Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

ENCORE PRESENTATION: Dr. Kendra Davis-Burch shares her journey toward self-discovery and helping other women overcome their challenges

ENCORE PRESENTATION

Christian Coach, Author, and Inspirational Speaker Dr. Kendra Davis-Burch helps women change their lives for the better

Dr. Kendra Davis-Burch is a 1999 & 2009 graduate of Winston-Salem State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology (1999) & a Master of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling (2009). She is also a 2016 graduate of Apex School of Theology where she earned a Master of Divinity Degree. Kendra earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Biblical Studies at Apex School of Theology May 2017.

In 2010, Kendra established K*METAMORPHOSIS, a Christian counseling organization whose vision, mission and philosophy were birthed out of the desire to fill a much-needed treatment gap in the community. The organization’s mission is to utilize a holistic approach to restore fallen humanity. This organization believes that individuals; despite their past are capable of transforming spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In 2012, Kendra became a published author. Her book Rivers of Life, a collection of life-changing sermons and homilies; has been said to be a resource that will empower you and inspire you to bounce back from anything. Many have described it as a spiritual vitamin that will rejuvenate, revitalize and refresh you! Kendra has released her second book NO MORE DISCOUNTS: “Lessons Learned Living Single!” A therapeutic tool used by many who have found themselves in the vicious cycle of abuse and toxic relationships, while seeking love and happiness. Kendra’s transparency in this book has empowered others to heal, forgive and move beyond the pain to find their purpose! In May of 2017, Kendra released her third literary project PRAY MORE, TALK LESS.

Certified Federal Contracts Manager Khalil Memon talks about making money in government contracting on Somewhere in the Middle

Certified Federal Contracts Manager Khalil Memon shares his knowledge of federal contracting to help others get in on this multi-million dollar field

Khalil Memon is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager, Certified Federal Contracts Manager, and Certified Commercial Contracts Manager. Khalil has been working as a Managing Director with Dynamic Contracts Consultants, LLC for the last 5 years.

Khalil holds a Master’s in Law (LL.M) from Chicago Kent College of Law (Chicago), MBA from KC College of Management (India), LL.B. (law), a BS degree from University of Bombay (India) and is a member of the Bar Council of Maharashtra (India).
He has more than 25 years of legal, compliance and procurement experience. He is personally affiliated with the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), US Chamber of Commerce, State Bar of Texas, American Contract Compliance Association (NDIA), American Bar Association (ABA), North American Procurement Council (NAPC), South Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) and World Chamber of Commerce – Texas.

Khalil works as a procurement liaison assessing product value, negotiating favorable agreement terms and conditions in securing contracts and in compliance with FAR/DFAR. He also specializes in drafting, analyzing, and writing Proposals, reviewing procurement contracts and mitigating and minimizing risk for his clients. 

Janae Marie, author of Sleeping with the Enemy, shares her journey to become a thrice-published author before the age of 30

Somewhere in the Middle welcomes Janae Marie, author of Sleeping with the Enemy

Janae Marie began writing at the age of 13 and published her first book at the age of 25. She was awarded a degree in Media Arts at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mi. She later relocated to California where she earned a second in Broadcast Journalism and published two more books by the age of 30. 

Janae Marie is the author of four books, Flirting with Temptations, Daddy's Home, Double Take, and Besties. Her upcoming work, Sleeping with the Enemy, is due out in December of 2020. Janae acts as the CEO of JM Publications, which is part of JMP Media Group. She owns Janae's Closet Shop online clothing boutique and is the writer, producer, director, and editor of the short film My Mother Donna.

Financial Advisor Jason Zara shares strategies to create the means to live the future you want

Financial Advisor Jason Zara joins me on Somewhere in the Middle

Jason Zara is a financial advisor with Transamerica/World Financial Group. He is life, health, and securities (Series 6 & 63) licensed and loves working with families to help them find financial independence.
He has worked with chambers of commerce for more than five years. He has years of experience in marketing, journalism, and as a small business owner. He has an MBA with a concentration in marketing. He is president of the Fontana Kiwanis Club, the Fontana Chamber of Commerce, and BNI Connect and Thrive (Fontana Chapter).
Jason lives in Fontana, California, with his wife, Kris. They have one daughter, Amber.

Dr. Beverly A Browning, author of Grant Writing for Dummies, shares how she grew her grant writing expertise and business while helping others

Dr. Beverly A Browning, author of Grant Writing for Dummies, joins me on Somewhere in the Middle

Dr. Beverly A. Browning has been consulting in the areas of grant writing, RFP responses, technical writing, and organizational development for over four decades. Her clients have included Tribal nations, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, career, volunteer and combination fire departments; chambers of commerce, faith-based organizations, and units of government including state and federal government agencies; school districts, and colleges; charter schools, social and human service agencies, hospitals, service associations, and Fortune 500 corporations. Dr. Browning has assisted clients and workshop participants throughout the United States in receiving awards of more than $500 million.

Dr. Browning is the author of 43 grant-related publications, including six editions (over 1 million books sold) of Grant Writing for Dummies™ (Wiley.com). She is also an international trainer and keynote speaker. In 2015, she was selected by the Centers for Disease Control NICRD division to conduct a five-day Grant Writing Boot Camp in South Africa for ministers of health and other top-level health directors from 23 African countries.

Dr. Browning holds graduate and post-graduate degrees in Organizational Development, Public Administration, and Business Administration. She has been a grant writing course developer and online facilitator for Cengage Learning (www.ed2go.com) for 19 years. Her online courses (taught to thousands of students annually) are Advanced Proposal Writing, Becoming a Grant Writing Consultant, and A to Z Grant Writing: Part 2 – Beyond the Basics.

Dr. Browning is the Founder and Director of the Grant Writing Training Foundation and CEO for Bev Browning, LLC. She was a 17-year member of the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) and has presented training workshops and keynote presentations for multiple GPA chapters U.S.-wide. In 2017, Dr. Browning joined the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and was a workshop presenter at their 2018 International conference in New Orleans. She is an approved trainer for GPA and CFRE International.

Dr. Browning has been married 54 years to John and has one daughter, Lara, a licensed therapist, and a special needs granddaughter, Aaliyah.

Author B.G. Howard shares his journey through amnesia to build a new life

Author B.G. Howard joins me on Somewhere in the Middle

G. Howard was born and raised in the small town of Baxley, GA, where he graduated high school before relocating to Macon, GA. There, he attended College at Mercer University, though circumstance prevented him from completing his collegiate education. He has lived in several cities throughout the eastern part of the United States, before finally relocating to Florida and, eventually, becoming self-employed.

Now,, the former business owner resides in Jacksonville, where he suffered an automobile accident several years ago, leaving him classified as "clinically disabled."  He considers the extensive injuries sustained as a blessing in disguise. The incident subsequently opened the opportunity for him to embark upon a new career as an author.

A state and national award winner as a newspaper columnist before the accident, B. G. Howard resumed his efforts writing an opinion column for the hometown Baxley News-Banner in September 2015. He also writes philosophy, poetry, and short stories. As B. G. says, "There is so much occupying the space inside my head writing is simply a mandatory outlet."

Nicholas Maze, author of White Collar Woman, shares why stories about successful black women matter

Nicholas Maze, the author of White Collar Woman, talks with us about becoming an author, the publishing process, and sharing stories that uplift

Nicholas Maze started writing at the age of 12. Despite becoming distracted from writing early in life, he later went all in pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing. Maze is the author of the popular book series, White Collar Woman. The book series focuses on a successful young woman named Marla Evans and her adventures as she grows in her career and finds love.

Spiritual Photographer and Author Kaolin K shares her journey into the spiritual realm

Spiritual Photographer and Author Kaolin K joins me on Somewhere in the Middle

Kaolin is originally from Brooklyn, New York, where she raised her two adult children. She worked in politics and the Arts, and in the 90's Kaolin moved to Northampton, Massachusetts. She attended Holyoke Community College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and matriculated in the Opera Department at Smith. Kaolin has performed as a vocalist in a summer series at Damrosch Park. She also has performed at the Lincoln Center in New York City in "Children of Adam," which was produced by the Urban Arts Corps and conducted by Chapman Roberts. 

Kaolin is also a spirit photographer and does phone and photo readings. She is writing a photography book with narratives about that work, which will be out later this year.

Learn more about that work on http://www.spiritually-speaking.org. Call 413.404.5683 for more information and to schedule an appointment.

LaTara Robertson, Author of The Pain Within, shares her family's personal challenges with the criminal justice system

Author LaTara Robertson joins me on Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

LaTara Robertson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was reared by her beloved grandmother, who passed away three weeks before LaTara’s 13th birthday. LaTara is a former model with Casablanca Model Management Talent Agency and is the mother of one son, Romond, who is her inspiration.
Robertson first discovered her passion for writing books in elementary school. She spent lots of time with her favorite uncle, Billy Gene Marshall, who is currently serving time in prison for crimes he did not commit. He encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming an author. Due to her initial fear of publishing her work, she wrote books but would share them only on social media. She decided to write her first book, The Pain Within, while studying Criminal Justice & Journalism in college. 
Last year, Robertson overcame her fear of publishing. She is now self-publishing her books under two brands she has developed, Show Stoppers Presents and Mega Millions Introduces, as Queen L.L.
LaTara Robertson now resides in Colorado with her son. She spends her time fighting for her uncle’s freedom. She also is co-writing her upcoming TV show, “Backstabbers.”

Rev. Dr. Nicole B. Simpson shares her journey through pain to help others help and grow financially and spiritually

Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard welcomes bestselling author Rev. Dr. Nicole B. Simpson

Reverend Dr. Nicole B. Simpson, CFP^®, is a practitioner with over 29 years of experience in the securities industry. On September 11, 2001, her life was drastically altered while working as a financial planner on the 73rd floor of 2 World Trade Center. Simpson was on the 44th floor when Tower 2 was hit during the World Trade Center attacks.

Today, Simpson compassionately assists families on how to begin to walk along the road to recovery when faced with a catastrophic, unexpected disaster. She is actively involved in spiritual, emotional, and economic empowerment. A compelling empowerment speaker, television/ radio personality and author, Ms. Simpson travels throughout the United States teaching in a practical and easy to understand manner. Her straightforward approach motivates everyone who hears her message to take action to change their future. Her commitment is to engage people with the thought, “If money were not an issue, what would be your life’s purpose?”

Pastor Nicole’s life began to take shape when she turned seven years old. Gifted with a Bible by her mother, she spent most of her time in her room reading the red words in that Bible, which sparked her interest. Those red words told her to do good to please God, and they taught her how to pray. Through scripture, she learned how to seek God’s comfort amid every storm. Like most individuals, Nicole has suffered unexpected, significant personal tragedies that have affected her entire family emotionally and financially. What is critical, but often avoided, is the experience and willingness to share strategies that instruct others how to overcome unexpected disasters that can stagnate one’s personal life because of a crisis. “How does one pick up the pieces of their life and move toward their ordained purpose?” She can answer those questions and put the necessary steps into perspective to begin the recovery process.

In January 2016, Dr. SImpson embarked on a new life journey. She became the pastor of Micah 7 Ministries in Piscataway, NJ. She is the visionary and CEO of the Power of Gospel Ministries, a best-selling author, and an entrepreneur. Simpson has written several books, including Planning for A Reason, a Season, and a Lifetime, The Ultimate Plan…A Financial Survival Guide for Life’s Unexpected Events, which was nationally distributed through Tate Publishing, and Dare 2 Dream…Pushing Past Your Pain to Pursue Purpose, a book that changes the lives of everyone who reads it. It later became her first Amazon bestseller.

In June 2011, Simpson released 9/11/01: A Long Road Toward Recovery, her second best-selling book. The book reflected upon the challenges of World Trade Center survivors who had been neglected emotionally and economically. In January 2014, she released her fifth book, Personal Prayer for all Occasions. Her highly anticipated sixth title addressing how to recognize the voice of God, Listen and Learn How God Speaks to You, was recently released. Nicole’s media profile includes appearances on CNN News, BBC World News, Huffington Post, Crain's NY Business, Fox News, and UPN 9.

Nicole B. Simpson is a Cum Laude graduate of Oral Roberts University. She completed her Master of Divinity degree at New Brunswick Theological Seminary in May 2016 Magna Cum Laude. In January 2017, Simpson enrolled in Boston University to pursue her Doctor of Ministries in Transformational Leadership, which she completed in December 2019.