me and everything I stand for.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had my first child at seventeen years old and was a mother of two by nineteen. I was so consumed with the relationship I wanted with their father that I endured a lot of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. I put my dreams on hold, got lost in life, and became jaded and bitter. I would use anger and violence to express my feelings, which caused me many unnecessary heartaches.

I finally chose to do something different, move differently, and escape the cycle of self-doubt to which I had grown accustomed. I wanted to show my children and grandchildren that no matter how old you are or what you’ve been through, you can still change your life once you change your thoughts. I wanted to show them what it felt like to be free.

I had to unlearn the narrative I had created, the one that said I was too old to change my circumstances and that it was too late to start over. Instead, I learned to give myself grace and stop being so hard on myself.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Initial capital from my business came from the income from my job(s) at the time and the money I made from my side hustles. I also had to look at what I was spending to determine where I could cut back and eliminate a bunch of unnecessary subscriptions. So I stopped eating out, ditched my daily coffee run, and made my meals and coffee at home. Any extra money I had went into training, software, coaching, and all the other expenses that came with stepping into the coaching space.

I didn’t qualify for any business loans or know where to look for grants, so I used my tax refund to join a mastermind that gave me the tools to start bringing in revenue. Once I started making money, I would save for any large purchases I needed, such as branding, websites, etc., that helped me automate and grow my business.

It was a long, slow process, and of course, there were times when I didn’t think I would make it because I was short on funds and didn’t want to run out, so I kept hustling. And I keep investing much of my profits into creating more products and services. So then, I rinsed and repeated the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.back2her.org/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/back2_her?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Back2Her