We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Latoya Brown-Clayton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Latoya below.
Hi Latoya, 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?
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through years of small, consistent doses of self-love and utilizing my own inner light. To me, confidence means feeling assurance in yourself and your capabilities — not in a pretentious manner, but in a realistic, secure way. Confidence is not about feeling superior to other people. It is a quiet inner knowledge that you are capable. Confident people feel secure rather than insecure.
I learned how to exude confidence and impart it to others. However, I dealt with low confidence until my mid-30s when I realized I did not understand how to retain my confidence without giving it away to other people and having none left for myself — similar to building a business for another person while not having one of my own.
Self-esteem is very important to me. It shapes how I talk about myself, how I see myself, how my face lights up when someone asks me to “tell me about yourself,” and how I respect and treat other people. To me, self-respect and treating people well are indications of self-esteem and confidence.
I got a confidence coach through Dress for Success because I wanted to take better care of myself and my family. “If you’re not confident with what you’re doing in life, there’s no success,” I say. My small doses of confidence evolved into consistent and frequent confidence. Now I actually stand up straight, know what I want to do, and believe that if it is one of three things, I can do it. “Take up space. It’s ok,” I assert.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m honored to be interviewed by Bold Journey, and I appreciate the opportunity to share my story. My name is Latoya Brown Clayton, and I’ve been happily married for 18 years. My family is my greatest joy, consisting of my husband, three wonderful boys, and two adorable granddaughters, ,mother and cousin. Each of my children has a unique personality, and I find myself obsessed with who they are and to nurturing and understanding each of them.
In 2012, I founded the Lifetime Center, which officially launched as a home daycare in 2015. My vision for the Lifetime Center is to create a nurturing environment that is inclusive for all abilities. I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in an environment that celebrates their individuality and supports their unique needs.
What excites me the most about my work is the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families. I am passionate about providing a safe and loving environment where children can thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.
My brand is driven by core values of kindness, listening, and helping others, which guide our approach to childcare. We cultivate spirituality through mindfulness, empathy, and unity to foster self-awareness, tranquility, and tolerance. Our emphasis on deeply connecting with each child as an individual, nurturing their unique growth and creativity without judgment, lies at the heart of our mission to help their hearts and minds blossom in their own way.
In terms of new developments, we are currently in the process of expanding our services to accommodate more children and families in a new facility. We are also exploring partnerships with further and local organizations to provide additional resources and support for children with special needs.
Overall, my passion for childcare stems from my deep love for children and my desire to create a positive and nurturing environment where they can thrive. I am committed to continuing to grow and evolve my brand to better serve the needs of children and families in our community.
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?
Having empathy, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous learning have been essential capacities in my childcare and business leadership roles. Empathy allows me to better understand the needs and perspectives of children, parents, and staff, enabling more open communication, creative problem-solving, and meaningful bonds. Adaptability empowers me to embrace change and obstacles as opportunities to grow, innovate, and build resilience in the face of the unpredictable nature of this work. And dedicating myself to lifelong learning through expanding my knowledge and skills ensures I can provide up-to-date, relevant and impactful care and education. By cultivating these core capabilities, I am able to create nurturing, inclusive environments where children thrive, people feel valued, and sustainable social impact unfolds. These empathetic, adaptable and always learning orientations have been instrumental to my development as a leader in childcare and entrepreneurship.
My advice is nurture your mindset and beliefs, and commit to continuous learning. Make learning and self-improvement a priority by investing time in various professional development opportunities like workshops, courses, conferences, and networking events. Stay curious, embrace new ideas, and actively seek guidance and support from mentors or peers along your journey.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The book “The 10x mentor” by Grant Cardone has shaped my personal growth and success mindset. Beyond just setting bigger “10x goals” that push your limits, key lessons include taking massive action daily toward those big goals and creating detailed roadmaps of how to achieve them. The book stresses staying uncomfortable being uncomfortable until you reach your goal to be comfortable – putting yourself in rooms you feel you don’t belong and building relationships beyond your current network. It emphasizes unshakeable confidence and certainty in your ambitious vision, even when others doubt you. This self-assurance compounds as you leverage the power of teamwork and see results grow through sustained commitment. At its core thinking requires -mindset shifts – around your possibilities, actions, contributions and more. This expands not just what you believe you can accomplish for yourself, but also the scale of positive impact you can create in the world. If you don’t first expand your mindset, why expand your business? These game-changing mental models paired with relentless drive are at the heart of the book, which has guided my journey of bold goal-setting and achievement.
Contact Info:
- Website: lifetimecenterllc.com
- Instagram: ltcllc
- Facebook: Lifetime center
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/latoyabrownclayton
