Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nishaea Richardson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nishaea, appreciate you joining us today. The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?

Yes, I’ve had a couple of amazing bosses leading me, but I’ll talk about one specifically. She was a ball of energy and took no nonsense from anyone while still being caring, understanding, fair, supportive, and down to earth. It was a display of emotional intelligence at its finest.

She came into the Manager role of a unit that was a mess and whipped it into shape. She advocated for the employees putting in the hard work and the employees who weren’t, she had the difficult conversations with them that other managers wanted to avoid.

There were so many impactful moments during the time working with her that there is no one story that could encompass how amazing of a leader she was to not only me, but everyone in my department.

Her leadership showed me the importance of integrity, empathy and standing firm on things we believe in even when it may not be easy.

Nishaea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a woman of integrity, understanding, and compassion who happens to be a mom, Financial Coach, Human Resource Specialist, Media authority, Radio Personality, and Nationally Syndicated Columnist, and speaker. To be honest I fell into the finance/coaching industry because of the pandemic. I had 2 previous multi-Level marketing businesses in health & wellness and travel, while working my full-time job in the government sector. At the time of the pandemic my travel business had to come to a stop which left me figuring out which direction to go in next. Along came a company in the financial industry and it immediately lit a fire in me!

The financial literacy I was learning on top of what I already knew from experiences working in certain jobs, my day-to-day life, money mistakes I made, and books to educate myself was the most invigorating and exciting I have felt about anything in a long time. It wasn’t about making a lot of money at that point, it was about helping and educating people in an area I knew there was a lack of.

I eventually discontinued with the MLM Finance company because I was called to help and support people in a holistic way which is how I started my own business and became a financial coach. I had money issues when I was younger because of a lack of financial literacy, boundaries, self-worth, vision of what I wanted in life, being exposed to what a life of abundance could look like and understanding that being financially healthy was not just for a certain demographic of people.

Understanding the frustration, shame, guilt, resentment and all the other negative nouns that go along with money that people are holding onto, primarily women, I knew this is where I belonged. To help women start feeling empowered about their money. I was already helping people in this area but didn’t realize it was considered as coaching because it was friends and family who would ask me questions and naturally, I would support them through the answer/solution.

Over the last year and half, I have been working with women through non-profit finance workshops, financial wellness retreats, entrepreneur & empowerment conferences, masterclasses, courses, and online social platforms to build a better relationship with money, shift their mindset from lack & scarcity to abundance, be a better manager of their money, and be intentional about the money moves they are making. The transformation my clients experience is LIFE CHANGING! We don’t think about all of the areas of our life that money affects until we start doing the work.

Most of my clients are struggling with all the nouns I previously mentioned, plus the things I had to work through alone when I was younger, which sets me apart from others. I had to learn how to set boundaries in relationships & professionally that was no longer serving me so I could experience the life I was called to live, I had to learn how to stop connecting my self-worth to how much financial support I gave to the people I cared about, I have to learn the damage a low credit score and maxed out credit cards could put on my mental and emotional health, I have to learn how to change my behaviors with money so I could save for a house and continue to have a secure financial foundation after becoming a homeowner, I had to learn that working a job for the rest of my life was not realistic and I needed to start investing if I didn’t want to be retired living in poverty, and it really doesn’t stop their. I’ve learned so many valuable lessons that have made me the money coach I am today and my clients are reaping the benefits because of it.

My clients are making great money and seen as “high-earners”, but because they do not have the skills and support of working through some of the above, they are staying in a negative money cycle. My role as their financial coach is to help break them free of that cycle and start building a healthier relationship with money so they can live the life they deserve on their wealth plan.

I offer my support through online courses, one-on-one, group coaching and financial workshops. My services are accessible to all women who are ready to make a change with their money which is one of the things that makes me most proud. Remembering when I was in a space where I felt like money was scarce, I could not fathom investing in working with a coach, so I understand there are levels to this!

The other thing that makes me proud is the transformation my clients have after working with me. Let me emphasize that some of my “clients” never actually paid me, they consumed my free content or workshops, implemented change, and started seeing the positive impact. You have no idea how heart-fluttering that feels to have someone tell you, “Because I did xyz you shared, I was able to do xyz”. Of course, working with women in an intimate setting and giving them customized support based on their finances, mindset, and money situation is my area of genius, however, I’m proud to say there are more joyful, empowered, money educated women in this world because of me.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped me build my reputation within my market is consistently showing up talking about the same things. Showing up through live videos to give people a chance to learn my personality and energy, posting content on social platforms, connecting with other business owners and collaborating, networking with local non-profits which lead to paid workshops, and sharing small tips or support through day-to- day conversation. Let me add, doing podcast interviews has opened up doors to some amazing opportunities as well, it’s how I got recognized and asked to be a part of a commentary series as a Thought Leader. Because of it, I can now proudly say I am a Media authority, Radio Personality, and Nationally Syndicated Columnist.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I recently had to do a pivot in my career to position myself to earn more income. Almost 2 years ago now, I was doing all the things to enhance my skills for higher paying jobs in the government sector, but it felt like every time I applied, I was told I didn’t qualify or didn’t have the proper experience. Getting clear on the role I wanted to reach the income goal I desired I asked the questions of what was needed to be considered for that role and I executed. There were two options, take a lateral paying job to learn the skill to be eligible for the job I wanted or go back to school and get a degree in the specific field.

Well, going back to school was out of the picture for me. I couldn’t see myself going into thousands of dollars of debt for skills I knew hands on experience was worth more than sitting in a classroom. So, I applied, interviewed and was hired for an entry level position at the same pay I was making at the time. After a year, I got the higher pay position I desired! That pivot in my career, being clear on what I wanted and why I was making the pivot and doing the work necessary has been life-changing for me. Yes, I’m also a business owner and that is my passion, but I also understand the role my job has in me experiencing the life I desire.

My job gives me the freedom to work from home, taking time off, when necessary, income that I used to think I would have to work 15 more years to reach, health insurance, and other benefits, and a match on my 401k investments (free money).

I find many people are afraid to pivot in their career because they want to remain loyal their employer, they are comfortable or they don’t know if the grass will be greener so they stay in job that is no longer serving them which is keeping them in a financial space that will never support growth and abundance, and they are miserable because they feel like that’s all that they are meant to experience in life. My message is to PIVOT and remember how dope you are.

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Image Credits
Tyeisha Ford, Fullness of Joy Photography