Ready to Exhale

In this episode of Ready to Exhale, Katara McCarty sits down with Dr. Raquel Martin, psychologist, educator, and thought leader in Black mental health and liberation psychology. Together they explore what it means to cultivate “Black mental wealth,” how our mental health is shaped by the world around us, and why community care is essential to our well-being.This conversation invites us to think deeper about healing, community, and the ways we can support our mental and emotional well-being as Black women.Check out Dr Martin and her offerings here https://www.raquelmartinphd.com/

In our final episode of Ready to Exhale for the year, Katara sits with you for a short solo reflection to gently close this season of conversation and care. This episode is a moment of gratitude for every listener and for each of the incredible women who joined her throughout the year.In this closing reflection, Katara shares what this year has held, what we are carrying forward, and offers an invitation to move into the next season with intention, softness, and breath.

We’re honored to welcome back Dr. Gail Parker to the Ready to Exhale podcast for a powerful two-part conversation. Together, we explore what it means to care for our mental health before reaching the breaking point and how daily practices can help us stay grounded and whole, especially in a year where over 300,000 Black women are unemployed and 45% of Black Women voters say their mental health has worsened this year. (according to The Highland Project Poll). In these episodes, Katara and Dr. Parker reflect on a recent event they co-hosted and a deeply moving moment standing at the river, a place Dr. Parker described as both boundary and horizon. Their conversation invites us to consider how that same duality lives within us today: the limits we honor and the possibilities we continue to reach for.Tune in to both parts of this soul-nourishing dialogue on Ready to Exhale, available now.

We’re honored to welcome back Dr. Gail Parker to the Ready to Exhale podcast for a powerful two-part conversation. Together, we explore what it means to care for our mental health before reaching the breaking point and how daily practices can help us stay grounded and whole, especially in a year where over 300,000 Black women are unemployed and 45% of Black Women voters say their mental health has worsened this year. (according to The Highland Project Poll). In these episodes, Katara and Dr. Parker reflect on a recent event they co-hosted and a deeply moving moment standing at the river, a place Dr. Parker described as both boundary and horizon. Their conversation invites us to consider how that same duality lives within us today: the limits we honor and the possibilities we continue to reach for.Tune in to both parts of this soul-nourishing dialogue on Ready to Exhale, available now.

In this solo episode, Katara invites us to pause, breathe, and reflect on the urgent importance of prioritizing our mental health and well-being as Black women. Especially now.She begins with grounding breathwork practice, weaves in data from The State of Self-Care for Black Women and The Highland Project’s Poll and speaks truth about the systems that harm us while pointing toward collective care as resistance.The episode closes with her reading her original poem, We Root Ourselves Here, a love letter to our care, joy, and community.

Our host, Katara, sits down with the brilliant Tamara Winfrey-Harris, award-winning author of Dear Black Girl and The Sisters Are Alright.In this conversation, Tamara reminds us that freedom isn’t a finish line we cross, it’s a daily practice of telling the truth, creating community, and making space for Black women and girls to breathe fully. Together, Katara and Tamara explore what it means to live free in our bodies, our choices, and our joy.Tune in now and let Tamara’s wisdom remind you that freedom lives within us, here and now.

Katara sits down with visionary leader Vanessa Garrison, co-founder of GirlTrek, the largest health nonprofit for Black women and girls in the U.S., with over one million walkers. Vanessa is reimagining public health as a path to liberation—grounding her work in the radical, beautiful act of walking.From reclaiming green spaces to sparking a civil rights–inspired health movement, Vanessa shares how walking can be both healing and revolutionary.We hope you enjoy this beautiful conversation between two sisters committed to the well-being of Black women.

This month on Ready to Exhale, we’re joined by Dr. Lakeysha “Key” Hallmon - educator, entrepreneur, and author of No One Is Self-Made: Build Your Village to Flourish in Business and Life.In this powerful conversation, Dr. Hallmon unpacks the myth of individualism and invites us to reimagine success through the lens of collaboration and community. Together, we explore what it means to build a village that nourishes your growth, supports your vision, and sustains your well-being.Tune in and be reminded: you don’t have to do it all alone.Purchase No One is Self Made here: https://drkeyhallmon.com/noism/Follow Dr. Key on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/drkeyhallmon/

In this episode, Katara sits down with Kyra Epps for a heartfelt conversation on identity, legacy, and the power of staying grounded. Kyra—creative, producer, founder, and a woman deeply rooted in care—opens up about her journey navigating her career, motherhood, and legacy building, all while prioritizing her own healing and growth.This episode is full of reflection and real talk about what it means to build a life with intention, and to develop a relationship between you and yourself.Join us for an honest, soulful exchange between friends making space for truth, care, and joy.Enjoy!

We are thrilled to kick off a new season of Ready to Exhale with the incredible Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette!Dr. B is a trailblazer in education, leadership, and community impact. She made history as the first female president of Huston-Tillotson University, Austin’s oldest institution of higher learning. With a background in engineering and technology, she has held executive roles in higher education, corporate America, and nonprofit leadership—including serving as President & CEO of Newfields in Indianapolis. A dedicated servant leader, she has championed racial equity, education, and community empowerment through partnerships with organizations like Apple and the Urban League.In this episode, we dive into Dr. B’s inspiring career journey, how she navigates change, and the ways these transitions have shaped her mental health and well-being. This conversation is full of wisdom, resilience, and insight—we hope you enjoy it!

I sat down with Aseanté Renee, a colleague and healer. A few days after the election, she asked me what emotions were loud for me. Her question caused me to pause and be with all of the emotions I was having. I was grateful for her thoughtfulness and care during this tender moment for many of us. Aseanté is a beautiful human doing beautiful work. I was honored to have her on this episode of Ready to Exhale. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.Follow and support Aseanté herehttps://axongroupinc.com/https://retiringsuperwoman.com/https://www.susuhouse.org/

In this episode, I sat down with the lovely Octavia Raheem to discuss all things rest and her new book, Rest is Sacred, which is out now! As you will hear, Octavia is committed to herself, her family, community and being well rested in body, mind, heart, and spirit. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Order Rest is Sacred Here https://www.octaviaraheem.com/rest-is-sacredOctavia's website https://www.octaviaraheem.com/Octavia on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/octaviaraheem/

In this episode, Katara sits down with her friend Dr. Marlo D. David for a beautiful conversation to chat about how Black Women deserve space and time to think, to dream, and to reimagine our careers and lives. Dr. Marlo D. David is an associate professor of English and Women’s, Gender, andSexuality Studies at Purdue University. She is the author of Mama’s Gun: BlackMaternal Figures and the Politics of Transgression, establishing her as a nationallyrecognized voice on Black motherhood and reproductive justice. Inspired by hermotherhood journey, her book explains how Black authors, musicians, and filmmakers depict black mothers and how dominant culture has often distorted these representations to fit its political agenda. Through this research, she hopes to make visible the stereotypes that affect Black mothers in the medical system that place them at higher risk for harm and death.Dr. Marlo’s passion for social justice, writing, and the arts started at a young age. She grew up in Florida as the oldest daughter of an artist and a writer who devoted their time to uplifting their community. After attending Florida A&M University, she worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for nearly a decade before she left journalism for graduate school. She earned her Ph.D. in American Literature in 2009 and has taught and mentored new scholars ever since.Even with all these career pivots, she explains, "At my core, I’m a storyteller, and I come from a long line of Southern folks who love shaping their worlds with words.” Her current book projects include editing a collection of essays exploring the Black literary and cultural explosion of the 1970s, as well as a biography of Bill Gunn, a visionary 20th-century queer Black author, actor, playwright, and filmmaker. Her essays on culture and politics have appeared in scholarly and popular publications, including Atmos, Black Perspectives, The African American Review, Home Girls Make Some Noise: A Hip-Hop Feminism Anthology, and BlackGirlMagic Beyond the Hashtag: Twenty-first Century Acts of Self Definition.You can follow Dr. Marlo on the following social media platformsX @afrotelligenceLinkedIN @Marlo D. David, Ph.D.Instagram @dr_marlo91

In this episode our host Katara chats with Dr. Gail Parker to discuss race-based stress and trauma and ways we can heal and live thriving lives.Gail Parker, PhD., CIAYT, is an author, psychologist, yoga therapist educator, and a lifelong practitioner of yoga. She is President Emerita of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance (BYTA) Board of Directors where she served as President of the Board from 2020-2024. Dr. Gail is well known for her pioneering efforts to blend psychology, yoga, and meditation as effective self-care strategies that can enhance emotional balance, and contribute to overall health and well-being. She is a facilitator in The Highland Project leadership program, and in Shay’s Warriors Life After Cancer retreat.  She was a faculty member in the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy, teaching therapeutic yoga for stress reduction and trauma recovery from 2020-2024. Dr. Gail has appeared numerous times as a psychologist expert on nationally syndicated talk shows including the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her bestselling book, Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma, offers self-care strategies and invites everyone, not just those directly impacted, to explore the intersection of yoga, race and ethnicity, and to consider the psychological impact of race-based stress and trauma on all of us. The companion book, Transforming Ethnic and Race-Based Traumatic Stress With Yoga invites us to reimagine and engage in healing strategies for ethnic and racial stress and trauma that lead to post traumatic growth. https://www.drgailparker.com/ 

In this episode, Katara engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Tonya Lewis Lee, the visionary behind Movita Organics. They delve into the concept that, as Black Women, we are in a constant battle and must prioritize our wellness to effectively fight it.Tonya created Movita to help women gain a baseline of good nutrition and practice positive choices that support a lifestyle of well-being. For Tonya, Movita is a platform to continue the conversation about finding balance and offer a tool to help women through this process.Check out Movita Organics https://www.movitaorganics.com/Tonya is a passionate advocate for women's health and wellness. Tonya turned to creativity by writing her classic children's books, Please Baby Please and Please Puppy Please. She would go on to produce television and film, always with an eye toward women, families, and social justice. Tonya also found her voice as an advocate, becoming the spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, A Healthy Baby Begins with You (AHBBWY) campaign. Inspired by her work with AHBBWY, Tonya created and published Healthy You Now's wellness blog to educate, empower, and support women in their unique health journeys. She also co-directed and co-produced the film Aftershock, which can be streamed on Hulu. Movita Organics is the nexus of Tonya's work as a creator, communicator, and women's health advocate.

In this episode, our host, Katara, sat down with Dr. Stella Safo to discuss her work as a board-certified HIV primary care physician, public health advocate, and Just Equity for Health founder. This healthcare improvement company uses advocacy, education, and care model design to ensure equitable care delivery across all sectors of medicine.Dr. Safo has experience in clinical transformation and healthcare redesign in academic and corporate healthcare settings. In addition to investing in projects around equitable care model design and a commitment to social justice work, she also provides clinical care to patients in New York. Her work has been featured in various academic and popular media, including CNN and MSNBC. Just Equity for Health

We sat down with Dr. Topeka to hear her beautiful story, from incarceration to launching and leading an amazing organization. Dr. Topeka K. Sam founded The Ladies of Hope Ministries (The LOHM) in 2017 to support women and girls impacted by the criminal legal system. While incarcerated, she realized that prison and jail are not conducive to healing and rehabilitation. Upon her release, Topeka made it her mission to create pathways to success for women and girls and advocate for alternatives to incarceration.Instagram @topekaksam

What does it mean for Black Women to take deep luxurious exhales? Gabrielle Wyatt, founder and CEO of The Highland Project, sits down with our host Katara McCarty to discuss the importance of pausing, resting, and centering ourselves. Episode available on all streaming platforms. 

Episode #2 was recorded live during Essence Fest Weekend, we stopped by Magnolia Yoga Studio to discuss "The State of Self-Care for Black Women" report by Exhale. Listen in as Rhonda Broussard, author of One Good Question, educator, and entrepreneur, along with Shelina Davis, CEO of Louisiana Public Health Institute, and Ajax Jackson, founder & CEO of Magnolia Yoga Studio, the first Black Yoga Studio in New Orleans sit down with our host Katara to have a raw discussion on how to prioritize our well-being as Black Women. 

Episode #1 is here! In this episode, Bria McCarty, Producer and Director of Ready to Exhale podcast, interviews Katara, Exhale app's founder, and our podcast host. They discuss the importance of creating space for Black Women in the wellness industry and why representation is important. Enjoy the show!