Meet Genevieve Carvil-Harris of The World’s Favorite Capacity Building Strategist in Opa-Locka

Today we’d like to introduce you to Genevieve Carvil-Harris.

Genevieve, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
From the time I was a little girl, I always dreamed of changing the world. I always wanted to be remembered for being a person that had an impact on the lives of others; someone like Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Gandhi or Oprah. This led me to aspire to become an attorney when I grew up and I pursued that dream all the way until 2009 when I graduated from the University of Miami a year early and was accepted into a law school.

It felt like my dreams had finally come true. I was a 21-year-old law school student, the first in my family, and life was amazing. I had already assisted over 300 youth with the college admissions process and my community arts ministry was up and running successfully. THEN, it happened. During my first semester of law school, I felt so out of place like this wasn’t my dream at all. After speaking to advisers, I decided to stick it out and return for the spring semester however in May of 2009 I knew it wasn’t for me.

At that point, I was so confused about what my next steps in life would be. How could I make the impact I always dreamed of and not be an attorney? I figured that I was too young for anyone to take me seriously as a professional without an advanced degree. One day, I got a call that changed my life forever. I was asked to dance at a community developers conference in Arizona and it was there that I learned about capacity building through strategy, grants, and fundraising. The rest is HISTORY. My gift of dance had opened the door to the career path of my dreams and I became a capacity-building strategist for the non-profit and for-profit sector.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has been a bumpy road, mostly because transition and change has a way of making you doubt yourself. As a young black woman, I found myself in boardrooms and meetings where I was the only person of color or the youngest and that caused me to wonder if I was really supposed to be handling such great responsibilities. I had to overcome the opinions of those that felt that I had made a poor decision when I left law school and were suggesting that I should return. It wasn’t until my first grant application was approved for $209,000 for multiple years that individuals began to support my new direction in life.

I struggled with finances initially, but who doesn’t as a new entrepreneur. I was still very young when I started and was committed to doing everything the right way. I had to overcome the ill intent of people that I thought were around to help me succeed, but those lessons taught me to be careful with who is allowed to be a part of your journey and ultimately your legacy.

The greatest struggle that I had to overcome was the struggle of identifying and acknowledging my value. When I started, I would undercharge and over-perform for my clients, shoot sometimes, I even worked for free because I didn’t believe that people would pay me what it really costs to do the work. When I figured out that money was the tool that I use to build my brand and impact the lives of others through philanthropy, I changed my tune and began to charge what I was worth. Now, I help other entrepreneurs conquer that struggle as well.

Please tell us about The World’s Favorite Capacity Building Strategist.
I believe that what sets me apart from others is my genuine heart and commitment to the success of others. In 2014, I started Free To Live Management Services which is the company that manages my capacity-building work with clients. I specialize in helping individuals identify their current ideologies about success and how it relates to them and then assist them in developing a strategy to propel them towards the life they have always dreamed about. We call this ACTIVATION. Over the years, I have helped my clients amass between $250,000 to millions of dollars through the strategies that I’ve taught them to execute in their lives and businesses. I refer to my clients as GAMECHANGERS and they are what I am most proud of as a brand. They motivate me with their journeys of transformation and to watch their sense of self-worth and bank accounts increase is a joy for me. Two years after the start of my company, I started my own non-profit organization Square One Networks which prides itself on being the nesting ground for emerging leaders through training (grant writing, professional development, fundraising, sponsorship, etc.), group networking and community outreach. The community arts ministry that started my capacity-building journey now operates under this entity and produces an annual community concert to bring awareness to topics that are not spoken of as often as they should.

My brand as “The World’s Favorite Capacity Building Strategist” came from my weekly FB Live Broadcast, Clarity Call, which allowed me to get clients from all over the US, Canada, and even parts of Africa.

How would you describe the type of kid you were growing up?
My parents described me as a fun-loving, artistic and caring child. I was always fascinated with the ministry and helping others. I didn’t like to play outside because I always felt it was too hot in Miami for a princess, {smart kid, lol}, so I would find creative things to do in my house. This often led to the creation of entire dance and mime routines for me and my younger sister to participate in around the house. Crazy enough, I was super timid and would cry ANYTIME I had to speak or sing in front of a crowd. Who would have known that I’d be known as a public speaker, singing and trainer as an adult?!?! That is why children need encouragement to be great until they can believe it for themselves.

Pricing:

• ACTIVATE Calls are $99 and include my process of strategic life and business planning to get you started STRONG

Contact Info:

• Website: www.genevievecarvilharris.com
• Phone: 786-426-5840
• Email: connect@genevievecarvilharris.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/gencharris
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genevievecarvilharris/
• Other: linktr.ee/gencharris

Image Credit:
Allison Miche’ and Pairfect Fit Empire

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