We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rashad Pitts a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rashad, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I ask myself this question often as I journey through life. Will the accolades, achievements, and accumulation of material items be remembered? Will the problems and opinions matter? Constantly I am reminded that time is borrowed without clarity of when it will expire. When I consider my legacy, I want to be remembered as someone that spoke life into anyone I cross paths with.Someone with high character and integrity in a world of chaos and exchanged trauma; Someone who embraced his shortcomings, insecurities, doubts, and internal conflicts to give encouragement and perspective to others. As a youth mentor, I gained the understanding that words hold power to save someone’s life, as well as take one. Perspective holds the power to destroy peace or become the compass to help someone discover it. As I grow to gain better knowledge of self, my hope of legacy is to simply be a light for others. If I can make that impact, I am then content as I will have truly lived and not have merely existed.

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

First and foremost, my name is Rashad Pitts, and I am a son, brother, and mental health enthusiast. By profession, I am the Director of Digital Advertising and a high-level marketing strategist for Rose Marketing Solutions, a marketing agency in Dallas, TX. My journey is unique, as I was once a youth mentor and transitioned to become a savvy marketing professional. I value this journey as it graced me with greater perspective, empathy, and mental health awareness. I found working with youth life changing as it allowed me to meet inspirational adolescents that are often misrepresented and stigmatized within society – Yet misunderstood. Kids forced to carry trauma passed down from others – rather it be their parents, family, or environmental circumstances. I truly admire the resilience of these kids, and they have made more impact in my life than they could ever realize.They know who they are, and if you are reading this, thank you.

As this remains a passion of mine to continuously help young adults, years ago I hit a crossroads, realizing the need to acquire a skill set that could allow me to expand my desired impact to a greater audience. Without previous experience, I elected to explore the world of digital marketing, bet on myself, and spend months teaching myself the skill required to obtain a career in this space. This quickly has become the most significant decision I have ever made. I have been placed in a position to continuously grow outside of my comfort zone, lead and inspire those around me, and work alongside an amazing entrepreneur and business partner – Ruth Ann Rose.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Fun fact: As you read through this, understand that my original path of choice was to go Pre-med. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and had aspirations of becoming a physician. As I navigated through college, and even life, I realized that I was solely playing the safety route, desperately trying to uphold the expectations and standards of others. I vividly remember graduating yet being conflicted as to my purpose and perceived path. I knew that going the medical route would have been secure, financially rewarding, and a “badge of honor” for my ego – but all at the expense of doing something I honestly did not have passion for. This is where my initial question of “what do I want my legacy to be?” began. This is where I was truly lost as to who I wanted to become – battling with internal conflict and external pressures.

I chose to go against the current, believe in me, and embrace the possibility of failure. Accept that no one else will believe in my vision more than me and that no one else invests in my vision until I invest in myself. At that moment in life, I decided to do rigorous research on careers I could pivot into. I came across the digital marketing profession, and the rest is history. What intrigued me about this industry is that it was rapidly growing and allowed me the skillset to market any business venture I elected to pursue. Going all in, I sought out a mentor and taught myself everything I needed to know to enter into the field. Although self-doubt flooded in constantly, and insecurities drowned my hope – my work ethic and desire not to let myself down kept me afloat. Shortly after, I transitioned to a new city (Dallas, Texas) and told myself that I only needed one person to give me a chance – just one. That one person is now my business partner – Ruth Ann Rose, CEO of Rose Marketing Solutions. This incredible woman believed in me when no one else did and saw something in me that I may have not even seen within myself at the time. I am now 4+ years into the profession and have the honor to mentor, educate, and speak at conferences, sharing my expertise with 7-figure earning entrepreneurs and business owners. Moral of the story: Do not be a prisoner to the fear of failure. Believe that you can, and you will.

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

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn on my journey was the illusion that I could do everything by yourself. I have been highly self-reliant all my life, only to quickly realize that you move so much further and quicker with collaboration. It took me a while to embrace that it is 100% okay to ask for help and that the vulnerability and self-awareness associated with that realization empowers you. As I network with more entrepreneurs and mentors, there is repeated advice – understand the power of delegation and that there is only so much one person can do.

I am grateful for unlearning to re-learn this lesson as it not only humbled my ego and pride but equipped me with the gift of cultivating, encouraging, and leading a team. You are only as great as those around you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rosemarketingsolutions.net/
• Instagram: shad.vs.shad
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rashadpitts

Image Credits
Paige Beitler Photography