Story & Lesson Highlights with Monique Russell of Roswell, GA

Monique Russell shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Monique, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
A recent moment that made me laugh and feel proud was when I cooked ground turkey for my son. I put all the love into it I could, like we say back in the islands. After he ate, he said, “Ma, that was one of the best ground beef you made!” and I laughed and said, “Son, that was ground turkey!”

We laughed about it, and it reminded me how joy shows up in the ordinary, simple things. That is also something I carry into my work as a Global Communication Skills Advisor and coach. Recently, one of my clients, Dr. Rosmond Adams, shared a public post on LinkedIn about how our coaching shifted his perspective on celebration. At first, when I’d ask, “What are you celebrating today?” he found it difficult to answer. But now, he sees that we don’t have to wait for big milestones. As he wrote, “The small wins bring gratitude, keep focus, and help find balance in the midst of challenges.”

From my kitchen table to global leadership, the message is the same: we don’t have to wait for something big. It’s the small daily wins that build gratitude, resilience, and joy.

Read his full reflection here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rosmondadamshealthsystems_leadership-healthyliving-gratitude-activity-7371904276702367744-1eF_/

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Monique Russell, Founder and CEO of Clear Communication Solutions, a global leadership development and communication training firm based in Atlanta. I teach leaders, entrepreneurs, and hybrid professionals how to communicate with clarity, confidence, and connection so they can scale their influence, grow their business, and lead with impact.

What makes my work unique is my signature IMPACT methodology, a transformational approach that combines storytelling, emotional intelligence, executive presence, cross-cultural communication, and strategic visibility. This framework is deeply shaped by my African and Caribbean roots and global experiences, which allow me to connect with diverse audiences and bring culturally grounded, practical tools that resonate anywhere in the world.

I am the author of Intentional Motherhood: Who Said it Would Be Easy? and The Ultimate Speaker’s Guide, and the host of the Bridge to U podcast, where I explore cross-cultural connections and belonging among Black cultures. As an international keynote speaker, I’ve delivered transformational talks for Fortune 500 companies like Google, BMW, global organizations like PAHO and national conferences such as the Association of Talent and Development.

My clients include ambitious entrepreneurs and hybrid leaders, as well as high-achieving women and men who are building businesses while balancing careers and family. They come to me when they’re ready to increase visibility, elevate their voice, and share their real stories. Right now, I’m especially excited about my new program, You Can Have It All Without the Guilt, designed for mothers who lead, and about being selected for the national cohort of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, where I’m sharpening strategy to scale my impact globally.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
First, le me say this, time does not heal emotional wounds. It can heal physical ones, but emotional pain lingers until it’s addressed. When it isn’t, it resurfaces in our relationships, spills out as mistrust, defensiveness, or shutting down when similar situations arise.

This is why so many bonds break. Bonds break when honesty is withheld, when respect and reciprocity are missing, and when hurts are buried and ignored, instead of healed. They break when people avoid the hard conversations, hoping silence or time will do the work. All time does is hide the wound.

What restores bonds is clarity, compassion, and commitment, a commitment to stay connected through tension. Sometimes restoration comes through having well-meaning people speak life and encouragement into someone’s spirit. Other times it requires mediators, people who can hold space, guide dialogue, and help both sides find the courage to communicate. However, in every case, the path to a restored bond is not avoidance, but the choice to step into truth, responsibility, and love.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, I would tell her: You always have the right to change your mind.

When I was eight years old, I met my father for the first time. That moment opened the door to a long, complicated journey of discovery, of trying to build a bond, of trying to understand myself and my Nigerian family. I wanted the connection so badly, but it didn’t always come the way I hoped. There were moments of silence, moments of distance, moments when I felt unseen. And as the years went by, there were times I wanted to say, “whatever, forget it.” Times I almost gave up.

But something in me chose not to walk away. I decided to keep showing up. I asked the hard, vulnerable questions. I sat in the discomfort of not knowing what would come back, and I kept leaning toward the relationship I longed for. Even as a young mother, even when it felt estranged, I made a choice: I would define the connection I wanted, and I would not stop reaching for it.

That decision transformed everything. Today, my father and I are close. We’ve traveled the world together, we’ve shared deeply personal conversations, and he knows me as someone who will tell the truth in love. Looking back, I can’t imagine missing out on these experiences, and I almost did.

Here’s what I know now, and what I would whisper to that younger girl: you don’t have to follow anyone’s model. You don’t have to stay in the boxes people put you in. You always have the right to change your mind about what you want, who you are, and how you love. The best way to be free is to free your mind.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
What I’m committed to, no matter how long it takes, is the belief that clear and effective communication is the foundation of freedom. Labels and boxes may exist, but I refuse to let them define me, or anyone I serve.

As a mother of two young men, I care deeply about the next generation of leaders. I know men have been brainwashed as well, and there are gaps that must be addressed. But my deepest fire is for women, because too many of us have carried the weight of pretending. Pretending we’re fine, pretending we don’t have needs, pretending that silence is strength. I want women to stop performing and start profiting from their wisdom. When a woman chooses self-love and speaks her truth without apology, her leadership shifts. That ripples into her children, her workplace, and her community.

In other words, true freedom for individuals, families, and communities begins when we communicate with clarity, love ourselves fully, and refuse to live inside boxes.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
No, I couldn’t. Because I believe appreciation, recognition, and value are necessities. Anyone who says otherwise is denying how we work as humans. People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers. And most often, it’s because they didn’t feel appreciated.

When I don’t feel appreciated in my work or efforts, I can deliver my best, but I won’t do it without resentment. And eventually, I’ll stop doing it for you altogether.

Appreciation is oxygen. It restores bonds, fuels performance, and keeps us connected. Intentional acknowledgment allows people to thrive because they feel seen. Alternatively, they shrink where they feel ignored.

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