Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaquinta Richardson.
Hi Shaquinta, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in South Carolina and walked the path of a Gifted Black Girl in the south. All of my value, affirmation, and encouragement came through my academics. That resulted in a hyper-focus on academics and career success with little attention to other aspects of my life. I also grew up really poor, so education was viewed as the vehicle to get out of the hood. It wasn’t until I went to college that I met my first “identity crisis.” I went to an HBCU for undergrad (shout out The Illustrious Claflin University) where I was still viewed as one of the top students at my university, but I was no longer the “smart Black girl.” I then had to learn to develop other parts of my personality and learn to build relationships with other smart Black people.
Fast forward, I got my first job out of college and I struggled significantly. I was in a career I hated in a location I hated and still dealing with the residual effects of poverty, even though I was making good money for a 22 years old at the time. To add further strain, I had ended my engagement to my college boyfriend who also worked for the same company. I followed all the rules. I had done everything “right.” Yet, I was the lowest I had ever been.
It was at that point I decided to leave and change careers. That was a very courageous thing to do at that time. I didn’t have another role set up and my parents didn’t have a home for me to return to. I had to figure it out. It was at that point I decided to do the thing I knew best and go back to school in an entirely different career. I became a Marriage & Family Therapist, went on to get my Ph.D in Human Development & Family Science, and became a professor in a graduate program. During that time, I also started my private therapy practice. After doing that work for a few years, I saw a need to focus on the experiences of Black women who had similar paths to mine and Beyond Achieving Coaching & Consulting was born. I now provide the life & career coaching for Black women primarily (but not solely) to help reduce the stress and strain of high-pressure careers and create full lives that decenter work. I help them create and maintain their success with more ease, flow, and alignment.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all. I grew up with my mother and sister and sometimes my grandmother. My father was in prison for large parts of my childhood so it was just us. My mom worked low-wage jobs and didn’t have a lot of capacity for emotional support. My sister, who is six years my senior, helped out a lot, but that also took a major toll on her goals.
When I was a senior in high school, my grandfather passed and my mom had the beginnings of what we can only characterize as a nervous breakdown. Then my grandmother passed during my sophomore year of college, and that created a further breakdown. She was essentially non-functioning as a parent. My sister and I, mostly my sister, had to take care of her basic needs. My father was incarcerated at this time so I did not have any parental support. I had extended and chosen family that loved and supported me, but I had to figure a lot of life out on my own during some of the most challenging years of my life. I made several mistakes during that time, but I also learned how to rely on myself to solve my own problems. I worked three jobs as an honors student to make sure my own needs were met. As I mentioned before, poverty has residual effects and is made worse when you have no guidance on how to did yourself out of a hole.
After I left my first job out of college, I applied to and started my master’s program. Between those transitions, my cousin was killed in April, my friend died of cancer in May, and my step-father died by suicide in June. I was dealing with grief while also starting the journey of graduate school. That was a difficult transition, but I was able to rebuild the community and lean on my support. During that time, I was able to get to a more stable place and things started to look really promising.
Fast forward to entering my doctoral program, residual effects of poverty strikes again. I wasn’t prepared for the financial strain of a PhD and ended up losing everything I had worked for to that point. I was preparing to give up on the idea of a PhD. It was at that point I had to make a decision. I had to tell myself, “It’s gone now. You can’t change that. Now, what do you want.” I chose to stay and that decision changed everything.
Through these challenges, I learned how to problem solve, how to maintain my belief that things could improve, and how to trust my own voice.
I talk about this a lot in my work because so many of our decisions are driven by our fear of being broke or going back to poverty (even if the person has never experienced it), but allowing that fear to take over often limits our possibilities. Building self-trust is important for this reason.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Beyond Achieving is a Coaching and Consulting firm that helps Black women and women of color reduce the stress associated with high-pressure careers and learn to develop the elusive balance, confidence, and healthy habits. I specialize in creating boundaries and practices that allow women to maintain and grow their success while also having healthy relationships with themselves and others. It’s the idea that you can have it all, but you can’t do it all. I show women how to make decisions that align with their deepest desires and who they really are. I show them how to manage their time and perfectionism to save energy for the things and people who matter most in their lives. Mindset, strategy, and courage-building.
What sets me apart from others my ability to see past what is presented to seeing what’s possible. I have an expanded understanding of how systemic pressures influence how Black women think and move and I know how to challenge and present alternatives that allow us to acknowledge those pressures without being ruled by them. I help clients get past the point where they typically stop. To help push beyond habitual ways of thinking. One thing about me as a coach; there’s no limitation you can give yourself that I will allow you to believe without challenge. That’s because your limitations are usually immaterial fears you’ve accepted as fact.
What I am most proud of is building a business that is informed by my own deep knowing that doesn’t require clients to show up in one specific way. My clients come to me because they know they will be welcomed and accepted as they are without fitting into any mold. I don’t follow anyone’s blueprint. I am able to see their whole forests and help guide them to their destinations efficiently and safely.
When clients work with me, I want them to feel like they have the spirit of Tracee Ellis Ross, the homegirl of Taraji P. Henson, and the wisdom Angela Bassett at their service. When you work with me, I am invested in your growth because you have invested in yourself. I offer both monthly retainers and 6-month commitments. I am your personal guide for the entire time working together.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The FOOD! I moved to Houston at the height of the pandemic, in June 2020. Things were still shut down and all there was to do was eat, so I experienced Houston first through food. I love how much there is to do, should I choose to do it. I come from a place with very little variety and less opportunity. The possibilities really do feel endless here. What I like least is the heat. I really tried hard to think about this, but the thing that comes up is the heat. I do not like being hot. I can’t wait until “fall” gets here in December, lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beyondachieving.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.shaquinta
Image Credits
Jess Morales @ We The Romantics
