Today we’d like to introduce you to Princess Castleberry.
Hi Princess, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Princess Castleberry and I was born and raised on the West Side of Detroit! I say that excitedly because the Detroit ‘Renaissance’ state of mind is so much a part of who I am.
I was primarily raised by my mother (a single teen mom) – while my father built an incredibly successful career as a renowned bass player and music director. My mother, in spite of her financial means, made it possible for me to attend the best schools in Detroit and to see the world. Her leadership and guidance have made a world of difference in the woman I’ve become.
Education and unshakable confidence are hallmarks of my story and I’ve been able to go places and do things that many thought were impossible for a kid from the D. I graduated from Renaissance High School as a Wade H. McCree, Jr. Scholar, receiving a 4-year academic scholarship to attend Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU). I’ve earned a B.A. degree in International Business; learned to speak Spanish fluently; studied abroad at Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain; completed a Master of Training and Development (Instructional Design) degree from Oakland University; and earned a host of other certifications. For the past twenty years, I’ve worked as a Risk Management and HR Consultant for global corporations and now independently for the last 2 years. Additionally, I am a self-taught professional makeup artist who’s served over 500 clients. I am the wife of a talented engineer and social entrepreneur; mother of two amazing boys ages 9 and 11; and a philanthropist. Today I own and operate Castle Risk & HR Consulting – helping leaders build wellness-centered risk management competencies – and am a published thought leader and speaker in my field.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My social life did not progress as smoothly as my academic life. My mother raised me to succeed academically and financially because she instilled a lot of common sense, mental fortitude, and a sense of confidence that made me never want to quit or fear what other people thought of me as a Black woman. However, I’ve dealt with life challenges related to pregnancy and a failed first marriage – and the heartache that comes along with those experiences. Until my mid-late 20s, I didn’t have any deep spiritual connections and I spent a great deal of time feeling emotionally lost even though I was excelling in the areas that seemed to matter most to others. I remember several times in my life experiencing suicidal ideations and feeling like no one understood my needs, and in turn became very self-reliant.
Thankfully, that same confidence and resilience that I was raised with helped me to overcome these feelings. I knew that I deserved to feel as a whole on the inside as I looked on the outside and I sought mental health support and spiritual guidance. Today, I am quite intentional about aligning myself to people, work, and opportunities that are aligned to my purpose of motivating myself and others. Challenges are real, but they do not have to be deflating when we truly believe that we’re worth the chance that we get every day that we’re alive.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
A risk is the possibility of harm or loss to something of value. CastleRiskHR provides learning clinics that help leaders build risk management and wellness competencies. I believe that ‘Every Leader is a Risk Manager’ and our trainings equip them to identify and lower business risks in ways that put the well-being of their people first. Our trainings range from a host of business risk topics such as jobs analysis, contracts management, and enterprise risk frameworks to a host of personal topics like combating imposter syndrome, workplace burnout, decision fatigue, and negative self-talk.
I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to innovate a learning framework that will shape some of the world’s top leaders and thinkers!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Success begins and grows in the mind. Before you can be peacefully and confidently successful, you have to know that you are truly worthy and be able to visualize your success.
Success requires the ability to align your thoughts/visions, words, resources, social circles, time, and actions around goals and see them through completion.
Success requires faith, visualization, sensibility, and common-sense contingency planning. You don’t have to dwell on the possibility of failures and setbacks, but you should at least consider your risks and develop actionable plans to address them and protect yourself.
Success is sweeter when you attain it with people you love and doing what you love.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.castleriskhr.com
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ castleriskconsulting/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/CastleRiskHR/
