Discovering Purpose from Pain - Cassaundra Ratliff

Cassaundra Ratliff is a Mentor, Motivational and Empowerment Speaker, Wellness Coach, Certified Recovery Coach, and Published Author.

Tell us about your business and what you are doing to empower women.

The name of my business brand is Because I am A Woman Under Construction. A Woman Under Construction started with a poem written by a mentor friend of mine. She gave me this poem one day to empower me, because I was coming out of a transitional housing program. I loved the poem so much that I memorized it and began performing it. Unbeknownst to me, that performance turned into something amazing. People started requesting it and requesting me. It became so popular that I turned it into a published book.

That was the start of my brand and my company. I took those words and began to mentor women who were just like me. I empowered them through my stories, my testimonies, my experiences, my journey, and through my life. I started doing conferences and weekly workshops. I started walking in that direction, towards my calling, which is towards other women. Of course, at the time I did not recognize that I was just doing something and I discovered a gift. I had unwrapped a gift that I never knew I had and …I loved it! I started mentoring women one-on-one. I began to mentor through groups and it grew and expanded. So here we are 20 years later.

Cassaundra Ratliff with Empowering Lives Business Magazine for Women Entrepreneurs

Photo provided Courtesy of Cassaundra Ratliff

My first understanding of being a Woman Under Construction was about being a woman who was allowed to make mistakes and not feel bad about them. You cannot go through life without making mistakes. Mistakes are required for us to learn in life. Once we have learned the lesson it is no longer a mistake, it becomes an experience, and I began to empower other women with those experiences.

I love public speaking. I still get a little nervousness on the inside, but people tell me once I hit the stage and get the mic, you can’t detect that nervousness.

On this Journey, I have taught and I have learned - We are all the same

How do we go about discovering our gifts? How would you mentor someone that does not know her God-given gifts?

Well, God created us all for a purpose. I believe you have to start there. And within that purpose is your passion, and in that passion is your potential and power. Tapping into that power and your potential lies your gifts. So gifting to me is something that I really enjoy. It simply does not feel like work. It feels like I’m giving back. It is like my reward almost. So for me to see another woman empowered is my giving back.

I became a Wellness Coach in 2008. Once again, I discovered a skill set that I did not know I had. I was looking for employment and I saw position posted and it read: “If you had a history of addiction then you qualify for this job”. I thought that was pretty strange. They had a position for a Peer Wellness Coach. The state had funneled a lot of money into this new initiative. I’m talking millions of dollars for people who had a certain amount of recovery work to do inside the state hospital. Their theory behind this initiative was if the patients have someone they have been building a relationship with, and talking to, whom they feel understand them, then when they (the patients) are in crisis and they are escalated, it is easier to deescalate them. That is the philosophy behind the entire initiative. Through that program, they called it Wellness Coaching. I learned so much about wellness and that is when I began to really learn how to take care of myself.

But as women, we are so good at packaging things. We are so good at decorating and making things look good and pretty, and we sometimes do the same thing with ourselves. That is why I empower women.

Self-care is not just a word we mimic because it sounds good. You really have to ask God to give you a revelation on areas where you need healing and how to better care for yourself

My brand, A Woman Under Construction is about love and acceptance just the way you are. In my book, which is also titled, Because I’m a Woman Under Construction, it is basically my memoir. It talks about a chubby little girl growing up who loses her father at a very young age. She spends the the next 20 years looking for someone to fulfill that role. She is looking for her daddy. She is looking for someone to make her feel beautiful and someone to validate her worth. Who is going to protect her? Who is going to provide from her? She is looking for her daddy. So she gets involved in various situations looking for her father. Until she gets introduced to Jesus and He becomes her daddy, her Father.

For Bookings, Donations and to Order the Book: Book Available at: www.Amazon.com and Barnes & Nobles Email: CCMC8@yahoo.com Facebook: @Cassandra Ratliffe Cash App: $Gchoppa Direct: 848-209-7922

Read entire article at Empowering Lives Business Magazine for Women Entrepreneurs with Sandra R. Harris

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