RECONNECTING WITH WHAT MATTERS MOST

A Quest for Well-Being Interview with

DR. RHONDA PARMER

1. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHO YOU ARE IN THIS VERY MOMENT?

At this very moment, I am free. After 31 years in public education, from substitute to associate superintendent, I retired and started my own soulful business helping people build confidence as leaders.

2. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL SUCCESSFUL?

 I am rejuvenated and happy knowing I serve others and help them self reflect and discover their strengths and talents. To know they are able to fully use their gifts to add goodness to the world sets me on fire. Success for me is seeing others prosper and lead fully, clearly, and purposefully; when leaders love who they serve, loyalty, retention, culture, and success flow freely.

 

3. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME WHO YOU ARE AND TO DO WHAT YOU DO TODAY? 

I am an international leadership expert, executive coach and professional trainer. 

As a former associate superintendent for 12 years, I noticed I spent more time with underperforming schools.  Working with them, I realized we did not need to change staff. Instead, we needed to change mindsets - for children and adults.  As the adults began to believe in their abilities to reach the students despite challenges, the students started to believe in their abilities to achieve.  It made me think, “Students are not limited by their zip codes or their parent’s income, but they could be limited by what their teachers think of them.”  As I witnessed countless classrooms, grade levels, and complete campuses transform to high achieving, I considered applying this mindset to non-profits, corporate, and small business sectors. Today, this is the message I share with individuals and groups - change your mindset to change your future.  It is that simple.  Thoughts lead to words, words lead to actions, and actions lead to results.

  

4. DO YOU CONSIDER WHAT YOU DO A CALLING, A PURPOSE, A MISSION? 

The Leadership Executive Group works to prepare more leaders. As turnover occurs in all sectors, leaders are needed more than ever. This is my calling, my strength, and I know I can help guide people through building their confidence, practicing routines, and building better connections while maintaining their own well-being. I am on a mission to help as many people as possible prevent burnout as they successfully lead organizations, schools, non-profits, families, churches, and even friend groups.

  

5. WHO WOULD BENEFIT MOST FROM YOUR WORK AND YOUR MESSAGE?

I work primarily with women over 30 who are looking for that next role, working with a new team, mentoring another person, or building their confidence to shine as the leaders they were called to be. Female executives new to a role or new team, CEOs looking to strengthen their teams, shore up their confidence, model balance for others.

6. WHAT IS LIKE WORKING WITH YOU FROM A CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE?

When clients work with me, they feel heard.  They process without judgment and respond to questions that help identify limiting beliefs, intentions for the future, and actions aligned with values.  They have a guide, a thought partner, a coach rooting for them and believing in them until they believe in themselves.  They transform from being uncertain or self-doubting to clear and decisive.

  

7. WHAT IS HEALING TO YOU?

To me, healing is restoration with purpose. It’s not just about recovering from pain or exhaustion—it’s about aligning my life with my calling. Whether through faith, reflection, or service, I seek healing that renews my energy, clarity, and sense of mission.

I have given my heart to leadership and to helping others grow—students, teachers, principals, CEOs, executives, directors, and fellow believers. But healing for me often means reconnecting with what matters most: faith, family, nature, creativity, peace, and community.

It’s in the stillness of a retreat, journaling deep thoughts, helping a leader rediscover their balance, or simply walking my dog on a quiet Texas morning. Healing also empowers others because lifting someone else brings light back.

My story—surviving cancer, retiring early due to injury, reinventing my life through coaching and entrepreneurship—shows that healing is also about resilience and rebirth. I don’t stay down. I rise, reflect, and redirect.

Now, I am using that healing to guide others to their breakthroughs. That, I think, is one of my greatest gifts.

  

8. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF HEALING AND WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES TO IT?

The goal of healing is to restore wholeness, renew purpose, and align heart, mind, and spirit for meaningful, empowered living.

 

9. WHAT ARE SOME THE MISCONCEPTIONS MOST PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT HEALING?

Some misconceptions about my kind of healing: it's passive, selfish, instant, or only physical. True healing involves faith, reflection, purpose, rest, and inner work—empowering others while restoring yourself. 

 

11. DO YOU CONNECT HEALING TO SPIRITUALITY? AND IF YOU DO, WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY TO YOU?

Absolutely.  Healing comes through faith.  Faith in something bigger and deeper than us all. I am a follower of Jesus Christ.  And I know others who do not follow Him but mimic the principles he taught and find inner peace, healing, and deep spirituality.  Spirituality means temporarily escaping the physical realities of the world through prayer, meditation, exercise, rest, sleep, travel, singing, silence, hiking, painting, or anything where a true escape occurs, a transcendence to another plane of existence that is pure peace. In those peaceful states, we find healing. And in our faith of seeing the healed in the spirit world first, then we see it in the physical world.

12. WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE PURPOSE OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE?

I believe each of us possesses unique gifts that are to be harnessed and leveraged and used for the greater good.  Humans are a communal species with an innate desire to help one another.  When we find what comes naturally to us and align our actions to our values, it is easy to serve others and monetize the work to thrive.

 

13. AT THIS TIME, WHAT IS THE WORLD’S GREATEST NEED?

I believe the world needs more leaders, and leaders in all sectors and at all levels will transform our organizations, communities, and families.

  

14. WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR HUMANITY?

My vision for humanity included empowered leadership—confidence, clarity, and impact. Leadership transforms organizations, communities, and families. I believe in balance and fulfillment. I want people to reach their highest goals without burnout, and I create simple tools to help leaders collaborate and strategize. I also value freedom and work to help others develop systems that lead to freedom from stress, financial independence, or from being overworked. I help others work smarter, not harder, to enjoy the life they love.  My passion for helping others is deeply connected to my faith and a belief in purpose-driven work where people create businesses and careers that align with their calling - not just chasing money or titles.

  

15. WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF LOVE?

Love is action rooted in faith. It’s showing up consistently, even when it’s hard. It’s serving others with humility, leading with compassion, and giving without expecting anything in return. Love is choosing grace over judgment, patience over pressure, and truth over comfort.

To me, love means sacrifice, loyalty, and presence—it’s seen in a long marriage, in coaching others toward their best selves, in sharing my story to inspire hope. Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s faithful commitment, even in seasons of pain or uncertainty. 

 

16. WHAT, WHERE AND WHO IS GOD TO YOU?

God is my foundation, my guide, and my sustainer. He is the One who called me, carried me through cancer, lifted me from burnout, and continues to lead me through each new chapter. He’s not just distant or theoretical—He’s personal, present, and powerful in my life.

God is my healer, provider, protector, and purpose-giver. He’s the source of my strength, my peace in chaos, and the reason I keep going when life gets hard. I trust Him not just with my past but with my future—and I lead others from that place of deep faith.

To me, God is love, mercy, wisdom, and truth. And He has equipped me to walk in my calling, not just for my sake, but to serve, build, and uplift others in His name.

 17. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SUBCONSCIOUS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND?

I work with leaders and aspiring leaders in all sectors. I teach them the differences between the conscious and the subconscious mind at work, particularly with mindset and systems regarding decision making, influence, and long-term sustained success.  The conscious mind is the logical and analytical part, with intentions that play a role in planning, deciding, goal setting, and problem solving. Alternatively, the subconscious mind is the automatic, habitual, deeply ingrained part of the mind that drives habits, beliefs, emotional reactions, and default leadership behaviors. With mindsets, we can use our conscious mind to set up structures and processes for efficiency, and we can leverage our conscious minds to intervene when we notice the subconscious mind defaulting to old patterns or systems.  There is a neurological process of placing one’s hand on one’s head and stating out loud the new system or process or thought that needs to replace or reprogram the old thought or process.  It seems mechanical and robotic, but it is scientifically proven to work.  Thoughts lead to words, words lead to actions, and actions lead to results. The conscious mind wants to identify limiting beliefs and work to change them. The subconscious mind wants comfort and maintains mental blocks such as deep-rooted fear or imposter syndrome.  The conscious mind can overcome and rewire the subconscious mind for true transformation.  I help clients do this through a series of questions and exercises that require little effort except talking, reflecting, being honest, and noticing what thoughts precede the fear statements.  

 

18. TALK TO ME SOME MORE ABOUT YOUR OFFERINGS AND SERVICES.

I offer faith-driven leadership coaching, retreats, and professional development that empower educators and leaders to thrive without burnout. Through personalized support, practical tools, and heartfelt guidance, I help others restore balance, grow teams, increase impact, and align their work with purpose—transforming schools, communities, and lives servant leadership.

 

19. DO YOU MEET YOUR CLIENTS IN PERSON AND REMOTELY? DO YOU OFFER GROUP AND CORPORATE COACHING?

 I meet with groups and individuals, remote and face-to-face. I provide corporate training on site and lead retreats for large and small organizations. 

I am currently running a 5 -Day Power Shift Challenge and a 90-Day Confidence Accelerator Program. 

I am a children’s author and have lots of freebies on my website. https://rhondaparmer.com

 

20—WHERE CAN WE FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOU, YOUR WORK, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND YOUR FUTURE PROJECTS?

https://rhondaparmer.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhondaparmer112/