DO GOOD X Podcast

Ep 26. Strategic Marketing and Startup Success: Kyra Barker’s Guide to Thriving in Business and Life

• DO GOOD X • Episode 26

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Today, we’re joined by Kyra Barker, Founder and Principal Consultant at K8R, LLC. Kyra specializes in Situational and PESTLE analysis, helping businesses develop effective marketing strategies that solve real problems. Tune in as Kyra shares her journey from marketing to venture capital, critical steps for startup success, and how her faith and AI have been game-changers for her entrepreneurial journey. She also discusses her journey as she conquered stage 3 cancer. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

(00:00) Introduction
(01:30) Kimberly introduces Kyra, who shares why she left marketing for venture capital
(07:48) Kyra discusses critical steps for developing effective marketing strategies: making sure you are solving a problem and building your customer base, and she shares an example
(14:45) Kyra addresses how a new startup can stand out, and she provides an example
(26:27) Kyra answers the question of when you hire professional help and how to assess their firm
(20:17) Kyra shares resources that every entrepreneur should have 
(29:53) Check out DO GOOD X - Website and DO GOOD X - Linkedin
(31:07) Kyra answers questions in the “Off the Cuff’ segment regarding surviving cancer and wellness, and she speaks about the value of prayer, her faith in God and praise and gratitude
(34:47) Kyra says her smartphone and AI have been the game changers for her business, and she attributes all of her success to her faith and her God-given talent

TAKEAWAYS: 

  • Marketing is not just social media or email campaigns. Its core lies in building a solid brand, understanding customers' needs and solving those real problems.
  • Before building a product, you should do Situational and PESTLE analysis.
  • Helpful resources are ChapGPT, Notion, Google Drive, Google Form, Canva, Zapier, Eda Data, and Typeform. 

LINKS:  

Kyra Barker - Website

ChatGPT - Website

Notion - Website

Canva - Website

Zapier - Website

Eda Data - Website

Typeform - Website

BIO: 

Kyra Barker is a dedicated business strategist, cancer survivor and advocate for achieving success without sacrificing well-being.

With over 15 years of experience in marketing and business, Kyra is a trusted advisor to corporate leaders and entrepreneurs seeking to build and grow flourishing companies. Her extensive experience spans enterprise and startup environments, making her adept at driving growth across various sectors. Her battle with and triumph over stage 3 rectal cancer fuels her mission to promote a holistic approach to success.

Narrator: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Do Good X podcast, a sanctuary from the entrepreneur grind. Host Kimberly Danielle and Stephen Lewis, advocates for impactful entrepreneurship, guide you on the path where purpose meets business. Join us to slow down, reconnect, and explore the challenges of under resourced entrepreneurs, uncovering the unique journey of building businesses that make a difference.
Now, you're hosts.
Stephen Lewis: Welcome to the Duke edX podcast. My name is Stephen Lewis and I am a catalyst positive change in communities and businesses and forward two decades. I've inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work on purpose with intention, faith, and a commitment to their wellbeing. And so I want to thank you for being here with us.
And I am joined by my co host and colleague, [00:01:00] Kimberly Danielle, Kimberly, what's going on? It's good to see you. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: Hey, Steven. It is good to see you too. And good to be with you all. As Steven said, I'm Kimberly, Kimberly Danielle, and I am a community builder, a communication strategist. And a coach who comes from generations of faith driven entrepreneurs and leaders who believe that our purpose should drive us to contribute to the common good.
And I look forward to our conversation today. We have a wonderful guest. That I met, uh, during the pandemic, actually, that seems to be a thing because a lot of the guests that we've had this season, I have actually met during the pandemic. So it made a lot of connections during that time. So today we have Kyra Barker and she is a dedicated business strategist.
A cancer survivor and advocate for achieving success without sacrificing well being exactly one of the things we strive for [00:02:00] and push for in this podcast. And she comes with over 15 years of experience and marketing and business. She is a trusted advisor to corporate leaders and entrepreneurs seeking to build.
And grow flourishing companies. Her extensive experience spans both, excuse me, her extensive experience spans, both enterprise and startup environments, making her adept at driving growth across various sectors. And her battle with in triumph over stage three rectal cancer fuels her mission to promote a holistic approach to success.
As she develops work well blend and approach to productivity that puts wellbeing at the forefront of professional life. She emphasizes the importance of incorporating pillars such as physical activity, nutrition, Rest in creativity. And I had the gift of meeting Kyra before and after [00:03:00] her experience with cancer and hearing her story is so inspiring and so powerful and so grateful that she is such an advocate with who she is and how she shows up in the world with.
The work that she is doing. She educates, she inspires, and she advocates through thought provoking sessions as a speaker, sharing candid insights about her life journey and the valuable lessons that she's learned in business and just through her journey in life. And so we are gifted and grateful to have her.
She is a wonderful speaker. Spirit and her story is one of strength and resilience that in shapes that has shaped and informed her journey today. So thank you so much for joining us, Kyra. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here with 
Kyra Barker: you. And of course, with the audience. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: So your professional journey has gone from strategy and marketing to [00:04:00] being a venture partner, and now blending really all of your experiences with your personal journey, uh, to your consultancy practice that you have now, what inspired your transition from the world of marketing and strategy, uh, from, you know, to venture capital?
Kyra Barker: Yeah, well, I am a born and bred Trinidad and Tobago native. Um, I've been here all my life, uh, but being a part of this multicultural and multi ethnic society, it really drove my, I guess, desire. To learn more about other cultures around the globe, because I really have a true appreciation about, uh, different cultures or ethnicities or backgrounds or heritages and how it influences our life.
And because of that desire, I would have traveled quite a bit and made connections with folks across the globe. And then I also do it virtually because I never allow, you know, our location to stop us because [00:05:00] we can be connected as we are today. And through that journey, I would have connected with startup founders along the way.
I really heard their plight and it really accelerated during the pandemic, when, you know, there was a lot of vocal, uh, I guess discussions around the plight of the black entrepreneur, the brown entrepreneur, entrepreneurs who are not even, um, us based that are trying to build startups and across the board, the universal, universal plight was access to funding.
So, uh, I became a scout for eight adventures in the UK and a couple of funds in the U S and also a venture partner with Republic. Uh, the equity crowdfunding platform and what I realized, um, through my scouting initiatives is that I didn't have a lot of say, I will bring these amazing startups to the table, but not all of them would, you know, necessarily make it [00:06:00] through.
Uh, and another thing that I realize is there needs to be more folks of color on both sides of the table. We have a lot of founders and they're doing excellent work identifying the problems that exist within our communities. However, They're not enough LPs or fund managers on the other side of the table that are understanding of the plight and the different challenges and problems that exist within our communities.
So you might see a startup founder with an excellent solution to a key problem that we may have, but then they get in front of the traditional investors and it falls on deaf ears or they don't understand the problem or they don't understand the reach and the market size and they don't think it's a good problem and that sort of thing.
So really the need for greater diversity in VC is what drew me to venture capital, um, during a pandemic while everyone was. You know, perfecting their sourdough recipes. [00:07:00] I was diving a lot deeper into the venture capital space. And really the need to have representation on both sides of the table is what really, uh, drove my, my intention and my, my reason for becoming or entering into the venture capital space.
Stephen Lewis: But, you know, entrepreneurs, they can develop viable products and services and, you know, but what's more important is that they get their products in front of the right, uh, ideal paying customers and that then positions them to be in front of funders. Venture capitalists. So I'm curious, what would you say are the key steps that businesses, at least in the early stages, should be developing for effective marketing strategies to connect their products and services with the right customers and communities that they want to serve?
Kyra Barker: Yeah, I think in the beginning, um. What's really important, firstly, is an understanding of marketing in its full capacity. Marketing is not just promotions. It's not just social media [00:08:00] management and email campaigns and funnels. Uh, the actual core of marketing foundation really lies in building a solid brand and in understanding your Customer as everybody speaks about, but it also understanding the environment that you're getting into, uh, and doing a proper situational analysis.
So every marketing strategy, like a proper marketing strategy needs to. Begin with a situational analysis, and that is essentially your thoughts, right? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses, the opportunities, any threats that are going to face your company, right? And then, uh, and a step that a lot of people overlook is the external environment and how those factors are going to affect your business.
So what we do is something called a pestle analysis, which covers the political, the economical, and The social, the technological, the legal and environmental factors that are going to affect your [00:09:00] business because you don't operate within silos. You operate in a real world, right? And all of these forces, uh, are going to affect your business.
So it takes a lot of time and, uh, I think dedication is needed to really do this analysis before you jump out. Because yes, you identify your problem and you get excited and you want to go out and do your user research and all of those things, but you can have a great product, but you're not in the right environment for it to flourish and for it to thrive.
So I think these two things are really important, um, for startup founders to not overlook, overlook, sorry. And then of course, you get into your user research and really understanding your customer base, because that is so important. Absolutely. Absolutely. And essential. And it's not just a matter of making assumptions.
It's really going out there and doing the user testing, doing the research, speaking to two persons before you even build your product. When you have that idea, not hold on to it, not think you know best, but really understand. Okay, what is the actual product? Problem [00:10:00] that I'm solving, 
Stephen Lewis: so just, you know, that's great.
In terms of the follow up question, what I want to ask you, how hard is it to build a tribe of customers that actually kind of journey with your product or service? I mean, Kim and I talk about this all the time, which is people come up with a problem and come up with a solution to the problem. But at the end of the day, like, if you cannot figure out how to get your problem to those customers and build a base of loyal customers that are really going to champion your product or services, it's really hard to get your business off the ground.
So when you think about this type of marketing strategy and analysis, like, How difficult is it really to build your tribe of customers of loyal followers who are going to carry the work forward and say, yeah, what would you say to that? 
Kyra Barker: Yeah, I think the first thing is really to ensure that you are actually solving a problem, right?
Because. [00:11:00] In this, in this space, we see a lot of products just pop up every day and they're convinced, they are convinced that this is a solution, right? And then you as a consumer are like, hmm, not really. Or you try it once and you realize, hmm, I don't actually need this, right? So at the end of the day, you need to really drill down and determine, are you building a vitamin, like a nice to have, or are you building a painkiller, like something that is actually going to be a solution.
For a pain point that your customer base has and then once you identify that It's going out and talking to them. It's talking to these customers and so you're going to understand that if they have this pain point, that means they're searching for a solution, right? So it begins with identifying what are the other alternatives that exist.
How are people currently using Uh, you know, solving this this problem that they have, it may not have all in one solution like what you're providing, but there are going to be different means and methods that are [00:12:00] out there, and it's a matter of going to these channels and then connecting with these customers there.
Sometimes it may be offline. Sometimes it may be in person where you you observe persons out in restaurants and social settings, uh, in public transportation. Like really. Doing on the ground observation first, and then making contact with these, with these potential customers or potential users. And then as you mentioned, building that solid community and tribe, it's really being active within your communities offline and online, because you're, you're in a bunch of, of Of different communities online here.
There are mommy groups. There are dad groups. There are different things that are just you're just a part of socially. But those are really fertile ground for you to be able to access the same customers or users that you want to attract. So just being open and honest about what you're building and being able to it.
Clearly identify how your solution would solve their [00:13:00] problem. It's just a matter of engaging in these conversations on. I have a recent example of that a few weeks ago. I'm in a marketing mentorship group on one of the users created a sort of a I mentoring tool and he posted it in the group and I used it and I thought it was fabulous.
It's not something that I ever thought I needed. But he understood the pain points off men. So it's not having enough hours in a day to be able to reach persons that would want to get their, um, advice. So he developed that that too. And he put it in in the community. And that's how he was able to get his first bet.
First batch of beta testers and users. And he held really great customer interviews with the folks in the group. That's great. Wow. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: Yeah, that's a really great example. So. You have a solid product or service. You know that you are addressing a problem. [00:14:00] And there's awareness that there are other organizations or companies addressing the same problem, maybe in a different way, in addition to there's plenty of other things that are vying for our attention.
And so my question is, with people being so inundated with What can be like an overwhelming amount of content in the digital world and sometimes in the physical world, but definitely in the digital world, uh, businesses have to stand out to their customers and communities to compel people to purchase their products or services.
So how can Businesses, entrepreneurs, and founders be conscious of how they can stand out in this overwhelming like sea of content to be able to even reach their customers. Uh, I 
Kyra Barker: think something that is important to understand and differentiate is that marketing through marketing isn't necessarily about compelling somebody to buy, but it's about amplifying that you have a solution [00:15:00] to an existing problem or a need.
Uh, and when you're doing that. Uh, you kind of match that to the customer journey, right? So if you think of yourself as a customer, you go through different phases, right? So there's the information search phase where, you know, you have a problem, you're looking for solutions. You're searching on Google, you're searching in grocery stores, wherever, right?
You're searching for a problem. For that, um, a solution for that problem, right? So you're typing in different search words, different keywords, that sort of thing on Google, right? So first step information search, second step, then you find some solutions, right? You come across the brand, you're not aware. So you're in the awareness phase.
You're aware that this company exists and it provides the solution to your, to your problem. Right. Next would be the consideration phase. So you have your multiple solutions, you're considering multiple brands, you're looking at different websites, you're understanding what these, these, uh, services offer and how they can improve, you know, whatever problem you may have, and then you'd make a [00:16:00] decision, you choose which one you're going to purchase, which one you're going to buy.
You're in the decision phase. And then once you've made that purchase, You know, in the retention fees, because it's either you use it again and you become a loyal customer or you fall off, right? So that's the natural steps of the customer journey, information search, awareness. consideration, decision, and then, you know, retention.
So now that you're on the other side as the founder, you have to now be able to match your communications to each step of that journey. So in terms of information, search and awareness, you have to create content that attracts Persons to your to your brand in information search, you're you're putting out content and communications that mimics the type of questions that people are going to ask when they're searching for a solution to that service.
When you're in the awareness phase or you're trying to get people in the awareness phase, you're amplifying your brand. You're letting them know this is what your company does. This is how your product [00:17:00] affects them and provides a solution to to their pain point in the consideration phases. When you start.
Talking about pricing, talking about how you're going to use the product, informing them how to use it, showing testimonials and that sort of thing to get them to that point that they're willing to purchase, right? And then when they're in the purchase phase, uh, you're able to be able to, to put forward that content that closes the deal, right?
And then in the final stage where we talk about retention at that stage, you're thinking about your customer loyalty programs. You're thinking about language that amplifies, uh, their purchase of the of the product and encourages them to become advocates for your brand. So it's really essential to be able to.
Put forward communication that matches each step of the customer journey, because you're going to be able to immediately signal to the customer at the different stage that they're at in the journey. And that helps you to cut through the noise. So it's not just sell, sell, sell, [00:18:00] promotion, promotion, promotion, discounts, that sort of thing.
It's like really being targeted with your communication through the different channels based on the different journeys that the different stages of the journey that the customer is going to be in. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: I think that's really great. I think a lot of Entrepreneurs who are a bit removed from their skill set of marketing go straight to selling and it requires a nurturing of potential customer relationships or, you know, generating these leads.
And the marketing world language, these leads and nurturing them to be customers through the series of phases that you talked about. So that's really, that's really good. And also remembering how many times we have to put things before people in order for people to even act, uh, in order to even for people to even.
You know, get their attention, [00:19:00] um, and, and want to even click on it to explore what it actually is. So that was really helpful. 
Stephen Lewis: Yeah. And I think the other thing too, is just that the whole idea that, you know, you're not trying to compel people to buy or purchase, but you're really trying to amplify the solution to the problem that they have.
I think that's a really instructive as we think about marketing today and the ways in which it's leveraged, um, remembering that it's really important. Yeah. Well, let me say with it. We're going to move to our resource roundup in here. We typically explore various resources and practical tools and tips that will help equip and support underrepresented entrepreneurs as you get or as they get.
You or as they build their businesses. So, um, Kyra, we have a couple of questions for you, um, with regards to resources and that is many underrepresented entrepreneurs are just starting out, have limited time and resources [00:20:00] to invest in developing a marketing strategy, uh, or an analysis like pestle and implementing.
So what are some affordable, effective digital tools and platforms that might assist them? With a strategy and its execution. 
Kyra Barker: Yes, I think the one that's going to be on the top of everyone's list is, uh, generative AI. Um, so try GPT, but I always say, uh, you have to take that with a pinch of salt because you need to know, you need to know what you're asking it because it's very confident in giving you wrong answers sometimes.
And I've, I've experienced it doubling down on wrong answers sometimes. So, but. Generally, um, I think chat GPT has been a godsend in, in, in our world today, um, and especially in terms of entrepreneurs and founders and helping them at least get the base of what you're doing, um, not just from a writing standpoint, but also from, uh, [00:21:00] just having more productivity on your hands.
Um, you know, sometimes it's a one man show, a one woman show. So you need to be able to, to organize yourself and do things a little bit more quickly and automate a little bit better. And some people, um, are not necessarily first in doing that. So I think it provides a solid base in that point in time. In helping you understand how to better automate your business and to be able to provide very quick and easy, um, opportunities for advice and then to shorten your work time, uh, in terms of starting off as a beast, where, if you're not somebody that's a strong writer, for example, you're going to be able to put things in and get your copy, um, and then be able to tweak it accordingly, because I can't do that.
I definitely don't think that you should just be copy and pasting from ChantGPT. We see, we see you folks. We can tell with all the emojis. We can tell. Right. [00:22:00] Um, so ChantGPT is definitely one of my, um, core, my core, my core, uh, tools to utilize. Um, definitely Notion. I am a huge fan of Notion because I see it as like the HQ for your business because you can do everything in Notion from your project management, command boards, tasks, task list, etc.
All the way to actually just whipping up a very smooth, simple web page if you need to. And then all of your communications. across your team can happen in there and have everything in a centralized location. Um, I typically pair, uh, Notion with Google Drive, um, for storage. Uh, so that's, that's something that's also helpful and cost effective.
I'd also say Canva is a very helpful tool, especially from a marketing perspective in terms of design, designing your content. Um, and they've also expanded all the way to websites. So you're able to have everything in one tool. So it's really just a one stop shop. And [00:23:00] of course, with every year, they add even more AI capabilities within there, uh, in terms of actually designing your original, um, imagery.
So definitely take a look. And I think it's worth the price to be able to, Commits to a kind of a subscription. It's really not that expensive, but you essentially gets entire design team on your laptop. So it's a great, a great investment. And of course, tools like Zapier, because, as I mentioned before, automation is essential.
So tools like Zapier to be able to. Automate and one final thing I would see is some sort of form. So whether it is Google forms or type form, or I personally use either form, um, to be able to go out and do those research pieces, um, effectively, so to be able to create those, uh, research instruments or surveys, um, even contact forms, uh, It's essential.
Um, so one of those, whether it's type form or [00:24:00] Google form or Adaforms, it's definitely essential. And one point on why I like Adaform is that they allow you to receive verbal feedback in terms of answering your questions. So that's something that's essential because sometimes your customers aren't really great at expressing themselves.
in a text format. So sometimes they might just want to be able to send a quick message verbally. So it facilitates that. That's why I typically use data forms. No affiliation with them, by the way. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: That was really good. Such a great list of resources that you've provided so far. Um, so we know that obviously, In our conversation and what you've named, like technology is ever evolving and marketing and communications because of that evolves as well.
And, you know, there are so many things going on out there about how to most effectively reach people, how my entrepreneurs keep up with and determine the most [00:25:00] effective marketing outlets for their businesses as communications continues to evolve. 
Kyra Barker: Ask your customers. Ask your customers where they consume their media, where they spend most of their times, right?
Um, at the end of the day, it doesn't make sense trying to spread yourself thin being on every single platform to capture every possible eyeball. Like it's not, that's not necessary. You need to go back to drilling down to who your customer is and understanding where they are, where are they consuming. Um, their media, where are they searching for solutions?
Sometimes your customer base is very much into just Google, right? So you do Google ads and you forget Facebook, right? Because everybody's there, you need to be there. So again, the baseline is really just drilling down on your customer and understanding where they're spending their time and where they're looking at for their solutions, both online and offline.
Stephen Lewis: That's really important, um, consideration. And so one of [00:26:00] the things I'm thinking about is that When entrepreneurs do have a little bit more resources where they can bring the marketing expert. On board and to hire them, where should they look and what should they keep in mind in terms of, uh, the best personal agency to help them develop a marketing strategy and to develop, develop, develop and implement its plan.
Kyra Barker: They can go to www. kyra barker. com I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No, but seriously, um, in terms of identifying someone, I would say the first thing to do is To really assess if they're giving you a cookie cutter strategy, if they're telling you the same thing that they would tell any other brand, then they're not an astute marketer at all.
If you realize they're just [00:27:00] coming to you and saying, okay, well you need to believe me. Finally, you need to listen to that and get on into me, get on Instagram and get on TikTok. Then they're not an astute marketer. They need to look for someone who has had. A bit of success within the industry that you're looking to get into, and even if they haven't, they need to have a keen understanding of the fundamental principles of marketing.
So even if you don't know what the fundamental principles of marketing are, Google that first, and then assess, uh, What the potential marketing strategies on your team is coming to the table with so that you're not going in blindly because a lot of folks out here, um, especially over the last few years with the rise of technology and digital, uh, advertising, um, the really hone in on just, you know, the growth hacking and the social media management and that sort of thing.
But marketing is a lot more than that. And if you're going to be spending money on a. Marketing strategist. It needs to be [00:28:00] somebody who is traditionally trained in the fundamentals of marketing that can understand that the core of marketing is product, place, price, promotion, right for peace, not just, uh, the promotional aspect and that it can really help you with your product development.
They can help you with your research. They can help you with your distribution strategies. They can help you with your pricing strategies and understand, okay, if you are. creating a quote unquote luxury brand, what the pricing should be versus if you're creating a brand for the everyday consumer and what that pricing should be, uh, and to be able to really develop a sound strategy around those fundamental, uh, pillars of marketing first, before you get into the communication and the hype.
Kimberly R. Daniel: This is so good. The foundational pieces that you're you've been naming and it's simple. It's simple. It's so simple. But I think people get so hype and excited about what's happening in technology and think that [00:29:00] they have to, to your point, they have to be on everything or they have to be in these trendy spaces because they're trends.
They're trends for the moment. But They're not necessarily thinking about where is the best place or the best places for my customer, which may not be on any social media network. It may be to your point in another place, like, you know, they're Googling and leveraging Google ads, or maybe it's something else.
So I think what you have offered is really instructive and valuable. 
Stephen Lewis: And that in, in, in, in resisting to dumb down marketing, simply to promotion and digital mark. 
Kyra Barker: Yeah, I think 
Stephen Lewis: it's really essential. 
Kyra Barker: It's really essential to get someone who is Really adapt in the full breadth of marketing. If you're going to be spending on a marketing strategist, I think that is key.
Kimberly R. Daniel: So if you are tuning in and you are launching a business or you [00:30:00] desire to launch a business, Or you have already launched a business. We want to continue to journey with you. As you grow your business, you can head over to do good x. org and join a community of like minded entrepreneurs. You can gain access to valuable resources, practical tools, and advice, all designed to help you develop your business for good.
And you can join our LinkedIn community where we'll also list. What is the resources that are shared, um, on our episodes. And so many of the resources that Kyra shares during this episode will be there as well. So we hope to see you there. And now we're going to shift to our next segment, which is off the cuff.
And we have a series of questions that we haven't provided you Kyra, that we will just ask you just to name the first thing that comes to mind. So I'll just go ahead and dive in. Um, So knowing your journey, I want to hear what is the biggest lesson or insight you gained? From [00:31:00] your, um, your journey and being and becoming now a survivor, a cancer survivor.
Kyra Barker: Yeah, I would say for sure don't sacrifice your health and well being in pursuit of success. Uh, I do think that as professionals, as entrepreneurs, we go after the big wins. And sometimes we don't even realize how much we're sacrificing our health and our well being. Um, I think having gone through this journey, I am more acutely aware of, of what my body needs at any given time.
Uh, and I am very much, very much adamant on being able to create a world. Uh, where professionally I can thrive, but I could also do so at in or in a way that I can take care of my well being, um, nutrition for me specifically, nutrition is key. It is key gut [00:32:00] health, understanding your gut health and nutrition is essential.
Um, if you're not well, you're not going to be able to achieve anything in your business. Right. So nutrition and gut health is essential. Um, another thing I would say is the importance of successional planning, succession planning specifically, um, or being able to understand if, if, how, and when your business can run without you.
Right? Uh, because sometimes we have a one man show, one woman show, but we need to be able to build really strong teams around us. It may not be in house teams or salaried teams, but it's professional, uh, I guess colleagues who can step in and help out in times in your times of need. Um, I know specifically for me again, as a, as, as a consultant, I am my, I'm my brain, right?
My brain is my business. [00:33:00] So during the time when I was going through my journey, I had to rely on and lean on some really great colleagues of mine. Who have businesses of their own who are consultants in their own regard as well, uh, to be able to come in and contribute to some of the work that I had to do with with my clients while I was going through my journey.
So as a founder, you really need to be able to build a solid team around you. To be able to go through or continue your business while you may need to step away, whether it is for a health reason or for some other personal reason. 
Stephen Lewis: What is one go to practice or ritual to slow down, to center yourself and to connect with yourself?
Kyra Barker: Prayer, prayer and meditation. A hundred percent, um, especially, uh, going through what I went through, I realized how important having that. That [00:34:00] relationship, well, I am a Christian, so I have a relationship with God, you may not be a Christian, but whatever you identify as your supreme being, um, really just tapping into that, um, that place and really understanding what course surrender is like, and being able to get to a place of peace, knowing that you have a relationship with your spiritual being and God, and that 28.
29. They are going to get you through whatever it is that you're going through. You may be having a good day and in great days you praise and give thanks and have gratitude. In hard days you pray and you ask for help and guidance. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: We've talked about different types of technology, but I want to hear what is one piece of technology that has been a game changer for you and your business?
Kyra Barker: I would say historically the smartphone, because I can tell you, like I have been able to fully run my business on my phone. Like I've been on [00:35:00] trains in the middle of Europe, having zoom calls with clients. Like literally the smartphone has been that one major, major game changer for me. And then if I have to dial down until recently, I would say generative AI, because I'm just completely mind blown every time with every release, how much.
More into you and they they get to what we need us as humans. And I'm really excited for the population to get more and more well versed in the extent of which generated. I could possibly possibly impact our lives and then free up our time for more creative things that we can do. Um, and more things that would it.
You know, improve our well being and improve our quality of life, spending time in nature, being able to interact with our communities, uh, being able to spend time really exploring creative pursuits, whether it's just through music [00:36:00] or dance, et cetera, you know, because we've gotten back hours that would have, would have been spent doing a task that generative AI can now assist us in doing a little bit more efficiently.
I'm not saying replace, but assist. 
Stephen Lewis: How much of your success do you attribute to your faith versus your own grit or your hustle? 
Kyra Barker: All. All of my success, because all of my grit and hustle and all of the accolades and the awards and the achievements and the targets. I couldn't do any of it without my faith.
my faith and I think my talent is God given. I think who I am today, I mean, I shouldn't say think, I believe without a shadow of a doubt, who I am today is because of what God has instilled within me. And I am just I'm just incredibly grateful that I get to share this [00:37:00] with the world. I get to share this with people that I come into contact with.
And I'm incredibly, incredibly grateful that I have the second chance because, uh, to be honest with the diagnosis, like what I had, like I didn't have to be here today. So the fact that I'm even here alive and well, I'm fully recovered one year later, it's just a testament to God and his power, uh, and to be able to do what I love.
without any inhibitions. Um, it's just a testament to what he's instilled within me. And I see myself as a vessel for whatever purpose that he put me on this life, on this earth for, and I dedicate my life to, to fulfilling the good work that he has started within me. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: Complete this sentence. Because of my entrepreneurial endeavors, communities will be, or are more able to, 
Kyra Barker: To understand that, one, you don't have to sacrifice.
your well being [00:38:00] in pursuit of success. And then two, that we need to spend more time expanding our circles, embracing other cultures, and understanding the differences and similarities that we share with folks from outside of our typical Circles because not only does it make you a better human being and more empathetic, it makes you a much better entrepreneur and founder because you're going to be able to better understand your customer base.
Kimberly R. Daniel: Thank you again, Kyra, uh, for joining us on this episode today. We appreciate the testament that you are in walking, living, breathing, your inspiration. And the gifts that you bring around strategy and your experience in venture capital and just so much more. So we appreciate you joining us. 
Stephen Lewis: Yeah, you are a gift and we appreciate who you are and what you do in the world.
And the world is better off because of, uh, your [00:39:00] bright light that you are shining from Trinidad, Tobago and all parts of the world that Yes, to be participating in the work that you get to do in the world. So thank you. 
Kyra Barker: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity to be here. 
Kimberly R. Daniel: And for you folks tuning in, we hope that you join us next time.
And until then, take care of yourself. Listen to what Kyra shared on this episode today. Take care of yourself. Take care of your bodies. Listen to your bodies. And until next time, be well and do good. 
Narrator: Thank you for listening to the do good expert podcast. To continue the conversation or access our resources, visit www.
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