This was not my plan.
The truth?
As one of the only graduating students in my MBA program who forewent the traditional career route in lieu of staying home with my kids, I’d be lying if I didn’t say my ego took a major hit. After all, I’d been chasing high-achieving pursuits all my life – both academically and as a fast-rising employee at a Fortune 100 real estate firm. But I was chasing someone else’s dream and not my own.
Deep down I knew I had more than two choices: babies or business.
I knew there was a better life for me and my family. One where I was the mother to my children and someone who could build a successful entrepreneurial business from home. But despite all the signs and lessons from my past, it took me a darn while to figure out the path to a more fulfilled, more purposeful life lay in digital entrepreneurship.
The four kids. The 700,000 Instagram followers...
When graduation arrived I was faced with a choice:
Found my own startup or join corporate America.
“this is what I was made for” moment.
I decided to make the “safe” choice and join the corporate world because, hello, guaranteed money and guaranteed prestige, or so I thought….
I went to the University of Southern California for undergrad as a business major and hated my business school classes.
(I even flunked out of one!) That is until I was forced to choose a concentration and sat in on an Entrepreneurship class.
At that moment, my high achieving, creative self had a star-spangled-eyed
I didn’t always have the 700,000 followers, the family and the big entrepreneurial dreams. Things were not picture-perfect.
Let's start at the beginning.
I help high-achieving women optimize their life to prioritize both family and fulfillment.
I’m Brooke Raybould.
Hi, friend.
How I ended up in business school.
I had it all figured out…
but the joke was on me!
This was not where I belonged.
Ryan had committed to a job in DC, so naturally, I applied to Georgetown and was admitted on partial scholarship with the hope of running a startup through the entrepreneurship program. We got married and I started school with a new plan for my life and big dreams ahead.
Everything was going according to plan…except, once again, I could feel myself being tempted by “shiny corporate job syndrome.” Some of the opportunities seemed too good to pass up and it would have taken a miracle to sway me away from the money and the prestige, back to the reason I came to business school in the first place: Entrepreneurship.
So I took the plunge, quit my job, booked a solo flight to Texas to visit business schools, and ironically, met my husband, Ryan, at a Starbucks between campus visits. (The universe works in mysterious ways!)
Working in real estate, I couldn’t help but think I was making someone else’s dream come true rather than my own.
I kept printing out business school applications and leaving them blank. I’d shove them in a drawer, promising myself that “one day” I’d have the courage to go after what I really wanted.
That’s when my company hired a business coach (in the name of employee development) who brought me to tears in that big corporate corner office. That coach revealed my truth:
And then the miracle happened…I got pregnant (surprise!) in the opening term of school.
Entrepreneurship was no longer a choice, it was my destiny.
The road to digital entrepreneurship.
I’m an…influencer?
When I made my first hundred thousand dollars as a stay-at-home mom (who knew that was even possible?!?) I realized my second calling was to help other women create a life where you can be everything you need to be for your kids, your career, and most importantly, for yourself.
With no money to invest in a tangible startup and an inclination to be home with my kids, I turned to the internet – specifically Instagram because it’s free and accessible to all.
As I grew my platform, I noticed that my 250,000 followers were less interested in pretty pictures and more interested in how I manage motherhood and build a successful business.
So, I started sharing my playbook, offering content that empowers women to strategically manage their day and start the business of their dreams with their families strongly rooted at the center.
Brooke's Fun Facts
Then: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Now: Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard
Favorite Book
Hill I Will Die On
Life is a series of decisions and events that calls us closer to a higher version of our Self. Motherhood is one of these decisions, but it’s not the only thing…Also, salt on the rim + real lime is the only way to make a proper margarita.
Favorite Meal
(family secret)
Baked Tacos + Sushi
Guilty Pleasure
Coffee Creamer
Chik-Fil-A Diet Lemonade
Peanut Butter
TBD
fave weekend activity
Our Weekly Family Planner... FREE.
The perfect opportunity is right in front of you if you know where to look.
