Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlene Ridley.
Hi Charlene, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, my name is Charlene Ridley. I was born and raised in a close-knit family, in a small city in upstate NY. When I say close-knit, I mean really close—my entire life existed in less than a 2-mile radius. There wasn’t a place I could have thought to go that I couldn’t walk or ride my bike to. I loved my family & my little world but as young as I can remember dreamed of moving and experiencing something different. I met an attorney at the school career fair when I was 7 and I started dreaming of becoming one and moving away from my small town. My parents didn’t care for the idea and encouraged me to follow in my mother’s footsteps by growing up and working for the state of NY. Without their blessing and support, I stopped allowing myself to dream, lost my excitement for the future, and started going through life’s motions.
I continued the pattern of going through the motions, checking off boxes for many years. I had a kid, got married, had more kids, got a degree, went back for an MBA, moved to different states as a military wife, and held a ton of pretty interesting positions. On paper, I was pretty successful and living the American dream. The kind of life someone prayed for but inside something was missing. I had no idea what it was and I felt guilty for not feeling the happiness I was “supposed” to feel.
I wound up in Las Vegas, NV (Nellis AFB), divorced with 3 kids, and not really sure what was next. I could go back to the east coast with family and raise my kids or I could tough it out and stay in the desert to find myself. I decided to stay in Las Vegas for almost 10 years.
In 2015, I attended a transformational leadership training that changed my life. I got clear on what I really made me happy and what I wanted. I started leadership coaching in 2016. Seeing incredible changes and experiencing client’s winning and living their best lives made me fall in love with coaching. I had finally found the thing that lit me up!
In 2018, I moved to the Charlotte area, Lake Wylie, SC to be exact, to be closer to my aging parents who made North Carolina their retirement home. I’d been using the name Unpause Your Dreams informally but in 2020 I made the move to file LLC with the state of NC and formalize my business.
I’ve since rebranded from life and transitional coaching to dream coaching. I empower people to get what they want personally and professionally by getting clear on what they want, creating the mindset of success so that they can take action to experience results sooner.
I do this through speaking, one on one coaching, group coaching, conferences, retreats, and the Unpause Your Dreams brainstorming journal.
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?
Oh gosh, it has not been a smooth road. There have been many challenges along the way. There were times where I had no idea how I was going to make it, if I even wanted to or if making it was a real possibility, but I never gave up. I just kept recreating myself and trying on different things to see what fit best and what felt most like me. Life coaching and speaking felt like stepping into my own shoes from the very first time.
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?
My passion, my business, one of the things I am most proud of is my business. Un pause Your Dreams allows me the pleasure of serving people in finding the things that light them up and in building rich lives around those things.
I specialize in speaking, one on one/group coaching, workshops, conferences, and retreats.
I am known for inspiring and empowering others to take action to dare to live bold, exciting, unapologetic lives. The kind of lives that are answers to their own prayers and not the lives that others have wanted for or encouraged them to lead.
What sets me apart is my faith. I believe firmly that we all have purpose here and that God intends for us to have an incredible experience here. When we find that purpose and align to it, we feel lighter, free, and the world is made a better place wherever we go.
I want everyone to experience that life and commit to taking daily action to have a lasting impact on every person I meet.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Everyone needs to have a mentor. There are several ways to approach it. If you are a part of a professional organization, see if they offer a formal mentorship program. I have been a mentor through different organizations within the community. It has been an incredible experience not only for the mentee but for me as the mentor. You learn so much from each other. If you are not part of a professional organization a way to find a mentor is to make a list of people who are in your field or have characteristics that you aspire to have and that are close enough in proximity (think six degrees of separation). Then start reaching out to connect with them either directly or through your network if you do not have direct access to them. Schedule time to get together for a meet and greet to learn more about them. When you go to the meeting, get curious and ask questions about them—how they got started, what they love about what they do, ways that you can support and bring value to their lives. Don’t go in for the ask regarding mentorship on the first meeting. Stay in contact and let the relationship evolve. You will know when and if the time is right to ask about formal mentorship.
As for networking, I believe networking is something we should always do. Make it your intention to meet 1 new person each day and to make sure to connect to spend time with at least one of them per week. This changes networking from an event where you pass out cards to actual relationship building which is where true connection, collaboration, and support is found.
Contact Info:
- Email: charlene@unpauseyourdreams.com
- Website: www.unpauseyourdreams.com
- Instagram: unpause_your_dreams
- Facebook: Unpause Your Dreams
