We were lucky to catch up with Katina Cunningham recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katina, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Whether we understand it or not our mere existence is a risk. Risk is defined as a situation with exposure to possible danger. We navigate in and out of risk from getting out of bed in the morning to the time we lay down to rest at night. If we will take it a step further, sometimes we fail to understand that even when we don’t realize it a risk is occurring more often that we know.

Sometimes I think the question is do we understand what stones we leave unturned by not taking risk and how less of life is lived from things we never knew we could be.

In the summer of 1991, I left my hometown, at 18 years of age, proceeding to college, knowing I was accepted, but not having a dorm room assignment nor the specifics on exactly where I was assigned in college. I was clueless as to how to navigate on my own. I had little money, and now that I look back was pretty void of the knowledge that it would require to even start. I hand no clue how to get there. One of my greatest risks to date, however, is one of the most rewarding. I knew I wanted a different life than what lay within no exposure. The mere thought was a risk. It was truly high stakes because everything you think you know will make an appearance in the exposure process. I never considered myself a risk taker. In hind sight who I would become speaks to the level of the risk taker that I really am. It was all or none for me. I’d either jump or run the risk of regret never pursuing what was in my heart for the life that I had envisioned. I proceeded to Alabama A & M University with seemingly every known obstacle against me. I had little direction, next to no money, lacked the ability to see my next step, and just sometimes what held me trying was knowing that what I think I know is not all there is. Further, it took me four years of blood, sweat, tears, and an additional 7 years due to the lack of funding to complete my degree. When I speak of all that can happen in the total number of years for someone with all that stood before me to start, endure, and obtain I would say the jump was worth it. The risk taught me that there is so much more on the other side of what we think we know. The risk taught me resourcefulness, navigation principles, and how to think. The risk unveiled my greatest competitor – me. The risk began a process of unlearning that did not serve my life. Ultimately, I came into a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that proved that my next level had little to do with a paper diploma or a degree but, that which would be a bridge to take me over and serve as a catalyst for my next.

Our ability to become aware of how many risks we actually take in a day, can challenge us to go beyond what we believe we know.

Katina, 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?

While in college I was afforded the opportunity to work summers at Stone Container Corporation’s – Planning Department. While I was working towards obtaining a degree in Computer Science. I obtained permission to put my knowledge to use and innovate in a small way for planning.

Computer Science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer Science is generally considered an area of academic research and distinct from computer programming.

Planning Departments with companies are responsible for increasing efficiencies within organizations. It aids in organizing and facilitating proper coordination with the ultimate goal of increasing efficiency while reducing risk involved in modern business.

My role was to account for various parts and products for the shipyard. I was given free range to assess inventory, record, document that inventory, and create forms to account for supplies so that this information would be readily available for staff and workers who might need it on demand. I took it a step further to build a database to enter, house, and maintain data for easy access, and documentation processes. As an intricate part of the skills it takes to step through computation, automation, and information this was the beginning of my discipline’s marriage to field experiences. Systems, Structures, and Innovation.

One of the most important skills of my discipline is communication. Further skills are the ability to understand end to end processes in Computer, Technology, and Business Systems and Structures. The ability to assess, study, understand, interpret an idea and make it come to life. Technological Innovation takes an idea to tangible. We are in the practice of developing and introducing new things. This can be a new way of doing something or a new way of thinking.

What better way than Technology Consulting and Education. We work with individuals and organizations to take what we have come through ranks providing and afford them level best at creating, developing, and enhancing organizations with new and creative ways to innovate on behalf of their own companies and those they support.

For those who need attention to detail, ability to work under deadlines and pressure, analytical skills, problem-solving skills, verbal and written communications, on-demand support, and technically seasoned and savvy. Our team ranges from those seeking field experiences to seasoned site engineers who have seen and been hands on through the technology evolution.

We provide an invaluable service, impact, and needed future contribution to technological development in the business community.

C3 Innovations LLC. – Technology Consulting and Education, is a black women owned Technology Center of Excellence dedicated, open-minded, to IT Advisory, Computer and Technology Consulting and Tech Education to Business and Technology Services.

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

My journey has required a tenacity beyond what I can sometimes articulate Sometimes the trophy is that I am still standing. When I think of resilience and my story there has always been a go to in my journey, but as of lately, I must bring clarity that resilience has had to be a lifestyle. From a mindset to expose myself to something different, leaving for college, and enduring so much unknown and setback and having to drop out for 7 years then how to break into the field of my area of specialty with it being a male saturated field, to limited field experience at the time. I lost my health due to a brain tumor removal. I have had to recover health-wise and reinstate my company for which many won’t see nor comprehend what it takes to see your goals come to pass when it looks the worse. I say keep going. The ultimate belief in your ability to bounce back will challenge the strength of your faith to continue to believe that it can happen even when everything comes against what looks like a win. True trials test the validity. of your heart for a thing. This will serve true for your company as well. Resilience will not begin in what you can touch. It will begin in your mind. You will only experience the fruit of what you can envision and give your very best self to. If you can come back in your heart. You can be what you set your mind to and come back from what you are willing to take the risk to become.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I worked in Corporate America a great deal. Being exposed early on to a vast array of business lines and technology systems with various procedures. How things are done proved very different as I incorporated my company. Utilizing what I learned in an enterprise setting in many ways can absolutely help as a business owner, however, starting up a small business from an enterprise mindset can be quite difficult. One of the first lines of business that we don’t hear mentioned enough when coaching new business owners and leadership development is where an individual is in their mindset to target how to think in initiating business start up ventures. As I unlearned some things about getting my business off the ground, I was required to unlearn what I need to do as an individual in my career unlearning versus learning what does not serve me or my company as Business Owner/Entrepreneur. Thus part of what we do in educating our successors under our education division. We continue to educate ourselves, coach individuals, coach and develop leaders, and development professionally.

Contact Info:

• Other: Email: C3Innovationsga@gmail.com Website: Under Construction

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