7: How Monique Rodriguez Turned Her Grief into Greatness

In this deeply moving episode of grownwoman, Monique Rodriguez, CEO and founder of  Mielle Organics, sits down with Shannon Allen for an honest, inspiring conversation about purpose, perseverance, and the power of faith. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Monique opens up about overcoming childhood adversity, navigating grief after the devastating loss of her son, and how she turned unimaginable pain into a multimillion-dollar beauty brand built from her kitchen. From humble beginnings to making history with one of the largest exits by a Black woman in business, Monique’s story is both vulnerable and victorious. Through raw honesty and spiritual clarity, Monique unpacks what it means to walk in purpose, love through loss, and build generational wealth without losing sight of where you came from. This is more than an entrepreneurship story, it’s a blueprint for resilience, grace, and impact. KEY POINTS  0:00 How Monique Rodriguez Turned Her Grief into Greatness 03:10 The love for building the community 04:25 Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, little Monique in her younger years 08:08 Monique’s personal experience: The Glory in Your Story book  10:53 Choosing grace over anger towards her father's struggles 15:00 Passing down habits: Addiction as a problem? 19:18 Her mother's lack of affection, shaping parenting style 23:31 Monique’s current relationship with her mom  27:35 Refusing to have a victim mentality, being an architect of her future 28:52 Meeting husband Melvin, in middle school, falling in love 44:58 Becoming pregnant and then losing her son 54:03 Finding God: Experiencing post-traumatic growth 58:42 Losing her hair after Milan's death, starting to create hair care products 1:03:42 Building Mielle Organics from her kitchen to a successful company 1:04:12 Achieving a historic exit with P&G as the largest for a Black woman 1:11:28 Defining being a grown woman–balancing femininity and purpose QUOTES  “You can either be a victim of your circumstances or an architect of your future.” – Monique Rodriguez “Money alone shouldn't be the sole reason why you choose to marry or date someone, because at the end of the day, you want peace.” – Monique Rodriguez “I feel that when you are able to merge femininity with purpose and passion, you have a powerful dynamic, grown woman.” – Monique Rodriguez “The Bible tells us to honor thy parents no matter what so and I wasn't well-versed on the Bible growing up, so I don't know even know where it came from. That's why I say that God has always had his hand on me, and God has always spoken to me.” – Monique Rodriguez GUEST RESOURCES  Monique Rodriguez  IG | @exquisitemo  RESOURCES  Shannon Allen  Grown Website | https://www.grown.org/  IG | @swalkerwil  🌱 Stay Connected & Explore More 🔗 Visit the Grown Website Grown.org 📲 Follow Shannon on Instagram @swalkerwil 🎧 Like, Share & Subscribe If this episode moved you, inspired you, or made you think, don’t keep it to yourself! Like, share, and subscribe to grownwoman on your favorite podcast platform. grownwoman is produced by EPYC Media Network