Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kara Elyse Henderson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kara Elyse, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents have always displayed what is possible with faith, focus and perseverance in their personal and professional pursuits.
My mother was a first-generation college student who hopped on a bus from her hometown in Ohio with nothing but a suitcase and a bike to attend one of the top universities in the nation. My parents went on to thrive professionally despite experiencing discrimination and challenges along the way.

I recall, at 11 years old, heading to bed after finishing homework. I was wildly independent – waking up for school with my alarm, making my lunch, coming home solo to complete chores, eat and study without prompting – because they encouraged me and my siblings to do so. As I neared the end of the hallway, I could hear parts of their muffled yet animated conversation floating from the kitchen. Even at that age, I gathered that one of my parents, frustrated, was venting to the other about being undervalued at work: sharing an idea, only to be ignored, and then have a colleague propose the same idea minutes later and receive praise. As I got older, it became apparent that this moment represented countless daily struggles they likely faced. Equally evident was the grace they exhibited throughout it all.

These difficulties didn’t prevent them from pursuing promotions, launching a company committed to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or encouraging colleagues or family seeking to forge their paths across various industries. It certainly didn’t stop them from guiding their children with a steady, disciplinary hand while allowing us the autonomy to discover our talents and skills and encouraging us to pursue them fiercely. But, most importantly, they always guided us with love.

From then, I was instilled with the belief that I should not allow others to define or set my limitations and, upon deciding what I wanted to pursue, to do so wholeheartedly. All of this heavily influenced my outlook on the world and my pursuits and cultivated in me the confidence needed to launch Mindful Media and set goals early on that many might consider ‘ambitious.’

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Mindful Media is a boutique creative agency specializing in dynamic and impactful storytelling that is true to the essence of a client’s mission, evergreen and that champions unique perspectives. Video production and photography are our core capabilities, though we can assist with every aspect of the digital content creation process – from ideation to execution.
How we problem-solve:
Clients often struggle to find an integrated single-source solution where they receive exceptional output and customer service, diverse perspectives, partnership and guidance when creating digital content that effectively and engagingly tells their story or a specific message. That’s where we step in.

We combine storytelling with authenticity, creativity and more to cultivate and create digital content with an impact that visually stands out.

How we started:
While completing my program at the University of Texas at Austin, I failed to see any women of color leading a full-service creative agency and sought to change that narrative. I engaged two school mates to embark on the journey with me – individuals who I felt had a world of talent and desired to shake things up – and we’re still going strong.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Although I’ve never been fearful of trying something new, deciding to pursue entrepreneurship is a significant undertaking. Doing so without seeing a blueprint from someone who looks like you can, and often does, add additional layers of complexity. Given that, I would say deciding to launch is an illustration of resilience, along with the passion the team exudes every day in our continued desire to expand and improve.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I chose to fund the business with my own capital. I’d had money set aside from a previous corporate stint and combined that with income from freelance projects. At the time, I wasn’t interested in accepting external funding, preferring to avoid incurring debt from the outset. This certainly meant moving at a particular pace, but it has enabled the company and team to approach projects and operations with total autonomy. Additionally, I think part of me wanted to invest my time and resources to convey to others that I had no reservations about what Mindful Media could achieve to encourage them to take the same stance.

Contact Info:

• Website: wearemindfulmedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearemindfulmedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearemindfulmedia/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearemindful
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wearemindfulmedia

Image Credits
Mindful Media