La-Verne Parris, JD, MSc, MEd is an award-winning environmental justice, bioethics, and science educator; a certified life coach; and a self-taught illustrator. Her inspirational writing was featured in the health and happiness bestseller, The Wellness Code. Born in Jamaica but a consummate New Yorker, her humorous and heartbreaking experiences as a single, professional, woman of color—in the world’s most iconic city—shaped her most recent work, the Happiness Handbooks series.
As a lifelong caregiver and creative, La-Verne’s resounding message: “Happiness is a choice” is the foundation of her proven dynamic system that propels caregivers to step into their highest selves and lead rich, fulfilling lives. Understanding the need for facilities to meet and exceed standards, La-Verne tailors her innovative system to transform their caregivers‘ mindsets and behaviors, ensuring that they thrive personally and professionally, while continuing to provide the highest level of care.
Company: La-Verne Parris LLC
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company
La-Verne Parris: Thank you for having me Jed, it’s an honor. I wake up excited and filled with gratitude every day because I am living my dream and my purpose. My mission is empowering people to live fulfilling and purpose-driven lives. This means that as a coach and consultant, I actively collaborate with my clients to blast through internal blocks and develop individualized strategies to promote lasting transformation in their lives.
I am committed to being of service and I developed each of my company’s projects with this in mind. At the moment I’m pitching several products for licensing that include tools and strategies for caregivers, innovative learning methodologies that teach executive functions and empower students in grades 6 –12, and I’m partnering with thought leaders on the use of my creative writing. I’m also in the process of pitching treatments for two uplifting reality TV shows that are creating lots of buzz – but I’m keeping this on the hush as they say!
COVID shined a light on the many challenges that caregivers face and it also caused an increase in the number of family caregivers. The educational strategies I designed highlight young people’s brilliance and innate strengths. It’s been over 10 years and my former students still emphasize how my methodologies helped them blossom in college, graduate school and their careers.
Can you share a time when your business faced a significant challenge? How did you navigate through it?
La-Verne Parris: That’s such a great question Jed. My business faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge when my mother developed an aneurysm at the end of 2022 as a result of receiving chemotherapy, she had two consecutive brain surgeries literally one day apart. That point in time was truly life-changing for me because I was already caring for my brother who has autism and intellectual disabilities. Now with my mother’s health crises, I was caring for two people.
Luckily my sisters and I immediately advocated for, and received, extended visiting hours. This allowed us to alternate spending 13-hour days at our mother’s bedside. After my mother’s surgery, she remained in the hospital for one month of rehabilitation that included daily speech, occupational and physical therapy appointments. We accompanied her to every appointment so we could continue these crucial therapies when she eventually returned home. This was the second time within one year that my mother was staring death in the face and I fully committed myself to her healing journey because we did not have any outside help. My twin sister and I helped my mother relearn all her ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) including eating, walking, writing, talking and personal grooming.
Thankfully, I navigated through this challenge by using the mindset tools and strategies I developed while caring for my mother during her cancer battle. Implementing these life-hacks and strategies empowered me to further transform these tools and strategies into premium products that I use with my individual caregiver clients, and with facilities that employ caregivers. Strengthening my mindset also helped me expand the creative side of my business in more ways than I ever imagined. I was able to write my second book, a film treatment, two reality television show treatments, finalize three songs for production, and compile my innovative student-led teaching instructions – all while caring for two family members. Embracing this overwhelming trial strengthened me more than I can express.
How has a failure or apparent failure set you up for later success?
La-Verne Parris: Jed, I really appreciate that you said: “apparent failure”. I’ve learned that “apparent failures” are opportunities for me to actualize and stand strong in my power. For me, being powerful is not only about being strong and independent, it is also about embracing my vulnerability and asking for help. When I was teaching full-time prior to the COVID lockdown, I was struggling in a few ways. First, I was teaching content that I hated and could not connect with on any level. I also could not reach my students because they felt my disdain for the content. Finally, I did not have effective classroom management systems, and all I could do was hope and pray that my former glory days of student-led teaching would return. Then in March 2020, NYC public schools went fully remote during the pandemic.
During this time I was teaching, caring for my mother, while building my business. After saving my mother’s life, I developed a “mighty mindset”. I knew that I could, and would, overcome any instructional or classroom management challenges. When we returned to in-person teaching for the 2020-21 school year, I literally deconstructed and reconstructed the entire curriculum with fresh eyes, created new learning and review strategies, and implemented effective classroom management strategies. That year 92 percent of my students passed the New York State Living Environment regents exam. I remain grateful for this amazing opportunity to grow into a phenomenal educator.
How do you build a resilient team? What qualities do you look for in your team members?
La-Verne Parris: When I build teams I not only do I instill within them the importance of having a growth mindset, but I also make connections to the strengths and victories of our ancestors. Our forebears were able to overcome incomprehensible injustices and make extraordinary contributions without any of the rights, access and technology we have today. If our ancestors were able to persevere in the face of certain death, then we can surmount any challenge. I also collaborate with each team member to help them see their challenges as growth opportunities. My company thrives when I build with people who are action oriented, risk-takers, creative problem-solvers, when it comes to bringing a vision to life.
I’m always looking for different forms of creativity in my team members. I tend to notice people who listen in non-traditional ways like doodling, drawing, walking around the room, fidgeting or stretching. This shows me that these individuals are processing information in a way that is meaningful for them, and I see that the team would benefit from hearing their thoughts. I’ve learned that when people get restless, they usually have a more creative way of approaching an issue and they need to be heard.
How do you maintain your personal resilience during tough times?
La-Verne Parris: The first thing I do is remind myself that I am not alone; everyone goes through tough times. I also remember that every trial is an opportunity to strengthen my mindset and take control of my thoughts.
In “Taming of the Mind: Discourses of The Buddha,” he says, “Monks, I know not of any other single thing that brings such woe as the mind that is untamed, uncontrolled, unguarded and unrestrained. Such a mind indeed brings great woe.”
This quote is very meaningful, because I am very aware of how easily my thoughts can wander and create non-existent problems. To control my thoughts, I constantly repeat empowering phrases as I tackle specific challenges. I also ask myself questions while developing products and strategies: “Does this step align with the product’s ultimate goal?” “How would a user interpret this content?” “Do I need to add a section that will tie everything together?”
I also regularly ask for help and seek input from other business owners and mentors. It is critical for my growth that I remain humble, curious and have an open mind. I love that I am building new parts of my business because I don’t have any preconceived notions about how things should be. Instead I produce an outline or framework, ask questions and receive feedback from mentors, then tailor my idea with their guidance in mind.
What strategies do you use to manage stress and maintain focus during a crisis?
La-Verne Parris: Maintaining a consistent self-care routine truly helps me reduce stress and maintain my focus. A big part of my self-care routine involves daily exercise in the form of yoga, pilates, biking, kickboxing or walking. In addition to meditating, I also give myself a certain amount of quiet time each day to organize my thoughts and find inspiration. I find that when I am going through a crisis it’s even more important for me to practice kind and compassionate self-talk. Doing this allows me to separate the things I can control, from the things that I cannot control. During a crisis, it can be all too easy to lump every situation together, and conflating circumstances is dangerously counterproductive.
I also have weekly meetings with a network of fellow business owners. We share our challenges, brainstorm solutions and share resources. These weekly meetings prompt me to see past my circumstances and focus on helping other business owners whose challenges might be more imminent and intricate than mine.
How do you communicate with your team during a crisis?
La-Verne Parris: My mental health, and my team’s mental health, is always a priority especially during a crisis. When communicating with my team during a crisis I weave my “CALM” philosophy in every interaction.
C: Collaborate and lead with integrity.
A: Acknowledge strengths to overcome challenges.
L: Learning and growth analyses.
M: Mindset strengthening.
What advice would you give to other CEOs on building resilience in their organizations?
La-Verne Parris: I believe in always leading with integrity while treating your team with respect and dignity. We all need to feel seen, heard and valued, especially when we are facing challenges. I have worked with many leaders who perpetuated toxic cultures by blaming and shaming team members on a daily basis, and especially during challenging times. I have also personally felt the damaging psychological effects on my psyche, and seen overall company morale plummet.
I suggest that more leaders move away from a toxic management style and embrace a coaching management style. The benefits are rapid and endless because team members want a change from the status quo. Resources for building a coaching culture are everywhere, but the most notable one is “Performance Coaching: A Complete Guide to Best Practice Coaching and Training”, by Carol Wilson.
How do you prepare your business for potential future crises?
La-Verne Parris: I prepare myself by strengthening my mindset, creating new strategies and constantly building new projects designed to help people in education, health care, the arts and the media. With each project I protect my intellectual property by filing copyrights, trademarks and patents when necessary. Certain projects might also require that I distribute NDAs and contracts to respective parties.
Following trends and conducting research in these fields help me anticipate the types of tools that leaders in these areas will need. When it comes to protecting my business, I focus on cyber security. Working from home is a great joy, but that means that I still need to create a business continuity plan that focuses on strategic planning with annual goals and initiatives in clear roadmaps.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about leadership in times of crisis?
La-Verne Parris: Keep going, no matter what, keep going. I’ve learned that the only way out of a crisis is by going through it, and on the other side of the crisis is always something unexpected and beautiful. I learn the most about myself and everything that I’m capable of when I push through a crisis.
It’s important for me to enjoy being the kind of leader that I valued when I was working for other people. By working with these leaders, I grasped how important it is to let my team spread their wings during a crisis. I certainly do not have all the answers. Oftentimes the best response to a crisis is the one that I’ve never thought of before. Being a leader means that my team and I are willing to learn valuable lessons from each other, doing this strengthens our mutual respect and rapport.
