Episode 81 | Leading Students with HOPE: College Readiness, Scholarships & Purpose with Shellee Howard

0:05 Welcome to the Lead with Hope podcast. Today we're talking with Shelly Howard, a mother of four and the inspiring founder of College Ready. Shelly has helped countless students navigate the college admissions process and get to college without debt. In this episode, she shares her journey as a mother and an entrepreneur, and she offers actionable strategies for parents and students to explore their values, build leadership skills, and discover their authentic selves. If you're ready to empower the next generation, uncover scholarship opportunities, and create a road map for a debt free education, welcome to this conversation.

0:47 Before we get started, I want to thank our legacy partner, Craig Williams, founder of Commissary as Spark Hope. We believe this story matters because story shapes how we lead, how we can connect, and how we show up in the world. Commissary helps authors and leaders bring clarity to their story and confidence to their voice, so their brand truly reflects who they are. You can learn more about their work by visiting the link in today's show notes or on the Spark Hope website. Thank you, Commissary for supporting the Lead with Hope podcast. So Shelley, welcome to the show. And today I want to start off by just asking you to tell us who are you.

1:30 Tell us your story. So it's important to start with, I'm a mom of four, all who have gotten into college and not without debt and that's very important to me. I am a fifth generation Californian, I think very unique in that respect. But I've been to 100 countries and many of them in third world. So I'm a very diverse person in that I grew up in Laguna Beach, CA and my true passion is international travel and college Ready was started my my business and years ago. Shelly, for those new to college ready, what created the spark for you to want to do this type of work? It started with my first born coming home from 8th grade and asking for help.

2:14 And so you know moms and dads, if you're out there know your kids ask or not, they need you. And my story. I could go on and on but I know our our time together is limited. So please know your kids need you and I don't put that on as another thing you need to do. I put that on as a wonderful place to share who you are and what matters to you. So that is really where I come from, a place of being a mom and also being ACEO of an 18 year old company. I think it's important to note that I was the 1st to go off to college and I did it completely wrong. Both of my parents are entrepreneurs and they thought that path was just fine.

2:57 After college. I started with a Fortune 500 company, joined the corporate ladder, was forced to wear pantyhose with my skirt, and I'm telling you, went through the wringer and tried to break down some some incredible barriers before I left. I stayed there 8 1/2 years. I got great training, credible opportunity, and then I had to really lean into my entrepreneur spirit and that's my spark. College Ready is my seventh business I have started and I've been here 18 years. I can't imagine life without inspiring teenagers to be the best version of themselves. Now that I have 4 young adults of my own who have graduated debt free, I can truly say it's more of a passion than a job.

3:42 Shelly, I've heard people say that when you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. One of my parents encouraged me to go to college and the other one discouraged me. So we had a house divided. And I think it's important that not everybody understands that being an entrepreneur is not the easy path, right? Some people want to leave corporate America because they think, Oh my gosh, this is awful. I would encourage you to look at it differently and think, Oh my gosh, it's going to be hard, but so worth it. I've loved every second. So my my hope is, or my hope was when I graduated from high school that I would have some kind of direction on where, what do I want to be?

4:25 Where do I want to go? How am I going to get there? And my parents honestly put their head in the sand. And the high school counselor said, your grades are great, just kind of deal with it. And I was left at 17 years old to navigate my future. And so my hope is that no child has to do what I had to do. You know, sitting down your parents and and telling them what your game plan is, is, is a kind of a big ask for a teenager. So I wanted to do it very different for my own family. And that's exactly what sparked the hope of what college ready does. We're not just about getting your child into a brand name. We're actually more about helping your child figure out who they are, what matters to them, showing proof. And then they get into a perfect fit school. But they're prepared for what comes after college, which is no debt and a wonderful career that they fully engage and embrace. So the hope is changing what I went through and making this next generation just so much better than what I experienced. It's, it's truly a gift that I've been given. There's no doubt.

5:31 And you know, I, I started reading your book after you asked me to be on your podcast. And so we have so many things in common. But the hope I want to give parents is it is possible. Last year our students got over 10.3 million in scholarships, so it is possible to have them graduate without debt. There are 10 colleges that are tuition free, so there's some hope. And getting in is not as hard as social media makes it sound. So my whole goal of being on your podcast is giving your families hope that it really is a wonderful process to go through with your teenager and set them up for an incredible future. And that's the hope I wanted to share with your listeners. This all sounds amazing for the parents that are navigating, oh, their child senior year, all of the emotions that go with it, trying to figure out where their kids are going to go to college, how to pay for it, all of the things. What advice would you give parents going through this right now?

6:34 Let me just give you a few, a few realistic things. Number one, help them understand their core values. Those things that you know, you raise them up to be, but those things they hold near and dear most students. And when I ask them, who are you, they look at their cell phone as if their cell phone's going to tell them who they are. And we need them to know deeply who they are, which is their core values. And that won't change very much after middle school. The second thing is ask them really questions of curiosity without judgment. So like you, I have four and one of them wanted to be an entrepreneur. And of course, I tried to say that is not as you want to be an influencer, let's be real.

7:17 And I asked her, how will you do your business plan? No judgment. I just wanted her to be prepared. And she goes, how do I know? So they think they know, but do they really know? And so I asked very simple, thoughtful questions, not to make her feel bad, but to help her to see that maybe there's a few things that she could open up her world to. If it's not four years of college, maybe it's an entrepreneurial path of bookkeeping and and social media. You still need all of those to have a career. So those are some practical things, parents. And then also be careful in your judgment tone of I'm not paying for that.

7:59 I hear that all the time. And it's not it's not a good place to have a conversation about your child's future. So just know in hopes of helping and guiding them because I know that's what we all want as parents. Those are some things that you could do very gently to encourage and. Let's pause for just a moment because I want to tell you about a partner who truly aligns with the heart of this podcast. Congress. Here on Lead With Hope, we talk a lot about clarity. Clarity of purpose, clarity of voice, and clarity of direction. And that's exactly where Commissary comes in. They help leaders, educators, and change makers uncover the story behind their work and share it in a way that feels honest, meaningful, and deeply aligned with who they are.

8:49 If you've ever felt the nudge to write a book, refine your message, or build a brand that actually reflects your values, not just your resume, Commissary doesn't rush you or box you in. They walk alongside you, helping you shape your story with intention and integrity. You can learn more by clicking their link in the show notes or visiting them through the Spark Hope website. A big thank you to Craig Williams at Commissary for being a legacy sponsor of this podcast and for investing in stories that matter. Because when we share our stories with clarity and hope, real change happens. Shelly, reflecting on your journey, what experiences or lessons have had the biggest impact on your life or on your leadership?

9:39 Such a great question and colleges are looking for leaders. So I think this is important for all around thinking. The first thing I like to share is when I was a teenager, I could not ask a stranger for time. I could not ask them what time it was. I couldn't even pick up a phone and order a pizza. And it made both of my parents a little crazy, I'm not going to lie. And they were very adamant that if you want to eat, you will call the pizza guy. They did not let me sit in. Oh, OK, fine, I'll do it for you. No, they are like, you're going to figure this out. And it really came down to two things. And I found my strength and being a softball player, I actually played for the USA. And so that experience gave me confidence that led me to be part of a great team and lead.

10:29 So that was #1 #2 is my mom. She said I could either do band or cheerleading, you choose. And I was like, well, what? And I'm like, well, I don't even know how to play an instrument. Well, she's like, you don't know how to cheer either, so let's do this. And I'm like, so my mom didn't let me sit in it that I didn't know how to leave. And really what ended up happening is I did do band for a year and then I did cheerleading for four years. And that was huge talk about being put in front of the firing squad. Like I stood in front of people to lead them. And what I learned is people want to be LED. People want to be inspired, people want to be encouraged. It's, it was kind of like affirming and it really came true.

11:15 When I was in college, I joined a sorority and then I started leading there and then I joined the speech and debate team and I started leading there. And then now I'm an international public speaker and I lead my team of 11. And, you know, of course, I'm a mother of four and I'm a wife. And so I have other leadership roles. I have my own podcast where I lead a village of people helping other people. I have a nonprofit that I lead. It all started because I was encouraged, but actually kind of pushed a little bit to not be OK with just doing what was uncomfortable. And so I tell my students, the first thing I encourage them to do is do community service because when they're serving another human being, they're not worried about leading well. They're like, well, if I don't help them, nobody's going to help them.

12:07 So I guess I'm better than nobody. And once they do, they get the bug of I'm impactful. I can inspire other people, people want to follow me. And so if you have a child, even an adult and you're struggling with leadership, go volunteer. You are going to see that it is an incredible opportunity for you to step into a very safe leadership role. That is why I started Empower Education dot World is because students were telling me I don't know how to get started. I don't know where I could do that. They had a zillion excuses and so I built a program they can join. At. Home online, it's global, so they meet students from all over the world who are changing lives. They have no more excuses other than I have no Internet. And then I say go to a library and log on. They're so it to me, there's so many opportunities for these kids.

13:04 They just, if it's not in their phone, they're not sure how to go and. Do it, Shelly. My System of Hope is an acronym. It stands for Habits, Optimistic, Outlook, Purpose, and Excellence. So, thinking about hope, which one of those pillars resonate most with you and why? All of them do, to be honest, my mindset is a daily work. It's it's an everyday, every morning at 7:00 AM that is my daily go to. I got to get my mind right before I can do the rest. But I'm very big on excellence because I teach that to my students. If we're not getting better, we're not moving forward. And so I just started a new subscription to helping students do just that, $27.00 a month.

13:54 And I guide them step by step on how to every, every single day get a little bit better. And so it's top of mind. So I'm going to say. Excellence. This year I have been volunteering with a group of teenagers in our Macoupin County CEO program, and I've had the privilege of going in and talking to them about leadership, about self-awareness, all of the things that I really just love to talk to teenagers about. And you know, right now, Shelly, the kids, the especially the kids that I have had the honor of getting to know, they're giving me hope. And I think it is such a privilege to be able to work with them.

14:38 It's the same when when I'm on an Empower Education meeting, honestly, these teenagers lead other teenagers. So I mentored them in the executive room and then I watched them inspire me for an hour. I'm like, these, these are amazing leaders. Like they, they have more advocacy than any generation I've ever seen. They are on fire to create change. Not everybody likes the change they want, let's be honest, but they are on fire to create change and I love that. I love that every day they lean into their hope that this world is going to be better than they they stepped into it. So for me, it's definitely the teenagers, my children, every single day that I'm, I'm blown away. One's a doctor and one's a nurse, one's a paramedic, the other's an entrepreneur.

15:29 And what they do every single day is provide people hope. They're going to get better, they're going to be safe, so on. I'm like, that's heavy. I, I don't have that kind of pressure at my job. I inspire, but I don't have the impact that they get to do. You know, when my son talks about putting somebody's leg back together after an accident, that's where that's massive hope. Both of my oldest, who they love to serve and we couldn't figure out if they were going to go into social work, like what were they going to do with this? And it really wasn't until I took my oldest to Africa and I took my my second to Peru and we served in orphanages and I watched genuinely what they could do with these children. It really it was, I couldn't do it. Like I couldn't do it.

16:19 And I'm like the this is a gift. And so I just affirm their gift. And when I affirm their gift, they became, wow, I am pretty good at it and they leaned into it. So that's the part I think parents don't realize is their words and their affirmations. I would also encourage your listener to carve out a time. It could be 5 minutes, 10 minutes, have a frozen yogurt, whatever that is quality time and look them in the eye and ask them who are you? And listen. And they're going to look at you first and be like, would you know who I am? I'm your child. Like, have you lost your mind? But really listen and say, you know, I want to know from your perspective, who are you? And don't be surprised if they can't answer parents. And then I say, who would your siblings or your best friend say who who you are?

17:10 And they, they can usually muster that up. And I'm like, are they lying? And they're like, no, they're not lying. So that's who you are. Now you can jump in and affirm, I agree with that. You absolutely are that. And so that's kind of a, a gentle way of having that first conversation if you're not really sure how to start that. It's a beautiful way. I do that with all of my new clients and it's shocking. Their parents are very surprised their child does not know who they. Are If you're a leader feeling overwhelmed by everything on your plate, you're not alone and nothing is wrong with you. Leadership is demanding, especially when you care deeply and you carry responsibility for others. And that's why I created The Hope You'll Leadership Kickstart, a short, focused coaching experience designed to help you pause, clarify what matters most, make confident decisions, and reconnect with your purpose and your community. It's that feels like what you need right now. I invite you to visit sparkhopeedu.com and book your free discovery session with me today. You'll also find some resources, some upcoming events, and leadership tools to support you along the way. Most importantly, I'm grateful for you, for the courage you show, the heart you lead with,

18:41 and the hope you choose. Even on the hardest days, know that I'm cheering for you every step of the way. I have lots of parents who wish they had me when they were 18, but it's never too late. And I encourage you that work is so very important. I write a book called Purpose Driven Life and that's what started this whole idea of living with purpose and finding my passion. And it's it's great work that you're doing. Your book is incredibly inspiring. And so thank for putting that out in the world. And parents, here's the thing about college, taking it back to college, If your child cannot tell you who they are, how will they tell a college who they are?

19:25 And if they can't, they're not going to get accepted because that's all a college wants to know is if I invite you here, am I going to make sure that's a good choice? So it really is for not only them now it's also for them for college and for their adult life. So doing this work now we raise our kids, don't brag, don't boast. People don't like it. And now I tell them, brag like your life depends on it or your the college will only be a dream. So it's a, it's a different conversation. So as we conclude this episode of the Lead with Hope podcast, Shelly, how would parents get a hold of you if they'd like to learn more about your services? Or maybe they want to work with you. So I have many ways that families can connect, but the easiest is to go to college ready plan PLA n.info in in it's 30 minutes with me to see.

20:21 Does your child need to learn their core values, their gifts, their their passions, their advocacy? Do they want to be part of empower education dot world, the nonprofit to serve others. But if you're, you're wondering, is my child ready for college? You definitely want to go to go.collegereadyplan.com/checklist and I'm actually going to send you a checklist and that's the only commitment as you go to the checklist and you get real about are they ready to go off on their own and start their adult life? So the two best selling books are also on sale for your listeners for $0.99 on Amazon. How to send your Student to College Without Losing your Mind to your money and the college admissions plan simplified. I never want a family to feel that they can't, and so those two books are there to inspire you and give you hope. As we close today, remember this. The world needs your leadership now more than ever. If this conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or reminded you that you're not alone, here's one simple way you can help us spread hope.

21:31 Follow the Lead with Hope podcast and leave us a five star rating. Those few seconds help this message reach leaders who need it most. And if today's episode resonated with you, share it with a friend or a colleague, someone who could use a reminder that they matter, that their work matters, and that hope still belongs in leadership. Change doesn't start with systems or titles. It starts with you. Fuel your life with hope. Embrace your purpose, and never underestimate the power of your light to lead the way for others. I'm cheering you on always.