Today we’d like to introduce you to Carissa Moss.
Hi Carissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, let’s start with this: I have seen both sides of the spectrum from being spoiled and getting everything I could possibly want as a child to being homeless and having absolutely nothing in my early adult years. I will be the first to tell you that many of my life experiences were caused by my own actions, but I don’t regret any of it. Those experiences have helped groom me into the person that I am today and have taught me how to hold myself accountable for the role that I play in all situations instead of acting as a victim.
I am a single mother of a beautiful two year old (soon to be three) daughter, Shiloh. From the time that I found out I was pregnant, I vowed to provide her with a good and comfortable life. I want to be able to prove to her that being raised by a single mother is not going to hinder her from being successful in the future. With this in mind, I began working even harder than before to climb the corporate ladder.
At the peak of my career, my entire world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. If that wasn’t enough to deal with, my oncologist let me know that I would not be able to work for a while because I was about to go through a really intense chemotherapy regimen. Now, just for context, prior to this diagnosis, I was a workaholic. I had it so bad that when the team of doctors diagnosed me they kept trying to figure out how I didn’t notice anything prior to things getting so bad. In hindsight, I realized that my body had been sending me signs, but I was so wrapped up in work that I kept ignoring it.
While being hospitalized for weeks at a time, my job decided that they could no longer wait for me and let me go. Distraught doesn’t even begin to explain how I felt. I was mad at the world, at myself, at the doctors, at any and everything that I could find to be mad at. I questioned why this had to happen to me.
Finally, one day in the midst of all of my tears, I said “Lord, I need your help. You gotta help me with this.” The next day, He gave me my answer. Not only did He remind me that He gives His toughest battles to His strongest people, but He also showed me that He had a different direction for my life. For years, people had been telling me to start my own business and stop making money for these big corporations. I kept turning away because I had my own plan for myself.
I’ve always been taught, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plan.” Well, He must have been getting a kick out of me, because no matter who or what He sent my way to show me what He wanted for my life, I kept ignoring it. It wasn’t until He had to completely break me down to size and strip me of what I had worked so hard for until I finally acknowledged that I had to fully surrender to Him. This is when The Ineffable Moss Effect was born (from my hospital bed).
I have a love for business operations, so I decided to start an operations consulting agency. Why not? I knew I was good at it.
In typical Carissa fashion, I set some pretty high goals for myself. I gave myself 3 months to start, launch and reach my first monthly revenue goal. By the grace of God, I not only met but exceeded those goals. Initially, I was so proud that this black single mother from Miami, FL was accomplishing her goals by utilizing her God-given gift and skills all while still battling cancer.
One day, when things were going perfectly fine with business, I felt like something just wasn’t right anymore. There was a shift in me that I wasn’t clear on yet, but I knew something needed to change. I went to God again (because I learned that hard lesson already) and asked Him to show me if there was something else that He wanted me to do. Sure enough, He showed me where I was lacking.
I have a natural passion for helping people. It makes me happy to know that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life. I had built a business on what I was good at but neglected what I was passionate about. That uncomfortable feeling that I had was telling me that it was time to combine both my passion and skills. This is when I made the decision to completely shake things up and shift my business into the next gear.
My company still provides consulting services for agencies; however, my primary focus is working with future solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, small businesses and individuals who are looking for assistance in finding their passion and purpose in life.
Now, I am able to couple my corporate business knowledge with my life lessons to help create the shifts needed for others to begin their own individual paths to success. I have developed strategic methods that provide me the ability to consistently show up for my people while still maintaining healthy boundaries for self-care.
As I always say” I have cancer. Cancer does NOT have me!” No, I’m not happy about having it; however, I am grateful for what has come from the result of me being still and surrendering to God taking full control of my life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Starting a business is scary (even when you know that’s what the Lord is telling you to do). I literally ran away from the thought for years. Even when I finally embraced it I was still nervous. I started second-guessing my skills, starting doubting if anyone would take me serious.
Even after I had actually formed the business I started questioning myself about how in the world was I going to get my business out there and get clients (especially with me still being grounded in a hospital bed).
Honestly, I was my biggest obstacle.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Ineffable Moss Effect (AKA TIME, LLC) is a business consulting agency. We specialize in helping business owners create a solid business foundation, establish a solid operational structure and scale their businesses.
I am both the CEO and The Mindset Coach. What sets me apart from other coaches is that I am very transparent with my clients. My goal is to help set each of them on their own paths to success. I believe the best way for me to do this is to not only listen to them but to be open and honest about what I have experienced as well. Yes, reading a textbook is helpful when it comes to business knowledge and coaching and I’m very grateful for my education, but it is when I am able to be real with my clients and show them exactly how I can relate to their situations that we start experiencing the mindset shifts needed to help them overcome their struggles.
I currently offer the following services:
Mindset Coaching – Are you at a place where you’re not happy? Are you searching for some clarity, direction or purpose in life? Let’s uncover who you are and what you want, define your goals and get you on track to creating the life that you deserve.
Business Development – Are you ready to take the leap into entrepreneurship, but don’t know where to start? Have you taken some initial steps, but are now wondering what’s next? Let’s work together to: create your solid business foundation, properly build out your business credibility profile and establish yourself as an expert in your industry.
Business Consulting – You are already an established business and have started seeing success. Congratulations! Are things starting to get a little hectic as you’re continuing to grow? You’re realizing that you need help with sorting through the logistics, hiring and training a team, establishing SOPs, creating templates, etc. Let me help you regain control of your peace of mind by creating an operational structure that will provide you with the ability to scale your business.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The main reason that I love Atlanta is because it is a city of opportunity for anyone who is willing to work for it. The second reason is because of the food. Atlanta never fails me with the food options.
What I like least is the traffic! Atlanta traffic is no joke!
Contact Info:
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Website: www.mossthemindsetcoach.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcoachmoss
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamcoachmoss
Image Credits:
Photo credit: Shawn S. Shepard of Triple S Shots
