Rian: The Educator-Entrepreneur

Rian has that kind of calm and collected demeanor that exudes “educator.” You can tell from the get go that she wants your conversation to convey mutual understanding, and she’s willing to patiently listen and explain until you’re both on the same page.

I felt at ease chatting with Rian — not just because she’s easy to talk to — but because she has a self-assuredness and a humbleness about her career path that so many of us wish we had as well.

What’s clear is that Rian knows her purpose. She’s here to promote learning, and she’s not letting herself be boxed in by traditional norms around what educators should be.

I so enjoyed learning from her story — her commitment to education, her willingness to push boundaries, and her desire to support her community at large — and I know anyone reading this will too. :)

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In a Nutshell: Rian’s Career Path:

Rian’s journey into education began when she was in first grade. She was really struggling at the time to learn how to read, and she had this amazing teacher that supported her as she built up the skills she needed to succeed.

“And that’s when I connected with the idea that I wanted to be a teacher.”

All throughout school and into high school, she was the girl that was going to be a teacher.

“It became my passion to work with kids like me who didn’t get it right the first time and understanding that that’s what learning is. You’re not gonna get everything right the first time and that doesn’t mean that your self worth should be less than anybody else’s — it just means that it’s your journey.”

But after completing her BA in Education and starting to teach full time, Rian was exposed to challenges within the education system that she didn’t see when she was a child.

“I saw educators not being supported, educators’ voices getting overlooked. Those things made me feel unsupported in my job.”

Despite the challenges, Rian was inspired by the opportunity to build relationships and empower individuals and their families.

“I didn’t want anybody to think that they were less than because of their own personal life journey. We’re just all different, we have different strengths and different weaknesses — and you have different strengths and weaknesses than somebody else. And that’s why we need each other — we need each other to grow….It was that dedication to changing the narrative and changing their future that kept me there.”

To put it simply: “If everybody left, there’d be no change.”

Rian credits her parents for instilling the resilience that has enabled her to persevere as a teacher within a broken education system.

As a biracial person — her dad is Irish and her mom is African American — she had personal insight into challenges surrounding retention and recruitment of people of color in education, and was even asked to speak at Harvard on the subject.

One day, Rian decided to take on another challenge: getting her MBA.

While it was certainly difficult — especially because so many people asked her why she’d bother getting an MBA as an educator — she’s now entered into a new phase of her career.

“Now I have my MBA and my Teaching Certification, so I define myself as an Educator/Entrepreneur.”

Rian is now leveraging her passion for educating people to help other educators start their own brands and become financially stable and fulfilled. In an industry notorious for low pay and high burnout, Rian’s new venture aims to fill a gap to help teachers feel valued and motivated to keep thriving.

“Now I’m working individually with educators. Working on setting up some workshops to have larger sessions with educators — not just teachers, but also psychologists — everybody in the education profession. So they can have the space to own something and feel valued in that ownership. Whether that’s writing a book, starting a makeup line — whatever business out there I want educators to own that.”

In addition to helping other educators, Rian has launched her own businesses. Her digital magazine, Reminisce Empower Lifestyle Magazine, and her podcast, Reminisce: The Empowered Podcast, are both up and running. And she’s now in the process of launching a whole new business: an accessory brand of travel and makeup bags.

For Rian, it’s all about learning by doing.

“It’s fun to learn how businesses are run — the resources we have that we’re not always tapping into. And being self-sufficient. We can plan for this by starting our own businesses and living out our own passions. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

And if you think Rian’s stopping there — think again.

Her next big step?

Facilitating partnerships for student growth as a newly minted member of the City Council Education Advisory Committee, a two-year appointment by the Mayor of the City of Laurel, MD, Craig A. Moe.

Indeed, Rian’s journey is proof that classroom teaching isn’t the only way to support and improve education, and I have a feeling she’s nowhere near done pushing boundaries and creating her own path.

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Adding It Up: Confirming My Happiness Formula Assumptions

Here’s how Rian’s journey adds up to my assumptions about finding happiness in your career:

Hands-on Opportunities

• Unlike some people (#me), instead of waiting to be given opportunities for hands-on learning, it appears that Rian has pursued them head on. A great example of this is learning how to start a business by diving in and starting one herself!

A Supervisor’s Faith

• Rian got to test out her speaking chops thanks to Dr. Francine G. McNairy, the President of Millersville University, who invited Rian to speak at an 8,000 person graduation ceremony (and was one of the first subscribers to Rian’s digital magazine).

An Inspiring Mentor

• Mentorship has proven to be the cornerstone of Rian’s career story. From her teacher in 1st grade who helped her learn to read, to her mentor from the NAACP, Arielle Loren, mentors appear to have played a significant role in guiding and shaping Rian’s vision for her future.
• Rian also credits Dr. Rita Smith-Wade EL, Founder of African American Studies at Millersville University for encouraging her dedication to investing in community growth, as well as Dr. Miriam Witmer, founder of the Color of Teaching program which supports Pre-Service teachers of color.

A Supportive Community

• While we didn’t explicitly discuss it, Rian is also an active member of the Starting Bloc community, and I know for a fact that she’s found podcast interviewees from the SB community.
• As President of the NAACP for the state of Pennsylvania, Rian had the chance to connect to her mentor, and likely countless others committed to supporting each other and lifting each other up.

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Rian’s Tips for Career Shifters and People that Feel Stuck:

Seek out mentors:

“When I was the president of NAACP for the state of Pennsylvania I was able to connect with other leaders during that time. And one of them — her name is Arielle Loren — I was able to watch her grow and see her journey and stay connected with her and learn from her.”

Community is key:

“Find your community that’s going to share their experiences and want to see the best in you. And when you find your community — learn from them……Everyone’s on a journey. And it’s not a race and just people are learning and trying to connect and follow their path and we’re all just intertwined in the process, so why not learn from each other?”

Don’t let others hold you back:)

“Don’t be paralyzed by other people’s thoughts. Because a lot of other people will say things to you — mostly because they haven’t found their own path. They’re just projecting their feelings onto your path, but they’re just not connected to your path, so they won’t be able to see it anyway. Don’t be paralyzed by the thoughts of others that don’t see the vision. Keep your attention on the people that do — because they’re gonna be a part of building your dream.”

Just jump:

“I would say a month ago even two weeks ago, I didn’t even know that I was gonna start this new brand. Just enjoy the journey and watch it evolve. I think a lot of times with business — a lot of people think things are all worked out, and it’s not. You just gotta jump.”

If you’d like to connect with Rian and learn more about her story, you can find her on Linkedin, Twitter (@MissReed), or via email (Rian@Rianreed.com).