Sharise founded SMJ Communications after seeing a need for high-quality, strategic communications in the K-12 education space—especially from professionals who understood its nuances and the importance of representation for women of color. Now, six years later, SMJ has grown beyond her wildest dreams into a multimillion-dollar company, creating both generational wealth for her family and meaningful change for communities.
The Challenge
On the outside, you wouldn’t think Sharise needed a business advisor—her company was booming. She had scaled to an 11+ person team in record time, her client roster was full, and revenue was strong.
But, behind the scenes she was basically drowning in the success.
Every morning felt like an internal battle because her standards for excellence were sky-high, being so deeply close to her work. So while she poured 110% into her company, she wrestled with a difficult question: What was left for her family? And more importantly, what was left for her?
Before partnering with me, Sharise:
Was constantly in work mode: Managing a fast-growing team while still handling high-level client work.
Had no real boundaries: Work and life blurred together, making it impossible to fully unplug.
Felt the weight of leadership alone: Scaling at this pace was exciting but also isolating and lonely.
Struggled to find balance: Pouring everything into business and family while figuring out the shift from hands-on leader to true CEO.
Navigating personal loss and growth: Facing big life changes while trying to keep the business thriving.
With a growing team AND a growing family, Sharise didn’t just want financial success—she wanted a business that worked for her, instead of the other way around.
The Experience
Sharise worked with me through my Private Partnership program for 2 years. During this time, we tackled many things in her business, from the backend systems down to organizing every hour in her schedule. Some of those included:
Streamlining Services & Offerings - As someone that leads communications and marketing for clients all day every day, Sharise thought this would be an easy thing to accomplish. But, sometimes something you do 24-7 for your own clients can be that much harder when you try to do it for your own business or organization.
Sharise and I went through some of my exercises over a series of weeks to take a full-picture look at everything she was offering to find gaps to close that would:
Allow clients to clearly see where they fit in this pie of services and offerings
Make sales and discovery calls much more efficient, without impacting revenue
Restructuring Her Calendar - Coming into this relationship, Sharise was working all hours of the morning, night, and on the weekend, juggling to make these things work.
In an effort to help her set clear boundaries around work and home life, we used my scheduling processes to restructure her calendar to allow for more “white space”. This could include time for the day-to-day things that are a part of life and motherhood, like taking a lunch break, picking up the kids from school or just giving time for her to enjoy other passions.
Creating A Roadmap for Long-Term Goals - Sharise had big dreams for other personal and professional goals that went beyond SMJ Communications, but spent more time in a fear-based mindset instead of making decisions and taking actions towards these things.
We spent a lot of our 1:1 monthly calls focusing on shifting this narrative to help her feel more empowered and confident in her decision-making so that she could dip her toes into other avenues, whether it was for income or passion or both.
The Results
Working 1:1 in my Private Partnership provided Sharise with a deep level of self-awareness that reshaped how she operated. She now had the systems and processes in place, but real change came when she:
Put Herself in the Driver’s Seat
A pivotal moment was realizing she had full control over her schedule and could set clear work-life boundaries. A simple decision of, “I will stop working at this time,” became a daily practice that continues to shape her life and business today.
Created Space for What Matters Most
Once she defined her boundaries and aligned her decisions with her values, everything started to shift. She became intentional about structuring her personal life just as she structured her work:
Family time, date nights, and workouts were scheduled on her calendar
Morning prayer and meditation became non-negotiable
Now, her husband and kids knew when work ended, she was fully present with them. A lesson of being present where her feet are helped her become the wife and mother she always wanted to be.
Build New Income Streams & Legacies
Since working together, and giving much credit to her time spent at The Founders Circle Retreat, Sharise created additional income streams, including investing in properties with her husband that wouldn’t have happened otherwise if she hadn’t shifted out of that fear-based mindset.
She also founded The Elaine Simone Foundation, a non-profit that provides resources, support, and knowledge to NICU families—a deeply personal mission as a mother of two NICU babies.
“Hands down, this was one of the top investments that I made as a business owner. I would not be where I am today. My business would not be where it is today. Most importantly, my family would not be where it is today had I not made this investment.”
Success isn’t about working more…it’s about working smarter. Sharise’s journey taught her that you can build a thriving business, show up for your family, and prioritize yourself without sacrificing one for the other.
If you're ready to step into the driver's seat of your business and life, let’s connect. Calls are limited, but if you schedule one, I’ll hold a space for us to go over your goals and map out a plan. You can also join my waitlist for early access to private coaching spots, first-looks at new resources, and real-time insights from a 12-year business coach and mom of three.
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