We recently connected with Karla Baptiste and have shared our conversation below.

Karla, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I’ve been involved with is my breast cancer memoir. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 34. During my treatment journey, I learned about the alarming statistics for African American women. We are diagnosed at a younger age and at a later stage than other races of women and we are more likely to die from the disease. Once I learned about this disparity, I wanted to share my story in hopes of building awareness for the disease and to dispel some of the fear that prevents Black women from going to the doctor. I wanted to show that there is life after cancer and that it doesn’t have to be a period. It can be a comma. Most breast cancer memoirs that I read were from diagnosis through chemotherapy. I wanted to show women what the new normal was like so I wrote my memoir from diagnosis to reaching the five year survivor milestone. Unfortunately, just before I was planning to publish my book my breast cancer returned and I had to use the money that I saved for my book on medical bills. This led me to turn to crowdfunding and I raised $13,000 from colleagues, friends, and family. My book is sold internationally and has touched thousands of lives.

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

I’ve always wanted to be an author and inspire people but I never thought I’d be writing about breast cancer. The desire to share my journey with other women is what led me into the writing industry. Writing my memoir was so cathartic that I wanted to help other people heal through writing. I now teach a journaling workshop called “Writing Through It” which is about using expressive writing to heal emotionally and physically.

In addition to my writing, I have a line of inspirational t-shirts and a YouTube channel which I use to show people how to live life to the fullest. My motto is “One Life to Live. Many Lives to Touch.” I want to inspire as many people as I can about healthy living and enjoying life now.

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

I am currently a four-time breast cancer survivor. If that doesn’t show you resilience, I don’t know what does. Haha! In July 2020, I started to lose my ability to walk on my own. It turns out that I had an adverse reaction to a medication which caused inflammation of my spine. Today, I am still on a walker but I’m getting closer to walking on my own again. When paralysis first started to set in, I had events on my calendar. Thankfully, because of covid, they were virtual. As time progressed and I was on tons of steroids and other medications, I didn’t feel my best and the steroids made my face and my body swell. I didn’t like how I looked but I learned to embrace my face. It was going to be a while before I had my old face and body back. I had to carry on and meet my obligations. I have no problem telling people when I can’t do something. However, I was just at the beginning of my paralysis when I had a virtual conference hosting gig for Susan G. Komen in Chicago. I took one meeting from my bed and I had to get help from my family to get my backdrop set up and to get dressed. I was hobbling around but we made it work.

I’m typically an independent person but this paralysis has made me have to ask for help. You should never be afraid or ashamed of asking for help. You also shouldn’t be afraid of saying no. You can’t be everywhere at one time and your quality of work will suffer if you spread yourself too thinly. This can ruin your brand and you might get burned out. Since my paralysis I took a little time off but with covid there weren’t as many speaking events. I did more journaling workshops and they were usually monthly or by request so it was manageable. Through it all I’m glad that I’ve been able to show up. I am in awe at how resilient we are.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative, especially an independent artist or creative, is being able to create freely. I self-published my book because I knew how I wanted to tell my story and what the title would be. I didn’t want someone else telling me how to do my art. I believe in proper grammar, editing, and proofreading but I had a vision for how I wanted my story to be told.

Another rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is meeting new people and learning how your work has inspired them. I’ve made some pretty close friends from speaking engagements and from social media. I love getting messages from people saying how much they’ve learned from my book and how much it has helped them stay positive. It’s really nice to help make someone else’s journey easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.karlaliving.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/karlaliving
• Facebook: facebook.com/karlaliving2
• Twitter: twitter.com/karlaliving
• Youtube: youtube.com/c/karlaliving
• Other: www.diginyourheels.com

Image Credits
Sylvia Dunnavant