We were lucky to catch up with Rahkal Shelton Roberson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rahkal thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I am the CEO of Be The Inspired You, a personal and professional development business created to help people thrive in and out of the workplace. Be The Inspired You was birth shortly after receiving a clinical depression diagnosis. In 2017, life came knocking hard and fast. Hitting me like a speeding train, full impact, rendering me incapable of functioning at the capacity I was used to. In under 9 months, I lost four of the closest people in my life, including my best friend. At the same time, two-child relatives were being displaced due to one of the deaths. Stepping up to assist, I went from a book-touring author and professional to an instant single mother of two. As you can imagine, this sobering reality required some major pivoting (personally and professionally) to accommodate my new life.

Those rapid changes impinged a toll on my health and a clinical depression and anxiety diagnosis. It became challenging to thrive professionally when I wrestled with mental health privately. I learned firsthand that you can’t be as effective professionally if you’re no good personally. I abruptly left the industry of live television production for a 9-5 nestled in a workspace as the ONLY woman of color reporting to and supporting all White leadership.

My entire paradigm had shifted. Too much change, too fast!

With the additional stress associated with all the change and utterly different work demands, microaggressions, bottom lines, learning curves, and anxiety, it was a lot.

I was in a complicated, dark space I had never seen before. The vibrant person I once was no longer existed—at least for the time being. My “authentic self” was in hiding and especially on the clock. I had nothing to give myself, the children I cared for, and especially not my employer. My doctor ordered a medical leave, and while out, I leaned into my resilience, creativity, passion work, and faith to keep going. I decided to use my pain as motivation to support others, so Be The Inspired You was born. The business started as a part of my therapy to get back to total health. Exercising creativity and socially resting encouraged a pivot into my current business. My doctor instructed me to do more of what I loved: educating, inspiring, and serving others, specifically women. My logic was simple: help individuals properly manage life and work stress and help employers take better care of their employees. What gets me most excited about all of this is the testimonies, stories, and knowing people’s lives are being positively impacted.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Rahkal Shelton Roberson. I am a multi-talented author, dynamic speaker, certified professional coach, workplace peace advocate, and CEO of Be The Inspired You, LLC, a personal and professional development business. With over 15 years of combined experience in broadcast, project management, and education, I leverage my professional problem-solving, critical thinking, and strategic planning skills with her knack for creativity, solutions, and passion for serving others.

I have a heart for professional development. As a coach, I help women to obtain more fulfilling work experiences while cultivating smart and strategic career-planning moves. As a facilitator, I help organizations become more sensitive and mindful of the needs of their hYOUman employees while creating harmonious work environments.

I am the author of Woosah: A Survival Guide For Women Of Color Working In Corporate, Workplace Peace: 7 Keys To Obtaining A More Fulfilling Work Experience, Dreams Bigger Than Texas: A Story of Faith, Purpose, Perseverance, and Growth Into Womanhood, and Blackbird: The Story of a SistaMom.

I offer high-quality training, motivational content, one-on-one coaching, and consulting services to promote personal and professional development.

My uncanny ability to connect with the heart while educating individuals sets me apart from others. This interpersonal connection is the foundation of my mission: serving, inspiring, and helping individuals confidently identify, own, and live out their God-given purpose.

I want my fans, supporters, and followers to know that I am a workplace peace advocate, and I believe in equipping individuals with the tools to obtain a fulfilling work experience.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A crucial unlearning moment was getting rid of the notion that I didn’t need to make the “ask.” The “ask” is aligned with whatever your offering is. You’ve got to ask for the sale, support, or whatever you need. I assumed people would seek you out if you’re dope or talented. While this plays some bearing of truth, it doesn’t matter how talented or dope you are; a closed mouth won’t get fed if you do not ask or speak up. So, put your pride aside and ask people to support you, buy your books, share your content, and provide feedback. There is also a ton of power in asking people how you can help them.

The backstory came through trial and error of just showing up vs. the positive response I got when I showed up and asked. I once went live on social media for seven weeks straight while crowdfunding, and because I asked, I was able to successfully raise over 9k in under eight weeks that went towards a project.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Developing the skill to pivot is so essential. I think it also takes immense humility to see when it is time to pivot, as mentioned in my previous response about having a clinical depression diagnosis and struggling managing life and work stress no matter what causes it. Personally, I knew my corporate work environment was burning me out, and it was time to quit and do my own thing.

You’ve got to know that everything doesn’t always go as planned. Consequently, it is crucial to keep going (resilience) and pivot (use creativity/hard work) when needed. You’ll also need faith to believe it will work. While I began my journey as an author, life changed drastically for me. Challenging circumstances that impacted my health caused my discovery and need to pivot.

A battle with mental health caused me to create material that supports well-being and the merger of personal and professional development to support hYOUmans in the workplace, becoming a workplace peace advocate.

This was a significant pivot moment for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rahkalshelton.com
• Instagram: @betheinspiredyou and @woosahthebook
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahkalsheltonroberson/
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01N3YE7IE