Monique Caradine is an award-winning media personality and certified success coach to women influencers. Utilizing her experience of being a thriving entrepreneur for over a decade in addition to nearly two decades as a producer and on-air personality, she specializes in transforming the way female leaders create wealth, happiness and success.
Rolling out recently sat down with her to discuss her pathway to success and the importance of a great mentor.
Walk us through your journey to success. How did you get to this point?
I grew up in Chicago’s West Englewood community and attended Lindblom High School. It was there that I discovered my passion for writing, speaking and communications. From there, I studied radio-TV-film at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. My college experience helped me see the power of having a voice and how to leverage the media to tell the stories no one else was telling at that time.
After school, I returned to Chicago to break into the highly competitive media market. I faced a lot of rejection but that didn’t stop me. I had the audacity to reach out to media veterans Cheryl Burton of ABC7 and Art Norman of NBC5, who advised me and became mentors. Art eventually introduced me to Melody Spann-Cooper of WVON 1690am who would offer me an internship that later evolved into my becoming the host of the midday show on WVON where I gained national recognition. Years later, Melody positioned me to receive a TV hosting opportunity at my50 Chicago and for the next four years I hosted a public affairs program called Perspective. The visibility that these positions provided allowed me to speak, train, mentor and help thousands of people. I soon discovered that I had a particular passion for speaking to women.
Today, I am a certified coach working with influencers and entrepreneurs. Through my OverFlow Coaching brand, I’ve helped hundreds of women transform their lives by equipping them with practical yet powerful tools.
What do you do to stay on top of your game professionally?
I make sure that I invest in myself through coaching. I believe that every winner has a coach. I also meditate, pray and I always make sure I have a clear intention about what I want to achieve. Sustainable success takes planning, vision and strategy. I always have a strategy no matter what I do. Additionally, I surround myself with the right people. My inner circle contains people who vibrate and operate at a high level. Whenever I find that I am the smartest one in the room, I move to a new room.
How do you balance your personal life with your professional?
Honestly, I still haven’t mastered this. My life has never been this nice- neat-perfect separation between the two. However, I do not allow my phone to distract me first thing in the morning like I used to. Instead of checking email and messages, I check in with God through prayer and mediation. No email is more important than that. I multi-task less, I don’t take phone calls during dinnertime or commute time when we’re all together in the car or whenever we have the opportunity to just spontaneously connect. Those are moments that we all treasure.
What advice would you give to a budding entrepreneur or career woman?
I have two key pieces of advice.
- Partner with a coach. A good coach will help you find and stay on the right path. She will also push you past your comfort zone. Not having a coach puts you in danger of not realizing your full potential. Serena Williams has a coach. Kobe Bryant has a coach. Scottie and Mike had a coach. Every winner has a coach.
- Establish your wealth foundation before your elevation. I’ve seen many women (myself included) ascend the ladder of success very quickly. However, if you have not established a strong foundation, everything you’ve worked for could be lost in the blink of an eye. You have a choice, you can be rich or you can be wealthy. Wealthy people have different habits, behaviors and beliefs than rich people. They also usually have a strong foundation. Make sure you’re not building your success on a weak foundation.
What does being a BOSS mean to you?
Being a BOSS means freedom, influence, having more than enough, and having people around me that refuse to doubt me. Even when I share my wildest dreams, I want to have the kind of team that says, “that ‘ish’ sounds crazy as hell, but let’s go for it!”
For more information about Monique Caradine, please visit www.MoniqueCaradine.com or follow her on Twitter at @MoniqueCaradine
The BOSS Network is a community of career and entrepreneurial women who support each other through conversation, online and event-based networking. Their mission is to promote and encourage the small business spirit and professional development of women. For more information on The BOSS Network, please visit www.thebossnetwork.org.
