Eileen:

Hello, and welcome to Soul of a Leader Podcast, where we ignite soulful conversations with leaders. In today’s episode, Dr. Alicia and Dr. Eileen talk with Dr. Latarsha Holden to discuss struggles that outlast your strengths.

 

Alicia:

Welcome to Soul of a Leader Podcast. In today’s episode, we have Dr. Latarsha Holden. She is a prolific author, with her books ranging from her autobiography, children’s books, a personal development training manual, and her latest release, “Leadership Principles: The Power of Personal Development.” She is a former political candidate, as she ran for the city council in the 2017 election. She was named Georgia/National Mother of the Year in 2020 by American Mothers, Inc. She is the 85th woman in U.S. history to hold the title of National Mother of the Year. She’s organized several community events for the homeless and empowerment events to encourage women. She’s advocated on several issues, such as domestic violence, equal rights amendment, homelessness, Stop the Violence, and lack of affordable housing. Welcome to Soul of a Leader, Dr. Holden.

 

Eileen:

Welcome.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Hi! Thank you for having me.

 

Alicia:

Well, we are so happy to have someone from the ATL.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Yes!

 

Eileen:

Well, Alicia did a great job on your bio, but is there anything else you would like to add to her comments?

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

It still feels a little funny when it’s being read, because everything happened within the last 10, 12 years. So, all of that happened within that time frame. But I’m now a 13-time published author, and I’m about to release my first small parenting guide in April. And I became a comic book creator last year.

 

Alicia:

Oh wow. I would say, Dr. Holden, you are a very busy lady.

 

Eileen:

I would say that too. We just finished writing a book, Alicia and I, one, and we couldn’t believe how exhausting it was. And now you have 13 behind you in less than 10 years? Where does that energy come from?

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

I just want to spread the love. I write holistically. So I can touch all my books… I have my life story, four children’s books that teach the young kids in the family that friendship, diversity, kindness to one another. And then as a community advocate, I wanted to reach kids and talk about the lessons that I taught my six children, so I wrote a four-part youth series that teach on sex trafficking, teen dating violence, bullying, love, and forgiveness. A book for ministry, my life story, a 60-page training manual workbook, so I can go back and empower others to change the narrative for their lives as well.

 

Eileen:

Wow. I captured love and forgiveness, I wrote a book called The Forgiveness Fairy, and I kind of speak on forgiveness. How do you feel about that act of forgiveness, and how it’s connected to the rest of your life, leading, and everything? Just share with us your thoughts on that.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

One thing for me, because I was homeless in the streets of Atlanta for four years. The mentorship that had to take place was almost unbearable. I didn’t have family support. What I realized for me was, I’m a servant leader, so forgiveness for me was just realizing people can only love as much as they love themselves. I just wanted forgiveness. There were no hard feelings towards anyone, no one helped us when we were homeless, but I didn’t hold that to anyone, I just kept going. It was more of… I guess it was a place of love and compassion. I think God gave me a double dose of empathy.

 

Alicia:

And I heard you say “we.” So when you were homeless, when you say we, was it you and your kids, or you and a significant other? Give us a little background.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Yeah, myself and six kids. At that time, in 2007, we were homeless two years before I enrolled in college, and two years in my undergrad. So at that time, I had two kids in high school, two kids in middle school, two kids in elementary. So for me, I tell you, the mentorship was almost just as unbearable as being homeless. I was 35 years old, I’m in the big city of Atlanta, and to be homeless with six children and only a GED and very little work history, I tell you… It’s only by the grace of God that I’m here in my right mind. Because I was pushed to limits. When I enrolled in college, we were living in a boarded-up house as squatters.

 

Alicia:

Oh wow. So, when you talk a little bit about that mental part… Because we had someone on our podcast last year, and we talked a little bit about how the health industry has somehow forgotten about that mental state for people. So, talk a little bit about how you had to strengthen yourself through the process. We know that you have given thanks to God for the grace, so for me I know that’s number one, but talk a little bit about what you had to do to pull yourself and your family from that state.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

I’m glad you focused on that part. When I’ve been interviewed and broadcast around the world, we talk about the accomplishments, but nobody focuses on the mental agony. To be 35 years in a big city like Atlanta, and I’ll just say, a Black woman, I’m already fighting statistic upon statistic. I just knew that I had 12 eyes watching me, so I made a vow that the streets were not going to raise my six children, nor the jails house them. What I did was, first of all, I was thinking of suicide and legacy at the same time. I didn’t know what liberation looked like, or how I could bring freedom from hopelessness and homelessness for my family. At this time, I gave my children the only thing I possess. I came to them 12, 13 years ago, I said, “Well, I don’t have a lot to offer you guys materially. All I have to offer you is to love you unconditionally and show you how to serve.” And they were like, “What are you talking about, giving back? We don’t have anything.” And I’m like, “I know, but if I can teach you all how to serve, I believe I’m giving you a strong foundation to build on and become great leaders.”

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Now, although they started complaining, I got the newspaper articles, we did about four or five events around Hurricane Katrina time. And although they complained and grumbled about how we going to do this, to my surprise, they were watching. One by one, this is how I saved my six children. I just gave them the only key that I possessed, and that was service to others. One by one, my six children came to me, starting with my oldest son. His senior year in high school, he said, “Mother, what you showed me by giving back in service to others, my way of giving back is joining the United States Marine Corps.” He served 10 and a half years in the Marines, he’s now medically retired, and he will be graduating in May with his Associate’s Degree in accounting. Another son became a caretaker. My oldest daughter went into the medical field, she’s an EMT, a licensed pharmacy tech, and she’s in her third year of college.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Another daughter, who’ll be 27 tomorrow, came to me and said, “Mom, my way of giving back is going into the human service field.” She graduated last year with her Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies, she joined the United States Army to serve three years ago. My 19-year-old daughter became a two-time published author by the time she was 16, now she’s a four-time published author. She’s a spoken word artist who speaks out on injustices in the community since she was 12, and she just launched her first tabletop game for children, to teach them the lessons that she learned when she was little. And my youngest son, Omega. Now Omega’s the last, the end, there’s no more coming after him.

 

Alicia:

Yes, honey.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

So Omega’s 18, he’s a senior in high school, he’s a youth leader. None of my kids have ever given me any problems, I have never had to have dealings with the jails, the school-to-prison pipeline. So for me as a servant leader, I’m an ordained minister, I do believe ministry starts in-house. And so for me, I do believe I’ve done my job when I liberated my family.

 

Eileen:

The answer that amazed me, that you have this message in your heart and soul about service, and at that time you showed it. But it planted a seed, and look at the ripple effect that that seed is having on the world. Not only with you, but with your children and who they touch, EMTs, caretakers, writing, games, the Marines, the Army. The ripple effect is so there. At times, you kind of said this, I don’t want to paraphrase for you, but at times we do things but we don’t know what the endgame is. And your story that just said kind of feels that way. God is there, compassion is there, being a servant leader, there’s a drive. But if you had to share when you had to have some challenges, which we all do, we’re on this Earth for a reason. We all have to grow in different ways. Share maybe a challenge, or how you dealt with a challenge with your leadership and your core principles.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Oh my goodness. And like you said, I’m going, to be honest here. Now, I’m an ordained pastor. I often pose the question, what happens when your struggle outlasts your strength? We all can go through something for a couple of weeks, a couple of months, but what happens when it becomes years and there’s no end in sight? You’re pushing, and nothing seems like it’s breaking. So for me, being homeless for four years started to wear on my mental health. And that’s when I started, the legacy and suicide, it became a tug of war. And I remember walking into a hospital here in Riverdale, Georgia. I wasn’t raised in a church, but this is where God and I met. I walked into the hospital, and I was looking frazzled, and I told the lady at the desk, I said, “I can’t do this anymore.” She said, “Ma’am, are you saying you want to commit suicide?” I said, “Yes, ma’am, I can’t do it.” From the shame, from the humiliation of being homeless was just too much on me.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

And they kept me for a week for observation. And on that floor, they had a padded room, and I asked the lady at the desk, I said, “Ma’am, can I go into that room?” She said, “Ma’am, you’re no threat to anyone.” I said, “I know, but I need to go into that room.” And every day I was there for that week, I went into that room, and I dropped down to my knees, and I just remember crying out, “God, are you there? Please help me. I don’t have anything, I’m lost, I’m scared.” And although my situation did not turn around immediately when they released me, I knew something was different. At that point, I had started going through college for my Associate’s, my Bachelor’s, my MBA. When I got accepted into the PAZ program for leadership studies, now I did want to jump up to heaven and hop [inaudible 00:12:27].

 

Alicia:

We understand.

 

Eileen:

We know what it takes to get a Ph.D., and that’s why there are so many ABDs out there.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Yeah. He gave me strength. And I want to clarify about the doctorate. A year into the Ph.D. program, because I had been in school 10 years straight. I got my MBA, I did a year or so in the Master of Divinity, and then I ventured into the Ph.D. program. And this is another way God showed me that he was with me. I got a call from the dean, he called me to the office, and he said, “Latarsha, we’ve got good news and bad news.” He said, “Well, whatever you’re trying to do, you can do it, you’ve got almost 250 credit hours.” He said, “But you have exhausted your funds, and you will not be able to finish the Ph.D. program.”

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Six months later, I’m in this house alone, upon the dryer, and I get a call from GMOR Theological Institute of America. And the guy said, “Dr. Holden?” And I said, “Well no sir, I didn’t finish, I didn’t do my dissertation.” He said, “Dr. Holden, let me ask you a couple of questions. I’m Dr. Carlton Davis, president of GMOR Theological Institute. Is it true, Dr. Holden, that before you were even known, [inaudible 00:13:42] anything, we saw the newspaper articles that you taught your kids servant leadership?” I said yes sir. He said, “Is it also true that y’all came out of homelessness and then you fight for others and run for public office?” I said yes sir. He said, “Is it also true that you’re a 12-time published author?”

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

He said, “Dr. Holden, we’re not giving you anything, you have earned that. I don’t know a dissertation that you could have researched that could have shown the strength that you have and leadership. You’ve not just brought yourself out, you led six other people who are now serving in the military, college students, authors.” He said, “I know you’re running for city council, so we’re going to mail you a degree. You earned it.” And it’s a Bible institute, but for me, God did that. I think God favors us differently. I did not do the dissertation process, and I’m not ashamed of that. I think my life, getting a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies, I think God favored me in that area. I just want to be clear on that part. I know you ladies did the full dissertation, but for me, as he said, “You became your dissertation. I don’t know no one could have done all that within 10 years and still inspire six other people to go [crosstalk 00:14:59].”

 

Eileen:

Experience. It’s fine.

 

Alicia:

It’s called leading by example. Six kids. And I was taking notes, even how you were just talking about from the beginning when you told them, “If I don’t give you anything else, I’m going to teach you how to be servant leaders.” Right there was the best you ever gave them, and now they know that. Because I tell you, everyone cannot be a servant leader, number one. Let me back that. Number one is, the only way you know how to serve is by knowing God. That’s number one. Number two, everybody can’t be a servant leader, because it takes… Let me tell you something. It takes so much of His love and His passion and His Word, and it’s something about when God has his hand on your life, and like Dr. Eileen said earlier, and you don’t know the outcome. It’s designed that way. Because how can we even know what to go through if we don’t go through it? So you taught your kids something that they saw firsthand. So you built leaders not even knowing you were doing that. And you taught them how to just be mentally strong, even though it gets tough, but you taught them how to come out of that. So yes.

 

Eileen:

And you built yourself as a leader with your experiences of life, and how you did it. It’s amazing.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Yeah. My hat goes off to you ladies who did go through the dissertation process, but I think my life is probably just as hard as the dissertation. God has allowed me to see my nine-year-old grandson become a published author right before Christmas. So now my children’s children are starting to walk, and I’m like, wow.

 

Alicia:

Yeah. And I would say that there is an anointing of writing that was in you, because how else can you write the story if you don’t have a story? You can’t write a story without having one. You have to have gone through something. I think Dr. Eileen said sometimes, every time we go through something, that’s an experience. And out of those experiences, sometimes it’s painful, but then there’s a blessing in it.

 

Eileen:

Lesson or blessing.

 

Alicia:

Yeah. Because she said, we did our first book last year, and I was like, “Oh my gosh.” It kind of got our feet wet, but we can see what it takes to do it. And we’re okay, that’s the first one. You’re talking about you’ve got 15 books!

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Well, my undergrad professor, Professor Richie Goode, told the class that the world belongs to those who are disciplined. So for me, homelessness taught me the heart of the discipline. That’s how I was able to… I dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, I had four kids by the time I was 22, so in the beginning, I was not disciplined. But for me, to keep six kids away from drugs, gangs, school to prison pipeline, I had to learn a system of discipline. And so that’s how I was able to stay focused during the four years we were homeless.

 

Alicia:

Yeah. You have to be disciplined.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

And I remember when I ran for city council. We heard people go from being homeless to getting a degree, who goes from homeless into politics? And I said, “Well, I remember Nelson Mandela once said how he could enjoy the limited freedom that he had when his sisters and brothers were not free?” So for me, I know God did not bring me that far just for me. I had a moral duty to at least try to go back and fight for the homeless community, lack of affordable housing. And that’s what prompted me to run for city council.

 

Alicia:

And really like you said, who else can they talk to but a person who has overcome that? So I can see the connection, you want to go back and try to help the homeless and go into those communities and fight for them to say, we need better housing for them, or better programs for them, better counseling and mental support for them. Who else better to do it than someone who experienced it? And at the depth of you experiencing that, with six kids, it’s unheard of. Or I haven’t heard of it.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

I’m going, to be honest, I was strained. Like I said, the mental agony. Because I’d built my life a defeated life. I mean, 35 years old, you’re pretty much… Let’s just be real, if you meet a 35 years old woman that’s homeless with a GED with very little work history with that many children, the odds were stacked against me. But I just knew I had 12 eyes watching me, and I was the only one that was going to come and save us. As Dr. Eileen said, I didn’t know what the end was going to be, I just knew I had to do something to try to fight for them and to see them now. I tell you this, mentally, it was a beating. Be kind and gentle with those that are drug addicts. I wasn’t on drugs, I left an abusive marriage, but I’m just saying, be kind to people who you be thinking, “Why don’t you just change? Why don’t you just…” If changing was easy, everybody would be doing it. If that was so easy that we could just, poof. But it was so painful to change my mindset. I tell you.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Because you’ve got to think about it. I’ve got family members laughing at me. I’ve got people thinking I was crazy. Here I am, living in a boarded-up house. For four years, we’re talking about the homeless from shelters, cars, an abandoned house, a boarded-up house as squatters, sometimes with my sister. My family didn’t think I was going to make it to the other side. I think it was like a joke, “What is she going to do?” So I got them, and let’s just be honest, I still had kids. They wanted stuff that I could not give them. So with them complaining, “Why we got to go through,” I’m trying my best. I was getting hit left and right, my self-esteem, my self-worth. And here I am. So mentally, I felt like I was drowning underwater, but I just had a mental picture, every time, I just took a breath above water to encourage my kids. I get hit again, I’m up under. So for me, I’m battling, but I just knew that with every breath I took above water, I’d use it to empower my kids. You’re somebody. Even they were like, “We’ve got to struggle.” I’d come back up, “You’re awesome, I believe in you.” And for me, it was like… Because I’m pouring it to them because nobody was pouring it to me.

 

Alicia:

Right.

 

Eileen:

When I heard you say, you don’t know what people are dealing with. Meeting people where they’re at makes a huge difference.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

And being full of compassion. We don’t know what situation will take our life in a 360. We don’t know. I remember two years ago, I got hit up on LinkedIn, she was a Caucasian lady, she reached out to me. I made a post that, within three months, had over half a million views. And I made a little post about, “This is a little summary of my story, I’m an inspirational speaker now.” People from all around the world reached out to me, but this one lady, in particular, stood out to me. She inboxed me on LinkedIn and she said, “Dr. Holden, I just want you to know I read your story. I have a Ph.D., I have a loving husband, I have two supportive kids. But my husband and I lost our jobs a couple of months ago, and we’ve been living off our savings. We won’t be able to do that for long, so now I’m beginning to get nervous. But when I read your post, I immediately started to think, what if I didn’t have a supportive husband? What if I didn’t have my degrees? What if I had four more children, and I was homeless? I’ll never forget you. You changed my perspective.”

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

So, that’s what it’s about. If you don’t know the walk until you’ve been there… And again, Dr. Alicia, I think that’s why I did it. I didn’t win the seat, but I did very well in the race, but I think that’s why I was able to be the underdog in the race and still do very well because I was more relatable.

 

Alicia:

Yes. And I’m listening to you… Let me tell you something. God has something bigger for you. That’s why you didn’t get down by the race because he’s got something bigger. See, a lot of times we think, “Well, that’d be great.” One thing I was doing today actually before I got on here, I spent my time in prayer. And I learned this because I was in Bible class last night, and the pastor was a guest pastor, Michael Phyllis from Baltimore. We’ve got to understand God’s purpose for us. Not when I proceed with what I want to do or my desire. What is your purpose? And so I was listening intently to him, and I’m listening to you, and I was like, that wasn’t any purpose he had for her for city council. His purpose was, “Okay, let me start posting on LinkedIn,” not knowing you’re going to get half a million hits from people, but not knowing that your story reached someone to change their focus. “Wait a minute. She had six kids and no husband. I’ve got a husband and two kids, and we’ve got degrees.”

 

Alicia:

So now, the impact of your hearts that he designed for that to happen, now that you can look back and say, “Okay, well you planned this, God, so I’m going to be okay.” Now it’s a ministry outside of city council because you probably were going to be limited doing it. Some of my clients are from a municipality, so I can already tell you, it was going to suck up your time. He was like, “I don’t want that to suck up her time.” I could just see it, listening to you. Everything you had to go through in life but was good in God’s eyes, because He said, “I still had her.” He taught you how to deal with challenges. He taught you, like you said, just not to have support. I’m over here like, “Should I cry or what?” Because I can understand how to feel to have absolutely no support. A Black woman with six kids? Yeah.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

I tell you, one thing I remember from the late Dr. Miles Moreau, he said that adversity introduces man or woman to themselves. And so for me, that’s what homelessness did. It introduced me to who I was. I tell people that God did not magically change my life. He has the power to do whatever, but I had to be a willing participant in my deliverance. Although I wanted to go high and run from embarrassment, I just decided to trust in Him. I decided to take a chance, and I’m just happy that I decided to go for it, even when the odds were against me.

 

Eileen:

And that goes to a theme that we’ve talked to so many people about on our podcast, which is in the silence, you hear the message. I call it when you pray, you’re talking to God. When you’re at peace and open to receive, God’s talking to you in that peace, in the silence. Sometimes it comes at 4:00 AM, sometimes it comes at different times. Understanding that that inner calling or voice sometimes is what people ignore, and it is the intuition, it is knowing what is right for you, it is God talking to you, and a lot of people suppress it. When you’re alone, what you said, and you’re the only one there, that’s the voice you have to listen to. Did that happen to you?

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Yeah, it did. It was a lot of time, there were a lot of nights of crying. One thing about it, when you’re pushing, when you don’t see any help in sight, my God. Four years is a long time to drag six people around. So for me, it got… Sometimes, I just had to cry, then get up the next day and start fighting. But the journey starts with my health. I’m just being honest. Because of my stress, I now have an incurable disease, I guess they call it a disease called gastroparesis. And gastroparesis is when my stomach muscles, from all the worrying and stress, the vagus nerve is now damaged. So now, it has altered my life. There are certain things that I just can’t do that I would normally do because it would push me to anxiety. Certain foods I can’t eat because it would push me into anxiety. It’s almost like the thorn in my flesh. But a lot of people don’t know that stress, the mental, that was a lot of stress on me.

 

Alicia:

Yeah, but as you said, it’s part of something that happened because you were growing and not understanding how I needed to use my faith at the time. But the blessing is, God’s still going to take care of you. That’s the blessing. That was the outcome of something that you didn’t understand. You were too busy fighting because you didn’t know what to do. Four years, as you said, is a long time. But one of the things I want to ask you because even though that journey, talk a little bit about what are some of your values. And I picked up some of them, but let’s let the listeners know, what are some values that you kind of really come to play when you did a lot of what you were doing to help your family?

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Well, integrity, definitely that. I was in a very vulnerable position. Temptation came. You’re meeting different people as you’re going through. So for me, I just knew how I started something would be something I would have to keep doing to the end, however, you start something as a leader. I had to struggle. And what I mean by that, I didn’t sell myself out to get ahead. I didn’t sleep my way to the top. This was, as my son would say, brick by brick, people laughing at me. So for me, it was integrity. And that’s why I wrote my book, Leadership Principles: The Power of Personal Development because we have a lot of public successes and private failures. And I’m big on accountability. I talk in my book, Leadership Principles. I wrote it for emerging and aspiring leaders in ministry and the marketplace, but a lot of leaders don’t want accountability partners. They want people that go along with them fully that’s going to cosign on them.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

So for me, I remember when the journey got so hard, I called one of my friends up, and this was an accountability person. I said, “I’m thinking about going to be a stripper.” I’m just being real. My back was against the wall, I don’t know what… And she started laughing. I said, “What’s funny?” She said, “Not that you don’t get the body, girl. They’re going to eat you up alive in there. You ain’t been in trouble one time in your life.” But she became an accountability partner to get me to think. Had she been someone who would cosign on that foolish thing, “Girl, come on, let’s go, let’s make this money.” Who knows where the journey would have taken me. So as a leader, integrity, and having accountability partners that you can call and say, “Brother, sister, that’s not the way to do that. You’re not that.” And so for me, I’m just big on integrity and having accountability around me.

 

Eileen:

Integrity is the heart and soul of a person, right? And it goes on with the truth. It’s what you do when nobody’s looking. Having that as your first value coming out is amazing. And accountability is too. Now, as you grow into your career now, again, we’ve had people on who said, “You have to do the work to get where you’re going.” And a lot of people today who I coach, who I have coached, think it should happen overnight.

 

Alicia:

Right. Doesn’t work that way.

 

Eileen:

And Instagram, right, instant delivery of food, instant… We’re all in an age where we knew, we grew up without a phone, some of us. So tell me how you, in your coaching, you’re an empowerment coach, right. Not only an author we talked about, and a motivational speaker, but tell me how you help guide people with that.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Well, I let them know that first, I try to let them know about that place they’re in. I call it the [inaudible 00:33:58], the Crucible, my son was in the Marines. The Crucible is a painful but powerful place to be in. It’s painful because that is the place where God is trimming all that stuff, it feels like he’s killing you. To a certain extent, that is what he’s doing, he’s just killing off that stuff that the world has put on you. And it’s a painful place because he’s separating you from those that are close to you. And it’s a powerful place because he’s preparing you for what he’s taking you to. I just let them know, had God told me 13 years ago, “Daughter, 13 years later, you’re going to represent millions of mothers and make United States history, but the first four years, you’re going to be homeless.” God is not going to paint that picture for us.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

I also tell people, chase purpose and not perfection. Had I waited for everything to be perfect, I would have never done anything. And I encourage my [inaudible 00:34:59] children and people that call me either for the culture of ministry, I say, you’ve got to always remember. What I learned was that I was homeless, every person that speaks negatively in your life, who doesn’t believe you, these are the people on the sidelines who don’t dare to get in the ring. These are the people on the sidelines that’re too scared to jump off the porch, and they see you going out there. You rarely see somebody who’s making moves and busy and productive talking you out of your dreams. I said, just put your blinders on, focus on that end goal. Beyonce got a song that’s called, I Was Here. When your journey is up, you want the world to know that you were here. And so that’s how I empower them to let them know.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

I say, had I waited until the perfect time, I enrolled in college in a boarded-up house. So if I waited for the time to be perfect, there was never a time. I started writing books when I didn’t have money to market. I just wrote a book, learned how to self-publish, and put it to the side. At the end of my journey, I came out of 10 years as a 12-time author, running for the city council. And I tell people, no one can beat you at being you. As long as you’re authentically you, there is no competition.

 

Alicia:

I’m just sitting here, you’re empowering me.

 

Eileen:

I loved it.

 

Alicia:

I’m so over… I can’t even get my words right, Dr. Holden.

 

Eileen:

Chase purpose, not perfection. That’s wonderful. And the other thing I like, and this is so true what you said, people on the sidelines. People who are going after something don’t have time to talk about other people. They have a vision, right? They have no time because they’re like, that doesn’t bring me good energy either, I’ve got to focus on that. I’ll be there for you, I’ll support you, but I have no time to get talking about other people or what could go wrong because I’m thinking what could go right.

 

Alicia:

Right.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Exactly. That’s what I said. You sit down and think about who, whether it’s a mom or a dad or sister or auntie or friend, people who are doing something, they don’t have time for that. They don’t have time to entertain those types of conversations. I say, what I realized on my journey that made me say the heck with it when I realized I was in college, they talked about it. I realized when I was homeless, I said, shoot, they’re going to talk whether you’re doing good or bad. So let them talk. They’re going to talk about you.

 

Eileen:

It’s true, no matter what.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

No matter what, I say, give them something to talk about. At least they have something. People are going to talk. I always tell people, I went into the Crucible, the wilderness, I was like [inaudible 00:37:42]. But when God brought me out, I’m like The Rock. When I was wimpy, and, “Oh, Lord, people, when I’m with family, say I’m trying to do this now.” What? How? Oh, you better go on with that, miss, I’m on a roll. I’m rolling now. You begin to walk differently when you walk with God. When you’ve been through the wilderness and you’ve been crushed, that’s what the wilderness is for. So you can get so used to people talking about… So when he brings you out and starts to elevate you.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

When I ran for office, the only reason a lot of people say I did not win that seat, because I ran for our seat that our Mayor, Keisha Bottoms, was city council. She vacated that seat to run for mayor. It’s the biggest district in Atlanta, so you need about $20,000 to $50,000 to make a presence. I only had 1,500, and only lost about 400 votes, compared to the lady who had 50,000, and she was connected. None of my family helped me. The reason none of them didn’t help me, now it’s going around, “Oh, you’re going to embarrass us. People are going to know you were homeless, and we all live in Atlanta.”

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

When you’re in the process, people don’t know and see what God is doing. And I don’t want to get into my Noah if I got two seconds to give my Noah analogy.

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Noah got the vision, the word from God. The village people are your friends and family. When God gives you the vision, he hasn’t told anyone else. But Noah started working, he started building. And people would come from around laughing. And I often tell people, Noah is out there. Can you still build your Ark when everyone is laughing at you and thinking you’re crazy? Can you still build your Ark, Noahs, when you’re the only one heard, and no one sees any sight of the dream and vision that you said is coming to pass. There’s no rain, what is this guy talking about, what is this lady talking about? Can you still build your Ark in the face of bystanders, when they’re laughing and jeering at you? But in the end, you’re the one going to save your family.

 

Alicia:

You’re the one going to win. I started laughing because when you said I’m going to tell that story, a couple of times… Because Dr. Eileen and I, we’re partners in our soul leadership institute. I can so connect to what you’re saying. Because if you pay attention to the naysayers and the haters, and the people who are not doing anything, if you just take your eye off of what you’ve got to do and look at them, they’ll be like, “What are you doing?” But when God has something for you, he doesn’t tell everybody his plans. He barely tells you! He doesn’t just say, “Oh, you’re going to write 15 books and you’re going to be a speaker now,” he didn’t tell you when you were going through that. He doesn’t tell you that. That is the wisdom of what he does for us, to be connected to him. So when they don’t get it, that’s not your problem. That’s not your problem that they don’t see the vision that God has for you. It is your problem if you start listening to them.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Exactly.

 

Alicia:

The other thing that I kind of heard you say is, oftentimes you go through something, and you feel like you’ve been beaten up, but then God is cleaning you up, working it off, shaking all of that, and then you come out like a rock. I almost jumped out of my seat, but I’ll just be honest with you, I had to keep my… Because I understand what you meant by that as well. You have a whole different outlook on things now. Because I know what you’re saying, if I come out of being homeless for four years with six kids, there is absolutely nothing you’re going to be able to tell me that God can’t do, or you can’t do.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Exactly. And it’s so funny because I was so wimpy when I went into it, but now it’s like… One of my friends said, “You’re the only person I know that says you’re going to do something you’re going to do.” I said, “First of all, you’re only going to hear me say it once because that’s how I hold myself accountable. I’m not here for show and tell. The people that do a lot of talking ain’t do a lot of producing. You don’t have to do a lot of talking. You get somebody running their mouth, they don’t do anything, they just busy. I’d rather be productive than busy. I don’t like being busy. I got eight hours of sleep when I was homeless, and I get eight hours of sleep now. We’ve gotta get out the fact…”

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

And some motivational speakers, I think what they’re teaching and speaking into people, that you’ve got to give up sleep, you’ve got to give up rest. You don’t have to do that for God to do what he’s doing. All you have to do is stay faithful to the vision that God gave you. You don’t need to be in certain cliques. And that’s why I think my story and my analogies empower people around the world. I became an international speaker last year when I was invited via Zoom to speak to college students in India on leadership. Only God can do that. 12 years ago, I was only known by the welfare office. Here I am now, as of last year, I made United States history. Now I’m speaking to students in India, and have been broadcast in interviews from Switzerland. Only God can do that.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

That’s why I tell people, I think the reason my stories make so much impact, is because He’s showing people, she didn’t have anything, she didn’t have connections, she didn’t come from money. But if you trust in me, and you keep moving, and you keep believing, I can take you places that man can’t even open doors for you.

 

Alicia:

Amazing. Amazing. You’re so on point. I mean, I’ve got to say this, time goes so fast when you’re having great fun, and I can see how you are a motivational speaker. What are some words of wisdom, because you said so much, and there’s more in you, and I would love for you to share some words of wisdom to all the listeners that will even add almost like a cherry on what you said. Because I just don’t know what else. I’m so full of listening to you.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

When you have the power to rewrite your story, no one is coming to save you. No one is coming to save you. You have to make up your mind that you’re going to be the hero, the hero of your story. And you’ve got to own your space. You deserve to be here, just like the next man. You deserve to go after your dreams. Will it be hard? I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. Will you cry and have late nights where you’re thinking of throwing in the towel? Yes, you will. But I guarantee you, and this is coming from a former homeless lady. Nobody knew me. I guarantee you, if you keep going, you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. I guarantee you, if you keep going, you will see what God has planned for you. You are the generational curse breaker. Had I given up on my journey, I wouldn’t have been able to see my six children, now my grandchildren. People are tied to your destiny. When you give up on yourself, you don’t know who is tied to you. Your freedom is also liberating others. Keep going, keep pushing, and don’t give up, because you have the power to rewrite your story.

 

Alicia:

Woo.

 

Eileen:

Thank you so much.

 

Alicia:

Oh my gosh, I’m just writing and writing. Oh my gosh, Dr. Holden, I tell you. You are an incredible woman.

 

Dr. Latarsha Holden:

Thank you, Dr. Alicia.

 

Alicia:

I’m so proud of you.

 

Eileen:

I am too. And I can tell you, just keep sending these blessings, and the ripple effects around the world. Because this is what we need more and more every day. You can just… You’re full of light.

 

Alicia:

The amount of authentic leadership coming out of you, the amount of servant leadership coming out, and then the amount of love. I’m serious, I’m fully listening to you. Because you inspire me and don’t even know that. We’re women in business, we all know, Dr. Eileen and I. It was rough for us. I don’t have six kids and was homeless, but there were some journeys there that you were seeing the same thing that we need to hear. You’ve got to stay focused.

 

Eileen:

Focus and those wings will fly. I see you have the wind behind you. Keep flying.

 

Alicia:

Yes.

 

Eileen:

Thank you for joining us on the Soul of a Leader Podcast. We are uniting a new way of leading with your soul, and interviewing ordinary people with extraordinary impact. Thank you for listening to the stories of our leaders who will help and guide you on your leadership journey. For more information on our podcast, please visit our website at www.soulofaleader.com. Thank you for listening.