We recently connected with Dr. Chanel and have shared our conversation below.

Dr., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

..Hey, thanks for allowing me this opportunity first and foremost. I’m truly grateful. The process from having the idea in my head to executing it and seeing it in its full fruition honestly, wasn’t that tedious of a process. I have an innate ability to feel and heal when someone else is hurting and or feeling rejected or bullied. So becoming an advocate started for me as a young child. I’ve always gotten along with predominantly anyone that I come in contact with, so I didn’t meet any strangers growing up, once we meet you’ll either love me right away, or never speak to me again because I’m very direct.

I had no idea that God was setting me up eons ago before I took this direction into helping others, as my beautiful mother was a special needs teacher and director for 3 different private schools. The knowledge that I was able to absorb, provided me with a wide range of blanketing, to know what I’m dealing with each and every time.

I was sitting with my mom and granny having lunch as we so often do whilst my boys were in school one morning, and the idea sparked from my granny telling me I was just like my mom, always advocating for the underdogs. Smiled and laughed and agreed. My mom said, “I’m surprised you didn’t do anything with that” you know you’re passionate about helping others like me, and that is why God continues enlarging your territory. I said thanks mommy, I honestly never thought of it because I do a borage of other things already.

Fast forward about a month later, I’m in Walmart, and the cashier was on the phone with her son who was Autistic, he was having a melt down (stemming). I began to tell her that yelling at a high tone, special needs children cannot recognize tonality as a person that is not on the spectrum can. I asked her to just relax and tell him what she needed for him to do, and he wouldn’t process it. She then out of frustration, just laid her phone in front of me next to the cc swiper on speakerphone, and I began to speak with the young man, in a calm tone and executed my own training, as a mother of a child on the spectrum, I knew what it took and I began to change the situation. I truly hoped what I was saying to him was helping because the Special Needs Spectrum is broad and has many different types and layers and there are no two cases that are the same. So with her as the mom not being cognizant if he was high or low functioning, so based on what I witnessed, I knew the direction he needed and it worked out in his moms favor. Who was ready to clock out and go to his side because she couldn’t get him to relax. I totally understood that anxiety as a parent in the same community. Due to the lengthy conversation, it caused her supervisor to come and assist with her line, the cashier was so overwhelmed, that she couldn’t even finish the next customer, she came from around the counter and asked could she hug me and I of course accepted the hug with love. Her manager was very receptive and that’s a rarity without the attitudes and rudeness to the employee. She came and finished the line and opened the next register next to the one we’re at. Got that line broken down. We apologized to the other customers and you guys wouldn’t believe, they weren’t even offended too badly or upset and inpatient. They were supportive as far back to the line as I could see they all just talked amongst themselves and clapped when she hugged me. And it’s funny me not being a woman that likes attention directly like that, I didn’t even realize how impactful the 8 minute call made. All I knew was, is that I wanted to help. It was during the end of my visit I exchanged details with the clerk and she called me the next day and thanked me again and told me I should definitely open up a business for what I was able to do and that was a a support group for special needs families.

I then spoke with my mom and grandmother and asked their feedback and they both agreed.

Next steps became easy due to me already having a plethora of brands that I own, I just followed those same steps and protocols and moved into the right direction. It took me less than 4 months and I was up and running. Ready to go and began to promote it, and the rest was and is still history. Super glad to have the pleasure of helping those don’t know what they need. I know what it feels like. I’ve stayed in other interviews, that I too have been in the seat of needing direction when it was time and didn’t have anyone to walk me through the process to get a loved one help, so now I go to every lengths to ensure the quality of that disabled person, as well as the village of individuals, that aide and assist them.

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.

My name is Chanel, and I’m from Detroit Michigan, born and raised. I got into the business of becoming a serial entrepreneur, once I was able to retire due to my own medical issues. Being a Lupus Warrior in itself is no joke, so once my time became mine, I could truly Pursue my passions when I wasn’t in school, to seeing my dreams become more than ideas.

I enjoy what I do as a Disability Advocate because it gives me the opportunity to speak from a place that I have lived through or experienced personally in some form. I am big on receiving help from someone who’s never had to tie my shoelaces or walk a block in my Air Force ones. So I always like being relatable. I EAN that same experience for my clients.

I am too an author, and I have a few books that are available on Amazon. I have written a special needs book that is available now. It’s titled “There’s Peace in My Pieces”…The title stems from the helplessness that the special needs community may feel as a whole and or individually. I wrote it with me as a parent in mind, to let it be know that you can rise above your circumstances, and being different is quite alright.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn a harsh reality that while I love helping other people, they don’t always understand HOW to receive it I’m its purest form. As a society we’ve gotten a used to figuring that when help is offered, that there is a “WIFM” a what’s it in it for me moment, and that’s sad. I had to learn that people that want to better themselves will take the initial steps. As a giver, I’ve had to learn that takes have no limits, so it’s imperative those of you that are, to cut it off before it begins…Boundaries, never leave home without them 😉

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The best form of clientele is referrals. People love the raw and unfiltered truths that I’ll provide. I am the friend, employer, relative and or lover, that gives it to you straight no chaser, so I like that folks learn what they’re getting right out of the gate because we all are conversational amongst our peers and family and when I hear about a place, I listen because I value the person that’s sharing. I tell everyone, I am not worried about thousands of clients, that will come. God gave me the vision, so he will surely provide the clients. He will match and align them accordingly. I’m a firm believer. I try not to focus everything I do involving how much money I’ll make….I do it for the Outcome NOT the Income. Some f my greatest success stories are from WHO I helped, NOT how much they rendered for services.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: life_on_your_terms__
• Facebook: DrChanel Nell
• Linkedin: Dr. Chanel
• Twitter: unicornsheis
• Yelp: Autism Life Advocates