We’re looking forward to introducing you to Mrs. Priscilla Ramcharan. Check out our conversation below.
Priscilla, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day starts with gently opening my eyes and awakening into this physical world. I take a few minutes to appreciate my bed and my pillow while taking deep breaths. I stretch and enjoy the soft sheets and blanket. Then, I roll out of bed, ever so slowly, and stroll to the door to kiss my husband as he heads out to work. Then, it’s a hot cup of coffee or two, especially in the winter months. I’ll check in on our girls and then I’ll begin prepping lunch and snacks for the day. My grandmother always had a hot pot of freshly made Trinidadian fried rice ready to eat at any time as an option. So, I also have that habit, just in case. I must say, that I am not a traditional breakfast woman. I need a hearty meal to start the day. Once the stoves are up and cooking and I have my coffee, I feel empowered to review my priorities for the day. I start with checking my class schedule to see if there are any new bookings, cancellations, and classes that are on my calendar. And, according to that, I’ll decide which minor tasks I can check off within a couple of clicks, whether it is paying a bill, building my grocery cart or replying to a message or email. Then, at 8am sharp, class and work begins. Thus, the first 90 minutes is spend prepping for the day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a firm believer that the universe is always conspiring to help us, as Coelho writes. I practice setting a goal, making the steps a priority, and working little by little towards completing it, actually allows for the ideas and actions to flow to me. As a stay at home, homeschool mom and wife, my days need to be very flexible because we never know what we might get ourselves into. As an international English teacher, I also need flexibility because most of my students are on different time zones. As an author, I purposely set aside time to write and create. Thus, it can be tricky when it comes to actually scheduling moment to moment and day to day. Sometimes, I can’t always be certain as to how I’m going to move through my tasks, but once I allow the energy and inspiration around me to flow, I surprise myself most times with all that I am able to accomplish daily! My goal is to always plan for the longer projects and I work on these earlier in the mornings when it’s mostly quiet. I’m naturally inspired to help others and to create content that is educationally and personally beneficial to like minded individuals. As the Founder of Project Love Global and the West Indian Women Network, I work to help children in need and to bring communities together, especially Caribbean communities. And, lately, I am at the point where I am celebrating annual milestones for literary contests, events, and platforms that I’ve been apart of for years!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my husband, our children, our immediate family, my forever mentor, and my best friends have shaped how I see myself. I was very shy growing up and didn’t feel that sense of belonging. When I first came to the United States from Trinidad, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me or was where I was from. I felt alone until I met individuals that I could connect with and who also felt similar to me. I slowly came out of my shell and shared parts of my Trinidadian heritage with them and we helped each other to feel comfortable. I excelled in school and connected with other students who wanted to excel and we worked together. These relationships shaped my values, opinions, and the person that I am today. They helped me to focus on my strengths and made me comfortable to be myself and share my thoughts, ideas, and feelings. In the same way, I have reciprocated the support in each of these relationships. What I love most about these connections is that we give each other room to grow, space to make mistakes, and the opportunity to learn from our experiences together. The best times happen when we reflect and can even share a good laugh from our lessons. Having relationships that help shape how I see myself are invaluable because they help to strengthen strengths, strengthen weaknesses, and celebrate growth in every way. I also just love the fun that we have when we are our true selves with each other. I am certainly more well-rounded, patient, and happy because of these relationships.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has certainly taught me that only I have the ability and power to learn from it in order to improve on the parts of my life and career that are actually working out for me. Suffering has actually led me to success because I understand that there will always be ups and downs in my life and in my successes. What is most important is being able to realize that suffering can help to propel me towards success once I acknowledge the cause of my suffering. Then, I can decide on the direction that I want the lessons learned to take me. It is also highly important not to suffer alone or in silence, instead, having an excellent support system to guide me, offer a sense of stability, and to simply listen to my woes can help to ease my mind. And, if I still feel as though I need extra support, I never hesitate to reach out to a coach or a mentor for tools to help me to understand what I am feeling and how to pivot and move forward positively. Lately, it’s been a challenge to turn 42 and feel as though I have done it all and more. In speaking with close friends and my mentor, I realized that I am beginning a new chapter with new accomplishments to look forward to. I’ve learned to appreciate all that was and welcome all that will come. A few of the most important tools that help me are visualization, journaling, and long walks in nature. Most often, the best help I can get is giving myself permission to breathe and allow life to get better and better.
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 would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that feeling free to by my true self really matters to me. I encourage them to do the same and to always be their true selves with me. Being my true self means that I can joke freely, I can express my concerns freely, I can share my successes freely, and we can share those deep belly laughs for no reason at all! I simply cannot function if I feel stifled or that I need to turn off any of my qualities to be accepted. And, it’s the same for the people in my life. I encourage everyone to be their true selves and to feel comfortable in every way. Being my true self really matters because as a child, I always had to “act properly”, I couldn’t make a mess with my toys, and I had to be a good listener. I wasn’t offered the opportunity to find my true self until I started attending an all girls boarding school. There, I learned about who I truly was and it made me who I am today. I was given the space to express myself, find my likes and dislikes, and focus on self care to cultivate my true self. I was encouraged to share my thoughts and ideas, take leadership positions, and have quiet time for myself. Even though, there were still rules, they were in place to help us to grow into well-rounded individuals. I still act properly in formal settings, as I am naturally polite and professional. I’ve learned that it is okay to make a mess when I am creating or playing with my children because we can always clean up later on. And, I am a good listener, as I give open ears to anyone who needs it and I make decisions based on what is best for myself and the people in my network. I strive to stay true to the qualities that make me who I am and I encourage those around me to do the same.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
I am always tap dancing to work because I create my day just how I want it to be. While each day as a wife, mother, teacher, and entrepreneur comes with its own surprises, I am always eager and excited to create, learn, share, and grow. I am truly in my element whether I am spending time with my family, creating content for my socials, teaching English online, or writing, I am happy! Each morning, I am excited to fire up my computer and continue working on my projects, writing, and lesson planning. Sometimes, it is challenging to separate work from play as a stay at home wife and mother, so I combine them when I can. In other words, if I’m working on a project for my nonprofit, I include my family and we work together to complete some of the tasks. For example, for our annual Christmas even in the Caribbean, we collect toys, pack, and ship them. My family and I will sit together and handwrite Christmas cards for children in need. These times are the most rewarding to me because we can spend time together and contribute to the world. I truly believe that as long as I am in my element, I will always be tap dancing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/our-english
- Facebook: fb.me/projectlove19
- Youtube: @westindianwomennetwork1
- Other: https://amazon.com/author/priscillaramcharan
Image Credits
@SushiJade
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