Host of the Extraordinary Women Podcast
What does being an empowered woman mean to you?
It’s interesting that I am being asked this question because I am typically the one asking this same question on my podcast. I’ve asked it so much that I never actually thought about what being an empowered woman means to me. However, if I had to really sit and think about it, my response to this is - being an empowered woman means to love yourself and the journey that God has planned for you. Most importantly, being okay with that. As I sit here and write this, I’m reminded of how discouraged and jealous I used to be of other young women my age who were making “boss moves” and I wasn’t. Some of those “boss moves” included, buying homes, having beautiful large weddings, having children, and being promoted. I got so caught up in what everyone else was doing that I got in my own way of what I could have been doing for myself to feel confident, and more importantly I was blocking God’s blessings. I learned to love myself and my journey by acknowledging that everyone’s story and timeline is different, and that’s okay. You know we are often told that “it’s okay to not be okay.” Well, I have learned that sometimes it’s okay to be okay with self-acceptance and your journey.
What has kept you motivated during the pandemic?
The Most High...Jesus! I was raised a Baptist Christian woman, but I never actually had a relationship with God until last year. I grew up knowing that prayer is something I should do during times of goodness and hardship, but I never actually knew how to seek Him until last year. I grew tired of living in fear, stress, anger, and one day I just brought all of my problems to Him. I started reading my bible more and since then every morning I make it a point to say a small prayer of thanks. My prayers are as simple as “thank you Jesus.” He knows everything I am thankful for and that’s all the motivation I need to push through this pandemic.
What inspired you to launch your Extraordinary Women Podcast?
I have wanted to launch my own podcast for a while now, since I graduated from college, but I never knew what I wanted it to be about. Last year was a pretty rough year for me as I struggled with depression and anxiety. Especially during times of deployments and field operations while my husband was gone, it would be way worse. I would say that being in the news industry is what really caused my anxiety and depression to heighten. I came to the realization during this mental health battle that there were two things that kept me going to have a positive mindset. God was number one and the support of women in my corner was the second. Women such as my mom, mentors, family members, and even colleagues motivated me to always be a better version of myself everyday. One day, I caught myself thanking God for these women and how much I appreciated Him for placing them in my life. But thanking Him wasn’t enough for me. I needed to do something more...something empowering. I needed to honor these women by sharing their stories with other women. I needed other ladies to feel the enduring love and support that I felt. More importantly, I needed to share that love that I had for them myself, and that’s how Extraordinary Women was born. It was created out of love, honor, and a celebration of all women. This world has enough controversy and chaos already. While some choose to focus on that, I choose to focus on what makes the world a better place, and that’s authenticity, empowerment, laughter, and endearment.
What advice do you have for young women and men today pursuing their own dreams?
Always remember why you are pursuing your own dreams and never lose sight of that. Be consistent and determined in your goals by competing with yourself and not with others. I know you probably hear “ignore the haters” way too often, so I am not going to tell you to do that. Instead, I am going to tell you to place some value on yourself and don’t allow anyone to fluctuate the price that you are worth with their opinions and thoughts of you. More importantly, be better than you were yesterday. Finally, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself because it’s from the challenges that will influence growing pains, which will lead to evolution.
To learn more about Vashti Moore and her journey, you can head to her website.