Copyright International Business Times
Some people often let the trials of life consume them, but many others channel that distress to build something significant. One name has exemplified this mission: Venus Ricks, a nurse turned serial entrepreneur, mother, and author of From RN to CEO: Changing Lanes. Despite facing numerous challenges, Ricks has built her life on compassion and hard work, creating safe spaces for those in need of care. But when a stroke nearly took everything she had built, she transformed that tragedy into a powerful mission: to show that survival is only the beginning of unwavering strength. Before her stroke, Ricks' life was a testament to determination and compassion. In 2017, she founded Mabel's House Assisted Living and Vital Sign Home Care, bringing care services for the elderly and vulnerable populations. At the same time, she became a partner at Conduit Behavioral Health in Baltimore. The name "Mabel's House" honors her grandmother, Mabel, the woman who raised her alongside her siblings when her own mother could not. "My grandmother gave me and my siblings everything," Ricks recalls. "I was born to a mother who wasn't equipped to care for me, but my grandmother guided me toward a life I can be proud of. She showed me what love and care truly mean." Those early lessons shaped Ricks' life. Growing up under her grandmother's steady hand, she and her siblings defied the odds, each carving out successful lives of their own. "I didn't look at my mother's shortcomings as a reason to give up," Ricks reflects. "I saw it as a reason to do better." That determination became the foundation of her businesses and her life's mission to give others the hope she sought as a child. By 2018, Ricks had three business ventures, working toward crafting a respected name in Baltimore's healthcare community, while improving the quality of life for many. She progressed forward in her career path with optimism and dedication, but then on the 20th of May that year, her life changed forever. She suffered a stroke, one that left her unable to walk, talk, or move for months. The woman who had spent her career so far caring for others was now in a position of needing full-time care herself. "I was completely immobilized. I couldn't walk, I could only say the names of my mother and my children," she recalls. "Being in the position, I needed the level of care I myself had been providing to so many before. It became one of life's ironies." For many, that would have been the end of their entrepreneurial journey, but not for Ricks. Her family and staff stood by her side, helping to keep the business running. From her hospital bed and later her home, Ricks slowly began rebuilding her body and her life, learning to navigate her new limitations while still guiding her teams. "If my life taught me anything, it was to keep fighting even in the face of darkness," she notes. "I just kept going. I had to, for my kids, my businesses, and myself. I knew I would see the light eventually, as I always have." That experience of being a patient herself, as she saw firsthand the emotional and physical toll of recovery, reshaped her understanding of care. It deepened her empathy for the clients she serves as well as for the families who trust her with their loved ones. Today, Ricks leads Mabel's House and Vital Sign Home Care with that renewed sense of purpose. Through non-profits and disability programs, such as NDI-EGA, she's continued to grow her business acumen, learning financial planning, human resources, and strategic management to ensure her companies thrive long into the future. "I couldn't let disability change how I work," she shares. "Being a business owner will always be bigger than my disability. I began to retrain my brain and learn how to run my businesses even better." But what truly defines Ricks is her relentless drive to turn pain into purpose. Her upcoming book tells that very story: of a woman who went from caring for others to needing the care herself, and who chose to rise stronger than before. It's a story about second chances, about rebuilding a legacy that is defined by strength, not struggle. Through faith, family, and an unwavering will, Ricks has proven that even in life's hardest trials, there is always room to rise, rebuild, and inspire others to do the same.
