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

Sharlene, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission is to give people hope and to be a bright light in the world. At the age of 32, I truly discovered that my purpose in life is to give others hope through my life experience and testimony. I faced many trials and tribulations, but persevered in order to provide the best for my family. After realizing my own strength, I wanted to be for others what I yearned for growing up.

Sharlene Speaks was birthed as a platform to be empower and guide others through my transparent, authentic testament of a life that can flourish through faith, resilience, and dedication. I was determined to break generational curses and give myself and my two sons the life we deserve. My mission is to empower others to do the same for themselves.

Sharlene, 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 Sharlene Rodriguez, better known as “Sharlene Speaks” I am a woman of faith, entrepreneur, life coach, and motivational speaker. Currently, I am Chief Executive Officer, owner, and life/business coach of Brighter Paths Wellness & Counseling, Chief Executive Officer of Don Tai Cleaning Services, and owner of Dessie & Quissler Kids Klubhouse. I was born in Detroit, Michigan, but spent most of my adulthood in Portland, Oregon. I am the proud mother of two amazing young men, who reside in Oregon and Arizona.

Immediately after college, I entered Corporate America and worked in various leadership positions. While working in Corporate America, I was moved by the notion that my salary did not align with my financial goals and passion for helping others. I activated my faith and retired from a well-known Fortune 500 company after 20 years of service. Since then, I have embraced my true life’s journey with purpose and joy, while serving others.

As owner and Chief Executive Officer at Brighter Paths Wellness and Counseling, I am dedicated to helping others remove obstacles from their lives so they can achieve a more positive well-being and overall success. I help my clients and employees through executive leadership, career and vocation development, and personal and professional coaching. Because I approach my work with a servant’s heart, I believe I am able to easily connect and build trust with my clients, employees, and others I come in contact.

Out of all of my accomplishments, I am most proud to be a mother to my two sons, who are currently in pursuit of academic degrees at Oregon State University and Northern Arizona University. I beam with joy seeing how they have evolved into mature respectable young men.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I got married and had my sons at a young age. I was also in an challenging relationship, and while I recognized this was not healthy, the lifestyle was unfortunately familiar to me. During this time, I was in college part time, and working full time. I was determined not to repeat the cycle and bring my sons in an unstable environment. I reminded myself of my strength and went into survival mode…again.

While raising my sons, I graduated college and received several promotions into executive roles at work. I faced several challenges in the workplace, but I knew God placed me in those situations for a reason. This is where I learned the value of mentorship and effective coaching. I enhanced my leadership skills and credit my operational experience to my time in corporate. It was then that I recognized the positive impact that I had on others and my ability to run a successful business.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner and co-owner of Brighter Paths Wellness and Counseling is Dr. Robyn Richardson, Ph.D. We initially met as panelists and speakers at a women’s empowerment event. A personal friendship was developed after the event, and then I was hired as her business consultant. After approximately 10 months of consulting, she asked if I would become equal owner and partner of her practice. We have a phenomenal partnership, where I focus on business operations, and she handles the clinical matters. Our practice is growing rapidly, and we are working on having a global presence!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brighterpathsllc.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharleneSpeaks22
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sharlenerodriguezceo