The BOSS Network Blog

Lakara Foster , M.Ed. is the President of She Speaks Inc., an Atlanta-based firm that provides workshops and coaching focused on women's empowerment. She was nominated Author of the Year for her book *The Grown Woman's Guide to Greatness*. She has been featured on several television shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show and VH1's Atlanta Exes. The BOSS Network : What were some obstacles that you faced in the beginning process of starting your business or career? Lakara Foster : The biggest obstacle I had to overcome at the beginning of my business was mastering time management, becoming more fiscally responsible, and learning to trust my instinct. BN : What inspired you to break into your particular industry? LK: In 2012 I was laid off from my job as a school counselor due to budget cuts in the city's school system. It was during this time that I discovered my calling as a spiritual life coach, author, and speaker whose mission in life is to empower women into...

Everyone has heard of the dreaded “fear of failure” and how it is usually described as one of the main reasons why people will not after go after their dreams. But I believe an equally terrifying culprit that causes dream deterrence is “fear of success”.  While much has been written on the topic of overcoming the fear of failing, discovering how to conquer this irrational fear of success has not been an easy journey. I have come up with three steps that serve as my personal testimony for creating a life worth living. Three steps to getting over your fear of success… 1. Decide you Deserve It: One of the most difficult things to do when it comes to success is to decide that you deserve it. Deeming ourselves worthy is a very difficult task for most women especially when we rely on most of our validation from outside sources.  These sources usually dictate how we should feel about our weight, our hair, our style of dress, and what we feel we deserve in life.  T...

A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with a friend who was excitedly going over her itinerary for an upcoming trip to Europe. Her plan is to visit several countries over the course of a few weeks. My friend proceeded to tell me she was planning to only take a backpack with all of the essentials she could cram into it. She explained that it is cheaper to fly from country to country within Europe because the airlines only allow you to bring carry-on luggage so everyone on board has to “pack light”. During the course of this seemingly general conversation, I had a major breakthrough about relationships. There is a very real and heavy cost when you choose to carry baggage from relationship to relationship instead of unpacking before each journey.  Not dealing with your “stuff” can affect you on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. Within one year of finishing graduate school, I found myself in an emotionally abusive relationship and 25 pounds heavier. This period beg...

Follow Lakara Foster At  @ grownwomanguide