Former TV and Radio Personality turned Coach to Women Entrepreneurs

Unleashing Overflow

Monique Caradine-Kitchens is known by many in the Chicagoland area as a former radio personality but over the last decade, her name has become synonymous with money, mindset and overflow. Drawing from her own money experience, she has coached and trained women leaders from around the world to fix their money mindset and elevate their abundance. Monique also hosts a podcast called Sisternomics. I wanted to get a big picture view of how she's building the OverFlow brand, her journey as an entrepreneur and how she helps women leaders succeed so I was honored when she agreed to sit down with me.

All things said, please allow me to introduce you to the beautiful and amazing Dr. Monique Caradine-Kitchens.

Would you mind sharing a little of your story?

I'm a wife, mom, and the daughter of two loving parents. I watched them both work hard to make sure we had a good life as they passed that strong work ethic down to me.

One thing I became aware of at an early age was my parents' desire to not struggle financially. That probably came from how they grew up. As a result, there were times when they would work two and three jobs to make sure every need was met.

One of my parent's biggest goals was to get me through college without me having school loans. They did it! That was their gift and a part of their legacy to me. Since then, I've always been curious about money, generational wealth building, and how we as women of color can create a sense of abundance with ease. I am still learning, still teaching, and still on the journey!

Can you share with us your personal journey to becoming a successful business coach and consultant? What were some of the challenges you faced along the way, and how did you overcome them?

I'm originally from the South Side of Chicago where I grew up watching Oprah Winfrey and Diann Burns on Channel 7. Seeing these two women on TV every day inspired me to pursue a career in broadcasting.

Shortly after finishing college, I started working in the media and loved using my platforms to educate and inspire my audience. I quickly became nationally recognized as one of the top radio talk show hosts in the country.

Despite the accolades, there was always a question lingering in the back of my mind:

"Why am I not earning what I'm worth?"

My search for an answer to this question led me on a journey to better understand money, how to make more of it, and how to do so without the stress and constant "hustle and grind" that I had become accustomed to.

On this journey, I discovered that mindset is key to not only making more money but also creating abundance in every area of life. Admittedly, I did not make this discovery on my own. It was when I partnered with my very first coach that I was "ushered" into this new awareness.

I was so completely transformed through my work with that coach that I decided to become certified as a money mindset coach allowing me to teach women these and other truths about money and abundance. This is basically how I got to where I am today.

If you would have asked me 15 years ago if I thought I'd be a coach, I probably would have laughed so hard! Yet here I am, coaching amazing women and loving it. I am grateful that I get to do this.

You have spoken about the importance of building generational wealth. How can female entrepreneurs ensure that they are building a legacy that will benefit future generations of their families?

Yes indeed! I believe having a plan for generational wealth creation should be in the top 5 on every woman's bucket list and here's why. When we decide to create generational wealth we are essentially saying, "I want to create a path so that my children or heirs can achieve their goals without the burden of financial insecurity."

So many of us grew up in lack. Today, we have a chance to change that!

I'm not suggesting we spoil our children or give them everything without teaching them the value of work. What I am saying is that we need to be strategic in how we create our own empires. As women entrepreneurs living in an era where there is no limit on how much money we can make--whether it's 5-, 6-, 7-figures or more, we should be thinking about how we can make a positive impact today and in the future.

So here are a few things you can ask yourself if you want to create generational wealth for your family:

• Do I have a clear vision of how I want to provide for my children and loved ones in the future?

• Am I a good steward of my money by practicing good habits around spending, philanthropy, and saving?

• Do I have an emergency fund?

• Have I consulted with a financial professional to create an estate plan?

• Do I understand the value and importance of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other generational wealth-creation tools?

• Is my life insurance policy up to date?

• Will my family be financially secure when I am no longer here?

These may feel like tough questions but knowing the answers can potentially put your children, grandchildren or someone you love on a less difficult path than they'd have if you left things to chance.

As a former journalist, how has your background in media influenced your approach to coaching and consulting?

Great question, I worked in media for nearly two decades before becoming a certified coach and the benefits of having that background are numerous.

First of all, my radio/TV experience allows me to show my clients how to get visibility on all different kinds of media platforms including podcasts, talk shows, etc. They love it when I can help them get booked on a news segment or podcast.

Secondly, I understand marketing and branding from a media perspective, so that also comes in handy when I'm working with a woman entrepreneur who is just getting started.

Lastly, I've known since I was a teen that I wanted to use my life to empower and inspire people. I thought I was going to be the next Oprah but honestly, using some of the same skills I used as a talk show host helps me in my coaching and consulting and I get the benefit of establishing lasting relationships with many of my clients. It's a win, win for me!

Can you share some tips for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to balance their personal and professional lives? How do you manage juggling your various roles and responsibilities?

This may sound weird but personally, the idea of balance gives me anxiety. That's because when I think of balance, it means everything is even and perfect and predictable. To me, that sounds boring and miserable! If you are looking for balance in the traditional sense, I'd be a terrible person to ask.

My life has dynamic ebbs and flows. There are times when I'm in a flow state and other times I'm working a lot of hours. If I get a creative spurt, I might be up in the wee hours of the night writing and creating. At other times, I'm more chill. It just depends on what I feel called to put energy into.

Currently, my husband and I are empty nesters so recently we've been enjoying long walks in the morning, starting our days around 11 am and working until sometimes 7 or 8 pm. In the summers I like to take several weeks off to hang out with my son.

I love my work, so my life is filled with a lot of it but it's not always at a desk, in a cubicle or on never-ending Zoom calls. I feel balanced if I'm having fun and doing things I love.

In your experience, what are some of the common mistakes that new entrepreneurs make when starting their businesses? How can they avoid these pitfalls?

Some of the common mistakes I see new entrepreneurs make are:

• Not setting up the proper business structure at the beginning of their business.

• Not separating business income from personal income.

• Not being clear about who their audience is and what problem they solve for that audience.

• Not having systems and processes in place to automate their business.

• Not having a team to support them so they don't have to do everything in the business.

I get it. In fact, when I first started in business, I made many of these same mistakes. The best way to avoid most of these mistakes is to partner with a mentor or a coach who can guide you, keep you focused, and advise you along the way. If you really want to shortcut your success, invest in yourself and hire a coach.

What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs who are just starting out on their journey to success?

My best advice goes back to something my husband said recently. There is so much noise and chatter in the marketplace. So many people want to get you to 6- and 7-figures in 6 months. It's tempting to fall for these messages, but when you see people with this type of message, RUN! Success is a marathon, not a sprint. It looks different for everyone. You will have wins. You will fail. Embrace every aspect of the journey. Gain wisdom from it all and decide not to give up. Focus on building a strong foundation before you focus on the elevation. That's how you get to success.

How do you stay motivated and inspired in your work, particularly during challenging times?

There are two main ways I stay motivated and inspired in my work, especially during challenging times. The first thing I do is take a break.

I used to be the type that would work endlessly to try to fix the problem or overcome the challenge. I would literally not leave my desk until I had the solution. Now I have the wisdom to walk away from work--maybe for a few hours or even a few days. I call it "giving the challenge some space." When I just step away for a while, that's when the best solutions come.

When I need inspiration in my work, I think of my avatar, Denise. I created her persona to guide me in creating all my content, programs, events, books, and anything I do in my business. I know Denise's joys, I know her pains, I know what keeps her up at night and I know her aspirations. Therefore, if I need to be inspired, I simply ask myself. What would help make Denise's life easier as well as bring her more joy or satisfaction? After 10 minutes of journaling on that, I've got enough content for the next 3 to 6 months!

What are some of the key characteristics or traits that you have observed in successful female entrepreneurs? How can aspiring entrepreneurs cultivate these traits within themselves?

My most successful clients have 4 main characteristics:

• FOCUS ~ cultivate this by refusing to compare your journey to others. Focus on your own path and the unique qualities and skills that you bring to the marketplace. Also, focus on God if you're a believer. He won't lead you wrong!

• COURAGE ~ entrepreneurship can be scary! You have to face giants, and loneliness and often times you have to overcome your own self-doubt. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, it is the willingness to continue to move forward in spite of fear. Cultivate courage by making decisions and sticking with them!

• VISION ~ If you don't know where you're going, how will you get there? You have to create a vision for yourself. Where do you want to be in 3, 5, or 10 years? Get with an accountability partner and map it out. Your thoughts, actions and beliefs should then be guided by the vision you create.

• PERSISTENCE ~ the most successful people refuse to give up. No matter how many obstacles, roadblocks or NOs. Decide that you will persist and you will succeed!

As someone who has worked with a diverse range of clients, what do you believe are some of the biggest challenges facing female entrepreneurs, particularly those from underrepresented communities?

One of the biggest challenges facing women of color entrepreneurs is access to funding. We are just now coming into a time where people (and we ourselves) are seeing our businesses as worthy of investment capital.

However, in order to receive funding, it is important to keep your business in good standing with proper licensing, certificates and by working with a bookkeeper to help you manage payables, receivables, etc. It helps to know your numbers so if an investment opportunity comes along, you can speak knowledgeably and confidently about how you will benefit from a capital investment of any size.

What do you believe sets successful female entrepreneurs apart from those who struggle to achieve their goals? How can aspiring entrepreneurs learn from these successful women?

One of the main things that sets successful women entrepreneurs apart from those who struggle is having access to the wisdom of others. I can remember when my business began to stall out. I had gotten it as far as I could on my own, then I hit a plateau. Things began to turn around when I joined a group coaching and mastermind program. Suddenly I had a braintrust of other women entrepreneurs who I could learn from, partner with and get accountability from. Game changer!

Get into a mastermind group immediately! Join a professional association as soon as possible! If you're struggling in business to meet your goals it's probably because you're doing business alone. That's an excellent way to fail.

Can you share some of the biggest lessons you have learned in your own career as a business coach and consultant? How have these lessons influenced the way you work with your clients?

My biggest lessons:

• Always invest in coaching and be coachable no matter how successful I become

• Own my value and know my worth.

• Empower my team to do the things I don't need to do so I can have the freedom to operate in my genius zone!

If I don't do these things, my clients won't invest in coaching, they won't know their value or charge what they're worth and they'll always be worker bees in their business instead of being the visionaries they are called to be!

What is the most important piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs looking to achieve six-figure earnings in their business?

Raise your fees and focus on group experiences rather than 1-on-1.

How do you spend most of your time?

I spend most of my time creating content for my programs and podcast. I'm currently preparing to train my 4th cohort of Certified OverFlow Coaches

As you reflect on your journey, what are you most proud of and why?

I am most proud of the fact that I wanted to create a business that allowed me to freely use my gifts to empower and inspire people. That is exactly what I am doing.

Tell us a little about your family and what you do for fun?

I am a wife and the mother of one college-age son. We have traveled the world together, lived abroad and for the past 6 years we've taken road trips every summer. We've visited all 48 states in the continental U.S.! We love to travel and eat great food. This summer we are going back to Kenya on safari and to visit the school we built there 4 years ago. That's what we do for fun!

Is there anything else you'd like to share that I missed?

The main focus of my business right now is training coaches, creating content and building a community of women who are creating their version of OverFlow ~ a life of more than enough!

To connect with Dr. Caradine-Kitchens, visit:

https://overflownow.com

mcaradine@gmail.com

https://linkedin.com/MoniqueCaradine

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sisternomics

https://instagram.com/sisternomics