Build A Foundation For Growth and Confidence During The Unexpected with Reyna Davis

Welcome back to the She's Crafted to Thrive podcast. Welcome. So it has been a minute since I released a new episode. And this episode that I'm sharing with you today is an episode that has been a long time coming. And our guest is super excited for you to hear it finally. Her name is Raina Davis. She is an amazing creative person. She's a past client of mine, a longtime friend, and just a wonderful chronic illness warrior that I admire. And when you're listening to this episode, I want you to keep a couple of things in mind. And when we recorded this, Raina was still a client of mine and she had just started on this journey. I wouldn't say just started, she had been with me for about a year at this point in her journey of growing her new business, which you'll learn more about in the episode. And so at the time I was hosting her or working with her inside of my program called She's Crafted Insiders, which was a group program where I connected with and coach other women with different businesses around the, business and strategy and mindset and all of those different things. And the one thing that kept coming up for me in that program and for my clients was the mindset behind taking action. So that program has morphed into being called The Align Clarity Way, which we really focus on all the mindset tools you need in order to grow your business from a way that helps you transform the way you view yourself, your life, and your business as a chronic illness warrior. So definitely check that out in my show— in the show notes if you want to check more about the program. But Raina is amazing at sharing her experience from starting a business from scratch and away during the pandemic. And I love that we talk and we can look back now recording this episode because she now has another business under her brand, Raina B, and it's a handmade jewelry business. Um, and so I'm just so proud of her. I'm so honored that she really embraced the work it needed to— she needed to make and the foundation making of her business to get to where she is now. She continues to invest in her personal development. I know personally because we continue to connect with each other and in her business. So I can't wait for you to listen and kind of have like a moment of you reflecting back on how far you've come in the past 2 years and how and where you are, whether that's personally, whether in your business, wherever that might be. Just recognize we all have survived at this point in time a pandemic. If you're listening to this, you're still here. We have a lot of loss and grief and things that have happened, and many of us are really being hard on ourselves. And I just am really honored that I can share this episode to share with you that we've all gone through it and we're all still going through it, but things— good things have happened and good things will continue to happen. And I hope you find some gems with Reyna's story on starting and overcoming and finding her confidence and building her foundation to continue her growth. So stay tuned.

You're listening to the She's Crafted to Thrive podcast, and this is your host Nikita Williams. On this show, we're talking about what it's like to start, grow, and scale a business while living with chronic illness. You will hear from other creatives and CEOs as they share their stories and the lessons that led them to learn to lean more into what works for them. You'll discover that success does not mean perfection, and fear, negative thoughts, and challenges are all a part of the journey, but there's always an abundance of wins. So stay tuned and you'll find the inspiration and tools you need to craft a life and business that thrives. Hey there, beautiful!

I've got something for you.

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All right, let's hop on into this new episode. Enjoy.

I'm so excited to have Raina on the show. Okay, like super excited, and I know she's nervous, so yes, let's, let's, let's, let's let you First, introduce yourself. Tell us who you are, what you do, where you're from, and a fun fact. Oh, I know you weren't expecting that one.

No, I was not. Oh my goodness. Okay, so my name is Raina, and I am the owner of Raina B Jewelry. So I am actually a consultant for Paparazzi Accessories. Through which I've created my own brand. And so in building this brand, I like to say that it helps people to be creative and uplift others through these accessories. And I am— I don't know if I've already said where I'm from, but I'm from Kentucky.

It's really cool that you're from Kentucky. I hadn't met anybody from Kentucky until I met— like, you came into my world. So that's kind of cool.

Awesome.

So I first want to talk about your branding real quick because I was just on your live the other day on Facebook and your tribe is like, got words for you and what you do. Like, they're like, the hive is live. And I was like, yes.

Oh yeah, they get super hyped up in there.

And I think that was one of the things I was like really most impressed about when you first came into like my world. I was like, this girl has a whole brand like for her paparazzi thing, you know, MLM. A lot of people have different feelings about it. I am not a down player on that. I love it. That's actually probably the place I started from first with entrepreneurship really was through MLM. And that's really what I learned, like, oh, this is what business is like. And having some of the tools already there for you, but learning about how to run a business. So what, like, for you, what brought you to this path, like, in doing what you're doing right now?

Well, I guess I could say I could start with COVID The pandemic happened, um, and, you know, as we all know, many people were left without work. Um, I am a licensed cosmetologist and esthetician, so I have been working in a day spa, and when COVID happened that day spa had to shut down. So that left me at home without work, and I was really looking for something to help me bring in a little bit of income and just to have something to do from home. And I had already been on Facebook and I was actually shopping another independent consultant, and she reached out to me with the opportunity and I really was like, well, Why not? Let's, let's try this. This will give me something to do from home.

That's so crazy. Yeah, COVID made a lot of things, you know, change. Would you have ever thought of doing a business like that before COVID Uh, probably not at all.

Definitely not. I never saw that in myself.

You're so good at it, you guys. I wish, like, if, if anything, like, even if Like, first of all, Paparazzi Jewelry is super cute. Love it. But even if you just want to go check out Reina's like whole brand, like the whole vibe is like she does it like she's been doing it. My husband, when he sees you, when he sees you on Facebook, he goes, he's like, oh, that's it. That's the girl. That's your client. That's like the QVC of like the jewelry, right? I'm like, yeah, like QVC, which has been around for years, you just naturally have that kind of feel when you show up. So I think it's really cool that, you know, you're doing— like, you're doing it. So how— what have been some of the hurdles, like, like with this new world of what you're doing?

Okay, um, I guess just learning how to be an entrepreneur, definitely learning how to work from home. How to be disciplined, for sure. That's been a hard one that I've had to work on, um, especially when you're growing a business from home. You have to realize that you have your business and then you also have your home. So learning how to keep those separate, um, has been a hurdle for me. And then also, um, just some health challenges have come up. And, um, that was also something I had been thinking about when I was working in the day spa. Because I would work long hours during the week. And when I was little, I actually had some doctors notice some points or some signs of fibromyalgia, but I kind of never paid attention to it. They would mention it, and it does run in my family. My mom does have fibromyalgia, but as a child, it wasn't something, of course, that I was worried about then. Yeah. But more recently, my system and my body has definitely shown some signs and some flare-ups. So I had been working in the spa, and I would have days where I would just come home and I would just be in pain. And these major flare-ups were really hurting me. So that has definitely been something that I have been— that has been a challenge.

Yeah, I think that's the first time I've ever heard someone say that when they were a kid, they were like— the doctor said, hey, this might be something you deal with. Because honestly, it takes women on average, I think I've read somewhere like 20 years to even get diagnosed with fibro because everyone's saying like, it's in your head, you're crazy, it's not a thing. So that is really interesting. And, um, how has this new path given you a little bit more freedom with managing you know, the new health challenges.

Well, I think that's one thing that's really neat about this opportunity for me, because I was in a place where I was struggling with that. I'm trying— was trying to understand it, understand the flare-ups and the pain. And then just thinking in my, you know, I love my job at the day spa and I love the work that I do as an esthetician and a nail tech. But it was really starting to hurt me. So I was in this place as to like, I love this, but how much longer is my body going to be able to handle it? Um, and so when COVID happened and I came home, I had some time to kind of think about that a little bit more. And then this job opportunity that seems like it randomly happened from home also opened up an avenue for me to cut back at the spa and work from home so that I can not only focus on my health, you know, but also have a little more freedom in my routine and my schedule.

That is powerful, right? That's so powerful. I think for me, like, it's a chronic— I call myself a warrior because I have multiple chronic illnesses. Just like you, that is a thing, like, you know, going to work physically, not just physically, but also emotionally, of like, is this the day that I'm going to be in the middle of doing something with a client or whatever and I'm gonna like pass out in pain? Like, you know, real things. Um, and some of those things for me in my past actually happened where I was like really in pain and literally people from my job had to come save me. Like, you know, those kind of things. And so it's like when you have opportunities to potentially have your own business and your own flexibility, it gives you a freedom that— a freedom emotionally and physically. I feel like more emotionally of not having to feel that weight of being like, I have to show up even if this— or if I'm sure if I have showed up and I like, you know, stay showed up, if that makes any sense. So I, I really appreciate sharing that. So like, with, with this, have you experienced any fears? Like, because this is new, this wasn't like something you had planned on doing. What were some of those fears that you had to overcome?

Um, yeah, so like I said, I never saw myself doing this. I didn't even see it coming. Um, so just learning how everything works, definitely as an entrepreneur, learning how to handle a business from home, how to be you know, professional, um, from home. And then even just learning how to step down from the spa, because that was what I did, you know, that's what I love doing, and I still love doing it. Um, but actually learning how to, um, because it's a, it's like a fear to step down from our regular like 9 to 5, you know, that was my consistent job. I was always booked. And that was guaranteed basically. So being able to like have that mind change that I now have this business from home that I can build and I can work on, and it's going to be okay to step away from that regular 9 to 5 job. That was fearful to me. And, um, it was actually you that I was able to talk to. And helped me actually have a clear mind and be like, okay, I can do this.

You know, I didn't— I kind of knew that, but I didn't realize it. It's so funny because I've had a couple of you guys on the recording that you guys probably haven't heard or will hear at some point. And there are things you guys have said, I'm like, oh, really? Yes. Oh, wow. So that was like— that kind of leads me to my next question, like, what made you choose to invest in a coach, especially for something, you know, I think when people like join like a direct sales business, they don't think, oh, I'm like, they think their company is going to provide coaching, and they do, but like a separate business coach, like, what made you make that decision for you?

Oh yeah, well, I really wanted to, um, or even just having someone to, to talk to you know, in building your business is so important. And especially finding clarity in that sometimes we, we have these goals or these aspirations, but sometimes that can get really cloudy in our own minds. So it's, it's very important to have the opportunity to have a business coach to help you kind of like puzzle all those pieces together and find that clarity that you need and where to start and the goals that you can reach.

I love that you said it's like you have all these things in mind. It's not that you don't have them in mind, but they get cloudy. What do you think? And this isn't like a question I think you— I had prepared you for, but like, what do you feel like makes us cloudy? Like, what makes— what made you feel cloudy?

I think just being like, okay, so I have this goal in mind of working from home, um, and of course building my business, but where do I even start? I mean, that's That's it too. I mean, you can build a community, but where do you start and how do you go about it? You know, and, you know, also at the end of the day, we're still human and learning how to keep things balanced in that way too is so important. And we don't always give ourselves that freedom.

Yeah.

Yeah.

100%. And that's so— that's such a good point because I do think that we, we have the big overarching goal, like, I want to make this much money and I want to pay off this and I want to do this. But it's like the big goal and then everything else in between goal. Yeah, like, uh, okay, so how are we gonna get there? Um, what if this happens? What if that happens? All of those little things. And then not to mention, what the heck am I doing thoughts, right? Like, yes. Who said I was doing this? Like, who decided this? Like, you know, those kind of things I feel like gets in the way and creates that cloudy feeling of like, wait, why? And it's so funny because I find it— I do it myself. Like, even with my coach, I'm like, she's like, she's like, I think it's hilarious. Like, when I say hilarious, like, I think it is absolutely hilarious. That I help clients get clear. But when I talk to my coach, she's like, you need to get clear on this. And I'm like, stop telling me this. This is what I do. But I feel like it's like one of those things that, um, like when you're really good at something for someone else, it's a lot harder to do it for yourself. Like, like sometimes, like, it's like one of those things. Um, but I also want to come back to something you said earlier about just in general about you, um, because I feel like more women need to embrace this. What do you feel like when you make the choice to step into doing this? What do you feel like gave you the confidence that, you know what, even though I had no idea that this was going to come into my life, that I couldn't make this work?

I think even just because naturally I'm very introverted So I feel like that was a little bit hard for me to do, but as I more so stepped into this role, it's just like, it's exciting to build your own business from home. And, you know, you, you reach out to this community and people start reaching back to you. And, and that is all like a, it's all, it becomes a drive for yourself and for your business. And I think a lot of the time that's where some of that confidence comes in as well.

So what I hear you saying is that you jumped, you leaped a little bit. Yeah, you took a little, you took a little leap, and then you took some more steps, and then you took another leap, and all these action moments created the confidence of being like, you know, I can totally do this.

Yeah, I think so.

Yeah, so I, I love that, and I love to break that down because I think a lot of times people are searching for confidence as if it's just like on a shelf and you can grab it, but it's like you kind of have to get a ladder and you got to build the ladder, you got to climb up the ladder, and then you can go grab it. Like there's all these little mini steps to get to like actually—

to reach out, reach out for it.

Yeah, totally. So what helps you like find the balance? Have you found balance, some harmony, and like running a business from home, living with chronic illness? I know you're kind of like newlywed but not newlywed, like all of those things. Like how, how are you finding balancing or finding harmony with all of those things?

I think just learning also how to be honest with yourself and especially that I'm able to work from home. People, they, they see that, you know, like my community sees that. They know that I work from home. And so I think there's been a couple of times where I felt like I always had to appear perfect or like show up perfect on social media. Like everything's good. Like I feel good all the time, you know. Um, but I feel like your people actually can connect to you more when you're honest with them too. And then they see that, oh wow, like she's human as well, you know. She also has days like everybody else has days. And when you learn how to be honest with that with your people, I think they even reach out to you even more, and they, they cheer you on, and they help you feel good too.

Yes, 100%. I don't know if I've told you this story, but I'm sure the folks listening have heard this before. But the moment I went from like, oh, I'm just a coach, or I'm just doing done-for-you services, to being like, you know what— because I didn't want to really lean into the fact that I really deal with living with chronic illness a lot. It's not like a thing that For some people, they find where they're in remission, they don't really have anything. I don't have that life. Yeah, I don't have those kind of lives. I do a lot of things to help manage it, and also I feel like over the years I've just developed a really tolerance for it. Um, but the, the, the weight of not showing up as living with a chronic illness and trying to appear as though I didn't like I was all good was like creating a whole nother period of time shift of like, oh, look, this is not real. Like, this is not real. And a pressure. Exactly. A heavy pressure, right? Like, which makes it feel like I can— this is not ever going to be sustainable. This is never going to be something that I can continue to do if I keep trying to. And so the moment I decided, you know what, this is just going to be a part of my brand, like, this is it. This is going to be a part of my brand. Yo, I was in the hospital or Yeah, I'm not going to be able to do this, or I'm doing my lives from bed. Like all of those different things. Like it really helped me to just be like, you know what? Perfect is not— is no such thing. And I think that's what I try to give to you girls. Like when I'm, you know, coaching, working with you guys, it's like, I don't care how you show up. Like if you can, if you physically can, great. If you don't got makeup on, that's fine too. Like it doesn't even matter. Just do what you can when you can. And I feel like working with you in the past, like how long has it been? Almost 6 months or a year. Yeah, yeah, that you have really embraced that. Like, at first it was kind of that feeling of like, I gotta show up a very certain way, and I'm like, let's go. And now I feel like you just— it's like, it feels more fun and more enjoyable.

Totally. Yeah. And everything— and everybody else will still be there, you know.

Yes, yes. And people are like, oh yeah, like, I, I remember the first time I was like, sent a thing to a client to say, you know, I need to reschedule because I was just really sick. And they're like, oh my gosh, sure. And then asked me, can I do anything for you? And I was like, what? Like, all that kind of, you know, changes in your mind of what you think people are thinking.

Yes, it does.

What are— who are some women that you are inspired by?

Um, I think my— I would say my mom, definitely, because she, she also struggles with fibromyalgia. And, um, as a child, you know, I didn't understand it, and I was always— I would always look at my mom and, and ask her, you know, Mom, why are you so tired? Like, why are you tired all the time? You know, and now I definitely am also struggling with fibromyalgia. I totally understand that a lot more now. So I, I look up to her also because I know she is a strong woman, woman, and she definitely always has my back. And another thing is that she also helped me in starting my business from home. So my mom is definitely someone that inspires me.

Oh, that is so sweet. You know, that is That is— that's a really powerful story in itself, just being able for Ma— for you to come full circle to understand where she's coming from, from that standpoint, especially the tired and dealing with chronic illness and raising children. I always tell people, I don't have kids. I do feel like having a chronic illness feels like having a kid. It has to be in some way, shape, or form. But I can't imagine having a chronic illness and having more like children, and then, you know, more than one children, that's hard. Like, there's a whole nother level of hard. So it is, you know, women like your mom definitely, you know, very inspiring because of that, because that takes a whole nother level of strength that we don't need to tap into.

Definitely. I can't even imagine.

So what has been, would you say, your biggest mindset shift to either get to where you wanted to go or to really embrace this journey? What has been something you've really had to like change?

Um, I think that all goes back to learning how to separate work from home, you know, and, and being disciplined for sure. I know I've had to develop my own schedule and even work hours, even just that even helps you mentally at home to separate the two, you know, and that way, you know, from this time to this time I should be actually working, you know, and I'm not just, you know, I can't just relax because I'm at home, you know, there's still work to be done. So being able to set that time frame, work around it, and then also learn how to turn it off because sometimes we can overdo it. And you know, you might be scrolling through social media or trying to reply to messages like 24/7. And that was something I definitely had to learn how to separate, and that it's okay to reply the next day because you can have work hours too, even though you work from home.

Yes, those boundaries, those boundaries, so important. They are so, you know, boundaries are— it's like a paradox. Kind of in my head, like, we think boundaries like a fence or, or like a, you know, it's a boundary line. You don't— this— you don't do this, you don't do that. But there's so much freedom in creating boundaries in our business. Like, once we do, it's just like a whole bunch of sandbags are lifted off of our shoulders. So I would love for you to share any tips, because when I say, you guys, that Reyna is so good when it comes to her branding, like If you could see her room right now, like where she's doing this recording, she's got her honeybee cone wall and her lights. Like her branding alone makes you stand apart from like other direct sales when it comes to like, you know, paparazzi jewelry or any business. And that's something when I first started, I used to work with a lot of women who were trying to do that, but they just found it really difficult because they're like, but I'm selling someone else's product. Like I'm selling someone else's product. So how do I create my own brand? And it's really tapping into you, and you have done a beautiful job of really just tapping into your own, like, awesome vibe and tribe and all of the things. So if you want to give any tools or tips or tricks to someone who's, like, wanting to try a direct sales business or even, um, yeah, what would, what would you give them? What would be some advice?

I feel like it's important to build your own, you know, appearance for sure. Instead, you know, that way you're not just appearing to be the same thing as everybody else, you know, because how many paparazzi sales consultants are there? I'm sure there's like a million. So you have to learn how to create your own kind of vibe, you know, and that goes along with even choosing colors that you want to stay consistent with so that when people see those colors, they think of you. Now I have, you know, plenty of people who reach out to me and they're like, oh, I saw this honeycomb today and I thought of you. So just being able to build that consistency around what your business is, is important. For sure, you know, and then you can go in from there into creating maybe logos and certain vibes and things that people can connect with. And, and I think it's important to help people feel like they're a part of something, like they're a part of a community. And, you know, and, you know, thankfully the, the beehive thing has what has been what's worked for me. And I actually just went off of my nickname. My nickname has always been Reina Bee. So I was like, well, I can definitely take that and run with it, you know. So you can kind of— you just have to be creative for sure and learn how to separate yourself.

Yes. And I think the key to what you just said is that you tapped in something about you. Like, that's, you know, that's what makes people buy from anybody about anything. Like, no matter what you're selling. Yeah, like tapping into something different that people appeal to you. And you make it so much fun, and it feels like a hive. Like, it feels like a hive. Like, I can't tell you— like, my husband was— I— when I say this, when he comes in, in the room on Sunday night, he's like, what are you doing? And he's like, never mind, you on that thing. And I was like, I know, and I have to cut myself off. Like, I gotta cut myself off. And he's like, it sounds so much fun. I was like, yeah, it's just like all this like buzziness, and that's the feel of what you do. So I 100% agree with you when it comes to creating a brand, and that's not for just direct sales, that's for any business. Yeah, like creating a vibe that your people, when they think of you or they talk about you or whatever— I have people come to me all the time, they're always like, girl, I was in a room and somebody was saying business is business is business, and I was like, no, it's not. Nikita Williams say business is personal. Like, you know, just things that people can remember you about and can— you can come top of mind, just like you said. So, um, I just want to say thank you so much for being who you are and being such a beautiful person inside and out and being like a great client. I'd love to know, um, what have you liked so much so far about being a part of our community on She's Crafted Insiders? Like, what has been fun, what has been great for you.

I feel like it also goes back to that being a part of the community, you know, and knowing that there's other entrepreneurs out there that are beginners, you know, or just learning how, how things work and how they should go about in their, in their business. Um, and I, I really enjoy that. I love being a part and kind of hearing everybody else talk about what they're doing and I think that's really encouraging.

Yes, I love it. Community is everything. It helps us not feel alone because entrepreneurship, yeah, can feel really alone. We spend a lot of time sitting in our, in our offices by ourselves. So, so thank you so much for coming on. I know this was a little bit out of your comfort zone, but you did it like a pro, like everything else.

So thank you.

Thank you. And how can— yeah, tell us how everybody can find you, like on social media.

So my Instagram is @rainabeejewelry, and then on Facebook it's just facebook.com/rainabeejewelry. You can find me there.

All right, y'all, that's a wrap.

Thank you for listening, and I hope this conversation inspired you. Be sure to visit craftedtothrive.com to check out our show notes Connect with our guests and grab some of those goodies. Join us for the next episode. And in the meantime, remember, yes, yes, yes, you are crafted to thrive.