The Hello MaximizHer Podcast

It hides in the shadows of our insecurities, shaming us with lies about our inadequacy. It even convinces us that we are not good enough that you don’t belong.

This fear —that you don’t belong, that you’re not good enough, that somehow you tricked the admissions office, your employer, or your spouse, into choosing you, and that sooner or later they’re going to figure it out has a name.

It’s called Imposter Syndrome.

On this Thursday’s episode of The Hello MaximizHer podcast I invite Lacey MacLeod founder and CEO of Talent Uplifted to discuss a common struggle that many women deal with throughout one’s career and even life - imposter syndrome.

If not properly addressed imposter syndrome has the potential of manifesting itself in just about any part of one’s life causing havoc and never at the ideal time!

If you ever felt like you don’t belong or more specifically, wondered if you were included, accepted, or invited, by mistake; this episode is for you!

Gratitude is a powerful force that has the ability to transform one’s mindset and enhance one’s overall well-being.

As you begin to prepare your “giving of thanks” meal we want you to slip away and take an intentional pause for about 30 minutes and tune into this week’s episode of The Hello MaximizHER podcast with Kara.

During this solo episode, Kara encourages the listeners to find the “bright spots”, in this season to develop a heart of gratitude. Even in the mist of disappointment, grief and sadness one can still find glimmers of hope, joy and optimism.

As you incorporate positive affirmations into one’s daily life, one will start to notice a shift in one’s mindset. Cultivating gratitude is a daily practice that can lead to a more positive and fulfilling life.

So, let’s embrace the power of gratitude and transform our mindset for the better. Seize your blessings, hold them close to your heart and don’t let pettiness and the small stuff distract you from the bigger, more important aspects of your life.

Hey MaximizHers!
Are you ready for a pod takeover? Kara's husband Lonnie invades the podcast to give us a little insight on our host Kara and will also discuss life's ups and downs, the challenges of setbacks, lessons from losses, the complexities of parenthood and more. This is a totally spontaneous conversation with a twist. Let’s make some noise for videographer, entrepreneur, producer, Lonnie Barker!

Creativity is, inarguably, at the root of every successful business, personal brand, or professional endeavor.

Yet creating something from nothing isn't simple. It’s takes a whole lot of inspiration, perspective, patience, motivation, and an open mindset to fully unleash and unlock one’s creativity with faith.

On today’s episode we invite Kenya Carter CEO, fashion designer and owner of K.Nicole boutique to share with listeners her artistic journey through fashion, design and entrepreneurship. As a creative Kenya has learned to be bold and courageous through her design which has proven that when creativity is unrestrained, it creates an atmosphere of imagination, energy, synergy and strength.

For more information about Kenya and to support her design campaign please contact her at k.ncole@yahoo.com!
Let’s support her creative vision together.

Our human voice is a truly amazing instrument.
We produce a range of incredibly nuanced sounds that are capable of conveying meaning, emotion, and subtle cues to others. There’s nothing I love to do more in this world than to turn on a beautiful song and get lost in the melody.

The power of one’s voice has the ability to can change things. Think about it, a single song at a wedding can get everyone jumping to their feet, a praise and worship song can change an atmosphere, a lullaby can comfort an infant, a song listen to on your commute can influence driving habits and even at a sporting event, a song can ignite everyone clapping together in unison.

On today’s episode of The Hello MaximizHer podcast we invite the talented Season 22 NBC “The Voice” participant Valarie Harding to share how she found victory in using one’s voice. Valarie Harding participated in the knockout battle rounds of NBC’s “The Voice” and was selected to move forward by the one and only multi-award singer and songwriter John Legend. During this episode Valarie shares her experience of being devoted and tenacious in going after her dreams. She encourages listeners to be confident and committed when pursuing one’s dreams.

Real talk — Life doesn’t always go as planned, but that’s the beauty of it. Don’t give up! Go for it! Write the book! Apply for the job! Audition for the play or better yet for the show! Fuel yourself up with your intense dedication, devotion and passion for your dream and make it happen.

It’s time to turn up the voices of victory and turn down the voices of defeat and fear.

It’s a season finale y’all!

As we wrap up Season 3 of the FearLess Women’s series of The Hello MaximizHer podcast, we invite the one and only OG, that is the “original gal” my Mom Katherine Bracy and my Sister Nuceka Bracy- Chatman to share with listeners their brave story.

During this engaging and enlightening conversation we discuss everything from spending summers as a child on our grandparents farm, raising children, fashion, self-care practices, racism and biases in the South, and overcoming one’s fears by exercizing faith with boldness and confidence.

Friends may come and go, but the love and support of a mother or sister is unshakable.

We’re talking about authentic sisterhood in this final episode in this series.

Women who speak life into you when you feel like you have no life to give.

Women who show up for you when you’re in the trenches and need a prayer warrior.

Women who are advocates to help you remember one’s self worth and value.

Women who love you unconditionally.

Sisterhood is powerHerful!

#sisterhood
#motherhood
#sisterskeeper
#mothersanddaughters
#podcast

I Hate Cancer!

And yes, I know hate is a strong word! Well I mean it!

There is nothing lovable about cancer cells, nothing joyful about malignant tumors, and definitely nothing fun about surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and the rest.

Life is freaking hard. We are all doing hard things every day – we love and lose; we forge and end friendships; battle addiction, illness, and loneliness; care for children and parents; struggle in our jobs, our marriages, our divorces - yet there are some of us who take hard things on like a warrior!

On today’s episode, we invite Kelly Bever, retired State Farm Insurance Company executive and cancer survivor to share with listeners how she faced stage 4 uterine cancer- head-on while leaning in on her faith.

Kelly had grand retirement plans and never would of imagined that her plans would be instantly altered when she became aware of her cancer diagnosis. Once the shock subsided, Kelly was left with two choices — she could remain in denial and let cancer win or she could lean on her faith and fight like a boss! She chose the later.

Kelly shares with listeners, that God has purpose in this pain and she is not going to stop her relentlessly quest to discover God’s purpose and plan for her life after the diagnosis. Not everything is good, but God is always working for our good in everything.


Being brave is in Kelly’s DNA.

This conversation will pull on your heart strings for sure! Friends, grab a few tissues, I’m sure you’re going to need it!

Hey y’all! Did you miss us?! We took a few deep cleansing breaths because we had to prepare y’all for this first time ever guest on the pod!

Todays featured guest is…..drum rolls please, Minda Harts, founder of The Memo LLC, a premiere career development platform for women of color.

Minda Harts is the bestselling and award-winning author of The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table as well as Right Within: How to Heal from Racial Trauma in the Workplace, and her first YA book, You Are More Than Magic. She is a highly sought-after speaker and thought-leader, frequently presenting on the topics of advancing women of color, leadership, diversity, and management at companies like Nike, Google, JP Morgan, Aspen Ideas Festival, Dreamforce, The Atlantic Festival, Forbes Inclusion in The Workplace, and DraftKings to name a few.

Truth be told —
Equitable workplaces cannot thrive without inclusive practices and systems, diverse leaders, equal opportunities and fair pay — and the process of creating them can’t start without acknowledging the need for change.

Being “the only can be lonely”, and we know the higher the altitude in the climb up the proverbial ladder the less representation is there. Representation matters at all levels but especially for those who have secured a seat at the “big kids” table.

During today’s episode, Minda shares insights on how women of color can boldly leverage one’s voice, secure the seat at the table while being brave in one’s truth.
Yet, Minda tells listeners don’t just stop at securing a seat. Once you pulled up your chair to the table use your voice.

MaximizHers, this is an unfiltered and straight up conversation and we know for many the struggle is still real. But here’s a proclamation, it’s time to flip the script begin to move differently! The struggle is real but it doesn’t have to take you out.

Y’all this episode can not be just for you!

Share it with your allies, champions, squad, co-workers and definitely your bosses! You’re gonna learn something today!

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast to always hear the latest conversation from your favorite MaximizHer!

Look around you – are you living the life you’ve always wanted?
Settling is a comfortable alternative to stepping out on faith and doing it anyway regardless of one’s fear of failure, fear of judgement, fear of rejection, fear of change, fear of vulnerability and even fear of loneliness.

Are you actively working toward that life? If not, you’re settling. It may sound harsh, but that’s the honest truth. And to live a passionate, purposeful life you must learn how to never settle for less.

During this episode, Life Coach Kara encourages the ladies to take their rightful place back upon one’s throne and stop settling for less than one’s personal best.
Too many people settle for a job they don’t love, don’t work toward becoming free of financial fear or give up on goals they set for themselves, like exercising more or mastering a new skill. They fear rejection, being alone or being vulnerable, and settle for relationships with no spark, no true connection.

If you are not living up to your greatest potential in any area of your life, you’re settling.

You deserve peace of mind, you deserve all the laughter…..

You are one of a kind, you deserve happy ever after…….

Whether you're looking for a boost of self-confidence or just need a reminder that you deserve the best and not settle this week’s episode will resonate with you.

You have the power to choose your own path and to create the life you want for yourself, and you deserve to have the best that life has to offer.
You deserve better… Remember that, Queen!

Don’t forget to tag your favorite sister, daughter, co-worker and girlfriend to remind her of her worth and value too!

Let’s goooooo ladies!!

Dream Bigger! Calling all achievers, dreamers, go-getters, change agents, this episode is for you.

In this week's episode of The Hello MaximizHer Podcast we bring in a special guest Carlisha Bradley, award-winning executive, education advocate, best-selling author and founder and CEO of of Women Empowering Nations (WEN) and Amplify for Women.

Many women are being told to stay realistic, stop dreaming and get "their heads out of clouds," play safe and don't take chances. As a result, the challenges of achieving one’s dreams can appear so difficult and unrealistic that one loses drive and faith.

With poise and purpose, Carlisha shares some simple truths about how to manifest one’s dreams and dream big.

This conversation is relevant and purposeful to today’s realities for many women who are ready to launch but are struggling to get out of the gate because of fear.

This episode will inspire all women to push for greatness and follow one’s dreams with steadfast resilience because when we boldly execute our dreams we empower the next generation of women to be just as bold in their pursuits.
To all incredible women who strive for excellence, don’t forget to dream!

Hey Fearless Black Woman!
This episode drops at the intersection of Black History and Women’s History month. During this episode, Life Coach Kara Barker takes the opportunity to celebrate the women who continue to change the energy of the room upon entry and the world itself.

In the next 20 minutes, we discuss the self prescribed struggle of being “everyone’s all” and how it impacts one’s wellbeing. Self love is about acknowledging the fact that you can’t do everything, you’re not super powerful nor omnipresent. That job has already been taken!
When you're self-absorbed, you're fuelled by a need to control; when you're self-loving, you're fuelled by an appreciation of your worth, and that of others.
This is a wake up call for all of my fellow leadHers, entrepreneuHERs, maximizhers, elevatHers to encourage you to take an intentional break from the “climb and grind” to remove one’s cape and just chill for a moment.

Let's face it: being in love is not always easy. With its magnified highs and lows, love is unpredictable and never what we expect – so much so that we might be tempted to cower in fear. But if we approach love fearlessly we can have relationships that can last.

During this special Valentine’s Day REALationships crossover episode, we bring on a special guest, Lonnie Barker ( aka Kara’s hubby) to discuss ways couples can conquer the world together fearlessly.

In the great words of “apostle” Ne-yo (LOL) you may be a movement by yourself, but if you’re in a “fearless relationship” you’re a force when you’re together!

This authentic and real conversation is infused with love, laughter and transparency.
You don’t want to miss it!
#couplesedition

Believe or not, you have the power to make a difference in your life with the simplest of actions! Making the most of the time you have right now is always a smart decision.

But here’s the real kicker: you don’t necessarily have to seize an entire day in order to make a difference in your life. You just have to seize the moment.

Sometimes all it takes is to….

💫Utilize your “Yes” and “No” more intentionally.

💫Get clarity on what is important in your life.

💫Invest in you and create space for growth.
💫Face your fears head on.

During this week’s episode Life Coach Kara Barker shares five“leader shifts” that are necessary to maximize and seize the moment!
Now, press PLAY to find out! This show is brought to you by EmpowHer Consulting LLC.

Tell a friend, to tell a friend…

We have a new guest this week on this week’s episode of The Hello MaximizHer!!

There’s something to be said about a woman who restricts her focus to only be on the Lord. Ya know?

I don’t know about you but I love listening or watching a good series or episode that provides practical tools that can help me and others elevate one’s thinking and perspective.

In this week’s episode, “Fearless Sisterhood” we bring on co-host Life Coach Sherry Jones to share some encouragement to those who may be stuck in the personal decision making cycle.

Maybe you’re running away from something, running towards something or just running. This episode will help you make the pivot you need to move towards the purpose you were destined for!

As a young girl, Sherry tells listeners that she struggled with low self-esteem and feelings of insecurity and unworthiness and didn’t understand the gifts, talents, power, and anointing that God deposited within.

It wasn’t until she discovered the truth about who she was and began to speak life over herself. She now coins herself as a speak life coach and has made speaking life as a lifestyle.
This episode will help you make the pivot you need to move towards the purpose you were destined for!

Did you know discomfort is a catalyst for growth? It makes you yearn for something more. It forces you to change, stretch, and adapt. Change is hard and most of us are resistant toward change. However a good leader inspires people to have confidence in their leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves. Change is inevitable. Sometimes change comes at you hard and fast, and other times it's a gradual shift. There can be a significant transformation from one major event, or over time, you realize things have evolved. These changes can be positive and necessary, or less than ideal at the time—but there's almost always a silver lining. During this episode, Kara shares five winning strategies to inspire change adoption in one’s work environment.

How many of you have come to that uncomfortable and awkward intersection in your life where you feel like the next move you make will either clearly define your future, reshape it, or destroy it?

Every life intersection brings its share of lessons if we take the opportunity not to blow through them but with intentionality we stop, look, ask and walk it out from a place of knowledge and truth.

During this week’s episode, Life Coach Kara Barker shares an interesting analogy of rolling dice and taking chances.

You don’t have to be an gamer to get something out of this message! 😃

We’ve all heard the myth that women don’t support each other—but it’s not true. Women can be powerful allies at work for other women. Climbing the proverbial ladder and breaking through the glass ceiling in the workplace has never been easy for women, especially minorities and women of color however the landscape has begun to shift with women occupying senior level roles and taking up space in the C-suite.
As we wrap up Season 2 of the Brave and Bold Women’s series of The Hello MaximizHer podcast, we invite Sarah Alter president and CEO of NextUp, a nonprofit learning, leadership, and advocacy organization. Alters discusses how she embraces the role of an ally by taking continuous, intentional and relentless actions to amplify, promote and support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for all people. She encourages leaders to look across one’s executive boards, leadership teams and corporate environments to see if your organization has layers of inclusion and multi-dimensions of diversity and if there is an imbalance then you have work to do.
We have the power to rewrite the script for ourselves and we rise by lifting each others.

How often do you mess up?
Life is far from perfect and I mess up and fail GOD daily.
However, here’s how His love is full of grace, love and redemption: there is no one too sinful to be loved by GOD. There is no one is too broken to be REDEEMED! Hallelujah!
The issue isn’t the amount of sin in a person; it’s the amount of grace God can give a person. The question isn’t about how broken a person is; it’s about how mighty God is.
On today’s episode of The Hello Maximizer Podcast with we have an unscripted conversation with Bible Teacher and Founder of Righteously Redeemed Aromi Knox. In this season of singleness, Aromi shares spiritual lessons she has learned along the way about who she was in Christ and how to give oneself grace when life presents its share of setbacks and oppositions. Aromi inspires listeners to be encouraged in truth because it doesn’t matter where you come from, or what you have done in your past or present, or who you used to be; GOD can redeem, refinish, renew, restore and revitalize your soul! The issue isn’t the amount of sin in a person; it’s the amount of unlimited grace GOD can give a person. The question isn’t about how broken a person is; it’s about how mighty GOD is.
Tune into this week’s episode to hear more about GOD’s redemptive love.✝️

On this week’s episode we engage in a casual conversation with Technical Sourcer Christie Allen to share some practical advice about being a confident woman when making career moves and experiencing life transitions. We take a deep dive into discussing how women can remain humble while standing firm in one’s convictions when communicating one’s non-negotiables and learn how to be effective in networking and presenting oneself for opportunities and making sure there are meaningful. There will always be reasons why you think you can’t take the next step — you don’t have the time, money, etc. But having a career you’re proud of, that inspires you and keeps you on your toes and that makes every day better is worth it. You’re worth it.
Throughout this conversation, it is my hope that listeners will recognize that being a confident woman is like adding little sprinkles of glitter over our self esteem to remind the world that we can do great things if we first believe in ourselves.

This week we take our show on the road to Muskogee, Oklahoma where we have a fun and engaging conversation with young entrepreneur and business mogul Brittany Renee Beasley of Beautiful Blessings. During this week’s episode Brittany drops gem after gem about being brave as a young entrepreneur by using the art of being courageous when taking the path less traveled and keeping one’s faith centered on God. Brittany shares with listeners the importance of discovering one’s purpose, pursuing it with full passion and living unapologetically for the glory of God.
This is a Gen Y Takeover!

In this episode of The Hello MaximizHer Podcast, we invite Lacey MacLeod CEO of Talent Uplifted to share her winning coaching techniques and leadership performance strategies she uses with clients and teams to promote confidence, drive results and increase clarity around one’s purpose. Throughout this episode, you will immediately feel connected to Lacey’s energy and passion to help individuals and teams identify who they want to become and what they want to be known for. Lacey leverages a practical coaching style which incorporates the use of asking intentional questions to assist clients and teams in discovering their why, establishing a vision statement and identifying areas of opportunities. Grab a pen and notebook because you will leave this conversation with some game changing tips and invaluable insights that you can incorporate today!

In this week's episode we invite Sue Ann Hong, President and CEO of Center of Asian Pacific American Women and former senior leader at a Fortune 50 organization to share leadership insights and perspectives on allyship, advocacy and sponsorship. Sue Ann shares with listeners the power of leveraging one’s voice, being courageous and having confidence in knowing that one’s voice is invaluable. Sue Ann also boldly and unapologetically shares the necessity of sponsorship and stewardship required for higher levels of advancement for women of color to progress through executive and leadership pipelines and how organizations can become more intentional with retention strategies to assist with retaining top high-potential women. During the conversation Sue Ann shares a personal AAPI hate encounter that was unsettling and how she remained unshakable in the moment by taking a bold stand and she encouraged listeners how they can also be bold and stand in the gap for our Asian American Pacific Islander brothers and sisters when one sees or hears bias, discrimination and systematic racism actions, behaviors and practices.
This is such a rich dialogue that will elevate one’s thinking around advocacy and allyship.

In this of The Hello MaximizHer episode, we discuss leadership presence and being brave in the workplace with our special guest Dr. Tara Jabbaar-Gyambrah CEO of TMJ Consulting. Dr Tara is an accomplished executive director, award winning author and international speaker that exudes leadership confidence and presence. During this episode we dive into a powerful discussion on what it takes to be bold in the workplace, how to negotiate your worth and the necessity of taking risks by doing somethings fearlessly. It is only when we do something unexpected that we create a movement or legacy. Dr Tara shares with listeners that boldness starts with giving yourself permission to go into situations where you don’t know how to respond but you do it anyway.

This week's episode features special guest Salange Shepard, an entrepreneur and influencer as well as the founder and CEO of BraveHer and Digne Collection. Her brand symbolizes an everyday woman who recognizes her intrinsic worth and isn't afraid to let the world know.

Salange encourages listeners to dig deep, be a little curious and put one’s full confident and faith in God. With this mindset, we can try new things, challenge ourselves, and move on from our failures.

Think back over this past year and take some time to thank God for His grace and mercy. This has been a year of miracles and blessings and as we wrap up 2021 and enter into the new year, Kara encourages us to shift our focus on one word. Can a single word change your life for the better? The answer is yes. For the past several years, Kara shares how picking a word to inspire and guide you over the next 12 months, can change one’s life. The goal is to find ONE word that will help inspire you to move with intentionality and purpose. Trust me on this, ONE word from GOD can change things. Kara encourages listeners to ask oneself these three questions: What's in my way? What do I need--not want, but need? What has to go? Trust me on this, one word from God can change your whole life. What will your word be for 2022? Enjoy the last episode of this season and Happy New Beginnings!
Thanks again for your support this year!!

We are now entering into the final stretch of 2021. In this season God is prompting us to step out of our common place of normalcy and move into our next place of destiny. Faith implies unanswered questions. When God says, “Go”, I’ve learned that faith doesn’t always mean all of my questions will be answered. In fact, God is intentional in giving all His children the opportunity to exercise faith. The Lord is saying, "When I move, you move. Just like that...." And wherever the Holy Spirit leads, you follow. When God says, “Go” there will always be reasons to not take that step of faith. There may be financial giants, emotional giants, or even awkward giants, that will need to be handled, but I praise God that He is a giant slayer! So get ready, get set GO!!

It is a sad reality in the American workplace that women of color are still underutilized, overlooked and unappreciated. In this inspirational podcast episode Kara discusses the necessity of creating meaningful relationships, the power of mentorship and the necessity of sponsorship for women of color. It is time for women to speak up and be heard while positioning themselves for greatness not only in the corporate arena but in society as a whole. Ladies it’s time for women to speak up and be heard while positioning themselves for greatness not only in the corporate arena but in society as a whole. It’s time to set if off, Black Girls and Speak Up!

Ladies, so many times we find ourselves being pulled or even pushed in so many directions. In the workout gym of life we find ourselves being stretched beyond our comfort zone. This is sometimes purposeful and profitable for our growth and spiritual maturity. In this new episode Kara uncovers how our stretch marks can sometimes be proof that God has allowed us to endure certain setbacks in order to grow and go into our next season of blessing.

In this episode we discuss faith and five ways to utilize your faith in everyday life. God is so much bigger than any fear. Big or small, God is always greater. It's time to activate your faith muscle and seize the moment.

In this debut episode of MaximizHER with Kara Barker, we discuss the first of a two part series entitled FAITH. In our first session Kara discusses 7 Principles to help you become a water-walker, crazy faith-filled women on fire in your career, in your marriage or key relationships and in any setting.