The commitment to international reach is one of the pillars of Virtue Mental’s activity. Interns and social media ambassadors from all corners of the world assist Virtue Mental’s sponsored mental health professionals by helping to organize Zoom support groups, psychoeducation sessions, conducting outreach and market research, and much more. 

Furthermore, Virtue Mental offers a wide range of support groups focusing on the AAPI, LGBTQIA+, South Asian, and Latinx communities. Visitors to the website may learn about the highly qualified mental health specialists who facilitate these sessions, in addition to crucial facts about the numerous support groups and other related events.

The blog is an important part of the VirtueMental.org website. The blog contains articles on a wide range of topics, including academics and careers, health and wellness, women’s issues, society, relationships, mental health conditions, and more. Each of these articles provides useful information as well as distinct viewpoints on challenges affecting historically marginalized communities and new immigrants to the United States and Canada. Similarly, the website has a large resources page with a host of constructive and useful tools made by Virtue Mental interns to assist with a variety of topics ranging from journaling to mindfulness and meditation to self-care and other essential themes.

In addition, VirtueMental.org also features a section dedicated to the organization’s initiatives. These initiatives include a Social Media Guest Series, Social Media Ambassadors, and the Virtue Mental Podcast. Also, featured in their Meet Me Program. This is their acclaimed six-week free program created to foster friendships among people who share an interest in mental health awareness and activism, similar to a peer mentorship program. Peers speak with one another on their own time and bond through a range of activities such as creating vision boards, yoga, meditation, and more. The next cohort will begin in the spring of 2022.

About Virtue Mental Health: Virtue Mental is an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to provide free mental health resources to historically underrepresented populations while also collaborating with other mental health organizations to create a greater impact. Their working concept is “Mental health is just as important as physical health.”

CONTACT: To learn more about Virtue Mental Health, their services, and resources, or to request an interview for a story, please visit their website.

Website: https://www.virtuemental.org/

The post An international non-profit mental health organization has launched an innovative platform appeared first on CEO Medium.

With her strong talent for graphic and website design, she created a powerful business. She Is Brand is a creative studio that specializes in branding and rebranding businesses starting at the fundament.

They offer the tools necessary to build a sustainable and scalable business. When she’s not helping businesses with their branding needs, you’ll find She is Brand hosting a private Facebook group. It’s a safe space for business owners and future business owners to share their knowledge, trouble, and experiences.

What do you want people to know about you and your business?

I am a godly creative woman and was created to be a resource for those around me. Within my business, I build sustainable and scalable brands for entrepreneurs who are on the rise or ready to go to the next tier. I also provide tools for entrepreneurs who are stuck in their business journey and ready to propel forward.

Why did you create She is Brand? Did you have a purpose behind the company or something you strive toward?

She Is Brand was created from my love to creatively help others. Our goal is to help you establish a brand that can last 5+ years. Our niche in branding design results in luxurious brand identity for each of our clients. We don’t want to just create; we always want to help you surpass.

Our current top-selling resource is The Perfect Meeting Journal. It’s designed specifically to help the admin, business owner, school teacher, business coach and more to keep track of their daily meeting notes. This is just an overview of what we do to be a resource. We have a lot more resources, and as we grow the list will continue.

Tell us more about She is Brand. How does the process work when somebody hires you?

She Is Brand uniquely helps build the substructure of your brand before we begin the design process. For all our clients, we provide a general consultation to address your brand and the issues you’re facing. This offers you profitable solutions to help you better scale your business.

If you’re interested in the full branding experience, we then take you through a deeper development process that will allow you to reach clarity and confidence in delivering your brand. After the development process, we then start designing.

For our website clients, we make sure they have a solid foundation. We send over our website checklist for them, and have them send us their brand files so we can begin working.

We also provide other services such as consulting, social media management and social media coaching. Our services are priced per project and we offer reasonable payment plans for our clients to easily take care of their investment.

What message can you send out, to step forward with a new business and grow your confidence as an owner?

Everything you put out is really about confidence and perspective. If you see yourself and think like you’re a successful entrepreneur, you’ll operate your business like a successful entrepreneur.

I know a portion of business owners, including myself at times struggle with just showing up (imposter syndrome). In order to effectively accomplish your goal ahead, you must dismantle the thoughts of self-doubt and replace them with powerful and positive ones.

You may not do everything right. Instead, memorize how to quickly dust your shoulders off and implement a new change and continue to soar. The more you grow as an individual, the more your business will grow in strategy and revenue. Keep learning, it will carry you far.

Was there a major challenge you went through while building your business? Or was it a series of smaller challenges?

The major challenge I dealt with while working on brand creation was the thoughts of not being secure enough or equal to my competitors. In order for me to fully operate in my lane, I had to step out of my own head and be myself, regardless of what others thought or supposed.

Being an entrepreneur and/or a woman of influence, there will be people who love you and people who are annoyed by you. As long as you’re putting your best foot forward and keeping your focus on the goal, you will constantly win the race!

Comparison is a killer for the creative mind and soul. You won’t be able to operate to the best of your ability if you’re perpetually trying to measure up to the next person. There are more than a billion people in the world, you’re going to reach the multitude you’re called to.

How do you handle the financial aspect of your business?

I began my company on a leap of faith and prayer. Within two months, I was generating 2x the income I made when I had a job. Two years and a month later, our company revenue is continuously growing. Being a Christian, I stand strong on Deuteronomy 8:18 and Romans 13:8, so I prefer not to accept any funding. Plus, my business is service-based and people are always in need of a proficient design.

Where do you see She is Brand in the future? Do you have any specific goals?

She Is Brand values will always remain the same. My future goal is to build an agency of designers who are as passionate about branding and marketing as I am, without the hassle of feeling like it’s a steady job. My goal is for us to be a resource for every entrepreneur and future entrepreneur who is ready to take their brand to the next level.

What advice can you give new business owners?

When embarking on something of your own and making a living through it, be the solution not the trouble! Solutions will sell faster than anything, but you cannot be a solution with a copy and paste business. You have to know what makes your brand unique, therefore you can attract your dream clientele.

Don’t try to rush into it because everyone is doing it, your well-thought-out strategic plan will carry you through more than you just winging it. Whatever you’re destined to become will happen, as long as you stay the course and keep pressing, even if you don’t see a million sales when you first launch.

Anything else you’d like us to know?

For the year 2020, we are offering 30% off of our Fempreneur Branding Package which is designed to help female entrepreneurs start or elevate their businesses. Check out our work via social media or on our website if you’re ready to trust a professional to guide you through your branding process and book a call today!

Company Name: She Is Brand

Email Address: akela@sheisbrand.com

Website URL: www.sheisbrand.com

Instagram Handle: @sheisakela

Join Facebook group

The post Let Akela Hankins’ Creativity Launch Your Brand with a New Look appeared first on CEO Medium.

Tell us a little more about you and what it is that your blog provides: 

I taught students with autism for 7 years and was in education for over 10 years. After having three daughters, I stepped back from teaching to be home with them. I then started to notice people commenting on my social media platforms- things like “You make this look so easy”, “You are the perfect mom” – the list goes on. It started to rub me the wrong way because I just wanted to SCREAM that Instagram is a highlight reel and it was in fact not the truth. It put a flame under me because deep down I was struggling with postpartum, anxiety and depression, hormone imbalance, and was drowning trying to find myself again. Instagram was hiding the real and I couldn’t let that continue. I created the blog from my experience and wanted to bring people along with me on my journey in order to not feel alone.

How did you get started creating your brand and business?

Starting a blog to spill all that was going on in my life, was the first step in my journey to heal and serve outside of the classroom. I never meant for it to be a career or income stream. I knew that if I was going through these things, I couldn’t be the only one. The sense of loneliness in not talking about these topics, made it worse. 

As soon as the blog launched, a sense of freedom and confidence rose within in me and I knew this was where I needed to be to serve others. After an overwhelming response from followers, I knew I in fact was not alone and my raw and candid approach to the blog gave women a sense of relief that they were not going through these things by themselves.

The blog provides women with empowerment topics and a free space to be their best selves. I have partnered with a wide variety of over 20+ leading brands that have the same mission to provide that space for people to be their authentic selves. My brand serves and when I collaborate with a product or company, it will 100% be something I love, use in my daily life, and believe it will serve my following.

Almost two years later and the blog has grown to produce collaborations that I feel will serve my following the same way my raw words and writing will serve them. Collaborations range from mom needs, clean beauty, lifestyle, and fashion. The collective idea behind my brand is to serve and bring a positive light to all in every partnership and word that I produce. 

Tell us about the initiative the blog takes and how it works?

My brand works in a variety of ways, my servant heart will easily take a text from a struggling mom that needs to vent after reading one of my published blog posts. There are a lot of connections made under the radar that fill my bucket because I am essentially holding the hands of my followers in the good and bad times. I aim to be a hype girl for all in every piece of content produced. If a post provides an issue I am struggling with, I make sure I easily follow it with my plan on improvement and how I can turn it around.

What do you want people to know after reading this article? 

First, I want to thank CEO Medium for highlighting my voice in my blog. I want people to gain from this interview the empowerment of living out a dream or passion- it is never late to start something. You cannot dwell on the opinions of others, have imposter syndrome and think, “who am I to do this”. Following your heart, comes with following your dreams and where you are meant to give, serve, and provide to others. Living authentically is the most freeing thing and it is never too late to do that. 

Explain some of the challenges you were faced with while building your blog and brand creation. Do you still run into these challenges?

As much as I want to empower and encourage others to not worry about the opinion of others, it is a daily struggle for me. I am an introvert. I have never been the most confident person in the world- but something was burning in me to share the truth. This blog has helped my confidence to be my most authentic self in more ways than I could have ever imagined. When you are putting your heart and soul out for all to see, it comes with a lot of good, but there are also negative comments, opinions, and people who do not want to see you succeed. Some truly struggle to watch you change, grow and build something they may not understand. They would much rather you stay in your bubble then see you grow or change. It is a daily struggle to stay focused and in my lane. I keep my eye on the prize and if I get one positive response from a woman that connected with my writing, it was 100% worth any negative opinion received.  There were points of time where I let this get to me and almost make me walk away. What kept me going was telling myself “What advice would I give my daughter.” I would tell her to be the light, to shine above any of the dark comments because they have nothing to do with you. You can’t control what others say or do, but you can control how you react. Be the light!

How does your blog get funded through the services you offer?

The blog is funded through collaborations and partnerships. All affiliate links that I provide within the blog or social media platforms are commission-based and paid collaborations to run on certain rates that are negotiated based on deliverables contracted. 

What is your future vision for your brand? What is your dream for your community you have built?

My future vision of this brand is to be a positive impact on a BIG community.  I want more raw and real than could ever be imagined. I also have a crazy passion to put all of my posts into a book. I would love to encompass my journey into a “tell-all” and help other women that may need a boost. I would also love to create a book for my daughters to look back on. It’s the real and raw of life and I want them to feel my process, my imperfection as a woman and mom, and the way that it turns into a beautiful perfectly imperfect journey. 

What advice would you give to someone who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it for the first time?

Like I said before, it is never too late. There is no right time and when the time feels right, don’t let it feel bigger than you. It is not bigger than you. You can do whatever you put your mind to, your effort into, and your consistent love. When people see your heart, it resonates and that is the purest form of effort you can give to others. Create with your heart and you can never go wrong and you will never regret trying. The only person holding you back is you. Don’t get in your own way. 

Get in touch with Christin Lewis on

Email Address : christinlewisblog@gmail.com

Website: www.wineglassesandwipinasses.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/christin.lewis

The post Christin Lewis: Lifestyle Blog Highlighting the Real and Raw Life Topics to Empower Women appeared first on CEO Medium.

We’re witnessing a momentous shift towards women empowerment. Closing the gap not only affords us a host of social, cultural, and ethical benefits to society but also enriches the global economy. According to leading statistics presented by GetSmarter, advancing women equality in the workplace could add $12 trillion to the global GDP by 2025. More than ever before, it’s a matter of necessity.

To find financial security, stability, and certainty, we can’t do things as we’ve always done. Statistics in support of the movement towards equality are too loud to ignore. A leadership survey conducted by Harvard Business Review assessed that women rated higher than men in a staggering 12 of 16 recorded leadership qualities, including communication skills, analysis, innovation, and strategizing. McKinsey further supported these findings, purporting that by cultivating a gender-diverse team, modern businesses can financially outperform competitors by 15%.

In the midst of a global pandemic, it’s undeniable: we need a feminine shift in leadership to reimagine the world ahead of us. Rhonda Swan, the CEO, and founder of Unstoppable Branding Agency, is commanding the charge. She’s a leading figure for women entrepreneurialism, the ever-emerging world of online branding, and PR. Helping “the best-kept secrets become the world’s best-known experts”, her agency helps coaches, pro speakers, consultants, and entrepreneurs share their stories and get featured in high profile publications.

Recently, Forbes named Rhonda “Influential Women of Diversity To Watch In 2021”. Rhonda now knows exactly how to create a strong, long-lasting personal brand, her talents were forged on a path of self-discovery in a male-dominated climate. And before she could help others tap into their potential for success, she first had to do so for herself. In this exclusive interview, Rhonda shares just how she was able to quit her corporate position and go on to dominate the world of branding and PR, inspiring countless women to find their calling and do the same.

Danny Barba: Where did your journey begin?

Rhonda Swan: After getting two MBAs, one in business and another in advertising, I landed a senior leadership role at GlaxoSmithKline, where I worked as a marketing executive for 8 years. The six-figure income was more than sustainable, but the work environment was stifling. It left me no room to grow spiritually or mentally. I found myself at a breaking point trying to find fulfillment, and that’s when I watched an interview with Steve Jobs. He said, “If you’re not learning how to use the internet to build a business in this digital economy, you’ll be left behind.” I took that seriously.

I quit my corporate position and began building an online business. I did this because I knew what kind of life I wanted to create for myself. A life in which I would never have to sacrifice family. But I knew that if I wanted to raise a child at the age of 30, I’d need to find a way to maintain my six-figure income without trading away valuable time. And as I started building my company, I quickly realized that the connection I had in pharmaceutical sales had everything to do with building a brand, connecting with people, telling their story, and helping them solve a problem. This has been a massive factor in the success of my company. Navigating a male-driven industry over the last 15 years, I’ve learned to listen more and be strategic. They never see you coming.

Barba: How has your company developed over the years?

Swan: The company has grown from strength to strength. It started out with courses designed to teach people how to build their brand. Before long, it became a full-blown agency that guides clients on their brand development, logo, message, strategy, and PR. We outshine our competitors not only because of impeccable service, but because of our comprehensive value proposition. We do more than just help our clients develop the brand. We also help them with their social media, marketing, and PR, which leads to accelerated exposure and whole new levels of online traffic.

Barba: What do you value most in a successful business, and what has led to your own success?

Swan: I place utmost importance on diversity within my team. I’m of American, Indian, and Italian descent, and I proudly identify with my cultural heritage. I want to make a real difference, especially for those marginalized based on the color of their skin or the place they were born. This is why, regardless of background, race, gender, or religion, I offer equal opportunities to anybody with the right mindset and a willingness to work. I’m proud to say that we have employees from all across the world. That includes Malaysia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, France, America, and many others. If our employees have done something amazing, it doesn’t matter where they come from. And they certainly don’t need a degree to work for us. We feel that experience is what creates knowledge, and an excited person that wants to work for you deserves a position.

Barba: What message do you want to share with women everywhere?

Swan: Empowered women don’t need an equal opportunity or equal pay. They’re creating their own economy. I conceived the first female-led company operating completely online, and with every passing year, my conviction and belief only grow in giving women everywhere a platform to speak and make a difference. About 80% of my workers are female and the number continues to grow since the company’s inception in 2004.  Right now, I’m writing a new book called Design to Lead for Women Empowerment, which discusses the importance of taking a stand for women empowerment and getting our voices heard. Because giving women the opportunity to be heard and make a difference is one of my highest values, and one I will always stand by.

Bottom line, I’m determined to help more women become successful. I want to set a great example for my daughter and young girls alike, and show that it doesn’t have to be a constant hustle to get ahead. Without a doubt, women are leading the charge right now. And they aren’t looking for handouts; they’re giving them. 

Barba: Are you involved in giving back or philanthropy?

Swan: Yes, Philanthropy and giving back to women and children in economic hardship and abusive situations has always been a big effort for me and my family. Together with my America husband, Brian Swan and daughter, Hanalei Swan we have supported non-profits that focus on providing life-skills and mentoring women and children in need, through many different sectors of life including, business, health, sports, equine therapies, arts and media, global human trafficking, global ministries, and global clean water. 

Closing Thoughts

Rhonda’s initiative, vision, and mission are endless sources of inspiration for women across the world. In defining and refining what it means to be a leader, Rhonda continues to create opportunities for women to grow and develop to their full potential. Her company is no less than a complete success story, and truly a tour de force in the online branding and PR space.

For women seeking to command, embolden their voice and stand proudly in their truth, this is your time. You don’t need to sacrifice your time, family or mental health to create the life you desire. To be positioned as the expert, charge more for what you do, and get invited to speak on stages across the world, the world needs to hear your story. And one thing is for certain: Rhonda and the unstoppable family will tell it like no one else can.

Dan Barba is a storyteller and head writer for one of the largest agencies that represent entrepreneurs, authors and coaches.

The post RHONDA SWAN – Best Selling Author & Film Producer Builds A Company To Advance Women Equality In The Workplace That Will Add $12 Trillion To The Global GDP by 2025 appeared first on CEO Medium.