Meet Monique Russell: Executive Communications Coach & Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monique Russell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monique, what makes you happy? Why?
You know I feel deeply fulfilled and happy when I get to spend quality time with my family and those I love. This is especially when we are just being in each other’s presence without a set agenda. Also, when I am able to create, express the creation and see the positive impact or result of that creation, I feel happy. For example, when I create a speaking presentation and deliver it, or when I design a coaching or training methodology and implement it successfully. Something else that makes me feel happy is when I am able to work in my strength zone doing things I love like speaking, researching and writing. I feel so happy because it’s like I am doing what I was born to do and operating in the gifts God gave me. If I add travel in the mix to all that, well, that is just the icing on the cake! In these moments, no one is forcing me to do anything or charting out my goals or activities for me. I’m the captain of my own ship and that feels extremely exhilarating and rewarding.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My company, Clear Communication Solutions is a global training, coaching and consulting firm with a focus on teaching leaders and teams how to have positive and productive relationships at home and work. We also provide women business owners tools, strategies, and techniques to position themselves effectively in business online and offline. Because of our work, we get to help people feel more fulfilled, connect better with their family members, colleagues and peers, and make more money. Our approach is grounded in the principles of love. We know effective transformation and long-lasting communication starts from the inside out. Getting to this place was not easy because I didn’t start with a clear understanding of who I would serve or what I would be serving. We talked about my gifts earlier on, but there was a time when I didn’t know, recognize or accept what my gifts were. Being able to receive clarity and start from the inside out makes what I do effective. Without clarity in your vision, you will feel confused and unfocused. I’m excited about our international partners in Africa and the Caribbean (which makes up some of my cultural heritage) and look forward to continued positive training, coaching and consulting impact in these areas. Our world is multicultural. I read an article by Pew Research that said by 2055, 1 in 5 persons in the U.S. will be multicultural. I’m extremely fortunate to be able to think global and deliver local while advising clients on how to position for future success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting for the week, we’d definitely go for massages at Heavenly Foot Massage. We both like to be pampered so that would probably be one of the early stops. Meals we would eat would include Ethiopian cuisine at Desta’s, sushi at any of the nice sushi spots, tapas at Loca Luna, a Mexican staple, Chipotle and one of the French bistros. Fun activities we would engage in would include a visit to Lake Lanier, salsa dancing, and the comedy theater.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people, groups and books to recognize! I will dedicate this shout out to my mother, a life long educator, Sandra Russell. My mother is responsible for exposing me to personal development because I watched her from an early age as she worked on and developed herself. I observed and absorbed how she listened to positive audio, read books, and tirelessly helped others. Like they say, more is caught than taught. It was because of this and her continuous belief in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself, that has brought me where I am today.