For Women’s History Month I will be sharing the stories that define and provide examples of women empowerment, uplifting stories of personal triumph and businesses that are inspiring and are making a difference for women. Women’s History Month is a declared month each year that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.

I want to introduce you to Karena Calhoun, CEO, Mindset/Life Coach and Podcast Host.

Karena Calhoun, is a North Carolina native currently doing life with her best friend and husband in Richmond, Virginia for the last ten years.

Karena, a Certified Mindset and Life Coach helps women entrepreneurs to level up their business by unveiling their authentic selves, discovering their purpose, increasing their self confidence and destroying self defeating obstacles!

Karena began her coaching practice in January 2018 as a side hustle. In 2019, after 22 years and a abrupt corporate-wide shut down; Karena began full time in her coaching business.

In 2020 Karena began a journey of unveiling her authentic self and discovering her true purpose. During this time Karena began to understand that what she had been doing to help women since 2009 through outreach was definitely her purpose and calling. Today Karena helps women entrepreneurs destroy negative self talk, overwhelm, and other malicious obstacles that come against their purpose. Karena has become for other women entrepreneurs what she needed when she first launched her own business as a side hustle.

Today Karena offers a range of programs and services – from individual coaching, to group coaching, webinars, summits and as a host of an international podcast launched in January 2020.

Here is HERstory:

I’m a three-time college drop out who pressed through all types of negative self talk and up the corporate ladder to the role of Assistant Vice President in a Caucasian, male dominated industry. As a single mother to a young daughter; I lost everything material including the ownership of a brand new home and several vehicles in the 2008 economic downturn. After walking out on faith and again overcoming negative self talk, doubt, lack of confidence, rejection, low self esteem and so many other debilitating emotions my family now owns multiple properties and I am now determined to show other women how to master their emotions, unveil their authentic selves and discover their purpose.

She is the founder of WarKry Consulting Solutions & Go Be Great With Coach Karena. Mindset and Life Coaching

What does women empowerment mean to you?

Women empowerment means to me an unveiling of the authority and power within that women have but don’t quite know how to access. I believe wholeheartedly that once knowledge and confidence of self is discovered we are unmatched and we are unstoppable.

What advice or words of inspiration would you like to share with someone?

Unveil your authentic self, discover your purpose and begin to pull your vision towards you. By going through this process you’re much better capable of fulfilling the calling on your life and exact the change you want to see in the world.

What do you want your legacy to be?

My legacy is knowledge of self and knowledge of self potential. I want to leave a legacy of how to lead, how to manage wealth and how to expand. I want to leave knowledge that is so impactful and deeply involved that it’s passed not just to my children and descendants but to those that I come into contact with.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by growth in people and a love for humanity.

When did you realize entrepreneurship was right for you?

I realized entrepreneurship was right for me when I realized the ideas that I had for my former employer increased their revenue substantially and when I became extremely frustrated that I had to trade time for dollars.

Why did you choose entrepreneurship?

I chose entrepreneurship because I knew going into someone office daily or clocking in was no longer for me. Once I became despondent and disheartened then I knew I could never successfully go back to 9-5.

What would you say is your most driving motivation to keep doing what you to do?

My most driving motivation is my desire to free my family on all levels from the idea of working for someone and instead creating their own idea of freedom.

What are you most excited or passionate about? (In both business and life or both)

I am most excited and passionate about people living their authentic life, being in their true purpose and fulfilling their destiny. I believe that as we are all connected to one another if we each do this then we each change the world to what it’s meant to be. I believe that we will become self sustaining and so much more would be accomplished in our communities and the world at large.

Did you have any life-changing experiences that put you on the path that led you to be doing what you’re doing today? Tell me about them.

Yes, the one life changing experience that put me on the path that I’m on currently was actually a more recent experience. My parents had been living in North Carolina where I was raised and in my dad passed. My mom had never been by herself and I wanted her to be with family that would love on her and be available for her. In 2019 my mom relocated to Virginia and moved in with my husband and in our condo. We decided that we would look for a larger home to accommodate everyone. We found a home; purchased it and exactly three weeks later the corporation that I was employed by abruptly announced a shut down and the owner was immediately charged by the FBI with securities fraud. I knew at that moment that I never wanted another single person to be the sole responsible party for my income.

What’s next for you in your business/brand? What can readers look forward to from you?

The next in my brand is to begin to connect the women that I come into contact with. I believe we are the dots that brings our communities together. Be on the lookout for more opportunities to connect and support one another.

Find out more about Karena by visiting linktr.ee/coachkarena