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

Hi Meli, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
As you are reading this paragraph, there is a mom standing silent, holding her composure, and wishing she could just figure out her life as her 4-year-old son is throwing the world of screaming fits in the middle of the grocery store. I have been that mother more than once in my lifetime, and I feel very passionately about the idea that supporting a mother is also supporting a child, and this makes the world a better place.

Through The Empowering Moms Project, I am working with community organizations to create opportunities for moms to get access to a paid virtual training opportunity, which can be done at a time convenient for them. More importantly, with the help of our business sponsors, we want to bridge the gap between a stay-at-home mom and the workforce by refining her professional skill sets and enhancing her financial literacy skills. One mama of 5 that we have been coaching through The Empowering Moms Project is Krystal Hernandez. She has been working on creating her business, Kays Creative Activities, but she is juggling being a dedicated mama of 5 and a substitute preschool teacher. Through our program, we have provided her with coaching on how to organize and develop her business ideas, along with sending her our children’s activity kit to empower Krystal to use it as a model as she creates her business.

The other program Light of the World Media is working on is through a non-profit called Focus and Invest, Inc. The nonprofit’s mission is to teach students to follow one course until successful with investment strategies that they will use after graduating high school. The program is designed to pay 8th – 12th grade students to learn investment strategies, to get good grades, and to abide by our mandatory weapons and drug-free school campus policy. The students will also learn mental wellness strategies, and be tied to a caring adult that can mentor them through the various challenges of being a teenager.

What should our readers know about your business?
While a student at NMSU-A, I saw an advertisement on the school’s website for the Hunt Startup Sponsorship, which is a program designed to accelerate student businesses. This was the first of 4 business awards that I am the recipient of, and it is largely due to the opportunities that I got from the sponsorship and through Studio G, a student business accelerator program located in New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.

The challenge occurred when my family expanded to add 2 babies to our mix. Motherhood is very time intensive, and the time I could spend on creating my business was constantly interrupted with family life. The great news is that I made time for my business when everyone was asleep, and after 4 years I have a finished product that is made in the USA.

Our brand is about meeting people where they are at, guiding them on how to get where they want to be, and showing them how to do everything with integrity.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ruidoso is located in the Lincoln National Forest and it is rich in different experiences. My bestie and I would get a suite at the MCM Eleganté Lodge & Resort. The perks include morning views of Elk gathering on the golf course with the mountain in the background; in addition, there is an indoor heated pool, the best breakfast buffet, and fabulous people who make your stay memorable. I love being in nature and we would go on a hike at Eagle Creek Trail which is 2.2 miles of gorgeousness. This easy hike takes you around a lake, into the woods, and along a creek that turns into a mini waterfall.
Ruidoso has no shortage of things to do. We would check out the Ruidoso Mural Walk, the shops in Midtown, and we would stop by Pillow’s Funtrackers to race go-karts. The places that we must eat at are Cornerstone Bakery Café and K-Bob’s Steakhouse. Another thing that is a must-do with my friend is visiting the natural wonders that are around us which include White Sands National Park. If we time it right, we would stop at Tularosa Taco Company, which is a food truck that serves lunch midweek. Lastly, we would hit up Downtown Alamogordo to check out my local favorite shops Vintage79 Boutique and Roadrunner Emporium.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
“With God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26. I have to give my Shoutout to God for being active in the lives of my loved ones and I. He is such an amazing, intelligent force in this world, and He cares deeply for His people. I discovered God at a time when I minimized His existence to stories created by man to justify his world. I realize now that God has given us a set of instructions on how we can use our good to live amazing lives with our loved ones and use our blessings to help others. It is so breathtaking knowing that everyone on Earth has God active in their lives at the same time. All over the world God is answering prayers and spreading goodness, and I really want to be a part of bringing people toward God and His goodness.

Website: www.lightoftheworldmedia.com

Instagram: @makingmoneywithmeli

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightoftheworldmedia

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