Renee Stewart, Amanda Flannery, Mark Rector & Mel Carr – Her Write to Rise – Archway Academy

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. Oh my gosh, I’m so excited about today. We’re talking about community connection and mentorship and the impact we can create when we’re intentional about bringing those things together. Because sometimes the most meaningful opportunities to make a difference, start simply by opening a door and sharing an experience, or showing up for someone who may need to see what’s possible for themselves. I have a great group joining me for this conversation today, so let’s get right to it. Mel, let’s start with you. Tell us a little bit about who you are and the work that you do.

Mel Carr: Thank you so much. So yes, Mel C here. I’m founder of Cloversy. Cloversy is an executive virtual assistant all made up of 100% women based here in the US, supporting our clients as well as our publishing needs. That goes into the next company, six figure checks. So six figure checks is made up of 150 plus six figure earning females. And they’re all around the US and Canada. And Cloversy is a publishing company for all nine books that have been published, all international best selling books. We are working on many more books so that we have a greater impact around this great nation. And from six figure chicks, um, we created the nonprofit Her Right to Rise, which I’m sure you’ll hear a lot more about all of those things of are our opportunities of giving back to our community and the people, the young people that are in it.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Mel. All right, Amanda, over to you. Tell us a little about you and your work with Archway Academy.

Amanda Flannery: So super excited to be with you guys today. Um, I am definitely a dedicated leader for passion and has a huge passion for helping young people navigate challenges, um, with education and the recovery kind of coinciding. Um, I’ve been the executive director of Archway Academy since 2023. Um, I definitely bring a wealth of experience around leadership and program management, um, to this small nonprofit that continues to grow and blossom. Um, I love, love, love our environment where we really get to put on, um, meeting innovative ways to shine in And education, which we’ll talk about a little later. Um, as well as making sure that recovery is a process that we all work with, um, day in and day out. Um, my work at Archway Academy really reflects my belief in the transformative power of education and my passion for making positive impacts on young people. Which brings me to a little about me. I have five, um, children and I just got married last month to my chapter two. So excited to be with you guys again today.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh that’s wonderful. Thank you so much, Amanda. All right, Renee, I’m coming over to you. So we need to know a little bit about you. And then I want to understand your connection between six figure chicks and Archway Academy.

Renee Stewart: Okay. Hi, everybody. I’m Renee Stewart, and I’m an executive leadership and business transformation coach. I’m also a human resources executive and leadership strategist with more than 20 years of experience developing leaders and strengthening organizations. That’s one of my lanes. I’d love doing that. Um, I’m also the board president for Archway Academy. And in that role, I mean, I have the great privilege and the responsibility of helping create an environment right along with Amanda and Marc, where students are not defined by their circumstances, but they’re empowered by their possibilities. Right. And my role is not simply to govern the school, right? But it’s also to protect the vision that every student deserves an opportunity to discover who they are, develop their gifts, and also, um, build a future that they can be proud of. And, um, you know, my passion is there. I’ve been with the organization for six years now. So my connection is I’m a six figure chick right along with Amanda. And I am in Houston volume two and I believe Amanda, you’re in Houston volume two as well, right? Yeah, she’s in Houston, volume two as well. So that’s the connection that I have with Mel and with Amanda with the Archway Academy.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay, fantastic. Thank you for that, Renee. All right. Mark, coming over to you. I would say you’re bringing up and rounding us out here. So tell us a little bit more about you and your role at Archway Academy.

Mark Rector: So it’s an honor to be in the presence of so many successful women. I’m the only guy here. Um, so I’m going to do my best after all that shine. Um, so I’ve been working in addiction treatment, uh, for the past 13 years or so, pretty much across any job you can have in a treatment center. I’ve pretty much done it. Uh, but my specialty is in leadership and being an executive director. I came over to archway last year after working in the private sector for a long amount of time. Um, and when Amanda presented me with the opportunity to help out adolescents in recovery, pushing them towards a better future for themselves, uh, educationally, as well as supporting their recovery. Throughout that process, I jumped at the opportunity. I’m personally in long term recovery myself. I’ve been sober for the past 13 years. And so what I aim to do over at archway and working in conjunction with Mel and Renee and Amanda, uh, is to bring light and hope to our students and show them that there is a way out. And I think six figure checks is a perfect opportunity to give them hope when they’ve experienced so much darkness. So I’m really excited to be here and excited to work with such a beautiful team inside and out to support our students recovery.

Trisha Stetzel: I’m so excited to have the four of you on today. Mel, I’m going to come over to you. I because we’re talking about community and connection and mentorship. I’d love to know how you met these ladies.

Mel Carr: Mhm. Power of connection. Your inner circle is so powerful. And that I am actually in Scottsdale, Arizona, so I’m. I’m not in your area, but I so happened Houston was the very first book outside of our Phoenix nationwide books for us to expand. And it started with the first author in your book, Tricia, you were the second author signed on for Houston Volume one. And interesting enough, I was born in Houston, though I stayed just a couple of years. And so Houston has my heart and I love being able to give a platform for you all and the other women that are part of the book series. Um, that platform to be able to give back to their communities because it’s great to have the recognition, the visibility and credibility from being an international best selling author, but like, we can do so much more with our voices and our storytelling. And that’s so important for us to share our knowledge. We’ve been there, we’ve done that. So why not give it back to our next generation so that they can be as successful or more than us?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, I, I love that and the whole reason why I got involved and wanted to be a part of what you were doing. Mel, because I could see that it was something so much bigger. And I told you that at least a thousand times. And I love the work that you continue to do. So, um, Amanda, tell us why you decided to tell your story in six figure Checks Houston volume two.

Amanda Flannery: So my story talks a lot about. Um, and it really ties into archway. So like I see our students as warriors, right? A lot of them have overcome something at such an instrumental age. Um, when your body is changing, your life is changing, you’re deciding what you’re going to be. Um, and I kind of had to do the same. Um, when I first came on to archway, so I started with archway in November, um, about three years ago and had a normal Christmas. And then my husband of 16 years, um, unfortunately passed away. Um, and that was in February. And so while I always identified with the strength that our kids have, I saw my life going one way and it very, it took a very hard turn in a different way. And I now, um, even today on a tour this morning on campus, I was able to tell a mom like, look, I’m in the widow group. It wasn’t the group that I was excited to be in. Um, I’ve have this community that’s around me. We celebrate each other’s success. Um, a lot of these parents, they’re not excited when their kid comes to Archway Academy all of the time because they’re in a group where their kids are in recovery. But what I’ve learned in these communities is they are so needed and they build people up and they make people better. And Six Figure Chicks is another community that came into my life when I really needed some other strong mentors and leaders to say, put your boots on, girl. Here we go. And I’m so glad that it all came to my life at the right time when I really needed those communities. So archway six figure chicks. Um, and of course, the amazing people that I’ve met in the widows group have all just come around me to help me be successful. So those sweet set of, my three kids that were staring back at me, I could be that best person for them.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. Thank you for sharing that and being vulnerable enough, Amanda, to not just talk about it here, but to write your story about it. So if you guys are interested, please go out to all of the channels that you can get a book from and get huge six figure checks. Houston Volume two. And you can see Amanda’s story as well as Renee’s. And if you’re up to it, you could get volume one and volume three while you’re out there because those are available as well. Uh, Renee, I would love to hear why you decided to share your story in volume two.

Renee Stewart: Um, it was brought to me by another six figure chick, um, Gabrielle out of, uh, volume one. And, um, I always kind of thought maybe I would write a book way in the future and then, you know, it landed in my lap and I was like, okay, it’s here now. Why not? But I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about. And then the story popped up. Um, that’s always been there. And I just kind of put it to, you know, the back of my mind and, um, it’s about adversity. I’ve been fired once in my life and that’s what it’s about. And, um, in my late 20s, it was the day before my 27th birthday, so I’ll never forget it. And, um, I’m not going to go too far into it, but it’s all about adversity. You know, we all get knocked down, you know, life happens to us, right sometimes. And you just have to kind of take a look at what happened, what you can learn from it, and how you’re going to pick yourself back up and move forward and, um, gain strength from it and actually use that energy in a positive way instead of, you know, staying mired in the negativity. So that’s what I did.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. Thank you, Renee, for sharing. And Mel, I know you became vulnerable and was able to tell you told your story when we wrote Houston Volume one, which is something that you had not done before. So what I see here, the through is talking about the vulnerability and the challenges. And it’s not just about, oh, I’m a six figure chick and look what I did. No, it’s about all of the adversity and the challenges and the things that you had to do to get there. So, Mark, I’m going to come over to you because I know that you did not write a chapter in one of these books, but I want to hear from you why it’s important for the students at Archway Academy to have access to women who have been able to tell their story, like Mel, Amanda, Renee, and even myself.

Mark Rector: Well, I think there’s, you know, kind of two very large things that’s going to benefit our students greatly. The very first thing is they’re going to get to see actual real stories. Not up on a movie screen, not read in a magazine. Actual people who’ve been through adversity, been through challenges. Um, maybe not exactly the same as theirs, but in the same spirit of, and been able to been able to overcome and succeed. And that’s crucial in recovery. Um, you know, we see people telling their stories out in 12 step meetings. Well, why do they tell their stories? Well, to inspire others to do the exact same thing that they did. And I think having them out, having the six figure chicks out at archway is going to be a great model for what they can become. Additionally, my hope is that the students will take the time to sit down and talk with some of the authors and pick up some skills, either with mentality or some some literal logistical skills on how do I get an LLC started? I’m interested in starting a business. What did I need to do to do that? And what did you do? How did you succeed? What what roadblocks did you run into? And so I’m really excited and hopeful that our student population will take advantage of this, because you don’t see this in your typical school setting. Um, I’ve never seen a school setting. When I was in high school, none of this stuff was available. It was get to class, do your homework, get good grades, get out of here. Um, and so having a cool event like this for the kids that pushes them in a positive direction is, is not something, you know, our kids have experienced a lot of the time. And so I think that it’s going to be multifaceted and incredibly beneficial for our population of kids, especially the women.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. That’s exciting. Um, Amanda, so what do you think it means for these young adults to have adults with stories, uh, outside of their immediate circle show up and say, I see you and I believe in what’s possible for you.

Amanda Flannery: I think it teaches them younger Tricia and I, you know, I just shared a little bit of my age. I mean, I really didn’t understand, um, the impacts. And I think Mel leads to this a little bit in her story of community until I was much older and you’re in high school, why not get the lesson now? And so, um, you know, I had to learn to ask for help for meals, for rides, because there was a million kids who, um, for prayers for encouragement. And so I think for them, it’s strong women and men don’t have to do it alone. Um, you can learn, lean on and then ask things from your tribe and then build new tribes. And I think that for our kids especially, they’re in their own tribe. You know, they’re with a lot of people fighting the same battle. So for them to really get that lesson and hone in on it would just be a privilege to watch. We get to see a little bit of it every year because it’s the seniors with the seniors and and so on as you go on down. But I think realizing that you’re really in that moment would just be spectacular. And I hope that that brings it home for them.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. All right. Mel. I want to talk about her right to rise. You alluded to it, but you didn’t really tell us about it earlier. So I want you to talk about one, why you formed that and then follow on to why did you decide to work with Archway Academy for that?

Mel Carr: Yeah. Thank you. So I said earlier, you know, we created her right to rise purely from the opportunities these amazing women are gave me. I was meeting all of these new, successful females that were sharing stories in these books that they had never told anyone. Like there are family members out there after reading their chapter going, oh my gosh, I never knew that about you and people in our inner circles going, you went through something like me, and I saw that transformation first with the authors of going, whoa, I can’t believe I did all that or went through all of that. And then being able to see firsthand from the readers and the people supporting those authors transform in those words, those stories, and going, okay, we are making a big difference. We’re leaving a lasting legacy with our printed books, our stories. How can we make a greater impact onto the communities that we’re all in? And that’s when I was like, okay, well, we can go to a nonprofit organization, every community, and give back that way. But I know exactly who I want to impact and inspire and motivate with our journeys is young women because of my story that you know, I shared. Three years later after the first book, um, because the authors gave me the confidence to share my story, my, my deep, dark, raw, messy middle that I never shared with anyone for fear of judgment. And that’s what happens with us. We’re fearful of what other people will think.

Mel Carr: And so we don’t say anything. We don’t ask questions. And I thought, God, I was on my own at 15. I remember holding my steering wheel in my car at Red lobster going, I’ve got to make more money. I’m just going to drop out of high school so I can work more hours. Like, how many kids are like that right now going, I want to do something, or I’m going to make this decision that could change my life forever. And they do not know they have a mentor or somebody to talk to outside of their immediate circle. I didn’t have that when I was younger. So that’s where the passion and mission comes from, of I want every single young person out there to know they have somebody to come to. We’re here for them. They’re not alone. And so that is our mission now of, you know, closing that gap and going to schools. And I am so blessed to have this immediate connection with Archway Academy, to have, you know, two authors on their boards. And I just went to Amanda and I’m like, hey, would you like some six figure chicks at your school? And, you know, and the rest is history. Like, I’m just so excited to have these women come to the school and we will leave there with our lives forever changed And we hope to do the same to those kids. And I, I always say, if my story can change one person’s life. Job well done.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. Thank you. Mel. Gosh, that. So we’ve talked about community and connection. I want to talk about mentorship. And Renee, I’m going to come to you because I, I feel like you have a perspective as a business woman and also sitting on the board and being the president of the board. So what what is it? What happens when business women and community leaders stop thinking about just networking and building business with one another and start asking how those relationships can be used to serve? Can you give me your perspective on that?

Renee Stewart: Yeah. Um, typically what I, what I do is kind of start thinking about my younger self, right? I wish I had a mentor, you know. How far would I be? What mistakes would I have, you know, avoided if I had that mentor? And, um, that’s one of the reasons why I sit on the board at archway and, you know, anything to do with, um, our young leaders. And because you have to give them the opportunity, you have to listen to them, share your experiences with them. They are like sponges. They just want to soak up everything that you tell them. They have excellent questions. I mean, better questions that I could formulate at that age. I’m telling you, they have really good questions. And I mean, it’s so it’s so cathartic for me to be able to give back to these young people. Um, and you just see that gleam in their eyes. They’re just like, you know, when you hit on something and just the sparkle, it just they light up when you’re sharing things with them or give them that next step or connect them with somebody that can help them. I mean, it’s just so fulfilling to be able to reach back, right. And pull a couple of people up right along with you. I mean, there’s nothing like that. Mentorship is awesome.

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. Who knew that telling your story, being visible, stop being invisible could make such a big difference to someone else. Those people that are looking and even Mark, he didn’t write a chapter, but he just told us his story and being vulnerable. And that makes a difference to the community and to the students. Knowing that you’ve been there, you’ve been challenged. All of us have had some kind of adversity in our background. And I think that, um, being vulnerable enough to pull that out or put that out is so important. Okay. I want to talk about the fun stuff. Now there’s an event coming, an event, an event, an event. All right. Amanda, tell us from your perspective what’s happening. Tell us when it is, what’s happening and what we’re going to be doing.

Amanda Flannery: We are having, um, the amazing authors, um, from all three volumes onto our campus on September 17th. We are going to start up bright and early, um, at about 830. And our first period class is going to have all the authors from volume one share a little bit about their story and then have a question and answer. Same thing for second period volume two and then third period volume three. We are creating a pink swag bag from each of the authors. So somebody that attends all three will get a swag bag and the authors will also autograph the books and have a question and answer session in each one of those 50 minute sessions to really give back, um, and talk about what they did, what they did overcome, what are some insights that they wish they would have had everything we basically touched on here, um, and be prepared because Renee hit the nail on the head. They have really good questions. Um, and so really excited to see, um, what that brings forward and out of us even further. Um, and then excited to see what that trajectory takes. I think this is one of those things where the ripple in the pond will probably go on much longer, much further than we realize. And I’m just so blessed to not only be a part of this, but to watch it unfold in a school where people really are molding and investing in themselves. Um, these kids have opportunities just like anyone else to go to a multitude of places, especially in the med center in Houston, Texas. And we’re privileged to have them come to us every day and an even more privileged to give them opportunities like this. So again, just want to say thank you to everybody involved. And thank you for the platform to share with everyone about this amazing event.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh my gosh, I’m so excited about it. Mark, I know you alluded to the amazing things that are going to happen when we have this event. What are you most excited about when we’re talking about this actual event happening on the 16th?

Mark Rector: I mean, I think I commented on it earlier, but I’ll double down on it. Um, opportunity, um, opportunities for our students that you’re not going to see in a typical high school, uh, I think is wildly, uh, wildly beneficial to our clients, not only from an opportunity perspective, but from a clinical perspective. Um, I’m hoping that the students see that, that we are taking extra measures to invest real time in some real opportunities that could yield some real results, either in mentality or possibly even flourish or encourage. Excuse me, um, a business idea of some sort. Um, I don’t think our kids have a ton of opportunities or have had a lot of opportunities yet to see, uh, you know, up close and personal, really successful people with really incredible stories persevering through hardship and still making it with their head held high. And so I think it’s just a wonderful opportunity that most high schools are not going to get. Uh, and I’m just really grateful that that Mel and all the authors have agreed to come over and, and show the kids, um, some inspiration.

Trisha Stetzel: It’s going to be amazing. Thank you. Mark. And yes, we did need to double down because sometimes people forget from the first of the show to the end of the show. Thank you for that, Mel. From your perspective, tell me. Tell me about the event and gathering of all the women who have been authors in, um, each of the volumes.

Mel Carr: Yeah. I’d like to just follow up with what Mark said is that, you know, our, the young people are so inundated by picture perfect stories, as he had mentioned earlier, but we’re flooded with Hollywood and social media where everyone is like done up to the nines. If you are successful and you have a lot of money for the children to see real people like people around the block, in the community, in the grocery store, and the malls come up to them and want to open up and talk to them like one on one real people, like we’re on the same level as them. We’re not any better. We don’t, you know, want to hold anything back because we were there. And for us to be like, they walked into a room with all of us in there, and they would have thought of us differently. Not in a bad way, but they would have already prejudged like we all do naturally, right? But for us, we’re going to be walking into their space and we’re going to be having open arms and real conversations. Not all the fluff and the stuff that we post. It’s going to be like, hey, yes, I was where you’re at.

Mel Carr: Or I had some major roadblocks and challenges in my life. I pushed past them and this is what I did and how I got to where I’m at today. Like we’re not, we don’t hold back because they expect as much as we can give them and more. And they’ll respect us for opening up our, you know, some of the Stories and moments in our life that we don’t talk a lot about. And that’s where, you know, our readers and people who are supportive of our community, that’s what they think too, of going, wow, okay. She was really brave about putting it all out there in a book for the whole world to see. I have so much more respect for her. I want to have a conversation with her. She seems more approachable now. She seems like a real person now because yeah, that’s what it is. We’re just real people, normal lives, and we want to ensure that those kids know that they can ask anyone that they’re around. And, you know, maybe 1 or 2 of us will leave with a lifelong mentee. And wouldn’t that be amazing?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, I was thinking, Mel, while you were talking about that, how it could change our lives or some thought or mindset that we have, and how those students could actually affect the way we are and the way we show up. And I, I hope that that’s something that we can all take away as well, that it’s helping us grow as grownups, uh, just as much as they’re able to, as young adults. Take away from the conversation. Renee, what are you most excited about for this event?

Renee Stewart: Um, I’m excited to see and to hear the questions that the students ask. I really am, um, because to me, that’s what it boils down to. It’s about the students. It’s not about us. You know, we, we’ll tell our stories. Yes. You know, we’ll be transparent and vulnerable, but I’m excited to field those questions to see how I can help someone, you know, help one of the students, point them in the right direction. Share, you know, some adversity I went through or hear some of the other authors sharing some of the roadblocks and challenges, like Mel said, um, how they overcame them because to me, those are the lessons right there, those right there, not all the everything that went right. It’s the things that, you know, that threw us curveballs, right? And we’re standing there with the bat in our hand and the ball went past and we’re like, hey, what just happened? You know, I really think those are the lessons right there that I really, really, really want the want the authors to share with the kids and just to see what they do with it.

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. That is so exciting. All right, Amanda, I’m going to put a shameless plug out there that we’re looking for more media outlets to talk about this amazing event. So tell us again the location and the time and we can maybe even shout out like, hey, channel two, we need some media coverage. I’m just saying shameless plug. So Amanda, tell us one more time about the event details.

Amanda Flannery: Yes, ma’am. September 17th, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.. And yes, all channel news in Houston. We welcome you to a stunning event where we collaborate with educators, the Sobriety community, Archway Academy, and all the supporters of youth empowerment in general. Um, it’s going to be an exciting day. It’s going to be transformative and very, very lucky to have this platform to be able to support, um, not only our youth, but the leaders that are, that are continue to give back to it as well. So it’s going to be magical.

Trisha Stetzel: Yes. And that my friends, my news friends, my media friends is a community story. So we need it, right? We need it for sure. All right. Last question for, um, each of you, Mark, I’ll come to you first. What is the one thing, just one thing you hope a student walks away with believing about themselves from this event.

Mark Rector: I can do anything.

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. Oh, I love that. Just. Yeah.

Mark Rector: Uh, I don’t think kids are given that message of the American dream enough anymore. Being all trapped in social media. Um, and I think what I hope to leave them with is I can endure and I can do anything. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s beautiful, I love that. All right, Mel, what’s the one thing you hope a student walks away with believing about themselves?

Mel Carr: Uh, that they matter. That’s the one thing that I, I think of is at 15, 1816. If I had said I mattered, my life would be different, not better, but it would be different.

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. Mhm. Thank you. Mel. All right, Renee, how about you?

Renee Stewart: I would say, um, just because you’ve gone through, um, some challenges, your story is not over and your future is still waiting.

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. Oh my gosh, you guys have said so many profound things. Amanda, I’m coming to you.

Amanda Flannery: And this doesn’t disqualify you. It equips you. Every scar is proof of survival. I actually have that written on my mirror. Um, somebody told me that a week after Brennan passed, and I’ve never taken it down. Um, scars are important. They’re a part of us forever. And we all have them.

Trisha Stetzel: We all have them. And we need to show them because somebody behind us, beside us, or even in front of us is watching. And it’s so important to to be visible for those who are watching, so that we can show them the way and show them the possibilities. You guys have been amazing. This is really enlightening and maybe a little fun. Renee made us laugh a few times. Thank you guys for spending your time with me. I can’t wait for others to learn more about six figure Chicks, about her right to rise, about Archway Academy and about Renee Stewart coaching. Thank you all for being with me today. All right. Thank you for being. Yeah. Thanks you guys. Um, I appreciate your time and even more importantly, for being willing to show up and have this conversation. It’s so important. We were talking about community and connection and mentorship, which is so important. And I think this is a great reminder for all of us that community doesn’t happen simply because we live or work in the same place. We create it when we connect, people share what we’ve learned. Open doors for one another and choose to show up. You guys. That’s all the time we have for today. If you found value in this conversation, please share it with others who might find this message important to them, or they can share it with their communities. Be sure to follow, rate and review this show because it helps reach more bold business minds and people who want to give back just like you. So your business, your leadership, and your legacy are built one intentional step at a time. So stay inspired, stay focused, and keep building the business and the life you deserve.