Katara McCarty – Exhale

Katara McCarty is the source and inspiration for Exhale, a well-being App for Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color. In December 2020, she was interviewed by Mamata Venkat about her life-long journey creating resources for some of the most marginalized people in society, and her approach to spirituality.

- By Mamata Venkat

Q: I want to make sure I’m pronouncing your name correctly. It’s [kuh-TAH-ruh]?

Yes! How do I pronounce your name?

Q: [MUH-muh-thuh]

I remember the first days of school when they would come across my name. I would know that I was next because the teachers would pause, look at the list, and dodge it. You can probably totally relate. I remember being little and having to teach my teachers how to say my name. My whole life.

Q: That has been me my whole life. Inevitably someone follows up with, “Can I give you a nickname?” And I always say, “No! Learn how to say my name. It’s not that difficult.”

This has been a very interesting year, a very difficult year for the Black community. How are you doing?

With the pandemic, there was so much uncertainty in the beginning, and being quarantined I lost over half my clientele. I’m a public speaker and all events were halted. I also coach companies and organizations. In a couple of the companies, I was the first thing to be cut, because they were trying to stop the internal bleeding. I felt a lot of anxiety and uncertainty, and then what was happening with COVID in the Black community was really, really stressful.