Meet Kara Vaval

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kara Vaval a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kara , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Confidence is one of those things people tend to think you are born with when in reality, it is something you develop over time. Dictionary.com defines confidence as: a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities and qualities and that is exactly how I developed my confidence and self-esteem. I took an inventory of everything that made me “me” and fell in love with all of it: the good, the bad, the ugly. I looked at my past wins and celebrated myself for all I have accomplished. I gained so much appreciation and respect for myself as I became present to how capable I am. I also looked at my losses and failures and celebrated and appreciated myself for trying and daring. I gained even more confidence as I learned the lessons my losses and failures taught me and celebrated the wiser version of me. I looked at my character and admired the unique qualities, gifts and talents I possess and my confidence and self-esteem grew even more. I looked at how I show up in the world and for the people close to me and my appreciation and esteem for myself further deepened. I looked at my heart and found a loving, compassionate and empathetic human who is working hard to be the best contribution she can be in this world and I appreciate her for that. I could go on but these are some of the ways I developed my confidence and self-esteem.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am an attorney, author, highly-rated motivational speaker, and business and personal development coach with over 15 years of experience coaching women and facilitating group trainings and retreats. I am the CEO of the InPowerment Institute, LLC, an educational and empowerment platform that delivers courses, training, retreats, and coaching services to students eager to create their best life.

I am the author of 28,000 Days…Make Yours Count!, a book in which I offer readers an inspiring perspective on living their best lives. In it, I share my life story—including the many tragedies and heartbreaks that have shaped me into the woman I am today. I am a true believer that life doesn’t happen to us, but for us, and I aim to offer readers a motivating lens through which they can create their best lives.

I am also the founder and host of The Unfiltered with Kara Podcast and the Laptop Lifestyle Lawyer Podcast. Both platforms are designed to empower and equip listeners with tips, tools, tricks, and insights to help them create full and joyful lives during their average 28,000-day journey here on earth.

I am a dynamic and influential figure in both the legal and empowerment spheres. I use my background in law and my passion for empowering women to help them rise to their full potential—against all odds. I am a champion of resilience, authenticity, and achieving success on one’s own terms.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

One of the things I believe has made a major difference in my journey is the fact that I have remained a student all these years. Not only a student in terms of acquiring knowledge, but also a student of myself. I truly believe that school is never out for the pro and one thing I know for sure is that I know nothing. This attitude has kept me in a perpetual state of learning, always looking for the silver lining, and always finding purpose in everything. Life is never happening to me, but for me so life is always informing me as opposed to coming at me.

The second is my detachment. This one came overtime, but has been monumental in that it allows me to live with my hands open, freely receiving, and also freely letting go, holding onto nothing, to no one, and more importantly, to no version of myself or of who I’m “supposed to be”. I understand that I am an ever so evolving being as I evolve so do the possibilities for my life.

Lastly, I truly believe that “to whom much is given much is required”, and if you’ve had the opportunity to go through something, especially if it was painful and unpleasant, and came out on the other side, that lesson, that growth, that wisdom, it’s not yours to keep; it is yours to share. We are all branches of the same tree having different life journeys with different fact patterns, but similar threads and common human experiences. We are here to be a contribution to one another and living a life based on this one value has given so much meaning and fulfillment to my life .

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

So there are a few books that have had a significant impact on my life starting with the Power of the Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. I was already 31 years old when I found out there was two parts to my mind, one conscious and one unconscious, and that the majority of what I did was informed by this subconscious mind that I didn’t even know about and couldn’t see, but yet was running me. Understanding how my mind worked was essential if I was ever to take control of it and put it to work for me. Next is The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles and Bob Proctor’s Paradigm Shift video series. The wisdom contained in these books helped me reprogram my mind in the area of money, moving from scarcity thinking to abundance thinking, helping me build a world around me that once lived only in my imagination. And then there’s Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. I must have listened to Earl Nightingale’s 45 minute condensation of this book 100 plus times. When you understand the power of your mind, and do the work to reprogram it to put it to work for you instead of against you, the game changes. You move from the passenger seat of your life to the driver seat and your entire world opens up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.karavaval.com
• Instagram: @karavavalesq
• Facebook: @karavaval
• Linkedin: @karavavalesq
• Youtube: @karavaval