Dr. ToCarra Jordan is a Life Coach for Women of Color, Qualitative Researcher, Mentor for Teen Girls and Educational Consultant providing one on one support for graduate level students. Her background and vast experience, mostly in higher education, along with her foundation of faith has equipped her to empower women and girls to reach the best versions of themselves and thrive. Let’s meet her…
Where did you grow up and where are you based now?
I grew up in Florida and I am currently based in Texas.
Tell us about Her Divine Connection LLC and what services you offer.
In simplest terms, Her Divine Connection LLC is about empowerment, transformation, and purpose. It’s about empowering Women and Girls of Color to transform their lives by overcoming obstacles and insecurities, renewing of the mind, and guidance towards living a bold, healthy, and purpose filled life. It’s about helping these individuals see themselves for who they truly are, challenging them to identify, address, and overcome the things that have been holding them back, and encouraging them to reach greater heights while walking in their divine purpose.
It’s taking my 15+ years of experience coaching, mentoring, and providing education consulting to adults and youth, and creating a business that focuses on life coaching and incorporates mentorship and educational components. By offering Women and Girls of Color the opportunity to have a coach that not only understands their experiences from a cultural and gender perspective, but also someone who cares about their mental, emotional, and spiritual health and their ability to learn, grow, and develop personally and professionally is what sets my business apart. I care about my clients as a whole and because of my educational, professional, and personal background, I view things differently and I choose to take a more holistic approach to working with my clients in lieu of sending them to multiple people when I know that I’m qualified to support them in more ways than one.
Why is” amplifying the voices of Women of Color” important to you?
Amplifying the voices of Women of Color (WoC) is important to me because this group often feels overlooked, unseen, unheard, and devalued. They grapple with having the opportunity to have their voices heard in various spaces, and they are usually fighting for the opportunity to be seen and recognized for who they are regardless of their race or gender. Even with all the strides we have made that have led us to where we are in 2024, we are still fighting to be treated fairly and acknowledged for our contributions and the greatness we possess. We are still battling imposter syndrome, self-hatred, thoughts of doubt and defeat, inequality, and the ability to feel that we have the right to show up as our true and authentic selves without being concerned about what anyone else thinks or says about us. As a Black Scholar who is a part of different social media groups, particularly those with other doctors, I hear and see firsthand how WoC and PoC are still struggling with everything I’ve mentioned and so much more. It’s like we’re working 10 to 20 times harder to be where we are and do what we do, yet we are still treated like we don’t matter. This is why I choose to use my platform to amplify the voices of WoC to ensure that they have a space where they are cared about, validated, and encouraged to be themselves.
Did you as a child or at any time ever feel like you did not have a voice and wished you had had someone in your life who did the same work that you do now?
Honestly, I have always had a very strong support system. As a child, my parents encouraged me to dream big, work hard, love myself, and do what makes me happy. I was always supported in everything that I did and that never changed even after transitioning into adulthood. I also had teachers, professors, mentors, and coaches who believed in me and encouraged me to live out my wildest and boldest dreams. My support system always saw my potential even when I was insecure and doubted my own abilities – and trust me there were plenty of times where I didn’t think I was good enough, smart enough, beautiful enough, or talented enough to do some of the things that were on my heart. Thankfully, I was blessed with people who never gave up on me and who have continued to support me in all that I do.
Tell us about your qualitative research work including how your interest in this area of work developed.
I appreciate qualitative research because it involves collecting data to understand concepts, opinions, and experiences. It’s about diving deeper into the lived experiences of those under study to capture the true essence of how their experiences have shaped their world views, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and interactions. Understanding these key concepts and having a strong desire to see things through the lens of those I am speaking with is important. It also relates back to the point of amplifying the voices of WoC as hearing their stories and sharing their experiences enables others, especially those who are not a part of the same gender or racial group to understand “how” and “what” they experience and how this makes them feel. I appreciate the opportunity to understand what has happened and what is happening in the lives of others and being able to paint the picture through words, so the next person gets it as well.
What is the best advice you can give to a teen girl who is going to college without strong family support on how to best navigate her new journey through college?
Being who I am, of course I do not have just one piece of advice, but here’s what I will say. The most important things are to believe in yourself, know that even when you think you can’t – you can, you deserve the opportunity to further your education and to have your dreams to come true, and find a tribe or support system that truly cares about you and wants to see you win.
What life skills do you feel should be a major part of the middle/high school curriculum education of every child?
This is a great question. I am passionate about teaching our young people life skills because often they make it to college or transition into adulthood lacking the skills needed to help them be successful at navigating life. For instance, when I was in school, we had Home Economics, so we learned cooking, sewing, child rearing, and other important skills for adulthood. We also learned about time management, organizational skills, and a little about budgeting. However, times have changed, and schools are no longer providing many of the life skills training needed to set our young people up for success. For example, students should be learning about emotional intelligence, self-care, building self-confidence and awareness, time management, financial literacy (e.g., budgeting, investing, savings, etc.), cultivating healthy relationships, and what it means to be a woman or man.
The harsh reality is that schools don’t typically have the resources and teachers don’t have the capacity to teach a lot of these skills; therefore, it is important for the federal government, state systems, and school districts to make a conscious effort to provide a budget to hire people like myself to relieve teachers of this duty and to ensure that our students are equipped with the tools, resources, and skills they need. After all, we’ve always said that the children are our future, but if we are not preparing them for the future by equipping them with the skills they need, are we really setting them up to be our future?
Women of Color can sometimes feel like they are never on an equal playing field. What is one thing you want WoC to know about their power to manifest the life they want and the respect they deserve with confidence?
You must know your worth and be unapologetic about who you are, what you deserve, and what you want out of life. You must walk with your head held high, your confidence through the roof, and a belief that whatever God has for you is for you and there’s nothing that anyone else can do about it.
What is self-care for you and how do you nurture your own joy so that you are not pouring from an empty cup?
Self-care is about being intentional about loving myself inside and out. It’s about taking care of my spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health and making time for me to just be. It’s journaling, taking myself to lunch or dinner, going to the spa, catching up on rest, traveling, going to the gym or for a walk, and creating opportunities for me to sit and reflect on my life and the blessings I have received.
Self-care is one of the major ways that I ensure that my cup is refilled. The other piece is taking a step back from everything and everyone and allowing myself to breathe and not worry about what I don’t have, who I don’t have, or how everything is going to work out in my life. The last but most important piece is staying connected to God, my family, friends, mentors, and coaches to be uplifted and to receive guidance.
What does a typical Sunday for you look like?
A typical Sunday is going to church, having Sunday dinner, and taking time to rest and mentally prepare for the upcoming week.
Do you have any services, programs or events to promote?
I am in the process of launching a podcast with a friend of mine that will focus on relationships, careers, and just the daily grind. It won’t be your typical podcast because we are seeking to go deeper into all types of relationships from boyfriend and girlfriend to moms and daughters. We’re also using our personal and professional backgrounds and experiences to speak on topics that will resonate with many people. Our goal is to begin recording and releasing podcasts in February 2024.
In addition, I am accepting new clients who believe now is the right time to transform their lives. I am also accepting requests to participate in podcasts and for presentations including life skills presentations and motivational speeches. My goal is to serve and support as many individuals, schools, and organizations as I can and to help transform lives and make a difference.
How can our readers connect with you online and find out more information?
Readers can connect with me through Instagram @Her_Divine_Connection, on YouTube @HerDivineConnection or at www.herdivineconnection.com.
Lastly, what do you want your legacy to be?
I want my legacy to include being a pillar in my community and someone who drives change, creates opportunities, and empowers others to do their best and be their best regardless of what they look like or where they come from. I want to help create generational wealth, spread the gospel, and be someone who’s voice, experiences, and mission in life changes the trajectory of the lives of all who come in contact with me.
