This month we're discussing the power of words. My love and passion for words is one of the things that makes me, me. Inspiring, empowering, impactful words are on the walls in my home, on my bookshelves, in my phone and on my vision boards. I am very careful with my words, because words shape us! Our thoughts, hopes, dreams and goals have been influenced by the words used to describe us and how we have been talked to. Words can bring life or death. So, for the next few episodes, I’ll be...

In episode 86 of the podcast, I share the recording of my conversation with the author of our March #WorkYourPlan book club selection, Jo Saxton. Jo Saxton is an author, speaker, podcast host, and leadership coach. She has dedicated her career to growing leadership teams around the world and empowering women to find their purpose in their personal lives and in leadership. Born in London to parents who immigrated from Nigeria, Jo credits her family’s unrelenting work ethic and the grace of...

A candid conversation about how we are mothered shapes how we mother with the founder of StrongHer.me, Kendra Tillman and her mother, Sandra Smith. In this episode,  How our relationship with our parents shapes how we parent How life experience helps our parenting evolve How to mother adult sons and daughters How our prayers for our family changed in each season *** Have you ever dropped the ball? I want to invite you to join me for the #WorkYourPlan Book Club. For May I wanted a book...

To minimize the possibility of offense when engaging in a courageous conversation: Pray in advance so that you have God's wisdom and his heart for the interaction. State the facts first. Then share your story (how it impacted you; FYI your story is not a fact. It’s how you see it.) Now switch to listening. Ask for their perspective. Remember the reason/purpose for the conversation. Your goal is not to convince, compel or control. You want to move towards understanding and accountability. ...

Steps to move past comparison: Return to the vision. You need a visual reminder. Pray for discernment about what is a longing for something God wants for me and what is me coveting what was meant for someone else.  Seek wise counsel from (friends, family, mentors, coaches) those who know what you’re feeling, they’ve navigated this road before and they can help you with your perspective. The answers to our desires often take on a different form than we expected. Work your plan. Get busy...

Isha Cogborn is our guest for episode 82 of #WorkYourPlan with Kendra. Isha is a personal brand strategist & the founder of Startup Life Support and Epiphany Institute. If you haven’t already grabbed the free Year in Review download use the link in the comments:https://bit.ly/2020yearreview If you’re listening to this on your podcast player, you can grab it at StrongHer.me/episode82. WATCH the full episode at Facebook.com/StrongHerme. ------- Start reflecting on your year by...

After 20 years of friendship and 13 years of marriage, LaSandra Hutchinson experienced the sudden loss of her husband in October 2017.  At the time, her children were 11, 10, 8, and 6 years old. Eager to learn all she could about grief and to rebuild a powerful life for her and her children, LaSandra began researching grief and sharing her new understanding, her faith, and her grief journey on YouTube, through public speaking, and through writing. She wanted to give a transparent look into...

What does it mean for God to be good? This common question is at the heart of what many of us will wrestle with when we experience some form of loss in our lifetime. Our guest, LaSandra Hutchinson is going to help us uncover how grief and loss has impacted our relationship with God. LaSandra is a speaker, writer, content creator and advocate for the rights and well-being of women and girls. She began her work in the non-profit sector as a teenager, spearheading a youth-led initiative in...

In today’s episode we’re discussing two topics we’re told never to talk about -- religion & politics. We're, specifically, talking about the intersection of faith and politics and how do we unify when the stakes feel so high in this year's election. Our guest for episode 80 of the podcast is Sarah Bauer Anderson. Sarah has spent her entire life learning to live in the tension both politics and religion create, striving to best navigate the complicated issues and emotional conversations...

For the month of September where we will be talking about demystifying purpose. My conversation with Nicole Salmon centers around defining purpose and gaining clarity about your purpose. When we’re unclear on our calling, we feel stuck and left behind. In today’s conversation, my guest Nicole Salmon helps us demystify “purpose” by revealing the one mindset shift we must make to be fruitful in every season of life. Tune in throughout September as we continue this monthly series on...

For the month of August our conversations on the podcast will help parents transition their families into a new and very different school year.  My guest for today's episode is Christine Duvivier. Christine Duvivier is an international speaker, author and positive change mentor. She speaks, teaches and coaches for organizations, leaders, students and communities that are ready to think beyond traditional myths that hold us back and want to use positive practices to tap into the powerful...

For the month of August our conversations on the podcast will help parents transition their families into a new and very different school year.  My guest for today's episode is Susan Seay. Susan is an international speaker, podcast host of the Mentor 4 Moms Podcast and a certified life coach who helps busy moms make the shift from overwhelmed and distracted to intentional and living on purpose.  She's also a homeschooling mom of 7. Susan and I talk about how to intentionally parent our...

Our guests for episode 76 of #WorkYourPlan with Kendra are Evangeline Colbert and Maria Mwangi, the co-authors of Conceived by Grace, a 'no fear' pregnancy journal. Maria and Evangeline are hosting their first virtual event this month, Grace - A Virtual Fertility Event. The event is for women who are experiencing infertility/miscarriages/infant loss so that they know they are not alone in the struggle. The event will provide encouragement and tools from God’s Word to help them deal with their...

Chrystal Evans Hurst is one of my favorite podcaster-speaker-authors. She is anointed to encourage and equip others to live God's best for their lives... all while engaging and being present in the small important moments that matter in the everyday.  Chrystal Hurst is here to talk about how a 28 day commitment can help us make prayer a habit in our daily lives. In this episode she recommends that in the midst of many voices telling us how to respond to the world’s problems, we seek God in...

In the month of June we are reclaiming our voices. For this week’s #WorkYourPlan Wednesday I’m taking a step towards one of my action items - to be more informed about local government. Our guest this week is Jessica Davis. Jessica is an 8th grade Civics teacher in Phoenix, AZ who's been teaching middle school for almost 8 years. Her degrees are in American History with a minor in religious studies and a masters in Secondary Education. Jessica loves teaching and sees her classroom as her...

In the month of June we are reclaiming our voices. For this week’s #WorkYourPlan Wednesday I’m taking a step towards one of my action items - to be more informed about local government. We're going to learn why local elections matter and how we become informed voters from my friend, Eshe Pickett, a community activist & an engineer. We will address advocacy, elections and our laws. In this episode we discuss... Why local elections matter and how we become informed voters How the...

For the month of June, in response to our collective grief and outrage over racist acts continuing in our country, on my platforms I'm centering our conversations around reclaiming our voice. This week’s #WorkYourPlan conversation with Sharli Berry, a licensed therapist and the owner of Destiny's Door Counseling, about reclaiming your voice after trauma is critical to this conversation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's quote "protest is the language of the unheard" is quoted frequently right...

Courage always comes with a cost. For the month of June we’re exploring what courage costs all of us and how courage helps us reclaim our voice for our God-given assignment. One of the things I pray is reclaimed from our anger and outrage around history continuing to repeat itself is our heart for advocacy. I was joined by my sister, Khalilah Elliott, a multicultural marketing and communications expert, to talk about how we reclaim our voice for advocacy.  Advocacy comes in many forms...

Janell Brown and Elaina Brown are the powerhouse sister duo behind Olivia Laine Stylist, a wardrobe styling service and our guests for episode 70 of the #WorkYourPlan with Kendra podcast. Janell and Elaina were the winners of the $1000 cash prize + business support services awarded at our 2019 You Are Stronger Than You Think Women's  faith based women's empowerment event. In this episode we bring you behind the scenes of their journey over the last 12 months. We talk about how their current...

Our guest for episode 69 of #WorkYourPlan with Kendra is Ciji Townsend, the Founder of Balanced Not Busy, a space for go-getters to find rest. She inspires, encourages and empowers as a public speaker, wellness advocate and host of the Being BALANCED podcast. In this episode Ciji and I discuss how to proactively make our physical health and wellness "practice" a priority handle the expectations we get from other people that keep us busy and implement tools/systems into our personal and...

For the month of February our conversations are centered around what it means to love yourself.  Our guest for episode 68 of #WorkYourPlan with Kendra is Kelli Center, a Licensed Professional Counselor/Mental Health Therapist of Centered Living Counseling & Coaching Services. Kelli is passionate about helping individuals to become mentally and spiritually whole so they can be free to live their best life. She feels especially called to bridge the gap between the spiritual and mental...

Do you struggle with setting or achieving the goals you set for yourself? Do you want to set goals but you're discouraged because of past failures? In episode 67 of the podcast my special guest, La'Vista Jones of 31 Marketplace and I walk you through identifying and achieving your most desired goals and how to form new beliefs to support you in achieving them. La'Vista Jones, CLBC is a certified coach and business strategist. She's also an author, speaker and community builder. She uses...

Last week and this week we’re talking about your year in review and mentally preparing for a new year with a one word theme.  Our guest-mentor for today's episode is Isha Cogborn. Isha is the Founder & CEO of Epiphany Institute–a personal development firm that helps people connect their purpose and passion to their profession. She specializes in helping coaches,consultants, authors and other experts build their platforms and personal brands so they can make a bigger impact on the...

This week is an encore from last year - the secret to finishing strong when you’re tired.This episode was so well received and so relevant I thought I would share it again. It’s a short, practical episode. Stick around until the end, because there’s a homework assignment to prepare you for next week’s year in review episode.  The secret to finishing strong is not necessarily pushing harder, but embracing the rest your soul needs. In this episode we discuss: Everything that grows and...

How does God heal you emotionally, when committing suicide, because you feel trapped in an abusive marriage, feels like a more honorable solution than getting a divorce? My guest for today’s interview is Mel Shipman of NextLevel Life. Mel is a life purpose coach, an author and speaker. In this episode Mel shares how God redeemed her from an emotionally abusive marriage, how she grievied the loss of the life she had imagined and how she's learning to trust that God is using her past to redeem...