If I can become a successful business person, anybody can.

Today I’m a serial entrepreneur, CEO of Catalyst Trade, and creator of bomb resources to help women and minorities get ahead in business. I trek the cloud forests of the coffee-growing world, dance with coffee farmers under the stars, and mentor as many up-and-coming minority entrepreneurs as I can.

I grew up in a cult and was taught that girls didn't get to have careers, but I started my first business as a 13-year old homeschooler. Even though I was trained to be a stay-at-home mom, I've figured out how to access capital, mentorship, and education. My empathetic and intuitive gifts felt like curses as I tried to make my way through the world: I've learned to harness my power and take up space even if I don't look, or talk, or think the way most business people do.

Seven businesses in, under the brand Arise Mighty, I've begun to create my own theories of leadership and business success. I believe that when you're strong, you can use vulnerability as a weapon. That education should be so much more than pieces of paper on the wall and a spot in the good ol' boy's club. And that there’s a sweet spot waiting in the universe with your name on it–all you need is elbow grease, some great resources, and a willingness to expand.

Outside business, I’m a martial artist, a mom and wife (to my red-bearded business partner Michael!), and a pro writer with hundreds of published articles, short stories, and even a speculative fiction novella. I love standing in truck beds while the wind blows my hair in faraway places and also making pie like my Kentucky granny.

I’m driven to help other people who don’t look like a white dude be successful. 

And I want to hear from you. What obstacles do you face? What did you do that was so huge it surprised even you? And what do you need to be successful with your career? Tell me here.