People in business have to ask the right questions to get their needs met when developing relationships, according to Certified Life Coach Roxanna Pepper. Win/win solutions can be created by intentional listening to the answers of these questions, and people have to be ready to honor and respect the answers.

People of color may have to show up a bit louder in their circles, according to Pepper. Meeting people and exchanging information about what is working for each person can be helpful, and using this experience to create action plans can help “turn the pages” along a business journey.

“I always get excited to meet new people,” Pepper said. “Just being in that space with a new person can allow both of us to create and add to whatever we are doing to make us successful. I can’t do it all by myself.”

Pepper said staying determined and not settling is helpful in maintaining motivation in business as well. If a desire is found and a goal is set, things can always be done to work toward those goals. Women of color especially have to do things a bit differently, and it’s important to stay confident and patient along the way.

“Patience is hard because many of us have been doing it for so long,” Pepper said. “We have to keep our power clothes on. The key is passion; you have to be excited and keep up the drive in order to keep doing the work for things to get done.”

Personal relationships are important to nurture throughout a business journey. Pepper said if one person is not confident and not moving forward, that can cause conflict, especially in a marriage. Balancing life and careers requires people to believe in themselves.

“So many people want validation from others, but you should already have that in whatever work you feel you have to do,” Pepper said. “You are going to get that automatically if you maintain your confidence.”

In addition to being a life coach, Pepper works in several areas she believes help provide what people need to be successful. She opened A Place To Go, a community center that focuses on healing and connecting within the community. She hosts seminars and cooking classes among other things, and encourages a variety of people, topics, and events to happen at the center. 

“My community is where my heart is,” Pepper said. “For years, I have wanted something like that, and it finally happened. I love connections and conversation, and that is really what is needed for a lot of people right now.”

Pepper also teaches fitness classes at her local YMCA as a Livestrong Coach. She said exercise plays a major role in people doing what they do, as it’s important for them to take care of their bodies. If people don’t take care of themselves they have to pretend to feel good, but the physical part has to be there in order to really feel good.

“I wake up in the morning and say the same thing — ‘I look good, I feel good, and I am good’,” Pepper said. “You have to care for your body, drink plenty of water, and have regular checkups with your doctor. If you don’t, something is likely to fall to the wayside.”

Pepper’s “real job” is working as an Early Childhood Program Consultant at the Children & Family Resource Center in Hendersonville. With all of the work she is doing, she said she gets her cup refilled by talking with others and taking time to recharge. She said everything she does is something she loves, and when she is doing work she loves, it is not work at all, which is how she juggles all her roles. 

The juggling does require strategy, and part of the strategy includes maintaining balance, faith, and support. Balance requires knowing when to say no because everyone needs to have rest. People also need to have a supportive person in their life, and to be intentional with reflecting on themselves and where they are in each moment in life.

“When the strategy is there and all three of these are in place, there’s nothing people can’t do,” Pepper said. “People can live in the moment, embrace life, and celebrate life every day, and that’s something that will increase success for everybody.”