#BEYOUROWN MEETS RYA HODGES

Rya Hodges is a personal growth coach and business consultant for women entrepreneurs. You can live a life of intention that aligns your behaviors, activities, and goals for a life of success according to what that looks like for you!

Her mission is to awaken the intention of women to live a purposeful life because, without awareness, women suffer from a life of unfulfillment.

So if you are a creative independent spirit — a current or aspiring entrepreneur, solopreneur, creative, coach or small business owner that is struggling to start your business, simplify your life, grow personally, or determine what an intentional life looks like for you, read this interview for a ‘solid toolkit’ on getting started and how to reach those milestones.

Hey Rya, can you introduce yourself to us?

I’m Rya Hodges from Detroit, Michigan USA. I’m a personal growth coach and business consultant as well as an intentional living enthusiast.

Can you take us through your journey to where you are now?

Absolutely, so I graduated from college in 2016 and life hit hard. I was one of those students who believed everything would work out for me because I had this bachelor’s degree and it just wasn’t the case. I ended up dealing with post-grad depression and being really confused about the path I wanted to take in life but I have created a brand called RyAura before I graduated college that I poured my passion into. RyAura has now grown into a well-developed brand about intentional living and my personal mission is to awaken the intention of other women because, without awareness, women suffer from a life of unfulfillment.

What is a day in the life of you like?

Currently, I’m still employed full time with a global trade and compliance firm. I received my bachelors in international business and economics and work as a trade analyst. I start work around 6:30am EST and get off at 3:00pm. Around 4:00pm I’m usually at a coffee shop working on my business or brand. If I’m not working on my business, I’m doing ministry work at my church, or meeting with friends and hanging out.

How did you launch your career as a personal growth coach and business consultant for women entrepreneurs?

Interesting question, I believe I first positioned myself as an expert on intentional living and first gave others a lot of free value that allowed them to trust my judgement about lifestyle design and then with the business consulting, it all started with my personal network. My friends would ask me for help and would trust me with their business and they would refer other friends to me.

What other training did you undergo and where did you study?

I’m currently in the process of receiving my life coaching certification from Academy of Creative Coaching which is certified by the International Coaching Federation. But honestly, a lot of my training outside of my degree is self-taught.

Can you talk us through your Ebook most recently launched ‘Goal Setting To Live A Life Of Fulfilment?’

Sure! So this ebook is actually my first ebook and took me a long time to finish it but it’s a simple step by step guide to help other set achievable goals. In the ebook you’ll learn:

How to know your life’s purpose.
How to write your ‘mission statement.’
How having a goal and purpose changes your life and makes you more consistent.
How to word your goals to increase the chance of completing them.
How to maintain motivation through tough times.
How to create an action plan that fits with your lifestyle and routine.
The power of visualisation and how it helps you accomplish what you want.
How to maximise your chances of achieving what you really want.
What to do once you have successfully established your goals.

After reading the ebook, you should have a solid toolkit for setting goals the right way and actually achieving them.

How are you teaching female entrepreneurs how to live Intentionally?

Through digital products such as ebooks, workbooks, masterclasses, and e-courses.

Can you give us 3 tips to help us achieve our goals?

Write the vision.
Make it plain.
Understand your “why.”

Where can you see yourself within the next 3-5 years?

I see myself doing a lot of workshops for women, being a full-time entrepreneur and life coach, as well as trading less of my time for money by making passive income online.

What strategies do you have in place when looking at the expansion of your business?

Great question! Honestly, I haven’t set any up yet as I am still in the building phase and I’m laying my foundation right now. However, I will say that when it comes to expansion, it’s all about the processes and business systems you established to make your business run without you.

Can you tell us what areas you have struggled in professionally?

Consistent strategy. It’s easy to learn so many new ways of doing things that you can get stuck in this cycle of trying it all that you never stick with one method and allow it to work over time.

Have you ever had any other mentor? If so how has this benefitted you to grow?

I have a mentor. It really benefited me because my mentor happens to be in marketing and he allowed me to just jump right in with his business by trusting some of his client work to me and the best experience truly comes from just doing the work and learning as you go.

What outlets do use to market your business?

Social media for sure. My strategy though is leaning more towards Pinterest at the moment.

Which methods are you using to build your own support network?

Community engagement. I just became the first United States ambassador for Future Females which is based in Cape Town, South Africa and every month I host events/workshops for women in Detroit so this helps me meet other women.

What do you believe are the common misconceptions about being an entrepreneur?

I think the biggest misconception about entrepreneurship is that it’s easy. The internet makes everything seems easy but it’s a lot of work and it can be very scary. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down but an entrepreneur truly has to be resilient. Entrepreneurship is not a walk in the park.

What would you like to see changed for millennials in business?

Our work ethic and mental endurance.

What is the best piece of business advice you have received to date?

Focused work plus consistency will get you what you want if you don’t quit!

What is the number 1 critical lesson you have learned in your career so far?

Nothing just happens, you have to be intentional about every move you make.

How do you create an evenly balanced work and personal life?

I think you have to engage in work that ultimately fits your desired lifestyle. For me, creating products that will help others become better in their lives isn’t work for me. It’s doing what I was created to do, which is to create! I think it’s important to first understand what kind of life you want to live and then create balanced work around that.

The highlight of your career so far?

Having the courage to start honestly, so many people are paralyzed by fear. I’m just grateful that I’ve at least started.

What gives you ultimate career satisfaction?

Being apart of people achieving personal freedom and gaining clarity in their life.

What challenges have you seen to have been presented during the growth of your business?

Balancing personal growth and business growth at the same time is a challenge. Life doesn’t stop just because you decide you want to be an entrepreneur and unfortunately, we can’t pause life so we have to learn how to manage a lot of different aspects of life at the same time.

Which other leading entrepreneurs and pioneering game changers do you also admire and why?

The Six Figure Chick on Instagram. Her name is CiCi. I admire her because she’s dominating the digital business and really has a system that works extremely well for her. I love everything she does!

What is a good article or book you have read recently?

‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown.

Top 3 go-to Podcast channels?

‘The Life Coach School.’
‘Secrets of Wealthy Women’ with Wall Street Journal.
‘Super Soul Conversations.’

How do you measure your own terms of success?

Success is the ultimate expression of myself in the way I dress, talk, create, relate, and live. Business success to me is creating a community of like-minded, dope, confident, boss babes who connects with me and invests in my products and services. Financial success to me is acquiring wealth, multiplying wealth, growing wealth and having investments, multiple streams of income by creating products that continuously makes me money over and over again, even while I sleep. The target is passive income.

What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?

To me, #BEYOUROWN means to create your own path intentionally and follow it.

Lastly, what is next for you?

Working on my membership site: Intention HQ. This membership is a personal growth membership for women who are ready to design their life and live fulfilled.

Instagram: @ryaura

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Website: https://www.ryahodges.com