In this insightful solo episode, Laura shares insights to help you strengthen your delegation skills.  Delegation is the act of redirecting tasks and initiatives to other team members.  If you want to keep advancing as a leader, delegation is a skill you must master.  Yet, it’s a skill that many people say is a challenge for them.   In true BWL fashion, rooted in her 18+ years of working with leaders all over the world, Laura provides wisdom and instruction that address both the heart work...

In this episode, we hear lessons from the C-Suite with Toshie Davis, Chief Financial and Administration Officer at OneTen. Toshie shares her story of pursuing purpose and passion via a career pivot from the corporate sector to nonprofit administration. She gives a behind-the-scenes look at her day-to-day responsibilities as a C-suite leader and how she contributes to the powerful work at OneTen, an organization that is taking a skills-first approach to create one million jobs for Black...

In this episode, we welcome Aiko Bethea, CEO & Founder of RARE Coaching & Consulting, to discuss overcoming toxic productivity.  Our BWL community attracts many high achievers. They are often the “firsts” in their families and communities…the first to graduate college, the first to be on their level of leadership, the first one that people call when they need help…and the list goes on. In the workplace, research shows that Black women are often held to higher standards, and are more...

Often when we think of grief, we think about the loss of a loved one.  However, grief is present in all our life transitions….including our career transitions.   Perhaps you spent years of education and training for a particular career path, only to later discover that that path is not what you want to do.  Or, perhaps you had to abruptly leave a toxic workplace and there is some lingering residue from the emotional and mental experience you had there.  These common situations involve a...

In this intimate discussion, three alumni participants of the Black Woman Leading THRIVE  cohort (Crystal Coats, Brenda Hudson, and Yaphet Bryant)  share their stories of navigating both personal and professional transitions.  They share how they leaned into community and other supportive resources during these times, and the self-care strategies they implemented to care for themselves in the process.  Additionally they share their lightbulb moments of self-awareness that emerged as they...

In this powerful episode, we welcome author, Elizabeth Leiba,  to talk about taking up space as Black women in every area of our lives.  From work, to relationships, to LinkedIn; Elizabeth shares her insights on why using our voice and increasing our visibility is critical for Black women leaders.   She also shares some of her personal journey of taking up more space in the professional landscapes she occupies.  Finally, Elizabeth shares nuggets from her brilliant new book, “I’m Not Yelling!...

It’s a first…we have a man as a guest on the Black Woman Leading podcast!  And it’s none other than Laura’s husband, Marshall Knights.  Laura and Marshall will celebrate 20 years of marriage and 26 years of partnership this year. In this special episode, they talk about the leadership and self-awareness lessons they’ve learned from their relationship together and from parenting their children, Marshall Jabari and Kai, and they share insights on what they’ve learned from pursuing their purpose...

Season 4, Episode 006 -Healing Hurt Caused by Other Black Women at Work with Dr. Carey Yazeed As Black women, we may be familiar with experiencing unsupportive or toxic experiences in the workplace at the hands of others.  But what about when the toxic behavior directed towards us is from someone that looks like us – another Black woman. In this episode, Laura talks to Dr. Carey about this sensitive “family” discussion. Dr. Carey shares her insights on some of the root causes of why Black...

In this episode, we turn our attention to thriving in our bodies and physical health.  Laura welcomes our special guest, Bridgette Duncan, Founder of Slam Duncan Wellness. Bridgette shares her body movement journey and how her work in Pilates, stretch therapy, and breathwork has been a life-giving force not only for herself but for the Black women she works with in her practice.  She exposes us to other physical self-care options through her work, and   encourages us to move beyond being...

Here at Black Woman Leading, we are all about asking for help and building your support team in your personal and professional life.  You may have a self-care team that includes a doctor, therapist, and other providers.  Or, a professional development team that includes your manager, colleagues, executive coach, or others.  You might even have personal care time like a house cleaner, babysitter, or grocery delivery service. We are here for all of it!  But, what about a team to help you...

In this episode, we hear lessons from the C-Suite with Sandy Clark, CEO of StoryCorps. Sandy shares about her experience being an “accidental manager” and how this professional journey spurred  her to come from behind the curtain and step into full visibility as a leader. She shares a personal story about the consequences of staying too long in a role, and the heart work and head work she’s had to do to support her growth as a leader. Overall, Sandy shares insight into building...

In this enlightening episode, Dr. Maiysha states that 100% of people have been impacted by trauma. She takes us on a journey into the mind to uncover how our past experiences impact our trauma responses and communication defaults in our personal and professional lives. Dr. Maiysha provides a mini master class and shares the difference between positive stress, toxic stress, and trauma.  She teaches ways we can prevent stress from turning into trauma, and how to recognize and interrupt default...

Welcome to Season 4 of Black Woman Leading, the podcast!  We are so excited to be back!  This podcast is an extension of the Black Woman Leading learning experience.   The theme for season four is “Thrive, Sis, Thrive!” Through our episodes this season, we will be reflecting on questions like - “What does it look like for Black women to thrive in every of their lives?   And for this thriving to be the expectation and the standard for how experience our personal and professional lives.” In...

We are celebrating the completion of our third season! Our season theme was “Own Your Story, Amplify Your Voice.” Additionally, we uncovered a number of organic themes that consistently resurfaced across multiple episodes– leading from the inside-out, exploring new paradigms, self-advocacy, and taking care of our bodies. Tune in to this episode to get a high-level summary of all the wisdom shared, as Laura provides a recap and shares her personal highlights and takeaways from the season.  ...

In this first episode of the new year, Laura invites you to revisit your “rules.”  Your rules are your personal codes, spoken and unspoken,  that govern how you live your life. Rules help to give us order, provide safety, provide ways of knowing as we navigate the world, and help us to feel in control of our lives. Although many of our rules are helpful and support us to be our best selves, some of our rules may actually be harmful or outdated for the current season of life.  Laura shares...

In this intimate discussion, three alumni participants of the Black Woman Leading ELEVATE  cohort (Latoya Butler, Kendra Thomas, and Meghen Demons) share their stories of growth throughout their leadership journey. They share the “growing pains” they endured and resources that helped them to overcome as they navigate their careers as Black women leaders working in both corporate and non-profit spaces.  Additionally, our brilliant alums share their experience in the Black Woman Leading...

In this episode, we hear lessons from the C-Suite with Kimberly Moore-Wright, Chief Teammate Officer and Head of Enterprise Diversity Truist Financial Corporation Kimberly shares how both heart work and head work have been critical to her “off the beaten path” leadership ascent at Truist, and she gives a behind-the-scenes look of her day-to-day responsibilities in her role.  Additionally, as the person who oversees well-being initiatives at Truist, she shares her insights on the...

In this episode, Laura answers pressing questions from our community on topics related to delegation, leading your team through organizational change, dealing with “Mom guilt,” advocating for salary/promotion increases, and dealing with fear about leaving an organization. Tune in as Laura shares her wisdom and provides actionable insights to address these leadership challenges. Resources: S1E4: Navigating Salary Negotiations with Yakentha Britton (Black Woman Leading podcast) S3E8:...

At Black Woman Leading® we are all about exposing Black women to new opportunities and empowering them to increase their options. So we were so excited to welcome our special guest, Stephanie Perry, Founder of vaycarious.com, to discuss the option of taking a career sabbatical, or an extended period of time away from work.    In this insightful episode, Stephanie and Laura vision and explore the possibilities for using a career sabbatical for rest, self-discovery, adventure, and ease....

Research indicates that minority populations disproportionately experience insufficient sleep and sleep disorders.  We know that sleep is a fundamental health and wellness need for us to thrive as human beings, so we wanted to talk about Black women and our relationship with sleep.   We welcome our special guest, Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell, Sleep Specialist and the Founder of The Solution is Sleep LLC, to provide more insights on this topic. In this enlightening conversation,  Laura and Dr....

In this engaging episode, we explore the term “imposter syndrome” with speaker and writer, Jodi-Ann Burey.   The term “imposter syndrome” is often used to communicate a sense of inadequacy that an individual may feel in a professional setting.  After reviewing the original research that birthed this term, Laura and Jodi-Ann discuss why the term is an inaccurate portrayal of the experience of Black women because it does not account for the full environmental landscape that Black women have to...

From side hustles to those who desire to trade their 9-to-5 in for the CEO title, our community has shown increased interest in learning more about entrepreneurship.  In this episode, our special guest, Dr. Shakenna Williams, Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College and Founder of Babson’s Black Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, comes to share her insights on why Black women are increasingly pursuing entrepreneurship and how they can...

The end of the year is a common timeframe for companies to facilitate annual reviews.  In this tactical episode, Laura shares points to help you reflect on the last year of your professional journey, and prepare to communicate the contributions you’ve made in your annual review. Laura provides a practical approach for you to guide the narrative of your review meeting and confirm your “asks” to advocate for yourself in the workplace. Download the BWL performance evaluation prep packet here...

So many of our listeners and BWL community members are leaders across the domains of their life–work, family, community, and so on.  They spend so much time investing in the development of others, supporting the growth of others, and serving the needs of others.  Yet, sometimes they struggle to give this same level of care and priority to themselves.  If this resonates, this episode is for you! Our special guest, Tanisha Chea, President of Sir Grout Franchising and Mrs.North America 2022,  ...

In this episode, Laura welcomes two members of her personal self-care team to the show - her chiropractors, Dr. Twila Blossom Jones and Dr. Danielle Jones. In this enlightening episode, the doctors share some of the physical manifestations of stress that they consistently observe in their Black women patients.  They go on to provide red-flag indicators that our bodies are communicating with us about wellness changes we may need to implement.   Moving beyond awareness, they share practical...