I am back for this week’s Transform You! Women’s History Month series, which features women business owners. You will hear their stories, their triumphs, their struggles, and their lessons they’ve learned along the way. Each week I will highlight different women throughout various industries. Today in the guest chair is Monique O’Neal, and she’s sharing how her journey of unwavering faith led to entrepreneurship.
Who is Monique O’Neal?
Monique O’Neal, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, was born and raised in Louisville, KY. She is a graduate of the University of Louisville with her Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling. She’s also a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.
She is the Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Divine Interventions, LLC, where they offer counseling, coaching, and consulting services. Monique and her husband, Brandon, are also Ministry leaders at our church over the church’s power couples marriage ministry. They’ve been married ten years and know the challenges that come with a blended family. They have four beautiful children, Oreion, Morgan, Luke, and Levi.
With over 13 years of experience, Monique has mentored many and her name means, “advisor.” She has found joy in pursuing the path that God has laid out for her.
Today, we are going to talk about some of the lessons she’s learned on her journey, along with her triumphs. Now, let’s get to it!
1. DN: Tell us about the teenage Monique. What was she like?
MO: Girl! I think the teenage Monique is not very different as far as demeanor, as the 40 year old Monique. When I look back, my friends always say that I had an old soul, you know, wise beyond my years. This is probably what led me into my profession. So the teenage Monique was very laid back, cool, and reserved. I was an observer, so I just paid attention to my surroundings and the people I put myself around. I like to think that I was the friend that everybody came to when they were going through it.
When I think back to late middle school and high school, I was always thinking about what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I wanted to rise above the neighborhood that I came from and the environments that I may have been in. The teenage Monique was optimistic, positive, and I might have been known as the good girl, I think.
2. DN: Tell us about the journey to becoming Divine Interventions, LLC.
MO: So, Divine Interventions, LLC was birthed in 2015. At the time, I was working full time but my vision has always been to help people and that goes back to teenage years and wanting to help.
I remember back when we were at Male High School, freshman year, we were doing something about careers and there was a meeting in the library. Someone came in talking about careers and a psychologist came and shared his job of helping children and the education that was needed, plus the salary. So I’m thinking, “that’s not bad for someone who just wants to help kids.” So, that stuck with me.
I’ve always had the desire to help people. I come from a large family. My Mom and Dad had seven kids and I was number six of seven. I was an observer of my big sisters and brother, and they loved and lived life so I was able to learn from a lot of their life choices. Coming from a big family also brings a lot of adversity.
We were financially challenged but I didn’t know it back then. The financial struggle was real. The blended family struggles were real. My Mom and Dad have been married 47 years but my two older sisters, my mom had before her and my Dad met and were married. Always seeing the family dynamic and seeing when people need help, where do we go to?
My Mom had a difficult time with one of my sister’s in her teenage years and I don’t remember the resources that she was able to grab on to and help her through those trials. I wanted to be a force in the community, with peers, with blended families, young adults, people trying to make it, people trying to transition, marriages trying to make it. So, that’s when Divine Interventions was birthed.
My husband always has a vision of helping. He’s a motivational coach and a minister. We set out in 2015, both still working full time jobs, and started the business. Then in 2019, I was challenged to step out on faith, and that’s when I quit my full time job, after being in the mental health field for thirteen years. I trusted God and the rest is history.
We’ve helped so many people. Young adults, families, couples and the community through individual counseling and consultation. I’ve done some group work in the schools. Our goal is to heal people, one person at a time.
If you can help heal one person, then you can help heal a family. If you can help heal a family, you can help heal community. If you can heal community, you can heal the world.
monique smith-o’neal
So that is our purpose, vision, and goal. When you hear Divine Interventions you think it’s spiritual, although we are not christian counselors, however, we are Christians who are counselors. So we like to think we were sent here by God to be used and be an intervention in people’s lives to help change and create better. So, that’s when it was birthed.
3. DN: How do you balance motherhood, spousal obligations, leading ministry, and entrepreneurship, although I know balance isn’t really a thing?
MO: I literally was on a call with some other ladies recently and they said, “balance isn’t the right word, it’s prioritization and what you prioritize and give attention to at any given time.” With being a wife, a mother, from a blended family, a ministry leader, serving the Lord, and running a business, priority is necessary. Even as a therapist, I’ve learned that we (therapists) need help as well. So, I have my therapist that I’m able to talk with regarding my life transitions or on things I need help with.
The first is self-care, because if we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of anyone else and we can’t be effective in ministry, marriage, and mommyhood.
Next, is prioritizing. As a business owner, that’s a huge priority however I’m a Mom first. When I wake up in the morning I talk to God first. Brandon and I were just talking about keeping God first because what he does is put everything in perspective and then we can go. God is a huge part so incorporating him in every day. What I’ve found and as I grow, is the more I speak to him he shows me where to go and what to do.
The next is the art of saying “no.” I used to be a “yes” person. I used to say yes to everything. Now, I’m able to say, “no I’m not going to be able to do that this time because it doesn’t work for my schedule.” Then being able to prioritize and be able to stick to my “no” and not worry about someone’s response. In telling people no, you can tell who is trying to suck from you and what their agenda is based off their response when you tell them “no.” If they respect you and they respect your stance then there is no love lost. If they get mad or offended then you probably don’t need to do what they were asking you to do anyway. Lastly, is seeking God.
4. DN: Walk us through the process that you use to identify someones problem that may be seeking your services?
MO: What I’ve found works for me is to refer people to my email because a lot of times I’m on call throughout the day. With my prioritization, after I’m done with therapy, then I’m usually done for the day because my sons need me in the afternoon or evening. So, after I’ve done a day of appointments, I don’t want to spend another three hours consulting when my sons need me. So I usually lead people to my email. That way I can check it in between appointments or throughout the day to set up an appointment or phone consultation. This is the best way to contact me. Once people email me, then I’m able to respond within 24-72 hours. Then we can get the ball rolling from there. I do free 15-minute consultations.
5. DN: What do you consider to be your top 3 strengths?
MO: The first thing that popped in my mind is listening. That’s always been a skill. Understanding where a person is coming from just by listening and understanding their heart. I get paid to listen and it’s easy to do because I’m not a huge talker and I don’t take over conversations.
Another strength would be encouragement because encouraging people is part of my job as well. That is such a huge key in finding success within your call and then everything else falls into place. When I listen, I’m able to encourage people and steer them on the right path. My name means advisor so I’m kind of handed that. I love encouraging and building people up. That’s one thing that I know I’m good at.
The third strength would be, being a Mommy. It’s a gift and I realize that. So I don’t take it lightly. Those special moments to be able just to impart and love on them. Like, seeing the need of one of my babies and just being there and present to give them what they need in that moment. I’m really connected to that.
When I see the kids doing something, I’m treasuring that moment and I’m not going to forget that. So capitalizing from moments just to be a Mom and impart to my kids, and really model what it looks like to be a compassionate person. So I don’t take that lightly. My son just told me on my birthday, “Happy Birthday to the greatest Mom, you’re a good Mom.” So I take that to heart.
6. DN: What would you consider to be the main causes of mental health issues today?
MO: You would have to look at nature vs nurture. A lot of the people that I see today are predisposed to certain living environments and family patterns. With nature, some environments you just can’t help to be in because it’s hereditary. For example, Mama or Grandmama suffered with depression, or Grandaddy suffered with schizophrenia. So, sometimes you cannot help it because you are predisposed biologically to some of those illnesses.
Nurture is your environment so you’ll see a lot of people that experience trauma very early on. For example, my baby Luke experienced trauma in vitro. We both experienced trauma because I had to have an emergency c-section, so that trauma can start in the womb.
Then, in the living environment depending on what a child is exposed to such as domestic violence, crime, or drugs. So a lot of times people build up certain personalities to deal with what they’re seeing or experiencing, as a baby or as a child. Your brain is not fully developed so it learns from those experiences and that opens up the door for mental health symptoms.
Sometimes it’s nature, sometimes it’s nurture, environment or biological, and sometimes it’s a combination. That’s really hard because most of the time, it’s not even your choice. It’s what’s been handed to you so that’s why mental health awareness and resources are so vital in our culture and in society. This is because so many people suffer from it and it’s been this way for so many years. One hundred percent of the people don’t want to be that way.
7. DN: What advice would you give other entrepreneurs just starting out in your industry?
MO: I would say, don’t be afraid, leap. Not until I leaped was I able to enjoy the fullness of what entrepreneurship comes with. I’ll never forget when Steve Harvey spoke on leaping and jumping. Have faith. Before I jumped, I sat at the feet of people that were doing what I wanted to do. I didn’t have much but I remember going to a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, the same thing that I am, and I sat in his chair in his office and he just gave me wisdom and gave steps of what I needed to do to get to where he was. I couldn’t pay him but I bought him lunch. I also sat with another colleague who was doing what I wanted to do and I was inspired by her. So brush shoulders with people that are doing what you want to do.
The thing I love about our people is we, well, most of us, want to see you win. Go and brush shoulders with and glean with those who are doing what you want to do and learn from it. Take your notebook or laptop, and take notes. I sat at his desk in February of 2019. In June of 2019, I quit my full time job. I put my two weeks notice in and I was ready.
The list looks so large and scary but don’t focus on A-Z because that’s a lot. Just focus on A-B. Once you get to point B, then focus on B-C, one thing at a time.
Monique smith-o’neal
If you’re a multi-tasker, you can focus on A-D, but don’t focus on A-Z because that’s when you get discouraged and think you can’t do it because it’s overwhelming or too much. Consult with others to be inspired and it works.
8. DN: What has been your biggest mistake in your profession and what did you learn from it?
MO: Because of the community that we’re in, Louisville is small, so I had a client whose people knew my people and I was talking to the client about assumed knowledge. It was an overlapping of things she had told me in sessions and things I had heard from people that I knew, about her situation. I voiced what I “thought” I knew but she had never told me. That is such a thin line so I’m starting to filter out who I can say “yes” to when it comes to my services because Monique wants to help everybody, right? And a lot of people that I know seek services from somebody that knows somebody, so I need to be able to draw that line to separate business from the people that I know. For example, if I know a friend who’s teenager is dealing with some things, maybe I’m not the best counselor because it’s so close to home so maybe I need to draw that line of separation.
So learning how to be okay with saying I can’t do it but I can refer them to someone who can. I think that comes from wanting to help everybody. I ended up going back and apologizing to her and we were able to work through that. Bless God that we still work together, but that was tough.
9. DN: Who has been your biggest inspiration?
MO: My Mom. She is such a powerful woman. A woman of wisdom, grace, and poise. As long as I can remember, she’s always been that way. When she’s going through it, you can’t tell she’s going through it because she’s able to operate in grace and wisdom and poise. She became a mother at 18 and not a lot of people know that. She had seven children and it was very hard, but she was always a woman of faith. I think back to when she would be praying around the house and I know she’s the reason why I am where I am today. I know she’s the reason why most of my siblings are where they are because of her prayers for her children and the way that she modeled her life.
Transform You! Round
DN: What book are you currently reading right now?
MO: I’m reading, “Win The Day” by Mark Batterson and it’s such a powerful book. It’s talking about making the most of life and starting with one day. The decisions you make in “a” day and it’s 7 daily habits for successful people. I just posted this on my Facebook the other day. If you want to change the world, start with making your bed. His book just talks about daily small habits that you do in a small way. That’s the thing that will lead you to the monumental because you have to be faithful in the small tasks.
DN: What has been your best business purchase?
MO: My whole office. We were able to transform it and it’s upstairs in my house which is a blessing. There has been no office that I’ve had to drive to for a whole year. So, it was a DIY project and I’ve got my decor which is so “me.” I let my husband use it sometimes. That’s probably the best purchase because it was a culmination of bringing it together. This is also my prayer room because it’s a place I can come to and seek God, set the atmosphere, and just work.
DN: What has been your go-to therapy or entrepreneurial resource?
MO: People. I have never been an entrepreneur before now and it can be very scary, but what I always see is that there is always someone doing what you want to do. There is always a place to aspire to. So when I have questions or I don’t understand, I have another resource and my first go-to is people. Those who want to see me win because what I’m able to do is transfer that same thing to someone else who is coming along the way and that’s a wonderful resource because people have resources. Whether they’re connecting you to another person, another business, or whatever, consultation is huge.
DN: Tell us a little bit about what you’re working on now and what’s coming down the pipeline next for you?
MO: I love to do what I do but I don’t see that being my end and I don’t see it in the near future. What I see is speaking engagements and traveling around to inspire others. What I’m working on now are some masterclasses on teaching different skills. Common things that people deal with on a daily basis who may not need therapy every week but have some things they need to think through or have some tools that will help them get through something that they’re dealing with.
I’m starting to offer masterclasses online that are four weeks at a time. My last one was called “Overcoming Fear” and I’ll probably be doing that one again next month in April. I also leverage social media platforms because this is one of my third or fourth interviews and I love it. I’m connecting with powerhouses and bosses and connecting and sharing. My main thing is encouragement and being inspirational. The map behind me on the wall is a daily reminder that I don’t want to just see North America, I want to see the world. Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I see the wisdom that she just embodies, and how when she wrote her book and was able to go to coliseums and fill them up. That’s what I see for Monique so I’m excited about the future and being able to affect the masses. That’s my heart.
DN: Where can people find you online?
MO:
Instagram: @moniquecounsels
Facebook: Monique O’Neal or Divine Interventions
Website: Divine Interventions, LLC
Email: moniqueconeal@gmail.com
Thank you so much Monique for taking time out to talk to me today! It’s been a pleasure going down memory lane and seeing what you’ve become and how far you’ve taken, not just your career but your life, ministry, and everything that embodies who Monique is. I’m looking forward to it all for you!
To my readers, I wanted to include some quick takeaways from today’s conversation and some lessons you can even tweet out or share on Facebook.
Takeaway #1 – Step out on faith, trust God, and the rest will be history.
Takeaway #2 – If you can help heal one person, then you can help heal a family. If you can help heal a family, you can help heal community. If you can heal community, you can heal the world.
Takeaway #3 – Go and brush shoulders with and glean with those who are doing what you want to do and learn from them.
Do you know a woman in business that you would like to see in our Women’s History Month 2021 Transform You! Series? Nominate them here.
HOW MONIQUE O'NEAL'S JOURNEY OF UNWAVERING FAITH LED TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP Share on X
When you buy something through our affiliate links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Every Monday, I share a new blog post.
The last Monday of every month, I do a Facebook Live session on my Facebook page so make sure we’re connected by clicking here.
Question for you: Did you enjoy this post? If so, drop a comment below. Let’s start a conversation!
Connect with me beyond the blog:
On Twitter
On Instagram
On YouTube
