We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katara McCarty. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katara below.

Hi Katara, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope to build a legacy where Black Women thrive in their overall well-being. Which includes the establishment of a legacy of systemic change that prioritizes Black women’s mental and emotional health centered around culturally responsive care.

I want to be remembered as someone who was unapologetic in her vision to center Black Women and their well-being so they can continue to be powerful changemakers in their communities.

Katara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I launched Exhale App in 2020 in response to the stress, anxiety, and trauma my community was facing. COVID was impacting the Black Community disproportionately, and the killings of Ahmaud, Breonna, George, and others brought overwhelming stress, anxiety, and trauma to my community. Seeing these deaths play out in our news feeds was extremely traumatic. I asked myself how I could show up in a meaningful way to help my community. I was also searching for well-being resources and apps to aid in reducing the stress, anxiety, and trauma I was experiencing as a Black Woman. I was frustrated and angry when I realized that mainstream mental wellness apps were not addressing what the Black Community was going through. Due to the lack of culturally responsive care, I created what I was looking for, and Exhale App was born.

Since Exhale App’s launch in August 2020, we have reached 17,000 Black Women and Women of Color in 55 countries. I established Katecha Corp., which builds mobile apps to promote equitable mental and emotional health resources for the Black community. Last year I realized that I wasn’t only creating a well-being app for Black Women, but I was also creating a social movement committed to prioritizing Black Women/People and their overall well-being. As a result, I founded Katecha Cares, a non-profit, to implement my vision of educating, coaching, researching, and advocating for the mental and emotional health of Black Women/People.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It takes resilience to be an entrepreneur. I started working on building my business during a global pandemic and the worldwide movement for Black Lives; I would say that in and of itself takes resilience. Since the launch of Exhale App, I have encountered many obstacles as a Black woman entering the tech world, a white male-dominated industry. Being one of few in this industry has had its challenges. Attempting to raise capital is another area where I’ve had to be resilient since Black woman start-up founders receive less than 1% of total venture capital. It’s been exhausting to convince others that Black women’s mental and emotional health matters and that we are worth investment.

Being a Black woman entrepreneur takes resilience because of the systemic barriers we face. As I move forward in a world not set up for me to thrive, I continue to reflect on my “why,” the reason I launched Exhale app in the first place. My “why” is my fuel; this keeps me bouncing back when knocked down.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2018 I started my coaching practice taking on organizational and one-on-one clients. I was also building my public speaking career. I was experiencing growth, and my business was flourishing until 2020. When the global pandemic hit and due to being quarantined, I lost most of my clients. The uncertainty during that time was overwhelming and stressful. I was figuring out ways to pivot my business while managing my mental and emotional health. In the spring of 2020, I had an idea for a well-being app, so I began researching and building Exhale App. I also decided to coach Black women only and find ways to support my community through this time of uncertainty.

Pivoting from coaching companies and organizations to coaching Black women and building Exhale App was a pivot that required me to dig deep and listen and follow my intuition. I had to get still and ask myself what I wanted and who I desired to serve. When I was able to clear my mind, that was when I was able to pivot. It’s essential to be open and stay open to pivoting, especially when times get tough. Our intuition will guide us; our job is to listen.

I would not be where I am today had I not trusted myself to show me the way. Our intuition can be a powerful tool guiding us as we lead and build successful businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kataramccarty.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kataramccarty/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kataramccarty/