Meet Aleasa Word

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Aleasa Word. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Aleasa, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
A long time ago I realized everyone has haters aka nay-sayers at some point in life. Admittedly, it was when I saw first-hand I was included in the “everyone” group, I was hurt and surprised. The reason it impacted me that way is I tend to be in my own world a lot working on my next idea. I have a lot of goals, so when you are constantly focused on those things you don’t spend time considering there are people who really don’t want you to win. If not careful, you can even get yourself caught up with some of those people when you’re excited sharing things with them, not see they simply are not on your side.

I remember taking this sort of thing personal at first. Being naive, I remember thinking I needed to try harder to get people to see I wanted them to win too, and we were on the same team. After some growth I learned the reason they felt the way they did had nothing to do with me; but, instead it had EVERYTHING to do with them. Low self esteem, lack of confidence and being mistreated by others can damage people and create frustration that spills over. As for me, I’m not a person who walks around bothering people or trying to offend others. I was raised to be a giver. When you are raised that way, sometimes our parents forget to prepare us for the takers and naysayers. Realizing that jealousy is a contagion where others want what you have and envy it’s poison cousin can mean they simply don’t want YOU to have that something ….. you start to learn to set boundaries and become more discerning. I don’t always get it right and I’ve had some ill intentioned folks use my giving spirit in the wrong way; but, I catch on a lot sooner now than ever before.

To get through it, I focus on this truth “I will never fully understand why they are the way they are because I am not like them and the only way for me to fully understand is to be like them. That is not something I want for myself.” Not everyone will love you or like you and that is ok. One thing they will do if you are above board and doing the right thing is respect your hustle even if they never tell you they do.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I love being an Emotional Intelligence Practitioner & Assessor. It gives me an opportunity to help people really understand the data behind emotions. Emotions are not good or bad. Instead, they tell us key information in the story of our lives and our interactions with others. They help us to live a better quality of life and they are correlated to our success outcomes so much that 58% of performance is connected to our emotional intelligence. That is nothing to sneeze at! Additionally, the work I do takes a look at how trauma, whether it be from childhood experiences, racial trauma, violent trauma, and more rewire the way we think and cope. Once people begin the healing process from their trauma, I can help them find ways to reach their goals in the way of wellbeing, relationships, quality of life and effectiveness in a way that makes sense for them.

I’m also leaning more and more these days into ways I can help women entrepreneurs and small business owners like me. I started a grassroots effort in Gwinnett County, Georgia called Sisters in Business Network Gwinnett. This initiative brings existing minority women business owners and entrepreneurs into an online Facebook group where they can find referrals, gain education through curated workshops and webinars as well as find accountability partners and shared funding information. We are on our way to 2000 members soon and this is very exciting as we look for further expansion opportunities. We don’t have overhead unless we need to use a venue or need supplies, so businesses already in existence maintain their status quo that way while we work to help them grow. Recently, I had a business owner purchase 12 business coaching sessions from me so I could give them away to the ladies. Anyone can support other businesses in the group the same way. It is a win for all of us and we hope to continue to grow.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As I reflect on my career and the journey to where I am now, there are three key things that have been the most impactful. The first is emotional intelligence. Once I learned not only what it was, how to use it and how to apply it, my life changed drastically. I don’t sell emotional intelligence. I help people improve their lives by growing tools they already have. The second thing was understanding spiritual intelligence which is another part of the work I do. When we combine emotional intelligence with spiritual insight, whether in a faith-based way or not, we learn how we are positioning ourselves with ourselves, with those around us and in the world. Here we get to choose what that balance looks like for us and make changes on our own terms. The last thing, but the most important thing that has impacted me is my own beliefs. My personal faith has been the one constant in my life undergirding my relationships with my children, significant other, my family and even in the way I choose to see hope despite the tough times we face in today’s world. What I honor has also kept me hopeful that even those who could be considered the haters or nay-sayers will one day see themselves in the mirror and realize they are so much more than what they’ve allowed themselves to be. When we each look at how incredible we are, we can stand firmly on the originality we possess knowing that we are and will always be enough!

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always looking to collaborate with others. I read something about collaboration being what you do at the top. I’d venture to add to this by saying that meaningless compettion is what you do at the bottom. Healthy competition is fine; however, sometimes people get so bogged down by that the energy they are using steals their creativity. I am a speaker as well and I love being able to share thoughts on stages, panels and at conferences. I’d love to do some college speaking because young people are amazing and they too need to be poured into. These  are  the type Ms of opportunities I am looking for these days.

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