Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Metrisa Rene', Founder of Parent 4 Life Institute for Parental Leadership & Healthy Families, located in Burbank, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Parent 4 Life provides easily accessible and engaging educational materials, programs, and support for future & current parents to identify their unique parenting values while developing their leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills. The mission of Parent 4 Life is to educate, prepare and support future and current parents from all walks of life throughout their lifelong journey of parenthood so they can lead their children to achieve their full potential and create a better society. We do this by:

  1. Providing cutting-edge curriculum and programs that develop the authentic, transformational, and spiritual leadership of each parent.
  2. Preparing parents to interact and lead their children spiritually,
    emotionally, physically, socially, intellectually, and morally by providing tools to create a personalized 3–5 year guidebook for their parenting.
  3. Supporting the parenting journey through topic-specific workshops, online and in-person community forums, research, podcasts, literature, and technology-supported crisis management.

In addition to working directly with the public consumer through the online platform, our hope is to work with school districts and institutions to create a better society by breaking generational and systemic disparities through curriculum and program development aimed at educating and empowering the most at-risk parents to lead from their unique perspective, improve their communication and conflict resolution skills, and see their own potential as they assist their child in achieving their own.

Tell us about yourself

After a 20-year career in corporate America as a leader, performance improvement coach, leadership and talent developer, organizational change agent, business consultant, and educator, I recognized that the efforts to improve an organization's performance and culture were dependent on the level of toxicity present in the organization's executive leadership and management. Determined to improve corporate leadership, I began my Ph.D. studies in Organization Leadership Development, only to discover that the fix was NOT found in the HR departments or board rooms in corporate America; it was found in a much more intimate location - HOME.

Research showed that despite organizations spending millions to identify and improve leadership skills, organizations with toxic leaders often fail to improve because the issue stems from childhood psychological trauma, which affects a leader's ability to lead from a place of authenticity. This resonated with me because, at a young age, my passion for helping children and the underserved led me to work with homeless & child advocacy organizations such as CASA, Junction 505, BV Mission, Special Olympics, and Inclusion Matters, just to name a few. This exposure to the effects of broken family dynamics, ineffective parenting, and toxic corporate culture shaped my approach to parenting my own three children and leadership.

As the pandemic hit, I witnessed the rise of toxic leadership, parents struggling to parent without external support systems, marriages collapsing, and worst, the mental health of children declining. With my Ph.D. nearly completed, the realization hit - what if there was a way to help children, parents, and corporate America at the same time? Therefore, merging organizational leadership theory and the psychological theory of attachment, and my intense passion for leadership and parenting - I decided to start the Parent 4 Life Institute for Parental Leadership and Healthy Families.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is taking a concept and creating something that has not been done before that can really help others. This company has never been about me; it has been about helping every child and parent have a better experience and fostering community. Every person I talk to has a story, has a connecting piece, and as I help one person, I am able to connect them to another and so forth and so on, and soon - this amazing community of supportive people exists that didn't know each other previously and can bring a sense of normalcy and connectivity to the journey they are each on. Knowing something I built creates a ripple effect of positivity is so rewarding and fuels me to keep going and growing.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Overcoming fear, relying on self-validation, and knowing when to ask for help. Originally, I began developing the concepts and programs for my company with the plan to leave my 9-5 with a nest egg and launch my company in 2023. However, I was laid off in 2022, a full year before I was ready to start my company, went through a horrible breakup, was disconnected from my local support system, and found myself spiraling into a deep depression. With three kids depending on me, I felt the pressure out of fear to find another 9-5, yet, something deep inside me knew that the only way to lead a satisfying and purpose-driven life that I would be proud of would be to forge ahead. Slowly but surely, I started building and developing the company, tackling my fears, understanding that I don't need anyone to pat me on the back and tell me I am doing a good job, and eventually gaining the confidence to know where and when to ask for help. Starting this company has been life-changing; it is literally fostered my higher self, and I think for anyone starting their own business, simply taking that chance on themselves and knowing that if you are living in your purpose, it will all work out is the hardest part.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Don't allow fear to stop you - focus on what you want and not what you don't want, then do what you want. There is a reason you want these things - it is what makes up your purpose and makes the most delicious success story because you realize anything is possible if you just do it.
  2. Control what you can and don't worry about the rest - you are only one person, and focusing on what you can't affect will drain your energy.
  3. Don't try to do it alone. You have a network of people that believe in you. Ask for help; those that believe in what you are doing and are your truest supporters won't hesitate.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://parent4life.org/
Facebook(Company): https://www.facebook.com/Parent4LifeInstitute/
Facebook(Personal): https://www.facebook.com/MetrisaR/
Instagram(Company): https://www.instagram.com/parent4lifeinstitute/
Instagram(Personal): https://www.instagram.com/metrisa_rene/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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