We are celebrating the completion of our fifth season!  In addition to the focused topics we explored this season, the theme for season five was Identity.  We explored the questions - “Who are you and who do you want to be?” The core questions this season were focused on embracing our identity and core values, and amplifying the message that who we are right now is worthy and who we choose to become through our learning and growth is worth the effort. We have a very special guest joining us for this recap episode — my mother, Elizabeth Ann Rogers! Since our parents are one of the pri ..read more

If you desire to advance to senior or executive levels of leadership, this episode is for you! In this solo episode, Laura provides an overview of strategic leadership competencies that are critical for career advancement, and shares five functions of strategic leaders–aligning, developing strategy, translating, thought partnering, and sensing–to help you conduct self-assessment to identify your strengths and areas to develop. Laura  shares the cautionary tale of the Black woman leader who is unable to advance because she is too deep in the “tactical weeds” of her role, and some indicator ..read more

In this recap episode, Laura shares her highlights from the Black Woman Leading LIVE! Leadership Conference + Retreat that took place in Virginia Beach, May 13-16, 2024. Black Woman Leading LIVE! is hosted annually.  It is the premier leadership development conference to help Black women professionals learn, heal, and grow in their leadership capacity. Watch the recap video and join the interest list for the 2025 event at www.BWLRetreat.com Resources We are enrolling for the fall sessions of both the Black Woman Leading Early Career and Mid-Career programs.  Learn more at https://bl ..read more

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Telesa Hart, Chiropractor and Burnout Coach, to help us to explore self-care strategies we can use to regulate our central nervous system. Your central nervous system includes your brain and your spinal cord. It plays a role in everything you do, and helps you to move, think, and feel. The central nervous system carries your body through its ‘rest and digest’ functions as well as ‘fight or flight.’   When experiencing different forms of stress, your central nervous system may move out of its healthy functioning state to a dysregulated state, which may ..read more

In this episode, we welcome Kristen V. Carter, award-winning executive producer, entrepreneur, and speaker to discuss navigating the workplace with power & vulnerability. While many may view the words “power” and “vulnerability” as diametrically opposed, we do not in the Black Woman Leading world!  Acknowledging that some Black women have found it risky to show vulnerability in the workplace, Kristen shares her experience with this from her work as a showrunner and executive producer leading high-profile projects. Additionally, she shares negotiation tips that have helped her to secur ..read more

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Tiffany Smith, Founder of Aroma Functional Nutrition Psychiatry to discuss optimizing your health.   Dr. Tiffany educates on why it’s critical to take a whole-body, whole-person approach to our mental health,  and highlights some particular challenge and resilience areas for Black women regarding our holistic health. Additionally, she provides tips and insights about what we can do preventatively to avoid a critically unhealthy state and how to track our progress.   Finally, Dr. Tiffany elaborates on how she is embracing our season theme ..read more

In this episode, we welcome Latisha Newby to discuss knowing your employment rights. Latisha is the Chief People and Legal Officer at Girl Scouts- North Carolina Coast Pines, as well as the CEO of Cultivate HR Consulting. Research indicates that Black women experience higher levels of discrimination in the workplace, so it’s important for us to know our rights and appropriate steps to address any violations of the law.  Latisha provides an “employment rights 101” overview, and shares about some of the common legal issues that Black women face.  She breaks down the definitions of comm ..read more

In this episode, we welcome Dr.  Tamara Wilds Lawson, President and CEO of the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, to discuss the Foundation’s new research report, “Thrive as They Lead: Advancing the Infrastructure to Support Black Women Leaders in the D.C. Metro Area Nonprofit Sector.” The report explores and addresses 10 critical issues faced by Black women and Black gender-expansive nonprofit leaders in the Washington D.C. Metro area, and outlines a path to establish the necessary infrastructure to help them thrive. While the report was a regional initiative, the data it produced is co ..read more

In this insightful solo episode, Laura shares insights from her own journey and her experience with working with Black women leaders on the topic of separating our identity and worth from our achievements. She vulnerably shares her story and growth points on doing her heart work in this area.  Additionally, Laura provides her perspective on signs that this may be a challenge for you, sources of where this challenge may have come from, the (necessary) identity crises we may experience along the journey, and support strategies to help you as you do your work to untangle your identify and wo ..read more

In this intimate discussion, four alumni participants of the Black Woman Leading Mid-Career (Samira Payne, Keira Braxton, Trenity Dobbey) and Early Career (Tiana Bryan-Okeke) programs  share their stories of conquering mindset matters and doing their heart work along their professional journeys.   Together, we explore mindset concepts that we navigate as leaders such as leaning into a growth mindset, overcoming negative thinking, challenging your internal saboteur, conquering fears, and aligning your “come from.” They share how they leaned into community and accessed collective ..read more