We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Katrina Burruss recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Katrina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Lit for the Culture™ honestly started as a love letter to the Black woman.
Not the celebrity. Not the influencer with millions of followers. But the everyday Black woman carrying brilliance, creativity, trauma, purpose, gifts, exhaustion, resilience, and dreams all at the same time.
The woman writing books after surviving heartbreak.
The woman launching a business while battling depression.
The single mother creating something meaningful between work shifts.
The creative who never felt “seen enough.”
The woman rebuilding herself quietly while still showing up for everyone else.
I kept noticing how often Black women were expected to pour endlessly into others while receiving very little support, visibility, or safe space to simply exist authentically themselves. We celebrate polished success stories, but I wanted to create room for the becoming. The healing. The rebuilding. The dreaming. The process.
That realization stayed heavy on my heart.
At the time, I was already deeply immersed in healthcare leadership, consulting, advocacy, speaking, writing, and curating community-centered experiences. I had already hosted successful events through the BECOME H.E.R. Speaker Series and had seen firsthand how powerful intentional spaces could be when women felt safe enough to show up authentically. But internally, I knew there was another assignment attached to my life — something connected to storytelling, culture, healing, and creating access for women who often feel overlooked.
During prayer and reflection, the word “access” kept coming to me repeatedly.
Access to rooms.
Access to visibility.
Access to opportunity.
Access to healing.
Access to community.
Access to simply be.
That became the foundation for Lit for the Culture™.
The idea itself came long before the execution. I started writing notes about the kind of space I wished existed for women like me — Black women who loved literature, creativity, entrepreneurship, music, culture, authenticity, and meaningful connection. I didn’t want another surface-level networking event where everyone felt pressured to appear perfect. I wanted something intentional. Something elevated. Something culturally rich but emotionally safe.
I wanted Black women to walk into a room and feel:
“You belong here too.”
Because I already had experience coordinating events and building platforms, I knew the vision was possible. But Lit for the Culture™ required me to think bigger. This wasn’t just an event. It was a brand, a movement, and an experience.
So I started researching and building strategically.
I looked into:
• Trademarking and protecting the brand
• Website development and ticketing systems
• Sponsorship strategy and partnership outreach
• Vendor management and event logistics
• Marketing campaigns and PR strategy
• Venue sourcing and contract negotiations
• Budgeting, fundraising, and operational planning
• Building media kits, sponsorship decks, and workflows
• Creating scalable experiences that could grow long term
And honestly? Even with prior event experience, it was still overwhelming at times.
People often see the polished version now — the branding, the successful events, the partnerships, the content, the media, the community support — but what they don’t always see are the late nights spent building websites, redesigning graphics, drafting sponsorship proposals, teaching myself new systems, coordinating vendors, responding to emails, troubleshooting problems, and balancing all of it alongside a demanding career and personal responsibilities.
There were moments I questioned myself deeply.
Could I really build something this impactful?
Would people truly understand the vision?
Would Black women trust the space I was trying to create?
Could I sustain something this meaningful long term?
But every time I wanted to shrink back, I kept returning to the mission behind it all.
Lit for the Culture™ was never just about books or events.
It was about visibility.
It was about storytelling.
It was about healing.
It was about community.
It was about reminding Black women that their voices matter before the world validates them.
The first major step was establishing the identity of the brand. I wanted the name itself to carry energy and meaning. “Lit” represented both literature and culture — but also the feeling. The vibe. The spark. “For the Culture” represented us: our stories, our creativity, our resilience, our humor, our brilliance, and the beauty of Black womanhood in all its complexity.
From there, I started building intentionally:
• Creating the mission and long-term vision
• Launching social media platforms and digital presence
• Building the website and ticketing infrastructure
• Developing sponsorship materials and media kits
• Reaching out to authors, speakers, vendors, and creatives
• Creating immersive programming and cultural experiences
• Building partnerships with organizations and community leaders
• Learning how to scale a vision while staying authentic to its purpose
One of the biggest lessons I learned throughout the process was that execution matters more than perfection. There were scheduling changes, financial hurdles, relaunches, operational stress, and moments where I had to pivot quickly and continue moving forward anyway.
But something beautiful started happening once I shared the heart behind the vision.
Women connected to it emotionally.
Because deep down, many of us are craving authentic community. We are craving spaces where Black women don’t have to compete, perform, overexplain themselves, or prove their worth to belong. We are craving spaces where healing and ambition can coexist.
As support grew, partnerships formed. Authors joined the vision. Vendors signed on. Sponsors became interested. Community leaders started paying attention. Women started sharing that they finally felt represented in the kind of space we were building.
And that’s when I realized Lit for the Culture™ had become bigger than me.
It became a movement rooted in storytelling, sisterhood, creativity, entrepreneurship, healing, and access.
Looking back, the biggest thing that moved me beyond the “idea phase” was deciding to stop waiting until everything looked perfect. I learned that vision rarely arrives with a complete blueprint. Sometimes you have to build while healing. Learn while leading. Create while evolving.
And that’s exactly what I did.
Lit for the Culture™ is my love letter to the Black woman who is still becoming.
The one who feels unseen.
The one rebuilding.
The one carrying purpose quietly.
The one trying again.
The one creating despite fear.
The one who deserves flowers long before she becomes famous.
Because our stories deserve space too.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
At my core, I’m a storyteller, builder, advocate, and visionary who believes deeply in creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to evolve authentically.
Professionally, I come from a healthcare and scientific leadership background with over 20 years of experience in clinical laboratory operations, compliance, quality systems, and healthcare consulting. I’m a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, healthcare operations consultant, national speaker, author, nonprofit founder, and event curator. My career has allowed me to work across healthcare systems, laboratory startups, public health initiatives, federal government entities, and operational leadership roles, particularly during some of the most critical moments in modern healthcare, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
But truthfully, my journey into this work didn’t begin with titles or credentials. It began with survival, resilience, and purpose.
I grew up facing adversity, trauma, instability, and challenges that could have easily silenced me. Over the years, I survived domestic violence, childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, and seasons where I quietly questioned my own worth and future. At the same time, I was building a career, raising a family, pursuing higher education, and trying to navigate spaces where Black women are often expected to perform excellence while carrying unimaginable weight behind closed doors.
That duality shaped me.
It taught me how to lead with empathy while still operating in excellence. It taught me how to create systems while also creating safe spaces. It taught me that people don’t just need information or services — they need access, visibility, representation, healing, and community.
That realization is what ultimately led me to build platforms and brands rooted in purpose.
Through my consulting work, I help healthcare organizations, laboratories, startups, and leaders strengthen operations, improve compliance, optimize workflows, and navigate regulatory and quality systems effectively. My background in laboratory science and healthcare leadership allows me to bridge technical expertise with operational strategy and human-centered leadership. I’ve spent years helping organizations solve problems related to efficiency, compliance, team development, inspection readiness, and organizational growth.
At the same time, my work extends far beyond healthcare.
I’m also the founder of Dream Upward Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth impacted by adverse childhood experiences, and the creator of Lit for the Culture™, a literary and cultural experience created as a love letter to Black women. Lit for the Culture™ was born from my desire to create intentional spaces where Black women, authors, entrepreneurs, creatives, and visionaries feel celebrated, supported, and genuinely seen — not just when they “make it,” but while they are still becoming.
As an author and speaker, much of my work centers around healing, identity, resilience, faith, purpose, leadership, and authenticity. I’m passionate about helping people understand that success and struggle can coexist. You can be brilliant and still healing. You can be accomplished and still evolving. You can be powerful and still human.
I think what sets me apart most is that I don’t just build brands or curate experiences — I build from lived experience.
Everything I create carries intention.
Whether I’m speaking at a national conference, consulting with a healthcare organization, mentoring young people, curating cultural experiences, or writing books, my goal is always the same: to create impact that feels both transformational and authentic.
People often see the polished version of entrepreneurship, leadership, or public platforms, but I’m proud that my journey reflects transparency, resilience, and real humanity. I didn’t come from unlimited resources or perfectly mapped-out opportunities. I built while healing. I learned while leading. I created while overcoming fear and uncertainty. And I think that relatability allows people to connect with me beyond credentials or accomplishments.
One of the things I’m most proud of is creating spaces and opportunities for people who may otherwise feel overlooked. Whether it’s through healthcare leadership, community advocacy, mentorship, storytelling, or events like Lit for the Culture™, I want people — especially Black women and young people — to know that their stories, gifts, and voices matter before the world validates them.
I also want people to know that my brand is rooted in authenticity over performance.
I’m not interested in creating spaces where people feel pressured to pretend they have life figured out. I’m interested in building spaces where healing, ambition, creativity, faith, leadership, vulnerability, and excellence can coexist honestly.
At the end of the day, I hope people walk away from my work feeling inspired to embrace who they are fully — not just the polished parts, but the evolving parts too.
Because I truly believe some of the most powerful people in the world are the ones who chose to keep building despite everything they had to overcome.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
One resource that has significantly impacted both my leadership and entrepreneurial mindset recently is The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins.
The core message behind the theory sounds simple, but it’s incredibly powerful: “Let them.”
As a leader, entrepreneur, creative, and someone who naturally pours deeply into people and purpose-driven work, I used to spend a lot of time trying to manage perceptions, overexplain myself, prevent disappointment, or carry the emotional weight of situations and people that were honestly outside of my control. The Let Them Theory challenged me to stop exhausting myself trying to control outcomes, reactions, or acceptance.
If people misunderstand you… let them.
If people choose not to support your vision… let them.
If people underestimate your purpose… let them.
If doors close… let them.
That mindset shift helped me tremendously while building businesses, curating events like Lit for the Culture™, and navigating leadership spaces as a Black woman entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship can feel deeply personal because you are often building from your heart, your story, and your vision. Not everyone will understand it immediately, and not every opportunity or relationship is meant to go where you hoped it would.
The Let Them Theory taught me the importance of protecting my peace, focusing on alignment instead of validation, and continuing to build authentically regardless of outside noise.
It also reshaped the way I lead. Instead of micromanaging every situation or trying to force people into spaces they don’t truly value, I’ve learned to create opportunities, extend grace, communicate clearly, and then allow people the freedom to show up however they choose. That has helped me become a healthier leader, collaborator, and visionary.
Beyond business, the philosophy also resonates deeply with my personal healing journey. As someone who has overcome trauma, adversity, and seasons of self-doubt, I’ve learned that peace often comes from releasing the need to force acceptance, force relationships, force understanding, or force timing.
Sometimes the greatest growth happens when you simply keep moving forward in purpose and “let them” do whatever they choose to do.
That mindset has been freeing both personally and professionally.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn is the belief that constantly showing up for everyone else would naturally mean people would show up for me in the same way.
For most of my life, I’ve genuinely been the person people call when they need help. The one people reach out to at the last minute when something falls apart, when they need a speaker, guidance, support, strategy, encouragement, leadership, resources, or simply someone dependable. And truthfully, I showed up — often without hesitation. Not because I expected anything in return, but because serving others has always been a part of who I am.
I’ve always believed in advocating for people, opening doors, sharing opportunities, mentoring, collaborating, promoting people’s businesses, reposting their events and accomplishments, and helping others move forward in their dreams and endeavors. Whether through healthcare leadership, community work, speaking, nonprofit advocacy, or creating platforms like Lit for the Culture™, my heart has always been rooted in creating access and making sure other people feel seen, supported, and encouraged.
Over time, though, I realized something important: while I naturally poured into others, I wasn’t always giving that same level of care, support, and intentionality back to myself. I spent so much time helping others build confidence, visibility, and opportunities that I sometimes placed my own dreams, needs, and vision on the back burner. I became so comfortable being the supporter, the encourager, and the resource for others that I had to intentionally learn how to advocate for myself with that same energy.
That realization wasn’t rooted in bitterness — it was rooted in growth.
It taught me that being selfless is beautiful, but it should never come at the expense of self-neglect. There came a point where I realized I couldn’t keep waiting for the “perfect” invitation, opportunity, or validation to pursue the things God placed on my heart. I had to learn how to show up for myself with the same consistency, passion, and intentionality that I had spent years giving to everyone else.
And honestly, that shift changed my life.
Instead of waiting to be invited into certain spaces, I started creating spaces of my own. Instead of waiting for opportunities, I started building platforms.
Instead of shrinking my vision, I started trusting it. That mindset bas become a huge part of the foundation behind the work I do today.
Lit for the Culture™ is a perfect example of that evolution. I created the kind of space I once longed for — a room where people, especially Black women, creatives, entrepreneurs, authors, and visionaries, could feel seen, celebrated, supported, and valued while they were still growing and evolving. What I’m most proud of is that despite every lesson, my heart to serve has never changed.
I still believe deeply in collaboration.
I still believe in helping people win.
I still believe there is room for all of us at the table. The difference now is that I’m learning how to pour into others without forgetting to pour into myself too.
I’m learning that creating your own table is not about ego or exclusion. It’s about creating opportunities, community, and access — not just for yourself, but so you can invite others to sit, grow, and thrive alongside you. And honestly, that has been one of the most meaningful lessons of my journey so far.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drkatrinaburruss.org
- Instagram: @drkatrinaburruss
- Facebook: katrina_chanel30
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkatrinaburruss
Image Credits
Rotcelis Rose Photography
Wrightwork Photography
Word Crumbs