She Bold Crew
Listen as your hosts, hardworking cousins and best friends Rickquetta aka Smillee B, and Eva G bring their authentic thoughts, vulnerability, and humor to even the trickiest subjects in the She Bold Crew Podcast.
Sharing their personal experiences and practical advice on tackling the real-life challenges we all face while exploring interesting conversations around life lessons. Your hosts provide actionable advice and real-world guidance to empower, educate, and inspire listeners.
Shining a light on unsung heroes in the community. This relatable show takes a fun, down-to-earth approach to various subjects ranging from mental health & spirituality to community outreach. Listen to elevate your morning coffee, past time on your lunch break or evening commute!
Truly a podcast everyone can enjoy
She Bold Crew
Escaping prison - Andreea Parc's story
What if you could turn your darkest moments into a source of strength and inspiration? This week on She Bold Crew Podcast, we sit down with Andreea Parc, a former attorney whose life took a dramatic turn when she was convicted of a white-collar crime. Andreea shares how she moved from the depths of emotional turmoil, losing her legal practice and being disbarred, to finding renewed purpose as a mindset coach. Her journey is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, revealing the incredible resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of overcoming adversity.
In a thought-provoking discussion, we explore the impact of spirituality and faith, particularly in times of personal hardship. Andreea and I share powerful testimonies of how surrendering control to a higher power can radically refocus our lives on what truly matters. By aligning our actions with divine will and letting go of our egos, we uncover the core principles that lead to a more meaningful and empowered life. This segment is a must-listen for anyone seeking to align their spiritual and mental mindset with God's purpose.
We also address crucial mental health support options, distinguishing between mindset coaching and therapy. Andreea's personal story—from growing up in communist Romania to facing the stark realities of starting over in New York at 22—sheds light on the importance of resilience, family, and the power of nature in healing. We discuss the signs that someone might benefit from a mindset coach, the common stigmas associated with therapy, and the necessity of professional help for severe trauma. Tune in for an episode rich with insights and encouragement for anyone navigating life's adversities.
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She bold, she real and she's definitely ready. Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the she Bold Crew Podcast. It's your girl, smiley B and Eva G, and we are back with another bold episode.
Speaker 2:And so today we have a guest. You know we love when guests come on. So today we have Miss Andrea Park. She's a former attorney, currently a mindset coach, and she's also a creative writer. So thanks for coming on, Andrea, if you want to go ahead and introduce yourself to the listeners and let them know where to find you if you're on any social media.
Speaker 3:Hello, thank you very much for having me. It's such a pleasure to be together with you on this wonderful day. So my name is Andrea Park. I live in New York City. However, I'm originally from Romania.
Speaker 3:I came to the United States when I was 22 years old. I became an attorney in New York and right now I am, as you mentioned, a creative writer and a mindset coach. I help especially women attorneys and women um high, high achieving um entrepreneurs to overcome um things that uh come in our lives. We all have difficulties and sometimes it's very hard to overcome things that crushed us and put us down. And after we hit rock bottom, it's hard and sometimes we need somebody to help us move forward powerfully and recover.
Speaker 3:And why I'm doing this work is because, as I said, I was an attorney and I had my own practice and I was convicted of a white-collar crime that was asylum fraud, that's, an immigration law fraud, and I went to prison. I spent almost three years in prison and I lost everything that I had worked for, and it was a very difficult period of my life, actually the hardest period of my life. When I went away, my daughter was 15 and really, really heartbroken situation. Um, however, I I realized that it's not the end of the world and I'm still alive.
Speaker 3:And if I'm still alive and still breathing, the next question was what am I? Who are? Who am I really and what am I doing in my life? I mean, I must have a purpose and things happen for a reason, and I started questioning why this happened and I pulled myself up and that's the reason why, right now, I'm a mindset coach and I'm writing books. That's the reason why, right now, I'm a mindset coach and I'm writing books, and I created a program to help people be aware of their situation and be present in the moment and to again overcome difficulties and empower people again, especially women. And this is what I'm doing and I'm really grateful that you gave me the opportunity to share my story.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and we are grateful to have you. What a powerful testimony Right. You know being such successful um self-made woman and then you know experiencing um your tragedy of how did that feel, um being someone that you know was upholding the law and and and being a support to other people and representing people, and then to have that happen, like you said. I know that that had to be very hurtful, but what was your mindset at the time? Were you just like, okay, I no longer want to do this type of work? Or like, did it discourage you from wanting to be in this line of work?
Speaker 3:I mean, of course, the first thing, uh, the first emotions, um, so I was, um, I went to trial. I chose to go to trial, um, and uh, the initial offer of the plea was about two years and I didn't accept that because I thought truly that I wasn't I. I recognized that I made mistakes in my business and I cut corners, but I did not at that point, believe that I was guilty of the charge and I chose to go to trial. And, um, what happened was, I didn't know again, although I was an attorney, I didn't educate myself of the legal, of the criminal legal system in this country. That is something that is called a penalty trial, uh, where if you choose to go to trial, you get an extra charge.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow, yes, and that was a mandatory 24 months that included identity theft, and I went to trial and after a two-week trial, of course, I was convicted, because if you look at the records, it says that almost not even 2% of people that go to trial win. Everybody loses, and it's an incentive, this penalty trial. It's incentive for for people not to go to trial but to plea, and the initial um emotions, of course, were rancor and frustration and, um, all all the negative emotions that could um go through anyone's mind at that point. And slowly but surely I realized all the mistakes that I've made and I'm not right now. I'm not allowed to practice law for seven years after I was disbarred. I'm not allowed to practice law for seven years after I was disbarred. But I will try to reapply because I realized that you know, if my ethics are right, why not practice law with a different mindset?
Speaker 3:Yes, so I'm allowed to reapply for a mission in seven years, and that is 2026.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, 2026. Okay. So, yeah, that's not too far from now, but yeah, that definitely had to be tough. I mean, you know, of course, everybody, like you said, make mistakes and whether they're intentional or not, you know everybody makes mistakes and it's just tough that you work so hard and in that happen. But, like you said, I feel like you know, as tough as things may seem in the moment, I do believe that everything happens for a reason and the purpose that you seem to be serving today and with everything that you're doing just seems so great. And so, you know, I think that that is the good and that was the, you know, the light at the end of the tunnel with that. But we appreciate you sharing that. I understand that you know, had to be a really vulnerable part of your life, um, but it definitely is an um inspiring testimony there.
Speaker 2:So is there anything in particular that? So I'm imagining you know, like when that happened, you probably experienced, you know, maybe some I mean I'm assuming maybe some depression. I would think that I would, you know, deal with a little depression or anything like that. At what point did you break through, like what was your breakthrough moment after dealing with? You know everything that you went through.
Speaker 3:So, um, because I was in, I was in denial for a while, so, in, I went through trial and I not even a split second did I thought that I will lose. Um, because I'm a um, I have dual citizenship, uh, and US citizenship. When the verdict came in as guilty, the judge believed that I'm a flight risk and he revoked bail and I was ordered to be detained and that was in MCC to be detained, and that was in MC. I spent there eight months. Wow, and of course it was from.
Speaker 3:Because why am I doing the work that I'm doing now? Is because I know, because I've been there. I know because I've been there, I know how we human beings run away from facing our lives. And what happened was I was an attorney. I was trying to achieve as much as possible, to to gain recognition and titles and money and this and that, and have my daughter in private school and drive an expensive car and have a huge office. Everything was for my image, the image that I created for myself, what a successful attorney should look like, without even I didn't. I was rushing and um, running away from facing my life, trying to escape somewhere. I didn't have time to stop and actually analyze my life and as terrifying and heartbroken moment when I was locked up in MCC. It was that moment when life forced me to stop.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:And I met so many women, um, I mean, literally, I was broken. I was like a, a, a fresh wound, uh. But I met so many women there that had much more terrifying stories than mine and I realized that it can be worse, right For sure. And being depressed would not help me in any way, and I probably took me about a month of being really really down and getting used to being locked up. I mean, I was an attorney and I was independent with my own law firm. I was doing what? Literally whatever I wanted and from there to be locked up with an open toilet, um, next to the bed and without anything like some some rags on me and literally nothing. 15 minutes on the phone with my daughter, um, it, it was. It took me about a month plus. It was thanksgiving week and then the holidays christmas, new year came and that was was being being away from her for the first time.
Speaker 1:Um, was, was tough yeah, I can't imagine that, um, and you know, one of the things that you said is, like you know, once everything had been stripped and taken from you and being in that you know cell and having to like realize like this is really my life right now. Um, for some people, um, I'm not sure about yourself, but you know me and Eva, we're spiritual people where you know we live a Christ-like life. But for someone who may not be a spiritual or may not have, you know, religious beliefs and not might not be a sound mind to go through that, so what would you say, kept you from completely losing your mind? Because, like you said, I know, for me I have two boys and Eva has two girls, and it's like I'm attached to the hip with my kids, a week away from each other. I'm losing it and that's just vacation or whatever the case may be. But what would you say? Kept you of sound mind and like, kept you with, you know, that hope to like work towards bettering yourself while doing that time.
Speaker 3:Yes, it clearly was my higher power, god, god. I mean, I thought I was a spiritual person before I grew up as a Greek Orthodox and I thought I was religious and I thought I was religious, but when I got there and I didn't have anything and I thought I lost everything no-transcript from destroying myself. Yes, so basically, I'm grateful and I'm blessed. I feel blessed with what happened, because I feel um, I've heard so many stories of people literally dying and I feel blessed that I'm still alive and that I get to do the work that I'm I'm doing right now. And I feel because before I wanted to do things just from my ego, to satisfy my ego, not to satisfy my higher power, my, my, my divine self yes, and right now I, I realized that, um that God had to take action.
Speaker 3:Yes, amen, yeah, as painful as it was, it was for the betterment of my soul.
Speaker 1:Yes, amen to that, and that is so true and that we speak a lot about our spirituality and, like what we feel called to do and just how we learn our lessons spiritually. We love to bring that to the podcast because we do feel like one. It's our job to um spread our testimony among the multitude, because that's what God called us to do, but also because it does. It does help to remind us as well, and I am a firm believer that the Lord will strip you of all things if he has to to refocus you back on what matters, which is with, with him you know, yeah, and as it says, you know, in the Bible, all things through Christ is is possible through him, you know if
Speaker 1:you really, but it has to be rooted in him, and it's so crazy that you said that is because we just did a segment where I feel like the Lord has been dealing me, dealing with me. In that same sense, it's like you. You, though, you think you're doing all these great things, and these are things that you and your mind feel are good things, but those are not necessarily God things. Those are not things that were necessarily ordained or ordered for you to do, and when you get so wrapped up in that and things are going well, it's hard for you to even take in consideration. Well, you know, and you're not thinking until you are stripped of everything, you don't have no choice but to refocus your mindset on what you've been rooted in which is the word of God and like what it is that you know he has for you to do.
Speaker 1:So I think that that's so powerful and important that you hit on that, and I love that you know he has for you to do so. I I think that that's so powerful and important that you hit on that and I love that you know that you that was a part of your journey is realizing that.
Speaker 3:Oh, clearly, clearly and right now, when I'm, of course, I'm human and and I get caught in things, um, and and I think I, I sometimes I become overwhelmed of how many things I have to do and then I realize, oh no, I don't have to do anything, it's a blessing I get to do things.
Speaker 3:And then I think about what am I trying to control? There is nothing for me to control. I just, uh, ask my, my higher power, my holy spirit, to guide me and what I need to do, and let that happen. Whatever it's best for that situation, how that situation is best to be handled. I leave it to my higher power to handle it, because basically, there is nothing for me that I can control, but my mind, and this is the core of my program. It's called apple and it stands for awareness, presence, perspective, letting go and empowerment, and it's basically teaching people how to take control of their mind, because it's basically the only thing that we have control over how we can let our mind um surrender to our higher power, to god, because our higher power knows what's best for us.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. And even if you don't, you know, feel as though, because things are great for you right now and everything is going great and you seem to be getting all everything that you want, that doesn't mean that eventually, you won't still be required to surrender all, because, like we said, nothing's possible without him. So, though you feel like you're doing everything, and you doing this on your own, and you have it's all up, it's all you, and nobody else has credit for what you have going on. It's like, eventually, whether it's something that is affecting you mentally. You might be the most wealthiest person, but your mental is not right. Be the most wealthiest person, but your mental is not right. So there's going to be some aspect in life that's going to revert you back to wondering what is, what am I doing wrong? And you'll have to realize, sooner or later, that you're not surrendering what it is that you are supposed to, which is everything to the lord. So, andrea, um.
Speaker 2:With that being said, how do you determine if someone needs a mindset coach? Like does everyone need a mindset coach? Like what is the sign that someone might need a mindset coach?
Speaker 3:I believe that I mean, I don't believe in bad people. I believe that everybody, there are no bad people. There are only unconscious people, and I know that it's a lot of suffering in the world and people don't do things to hurt somebody else. They only do things out of their own suffering and they don't realize they're hurting somebody else. They only do things out of their own suffering and they don't realize they're hurting somebody else and they hurting. They are hurting themselves and sometimes I mean I would say that a lot of people might need a mindset coach, but if those people are not aware and they're not willing, because they might be aware that they have a problem, but if they're not willing to face that problem and to correct that problem.
Speaker 3:I don't like to use the word change because people are afraid somehow of that word change. But for me, change is healing and, um, because I was there and I know that I ran away from healing myself many, many years, um, I, I, I'm there, I'm, I'm open for people to reach out to me. I can't force anybody. If they're willing and if they're aware, then I'm there to help anybody that needs help.
Speaker 1:Yes, and we also speak a lot about therapy. I myself have been in therapy. I re-entered therapy last year in april, so it's been a little over a year, um but um, and I recently just graduated don't leave that out.
Speaker 3:I can say I recently graduated.
Speaker 1:Of course, it's going to be something that I keep in my back pocket, my check-in every three months or so.
Speaker 1:But I'm such an advocate for, like you said, that type of work, that type of mindset work, the mentality, everything about healing, healing yourself and being able to persevere. And I do feel like therapy helped me a lot. But what would you say is the difference between like a life like a mindset coach and a therapist Like mindset coach? Because even with therapy it definitely helped me understand and, like you said, kind of revert or retrain my mind on how I think about things or how I allow things to affect me. Um, of course, because it's like a thought first and then it's a feeling. But, yeah, what would you say for those who are like inquiring, because there's a lot of people who are so fearful of going to therapy but mindset coach might be a more comfortable situation for them.
Speaker 3:so how would you say, yeah, the difference between that is yeah, I believe that, um, people are, uh, probably you know the stigma of um, of, wow, I'm going through through therapy that that it's something wrong with somebody if they go through therapy. That it's something wrong with somebody if they go through therapy. And the difference between therapy and the mindset coach to me is, I mean, it can be a great therapist that works through the past, present and future. What I do with my clients on mindset coaching is to how do we move forward, how do we clear the mind to take action, how do we let things go, how do we stay present? Because present is the only thing that that exists past traumas, and I think that therapy deals a lot with the past and clears the past.
Speaker 3:Again, I believe that both therapy and mindset coaching are extremely necessary for people, because if we can have anything in the world, if our mind is not straight and if we don't keep in check, then we have no control over anything. And we are all born with preconditions. We're conditioned by the families, by society, by school, by the education system to do this, to do that, you have to do this, you have to go to school, you have to, and it's not necessarily because society doesn't really know what we really really need, know what we really really need, and that's a lot of traumas that we, we are getting caught in and we're living lives out of somebody else's movie. It's not so many times I look at people and it's like they're not in this movie, they're somewhere else, they're playing a role that they don't even know they're playing and, um, I think that therapy again it's a if it's a. I had clients that had really severe traumas and I asked them to see a therapist first.
Speaker 1:Oh, I was just about to ask that Like is there ever a time?
Speaker 3:where, yes, I'm not, yes, I'm not a medical professional, I'm not licensed to to as a therapist, and if I see in people that they are at the level where I cannot help them, I truly um ask them to see a medical professional. Okay, yes, Because I do believe. I do believe in in uh mental health that people I mean, of course, with awareness, and that's what I um tell people in my course um I'm helping the mind, I'm not helping I. I can't say that I can heal uh mental illness with being aware and uh doing meditation every morning.
Speaker 3:I mean it's, some people need more than that yes, okay and I cannot help them with that and I refer them to see a therapist or a medical professional.
Speaker 2:Yes, Andrea, are you able to touch more on how life was for you? Did you say you moved to New York when you were 22? Yes, so how was that journey and how was life for you in Romania?
Speaker 3:Uh. So I was born in Romania when it was, uh, communism and we didn't have much Um, we didn't have. I mean, I've never had a Barbie doll. Um, I basically who I am now, I'm very back. Then it was hard that we didn't have much, but we had tapes and we watched American movies and, uh, since I was really, really young, I created this image for myself that I will be a successful businesswoman in New York, not knowing what that meant. So I again. We didn't have electricity sometime. We didn't have heat, we didn't have food. It was rationalized, but then, when I turned 13, it changed. It became a democracy. But somehow at the beginning it was really all over the place. People didn't know what a democracy was and it was a mess.
Speaker 3:I graduated high school. I went to law school in Romania. I wanted to be an artist, but my father told me that an artist is not a profession and I should go to law school. So this is how I got to law school. I graduated law school at 22, because in Romania you can't go to law school or medical school right after high school. You don't need a college before that college before that Um. So that's why, when I got here at 22,. I was already a law school graduate and, probably because I wasn't born with the silver spoon in my mouth, I was able to um spoon in my mouth, I was able to um basically take life on and um be really, really happy to be in new york by myself at 22.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that might have been a lot of pressure because new york is a as a fast state, it's a fast moving state. So to come from you, come from Romania and come there and 22 on your own, no family, nobody yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but that's the reason why I said that I did not appreciate at that time that we didn't have a lot of things, be very intuitive and very ingenious with things, and I basically am grateful that I had that life in Romania with not so much. And then after 8 months in MCC, I was transferred to Den denbury at the camp, which is a uh, the lowest security uh for white collar crimes, and I was there and I realized that it's like the camps that we used to have back in Romania when I was a kid and it helped me a lot. I hated the camps when I was a kid in Romania because it was minimal, like really we didn't have much. They were big rooms with a lot of people and the food was not great, but the landscapes were incredible and that was the reason why my parents were sending me to those camps and I was in prison in Denbury, connecticut, and I had the same experience without having much. They were the landscapes that I appreciated and nature saved my life there because I was enjoying nature every day, being outside a lot, and I called it all-Inclusive Resort.
Speaker 3:I called that camp and I wrote a book. I wrote my memoir. It's called Alive Again, my Journey from Maternity to Redemption, in Prison, in prison, and I explain there how, how I felt in the camp, like it was the the communist camps when I used to to go when I was a kid yeah, that's, that is wild.
Speaker 1:And um with that, you know going through all of that and you know going through your you know sentence and getting through that and just coming out feeling um called to serve um you know another purpose with helping other people and coaching them and sharing your methods and the things that help you get through um. What do you would you say you um see for yourself in the next you know three to five years? Like what is your future um within your career? Look like now that you are, you know, doing the work for yourself and also helping others do the work for themselves to to live a successful and healthy life. What would you say you see for yourself moving forward?
Speaker 3:So my next project is I'm starting with my daughter, who's now 21.
Speaker 3:Okay, we're starting our own podcast okay and it's called how I escaped prison and it's about, uh, of course, the mental prison that we all create for ourselves in, in images and and uh, uh, all the, the, uh, false idols like the the bible mentions that we all create for ourselves. And, um, between myself with my experience, and my daughter with her experience, because there are a lot of podcasts and people talk a lot about their stories in prison. They're not a lot of of people talking about their children, because I feel, I feel that the families, and especially children, of people that are incarcerated suffer even more than the ones that are in. Yeah, and my daughter would love to share her story and to help kids or formerly incarcerated or even currently incarcerated people with her experience. Absolutely, yeah, yeah, I, I can't wait. It's, it's um, uh, we have our first episode on august 5th.
Speaker 3:Okay, august 5th for me is very special because I came to the United States on August 5th 1998. Okay, I was released from prison on August 5th 2021. And now it's going to be August 5th, wow, and it's a new beginning. I feel that August 5th it's a new beginning. That sounds awesome right there. Yes, and then I work on a TED Talk. The same is how I escape prison and how we can all work on our inner stories and somehow to to leave the story behind and and walk out, uh, powerfully in our lives, because if we put our lives in in god's hands, then we will all be powerful and and live great lives. Yes, I also have two more books that I work on and also another course for attorneys. So this is my five-year plan to work on coaching and hopefully to regain my license in 2026.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, that sounds amazing. I I love that for you and you know the the podcast idea sounds amazing. I was definitely thinking what you said about having your daughter give her perspective as well, Because it's one thing for someone to be inside and doing time and working on keeping their mindset together, right, but then trying to also pour into your daughter, who at that time was a teenager, and trying to help her to understand, you know, and to keep her how to help her keep her mindset clear, and you know how that affected her. So I'm excited for that. I'm definitely going to tune in because I feel like there is a lot that could definitely help, you know, help people in hearing both of you guys' perspectives.
Speaker 2:I'm very appreciative to even hear your story now. I think a lot of us are fueled by, like you know, not having much when you're younger. And then you know you hit that age to where you can go off and find these great careers and then you're fueled by, oh, I want the best of this and I want to give my kids the best of this. Yeah, and you know, your story is is very powerful because it shows how you can lose everything but you don't let that break you and how do you rebuild. You know to get back, to get back to where, or even better than what you had before, um, and so I I love it. I love the message. I'm definitely looking forward to um hearing the podcast. I'm so excited for that. So I will be on the lookout. August 5th yeah, that is so exciting, Thank you.
Speaker 1:And even how bold.
Speaker 1:You know we love good, bold, bold testimony, but the how bold it was for you, to come from a whole nother country, start over by yourself, set standards and meet goals and do those things. And that is a testament to itself and it just shows the goal that, regardless of whatever stumbling blocks may be placing your way during your journey, how many ever times you may stumble or whatever the case may be, it doesn't take away from you, know, all the work that you've done and all the things that you have accomplished. And, like you, you said just being able to even remember that and being able to once again recenter your focus on you know, the Holy Spirit and what he called you to do, and then take that, like you said, that, that power that we were born with, that he instilled in us, um from birth, and being able to transition that and just even make even greater things happen. So it definitely was a powerful testimony and we just appreciate the fact that you reached out and took the time to sit and speak with us today. We love it.
Speaker 3:Of course. Thank you very much for having me.
Speaker 1:Yes, thank you, well, well go ahead and give our listeners again, um, your contact information. Um, you know how they can find you. I know, uh, we communicated initially through linkedin, but if you have any, uh, you will want to, you know, drop your website information, because I'm sure a lot of people would definitely like to reach out and, you know, get a consultation or anything of that sort.
Speaker 3:Yes, of course. So you can find everything it's on my website, which is andreaparkcom Andrea, with double E, the Romanian way, and park is P-A-R-C. Andreaparkcom. There I have all the social media and on on every social media, I am andrea park as well, so andreaparkcom. There I have the books, okay, um, and there I have, uh, all the information, the youtube, everything it's there, andreaparkcom perfect awesome.
Speaker 1:So you guys heard that you can find her andreaparkcom. You can purchase her books, you can schedule um a phone call consultation with miss andrea and um you can follow her links to her upcoming podcast and every all the great things that she has coming. So we again thank you for taking the time to speak with us today and, uh, we look forward to speaking with you and following your journey moving forward of course.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much and best of luck with everything that you're doing. Thank you because you're doing great things as well awesome.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. We greatly appreciate that thank you. Thank you so much all righty and guys, until next time, stay bold.