Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
[Music] so [Music] hello there good morning good afternoon good evening wherever you are in the world it’s Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman with Relationship Matters. I hope everyone is doing great today. I am blessed and highly favored. So what’s going on in your world today? It’s a lot going on in mine. It’s all kinds of relationships happening. I’m maintaining my positive relationships and really trying to do something with those toxic relationships. As a matter of fact, like they say, you’re supposed to get rid of your toxic relationships and that’s what I’m doing. I’m going to get on my soapbox for just a minute. I want to say to all of you out there who are viewing, get your vaccination, get your vaccination. We are starting, not starting, but we’re in another pandemic. It seemed like things were going well for a while, but now here we have a pandemic of the unvaccinated and most of the people who are getting COVID and getting ill are children. Their children should not have to go through this because of us adults. Now I know there are a lot of you out there that don’t want to get the vaccine and you know for all kinds of reasons and you have your reasons and I don’t agree with them, but you have your reasons. But even if you don’t want to get it for yourself, think about your children, your grandchildren, just people who you might be around. You might be a carrier, you might not even be ill and I know people are saying well you know people who have the vaccine, they’re still getting it. Yeah, but they’re not dying from it. So if you can, get your vaccine. So I’m off my soapbox. Well, let’s talk about this guest that I have today. When she consented to be my guest, I thought like that commercial you see when the girl says and that’s what I said woo! My guest today is none other than Talicia Barry. Talicia is the publisher of Courageous Woman Magazine. So let me tell you about Courageous Woman Magazine. It’s an inspirational publication that highlights extraordinary women in business and entertainment. I don’t know why I haven’t been in there, I have to talk to her about that. But anyway, it’s in its 10th year and it continues to be a wonderful platform for women. It inspires women to live their dreams, to launch their business, and to motivate others. She’s also the publisher of Courageous Man Magazine and Authors Who Launch Magazine. This girl is a powerhouse. She is the recipient of so many awards including Women in Power, Phenomenal Woman Award, Resolution Award, Publishing Excellence Award, and Best Media Platform Award. As I said, this marks her 10th year in publishing over a thousand stories, articles, and more than a hundred cover stories. I am going to bring to you this phenomenal woman, this courageous woman, Miss Talicia Barry. Hi Talicia!

Talicia Barry
Hi, hi, how are you?

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
I’m fine, how are you?

Talicia Barry
I’m good, I’m good, enjoying the sunshine here in California.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Oh, so what part of California?

Talicia Barry
I’m about 30 minutes from Los Angeles.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Oh, okay, all right. You know I love LA and I tell you why and you probably know about this place in LA. It’s in downtown LA, it’s called the Alley.

Talicia Barry
Absolutely, I was just telling my sister that I was here to visit. I’m like I’m going to take you to the alleys.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And for those who don’t know, tell them about the Alley.

Talicia Barry
Well, the Alley is a district where you can find anything from furniture to clothes to jewelry at wholesale prices. It’s a place where people who own boutiques and stores, they buy from there from all over the world and people like us that live here can go there and take advantage of the prices as well.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, you know, my girlfriend, I have a cousin who lives in LA and so whenever we come to LA, she knows that we want to go to the Alley. The first time we went to the Alley, we had to buy luggage to bring home all of the stuff we bought. So now we have a piece of luggage, a nice-sized piece of luggage, because it’s empty because we know we’re going to fill it up with stuff from the Alley. The people out there and it’s a shame, it’s a shame and because of COVID, we haven’t been to the Alley. And the thing is, what I like about the Alley is because you’re on the West Coast, a lot of new fashion comes out of that and so when we come back with things, people are like, “Where’d you get that? Where did you get that?” And so then we wait and then when it comes here to the Midwest, we say, “Okay, you know, that’s all we have to put that side.” But anyway, but anyway, so you are a publisher extraordinaire. I want you to tell us about your journey to being an award-winning publisher. What did you do before you got into this field?

Talicia Barry
Oh my, before I got into school, well one thing, I was always a writer. I was just kind of a kid that always wrote things basically because I was the only child raised by my grandmother and for some reason, I occupied myself by making a lot of noise and re-singing or rewriting commercials on the TV that were on TV. And she would always say, “You keep up so much noise to be one kid, why don’t you get a pencil and write?” And I’m like, “What do I write, Grandma?” So she said, “I don’t care, just be quiet.” So that’s how I got started. I started just writing and doodling and then I wrote poetry and then I began to write plays and I became an actress actually in local theater and I got opportunities to travel all over the country performing as I got older and that was just something I absolutely loved to do. And once I finished doing that, I wanted to produce my own stage productions. So I did that for many years and when I wrote my first novel, I wanted to write something that wasn’t necessarily have to go on stage and I can make the characters do exactly what I needed them to do, you know, not have to deal with actors. And I was, you know, so I wrote my first novel and that was the beginning of my life in entertainment. And now I have kids who are all in entertainment, moved to California. My son’s an actor, he’s 30 now, been acting professionally since he was 12. So it’s been a journey from acting myself to being a stage mom to being, you know, now producing the publication. I started the magazine because I had a blog. The blog was called Courageous Woman as well and I was just looking for motivation. I was dealing with some things in my life and I wanted motivation and inspiration and I loved to read and I couldn’t find enough information that would resonate with my spirit at the time, what I was dealing with. So I decided to create it and it was the blog. And so I asked other women would they be interested in sharing their stories and I decided to make that an online magazine and my first cover story was Stacy Lattisaw and I just, wow, can I tell you a story? And she said, “Yeah.” So she was my very first cover story, wow, 10 years ago. And so it’s been a blessing. We have had some amazing women on our cover from, you know, women who have started with nothing making six, seven figures to celebrities like Vanessa Bell Calloway, Jody Watley, so many, Wendy Raquel and so many amazing women that just simply said yes because they understood about being courageous and the journeys in life that they’ve had to live. They wanted to share their stories. So I’ve just been so blessed to have created this publication based on my own pain and stress and sometimes that’s just how it happens. Sometimes a whole business or something that you need is something that other people, it wasn’t about me, you know, I was going through something but once I created the publication, it was about these women all over the world because we have readers that are in the UK, they’re in everywhere. So it’s been a blessing. So I’m on the journey, I’m still continuing the journey, so we’ve expanded as well.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, so now you brought up something that I’m gonna ask. So you said that you started this publication out of your pain. So what were you going through?

Talicia Barry
I was going through an unhappy, unhealthy relationship. I needed to find myself, you know, being a mom, was a mom of four, that had been married over 20 years and I was just going through a lot in that. I was seeking God for sure and, you know, just trying to recover and find myself and in the process, I wanted to help other women.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, now did you have a mentor or someone that, you know, you patterned yourself after or a coach that helped you along this journey?

Talicia Barry
The Lord. The Lord says go forth and be courageous and not be afraid. So that was that first, my first, but I’ve had a lot of women in my life who are businesswomen, women in entertainment, definitely influenced by Oprah, definitely. A lot of women have come into my life when I was going through the challenges in my life. I just prayed and I asked God for help and he sent me help in the form of women of God. So women, I would meet women, they just want to pray for me, you know, they became my friends and they kind of helped me, encouraged me, empowered me, and prayed for me, cried with me, and they said, “Okay, now it’s time for you to go. It’s time for you to go and do what God called you to do.” And so that’s how it kind of happens. So when I think of those women, I see them as soldiers because they came for me and they helped me and I always be thankful for those.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, you had, I was going to say, you had the best mentor, coach, for inspiration that you can, that anyone can have. I tell people all the time, I did a presentation on, and I entitled it, “Are You Listening?” You know, because when you look, if you listen, like you listened, you listened and you went on that journey to publish, you know, to be such an outrageously excellent publisher, you know, but a lot of people don’t listen, you know. So in other words, publishing this magazine and putting courageous women in the forefront so people can meet them and know their journeys is your purpose.

Talicia Barry
And I didn’t know that. I didn’t know until I was going through myself and sometimes that’s when you find your purpose, when you’re going through. But you got to keep going. I keep telling people, you can’t go over it, you can’t go around it, you got to go through it. And so I had to go through it and I had to look back like, wow, if I hadn’t gone through it, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be right the way I serve, I wouldn’t be able to do it. So right now, that’s how it is sometimes.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, okay, that’s, so what goes into publishing a magazine? To me, I, you know, I have, I know nothing about publishing a magazine. So is it different in writing a book and publishing a magazine? I’m, you know, I’m just trying to put these two things together.

Talicia Barry
Absolutely. It’s a lot of work. I work with pretty much 24/7. I’m trying to, you know, scale back on working as much and spend some more quality time for myself. I’m learning to do that more, but absolutely, it’s a lot of work. From the beginning, I knew that it was going to be a lot of work. I had worked for publications before, not in this, you know, capacity where I got to do all a lot of work. I wore a lot of hats in the beginning and I had to learn, you know, I had my educational backgrounds, communication, so I had to just kind of parlay everything that I learned in business, working in the entertainment, all of it just kind of came together to make it, just had to stir it up. God says stir up your gifts and so I had to stir them up. You know, when I started the publication, it was just a blog and I had left a marriage and I was ready to move forward and do things that I wanted to do in my life and I was in a restart. I left everything and I had to restart my life from scratch. I asked a friend, you know, what do I need to do to start my publication? I want to go from online to a print publication and he said, “You’re gonna need some money. You’re gonna need at least $30,000.”

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wait, wait, wait, you said how much?

Talicia Barry
At least a minimum $30,000 to start my publication and I was in a restart of my life. I didn’t have $30,000. I looked in my account and I was missing some zeros. But you know, but I’m a believer and I know when God gives you something that he’s gonna make provisions for you to make it happen. And so I had to hold on to that even though I was going through, I was trying to figure out life, you know, trying to figure out being a single mom suddenly, you know, and I had all this weight on me but something in me said, “You gotta go. It is time to go.” And so I took that $30 and…

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wait, wait, you were missing a whole lot of zeros.

Talicia Barry
Yes, I was missing some zeros. So, but I believe and I believe that it happened. I had new graphic design. I created my brochure during the day. I went out, I put my corporate gear on, I went out and I talked to about the business. I actually had got a new job as a phlebotomist but I knew that was temporary, you know, even though I love doing that work and working with patients but I knew God was calling me for something higher. But I had to go through that, you know, I had to stop being an entrepreneur for a minute, go back to work, start all over. And as I was out talking to people, people just believed in Courageous Woman. And I always tell people my life was like a, I was kind of like a superwoman, like kinda, because I had to go out in the morning time and wear my corporate gear and talk about the magazine but I was on call as a phlebotomist. So I’d have to pull into the McDonald’s parking lot, take off my scrubs, I mean take off my corporate gear, put on my scrubs and go to work, you know, and then I had to start all over the other day, but the next day. But I believed that at some point God was gonna, it was all gonna work out. I just had to keep pushing, keep pushing it, believing that God said be courageous and do it. And so that is, I had to do it. So it’s been 10 years and it’s been an amazing journey. It’s really been an amazing journey.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
So how did you come up with the name of your magazine?

Talicia Barry
When I was going through, I talked about the women of God, they told me you got to be courageous. It was a scripture, Joshua 1:9. It says go forth, have I not commanded you to be courageous, you know. So that is the scripture that I, that is the foundation of Courageous Woman Magazine.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, wow, that’s amazing. And you are very courageous. So how do you choose, well I know now you have staff, gotta have staff. I know you’re not doing everything now.

Talicia Barry
No, at this time, no. We have designers, we have editors because we also publish books. So we have a staff of editors, designers, and every, you know, and assistants and people to kind of help make it happen. I still do a lot of work, so I do need more help, but definitely I couldn’t possibly do it all.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and the women who are in your magazine, not the cover stories, but which I’m going to ask you about a little later, but the women who are in your magazine, how do you choose them?

Talicia Barry
Well, a lot of the celebrities, we decide, we look at who they are and the journey that they have had and if it kind of coincides with our message of inspiring women, then we contact them and say, “Hey, would you like to be part of Courageous Woman?” And all of them have said yes. So it’s that part and then, you know, we promote women in business, we promote their products, their books, whether they have a brand that they need exposure or an event or something that, you know, we, it is a feat, it’s a paid promotion. So those are the women that contact us and they want to be a part of the publication to promote a product.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and you know, that was a question I was going to ask you and you already answered it because they’re like, “How did you meet Vanessa Bell Calloway and all the other celebs, you know, Vivica Fox?” You know, but like you say, you just reach out to them.

Talicia Barry
Well, Vanessa, actually my son played in a TV show with her, so he was her son in a TV show. So I met her there and we run into each other all the time and she’s just a really amazing person, just really, really cool. So we’ve actually had her on cover twice.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, so your son, he was in a sitcom called Girlfriends.

Talicia Barry
Yes, I found Jafari on Girlfriends, saying a lot of different things, but you know, a lot of people remember Girlfriends from that.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And your kids, your children, you said a little earlier about being a stage mom. Did you push them into being in entertainment or is it just something that they decided they wanted to do?

Talicia Barry
No, I think it was something that they really just decided they wanted to do because they grew up around it. You know, when they were, my ex-husband and I were producing gospel plays, so they were always around, they were always there and, you know, kind of, this is how they played, they played entertainment when they were little. I think my son was in one of our productions, like, I think he got the bug. And I also used to teach drama for kids, I had a kids’ troupe, so we had, all of my kids were part of the troupe and they kind of just caught the bug. So my daughters, two of my daughters are film, they graduate from film school, so they are into producing and directing.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Girl, that’s wonderful. So you have four, you have boys and girls or young men and young ladies?

Talicia Barry
Yeah, yeah, all adults, yes, and a grandchild, so yes.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, you know what, you are doing so much and the more you talk, the more comes out as far as your journey is concerned. You’ve done a whole lot, you know, that is so wonderful. But Talicia, I have to do a commercial and, you know, you got to pay for the show and so we will be right back with Talicia Barry in about, oh, maybe a minute and a half. See you in a minute and a half.

[Music]

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And I am so happy that your relationship with your daughter has improved.

[Music]

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, we are back with Talicia Barry. So I’d like to say to you, if you would like to advertise on the show with eye-catching videos and increase your visibility, you can contact us at 1-877-667-7325 for details or you can email me directly, janfornow125@gmail.com. We do all of our promos and commercials in-house. Now we are back with Talicia Barry. Now, you know, I told you we have audience participation and so I just see this one from Sandy Barney Innis and she says, “I may not be famous right now, but I am a courageous woman. I know that God has something special in store for me and you.” And she says, “Today you have inspired me. I’m excited. Joshua 1:9, watch out, here I come world, I’m here.”

Talicia Barry
Yes, go for it Sandy, you are a courageous woman, I know you are, I know you are. So now, now that you have, I know it was probably difficult when you had your children at home and then you were also trying to establish this business. Now you are, I would say you’re an empty nester, so to speak. Now doesn’t that make, wait a minute, what are you doing like, no, no, yeah, well, you know, you know, you know how that goes. [Laughter] So yeah.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, look, I do understand, I just have one son, but I’m like, when are you going to get married? So number one, you stop calling me and number two, you know, like go over there, you know, but anyway, that’s a whole nother story, that’s a whole nother story. So now you have published several authors, you do that also. Now is that something that you do on your own, you have a team that does that, and how do you choose what books to publish?

Talicia Barry
Well, definitely have a team, that’s just another division of Courageous Woman, is publishing the books. We publish a lot of anthologies, work with a lot of women who are not quite ready to write a whole book, but they have a story, and so we put them in one of our anthologies and they are only responsible for telling or sharing a chapter. So I do that because a lot of times it gets them all revved up and they inspired by just writing their chapter and being part of a book. And our goal is always to make them best-selling authors. And so we have a lot of fun with our co-authors of our anthologies. And now I’m teaching them how to take their chapter and turn it into a full book. So it’s been a journey and a lot of fun with that. And we also publish individual authors who might want to get their books published. So we kind of just do the work for them. And actually we have a boot camp coming up so that I’ll teach them how to just do this so they can do it on their own.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Oh my goodness. Now you said earlier that you are also an author.

Talicia Barry
Yes, my first novel was The Baptist Junkie.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Now what was that about? I love that title.

Talicia Barry
It’s a Christian fiction drama. So if you like, it’s kind of like the church meets the neighborhood, the hood, you know. So it’s a real life story based on real people, real people I know, real family members. And it’s just a family story, you know, whose journey was, she was raised in the 60s and 70s. So she’s raised in the 60s and 70s and she got pregnant out of wedlock and her father said a couple words that sent her on a tailspin of, he said she was ruined. And that’s just, it wasn’t that he wasn’t a good father, he was a pastor himself, but that’s what he knew and what he believed. And it took her on a journey of poor choices and men and relationships and drugs and all of that. And when she really didn’t know that she needed to just forgive herself and that God was going to always be there. So the story is a journey of her life.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay.

Talicia Barry
So now it’s being shopped as a movie deal. So I’m super excited.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Congratulations, that’s wonderful.

Talicia Barry
Yeah, so hopefully we’ll get that on the screen soon. So that was my dream when I wrote it.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
That is wonderful. So do you have some actresses in mind who you feel that you’d like to play that part of The Baptist Junkie?

Talicia Barry
Absolutely, you know, I got those characters already in my hand. [Laughter] Yes, I just need a couple million dollars.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Well, you know, wait, but wait a minute, but won’t he do it?

Talicia Barry
Yes, I know he will do it. I told you I had $30, so I’m a believer and that’s something I have to tell myself like, okay, you know, you didn’t have that, but God made a way, he made it happen. So I’m gonna keep believing that this journey is going to be a lot of things that don’t seem like it’s possible, but when you believe, everything is possible.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Right, so now that was your first book. So you’ve written, how many other books have you written?

Talicia Barry
You know what, somebody said we had 10. I really don’t like you wrong, really. They’re part of our anthologies. I have a book, I have another book, my personal book that’s coming up, Girl, Get Yourself Together. So that is something I, it’s just my journey of sharing and, you know, telling women how to be better mentally, physically, spiritually, because that’s something I had to say to myself. We had to learn to pray for ourselves and speak over ourselves and just talk and encourage ourselves. We don’t have anyone else there. So that’s what I had to tell myself, girl, look, I’m talking to myself like I was my sister. Okay, all right, every morning I’m like, girl, okay, after you’re pregnant, get yourself together, get up, go do what you got to do. Ain’t no crying, no feeling sorry for yourself. You know, I may have battled depression, even that I had to talk myself through that. You know, I had to pray for myself through that. You had to lay hands on myself through that, you know, but I, you know, it’s like, get it together.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right, wow. So now, is that a hard, hardback, hardcover book or ebook or?

Talicia Barry
They’re all softcover books.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, okay, okay. And they are available on Amazon.

Talicia Barry
Okay.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Just put in Talicia Barry, you’ll find all of our books.

Talicia Barry
Okay, Talicia, girl, look, I’m like, whoa, go ahead with your bad self. And so now, you know, this show is all about relationships and with the, I’ll say the actresses that you have on your cover, once you reach out to them and they consent, you know, to be in your magazine, do you still have a relationship there with them? Do you maintain relationships with them or is this just, you know?

Talicia Barry
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we may not talk every day or, you know, talking to your girlfriends, but they definitely have a mutual love and respect. You know, I just saw Jodie Watley last, I think it was June, I was at the, she was the host of the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame, which I was a part of. And so I got a chance to connect, reconnect with her there and she had recently been on the cover for the second time just a couple months before that. So I was able to give her her copies and, you know, get a chance to talk with her. And yeah, so we definitely love to, it’s relationships are really super important. You know, after, you know, like a lot of women have been on our cover and, you know, we still communicate or I’m doing other projects and they’re involved in other projects and, you know, keeping a line of communication, open line of communication that I can, I can call Vanessa, you know, I’ve called her on different projects that I’ve worked on and she’s given me some advice. It’s important to maintain relationships, not just, you know, with business relationship, family relationships, you know, it’s good to make sure that you, you know, keeping good relationships.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, and you’re doing so many things. How do you adjust at your professional life and your personal life? How do you adjust? What are you, so I’m, what I’m getting to, what do you, it seems like to me, like you say, you almost work 24/7. So what do you do when you feel like I’ve got to step away or do you ever step away? But so what do you do just to center yourself and just get away and, you know, just push back a little bit or do you?

Talicia Barry
You know, multiple things. I get in the center of my bed, kick my feet up and just relax because I’m a person who don’t watch TV a lot. I’ll turn on the TV and, you know, catch a movie or, you know, or just go out with my kids or just, you know, take some time. Now I’m on this, you know, one day a week self-care. So I want to go to the beach and I sit there by myself and then just enjoy, you know, the sand and the sky and the sun and be grateful and talk to the Lord and, you know, I think it’s important, especially if you’re a busy mom or an entrepreneur, that you take that time for yourself. And I didn’t realize that it was so valuable and so needed. You gotta stop and take some time for you. You love on yourself, you know what I mean? Go get your hair done, get your nails done, get your feet done, go get a massage, you know? And so I’m learning to do more of that. I’m not all the way there yet, I have to be honest, but I am just learning to just, you know, take some time, just kick your feet up, go sit on the porch, you know what I mean? Sit in your backyard, wherever, and just enjoy just some time, just the me time. I enjoy myself or being with myself.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, you know, when we talk about relationships, I always tell people it’s not only your professional relationships and your relationships that you have with other people, but it’s also the relationship with yourself, you know? And a lot of times we as women in business or entrepreneurs, we have to remember that not only do we give of ourselves to other people, but we have to give ourselves to ourselves. And it’s kind of hard. I know I talked with a lot of women and it’s like, I just don’t have any time for myself. I’m doing this, that, this, that, another. And I tell them, no, you’ve got to take time for yourself. You have to just snatch it.

Talicia Barry
Thank you.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
You’ll never find the time. You will never find the time. You have to take it. So now there are probably a lot of women and young ladies who think about, who might think about publishing a magazine. As a matter of fact, I thought about it at one time and I thought, ooh, that’s too much work. But so what advice would you give them? What, you know, what advice would you give them?

Talicia Barry
I definitely would say do some research. It’s not an easy thing. It may look glamorous, look fun, but it’s a lot of work and it is a business. And so you have to go at it as a business, not just, you know, putting your friends on the cover and all that kind of, it is a business. And if you want to be successful, you want to treat it like a business. Do your research, your homework, make sure it’s something that you really, really, really in your heart want to do because it’s a lot. In the beginning, you probably will wear a lot of hats and it is a tough, it’s not easy. But I always say, you know, do your homework first. That’s number one, research and find out everything. You know, I actually have mentored some women on, coached some women in starting their publications. So it’s something that, it’s an awesome business. So yeah, if anyone interested in learning that, I absolutely coach women as well.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Okay, so what is your ultimate goal?

Talicia Barry
My ultimate goal is, you know, being an actress in the beginning of, you know, my younger years, I would love to do that again. You know, so we’re creating, my daughter and I, during the pandemic, I was just feeling like I wanted to, you know, write more and I was working on a play that I had started many years earlier. And my daughter’s like, “Why would you do it?” And I told her about this play, just, you know, I love when my kids will sit, they listen to me and my stories. And so, “Okay, come on, that’s not a play.” And so she’s a director, she says, “Mom, that’s a web series.” So she has taken it and ran with it and developed it into a web series. And so now we’re working on it now, preparing to cast for a web series. So I’m super excited about that. That is my ultimate goal when I was acting, to act again and to write and produce. So now that is the next journey of my life is to get back into doing that and see my work on the screen.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
That is amazing. Girl, you are courageous.

Talicia Barry
I’m tired.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
No, you’re not. No, you’re not. You’re not gonna come, honey. Yes, because you have so much on your plate, so much that you’re putting on your plate and everything that you talked about, it’s like stepping out there, you know, because so, oh, I see a little, a little somebody. Wait a minute, wait, wait. It’s so weird when I first saw the little head go back, I was like, “Who is that in my house?” That’s your grandbaby?

Talicia Barry
Yeah, he just woke up, so he’s a little out of it.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
That’s cute. No, but what I was saying is that you’re really stepping out there and that’s what I love to hear that instead of sitting back and saying, “Oh, I don’t know, people might not want to see the web series. Oh, I don’t know if this,” you know, but you are stepping out there and you have a lot of faith. And so many women start thinking when they think about something that they want to do that’s outside of the box, you know what I’m saying? They’re getting here, “Oh, nobody, no, nobody’s gonna want to hear that or read that or see that or whatever.” But I admire you because, I mean, you’re stepping out there.

Talicia Barry
You gotta step out there. If you want something, it’s not coming to the door to get you. You gotta go outside the door and get it. And that’s what I encourage women to do. If God put something on your heart, a business or a book or anything, you’ve got to go and get it. It’s not just going to happen. You’ve got to make, you know, if God put it on your heart, he gave it to you, he gave you a dream or a vision, then you got to take the steps to get it, you know, put the action to it. You got to put the pen to the paper. You got to make it happen. A book cannot write itself, you know.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Very true.

Talicia Barry
You have to do it. If you have a dream, you can’t talk. A lot of times, I mean, I’m guilty of it too. I’ve talked myself out of doing things. Like, I’m like, “Okay, that’s too big. Like, I don’t know if I can do that one.” But I’m like, “You know what? God gave me this. I’m gonna at least try.” You got to get out there and make things happen. And, you know, because I’m inspired by women who do. That’s why I started Courageous Woman. I’m inspired by these women that we feature. I mean, start quiet by their stories, you know, their journeys. And that’s why I even started. I was looking for these women who are doing major stuff because I had, I want to do this. Let me see if somebody else has done it, you know. Even if they haven’t, you know, there’s always a trailblazer. There’s always, somebody’s got to start. There’s always a pioneer, you know what I mean? Be the pioneer, you know.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Are you, look, you inspiring me. Well, I mean, most definitely you are inspiring me because sometimes I’m like, “I don’t know. I’m not going to reach out to that person. They’re not, you know, they don’t know me or, oh, it’s just too big.” But you have inspired me.

Talicia Barry
I’ve been really surprised when I did move on something or I might like, “I don’t know if I should do that one.” But I, some said, “You know, go for it.” When you go for it, the results like, “Yes, yes.” So you gotta, you know, you gotta go. Don’t talk yourself out of it. We are our worst critics.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yes, and that’s very true. So what actor or actress would you like to work with?

Talicia Barry
Oh, there’s so many. I definitely would like to work with Denzel.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
I was getting ready to say, wait a minute. I was gonna say, I didn’t want to say it before you, but I’m gonna say Denzel.

Talicia Barry
That’s a lot. It’s a lot of major awesome actresses that I just envisioned, you know, working with or being part of our projects. We got a list of them for the projects we’re working on. We got ideal actresses that we would love to work with. So absolutely. So I’m looking for that in the next journey of my life. So I’m just gonna believe.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right, all right. The Baptist Junkies starring, co, no, well, it’s got to be a woman, but co-starring Denzel and I don’t know. I have so many women, actresses that I love. Oh, what’s her name? Wanted, I did, what is it? Keith of Murder. You know what I’m talking about? The one that was a little, she was a, I can’t, I’m looking at her face and yeah, she was the lawyer. She was killing up everybody, killing everybody. I can’t, and I’m, look, I’m gonna think of it. Okay, audience out there, who am I talking about? Somebody put Tyler Perry. I’m not talking, no, the woman, but yes, Viola Davis. Thank you, Carol. Oh, okay, everybody. How to get away with murder. Yeah, how to get away with murder. Cool, cool. My daughter worked on that show. Yeah, that’s cool. Okay, I love her. She’s a brilliant actress. I would love to work with, oh gosh, what’s her name? Now you got me messing up names. She played in The Help with Viola. It was her friend in Viola. Oh, I have another project that I would love for her to play a role in. I can’t pick my name right now. Yeah, but I know you’re talking about, I can see your face. A lot of them now, I would be just, it’s so many amazing actresses. You know, I would like to create diverse movies and films with, you know, even our publications. So definitely, I would love to work with so many amazing people that I’m praying about and, you know.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Yeah, well, I’ve got one quick commercial I have to do and then we will be right back with Talicia, the powerhouse, Talicia Barry. When I grow up, Talicia, I want to be just like you.

[Music]

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All right, we are back with Talicia Barry and, oh, oh, Carol is, oh, Carol, look, she, Octavia, thank you. And Carol is also an inspiring author and she’s someone that I know and she’s also a very, very courageous woman. So my last question for you, Talicia, is a question that came in off of another one of these platforms. What would you most want to be remembered for as far as your legacy is concerned?

Talicia Barry
Well, I would say inspiring people to do and be better, no matter where they are, no matter what they’ve come from, no matter what age they are, that all things are possible if you just believe it. Just, you know, just encouraging people. That’s what I would love to be remembered for, this woman who was courageous enough to do what she needed to do but encourage other women along the way.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
All righty. Okay, so now if you would like to follow Talicia, and I know that you do, I know you want to, Facebook, just go to Talicia Barry, that’s T-E-L-I-S-H-I-A Barry, and or go to her Instagram page, which is Courageous Woman Mag, and you can also go to her website, which is courageouswomanmag.com. Let, girl, please, it’s courageouswomanmag.com, and also the IG is underscores after each word, so it’s still mag, but just courageous on that, but okay, underscores under courageous and under, but it’s courageouswomanmag.com. Okay, so I’m going to whip somebody with a wet noodle because they didn’t do that like they’re supposed to. No, I’m not. Yeah, right, because we all make little mistakes, so I would just have to, you know, with a wet noodle, of course. But Talicia, thank you so, so very much for being my guest. You are a courageous woman and you are an inspiration. When I, I’m not kidding when I say that you have inspired me. I mean, really, really, I am not kidding. You have inspired me. I know, really, I am going to step out there and do these things that, you know, back here somewhere, like, no, I’m gonna do, I’m gonna do it because, because you have proven that, number one, listen, listen, listen, that’s number one, have faith and just step out and just never, I really, I really admire you. I really, really appreciate you being my guest, honestly.

Talicia Barry
Thank you for having me. It’s been my pleasure, a lot of fun. Thank you for allowing me to come and to share and encourage women. It is, that’s what it’s all about. And, you know, don’t be afraid. You know, we are, like I said, we have our worst critics. Don’t criticize yourself. Don’t talk yourself out of, you know, what God’s called you for. That’s how we find our purpose, by just walking all through it.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
And you’re right, you’re right, you’re right. So I want you to have a, you’re out in LA where it’s nice and sunny. Go out, girl, sit on your porch, enjoy the rest of the sun, the rest of the day, and have a very blessed rest of your day.

Talicia Barry
You too. Thank you so much again and thank you.

Dr. Janice Hooker Fortman
Wow, that was amazing. That was amazing and she is amazing. And, you know, she is right. Step out there. If you have a dream, if you have something that is on the back burner, Sandy, I know you came in and you say the world is waiting. We are, the world is waiting for you. And Carol, I know you got a book that you’ve been writing for quite some time. And so I’m putting you on blast. Yes, I am. I’m putting you on blast. Hurry up and get that book out because I want to read it. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. And wait, let me talk to me and Dr. Jan. Get that book out. Get that other book out that you have started and stopped and started and stopped. Get it out. You know, model yourself after Talicia because she’s someone to be modeled after. So I want to thank everyone who’s come on my show and I want to thank just my viewers. I really hope that you got a lot out of this. I’m pushing for you to be a courageous woman. And we didn’t talk about her man, her magazine, Courageous Man, but I know some courageous men out there too. And I want you all to be courageous. So in the meantime and in between time, I’m happy that you’re here and I want all of you to have the rest of your day, morning, afternoon, or evening to be a wonderfully blessed morning, afternoon, or evening. Remember, there are all kinds of relationships. There are all kinds of relationship matters and relationships do matter. See you next week. [Music]