New Author Spotlight with Dr. Waajida L. Small

December 28, 2020 Letrise Carter Author's Showcase 0

This week’s author spotlight on Sistah’s Place is with Dr. Waajida L. Small. Her book is titled Our Leadership Journey: Shared Stories, Lessons, and Advice for Women of Color. She allows you to learn a little about her and what inspired her journey to become a writer. Please sit back and enjoy our author spotlight Q&A with Dr. Waajida L. Small.

Who is Dr. Waajida L. Small?

I am the founder and CEO of Capital Conscious U LLC, a leadership development firm focused on helping career and entrepreneur women of color find and align their purpose with their careers and business.

Over the past 15 years as a human resources leader and executive, I’ve helped international organizations design and implement strategies to attract, develop, and retain top talent. Using platforms such as my blog Living, Learning, Leading and my podcast Leading with Purpose, I aim to provide insight into the real-life experiences of women of color in the workforce and I coach and teach strategies and best practices to position women of color for success.

What inspired you to write your first book?

The foundation of the book is based on my doctoral research and focused on leadership and women of color. As I went through the process of interviewing the women for the research and learning their stories, I realized that they needed to be shared with the world. Not often are we given the opportunity to share our experiences and I wanted to share theirs, as well as mine with the expectation that it would inspire and motivate other women.

What inspired your book title Our Leadership Journey?

The title came from a desire to let people know that the book was about women of color and more specifically the journeys that we take to reach positions of leadership within our organizations. It is different from any other group of people, and I wanted to highlight that.

Without giving too much away, tell us what your the book is about?

The stories I share in the book are about the individual paths taken and decisions made by women of color as they navigate through corporate America.

Is there a message you like readers to walk away with after reading your book?

Whatever path you take to reach whatever destination you set for yourself, you do not have to do it alone.

What makes your book stand out from all the rest in your particular genre?

What makes the book stand out from the rest in my genre is that is shares the stories of real women in the workforce navigating the challenges that come with having multiple social identities and multiple roles.

What is next for you as an author? Will there be more books?

Immediate next steps are to continue to promote the book and build my audience. I am also working on a companion workbook for this book. My goal is to have it completed by early spring.

Who are some of your favorite authors and why?

My favorite authors are Walter Mosely, James Baldwin and Pablo Coelho, to name a few. I absolutely love fiction. It takes me away from real life. At the same time, much of what these authors write are about the lives of other people. I like to imagine myself as a character in the book and immerse myself. I get to live many different lives and it’s a lot of fun.

You can learn more about Dr. Waajida L. Smalls by visiting her website and connecting with her on social media. Are you ready to purchase a copy of her book?

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