Inspiring Conversations with Natriece Spicer of The Inspired Life

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natriece Spicer.

Hi Natriece, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Strutting through the earthquake-cracked streets of San Francisco’s ‘Sunnydale Housing’ in the summer sun/wind combo was like fresh candy from the candy store. For some kids, it was just playing outside, but for me, it was chanting namesake anthems of “Deboe and Poet” while dreaming of one day making it out of the hood. I had no clue what ‘making it’ was, no idea why we strolled the streets loudly chanting our nicknames so fervently, but I knew I wanted to make it, and I believed in the pseudonym. I dreamt of public speaking and performing spoken word, but I always knew in my heart life would lead me to pursue a carer in writing. Something about spoken word is flowing, moving, and changing: much like poetry, life carried me through a series of highways and byways, including everything from college to unforgettable memoirs of cringe-worthy moments. But in the summer of 2016, I returned to the stage with an aggressive purpose and a laser focus: inspiration and healing. Over time, that desire progressed to a love of serving others with the wellness advice and personal development I had learned through experience. As an edutainer performing purpose-driven material that informs, empowers and educates others, my whole goal is to challenge you to think, embrace your humanity, and invigorate you to LIVE (plus, I rock the crowd, but I digress). So, In 2017 I formed The Inspired Life.

Now I get to challenge my limits, be my most vibrant version of me, and disrupt the wellness and development industries. Self-care is for everyone. I support entrepreneurs and their families in life skills and growth because I love innovation. I feel like we creative brand owners are foolish enough to keep testing the limits of what we can achieve when we think outside of the box to better ourselves. I am intrigued by the human mind, social connectivity, and, lately, the impact of our souls on our physical journey. All of it inspires me to dream vividly and act boldly. I used to wonder what it might be like to live in reality as colorful and hopeful as my beautiful mind; I want other entrepreneurs to have support for them and their families to be well and pursue their interests. I believe that the dreamers who get into good trouble shake up the world and make it better for everyone. Leading live audiences through transformative moments, having the complex panel conversations, and even the keynotes and spoken word – I love everything I am blessed to do but people are my favorite.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? (laughs) of course not. Life, in general, has been anything but, yet a lot of the good is fitted in between some hard days and rough nights. Doing the right thing when it wasn’t favored, supporting others knowing they lacked the nerve to support themselves, and keeping myself well and grounded while typically serving audiences of people in dire need are some things that would make someone else shudder or stress. For me, it’s all motivation to remember that I once felt alone, to know that none of us is by ourselves, and to prove that we are magically capable of incredible transformation when willing to unlearn, regroup, and adjust to learning something new. Like many other business owners (particularly women of color), we dedicate energy to addressing the typical concerns of social impact, market trends, and finances. That has also been a part of our grassroots approach to scaling the business-to-business and retail operations. We work hard but take care of ourselves for the long haul; we are growing the brand but not faster than the resources and infrastructure allow. It is about knowing when to move as a micro entity. Many owners fold under pressure to overexert, overspend, and over-present themselves. Our approach has been learning and observing before execution. The slower we pace launches and extreme moves, the better opportunities have started to flow consistently. Many companies popped up during the pandemic, which is excellent; we are looking to be a part of the cohort that thrives into the ten-year mark.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Inspired Life. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Inspired life is a consulting company that hosts a podcast and houses wellness and development books, courses, and workshops. We’re nothing like what you’ve had, have some joy for yourself! We love to travel for speaking, wellness engagements, and entrepreneurial events. Our special sauce is blending artistic content into our books and programming models. The unique value we offer is teaching lifeskills and helping others to spark their own greatness and flourish.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
To find an adult mentor, I would say do these things:

– Get clear on one topic you need to be mentored on and identify if it is personal or business
– Join vetted associations or groups to identify potential mentors or registries where you might apply for one
– Look into mentorship from county/state-provided services such as the SBDC (Small Business Development Corp)
– Improve or create your calendar; have a clear outlook on your available time and current work/life load.
– Be willing to serve, support, and show up for the mentor- not the other way around.
– Anticipate receiving behind-the-scenes exposure, a time commitment to teach and enrich yourself, and follow self-development work to do on your own

Here are some networking tips excerpted from our public speaking guidebook:

– Establish a personal networking goal & then set up networking nights on your calendar to ensure you hit the target.

– Develop a network of networkers!! Use your circle of influence to create a list of ‘Business Besties’ – fellow bosses you can attend physical & virtual events with, swap ideas & grow together in overall business capabilities.

– Run a triple play on your social media: Reset, Renew and Replenish it – then make a social funnel to create new content / engage with a goal # of followers per day and comment on a set goal # of other like pages per day. Run the funnel for 45 days.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.til4ever.org
• Instagram: @theinspiredlife.co
• Facebook: @The Inspired Life4Ever
• Other: http://myurls.co/theinspiredlifepodcast