Coffee With E
Welcome to Coffee with E—where great conversations meet inspiration! ☕✨
This podcast is for dreamers, go-getters, and those on a journey of self-growth. Whether you’re building a business, navigating relationships, or working on your mindset, you’ll find motivation, wisdom, and real-life stories to help you level up.
Each week, we dive into topics like self-worth, mental well-being, wealth-building, leadership, and entrepreneurship—always with a mix of honesty, luxury, and a little fun. If you love deep conversations, personal growth, and a good cup of coffee, this is the podcast for you!
Join me, Erica Rawls, and my guests as we keep it real, inspire action, and remind you that anything is possible if you’re willing to do the work. Subscribe now and let’s dream big together! ☕✨
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Coffee With E
Embracing Change: My Journey from Athlete to Empowering Leader and Mother
What if stepping away from societal expectations is the key to uncovering your authentic self? In this powerful episode, Erica Rawls shares her inspiring journey of resilience, self-discovery, and redefining success on her terms.
From making the tough decision to leave a Division One basketball scholarship to navigating life beyond college, Erica reveals how pivotal moments shaped her values and purpose. She opens up about overcoming self-worth challenges in an unfulfilling relationship and finding fulfillment by empowering others.
Through stories of family, ambition, and personal growth, Erica highlights how the achievements of her children—a West Point graduate, a Georgia Tech student, and a future veterinarian—have inspired her dedication as both a mother and a professional. As an associate broker and team leader, she reflects on how transformative experiences guide her mission to uplift and build a resilient community.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✨ The courage to break away from societal norms and find your true path
✨ How personal challenges can fuel growth and purpose
✨ The impact of family inspiration on professional and personal development
✨ Strategies for building resilience and a supportive community
Join us as we celebrate the power of ambition, family, and the boundless potential within us all.
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📸 Instagram: @erica.rawls
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Doctor, please, please, just, let's just have them. Let's just take them out. And he's like no, erica, you've come too far. It's like I came far enough, let's just have them. I actually decided to go against what others had expected me to be or to do. He has made me the person that I am today, because I had to be a great mother, I had to be a provider. I had to show up every single day, even when I did not want to Hello friends. We have something unique that we're doing today. I am all by myself, there's no one to interview. And am I freaking out A hundred percent? You want to know why? Because I love having conversations with other people, learning about other people. And then it didn't hit me until, actually, my producer said hey, people need to learn who you are. So guess what? Here we are. You know what? Fasten your seatbelts, we're going in.
Speaker 1:One of the things I truly enjoy is understanding or seeing the potential in others. I really think I have a gift in that to be able to see what the potential are in others and helping them to evolve into the best versions of themselves. And that's essentially why I wanted to start this podcast, because I think, through having conversations with so many people, I was able to understand that a lot of people struggle with their self-worth and that actually can be the enemy of someone being truly a great person fully living into their purpose-driven life. So that's why we have this podcast. So who is Erica Rawls? Well, I am a middle-aged woman. I will not tell my age how about you guess it? Okay, guess how old I am, but I'm a middle-aged woman. I am married to an amazing husband who has great impact in the local central PA area. I was blessed with three birthing three dynamic children, and God saw fit to allow me to actually have a stepson as well.
Speaker 1:I think the time that I realized truly how strong I was. There's a couple oh, there's actually a couple instances. The first one was when I actually had the, the unfortunate circumstance of actually being in a relationship that did not serve me well and as a result of that, I had struggled with self-worth and I huge insecurities just because of the fear of making a mistake would actually end up having consequences. Share more about that later in an upcoming episode. The other time I really I knew that I was resilient was when I actually decided to go against what others had expected me to be or to do, and I was like you know what? College just really isn't for me, which I thought wasn't Playing basketball I used to be. I went to school Virginia Tech I'm going to slow it down just a little bit.
Speaker 1:I graduated from high school and I got a division one scholarship and during that in basketball and during that time of playing division one basketball, I realized that I was doing something that may not necessarily be something that I truly wanted to do, but it was something that someone else wanted me to do and I was not happy, I was not fulfilled. Going to practice was grueling. Anyone that plays division one sports knows that if you're not in it, it's going to kick your tail. It really is going to kick your tail. It's going to make you realize, okay, yeah, I don't need to be here. It wasn't that I wasn't great at the thing, it just wasn't something I was passionate about. So I decided to pack up my bags and go home. Go home Now.
Speaker 1:That did not make my parents happy, especially my dad, and that was the first time I actually had to do something that went against what someone else was telling me that I needed to do. But I knew in that moment when I did it, I actually felt free. I'm like, oh my gosh. So this is what it feels like to actually live in your truth, your purpose. Couldn't put a term to it, could not put a phrase to it, but that's in that moment I realized okay, erica, you're living fully in your purpose and I'm the type, believe it or not, that does not like to hurt people's feelings. Why? Because, again, I like to make people feel very good about a thing and I'm easily will put myself last.
Speaker 1:Some people that know me may think yeah, no, she's right, I will give you. I don't care if it's a brand new purse, I don't care if it's an outfit, I don't care if it's money, I don't care if it's in real estate, a transaction, I don't care what it is. If it's something I know is going to make you a better person or it's going to help you, I'll give it to you. But then I realized the reason why I was doing that is maybe to even feel like I was doing something impactful. And the older I got I realized that making an impact is not giving something away. It's actually adding value to someone or a situation and it doesn't have to be material. Hello friends, I need to take this time to say thank you to our amazing sponsors, because without them, this content that we're sharing with you each week would not be possible. So thank you Allstate Insurance, fidelis, mortgage and Top Construction. Hey, and did you know that I run a real estate team, the Erica Rawls team, where we help people buy and sell homes? So if you're looking to buy or sell, reach out to us. We're here to help. And until then, see ya, that took a lot of soul searching, if you will.
Speaker 1:So here I am telling my father I'm not playing basketball anymore, I'm just going to work an ordinary life. I quit school and everything. A couple months later, believe it or not, I ended up having my first child. Okay, exaggeration a couple of months. You at least have to be pregnant for nine months. So I met his dad, had my child and there I was, a single mother, like whoa. What am I going to do? Well, I pulled up my bootstraps, went back to school and during that time, I had the privilege of what? Two years afterwards? Meeting my now husband. After meeting my husband, who is dynamic probably the best gift given to me from the man above he has. Actually, he's a great person in himself and because of his character, his integrity, his leadership style, his just being a man's man, I am a better person because of him. So, through our union, we actually have a set of twins. This is the second time I realized how strong and resilient I am.
Speaker 1:I was bedridden for since 12 weeks up until the time that I delivered them, which was probably 32 weeks into um to um child birth, 32, 32 weeks. I want to say it was yep, 32 weeks, I actually. They came to the world, they actually tried to come when I was 26 weeks and went to the doctors and I'll never forget it I was just like, doctor, please, please, just, let's just have them, let's just take them out. And he's like, no, erica, you've come too far. It's like, ah, I came far enough, let's just have them, let's just have the babies. Okay, they'll be fine. But he said that you know what? I think that if you go another six weeks, you'll be fine. So we actually scheduled to have them induced at 32 weeks.
Speaker 1:Now, remember, I'm having twins, so I am blessed. They were considered full term and they are the most beautiful women women because they're 25. And the recording of this will be 26 tomorrow and they are so dynamic. Talk about powerhouses. They are the epitome of strength. Since birth, they fought in the womb and they are natural fighters. But you know what's even such a blessing? Blessing is they probably the sweetest person people on earth. They are caring, they're compassionate and they are very strong-willed. They are natural born leaders, just like their father and I. Just I love them so very much.
Speaker 1:West Point grads serving our country, going to Georgia Tech, looking into being a veterinarian I mean all the things that you would ever think of, that you'd want for your children. They're going after it because they know they have no limitation. Only one that's limiting them is themselves. And then we have their brother. Let's go back to him for a second.
Speaker 1:He is such a great person in my life. It's because of him, whether he knows it or not, don't tell him this. Okay, he has made me the person that I am today because I had to be a great mother. I had to be a provider. I had to show up every single day, even when I did not want to, because I would look in his little face and know that I had to make a better life, for he and I Talk about someone that's naturally gifted.
Speaker 1:I've never seen anyone like it. Everything that he would touch, he would succeed in, everything that he would touch and still, to this day, touches, he succeeds in. Now, of course, there's some failures and there's some setbacks. He's probably one of the most resilient people that I know. That sums up my family, my immediate family. So who am I? I am today an associate broker. I am a team leader. I am probably the picture of you, don't? I don't look like what I've been through, which I can't wait to share more with you, and I'm looking to build a community that we can all grow, learn, evolve into the best versions of ourselves. So I'm asking you to sit tight and stay tuned.
