LaToya Risa Browne

Her voice shook the room, and her vision changed the game. This is the biography that proves women write their own destiny…

Empowerment. It’s a word we’ve heard countless times. We celebrate it, strive for it, and live in pursuit of what it means to be truly empowered. Heck, our second page has been put aside for women who the community sees as being empowered, but what does it really mean for a woman to feel empowered? Is it success? The ability to check off boxes, manage a career, a family, and still find time for personal passions? Or is it something deeper?

This week, I interviewed with a remarkable woman who embodies empowerment in ways that transcend the titles we often assign. A woman who sees empowerment not just as the roles she plays, but in how she shows up in those roles, committed and goal-oriented, with a heart for service and a passion for growth.

She’s an experienced healthcare professional, a life coach, a dedicated volunteer, and a worship leader. In each of these roles, she’s not only accepted the challenges, but embraced them with excellence. She understands that empowerment is about more than personal success; it’s about being a versatile leader, a team player, and someone who thrives in helping others find their own paths.

Being the mother of three boys brings forth a unique and powerful perspective. It is not her role to be a father to them, but to nurture, support, and guide them as they grow. Her goal is to provide them with the love and strength they need to thrive, while also recognizing the importance of leaning on her community and family. Together, they create a foundation of support, ensuring her sons are surrounded by the: care, wisdom, and positive role models that will help them navigate life with confidence and resilience.

It is one of the many reasons why she volunteers with Brothers Who Care, guiding young African-Caribbean men toward leadership and excellence. She believes in empowering others by being present, offering wisdom, and helping to create opportunities for those who need it most. Whether it’s as a chaperone, a volunteer, or a worship leader, she understands that empowerment comes from service, from lifting others as we rise.

Even through her music, she’s intentional about empowerment. Her latest song, Holy Forever, isn’t just a melody; it’s a testament to her faith and her belief in the power of purpose. It’s about empowering others to find strength in something greater than themselves. Her intention when singing is not just to sing, it is to empower others.

Founder, Certified Relationship and Intimacy Coach at Love Story Coaching, LaToya Risa Browne collaboratively works with men and women helping them individually, or as a couple reach their personal, relationship and intimacy goals. One thing that she pointed out to me is that when couples come to her, many of them don’t realize that the love for self is what is most important. How does the saying go? If you can’t love yourself, how can you love another?

LaToya was a little nervous to speak with me, because some of the topics were directly related to aspects of her life that she has been working on for years. What I shared with her is that the process, the journey, is more important than the destination, and I guaranteed that what she had to share, many women would be able to identify with.

“Let’s rip the band-aid off LaToya; how do you define empowerment for yourself?”

“Empowerment for me is the ability to see yourself as a stronger being. Being in control of yourself, going after what it is that you desire in life, and claiming all of it.”

“Where I feel I fall short at times is when I look at the situation that I am in. Here I am, a mother of three who has high aspirations, and sometimes the support required to reach some of the goals that I have is lacking. I have large responsibilities, and my most important task at hand is raising my sons to be great human beings. To serve their community in a way that will make them proud, and me proud. This type of responsibility means that there are things in my life that I want to do, but things will come up, and I feel blocked. Sometimes it is hard to recognize that even small achievements are still achievements.”

“What does being a woman mean to you personally, and how does it intersect with your sense of empowerment?”

“I look at it from two lenses: it means laying in your femininity. It is about drawing boundaries, setting goals, and nurturing. Another lens is having this great responsibility as a woman. When you think about empowerment, you have to unlearn some of the things that you have learned. It becomes a conflict between what you have been taught, and this new you, this new role that you have in today’s society. This word is hard to relate to sometimes. Being a mother of three boys makes it very difficult, because I have to step out of my femininity, and that is not where I want to be.”

“Do you compare yourself to other women who you perceive as empowered?”

“It depends on what it is. When it comes to career, yes! When it comes to appearance, no!” There are qualities that I admire in other women, most notably their perseverance. Their motivation.”

“It goes back to my responsibilities. They say the early bird catches the world, but when you have a three-year-old who wakes you up at 3:00 am, that 5:00 am does not seem feasible. My life at times gets deterred. There is a huge pause put on my life, and this can be daunting. Very challenging. I experience burnout often, and then I have to go into self-care mode. When I look at these super driven, successful women doing the most, sometimes I think that I will never measure up. It is like you are always getting there. I have had to learn how to celebrate the small wins. I am getting better at it though.”

“How do you talk to yourself when you feel disempowered?”

“I ask myself, ‘Is this doable?’ Have I chosen the right career path? Should I be doing something different? It is like, should I dream this dream? Being in therapy helps me deal with my self-talk and moves me away from the negative thoughts that at times do pop up. Let’s be real; sometimes I just don’t feel like I am enough. I feel like I am lacking.”

“What beliefs about yourself do you think you need to unlearn to feel empowered?”

“I need to unlearn that my situation makes me undesirable. This is the one and only thing that I struggle with. When I envision a version of myself that feels fully empowered, I see myself physically, and then I embrace this feeling of freedom. A fully empowered Latoya sets boundaries and sticks to them. She would not be afraid to step outside her comfort zone. She would embrace the discomfort of change. Change would be seen as progression, not as scary.”

“Here is the advice that I would give women who are reading this, and my story resonates with them; Strip down naked, look at yourself in the mirror. Truly affirm yourself. Understand that you are not perfect, but you can still appreciate who it is that is looking back at you in the mirror.”

True empowerment is not just a title, a paycheck, or a role we play in society. It’s how we choose to show up, how we lift others as we pursue our own goals, and how we embrace each challenge with: grace, courage, and resilience. Women like LaToya demonstrate that empowerment is rooted in service, in community, and in the unwavering belief that together, we can achieve more.