Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Wallace.
Carla, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was an entrepreneur before I knew what an entrepreneur was. The earliest I can remember is being in kindergarten having a desire to become a doctor and having a passion for entrepreneurship to help others financially. Before kindergarten ended that year, I was featured in an article for a career day as wanting to become a doctor in the Beaumont Enterprise. I also contracted my first contractor Cheryl who sold stickers for me for a percentage of the profit that year in kindergarten.
Well, the desired did not stop there, it continues through middle school, high school and even up until now. I came from a family of entrepreneurs and investors. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that before we were born that God already knew the plans he had for us and I guess that’s why entrepreneurship and the desire to be in the healthcare field came so natural to me at a very young age. Later, in my journey, I was able to merge my desire with my passion and come up with my life purpose.
Fit 2 Conquer is a byproduct from the other companies I own. And in the process, I had to go back and attain two more degrees in nursing because as an LVN I could not teach education on the level I needed for Fit 2 Conquer. I graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor degree in nursing. Currently, I’m enrolled back at UTA in the master’s program studying to become a nurse practitioner while maintaining my career as a Regional Director of Clinical Service for a long-term-care company here in Texas. Even though my path did not take me down the road to becoming a medical doctor, I found joy in helping many patients and families at the bedside.
Yes, it sounds busy, but I also believe in multiple streams of income and creating spaces for others to excel and that is where Fit 2 Conquer comes into play.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
All the clichés that I heard about life struggles were me. In quotes “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired” and my favorite one “the struggle is real”, those were all me. I had to change my mindset and push pass life oppositions through offensive strategies and the word of God through Jesus Christ. I had to build a team of true supporting people who would tell me the truth about me, my products and how I ran my businesses. I had to be around people who did more than me and had more than me. Not taking anything from them physically or financially but allowing an impartation of their wisdom to infiltrate my space in life and most of all, having my family supporting me and my grand ideas.
The biggest challenge and obstacles I had was me. I would allow fear, doubt, and negative thoughts to enter my mind. Instead of jumping in a taking a calculated risk. With Fit 2 Conquer coming in as a byproduct, later on in my business journey, I still found it challenging to break out of my comfort zone. Not until I had an ah-ha moment, which was defining a moment in my businesses and career life that I was able to enter a new dimension in growth in every area of my life.
The advice that I would give young women who are just starting out on their journey would be to:
1. Attain knowledge for where you are going and always be teachable.
2. Surround yourself with the right team of people who will tell you the truth in love.
3. Avoid people who downplay your ideas, without giving you a solution to make work. In other words; don’t let them tell you, you can’t do it, they need to show you how you can do it.
4. Collaborate with people or entities with the opposite skill sets to expand your business or brand.
5. Find what you are good at, and make it work for you and don’t over think things.
6. An if you are creative and all over the place like me, learn to focus and work from a task list.
7. Stay healthy to Conquer to live out your life plan.
what should we know about Fit 2 Conquer (Brand)? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Fit to conquer is the brand under my Centurion and Health and Wellness Solutions company. Our brand is created to educate, empower, enlighten and inspire others to transform into their God-given potential through health and wellness promotions. Fit to conquer host seminars, book tours and gives practical tools to help you become a better you in the areas of: 1. Health 2. Social 3. Finance 4. Physical 5. Spiritual 6. Occupation 7. Emotions 8. Intellectual.
So many people from all walks of life are dying from preventable chronic diseases or physically cannot perform at their maximum potential. Fit 2 Conquer has developed workable programs to help people reach their health and wellness goals. And, what makes us stand out from the others, is that we have a group of people on our team who is passionate to see other people winning in life at the cost of their own business profits. We pour back into the community without being a non-profit or without soliciting for donations.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
There is a leadership gap with women in leadership positions but to be transparent, when I changed my mindset and my way of thinking, I did not see barriers anymore. I saw opportunities to gain new territory through innovation and creative ways. You have to position yourself for success and be ready for the opportunity to excel. If you have domestic commitments, master the work-life-balance because family time and children are more important than the rise to leadership or a successful business.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11041 Shadow Cree Parkway Suite 121-70
Pearland, Texas 77584 - Website: www.CarlaWallace.com
- Email: Fit2Conquer300@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fit2Conquer/
Image Credit:
Visual Excellence, Rabiah Shabazz
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