From Studio to Stage: Transforming Youth Through Dance

From Studio to Stage: Transforming Youth Through Dance

About Dr. Carla M. Hooker

Dr. Carla M. Hooker CEO of Karla’s Kids,. Since 1991, she’s empowered youth through dance and the arts. Discover how creativity transforms lives—and be inspired by her mission to uplift, educate, and ignite purpose. Her journey will definitely inspire You!

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Introduction

Good, beautiful day, beautiful, beautiful souls! This is Charla Anderson, host of the Charla Anderson Show~Collector & Connector of Fascinating People (& EVERYONE is Fascinating!), especially you. 

I am so excited today to get to introduce you to my guest, Carla Hooker, who is the Extraordinary. She does so many things, so many she’s an advocate for the disabled. She’s an author. She’s a speaker. She’s in government. She’s a little bit of everything and we’re gonna get to know her. 

…BUT FIRST…

We’re gonna give it a little to any two-second mini vacation. We’re gonna take a be still in no moment and breathe in some calm and then we’re gonna hold and breathe out some gratitude. So let’s just go there. Okay, breathe in your calm. Here we go. Hold. Relax, release. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Yeah, we need to put our little machines down and breathe and listen a little bit more, don’t you think? 

Well, I am so grateful to know and get to know Carla Hooker. 

She and I are both very privileged to be in a book called The Change with Jim Britt, Jim Lutz, and Les Brown. So welcome, Carla. That’s where we met in the mastermind with these brilliant people. And I want to just get to know you a bit. Tell us who you are in this world, and then we’ll talk about how you serve and how they can find you.

Absolutely. Thank you for having me, Charla. I am Carla Hooker. I’ve been known for the last 35 years as a kids dance specialist because I have taught children for over 35 years confidence and resilience through dance.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And I don’t think I said that in the introduction because I meant to KarlasKidsDance.org And that’s a K, K-A-R-L-A, even though her name is C-A-R-L-A.

Yes, thanks to my dad.

We all have stories, right? So that’s great. And that’s what my show is about. It’s just we telling our story, right? So we can tell our story, our story of where we’ve been and how we got here. It’s about overcoming. It’s about hope and offering just genuine hope for humanity, for the people that need it right now. And you’re doing that with these kids’ dance classes. I really want to know how you got into that.

Well, my parents, I was a busybody as a little kid. At three years old, my parents wanted to enroll me in something that would help channel some of that energy. So they signed me up for dance classes for ballet and tap. And that’s how it all got started at Art Linkletter Dance Studio when I was in preschool. The Art Linkletter bus would pick me up from preschool and take me off. And I always remember Charla, the kids who didn’t get to go with me. They would pick me up, but the others stayed behind. 

And I remember my teacher dressing me in my leotard and tights and my tutu, and I’m going off with my little dance bag, and all the other kids that I would watch crying because they couldn’t go. And it was because their parents didn’t have the money to send them, or they just, for whatever reason. But I remember how sad they were. And that stayed with me as an adult. And it made me decide that I wanted to have dance classes and teach children who were still in that same area of Washington, D.C., even though I lived in Maryland as an adult. I wanted to be able to teach them how to dance without finances being a barrier. And so that’s what I did. And that’s how Carla’s Kids got started.

That’s beautiful. You can see that you’re the special one, you get to get all fluffied up and go coat off. And, and, uh, and you kind of had probably had a little celebrity status, but what I hear, what I’m hearing is that you had a huge heart for the, uh, that they, they weren’t able to go. You didn’t let it go to your head as far as I’m concerned, you know, got it right or something like that.

Absolutely.

What a gift that was, because it could go either way. And it does sometimes, right?

Right.

Yeah. Oh, so that’s sweet. So, you teach, you have a live studio and teach.

I’ve taught all kinds of dance since 1990. I started in Washington DC with kids in the Anacostia corridor of southeast Washington, which was known at that time for a lot of crimes and and drugs and just all kinds of things that were going on that were negative. At first it bothered me, but it didn’t bother me to the point to do something about it. But I was bedridden for a year and after I was able to walk again, after being bedridden for a year and sick, when I went back by that school, it was a school my mother taught at. It was called Savoy Elementary in Anacostia, right across from the Anacostia subway station. 

I said, I got to do something. It kept bothering me. It was piercing my spirit to do something. And I was like, I just had to get involved. My mom was a school teacher at the school in that area. My dad was a police officer in the 7th district, which is the same precinct. And my dad was like, why are you worried about it? There’s nothing you can really do to change it. And I said, well, I am. And I did. And that’s when I started Carla’s Kids, because I said, these kids should have a safe haven, and they shouldn’t have to walk out here through this every day, going to school and coming back. Just crime and drugs and prostitution and just things that kids should not have to experience going to school or on their way home. Because school is, again, a safe haven. And I felt like they needed to be protected. So that’s why I started Carla’s Kids. That gave me that extra push to get it started.

So an advocate then for the kids, and I know you advocate for disabled. There’s so much that you do, and you just are obviously born with a heart to serve and to make a difference in so many ways, and we’ll talk more about all that. So you were able to open a dance studio. Did it change the environment for the kids?

Oh, absolutely. And it gave them opportunities that they wouldn’t have had. The original group that I started with was able to go to the Kennedy Center and perform. And a lot of those kids in that original group, we were able to manifest through me speaking the affirmations I was speaking about them going further. We’ll be able to go to the Kennedy Center one day. We’ll be able to meet Arthur Mitchell one day. Well, it led not only for opportunities for them, but for me, I was awarded a full scholarship to the Dance Theatre of Harlem by Arthur Mitchell at the Kennedy Center because of that.

Whoa, so those of us not in the dance world, a lot of the names may or may not be familiar.

Right. Arthur Mitchell was the founder of the world-renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem Ballet Company in New York City.

Спикер 1: Wow.

He was with George Balanchine with the New York City Ballet, the first African-American to dance with the New York City Ballet. So he was my mentor, became my mentor, and like a second dad to me. And he helped really influence these kids’ lives and mine as well. And these were opportunities that they wouldn’t have had because their parents wouldn’t have been able to afford the dance lessons at other schools and other academies. But I saw something in them and I saw raw talent, and I cultivated tha,t and the opportunities came just back to back to back to dance all over the city.

Wow. Well, and obviously, you know, honestly, it’s you, you cared you were somebody that in that environment that they could count on that they, you know, I’m guessing that you hug them and love them and they care, you know, you’re able to instill some things in a harsh environment.

Oh, yeah.

Wow. What a beautiful story. And it just gives me chills a little bit. So I think, you know, when you can influence a whole community, it’s beautiful.

And they grew up to be. I call them world changers. There are several who are ministers now and pastors. So that makes me feel great. And they still call me ma. They remember things that I have forgotten. I used to take them to my one-bedroom apartment and I would have anywhere from 18 to 30 children spending the night. And they remember that. I have one who’s an artist in Texas. I can’t remember which city, but he’s called Nate G. He’s very popular, a very popular entertainer. 

He has a college degree, graduated with honors, but he also is still an entertainer. He was one of the kids that won $500 and a trophy bigger than he was when he was 10 years old due to me teaching him how to tap. And he won the BET Talent Search in Washington, D.C., competing against adults, and received $500 and this trophy. And he had to carry the money back because he was a kid. They didn’t give him a check. So he carried the money back because he caught the subway on the subway back home to Anacostia. Five hundred dollars. Five hundred dollars back then in the 90s. Yeah. And a big trophy almost as tall as he was. Oh my goodness. He stays in touch.

I bet.

And he lets people know. He said, “I taught him not only how to be a gentleman, but also how to monetize his talent.” And he still sometimes teaches tap classes in Texas.

Oh, wow.

So it makes me proud. I even had one that went to the WNBA.

Wow. So you instilled the confidence. This is what I think it is. You’re instilling the confidence and you don’t have to stay stuck in your environment, in a bad environment or a circumstance that you don’t prefer. And I say this all the time, where we are is all we have. They didn’t have a choice to be where they were, but they had a choice of how they got there, but they had a choice of how they left there and next step. Absolutely.

Wow.

You had said you said you had been bedridden for a year before you opened your first one. Yes, so as I said, my store, I didn’t know that and that’s the overcoming story here, right? So, what’s going on with that? That’s harsh. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that.

I was home during my ser break from East Carolina University down here in North Carolina. And I bumped into the side of the counter in the kitchen at work. I was working for the National Council for Early Childhood that gives credentialing to daycare centers across the country. They thought I did a really good job. I bumped into the counter and I was like, oh, wow, I’m really sore back there. But no, that counter bump was, I think, a God bump to let me know that there was something else going on in my body. It got to hurting so badly, I told my brother, I need to go to the ER. 

He was like, what are you talking about? I said, I bumped into the counter, but it feels like I’m sitting on something. Long story short, I go to the ER and I was sitting on something. I was sitting on a cyst the size of a grapefruit with an abscess on top of it that was even bigger.

Whoa.

And that bump aggravated it, but it was good that it did because if it had ruptured, it could have poisoned my whole system. So emergency procedure to at least lance the abscess that was on top. And then I had this big, literally a big hole in my behind that had to be packed and they had to just leave it open. It sounds gross, it felt gross, but I couldn’t, after they did that, I couldn’t walk.

It affected your nerves or your muscles?

It was very close to my spine. It was pressing, like here’s my spine and it was kind of pressing up against my spine. So I had to be very careful. I couldn’t really do anything. By the time I had gotten to the ER that night before they lanced the abscess, I was walking like a 90-year-old lady or a thousand-year-old lady. I could barely move. And it was putting that much pressure on the spine and the nerves around the spinal cord. And they were like, we’re glad you came today because if you had come tomorrow, this thing could have ruptured and it could have poisoned your system. And it’s pressing on your spine. It probably could have prevented you from being able to walk ever.

Yeah.

Good grief. So it took a year to heal from that. And I had forgotten all about the cyst that was up under because this abscess had had me bedridden for a year. And then they were like, oh, now we’re going to schedule your surgery. And I said, surgery, I’ve already had surgery and it’s taken a whole year to heal. And they said, you forgot, you still have that cyst that’s got to be removed. We can’t let that just stay in you like that. And I said, this is kind of dangerous. And they said, yeah, but it can’t stay. 

That was more. I was in the bed even longer.

So while you’re in bed, so you’re in bed and can’t move and you barely, probably barely get around and I’m guessing your mind kept busy.

Yeah, I was like, why is this happening? I’ve got my brother taking care of me, which I didn’t like at all. I love my brother, God rest his soul. But he was home right before he, he had just graduated from high school and he was about to go into the Navy. So he was available and luckily he didn’t mind doing it between him working at the National Gallery of Art. He became an art major when he went away to college after he went to the service first, but he was my caregiver.

That’s an awkward position, so to speak.

But I’m glad he did it because I didn’t have anybody else to care for me. My parents were at work. And here I am home from college on break and dealing with this. And it was frustrating. It taught me to be even more patient than I already was. And it taught me that anything can happen. Things that are unexpected can happen to anybody. I was in the best shape of my life then. I was probably wearing about a size eight. I was modelling. I was doing it all. And then, bam, everything came to a screeching halt.

And that’s a tough age. I mean, you’re young and ready to, you know, moving and shaking, right? So that’s, wow.

The whole year. And then I told my parents after that, after the abscess, after the surgery, I said, That’s it. I’m not going back. And they were like, what? My mom, especially my mom being an educator, you’re not going back to where? I said, I’m not going back to school. I feel like I’ve got to do more with my life. And she was looking at me like she was going to take my life from me if I didn’t take my hips back down the road to North Carolina. And then I told my dad, and Charla, that my parents were disciplinarians. They believed in me living my goals and my dreams. They believed in me completing things.

Education.

Education was important. And we’ve already invested all this money for you to go out of state. And now I kind of laugh about it because it was 4,000 a semester, which doesn’t seem that much now, but it was a lot of money then, between 1986 and 90. And I was like, I just, I’m not going back. And they’re like, you’re a junior, you’re going back. And I’m like, I’m not. They said, well, what are you going to do? And I said, I need to help the kids. And they said, what kids? And I said, the kids in Anacostia where you all work. And they were like, why? And I said, I just, I’ve been in this bed and I just feel that something’s calling me to help them. And I don’t know how I convinced them because they were really angry at first.

I still don’t to this day. I even asked my mom before she passed last year and even earlier this year when she was still doing pretty well. And then I asked my dad, over the last two years before he passed last year. And they were like, I don’t know, you talked us into it and then we were on board with what you were doing. So I’m glad they didn’t just cut me off and they went with it, even though my dad thought, they both thought I had really bumped my head and lost my mind for a minute. And then when my dad found out that I wasn’t only helping them, he got on board with me teaching the classes. But then when I said, I’m going to pick them up from their homes, and take them to my home too.

And he was just like, that’s not safe. You don’t need to go in those buildings. Because again, he was a police officer in that area. And I was going into the buildings, like past junkies and drug dealers and prostitutes. And I would speak. And after a while, they called me the dance lady in that area. And he was like, they’re going to steal your car. You’re going to get mugged. You’re going to get beat up. And none of that happened. I was like Miss Frizzle of Anacostia. That’s how I was.

So, you know, your dad’s the protector and you know, he wants to get in and he’s but he’s also very fear He’s coming from a fear base, right? And I’m come I come from a faith base where I know I’m protected, I really walk in the shield of protection Psalm 91 over me or the 10,000 angels over me. I’m all I believe I’m walking in protection and who I say I am is bold faith, no fear. And so when you speak those things.

He had faith, and he was an officer in the church at Rehoboth Baptist Church at the time. My mom was an elder at her Presbyterian church, but they just thought, they couldn’t fathom why I, their daughter, was putting myself at risk going in these buildings. And I said, I have to make sure the kids are safe. And they said, well, you just wait in the van and let them come out to you. And then when you drop them off, just wait. And I said, I can’t do that. I got to make sure they’re safe.

You had a, I mean, you were driven, obviously driven to make a difference, driven to make an impact. Is that school still going away? I mean, that’s been a while.

Right, not the one in DC. I’ve been teaching down here in North Carolina. I took some time off and right now I’m on a sabbatical from that because I had been caregiving for my mom. But I will be getting back into that again, because people are like, when are classes starting? When are classes starting? When are classes starting? When are classes starting?

You know, when you hear, when I’m listening to your story, and it took one person, one person to step out and say, I’m taking care of these kids. One person changed the community. I mean, so often we just, oh, it’s just me. I don’t know what I can do. but there’s a lot, right, we can do. So you’ve, and I know you’d advocate for the disabled, you’re in the Lions. I mean, do you want to list all your stuff or do you just want to touch, you know, tell stories, which is, you know, awesome.

You can ask me whatever and I’ll gladly tell. I advocate for the disabled, especially those with invisible disabilities. Like, because I have invisible disabilities in Charla, I know what it felt like as a child to be left out of things, especially at school during P.E. and recess, because I was born with sickle cell disease and thalassemia, which are two rare blood disorders that cause a lot of pain. It causes drops in their oxygen levels. And the pain crises can be, that’s what it’s called, can be very excruciating. Like the way I describe it to people is like shards of glass scraping through your veins. That’s what it feels like.

Yikes.

Yeah. And people say, well, do you ever have a day when you’re never hurting? No, I do things to keep my mind busy, to do my best to keep my mind off of the pain.

You get what you focus on. If you’re focusing on pain, you get more of what you focus on. I think that’s amazing because I’m kind of like that too. I’m 71 years old and I don’t take any meds. I’ve I’m just healthy. So I’m grateful for that. And but, you know, every so often, I get a little cold or something. I’m like, man, this is to show me how grateful I should be. Yes, to have not have bad things. So are hard things to physically, generally speaking. Right. So, disabled and you do a lot of volunteer work for the, oh, wait, you ran for, did you run for office?

Yes, I ran for office. I wasn’t planning on doing that. I got pumped up by one of my mentors, Forbes Riley, and she said, why not you? And then I said, well, maybe I will. My daughter was like, you should do it, mommy. And I did it. And now I’m on the Lee County School Board or Lee County Board of Education.

Well, now Forbes Riley, I’ve met her too. She’s cool. Yeah. Yes. About 2018, I think I met her, but yeah, she’s, she’s a go getter.

And she, yes, she said, why not? You do it, Carla hooker. They need you.

And I know that for me and my community, I was, you know, I never, I was raised, I was a flight attendant and commuting and working max hours and raising three kids and had three step kids. And, you know, it was just like, I would vote in the presidential elections, but anybody else could go for the school board and the things. And I believe that so many of us probably did that, that we’ve abdicated our morals and values along the way.

And all of a sudden, it got a little crazy out here. So I think we needed to, like we say, stay in our communities, take care of each other, take care of our neighbors, take care of our families. just circle the wagons in our communities. Absolutely. And as you did, it expanded globally with your influence. Amazing.

Truly amazing. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I enjoy it. And then I’m a Lion. The Lions Club International, and I am a member of the Sanford Lions Club here, which is the largest Lions Club in the state of North Carolina. And we deal with people who have visual impairments, not just the blind, but the blind and visually impaired. And also a lot of people don’t know, but people who are hearing impaired as well is another one of our missions. internationally with Lions Club. You can find the Lions Club in almost I won’t say every single country but in many countries in the world and pretty much every city and state in the United States there’s a Lions Club.

Well I’ve certainly heard about them and but I’ve never really gotten close enough to know what that much what they were doing so that’s that’s a great advocacy for sure too. And you said said disabled in the that that’s interesting because I remember years and years ago when they first started having handicap stickers you know things and one of my neighbors had a handicap sticker but she could walk fine she looked fine what she but she wasn’t She didn’t she couldn’t use her arms, right? And you know, you can’t carry groceries and things like that So that was at the art, you know, I thought that’s I never thought of it like that, right?

And I get dirty looks and I tell I put it on my page. Sometimes I haven’t put it up in a while But i’ll put up before you judge and you see this symbol and it’ll be the handicap symbol I’ll say you don’t know what’s going on inside of that person I’ve had people see me with my back brace on and go Oh, you just recently had surgery? Unsolicited questions and unsolicited advice that they want to give. I’m minding my business. 

And I’ll go, no, I had surgery, a complete back reconstructive surgery in 2016. And they go, oh, well, why are you still wearing that thing? Well, I need it because of sickle cell disease. in avascular necrosis and I’ll either give them something like that or I’ll say, well, my back still hurts from it. I’ve got spinal issues that go on.

And why is that? Why is that their business?

It’s not their business, but usually if they ask or they

They’re interested.

Yeah, I’ll go ahead, because it’ll help them understand better, instead of just ignoring them and walking away.

And I’m grateful, you know, there’s, there’s something out in our world, I think I call it a spirit of offense, everybody’s kind of waiting to be offended. And what a gift you you’re able to just give them an explanation or, you know, calmly and not, not, not get upset, right?

To wonder and look at me funny. I’d rather you just ask or go ahead and make the comment because that way we can clear it all up. And then maybe the next time they won’t be so judgmental of someone else and it’ll open up their eyes and their heart to other people and understanding that everything that is going on with someone you can’t always see.

You never can see it all because most of it’s in our Well, I want it okay, so I’m gonna take a quick break here a mini moment because I have a little of an amazing product I want to tell you about and we’re gonna take a quick break and we’ll be right back. Okay So we take a little pause and now we’re back with Carla Hooker and I can’t take, I’m gonna taste my, take my little shot of Omega-3 Are Your Cells Squishy or Crunchy? 

Amazing stuff. So thank you for that patience there and that little message that we insert. And so I want to talk about the change book. We mentioned it in the beginning. You’ve got yours behind you the change book But what I’m curious about is what I’ve heard Yeah, the change insights into self-empowerment Empowerment with a less brown on the cover Jim Lutzen

Jim Britt. These are the, I want you to talk about them. I heard you talking about them with Nicole Harvick, right? So just let’s talk about how you’re managing. I mean, I’ve not really marketed it well. I feel the credibility factor of being in that book is so amazing.

It is.

So how are you using it? Because I would love to get on your coattails.

This book gets you into rooms that you or I might not normally be able to get into. It also gives more credibility to what I do. And now that I’ve been walking more into the professional speaking world, when I say that I’ve trained with these two and they’re my colleagues, people’s ears go up. Even when I’m not talking to that, I might not even be talking to that person, I might be talking to someone else, but people start to listen.

Especially when I say Jim Britt was Tony Robbins’ first coach. light bulbs go off, you can see it in their eyes, their head, you can see the ears perk up and people leaning in. And it just works. And it helps sell more books. I’ve sold books in Hallmark and at Starbucks.

My goodness, how do you do that?

I just called, and with Hallmark, I walked in, asked for the manager. When the manager was finally in, I went and introduced myself. I took the book, autographed one for the manager, and she was like, oh, wow, really? And then I explained about who they were, Jim and Jim. I told her how Jim is a mind expert. That gets people, they get really excited when you say that. And then when I say I have them on speed dial, then they know that’s a closer relationship than just a publisher of my book. And it works. 

And they had everything set up for me. I went by there to pick up a couple cards a couple months ago. I forgot for whom, somebody’s birthday or something like that. And she said, are you ready to do another book signing at our store? I said, sure, you want the same book or would you rather wait until my new one comes out? She said, either way, or we can do both.

Nice.

Starbucks is the same thing. Just call.

Never occurred to me to think that Starbucks would do that.

They had me set up in the middle of the store. So people came in, they might not have bought as many books, but they were listening. And then those who came and sat down at the table with me, I could tell them about what I did, about the gym and gym, And people listen. And then that kind of networking, like Jim tells us to do all the time, the kid, one of the kids that worked in there, I learned about him having POTS. I hadn’t heard of that before. 

It’s a neuromuscular disorder. And he looked fine again, but you see how he was drawn, we were drawn on the same frequencies. And then the other thing, Charla, his dad was some type of videographer or expert that sets up events like Jim and Jim have all the time. That wasn’t a coincidence.

Whoa.

Yeah.

And have you met Jim and Jim in person?

No, I can’t wait to meet them in person.

Jim Lutz, L-U-T-E-S and Jim Britt, B-R-I-T-T. These guys are literally, that didn’t, isn’t Jim Britt in the top 50 speakers, I think in the world. It may just be United States, but he’s, he’s been And when you’re Tony Robbins’ first coach. And so the benefit of being in this book, well, by the way, the change, this book is not available on Amazon. It’s a more independent book. So you can’t just go to Amazon, right, and grab it. 

So you want to meet us. You want to meet us and let us bring it to you and get it signed because it’s amazing. It’s got 20 other, about 20 authors in each book. But the benefit of being in this book, and if you ever do want to have a credibility piece like this, you call her or me, Carla or Charla, and get in touch with us because they’re working on book number 24, I think right now.

it’s 20 something, it keeps growing.

Yeah, so I mean, they’re the largest cooperative, I think the original cooperative book series. In the world. In the world, yeah. And I mean, that’s 24 books and with, I mean, they’ve got high class authors. you know, yeah, authors.

One of the wonders of the voice. I mean, and then Les Brown’s in it. They’ve got people from all different walks of life. And if anybody ever has written a book or wanted to write a book or be in a collaborative book, this is the book series to definitely be in.

Because it’s not just the book. We’ve got a dynamic Facebook group and we meet because the authors meet because they do a mastermind once a month. And I don’t know where they get all their wisdom.

Right and that no this additional charge charla. We have to make sure we tell people that no additional charge You’ve made your investment for the book, which is really minimal compared to who they are And then we get a free mastermind included for life And yeah, it’s it’s minimal not just for who they are but for uh, because of who they are but right I I about the same time somebody else asked me about collaborating and I was like, um

There is no added value there. This is added value to be in this book. So we’re advocates and I’m very, I’m just very impressed with their humanness, their goodness, their down-to-earthness to be such, now Jim Lutz being a world famous hypnotist, right? And a mind specialist, you know, has masterminds quite often. And are not uh, and what are they called when he goes out? They have him in san diego He lives in san diego.

They yeah, he has the penthouse masterminds at his house People flying from all over the world for that.

Yeah So this is it’s just fun to have this conversation about this book and have and to see that you actually are Uh, i’ve got other books. So it’s I guess it’s been kind of um Hasn’t focused. I hadn’t didn’t focus on that. Now. You said you have another book. What’s your other book?

The other one that’s about to be released from page publishing from out of New York is called. I ain’t never been ordinary nor have you And it’s 10 Childhood Lessons for an Extraordinary Adulthood. Because of this first book, I’ve gotten closer in my relationship with Les Brown. I knew him before this book, before the change. But through Forbes and through Jim and Jim, I’ve gotten closer with him. And in April was Forbes’ birthday. And Les Brown popped in. I told him that I took his advice and he did get my autographed copy of this book with him on there. I left it with security in Orlando. 

But he said he surprised me in front of everybody in the room and said he was going to write the foreword for the second book. So the second book is ready. It’s ready to go on the hot off the presses as soon as Les Brown releases his foreword for it. It will be available. And that opportunity, again, like I said, from the gyms and from Forbes, all of that together.

So how did you meet Les and Forbes? Is it through the dance journey?

No, it wasn’t even through the dance journey. It was through real success. I kept saying, I met Mr. Les first, and I kept saying, I’m going to meet him. I’m going to meet him one day. I’m going to train with him one day. I’m going to train with him. My friends were getting tired of hearing me say it, and so were my family members. They were like, yeah, yeah, we know, we know, we know. But I did the same thing with Arthur Mitchell in the Dance Theater of Harlem. I’m going to meet him one day. I’m going to meet him one day. I’m going to meet him one day. I’m going to meet him. Well, I kept saying, oh, I wish I could train with him. 

I wish I could train with him. And then one day on Real Success, he was having a talk, just like I’m talking with you. And he had a VIP room, but I wasn’t in the VIP room that day, but he went live. And he said, you know what, Brian, I’m going to do something that I’ve never done before. Brian Walsh, who is the founder of Real Success. And he said, what are you going to do, Les? He said, I’m going to train 10 people for two weeks. And I was like, oh God, please make it affordable. Please make it within my budget right now so that I can do this. This was in 2022? Yeah, 2022. And he made it $1,000 for two weeks of training. He said, I’ll never do that again. And I got in. He said, I’m only taking the first 10. And I was eight. And we trained for two weeks with him. 

And I was just waiting to hear him correct me and coach me and do this and that, which he did. But then when it became my turn, he said, you already have it. I’m like, what? I want you to coach me like you do everybody else, sir. And he said, Carla, you got something special. And you know he says that a lot, but I could tell when he said it, he really meant it. And he needed me to look from within and see it within myself. And the rest is history.

Well, that’s his gift, right? That’s one of his gifts.

Yeah, he’s very intuitive, yeah. He told me to share, he had me share a story and I shared one with him about me being in kindergarten. And he laughed so hard. It was like I was tickling him. And then when he finally stopped laughing as hard, but he was still laughing, he said, tell me another one. And I told him another one about my mom getting a switch one day because I had teased a girl in dance class and called her name. And my cousin told on my best friend. who’s now a school teacher, which is kind of funny. She told on her and she got a spanking. So my mom was coming in my room to see what I had done and what part I had played in it. 

And I was just as guilty as my best friend, and that’s what I was telling Mr. Best. But I looked my mom in the eye and told her I didn’t have anything to do with it. And he just fell out laughing. He said, Carla, oh my God, you threw your friend under the bus. You threw her under the bus. And he was just cracking up. He said, you need to share those stories, not just with me and your friends, but with the world. So I put it into a book. And when he found out in April that I had done it and taken his advice, he was overjoyed. And that’s what led to the forward for the second book, which is, I’m still floating in just amazement.

Well, I want to go back to because I’m a mindset coach, I mean everything is every word matters, everything you say, everything you think matters and people are so flippant and casual and curse themselves all the time. So, you know, I’m like no cancel cancel. Don’t say this job is killing me. Stop it. No, don’t say that. Yeah, don’t say that, you know any of that and so folk and so that’s my who I am, that’s what I do a lot of. And so when you’re saying that, you put it out, you put out what you desire. 

I just talked about this yesterday. When you put out what the desires of your heart, desire, speak what you desire, which is of the Father, of the giver. And the word want is extreme lack. I used to say, speak what you want, not what you don’t want. But want is lack. So speak the desires of your heart. think them, speak them, lay it at his feet and expect it to show up.

You did. Yeah, I need to correct that, not in amazement, as expected.

As expected, totally, because I mean, we can still be amazed, but it’s, you know, I asked, Jesus said we can do what he did and even more. This isn’t religion. This is relationship. Jesus, he said we can do what he did and even more. And so what if we just I wasn’t taught that. So what if we just believed it?

I do. Right, I do too. And that’s what I teach the kids, believe it.

See, the expectation piece, I believe, has been removed or overlooked somehow or another. Just ask, you don’t have to beg. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Because people look for hope instead of expectancy.

And we also, we dilute our prayers when we’re going, oh yeah, but probably never happened or whatever. You dilute it. So you speak what you desire, expect it to happen, allow, just lay it at his feet, a relaxed release, let it go, and just thank you when it happens. It’s already, Jesus did it, begged. Please, please, please, please. He said, thank you. Get up and walk.

Thank you.

Yeah, eat the fish. So, you know, so, you know, gratitude is the key. And knowing that we have that got the power within you got it within us. And I love it when I mean, I talked about this almost every show, it seemed like it comes up just because I don’t think people have a clue that they have so much. You’re right.

Even when I was down in Florida at Forbes Factor Live, we had a pitch contest. Well, Charla, I won it because I went when she had us get up, pick an object from the box. I’m like, I’m going to win this. I didn’t come here to play small. And I don’t care who else is in the room who may have had more speeches and more onstage time than me, I’m going to win. And I did. And they were like, how’s Carla? She keeps winning everything. Forbes, she just won the other contest, the marketing contest you had. She won something else. I won all kinds of gifts. And I won, I keep it here by my desk. I won the pitch contest.

What did you have to pitch?

Pitched a pointe shoe. When I looked and saw that pointe shoe in the box, well, I teach dance. So I told them, I don’t even remember everything I said, but she recorded it. And Forbes and the whole room, they threw their hands up like this. And she said, oh, I’m supposed to be judging everybody, but I can’t help it. And she threw her hands up. She was like, that was spot on. I pitched a point you she said you’re the first person to pitch that point you for what it is And not call it a hammer and she said it’s been a fly swatter. It’s been a little bit of everything She said but you pitched it the right way and I think I ended with something like and let me help you get on point too And then that’s what everybody just yeah We had time to prepare she just called us up had and you lined up as she called you up and you had a minute to pitch whatever you grabbed out of the box. 

It was just leading with intention and the same thing with when we were supposed to call and see how many people we could get to go to a link and put their information in and get her free pdf. and somebody else thought they had won. And I said, no, no, no, Forbes. And she said, Carla, you had a lot, but you didn’t, it doesn’t look like you’re going to win. I said, oh no, no, no. I need to come put them up on the board. You told everybody to sit down. And she said, well, come on up here, my dear. And when I finished making my marks, I’d won. Because I know how to ask somebody for what I want. And I know when I ask, I ask with the intention of them saying yes. And I know everybody didn’t always say yes, but I know what I lead with. 

And that’s how I won. I won a beautiful spa set that she had from Morocco with all these nice creams. And it’s a beautiful leather case that it’s in. It’s on my dresser because it’s so pretty. And I won, um, I couldn’t go to the hot springs with them because I knew that might trigger a crisis. So I gave that back and so somebody else could have it, but I won it. Yeah.

What what so I love this I love this because I don’t believe most people are walking around complaining And getting more things to complain about We get what we speak what we think every word matters it does Every word matters and that’s what my my little split second transformation change your words change your life 31 daily practices every word matters and I do I say this often as well, so the I am, whatever you say after I am is who you are. Don’t claim what isn’t you, what isn’t true.

Absolutely.

Truly. We’ve just gotten, and I’ve just noticed we’re crude with our language. We’ve just lowered our listening out in the world. We’re just not, we’re not, raising the vibration of our energies around us, right? So, with the very low vibrational words. So, interesting conversation, right? I’m glad we’re on that same page. Yes. I love that. I love the intention of winning and winning. I mean, it’s just, why not? Why not? Why not you?

Why not? Exactly.

I love that. So we’re winding down, the hour goes quickly. So I wanted to give you an opportunity to speak where they can find you. Speak, first of all, karlaskidsdance.org

Correct.

Right? So if you’ll do that, I go there, I’m sure they can find out more information. But what else? Where else can they find you? That’s Carla with a K and Karla’s Kids.

Karla’s kids with the K Carla hooker with the C Yeah Just like it sounds i’m not a hooker on the street now, but I will hook you I will hook you with my love and draw you in I love it. Yeah, Carla hooker on facebook Just like that. There’s they’ll see a logo with three dancers representing the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Three dancers, that’s who, that’s how you can find me. If they friend me, I will respond with a yes. I usually let anybody who wants to be my friend be my friend, as long as they are friendly.

And as long as they are real people, I always have to make sure.

Right, no spammers, hackers, or fake people. They call it something else too on there. Real people.

Yeah, real people. So that’s good. Well, I’m, I’m love this conversation. This is great. And I love that we’ve connected and maybe we’ll do something fun together sometime. I think we got to get to San Diego to one of those.

We do it’s mastermind house mastermind. Absolutely.

I mean, they sell out every single time. And that’s, you know, so we’ve been kind of isolated. It’s time we’re back. People are thirsty to have people with skin on, right? God needs people with skin on.

He is amazing. I took a speaker training with him for six weeks. I mean, the mastermind with him once a month is powerful, but his speaker training, the skills that he gives you, I’m sorry, but nobody can touch it.

The Jim Lutes?

The Jim Lutes. It’s like that MC Hammer song. Yeah, it’s like can’t touch this. That’s what I hear when I see him pop on the screen. And he’s funny. He really has a personality. He’s not like somebody who’s just kind of dry and very serious, but they both are geniuses, but they have personality. Jim Britt to me is very warm and kind of grandfatherly like. and our uncle, and then Jim Lutz is the cool cat, but he’s funny. I didn’t know he was that funny.

That’s awesome, yeah. He does come across as funny, and a lot of it’s a little bit in the self-deprecating or… Yeah, I like that too. Well, this the Charla Anderson show, you know, every week and season, middle of season three here. So I’m so excited to really have gotten to know you. I didn’t know you much at all. I mean, other than hit and miss on the on the mastermind. So This has been a real pleasure. Thank you so much for taking the time to join me today. We’ll get it out on YouTube and in my blog and podcast on my website, charlaanderson.com. 

So looking forward to continuing our relationship. And is there, what else do you want to leave with these folks, these people that most of them will listen rather than watch? So it’s a podcast more so. Yeah. like to leave with your last words of wisdom?

I would say what I feel downloading in me right now is lead with love, know who you are, value yourself, and just go for it. Keep going and don’t stop. Faith without works is dead. And I’ll leave it at that.

Whoa, that’s very, worth and it’s, it’s worth end-able, right? We got the ending going. So this is amazing. So I appreciate so much that you took your time today and that you guys that are listening, please go to Charla Anderson, YouTube, the Charla Anderson show, YouTube channel and like, and subscribe. And let’s just be in touch and see how we are, can change more lives and just remember to always choose joy.

Important Links

• Website: KarlasKidsDance.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carla.hooker.2025
  
  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-carla-m-hooker-b09759228/
• “The Change, Vol 20- Insights Into Self Empowerment”
  foreword by Les Brown
  
• Watch for Dr Carla’s forthcoming book:
  “I Ain’t Never Been Ordinary…Nor Have You”
  Foreword by Les Brown
  
  Charla Anderson
  CharlaAnderson.com/Podcasts
• I​’d REALLY appreciate it if you will Like and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel. Thank You! 
  https://www.youtube.com/@CharlaAndersonShow
• Zinzino for Health:
  Charla’s personal website:
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• Direct link to the TEST & BalanceOil+ purchase page:
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• TexitCoin for Wealth:
  The Future of Honest Money; Crypto Done Right
  https://minetxc.com/sign-up?sponsor=SweetBliss
  
  Please reach out for HEALTH & WEALTH
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• My Books:
  “Candy Bar Hugs~It Doesn’t Take Much to Make a Difference”  https://amzn.to/2JSGeUl 
• “Split-Second Transformation~Change Your Words, Change Your Life: 31 Daily Practices”   https://amzn.to/3waHuOn 
• “The Change, Vol 21- Insights Into Self Empowerment” with Les Brown, Jim Britt & Jim Lutes
  https://tinyurl.com/TheChangeBookCharlaAnderson
  

Connect with Charla Anderson:

For more insights and to follow Charla’s creative journey, check out her website and her other projects:

• Website: CharlaAnderson.com
• YouTube: Check out her channel for beginner art tips, life wisdom, and more!

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About  Dr. Carla M. Hooker

Carla is dedicated to making a difference through her work at the Lee County School Board and as an Author with Page Publishing’s New Author Program. Additionally, she co-authored Volume 20 of The Change Book Series titled “Insights Into Self-Empowerment”. Carla’s educational background includes studies at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and she attended Oxon Hill High School. Currently residing in Sanford, North Carolina, Carla hails from Washington D.C. She also is the founder of Karla’s Kids Musical Ministries School of Liturgical Dance, enriching the lives of young individuals through creative expression and spirituality

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Let’s jump on a discovery call and get to know each other. Find all things Charla at CharlaAnderson.com/links.

On The Charla Anderson Show, We discuss Mindset, How much Your WORDS matter, Princess to Queen energy, mantras, HOPE, Faith, Miracles, Overcoming, and much, much more, including learning from amazing guests.

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