Hustle Grind Shine & Reignite with Jessica Hartley

Even as a child, Kailei Carr could never fit into one box or only be focused on just one thing. All of her experiences along her journey have prepared her for many of the biggest roles in her life, including being a champion and coach focused on empowering women of color in leadership.  Kailei Carr is CEO of The Asbury Group, host of the Beyond the Business Suit Podcast, and Executive Director of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF) Emerge Women’s Academy. In this episode, we start early on in Kailei’s life as a bit of a nomad as her family followed her mother’s corporate career rise, to her early corporate career journey, to finding her passion and purpose as a champion of women in leadership, and having the opportunity to lean into her creative energy every single day.

 In this episode we cover:

• The profound impact that role models can have in empowering and also impacting the direction of your career
• Why career coaching and supporting women in their leadership journeys, especially women of color, is “healing work” and an opportunity to give back
• Tips and advice for budding and even season entrepreneurs in navigating your first few years to gain traction with your small business

Check out Kailei’s website to learn more about her speaking, workshop, and coaching services

About Kailei Carr

A champion for women in leadership, Kailei Carr is the CEO of The Asbury Group, an organization specializing in developing leaders from the inside out. Her signature approach to leadership presence — which is grounded in one's personal power — has helped high potential leaders around the globe thrive and advance to the most senior ranks. When she’s not coaching clients or speaking at conferences and corporations, Kailei can be found hosting her podcast, Beyond the Business Suit, which has over 250+ episodes and has been downloaded in 100 countries.

Kailei’s advice to executive and executive-bound women has been featured in numerous media outlets including Forbes, Fortune and The Oprah Winfrey Network. Kailei holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA from Emory University.

Kailei is on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram

Since she was a little girl, Latisha M. Roberson was obsessed with her teachers in school and just knew that she was going to be a teacher. Through a chance opportunity as part of a mock trial team in middle school where she met an African-American attorney, the direction of her life was forever changed by that fortunate coincidence. As an HR executive and diversity and inclusion professional, Latisha M. Roberson has spent most of her career building, developing and evolving innovative talent programs for Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations. In this episode, join us as we go on a journey from Capitol Hill to consulting for big corporations to providing coaching and career services empowering women of color in the workplace.

In this episode we cover:

• How to turn a career crossroads into a career pivot that propels you forward
• Why you should stop giving your genius away for free, and the power your network has in speaking up for you (especially when you’re not in the room)
• Why transparency about your parental boundaries and self-care time is critical not only for you, but also as an example for your team (hint: take a hookie day)

Check out Latisha’s career and coaching services at Lead with Latisha

About Latisha M. Roberson

Latisha M. Roberson is a dynamic diversity and inclusion professional with 15+ years of knowledge and experience in building and evolving innovative talent programs for Fortune 500 companies and non-profit organizations. She has specialized experiences across a multitude of disciplines: from government affairs to community relations and media relations, to strategic partnerships and executive stakeholder relations. Roberson’s generated a depth of experience and accountability in driving large-scale employee engagement programs and initiatives with significant ROI. Her passion for leading transformational culture change in creating a more diverse and inclusive environment for all makes her a highly sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator. Learn more about Latisha’s career strategy coaching and speaking opportunities at Lead with Latisha.

Drive, focus and determination are core to Nakeya Bennett’s pursuit of excellence in life, even when things didn’t always turn out as she meticulously planned. In addition to being a seasoned and talented, digital marketing strategist, Nakeya Bennett is also the owner and CEO of TRM Designs & Co., a full service interior design firm currently focused on residential, commercial, and event design. In this episode, we journey with Nakeya from childhood through early career where she made her plans and worked those plans until circumstances left her as a solo mom with a toddler, up to the present where she’s successfully navigating a thriving corporate career in consulting with a burgeoning boutique business that merges her passion and love for design and project management. 

In this episode we cover:

• The importance of having great mentors that believe in you and push your potential, even when you don’t see it yourself just yet
• The sacrifices and hard decisions that single mothers navigate between career and their children
• How you can successfully navigate two hustles that you are passionate about to fuel your technical and creative desires

Check out Nakeya’s interior design firm, TRM Designs & Co

About Nakeya Bennett

Nakeya Bennett is a digital marketing executive, and works as Senior Manager at Accenture. In her role, she partners with large, global companies around the world to help them understand the digital landscape, the strategic role of content and how they should leverage both to tell their product or service story. She’s also a passionate diversity, equity and inclusion advocate and ally. Nakeya also owns and operates The Riley Method Designs also known affectionately as TRM Designs & Co. The boutique firm currently focuses on residential, commercial, and event design. She is passionate about transforming houses into chic functional spaces her clients and their families will enjoy and love for years to come.  She believes in clean, classic designs that won’t become outdated. She believes that design should add to the character and value of the home rather than take away from it. Nakeya also owns TRM Designs Home offering quality affordable furniture and décor direct to the consumer. 

Even as a child, Dr. Joia Crear-Perry was an activist and advocate for those that could not champion for themselves. As the founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), Dr. Crear-Perry identifies and challenges racism as a root cause of health inequities, including Black maternal mortality.  In this episode, we explore how she took all the curveballs that life could throw at her, and turned them into triumphs for herself, for her family, for her patients and for Black and Brown birthing people everywhere.

• How preparation meeting opportunity allows you to forge your own path, even when others doubt what you are capable of
• What it means to shift career focus from being a practitioner in the craft to evolving your entire industry as an activist and policy expert
• What women and people of color can do to support their overall health and wellbeing, in a system not built for us or by us

Learn more about Black maternal mortality and how you can support the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC)

About Dr. Joia Crear-Perry

Dr. Joia Crear-Perry is a physician, policy expert, thought leader, and advocate for transformational justice. As the founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), she identifies and challenges racism as a root cause of health inequities.  She is a highly sought-after trainer and speaker who has been featured in national and international publications including Essence and Ms. Magazine. In 2020, Dr. Crear-Perry was honored by USA Today in its “Women of the Century” series and featured on ABC Nightline’s “Hear Her Voice.” 
 
Dr. Crear-Perry has twice addressed the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to elevate the cause of gender diversity and urge a human rights framework toward addressing maternal mortality. A proud recipient of both the Congressional Black Caucus Healthcare Heroes award and the Maternal Health Task Force at Harvard University Global Visionary Award for Commitment to Advancing Women’s Health, Dr. Crear-Perry’s most notable efforts include the removal of race as a risk factor for illnesses, including premature birth. Dr. Crear-Perry currently serves as a Principal at Health Equity Cypher and on the Board of Trustees for Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Community Catalyst, National Clinical Training Center for Family Planning, and the UCSF PTBi. She is an Adjunct Professor at Tulane School of Public Health. She was also recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“How much of your values are you going to lean into every step of the way?” As a transgender, Black, and queer woman, Raquel Willis harnesses storytelling through her work as an award-winning writer, activist, media strategist, and public figure. In this second episode of a two-part series, we pick up where we left off, journeying with her across the country as she shifted not only into the non-profit space but also leaning into grassroots activism which would become core to her purpose and mission in life, and continue with her as she shifted again into media and ultimately becoming the CEO of her own destiny.

In this second episode we cover:

• The crushing impact of the 2016 elections and the long-lasting impact on marginalized communities
• Learning about healing and restorative justice and how rehabilitation works for Black transwomen
• Making a major career pivot and leveraging your principles and integrity to stay grounded and centered

About Raquel Willis

Raquel Willis is an award-winning writer, activist, and media strategist dedicated to Black transgender liberation. She has held groundbreaking roles throughout her career including director of communications for Ms. Foundation for Women, executive editor of Out magazine, and national organizer for Transgender Law Center.

As a thought leader on gender, race, and intersectionality, her writing has been published in numerous publications, books, and anthologies. Her writing has been published in Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham, Bulgari Magnifica: The Power Women Hold edited by Tina Leung, The Echoing Ida Collection edited by Kemi Alabi, Cynthia R. Greenlee, and Janna A. Zinzi, and Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain. She has also written for Essence, Bitch, VICE, Buzzfeed, The Cut, and Vogue. During her time at Out, she published the GLAAD Media Award-winning “Trans Obituaries Project.” In 2023, she will release her debut memoir, I Believe in Our Power, about her coming of identity and activism with St. Martin’s Press. 

In 2020, Raquel was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 and The Root 100 for a second time.  In 2021, Raquel was named to the University of Georgia’s 40 Under 40 and Fast Company’s Queer 50.

As a transgender, Black and queer woman - being the first is nothing new for Raquel Willis. As an award-winning writer, activist, media strategist and leader in this current human rights movement transforming the world, Ms. Willis has always harnessed the power of storytelling to share her truth and elevate the voices others. In this first episode of a two-part series, we start with her beginnings of growing up Black and Catholic in the Deep South, we learn about her struggles with self-identity and discovery at a time when there were minimal (and oftentimes harmful) representations of queer and trans people in media and entertainment, and how her outrage at the lack of awareness and action for the safety and security of Black and Brown trans people galvanized her activism. 

In this first episode we cover:

• The importance of finding community no matter where you are and the powerful impact that can have on your growth journey
• The triumphs and challenges in being “the first” and breaking so many barriers before the age of 30
• Why living your truth and standing in your power sometimes means taking a leap of faith, even when the odds are against you

About Raquel Willis

Raquel Willis is an award-winning writer, activist, and media strategist dedicated to Black transgender liberation. She has held groundbreaking roles throughout her career including director of communications for Ms. Foundation for Women, executive editor of Out magazine, and national organizer for Transgender Law Center.

As a thought leader on gender, race and intersectionality, her writing has been published in numerous publications, books and anthologies. Her writing has been published in Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham, Bulgari Magnifica: The Power Women Hold edited by Tina Leung, The Echoing Ida Collection edited by Kemi Alabi, Cynthia R. Greenlee, and Janna A. Zinzi, and Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain. She has also written for Essence, Bitch, VICE, Buzzfeed, The Cut, and Vogue. During her time at Out, she published the GLAAD Media Award-winning “Trans Obituaries Project.” In 2023, she will release her debut memoir, I Believe in Our Power, about her coming of identity and activism with St. Martin’s Press. 

In 2020, Raquel was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 and The Root 100 for a second time.  In 2021, Raquel was named to the University of Georgia’s 40 Under 40 and Fast Company’s Queer 50.

For Dr. Natasha Jones, as for so many of us – life is what happens when you’re busy making plans. As a scholar, author, and as Associate Professor of Technical Communications at Michigan State University, Dr. Jones has had to learn how to turn lemons into lemonade and create a future in which she not only thrives but for those following in her footsteps. In this episode, we explore her Southern roots growing up in a conservative religious home, what it was like to navigate entering the workforce while embracing unexpected single-motherhood, and ultimately how's she found her power as a woman of color in the challenging world of higher education. 

• Why being comfortable and playing it safe doesn’t always lead to the happiness that you are seeking
• The power of saying no as a form of self-care, even when it’s something you really want to do
• The importance of cultivating mentor relationships, and also when to let go

About Dr. Natasha N. Jones

Dr. Natasha N. Jones is an Associate Professor of Technical Communications at Michigan State University, a technical communication scholar and co-author of the book "Technical Communication after the Social Justice Turn: Building Coalitions for Action" (winner of the 2021 CCCC Best Book in Technical or Scientific Communication). Her research interests include social justice, narrative, and technical communication pedagogy. She holds herself especially accountable to Black women and femmes and systemically marginalized communities. She strives to always center the narratives and experiences of those at the margins in her scholarship. Her work has been published in several journals including, Technical Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, and the Journal of Business and Technical Communication. She has received national recognition for her work, being awarded the CCCC Best Article in Technical and Scientific Communication (2020, 2018, and 2014) and the Nell Ann Pickett Award (2017). She currently serves as the President for the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW). Outside of her academic work, she finds joy in poetry, yoga, plants and all things horror/sci-fi. Follow her on Twitter @natashaania

Mita Mallick has had an incredible journey from childhood into Corporate America, learning to stand up for herself and for others, and use her voice as a force of positive change.  In this episode, we sojourn with Mita from a challenging childhood of being othered and bullied, to rising in the ranks at different organizations to currently being Head of Inclusion, Equity and Impact at Carta. We experience how this shy kid from immigrant parents turned into a powerful person living her truth, out loud.

We explore:

• How to find confidence and self-worth when you are bombarded with messages that you are not valued
• The power of representation at the highest level of a company and the positive impact it has not only on your people but the bottom line
• How to advocate for yourself and beat the stigma, when you’re the “Brown” woman doing “Black & Brown” work

Check out Mita’s amazing new podcast with Dee C. Marshall called “Brown Table Talk.” The first episodes of Season 2 have dropped, and the show is a featured podcast in partnership with The LinkedIn Podcast Network.  In addition to LinkedIn, the show is available on most platforms including Apple and Spotify. Stay abreast of new episodes with their LinkedIn newsletter.

About Mita Mallick

Mita Mallick is a corporate change-maker with a track record of transforming businesses.  She gives innovative ideas a voice and serves customers and communities with purpose. She is currently the Head of Inclusion, Equity and Impact at Carta and formerly was the Head of Inclusion and Cross-Cultural Marketing at Unilever.  She has had an extensive career as a marketer in the beauty and consumer product goods space.  Mallick is a LinkedIn Top Voice, a contributor for Entrepreneur and Harvard Business Review, and her writing has been published in Adweek, Fast Company and Business Insider. Follow Mita on Instagram and Twitter.

As a culture strategist at her core, Tanarra Schneider has always been on a personal quest to marry her passion and purpose of centering humans in everything that she touches. In this episode, we start at the roots of Schneider’s life growing up as a biracial kid in Chicago, up through her current role as a Managing Director of Leadership and Culture at Accenture.

We explore:

• The importance of supporting your mental health and recognizing when you need support
• How the privilege of taking a break can provide centering and an opportunity to recast your future
• Delegation of responsibilities as a form of power for you and empowerment for the people who work with you

About Tanarra Schneider

Based in Chicago, Schneider is a skilled user experience strategist, with a passion for solving key business and social problems by putting the user first. She believes strongly in working with teams and that titles and labels are meaningless – it's the work you do that counts. Her fascinating professional background includes dancing, cooking, event planning, designing and more, and this has provided a holistic approach to her teams and her work. 

Among the solutions, she has influenced or created are high fashion websites, customer support tools, intranets, extranets, learning management systems, social health programs, and learning applications. She loves to synthesize concepts visually – and believes a picture IS worth 1000 words. In the near future, Schneider is leaning into her own personal passion projects, including launching a personal coaching consultancy and a project marrying two of her favorite loves, food and storytelling.

Tia Cummings-Hopkins is a force to be reckoned with in the world of marketing and branding.  In our first episode of the season, we start at the early beginnings of Cummings-Hopkins' life up through her current role as SVP, Global Marketing Lead for the technology giant, Square. 

We explore:

• How curiosity and ambition can be a powerful combination for your career
• Why slowing down sometimes is the right step you need to accelerate later
• The importance of situational leadership, and why one-size-fits-all doesn't work for inclusion and belonging

About Tia Cummings-Hopkins
An Atlanta-based award-winning marketer, Cummings-Hopkins encompasses over 17+ years of experience across the corporate sector, including fortune 500 companies like United Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, Kellogg's and Intercontinental Hotels Group. She's currently serving as SVP, Global Branding Marketing Lead for the technology giant, Square.

Prior to the role at Square, Cummings-Hopkins was the Vice President of Marketing for Walker & Company Brands, which designs health and beauty solutions for people of color. Prior her background and experience, she had varied experiences in corporate philanthropy, manufacturing operations, and product development.

Welcome to Hustle Grind Shine & Reignite! Get advice on how to stay motivated when it feels as if the world is against you. Discover how your passions and purpose can meet in your day job, night job, side hustle or all 3.  Understand how to cultivate the champions and advocates you need to support you along your own personal journey.  Hear testimonies about bursting through barriers, breaking down walls and forging your own path when the one before you is blocked. Finally, learn to recognize the signs when you need to rest and take care of yourself, and how to reignite your flames when passions start to wane. I’m your host Jessica Hartley, and I invite you on this journey with me and my amazing guests!