Her Story
About Dr. Roneisha
My journey into this work began with a profound personal experience. At a young age, I lost my father, who died in my arms, and I knew then that I had been chosen for a reason. As I matured, I realized God wanted to use me as a vessel to bring light to other people's lives, whether youth, women, or families. I started in education as a classroom teacher, then became an administrative dean handling discipline and classroom management. But I wanted to do even more to reach the community proactively, so I went back to school and pursued my doctoral degree to gain knowledge I could pour back into the community. That's when I founded Be That, which stands for Thrive, Hope, Affirm, and Transcend. My message to people is: you can be a lot of things, but I want you to be that. Through Be That, I do coaching, mentoring, and motivational speaking. I published a book called 'The Power of Be That' that's available on Amazon and my website. It's unique because after every chapter, there's space for readers to journal and take notes. I also work as a Community Partnership Director, bringing resources like medical care, food, and job opportunities to families who need them. I conduct workshops on social media navigation, confidence building, and brand development. My approach is to do a needs assessment with each client because everyone's journey is different. I help people get to the root of what may be holding them back, whether it's childhood trauma, lack of confidence, or fear. Then I build something that accommodates their specific needs. I teach people to use their everyday experiences to become better and to recognize that they already have expertise within themselves. Every encounter I have, I want people to leave different than they came. I want them to feel like it was an experience, not just a meeting. I'm really my own competition, always asking what else I can achieve that will add value to the space I occupy.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dr. Roneisha
01What do you attribute your success to?
Aside from my hard work, I would say my parents. They were both educators, and they instilled in me at a very early age the importance of really just having your own knowledge and being able to use it for the betterment of everyone around you. That foundation they gave me has been instrumental in everything I've accomplished.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is that when it comes to leadership, it's not always about what you do, but rather, it's about how you make people feel. If you're able to convey positive, nurturing, structured emotion, then your leadership will prevail every time. People will respect you and they will see you operate with integrity, because they won't only just see your leadership, but they will feel it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that just because it may not always be easy doesn't mean it won't be worth it. Don't shy away from hard work, but be aware enough to know when you've done enough and when it's time to perhaps move to the next level or elevate to a different environment. A lot of times people stay stuck because they feel like they don't have options, but sometimes we have to create options. There are different ways to do that, and it's really a learned strategy.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge I face right now is the lack of resources. With the current climate of everything, sometimes things get cut in the budget, and we have to be creative and find ways to provide those same services with less. Just because it's not in the budget doesn't mean that it's still not needed. So it really makes you get creative in how you offer those services and how you're still able to impact the population that needs it.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are definitely being authentic, being compassionate, operating with integrity, and really just being able to be present. I think a lot of times we may be physically there, but we're not mentally there, so making sure that we are able to be mentally present is vital as well.
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