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Black Woman Leading

Black Woman Leading

By: Laura Knights
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This podcast amplifies the needs and experiences of Black women leaders in the workplace with a holistic focus on three core areas -- leadership development, mental wellness, and relationship management. Our ultimate aim is to help Black women learn, heal, and grow in their leadership capacity.2025-2026 Career Success Economics Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • S8E9: Turn up Your Self-Celebration with Dr. Lakila Bowden

    S8E9: Turn up Your Self-Celebration with Dr. Lakila Bowden
    Dec 18 2025
    In this conversation, Laura welcomes Dr. Lakila Bowden to explore the transformative practice of self-celebration and the role it plays in helping Black women reclaim agency, joy, and permission to lead from a place of fullness. Drawing from key concepts in her book, The Sho'Nuff Principle, Lakila lays out a liberatory framework for centering ourselves without guilt, raising our expectations, and giving ourselves the recognition we often withhold. Laura and Lakila unpack the guilt, shame, and cultural conditioning that often arise when Black women center themselves, and what it looks like to begin shifting that mindset with compassion. Additionally, Lakila explains why self-celebration is not "extra," but essential. She explores the emotional and psychological roots of celebration, encouraging Black women to "brag more," and teaching how celebration functions as a mirror, an amplifier, and a motivator. Whether you've avoided attention, minimized your accomplishments, or struggled with self-recognition, Lakila offers accessible starting points to begin turning up your self- celebration. About Dr. Lakila Dr. Lakila Bowden is the charismatic voice high-achieving women didn't know they were missing. A visionary speaker, company founder, and unapologetic rest advocate, she's the COO of iSee Technologies and author of The Sho' Nuff Principle: A High Achieving Woman's Guide to Self-Care, Self-Promotion, & Self-Celebration. After a thriving executive career in Fortune 500 companies like GE and DaVita—and retiring from corporate America at just 37—Dr. Bowden's charted a bold path that's led to her becoming a trusted voice on stage for powerhouse organizations like The Walt Disney Company, Kraft Heinz, Verizon, and JP Morgan. Lakila embraces a multi-hyphenate lifestyle which aligns with her personal ethos to operate in flow vs force in wealth creation and living life in celebratory fashion. As a proud North Carolina A&T Aggie Alum, her academic credentials, including an MBA from Emory University and an honorary doctorate in Humanitarianism, bolster her practical strategies for balancing demanding careers with personal well-being. She resides in the Atlanta area, enjoying the adventures of life with her remarkable husband, Eric, and their brilliant and kind son, Zaire Aasir. Connect with Lakila Instagram: @lakilaj LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lakila-bowden-mba-0463272/ Website: www.iseetechnologies.com Purchase her book: https://shonuffprinciple.com/ Take the Guilt Detox Assessment: https://lakilabowden.com/guilt-detox/ BWL Resources: Now enrolling for both the January sessions of the Early Career and Mid-Career programs. Learn more at https://blackwomanleading.com/programs-overview/ Full podcast episodes are now on Youtube. Subscribe to the BWL channel today! Check out the BWL theme song here Check out the BWL line dance tutorial here Download the Black Woman Leading Career Journey Map - https://blackwomanleading.com/journey-map/ Credits: Learn about all Black Woman Leading® programs, resources, and events at www.blackwomanleading.com Learn more about our consulting work with organizations at https://knightsconsultinggroup.com/ Email Laura: info@knightsconsultinggroup.com Connect with Laura on LinkedIn Follow BWL on LinkedIn Instagram: @blackwomanleading Facebook: @blackwomanleading Youtube: @blackwomanleading Podcast Music & Production: Marshall Knights Graphics: Dara Adams Listen and follow the podcast on all major platforms: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher iHeartRadio Audible Podbay
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    47 mins
  • S8E8: Strengthening Your Leader Identity with BWL Alums

    S8E8: Strengthening Your Leader Identity with BWL Alums
    Dec 11 2025
    In this episode, Laura hosts an alumni panel of Black Woman Leading alums from the Early Career and Mid-Career Programs (LaKeisha Williams, Jabina Coleman, and Valerie Black) for an honest, reflective, and deeply affirming conversation about what it means to strengthen your leader identity as a Black woman. Each guest shares her personal journey, from the early narratives that shaped her understanding of leadership to the mindset shifts, breakthroughs, and heart work that helped her step into a more aligned, confident, and purpose-driven version of herself. The alums discuss how their perceptions of themselves as leaders have grown since participating in the Black Woman Leading® program, and how their sense of agency, confidence, and clarity have expanded. Additionally, they discuss navigating boundaries to stay aligned with their values and the role of community in supporting them along their leadership journeys. The conversation is rich with wisdom, lived experience, vulnerability, and community. It highlights the transformative power of intentional leadership development and the importance of spaces where Black women can be seen, supported, and celebrated. Guest Bios: ::LaKeisha Williams LaKeisha Williams is a dedicated wife and mother, an insurance professional with over 11 years of experience, and a lifelong learner who holds multiple designations in both commercial and personal lines insurance. She is also a jewelry entrepreneur of more than five years, passionate about connecting with new people and building meaningful relationships through sales. Outside of work, LaKeisha loves to laugh, spend time with her family, explore new places, and create joyful experiences through travel with her husband. Whether in the corporate world or her growing business, she leads with heart, expertise, and a genuine love for helping others shine. Connect with LaKeisha on LinkedIn here. ::Jabina Coleman Jabina Coleman, known nationally as The Lactation Therapist, is a reproductive psychotherapist, maternal health researcher, and Philadelphia's first Black non-nurse International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Trained first as a behavioral scientist at Penn State and later clinically as a Social Worker at the University of Pennsylvania, she has become one of the most compelling voices advancing Black maternal health equity, perinatal mental health, and community-centered lactation care. Her current doctoral training in Health Science at Thomas Jefferson University further deepens this work to bring evidence, rigor, and lived expertise into the rooms where systems, policy, and practice are shaped. Jabina is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Breastfeeding Awareness & Empowerment (BAE) Culture, a community-rooted, Black women–led health equity ecosystem builder that weaves reproductive justice, trauma-informed care, and perinatal mental health to support Black families, strengthen racially concordant care, and eliminate disparities in breastfeeding and maternal healthcare. She is also the Co-Founder of the Perinatal Mental Health Alliance for People of Color within Postpartum Support International — a national collaborative that builds capacity, community, and equity in perinatal mental health care for BIPOC families. She currently serves as Chair of the Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition, Adjunct Professor in Drexel's Human Lactation Program, and a health equity consultant with Temple University, where she was previously the Director of Health Equity, Training & Quality Improvement. As a mother of two, her personal lived experience has shaped and informed her professional lens, deepening her commitment to centering care that is grounded in humanity and dignity. Her signature call to action, "Everyone wants to hold the baby, who will hold the mother®?" has impacted national discourse, shifted culture, and catalyzed a new standard for accountability in Black maternal health. Connect with Jabina on LinkedIn here. Follow her organization BAE on Instagram here. ::Valerie Black Valerie Black-Turner serves as director of community partnerships for the Kansas Health Foundation and has been with KHF since 2002. Her responsibilities include building and maintaining trustworthy relationships with community organizations and agencies whose missions align with the Foundation's values and who serve communities impacted by racial and health inequities in Kansas. Before becoming the director of community partnerships, Valerie held previous roles as KHF's community impact officer, senior community organizer and information technology officer. Valerie received her bachelor's degree in business administration from Wichita State University with an emphasis in business management and received her Master of Divinity degree from Phillips Theological Seminary. She is a member of Dellrose United Methodist Church and serves as lead minister of worship and as Christian Education Coordinator. ...
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    47 mins
  • S8E7: Practicing Whole Self-Care with Dr. La-Toya Gaines

    S8E7: Practicing Whole Self-Care with Dr. La-Toya Gaines
    Dec 4 2025
    In this conversation, Laura welcomes Dr. La-Toya Gaines, Founder & CEO of Family Matters Counseling and Psychological Services, to explore what it truly means to practice whole self-care—beyond the trends, beyond the myths, and beyond the surface. La-Toya expands the definition of self-care beyond activities and indulgence to include rest, boundaries, community support, emotional tending, identity work, and the practices that allow us to be fully human. Additionally, Laura and La-Toya examine the deep connection between the Strong Black Woman archetype and self-neglect. They unpack how this trope shapes our labor, our silence, and our expectations of ourselves; and how whole self-care disrupts it. Together, they examine the emotional, psychological, physical, and communal layers of care that Black women need and deserve. For those who feel they've been neglecting themselves, La-Toya offers compassionate first steps to reconnect, rebuild, and recommit to their wellbeing. This heartfelt conversation offers both grounding insight and practical guidance for anyone ready to reconnect with themselves, disrupt harmful tropes, and reclaim self-care as a path to healing and liberation. About Dr. La-Toya Dr. La-Toya S. Gaines is a licensed psychologist, speaker, and best-selling author dedicated to empowering Black women to prioritize their mental health and well-being. As the founder of Family Matters Counseling and Psychological Services, Inc., she offers therapy, intensives, and group programs designed to help Black women break free from the "Strong Black Woman" narrative. Dr. Gaines is a sought-after speaker, presenting at national conferences and corporate trainings on mental wellness, workplace mental health, and burnout prevention. She authored the Amazon best-selling "Nourishing the Strong Black Woman" Self-Care Journal and is working to expand its reach through licensing. Her work has been featured at the Strong Black Woman Redefined Conference, the Black Girls Picnic, and numerous other events. Passionate about transforming mental health spaces, Dr. Gaines equips individuals and organizations with the tools to foster emotional wellness, prevent burnout, and create sustainable self-care practices. Connect with Dr. La-Toya Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.latoyagainesspeaks/ LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-la-toya-s-gaines-psyd-5b72b02a7/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drgainesspeaks/ Website: https://fmcounselingmichigan.com/ Purchase her book BWL Resources: Now enrolling for both the January 2026 sessions of the Early Career and Mid-Career programs. Learn more at https://blackwomanleading.com/programs-overview/ Full podcast episodes are now on Youtube. Subscribe to the BWL channel today! Check out the BWL theme song here Check out the BWL line dance tutorial here Download the Black Woman Leading Career Journey Map - https://blackwomanleading.com/journey-map/ Credits: Learn about all Black Woman Leading® programs, resources, and events at www.blackwomanleading.com Learn more about our consulting work with organizations at https://knightsconsultinggroup.com/ Email Laura: info@knightsconsultinggroup.com Connect with Laura on LinkedIn Follow BWL on LinkedIn Instagram: @blackwomanleading Facebook: @blackwomanleading Youtube: @blackwomanleading Podcast Music & Production: Marshall Knights Graphics: Dara Adams Listen and follow the podcast on all major platforms: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher iHeartRadio Audible Podbay
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    1 hr
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