Meet Neiasha Russell | Founder & Chief Executive Officer

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

Hi Neiasha, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I’ve been a school counselor for most of my working life. In that role, I had to make sure my  time was balanced appropriately and used wisely in order to deliver and maintain a  comprehensive school counseling program. At the start of every week, I’d spend time  calendaring – carving out space for every small and large activity, task, and responsibility in my  eight-hour day (for the entire week). Not only did that system help me stay organized, and on top of things, but it would often prevent me from bringing work home. I could enjoy my  evenings and weekends with peace of mind and the “work life balance” came easy. Over the  years, it became habit to organize my days and weeks in that manner. And when I failed to do  so, I felt off-balance and out-of-order. 

When I transitioned into the role of the founder and CEO of Harriett’s Daughters, while I was in  control of my work schedule and hours, my eight-hour workdays became 12-hour plus  workdays with no boundaries or limits. Up until a few months ago, I found myself neck deep in  tasks. I was consumed, tired, and my personal life was null and void. I finally realized that it  would behoove me to implement the same calendaring system that I used when I was a school  counselor. 

Now, I have a set work schedule, and every hour in my workday is accounted for, including  breaks, lunch, mediation, and journaling time. In addition, my workdays have different  “themes” and “rhythms”. For example, on Tuesdays my focus is grants, organization process  and flow, and Board of Directors. And on Thursdays, my focus is social media, partnerships,  and program development. As a result, I’m accomplishing more work, every aspect of the  organization is getting my attention, and I’m less stressed. Not to mention, my personal life has  begun to blossom. I now have time to read, catch up on my favorite shows, spend time with  family and friends, and enjoy my hobbies – guilt free. 

For me, calendaring has been my saving grace for setting boundaries and limits around my work  and creating work life balance. And it’s a practice I’ll continue throughout my journey. It works. 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Harriett’s Daughters strives to be the soft landing for girls who have lost their mother to cancer  or whose mother is dying from cancer. Our goal is to provide consultation and family support  services, mentoring programs, scholarships, and research-based programs for school-aged girls  in the Greater Atlanta area. We largely focus on supporting girls through their grieving and  mourning process, inspiring girls to pursue their ambitions, and empowering girls to dream and  make choices that will propel them into a fulfilling future. 

While the organization grows out of its infancy stage, and continues to reach several  milestones, I’m excited about the services and programs that we will be able to provide in the  future. Our hope is to start working with girls and their families this fall. And for the remainder  of the year, we will be collaborating and partnering with other organizations, designing programs, applying for grants and seeking funding, and increasing our number of board  members, advisors and volunteers. 

As the founder & CEO, I’m at the nexus of my profession and purpose and I’m deeply rooted  and committed to the organization because of my personal and professional experiences. The  board of directors are equally committed, and they come with years of experience in a variety  of areas of expertise that are complementary to advancing the organization. Our advisors bring  a wealth of knowledge as well, specific to key areas of our organization, and eagerly and passionately contribute. 

As I reflect on this journey, listening and being obedient to my spirit is the reason I’m where I am today. It hasn’t been easy, but I know I’m walking in my life purpose and knowing that motivates and inspires me. 

In like manner, when I was in college, I stumbled upon a scripture in Proverbs 15:22 that  resonated with me and stuck with me. It says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many  advisers they succeed.” That proverb has been my North Star in many aspects of my life, but  especially as I’ve worked to establish Harriett’s Daughters. I’ve had some challenges and I’ve  learned some lessons. But having mentors, advisors, colleagues, family, and trusted friends to  consult with has helped tremendously. 

My hope is that Harriett’s Daughters’ services and programs, serve as the catalysts for healing  and transformation. I have developed an unyielding passion for wanting to help girls navigate  through this loss from the beginning to the end. Especially, those girls who lack support and  resources – which, can potentially, have a negative impact on them emotionally, socially, and  academically — for years to come.

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?

Monday Workout: Piedmont Park 

Breakfast: Flying Biscuit 

Site seeing: Downtown, Midtown & Buckhead 

Activity: Swan House Tour 

Dinner: Two-Urban Licks 

Tuesday 

Workout: Stone Mountain Park Hike 

Breakfast: Smoothie King 

Activity: Shopping (i.e. Lenox, Perimeter, Outlets, Thrift Stores) 

Dinner: Antico 

Wednesday 

Breakfast: The West Egg Café 

Activity: Drive to Chateau Elan Winery 

Dinner: Barcelona

Thursday 

Workout: Chattahoochee River Trail 

Breakfast: Another Broken Egg Café 

Activity: Escape Room Atlanta, Ponce City Market, Beltline 

Dinner: Chops Steakhouse  

Friday 

FREE DAY and RELAX 

Dinner: Slutty Vegan 

Night Out: The Battery/Atlantic Station 

Saturday 

Brunch: Murphy’s 

Activity: Oakland Cemetery 

Dinner: Six Feet Under 

Night Out: Salsa Dancing 

Sunday 

Brunch: South City Kitchen 

Activity: Jeju Spa 

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I’d like to give a shoutout to my mentors, board of directors, advisors (on and off record),  colleagues, family, and trusted friends! They’ve all contributed to my success and the success of  the organization in their own individual ways and I’m forever thankful. 

Website: https://www.harriettsdaughters.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harriettsdaugh1/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiasharussell/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarriettsDaugh1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dawnyulle.russell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLYrKGMlWTTkWsKLO6hJuYA