We had the good fortune of connecting with RIKA BANKS and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi RIKA, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to help other women overcome childhood traumas, pain, abandonment and domestic violence. I knew that if i could change my life that others could as well and live royally.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As the poem says by Langston Hughes, life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. I was abandoned by my mom due to her drug addiction, I was a teen mom, and survivor of domestic violence. Never did I think I would be a life coach, author, or VP of a non profit for teenage girls. What sets me apart from others is my ability to relate to others on so many levels and for other women to see that yes a girl from the hood can accomplish her dreams despite what has occurred in your life. The world should know that anything that I teach I have personally gone through and survived and have beat the odds. Life is not going to be perfect but you can have a great, purposeful life of excellence. We all can live royally.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Me and my friends love brunch, so we would most definitely go to Dream cafe. For a night out on the town we would visit XOXO dining room, great drinks and the best photo ops. The second day we would visit The harbor at Lake Ray hubbard. We would enjoy jet ski riding, sailing and the great restaurants and music for the weekend. For some girl time and pampering we would visit Her secret garden.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I was raised by my granny. An amazing woman that taught me so many lessons, that I did not realize until later in life how valuable they are. Also my kids have been a driving force of motivation in my life. I want them to know that nothing is impossible, you can accomplish your dreams with hard work and dedication.

Website: WWW.COACHRIKA.COM
Instagram: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/COACHRIKA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coach_rika
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ROYALTRANSFORMATIONS

Nominate someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.