PHOENIX — Neva Lee Recla may be 12 years old, but she's already accomplished a lot in her short lifetime —- and there are no signs that she's slowing down anytime soon. She's working hard to make her goals and dreams a reality, and inspire a few others along the way.
At 7, she wrote and published her first book, "When Pigs Fly: The Parent's Guide to Inspire Your Young Entrepreneur," and launched her own podcast, "Super Power Kids," where she produced 100 episodes and totaled two million downloads.
Her podcast featured famous entrepreneurs, such as Cathy Lee Crosby, the original Wonder Woman from the 1974 TV film, and the founder of CEOSpace, Berny Dohrmann.
"I think a kid doing business is a bit unheard of," Neva said.
For her podcast, she said: "I liked incorporating what they did and I tried making it fun in like the kid world."
Neva has been an entrepreneurial go-getter her entire life, according to her mom, Tonya Dawn Recla.
She said. Neva asked to have her own business cards when she was two and even showed signs of networking while hanging out on the playground with other kids.
"She’d bring kids over, put out (her) hand, say 'Hello nice to meet you,' and what we saw happening was just developing that confidence," her mom said.
Inspiring her child and letting Neva lead the way on her own adventures is what Tonya said she focused on.
"Get to know your child, not through anyone else’s lens, not through what you think they should do, not through who you want them to be, not through what you wish you had done, just listen, and let them guide (the way)," she said.
Last year, Neva enrolled at ASU Digital Prep, an online K-12 school, where she is working on her second podcast, "Leave it to Neva," where she plans to share her passions, journey, and business advice with others.
"Not just inspire kids to do business but to show everybody that they’re loved and accepted for who they are and showing everybody that they don’t have to go on this path alone," Neva said. "I would say take what you love and turn it into a way to help people and know that it doesn’t have to be picture perfect."