You were never meant to dim yourself to fit in.
Leading from the Root is the podcast for high-achieving women and mothers who are done performing and ready to lead — starting with themselves.
Hosted by Khalia Stokes — certified executive, career, and business coach, senior finance leader, author, and mother — this show is built on one foundational truth: before you can lead others well, you have to lead yourself first.
This is integrated leadership. Not the textbook version. Not the version the world handed you when it told you to get the degree, climb the ladder, and make everyone around you comfortable. The real version — where you show up as the same woman in the boardroom, at home, on the sideline of your kid's game, and everywhere in between.
Because when your roots run deep, nothing can shake what you're building.
Each episode is an honest conversation about identity, values, mindset, and what it actually looks like to lead your whole life — not just the parts the world can see. No shrinking. No performing. No waiting for permission to be exactly who you already are.
This is for the woman who has checked every box and still feels like something is missing. The one carrying everyone else while quietly losing herself. The one who knows she has more to offer — and is finally ready to bring all of it to the table.
When you lead from the root, everything you touch gets to flourish.
The "Women In" Series: You're Not Lost. You're Between Versions of Yourself
If you feel like the life you used to love suddenly doesn’t fit anymore, you’re not broken — you’re becoming.
This episode is for every woman standing in the “in-between” space — where the old version of you is fading, the new one hasn’t fully emerged, and everything feels quiet, weird, and uncomfortable.
Khalia Deborah Stokes pulls back the curtain on her own transition season — the breaking, the stripping away, the redefining — and shares why this space isn’t punishment, it’s preparation. You’ll walk away with a new perspective, practical tools for protecting your becoming, and the reminder that the version of you God is building is worth the wait.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to reframe the “in-between” season so you stop calling it lost and start calling it transition.
Why breaking isn’t about destroying you — it’s about making your foundation strong enough to hold your calling.
How to release shame without dishonoring the version of yourself that got you here.
The daily anchors and relationships you need to protect your growth.
Why blooming isn’t the goal — becoming is.
Show Notes & Links:
📖 Read the “Solitary Confinement” chapter from my book Cheers to the Fall → CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY
📝 Work through your own transition season with the Between Versions Workbook → CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOU REFLECTION WORKBOOK
✨ If this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who might be in her own transition season. And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast — your support helps this message reach more women who need it.
23 Jun 2025
Redefining Legacy: What We Really Leave Behind
Khalia explores legacy as a transformative process, not just material possessions, emphasizing daily moments and personal growth shape a lasting impact on future generations.
20 May 2025
Imposter Syndrome is Not Just My Fault
We hear about imposter syndrome all the time—like it’s just a confidence issue or a personal flaw. But what if it’s not just you doubting you? What if it’s the world around you, the systems you move through, and the silent expectations you’ve internalized?
In this episode, I’m unpacking my personal journey with imposter syndrome—and why I’ve changed my mind about what really causes it. From navigating family pressure to breaking generational patterns to showing up in rooms where I wasn’t expected to belong, this is a conversation about identity, survival, and healing the gap between who we are and who we’ve been told to be.
Because imposter syndrome isn’t just something we make up. It’s something we’ve been taught. And it’s time to reimagine it and start unlearning it.
1 May 2025
The Silent Roast Session In Your Head
Ever catch yourself mid-roast... but the target is you?
You call it “being real,” “staying sharp,” or “pushing for better”—but what if that inner critic is actually holding you back?
In this episode of I’ve Changed My Mind, host Khalia Deborah Stokes unpacks the toxic self-talk we’ve normalized, and shares how she learned to challenge the chatterbox in her head. The one that said she wasn’t enough, didn’t belong, and needed to be “better” to be worthy.
This isn’t about blind positivity. It’s about recognizing the difference between helpful growth and harmful self-sabotage—and choosing to speak life, not limitation, over yourself.
Because that mental roast session might feel familiar…
But it’s not home.
23 Apr 2025
Hyper-Independence Isn’t a Flex
Changing your mind about asking for help—and why it’s the bravest thing you can do.
For years, I believed real strength meant doing life alone. I wore hyper-independence like a badge of honor — until it started to break me. In this episode of I’ve Changed My Mind, I share the story behind how I became self-sufficient in the most self-sabotaging way and why asking for help isn’t a weakness... it’s a lifeline.
We’ll explore:
How childhood experiences shape our belief about strength
The hidden cost of “I got it” culture
Why not asking for help is a subtle form of self-sabotage
And how redefining strength has helped me heal
If you’ve ever struggled to ask for help, felt the weight of being the “strong one,” or wondered why you’re so tired even when you’re “doing everything right” — this episode is for you.
🎧 Tune in, share with a friend, and let this be your permission to lean.
29 Oct 2024
Revisit The Past In Order To Move Forward
"From shadows of shame to the light of love, I’m reclaiming every piece of me that was lost—because I deserve to embrace the beautiful life I was always meant to live."
In this episode, I'll be discussing how I changed my mind regarding the importance of revisiting my past in order to move forward and healing the younger me.
18 Sept 2024
Do Less To Be More...To Be ME!
"When I felt the most successful in my life, I felt the need to step back and take my worth back from my success."
In this episode, I will discuss how I have decided to do less during a time in my life when people might have expected me to push harder.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
15 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 17 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
13
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
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