The Day I Chose to Rise (And Never Looked Back)

By Andrea C Russell 

Biz Implementation & Financial Accountability Coach Let’s cut straight to it: I didn’t “wake up inspired” to rise above my mess. I didn’t get a soft whisper from Heaven and float on grace dust on purpose. Nope. My moment looked a lot more like a bathroom floor, mascara tears, and one of those “Jesus, if You don’t fix this, I’m not making it” prayers.

Truth is, rock bottom doesn’t send a calendar invite. It crashes through your door, unannounced, messy, and inconvenient. And for me, it came dressed in betrayal, broke-ness (spiritually and financially), and a whole heap of shame.

But what if I told you the fall wasn’t the problem, it was the setup?

See, most people think purpose arrives polished. That healing is this neat, little packaged process. Cue the music, grab your lavender candle, journal it out, and BOOM,you're healed, whole, and hosting a women’s conference.

If only.

Healing is gritty. The purpose is not polite. And rising above? That’s war. It’s spiritual, emotional, and deeply practical. And that’s why I created the Rise Above Workbook not to impress you with my highlight reel, but to hand you the tools I wish I had when my life exploded.

Let me back up.

Before I became a Business Coach, Profit Strategist, and workbook-writing machine, I was the girl who sold pastries in school because entrepreneurship was in my bones. But life had a way of slapping that hustle right out of me. By 15, I had experienced betrayal that rewired my identity. By 41, I was in a full-on financial crisis, ironic, right? An aspiring business owner drowning in debt because of a bad home purchase. God sure knows how to keep us humble.

But here’s the plot twist nobody saw coming (not even me): That breakdown? It became the birthplace of my Rise Above framework.

It’s not just cute branding. It’s survival in motion. Strategize, Optimize, Activate, Reflect. Each one is a holy, heart-work step for the woman who refuses to stay stuck. Because truthfully? You don’t need another pep talk. You need a process.

You need someone to look you in the eye and say: “Girl, God is not done with you.”

So whether your pit looks like a failed marriage, a silent bank account, a lost sense of worth or all three. I wrote this for you. The woman who feels called but also crushed. Who believes God, but also has questions. Who shows up smiling but is quietly screaming inside.

The Rise Above Workbook isn’t here to coddle you, it’s here to call you up.

To show you how to price your worth without apology. To untangle the lie that being Christian means staying broke. To teach you how to walk on purpose and profit. Because sis, Proverbs 31 wasn’t out here doing vision boards, she was closing deals and building legacy.

I believe every woman has a chapter she wants to skip in her story. But it’s often the exact chapter God wants to publish for His glory. That’s the whole premise behind the InspireHER Embrace Change and Transformation Anthology women, including myself, telling the raw, redemptive truth about what God can do with broken pieces.

So if you’re tired of performance religion, if you’re done waiting for permission to be powerful, if you’re ready to stop pretending and start building, this is your moment.

Grab the workbook. Read the stories. And most importantly?

Get up. Not perfect. Not polished. Just willing. Because the same grace that carried me off the bathroom floor?

It’s ready to carry you, too.

Ready to rise?

Grab your copy of the Rise Above Workbook and the InspireHer: Embracing Change And Transformation Anthology, real stories and real strategy for the woman who’s done pretending and ready to rebuild.

Your healing is holy ground. Your purpose is non-negotiable.

Visit https:businesscoach.andrearussellcoach.com/author to start your journey. Connect With Andrea www.businesscoach.andrearussellcoach.com/home

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