Leona is an International Empowerment Speaker and Best-selling author of, “Because I Said So!” Equipping and Inspiring Mothers to be Intentional about the words they speak. As the President and Chief Executive Officer of Carter Strategies and the Creator of the Because I Said SO! Coaching Program, Leona helps mothers discover their passion parallel to parenting, without sacrificing either one. Married for 23 years, Leona, and her high school sweetheart, Omarr, have six beautiful children and three foster children. Leona and her family moved from Seattle Washington to Kalamazoo Michigan for the tuition-based program called The Kalamazoo Promise, where her family was featured in the New York Times.