L’Taundra Everhart: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry

An Interview With Dina Aletras

Stay Curious: There is an endless learning process as industries continuously evolve. I recommend potential thought leaders “level up” by not becoming complacent, and by seeking the expertise of those in various industries. That’s a technique that was required to gain sources and information while I was a beat reporter and later assistant managing editor. Curiosity helps you maintain 365 days’ worth of content. It keeps readers reading and advertisers buying. It also keeps your products and services fresh and cutting-edge.

As part of our series about how to become known as a thought leader in your industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing L’Taundra Everhart.

Driven by personal experience and a passion for empowering others, L’Taundra Everhart, M.Ed, is the founder and CEO of BYG! Mixed Greens for the Soul, LLC. She has dedicated her life’s work to cultivating wellness and growth through an intersectional lens that blends traditional therapy with positive psychology and lifestyle medicine. With more than two decades as an educator, and her profound connection to the transformative impact of de-stigmatizing mental health narratives from her time as a journalist, L’Taundra has witnessed firsthand how accessible, affordable, and evidence-based solutions can heal even the deepest traumas. Drawing from her own family’s history and a commitment to representation, she has created an inclusive space that empowers diverse voices to embark on a journey toward emotional freedom.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us! Our readers are eager to learn more about you. Could you provide some background information about yourself?

Hey there! I’m L’Taundra Everhart. I’m the founder and CEO of a really special company called BYG! Mixed Greens for the Soul, LLC. My company approach blends the best of traditional therapy with positive psychology and a holistic, lifestyle medicine mindset. It’s about nurturing the whole self — mind, body, and spirit.

With more than 20 years under my belt as an educator and journalist covering mental health topics, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it can be to break down stigmas and get real about our emotional struggles. My own family’s journey with trauma fuels my passion for making wellness tools accessible and culturally relevant, especially for underrepresented communities like women, ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQIA+ folks.

So that’s what I’ve created with MixedGreensForTheSoul.Com — an inclusive space for diverse voices to tap into their emotional freedom. Whether it’s through our online classes, guided journals, or just building community, I’m about empowering people with self-awareness, mindfulness practices, and a dose of authenticity.

It’s innovative, it’s affirming, and it’s a whole vibe.

What establishes you as an authority on thought leadership? Could you briefly share your expertise with our readers?

Well, it really comes down to living and breathing wellness from every angle — the professional, the personal, and the authentically human. For me, wellness and self-care go way beyond the typical spa day or retail therapy. It’s about cultivating deep self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and a mindful presence in every moment. That’s what I strive to help others achieve through my comprehensive wellness business, BYG! Mixed Greens For The Soul, LLC.

With two decades under my belt as an educator and licensed K-12 administrator, I’ve seen firsthand just how powerful it is to nurture the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of kids and young adults. Those experiences laid the foundation for my current work. Then factor in my background as a journalist, specifically reporting on mental health stories since the late 90s, and that allowed me to really de-stigmatize crucial topics through open conversations and shared stories. These days, I get to be that empowering voice full-time.

As much as the professional side informs my approach, it’s the personal side that truly drives my passion for wellness. My own family’s journey with trauma and mental health challenges showed me the urgent need for accessible, culturally relevant wellness resources. It motivates me to create practical, evidence-based services and tools like online classes and guided journals.

But being a thought leader is about way more than credentials or a business plan. It’s about walking the talk with authenticity and vulnerability.

For example, during one of my recent gratitude circles with a group of amazing women, our last participant bravely opened up about her scary battle with a heart attack. She realized she had been ignoring her own health, putting everyone else first as so many of us do. Witnessing her commit to routine gratitude and mindfulness to regain balance — it was such a powerful moment of transformation.

Experiences like these reinforce why I do this work — to inspire that same self-actualization and wholeness in others. It’s about constant growth, pivoting to innovate, and thinking outside the box to truly serve my community.

I think these things establish me as an authority on thought leadership.

Can you recall a funny mistake you made when you were first starting out? What lesson did you learn from it?

One of the most hilarious mistakes I made when I was first starting out involved hamburgers … but not the kind you eat!

I was providing a class for a group of older clients who had a genuine interest in my products but couldn’t easily navigate tech tools like the hamburger menu. The hamburger is easily recognizable by its three horizontal lines used to simplify website navigation. As I instructed them to “click the hamburger,” it was quite funny hearing people ask each other, “Where is the donut, or the hamburger, or the … I don’t see any food anywhere. …”

I quickly learned to have a slide or at least explain navigation tools for those who may not be tech-savvy. In this instance, something that was meant to simplify the user experience actually confused them. I also learned to create a simple survey to assess what skills and needs my clients have, especially if they are being asked to perform hands-on activities or if they will be expected to use an online platform. Always keeping the hamburger experience in mind, I now modify content, products, and services based on my clients’ varying degrees of knowledge and skill.

What are the most significant disruptions you foresee in your industry over the next five years, and how can businesses adapt to these changes?

Over the next five years, I foresee a significant shift toward personalized, holistic approaches to wellness that address the multifaceted nature of mental, emotional, and physical health. Businesses will need to adapt by offering tailored solutions and interventions that cater to diverse identities, backgrounds, and specific needs. Large hospitals and universities are already incorporating wellness and alternative therapies into their teaching, treatments, and content.

Additionally, I believe the integration of technology and virtual platforms will become increasingly crucial for accessibility and convenience. Current examples of this include online healthcare visits with physicians, therapists, counselors, and other wellness staff.

At MixedGreensForTheSoul.Com, we are looking forward to adapting to change by introducing AI instructors to our platform this fall. This allows us to offer cheaper classes and more content while still using the BYG! Mixed Greens curriculum, content, and activities. We know this is not for everyone, but for those seeking condensed, bite-sized modules and tools, our AI instructors are a quality option.

Can you explain the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why is it valuable to invest time and resources into this?

Becoming a thought leader might seem like a ton of work, but to me, it’s worth its weight in gold. For example, it gives you an incredible platform to share your unique expertise and experiences with the world. As a thought leader, your voice gets amplified in a way that can literally inspire and empower others on their own journeys. Whether it’s your professional niche or a personal passion, you get to be that guiding light.

Being a thought leader is about so much more than just sharing knowledge. The process itself is incredibly enriching. Constantly crystallizing your thoughts, challenging conventions, driving important conversations — this creates continuous growth and deep self-mastery. It’s incredible for building credibility and confidence in your craft too.

Investing my time and resources in thought leadership has been valuable in several ways: Once I cemented myself as a go-to voice in the wellness space, opportunities started to open up. I started making connections with people outside of my business circle. For example, I recently connected with a popular blogger who doesn’t normally cover wellness topics. But in getting to know his journey, I pitched a way for us to join forces that would allow him to expand into new content areas and me to gain a new audience. So with a little creative thinking, it was a win-win.

Can you share an example of a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you leveraged innovative thinking to overcome it?

One of the most significant challenges I’ve faced in my career is combating the stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental health issues, particularly within ethnic minority communities. Despite the high prevalence of mental health challenges among these populations, there seems to be a disconnect when it comes to understanding the issues, seeking adequate treatment, and implementing lifestyle changes to break generational patterns.

This is where innovative thinking became crucial for my company. I founded BYG! Mixed Greens For The Soul, LLC with the mission of addressing these barriers through a truly holistic approach to wellness. We focus on education and awareness, powerful storytelling and representation, celebrating cultural pride and resilience, amplifying minority expert voices, fostering a supportive community, and creating culturally relevant products.

As the company’s founder and CEO, I also had to get innovative with our core framework — blending traditional wisdom with the latest in positive psychology and lifestyle medicine. This fusion creates an authenticity that deeply resonates with underserved audiences like women, ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s allowed us to de-stigmatize mental health in an accessible, affirming way.

Another key part of this innovative approach was developing targeted interventions and hands-on activities disguised as fun, engaging experiences. My background as an educator taught me early on the power of getting people to build new skills without it feeling like “work.” So I channeled that into products like our guided journals — giving clients a toolkit to reclaim their emotional freedom through self-exploration and habit-changing exercises.

The challenges of mental health stigma and access are complex and deep-rooted. But by combining passion, cultural competence, psychological principles, and a bit of creative ingenuity, we’ve been able to make important strides. It’s a constant journey of listening, adapting our approach, and not being afraid to blaze new trails to best serve the community.

Now that we have covered that, we’d love to hear your advice on becoming a thought leader. Can you share five strategies that someone should follow to gain recognition as a thought leader in their industry? Please include examples or stories from your own experience for each strategy.

Being a thought leader means establishing yourself as an authoritative and influential voice within your industry. It involves sharing your unique perspectives, insights, and experiences in a way that inspires, educates, and drives positive change.

Here are the 5 Strategies To Become A Thought Leader in your industry:

1. Get Real: Thought leadership isn’t about putting on a phony, perfect show. It’s about opening up and letting your authentic self shine through. When I share the real deal about my family’s battle with trauma and mental health issues, that vulnerability forges a deep connection with my audience. They see that I don’t just recite textbook fluff.

For example, I’ve openly discussed how one of my favorite students was tragically killed in the early morning hours by his uncle, who later took his own life. Experiences like that, coupled with having a distant cousin with a mental illness murder his own family, show that I’ve lived through immense pain and tragedy. But I’ve also lived to tell how, with the proper coping skills and support, anyone can survive and thrive after trauma. My vulnerability allows people to relate and see that overcoming generational patterns is possible.

2. Carve Your Niche: Set yourself apart from the pack with a novel blend of ideas or approaches that make you one-of-a-kind. My signature move is melding traditional wisdom with positive psychology and lifestyle medicine, and tailoring it for communities that are often overlooked in the wellness world. Having that fresh perspective allowed me to fill a vital gap.

For example, one client, a single mother, came to me struggling with how to get mental health support for her daughter who was showing signs of anxiety, paranoia, and depression. She couldn’t afford the high deductibles of her healthcare plan. Instead of turning her away, I created a resource package drawing from my network and community connections. I helped her compile a list of local providers offering sliding-scale fees. I shared information on therapists specifically for young adults and families. Drawing from my background, I even provided techniques for implementing simple mindfulness practices for the mom at home. By curating all these low-cost and free resources into one easily accessible toolkit, I helped her tend to her daughter’s urgent needs through an innovative blend of professional, peer-based, and self-guided care. My outside-the-box approach ensured this underinsured family didn’t slip through the cracks simply due to financial barriers.

3. Bring Value, Consistently: In this fast-paced, social media-driven world, people are hungry for substance. So I’m always creating free videos, blogs, and social media inspirations — content packed with quality guidance and education for the wellness journey. As I stated before, you’ve got to be that go-to source consistently delivering the goods. Some people charge for this but I’ve never wanted cost to be an excuse for not learning and growing.

For instance, I’ve published more than 50 free videos, podcasts, and blogs covering topics like setting boundaries, sound baths, mindful eating, coping, etc. My social media is a continuous stream of micro-lessons and affirmations. Keeping this value train running shows my commitment to being a real resource.

4. Build Your Tribe: Trying to go solo as a thought leader is the hard way. Connecting and collaborating with others aligned with your mission is huge for amplifying your voice and your impact. I’ve joined forces with mental health pros, lifestyle coaches, business owners — anyone who champions accessible wellness and healthy living. I am hoping to continue this growth with unique partnerships in the future.

For example, I’ve had key collaborations with a diverse group of psychologists, counselors, social workers, business owners, and even sleep experts. Together we are creating an online space for healing, information, and transformation.

5. Stay Curious: There is an endless learning process as industries continuously evolve. I recommend potential thought leaders “level up” by not becoming complacent, and by seeking the expertise of those in various industries. That’s a technique that was required to gain sources and information while I was a beat reporter and later assistant managing editor. Curiosity helps you maintain 365 days’ worth of content. It keeps readers reading and advertisers buying. It also keeps your products and services fresh and cutting-edge.

For example, I will soon attend a conference on maximizing my company’s potential within the Metaverse. While the mental health tie-in isn’t immediately obvious, immersing myself in this emerging space can open my eyes to innovative community-building and monetization opportunities. Imagine an entire Mixed Greens metaverse used for connections, events, and digital wellness products! Staying curious keeps my mind open to possibilities. It pushes me to continually explore what’s next.

How do you foster a culture of innovation within your organization, and what practices have you found most effective in encouraging creative thinking among your team?

Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it requires a carefully cultivated environment where people feel valued, supported, and free to explore without limitations. By prioritizing psychological safety, communication, and collaboration, I create a foundation that encourages creative thinking and allows my team to thrive.

Anyone who knows me knows one of my favorite lines is, “Let me know if you need a thought partner.” This allows for vulnerability without judgment. I believe this is critical because innovation thrives in contexts where people can share half-baked ideas without fear of ridicule or rejection. By positioning myself as a thought partner, I remove perceived hierarchies and power dynamics that could inhibit a staff member’s creativity.

Offering to be a thought partner is an invitation to engage in the messy, non-linear process of innovation. It recognizes that true ingenuity often emerges from the collision and synthesis of diverse perspectives, where each participant is committed to mutual understanding and progress rather than ego protection or validation. Obviously, those with fixed mindsets don’t flourish in this type of culture.

Who do you think is an outstanding example of a thought leader? What specific qualities impress you about this person?

There are so many great thought leaders out there. If I had to pick just one, it would be Steven Bartlett from the Diary of a CEO podcast. What impresses me most is his ability to blend authenticity with practical, actionable insights that inspire change. As a young entrepreneur and investor, Bartlett is changing narratives around achievement at every level. His insights equip us with tactical strategies for tangible success. I love his recent episodes on narcissism, divorce, and changing your life at age 40.

How do you stay informed about the latest trends and developments in your field, and how do you incorporate this knowledge into your strategic planning?

Like Bartlett, I am an absolute knowledge junkie. I can’t get enough of the latest books, podcasts, research papers, etc. I look outside the “wellness bubble” for fresh inspiration. In fact, some of the most valuable insights come straight from the source — my amazing clients and community. Whether I’m reviewing data from surveys, focus groups, or just picking up on the common threads from social media, I’ve got my ear pressed tight to the ground. That’s how I really understand evolving needs and can adapt our offerings.

In terms of strategic planning, we have a system for analyzing data points — from cultural shifts to specific gaps we can fill. It’s an ongoing cycle of taking everything in, putting it through the strategic planning wringer, and turning it into innovative new programs and services that genuinely move the needle.

I’m also constantly connecting with experts from adjacent fields like coaching, therapy, and workplace wellness. That’s where some of the most unexpected creative synergies happen.

So in a nutshell, my brain’s always in sponge mode — soaking up as much as I can from as many sources as possible. Blending that knowledge with real-world insights is how I ensure we stay one step ahead of the curve.

Some people feel that the term “thought leader” is overused and has lost its impact. What are your thoughts on this?

Yup, the term thought leader has become a bit of a buzzword thrown around loosely these days. However, in my view, the term only loses meaning if we allow complacency to creep in. True thought leadership is an ongoing practice, not just a title to be stamped and left unchallenged.

It’s important to remember that you can’t just rest on your reputation or previous accomplishments. The marker of an authentic thought leader is someone who continually pushes boundaries, evolves their thinking, and pioneers novel solutions. It’s an inherently future-focused mindset of curiosity, growth, and impact. So in that sense, I don’t believe the concept can ever become stale or overused. It’s more about calling out those who adopt the “thought leader” label as a superficial vanity metric.

How do you balance short-term business goals with long-term strategic vision, especially in a rapidly changing market?

I’ve found that maintaining a balance between immediate, “small wins” and progressive long-term vision is one of the biggest challenges as a business owner and thought leader. In the wellness space especially, we’re navigating extremely dynamic cultural and technological shifts that can upend priorities quickly.

My approach has been to build an overarching 5-year strategic roadmap that clearly defines our “North Star” and our milestones. This acts as an anchor of sorts, keeping us oriented toward the fundamental impact we want to have. The important thing to remember is that this roadmap isn’t rigid but fluid. I build in periodic checkpoints to pressure test our trajectory and realign based on new market realities and community needs.

From that foundation, we can then backward design our short-term targets. For instance, in Q1, we may be hyper-focused on launching a new service, but in Q3 the priority shifts to partnerships or scaling our team.

Dealing with a rapidly changing market requires a dynamic dance, but that fluidity and willingness to adapt is what allows us to stay relevant and impactful.

Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? How has it been relevant in your life?

One of my most treasured quotes is “The joy is in the journey.” This perspective has become increasingly profound as I’ve navigated the inevitable ups and downs of life. Early on, I definitely fell into the trap of anxiously fixating on achievement and checking boxes — graduate, get married, buy a house, advance my career. … While those were all meaningful milestones, I often missed being truly present for the experiences themselves because I was so future-focused.

Whether it was not savoring special occasions like long-awaited vacations, or pushing through personal challenges like trauma without pausing to feel and heal — I was stuck in an endless “push” mode. The joy of the actual journey was lost.

As I’ve grown older and wiser, this quote has become a beautiful reminder to embrace all the messy, complicated nuances of daily life, not just the “made it” moments; To find gratitude in good or bad circumstances, because the lessons learned shape our evolution.

In many ways, that’s the essence of what we strive to impart at MixedGreensForTheSoul.Com — providing tools and community support for being more self-aware, present, and appreciative of each person’s unique journey toward wellness.

Many influential figures in business and entertainment follow this column. Is there someone you’d love to have lunch or breakfast with? They might notice if we tag them.

Oh my. If I had the chance to break bread with an influential figure, I would be honored to sit down with either Tabitha Brown or Viola Davis.

Tabitha Brown is someone I deeply admire for her ability to exude positivity, warmth, and wisdom in such an authentic, relatable way. Her journey from struggling with health and career to inspiring millions with her contagious joy and message of self-care is beyond impressive. I would love to learn from her approach to entrepreneurship and turning personal passion projects into incredible global platforms.

Viola Davis is a true artistic maverick and cultural force. Her groundbreaking work has shattered barriers and shined a powerful light on important narratives around race, gender, trauma, and resilience. As a creative leader, I’m in awe of her ability to tap into such profound truth and move audiences from a place of raw vulnerability. To gain even a small window into her creative and business perspectives would be invaluable.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

I’m so grateful for this opportunity to connect with your readers! Thank you!

For those who resonate with our mission of providing authentic, relevant tools for cultivating wellness, self-care, and emotional freedom, I invite you to join our growing community:

- Our central hub is at https://mixedgreensforthesoul.com where you can explore our range of offerings like blogs, online courses, partnerships, gifts, and more.

- Our guided journals are on Amazon.

- For a convenient one-stop shop of all our services and products, visit https://linktr.ee/mixedgreensforthesoul.

Thank you so much for your insights. This was very insightful and meaningful.

About the Interviewer: Dina Aletras boasts over 20 years of expertise in the corporate media industry. She possesses an in-depth understanding of growth, strategy, and leadership, having held significant roles at some of the UK’s largest media organizations. At Reach PLC, the UK’s largest tabloid publisher, she served in various director capacities. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Independent Magazine Group and DMGT. Her extensive knowledge spans editorial, digital, revenue, sales, and advertising.

Upon relocating to Switzerland, Dina took on the responsibility of managing and promoting the international section of Corriere del Ticino — CdT.ch pioneering the English page “onthespot.” She also was the Co-Editor of Southern Switzerland’s first official Italian and English bilingual magazine.