Episode 12
Ep.012 ft. Kelly Morgan - An Author's Mission To Break The Algorithm
In this deeply powerful episode 12 of The LeadHer Shift Podcast, host Alian Ollivierre sits down with Kelly Morgan—author, publisher, and founder of Bright Headed Publishing and BTA (Break the Algorithm). Together, they explore themes of authenticity, self-leadership, rejection, resilience, and reclaiming your voice.
Kelly shares her raw, inspiring journey from being the only Black girl in a predominantly white Utah community to facing betrayal in the publishing industry. She opens up about people-pleasing, body image struggles, grief, and the unlearning required to truly lead yourself. From being scammed by a publisher to relaunching her business with clarity and intention, Kelly’s story is one of falling, pausing, rebuilding, and rising in her own power.
Listeners will hear about:
• The inspiration behind her books “You Sound White” and “Wait for It”
• The emotional toll of being the “reference” for Blackness in white spaces
• How the weight we carry isn’t always physical, but deeply internal
• Why mindset is the first shift in self-leadership
• The importance of collaboration and breaking free from social media dependency
This episode is a testament to the power of starting over, owning your narrative, and showing up as your whole self—even when it’s uncomfortable.
So, if this conversation spoke to you, share it. Let another woman know she’s not alone, and her leadership still matters. Subscribe to the podcast and visit theleadhershift.com to stay connected.
Transcript
Welcome to the Lead Her Chef podcast. This is what I like to call a safe space. A space for bold women building their power, presence and purpose from the inside out. A space where we explore what it means to lead with clarity, courage and conviction. So wherever you are in the world, hey, I'm your host, Aliane Oliver, and I am super honored that you're tuning in today. So welcome to the Lead Her Chef. I am so happy to have Kelly Morgan here. She's an author, she's a publisher, she's created the author's mic and she's about to delve into the bta.
Alian Ollivierre [:And I am so excited to hear even what that's about. I want you to hear what that's about from her voice. So tell me, Kelly, talk to me. What is the bta?
Kelly Morgan [:So BTA is breaking the algorithm. It is a new idea that I came up with. I just launched it. It's going to be, it's a whole platform. So it's not just a one time thing, a one and done. It's not just another, you know, person out there giving you trip, you know, tips and tricks. This is, this is a thing that we're going to be doing forever. BTA stands for breaking the algorithm.
Kelly Morgan [:So if you're out there marketing your work and you're tired of following the trend, you know, posting, trying to get on the latest TikTok video, trying to post the latest song, trying to whatever, you know, chasing likes and views and, or pouring your everything into this post, that's good. And then you get two likes. You know, if that's you, if you are tired of that, then let's break the algorithm. And my thing is there's a lot of things we can do outside of social media to promote our work. And so that's what BTA is. And we're still going to be using social media, but, but we're not going to be bowing to the algorithm. We're going to break it, we're going to rewrite it and we're going to leverage it so that we get to say what the algorithm does. It works for us.
Kelly Morgan [:We don't work for the algorithm. So that's what BTA is all about.
Alian Ollivierre [:Listen, I think so many of us get caught up in the trends and a trend changes almost it feels like every hour. And so I'm curious, why do this? Why take on this feat? What is it that maybe has transpired over whatever period of time that makes you say, you know what, I want to break the algorithm. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of feeling like I have to be in this hamster wheel of what social media throws at me.
Kelly Morgan [:Because as an author of somebody who's out there, who's written a book and published a book, and, you know, I want to sell the book and I want to market the book, but I'm screaming into a void, right? I'm out here, I'm making content, I'm posting every day. I'm doing everything that all the platforms tell me to do. I'm following all of their suggestions and all the trends, and I'm looking at all the marketing tips, but it's not selling books. And I thought, well, what am I? What am I? What am I really posting for? Am I. Is my goal a like a view or is my goal a connection with the reader? So I had to really think about what my goal was. And my goal isn't a like or a view. My goal is to connect with the reader. I wrote the books to resonate with other people.
Kelly Morgan [:When I was writing the book, I wasn't thinking about, ooh, when I post this, I wonder how many views I can get. Now. That's what. When I was writing these words, I was thinking, man, I hope these words resonate with someone. And social media is a tool to help me get the book into the right hands. So. But it is not the end all, be all. Honestly, real readers want to connect with you who are as the person, who is the person behind the book.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Why did you write the book? What were you feeling when you wrote the book? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All of that good stuff. I can't get that from a real on. On Instagram.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:But I can get that if we connect outside of the algorithm. And you know what, that's probably where most of your readers are. That's right.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's true. So tell me a little bit about the book. What. What is this book? What's it about and what inspired you to create it?
Kelly Morgan [:So I actually have two books. And how even this all author thing even came about is just a story within itself, right?
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Growing up, I grew up in a place where there's not a lot of people who look like me.
Alian Ollivierre [:Okay.
Kelly Morgan [:There's not a lot of people who look like me. And I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Predominantly all white.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:And so growing up, I don't think, in hindsight, I don't think I was ever allowed to be me. I always had to be what I was told to be.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And even coming from people who look like me. Because when you grow up in a place that's all white, almostly like 85, 90% white, when I went to elementary school, it was just me and my sister. As far as people of color.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:So you're told what black is.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:This is what black is. Because black is what we see on tv, Black is what we see in the movies. Or you become the spokesperson for everything black.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Now you're the spokesperson because you're the only black reference that these people have. You don't even know who you are.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:I never had the opportunity to be the authentic Kelly ever. And I didn't even realize this. So I used to write a lot. Writing was my escape. Movies were my escape. I love movies. But I like to write, too, right. So I always got a story, always a story in my head.
Kelly Morgan [:So I always wanted to be a writer. I just never thought about being a published writer because I didn't know how to do that.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:So I always had stories and poems and, you know, as far as, like, me being a poet, I'm one of those sad poets who I write through my pain, right? So all my poetry is sad and, you know, strife and woe is me. But it helps me get back to where I need to be. So I have.
Alian Ollivierre [:It's like an outlet.
Kelly Morgan [:I've always written. I have tons of books, just written around with stuff. But when I was really going through a transition where I had left a job that I really thought I wanted, you know, I had played the corporate game and played that and didn't. Didn't play well in that arena at all. So I was unemployed. I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I had time and I had this story in my head, and somebody said, well, you know, write what you know. I was like, well, people always tell me I sound white. I think I write a book called you sound White.
Kelly Morgan [:And that's what I did. I wrote a book called you'd sound White. All fiction, right. But a lot of the experiences that the protagonist has were my experiences, her growing up and. And the other people in the book, it's like an ensemble because. I don't know, I just. I like stories with many characters, and I like stories where you have different storylines, but they all run together.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:When I was a kid, I would always read a good smut Jackie Collins novel that read like a soap opera. You could read it in three days.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And so that's kind of what you sound. That's just the story I had in my head and I wrote it. And here's, you know, here's. I'll show you, right?
Alian Ollivierre [:Ah, nice, right?
Kelly Morgan [:So I wrote this book. You sound white. And I was all excited, wrote this book, you know, gonna be this published author. And I didn't really know what I was doing, right? So I thought, well, everything that I've ever saw, like in the movies and stuff, you go get a publisher. So that's what I'll do. I'll go get a publisher. It's a great book. Oh, somebody's gonna snap this up.
Kelly Morgan [:And I got a lot of no's I didn't even know. So I knew that you had to do like a pitch letter and send off these emails. So that's what I did, right? Not knowing what I was doing. Pitch letter, probably not very good because I had no clue, right? And gotta mind you, this is 10 years ago. No AI to help me craft this really great email. It's me really trying to figure this out. And I'm sending this off to publishers and agents, right? And I got a lot of no's. I got some, some feedback, you know, but a lot of no's.
Kelly Morgan [:But I got this one publisher, this one black guy that said yes to me and I was like, oh, my God. He's like, oh, my God. Interesting though, right? He's like, oh, my God, this is such a great book. And it's just, it's going to be wonderful. And we're going to publish it for you. And we're going to go, we're going to book signings, you're going to do book tours. There's all these wonderful things that we're going to do and this. And, you know, they helped me find a cover for the book and everything.
Kelly Morgan [:It was wonderful. And about a week into this, maybe 10 days, he comes to me and he says, so how many, how many copies of the books are you going to buy? And I was like, well, aren't you the publisher?
Alian Ollivierre [:What do you mean gonna buy?
Kelly Morgan [:Right? That's what I said. What do you mean, me? I thought, you know, he's like, well, yes, I am the publisher and I'm taking on the brunt of all the marketing costs. I just need you to actually buy the physical copies of the books and it's only Gonna cost you $700. Okay, so aren't you willing to invest 700 in your future? Well, yeah, sure, man, you're talking. And mind you, I had bragged to everybody I know that I'm gonna be this published author you could not talk to me. Don't say anything. I'm a published author. You know nothing, right? This is my attitude.
Kelly Morgan [:I'm. I'm the shit. I'm sorry. I'm it. I'm a published author. I have a publisher. I gave this man $700, and three days later, he completely ghosted me. Okay? Did not hear from him.
Kelly Morgan [:I never got any books. Oh, now he had the book. And he did publish it on his platform.
Alian Ollivierre [:Platform.
Kelly Morgan [:He has my book. He has my book. He has my $700. He's not returning my phone calls. He's not returning my emails. He's just done. And if the book sold anything, I never knew. He just ghosted me.
Kelly Morgan [:And so now I'm just, like. Just. I'm ashamed. Not only am I ashamed, I feel stupid because I can't tell any. I have been bragging for weeks about this. Oh, my God. I just.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:What do I. And I'm like, in the closet crying. I'm ashamed. I can't believe I got scammed. I'm a smart, educated person. How could this happen? Who does this? Who scams people like this? I didn't even know this was a thing, right? I had no idea how naive I was to this whole publishing game. So naive. And I didn't know what to do.
Kelly Morgan [:So I felt defeated. I just. Just stopped. I'm like, I'm done. I just forget this. I'm like, you know what? Whatever. Publishing, just whatever. I'm not going to be an author.
Kelly Morgan [:This whole thing just sucks. I don't need this. And I just stopped. But I wanted my book back, right? I wanted the book back because people would say, well, you know, Kelly, I saw your book on Amazon and I bought it. You know, well, that's great, but. But I don't want to tell you not to buy it because, you know, whatever monies he's getting, I know, you know? So I just. I felt so defeated. I reached out to Amazon and they're like, we don't tell you.
Kelly Morgan [:Oh, well, you know, what do I do? So I thought, well, I'm gonna go get a literary attorney now. No attorney is gonna take me on, right? I'm unknown. I'm broke. I can't afford a literary attorney. But I didn't know what to do. And one attorney took pity on me. He actually emailed me back and said, look, report this guy to the Better Business Bureau and send a C. Cease and desist later.
Kelly Morgan [:And matter of fact, you can use my name. Here's a template. Go for it. And I did. And about a month later, Amazon had wrote me and I had the book back. Nice was released.
Alian Ollivierre [:Nice.
Kelly Morgan [:But I still didn't know what to do.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I still felt stupid and defeated. I pulled the book off. I had gotten a horrible. No, that wasn't yet. The book got okay reviews for what I could read, but you know, I just, I just took it off. I, you know, I was just, I felt defeated, you know, and I just stopped. So the book just didn't, I didn't do anything with it. So for a long time.
Alian Ollivierre [:I have a quick question because, you know, a lot of times we pour and I could hear even from your voice that you poured a lot into that, but you poured a lot of how you felt and your, your lived experiences. Being kind of that talking black girl, you know, and living, living in an environment that wasn't necessarily centered around your ethnicity and culture and an identity. So, you know, when you have another person. Because I don't think it was just trusting a publisher. It was the fact that it was a publisher who looked like you and a publisher. You felt like, well, we can have, we have each other's back in this process and then this same person. So you kind of get betrayal from one side and you also get betrayal from your own. How do you sit in that? How did you even push through your mindset through the fact that my own did this to me?
Kelly Morgan [:You know, in a way I wasn't really surprised because my own had never, I felt, had never truly accepted me because I sounded white, White mannerisms were white. When I did move to Oakland and I moved to Oakland, an all black area, people looked at me side eyed.
Alian Ollivierre [:Cringe, like you weren't a part of the culture.
Kelly Morgan [:You weren't like, who, who are you? Like, the minute I open my mouth, it would be like, you know, are you the police? Are you? Why are you speaking so proper? Why you, why, why are you pretending to be something that you're not? Right, right, I'm not. This is, you know, and, and slaying and all that didn't roll off of my tongue because it just, it's not how I was brought up to say, yeah, yeah, it doesn't make me less black.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:But you would think that it would because you know what? You're not. And Oreo and all of those other things. So when this dude took me, I can't really say I was surprised. I can't say I was like, oh, my own, you know, Cause my own had never fully, fully accepted in My experiences.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I'm not saying that, you know, our people aren't accepting. I'm saying in my personal experience, the people that I encountered were not all of that welcoming to me all through high school. When I was in high school, my friends were not black. My friends were Mexicans.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Okay. Because the black girls wasn't really black enough. I wasn't acting. Whatever that.
Alian Ollivierre [:Whatever that means. I mean.
Kelly Morgan [:And the one thing I can say is growing up and with. With these other people, I think I learned a lot of other things outside of my culture that makes me the well rounded person I am today when it comes to music.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Books, movies, people. I know you can give me a Fleetwood Mac song. And I'm like, I know who that is because I grew up with that.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Yes. I know that Billy Joel tune. Sure do. Can probably tell you the whole words. But it doesn't make me less black.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's right.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Just because I know doesn't make me less black. It actually makes me more well informed.
Alian Ollivierre [:Actually, and not limited by what society says you are supposed to do.
Kelly Morgan [:As I would tell my daughter when, when we moved to Georgia and she was in high school, her growing up in Salt Lake City as well, so her sounding very proper and having a good grasp of the king's English, as I like to say.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:You don't, you know, she went to. The minute that she's dropped into an Atlanta school and started talking, they was like, what? You know, and I told her, she came home like, you know, in tears. And I said, you know, don't. Don't dumb that shit down for anybody.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Because one day you're gonna need that vernacular to be able maneuver through these spaces that are not for you. And I'm telling you right now, people of a different shade like to be taught to in a different way.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's right.
Kelly Morgan [:Think I'm playing. Try it. I know.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:This is what I would tell her. So don't dumb it down to be accepted. I know it's hard at that time in your life when you feel like your friends are the most important thing in the world. I get it. But you will find your tribe.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah, you will eventually. I mean, and I sure for you as. As you navigated a lot of. A lot of different spaces, especially in corporate. Tell me a little bit about that. Like, well, you know, come up with some of these same experiences.
Kelly Morgan [:Corporate. I was usually the only black person working, especially the black female. The only black female. And you know, so a lot of the people that I Worked with. I was the reference. I was the reference point.
Alian Ollivierre [:And it's like, you can't carry a whole culture on your butt. Right, Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I remember back in the day, I used to have braids as opposed to dreads. And then that's when Whoopi Goldberg was kind of hitting the scene. So now I'm. Because I have dreads or braids, and she has braids. Whoopi Goldberg. Boom. I mean, you know what I'm saying? So I would get that reference a lot.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Nothing like Whoopi Goldberg. But this is what people saw on tv. And like, the people that I worked with, I would ask them, and they would be like, well, in high school, there were no black people at my school. I went to school and, you know, I went Salt Lake City, it's probably the most diverse city in Utah. So some of these other people that I knew that lived in Utah, that went to these other schools outside of Salt Lake. Yeah. There were no people of any color out there.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:You know, so I would be the first person that they met. I'm the reference point. I'm. I'm. You know, and because I'm what you see on tv, I should have an attitude.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Because all black women have attitudes on tv. I should be on assistance.
Alian Ollivierre [:Why?
Kelly Morgan [:Because. Because all black women have assistance on tv. I should be on drugs with multiple children. Why? Because all black women on TV are on drugs and have multiple children. I should know how to dance because why? All black people know how to dance. And I should know how to sing.
Alian Ollivierre [:Why?
Kelly Morgan [:Because all black people know how to sing. Because this is what they are seeing in movies and tv. The representation of us was never just. I'm just a normal person out here, like you.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:For their family, put food on the table, and I'm just normal, just like you. Same experiences, same thing. I'm not different because of the color of my skin. And they would say, yes, Kelly, yes, you are. And you need to act different because you can't be like me. You can't possibly have the same experience as me. You're black. You're going to have a black experience.
Kelly Morgan [:Okay, I'm going to have a Kelly experience.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's it.
Kelly Morgan [:That's right.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's it. And so, you know, you mentioned your daughter, and I know is really important, even as a mother, to. To instill certain values, especially coming off of these. The experiences you've had. But who were. Who poured into Kelly. Who poured into Kelly as a girl.
Kelly Morgan [:And, you know, I think my mom did My mom, my mom pushed education on us a lot.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Because knowledge is power.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:So the more educated you are, the more that you can maneuver through these spaces. Now I can, I can't imagine what it was like for her in the 70s in Salt Lake City. In Salt Lake in the 70s, yeah. So she obviously figured out a way to maneuver enough that she chose to raise her family there. Because people ask me why, why Salt Lake? I don't know, I was going to.
Alian Ollivierre [:Ask like why Salt Lake.
Kelly Morgan [:Wasn't my choice, was my parents choice.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I. That's where I was born and raised.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:I was born in Salt Lake City, which is. People are like really? You know, I didn't know black people lived there. Yeah. I mean, black people live everywhere. Let's not be naive to the fact we live everywhere, all over the planet. And yes, we do live in spaces where there's not a lot of us. And as I get older, I have encountered other people that have faced the same obstacles as me. But while I was going through it, it was a very lonely time for me.
Kelly Morgan [:So like I said, I wrote a lot. I did a lot of writing. That's why I probably love movies, because it was my escape from my reality. I could go do, watch movie for two hours and just be someplace else and fantasize or just whatever. Wouldn't have to worry about going back out in this world and that. Now I got to put on this mask and go be who these people think I should be. Because if I tell them who I really am, if I really tell you the music that I like and the things that I like, if I have to code switch for my own people. Okay.
Kelly Morgan [:So if I, if I found myself around a lot of black people, I gotta do black things. I gotta listen to black music, I gotta like black tv, I gotta like black movies. If I'm around white people now, I gotta be the, the educator on black people, on black movies, on black things. I just can't just be.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:You know?
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Alian Ollivierre [:And, and I know it must be so difficult for all these years in childhood, in adulthood, in corporate spaces, at home, at school, whatever, feeling like you have to be performative. You in every group that you go in, you.
Kelly Morgan [:Yes.
Alian Ollivierre [:There's this performance. Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:So that you'll like me. And in doing that, guess what? Guess what? You turn into. You turn into a people pleaser.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yes.
Kelly Morgan [:Because you're trying to please everybody so that you will be accepted, so that you can have friends that you can be like, so that you can feel like you are part of whatever.
Alian Ollivierre [:How do you feel about acceptance now though?
Kelly Morgan [:Ah, see, that's where, that's, that's where we flip the script.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Kelly Morgan [:And I will tell you so I will continue with my story because this all falls together. So I get my book back. The, the idea of being a published author never left me. Always. And I'm the type of person where I'm not, I'm down, but I'm never down for long, right?
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I might wallow and have my, my pity moments, but I'm never there for long. It's just not who I am. So I thought, okay, I'm gonna do this again. I'm gonna start my own publishing company. I'm gonna publish me.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Kelly Morgan [:I'm gonna publish my own self publish. I'm gonna learn all about self publishing, what that looks like, what I gotta do. And I did, started my business, bright headed publishing and I thought, well, you know what? I'm gonna, I don't want this to happen to other people. So I'm gonna help other people. I'm gonna start a podcast, I'm gonna interview other authors and we're gonna talk about it. And that's what I did. I started a podcast. It was called BHP Patio Book Club.
Kelly Morgan [:And I was inviting other authors to come on and we would promote their book and I was helping them. And guess what? That's all I did.
Alian Ollivierre [:Why?
Kelly Morgan [:Because I'm a people pleaser. I don't want to tell anybody. No. I've got all these people wanting to come on this podcast. I'm recording with everybody. And guess what? That's all I did for a year. Did I do anything for me? No. I had no strategy, I had no plan.
Kelly Morgan [:And by the end of that year, I counted up, I interviewed like 100 authors. I was so burnt out, I stopped again. I didn't even promote my own book. I'm so busy out here recording and editing and, and running a podcast is a lot. And I'm still working, I still have a family. This is my side gig, right? And so all of my time now is this. And I want to help others, but I'm like, man, I'm not even helping me, right? So I stop again. I just stop.
Kelly Morgan [:And Covid comes. And I've always been somebody who's battled with their weight back and forth, heavy, whatever, whatever. And Covid comes. So now we're all eating our feelings and I ballooned to probably, I don't know, 275. And just all these things happen. You've Got Covid, you've got. That happens. I get divorced, you know, probably shouldn't have been married in the first place.
Kelly Morgan [:Whole other story, you know, but we're still really good friends. And then he dies of a heart attack. That's horrible. You know, that's a whole story. I've got all this grief. I don't know what to do. I hate my job. I just, you know, this is just not, you know, what I want to do.
Kelly Morgan [:I'm still not this published author. I'm not moving forward. And I'm very disappointed in myself and I'm probably my worst critic. And I start writing again because I told you I write through my pain and I'm heavy and I don't feel good and I don't feel good about myself.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And again, so I just, all I can do is eat and cry. You know, when you, when you're coming to that point where you're like, I know what I need to do, but.
Alian Ollivierre [:I don't have the. I don't have the. I don't have it to do it right now.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:That's what I would do. And I did that for a very long time and then just started writing. And so I wrote my next book, which is called Wait for It. But I didn't know that I was writing a book when I wrote the book.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And Wait for It is a play on words. It's W I G H T. Right, Right. And I didn't know that I was writing a book when I wrote the book. And so I just started writing this story about this woman my age, black woman, you know, divorced, kids, out of the house, overweight, miserable, depressed, and how she goes on this fanatical journey to lose weight. And in the story, her scale talks to her. So you have, as the reader, have to decide, is that her or is that her scale? Because she's having full blown conversations and the scale is not kind.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:When she steps on it, the scale tells her what to do. And the scale tells her, you know, if you do what I tell you to do, you'll be worthy, you'll be enough. You want the numbers to get smaller and you're going to do exactly what I tell you to get there. You're going to sacrifice everything. You're going to get fanatical, you're going to lose yourself for the numbers on that scale. And that's what the book's about. It's not about the beginning, it's not about the end. It is about the messy middle, the sabotage The.
Kelly Morgan [:The negative chatter, the. The. All the things that you do when you're trying to lose weight that we don't talk about. You see, the before and the after. Oh, I was, you know, 300 pounds overweight. I took this driving. Look at me today. Okay, what happened? What's all that middle part, that messy middle is what that book is about.
Kelly Morgan [:And when I read it out loud, wait for it became.
Alian Ollivierre [:I love that.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And so I. From there, as I read it, I was. And because I wrote it in third person, it's not me. It's fiction, but it's not fiction.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah, I mean, it is. I heard the play on words immediately, and I knew, you know, there's. There's something powerful in this because it's not just the weight, as in what you physically had in weight, but also the waiting through the process, the waiting to. To shift your mind.
Kelly Morgan [:You know, it is not the physical weight that breaks us. It is the weight of the pressure.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's it.
Kelly Morgan [:Society tells us to be. And that is what the book is about. It is about this woman's fanatical journey to get to what she thinks society tells her she should be. And it's all. The middle part. The sabotage, the negative chatter, the. The. The yo yo dieting.
Kelly Morgan [:The. The. The. Just the unsafe, unhealthy.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:And in reading this story back, I was like, man, this woman's got issues. You know, she could. She could make changes if she did this.
Alian Ollivierre [:This.
Kelly Morgan [:Yeah, this. And then I started saying, well, wait a minute. Isn't this. Wow, Kelly? And I could look at myself like a mirror, like in third person. I could remove myself. This was my therapy. This was my $300 an hour therapy. I poured it out into a book.
Kelly Morgan [:I made it into an audiobook. And I said, you know what? I'm launching Brighthead Publishing again. I said, you know what? I'm gonna do this.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Kelly Morgan [:And I started meditating. I started exercising. For me, my scare was the doctors, like, you know what? Pre diabetic high blood pressure? Take all this medication? I don't think so. Yeah, you know what? I want to be around to see my grandchildren and possibly my great grandchildren. I want to live my. Who. What? No. So that was my pivot moment in my head.
Kelly Morgan [:And from there, I started listening to me. I was meditating, but I wasn't really meditating. So I really thought, you know what?
Alian Ollivierre [:Why?
Kelly Morgan [:Why something? I heard something one day, and it was about listening to everything outside. When it's all here, everything you need is in here, right and so I started listening to me. I had muffled that voice for so long, and I really. And because I was. Because Covid made us spend time by ourselves.
Alian Ollivierre [:We had no choice.
Kelly Morgan [:You know, I really. I got to really learn who I was. And I started to like Kelly. I started practicing self love. Very uncomfortable. To tell myself, I love me in the mirror. But now, man, please. It is like.
Kelly Morgan [:It's like second nature. But that first, I love you. I wasn't sure if I believed it, right? Do I love me? You know, And I thought, well, man, I. Why do I treat myself worse than I treat a stranger?
Alian Ollivierre [:That.
Kelly Morgan [:Why do I talk to myself? Horrible. But I'm telling other people that. How great they are. Why do I need your validation to make me better? What. What is really going on here? And through that and wait for it. I was able to really figure out what I consider to be. I broke my code. I'm like, okay, I get this now.
Kelly Morgan [:I understand that everything that I need is in me. All these years, the authentic Kelly is cool as shit. Oh, my God. When I was like, really hanging out with me, I'm hilarious. I am such. I am such a good, loyal, loving person to me.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Kelly Morgan [:To me. And I made a contract to me that I will never break. I have meetings with me.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah, right.
Kelly Morgan [:I'm the CEO of my own life.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's it.
Kelly Morgan [:Right? And I. And I. And you think I'm playing. It's on my calendar. I. I have meetings with me. They're. They're quick, five, ten minutes.
Kelly Morgan [:But I go in the mirror. I talk to me. What do we need to do to c. You know, what do we need to do today? Kelly, how's it going? How you feeling? You good? You need anything? Do we need to rest today? You know, we're going to get, you know, you need grace. What, What, What. What are we going to do? What's happening?
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Kelly Morgan [:And I have these meetings with me like I would anybody else if I was on a team or in corporate America, whatever, right? I do these for me, and then guess what? I can do them for others. So in doing that, I rebuilt Bright Headed Publishing. This time I have two degrees. I have a master's in. In business and a master's in healthcare administration. I know how to do a business plan.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Alian Ollivierre [:That's it.
Kelly Morgan [:So I did a business plan for this. I'm like, this time we're deliberate. Yeah, we're intentional. We got a plan. We're sustainable. We're gonna build generational wealth. I changed my mindset. Therefore, I changed.
Alian Ollivierre [:But. Okay, so let me pause you there for a second because there's so much that came out of what you just said. You changed your mindset. And I want us to talk about how, how important it is as a paramount part of self leadership to change your mindset first before you can even help anybody else in any way, shape or form. Like, how important do you think that component is in leading your life?
Kelly Morgan [:It's, it's kind of like when you're on the plane and they tell you to put your oxygen mask on first and then the person next to you. I get that.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:And it, it, it's very uncomfortable to say no when you're a people pleaser because you're afraid that you're going to lose people. And I'm here to tell you you probably will. And that's okay. Let them go. Yes.
Alian Ollivierre [:What makes us so dependent on. Yes. You need this group or that group or this title or that position. Like being comfortable in knowing that. And you have to be comfortable in standing on your own. What if no one is around? What does that life look like? You know, are you willing to do the uncomfortable things? You know?
Kelly Morgan [:Yes. And so that you have to be willing to deal with the uncomfort. And for me, it was a lot of meditation and a lot of trusting myself.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:It's okay. And doubt to this day still creeps in.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah, I'm not perfect.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Right. I still, I talk. Like I said, I talk to myself every day before I jumped on with you, guess what I was doing the bathroom. Holding my mitten, holding my, holding my meeting. Because I'm like, okay, you know, I don't know what to expect. But whatever it is, Kelly, you're going to be good because you're going to come with your true, authentic self.
Alian Ollivierre [:Definitely.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And it's going to be a great conversation. You're going to have a great day, you know, it's going to be a great day today, whatever you do, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I, you know, so that's what I do. But it didn't happen overnight. It was a long process. It was very uncomfortable. I did a lot of crying in the closet. I spent a lot of time by myself.
Kelly Morgan [:I had a lot of lonely times.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Not knowing if this is, you know, this is. It's lonely. And even now here I live in Aurora, Colorado. I don't know a lot of people here. I keep my circle small. And it took me a minute to realize that is intentional.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:I didn't really know that it was because I say, well, you know, I want to meet people, I want to get out there, I want to whatever. But I'm also not willing to compromise who I am to be accepted by a group of people anymore. So if that means that I got to go out by myself, Kelly out.
Alian Ollivierre [:Here, just preaching is Kelly just preaching.
Kelly Morgan [:If I need to go out to the movies because I want to go see the blah, blah, blah, if I want to go to a baseball game, if, you know, I'm comfortable with who I am, that I can go out and take myself out because I'm great company. But I'm telling you, it took me a long time to get there. So when I built Bright Headed Publishing this time.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I started. I launched it this year, 2025. I relaunched. I relaunched both books. I did an audiobook for. Wait for it. And then I relaunched. And then I told myself, because now I have a business plan and a strategy.
Kelly Morgan [:I'm just not out here.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Because I didn't know what I was doing the first time. But it was going to be my goal, my mission to help other unrepresented voices get their words out there and help you avoid all the pitfalls that I went through.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:So I just. I want to help now, granted, I'm going to need to make a living at this one day.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:A lot of the stuff that I offer right now is free.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right. Right.
Kelly Morgan [:My website, you can get free guide right now. So you want to. It's called so youo Want to Write a book. It's 44 pages of information that you need if you want to know how to write a book. Why is it free? Guess because all the information in the guide is free.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:But it's scattered all over the Internet world.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:I just put it for you in one place. And what bothers me is when people take information like that. I get it. You took the time you gathered it and then they put it behind a paywall.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And it's free. It's free information. So I want to make that free to you to help you get your words out there one day. If you're looking for a publisher, it may not be me. And that's okay.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:If I helped you on that journey, if you got your words out there, that's what. That was the goal.
Alian Ollivierre [:You know what? I am hearing so many different things from. There's a lot of unlearning we have to do if we really want to progress. I'm also hearing that it's okay to not Just start over. But to stop, pause, reflect, recognize that there's some things you may not have done okay at, and do it again. Right. And not discard. Because I think a lot of the times we tend to feel like, well, it didn't work, so maybe it's not gonna ever work. And I so commend you for saying, no, it is gonna work, is the idea I had in mind.
Alian Ollivierre [:It just wasn't the right time, or maybe it wasn't the right process, or maybe these strategies weren't in place enough. Let's do this again. Because oftentimes we drop ideas, we discard them. We feel like maybe we weren't the ones to put them out there in the first place. So I commend you for that. And that's a huge lesson to know that you don't have to just completely go from 100 to 0. You can navigate through and adjust and just go again. Is that a typical, maybe way in which you functioned in your life in general, where it's like, okay, this isn't quite working how it's supposed to.
Alian Ollivierre [:Let me figure it out and then go again. Is that typical for you?
Kelly Morgan [:I learned a long time ago that anything good is worth working for. And that if you cut corners, you're probably going to get a half done work.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And I'm not an advocate of mediocrity. I've never been an advocate of mediocrity. The way that I raise my kids. We are not going to be mediocre. You know, we're not going to do that. We're not just going to do just the least amount, just enough. That bothers me. And so if, if, if you do something and it doesn't work, it's not a failure, it's a lesson.
Kelly Morgan [:That's it, right? So you take what you learned and then you reprocess and you try again. And if you have to try four or five, eight, 20 times, it doesn't matter. If it's truly your dream, then you'll make it happen. But you have to do all the things to make it happen. And sometimes the universe will give you lessons to tell you that maybe you need to pivot. It's okay to break. You know, for me, it was, you know, I really want to do something that sustainable. I don't want to just be out here peddling books.
Kelly Morgan [:Buy my book, Buy my book, buy my book. That's not sustainable to me. Yeah, yeah, right. If I have a publishing company, if I publish people. Well, you got to be able to Offer them something. I don't want to just take your money and call myself a publisher and then put you on Amazon. Okay, we're good. That.
Kelly Morgan [:No, I want to be able to, if you give me your money, I want to be able to give you something of value. That's, I, I expect the same. If I give you my money, I want something of value in return and I don't think it's such a bad thing to pay for value if it's worth it to me. So if I can offer you a full blown marketing plan of things outside the algorithm, because we're going to bta. Yeah. We can use social media, we can do a real post, whatever. But let's really talk about connecting you with your readers. Let's talk about doing some, some book signings, some virtual book signings.
Kelly Morgan [:Let's think, let's, let's, let's create a whole mobile virtual book fair. Let's do things outside the algorithm that you can do as an author, wherever you are. That's not going to break the bank, right, that I'm going to help you do, to help you get your words out there and, and, and your, your, your royalties, most of them would be yours.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's right.
Kelly Morgan [:I mean, that's your work. Those are your words. That's, that's what I want to do. So I think honestly I'll be ready to really offer somebody a full blown Marketing Plan 20, 26. Because right now I'm in the trenches. It's not theory. I don't want to offer you theory. I want to offer you real life.
Kelly Morgan [:This is what I did, this is what happened. This is why we're going to do it for you. These are the connections that I've made to help you promote your book. And I want to be able to offer you something because too many people, they don't offer, they talk about it and then they don't deliver.
Alian Ollivierre [:Hmm.
Alian Ollivierre [:Why do you feel so. Before we track on that, do you feel like as, as black women we are expected or there's a unspoken rule of excellence that is expected to be achieved? Or do you think that is just, it just comes down to personality and lived experiences.
Kelly Morgan [:I would love for it to come down to personality. Ah, man, wouldn't that be the perfect world? But unfortunately no.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I think black women, we have a lot of things that are put upon us that are placed, placed upon us that are not necessarily us.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Again, things that we're supposed to be that we're not. Now I believe that black women Are incredibly resilient, and we're strong and we're unique. And yes, we are the blueprint. And I learned the other day, which totally just solidified. Black women are the only women that can produce all colors on the planet. No other woman can do that. Power, which. And it.
Kelly Morgan [:And it makes me laugh. So I have a different perspective. I feel like the black woman has gone through what she has because of her power and the fear of her power.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:So I look at it in a different way. So I. I kind of use that as motivation because every time I put something out, I'm like, yeah, man, my power. I am. You know, I already know. Listen what I do. And so, like I said, I change my mindset. My.
Kelly Morgan [:I don't play the race card. You can go there if you want to with me, you know? And yes, I know I'm a black woman, but when I'm out here doing my thing, I don't play that card. Unless you play that card.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I come to you authentically as an author, publisher, promoting her work.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's it.
Kelly Morgan [:You know, I'm Kelly first. You know, black is just happens to be the color of my avatar, my soul. I don't even. My soul don't have a color, baby, because I'm. I'm like that. I'm real. And when I leave this planet, I don't even know what I'll be.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:In the meantime, this is what I am. This is who I am. This is what I'll be. But don't label me.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:A black woman. And then tell me what that's supposed to be to look like what Kelly is.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:I'm Kelly first. I'm black second. Remember that I am Kelly first. Black second. Whatever room I walk into, if you choose to see my blackness first, well, then, okay, that's you.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:But I'm going to always bring you Kelly.
Alian Ollivierre [:That.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Regardless. And so I just. I hate the race thing. I do. Especially in the times that we live in, because we lean on it a lot. I get it. I do. I get it.
Kelly Morgan [:And I know I'm going to get backlash for saying that, but this is. This is me being authentic.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:Me not caring if this makes you feel uncomfortable. Me not caring if you agree with me. You don't have to agree with me.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:But what you're not going to do is you're not going to tear me down because you. Because of it. We can have a spirited, heated, beautiful conversation. We can learn from one another. I may not agree with you. But I am so on board with learning why you think the way that you do. So I can put myself in your place and understand. I don't have to agree with it, but I am always on the path for understanding.
Kelly Morgan [:I feel like everything that the universe tells me is about understanding. It's not necessarily about accepting. It's about understanding.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I don't have to accept your hate, but I understand why you may not like other people.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I get it. I get it. You know, and. And to the core, honestly, I think we all want one thing, and that is to be happy. Even the person on the corner spewing the hate.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Still wants to be happy. They still want their family to be safe. They still want to be loved.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:We all want the same things as people. And so one day, and I don't know if I'll see it in my lifetime, I wish that race wasn't a thing, that we didn't have to check the box, that I didn't have to identify, that I'm just whoever.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I'm just Kelly. You know, Kelly first wouldn't matter. I could be Polka dot it. Who cares? And that's what I tell my daughter. In this world, you're always going to find people who are going to find a reason not to like you for the color of your skin. You're not going to be able to change their opinion. So don't. But always show up and be authentic and never apologize.
Kelly Morgan [:You can't change who you are and nor should you want to be you all the time.
Alian Ollivierre [:And you can't change other people either. You can't change their opinions. You can't change their thought process and mindset. You can't change how they're gonna lead. You can't change the opportunities they present. Like, that is literally out of your control. Why even bother to try to control it is what I mean.
Kelly Morgan [:That is the first step to not being a people pleaser.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:Realizing that, that. That you. What you do, you can't control their reaction, their thoughts, nor should you want to. What I can control is me.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And so that's what I focus on. Me, what I have control of. And then, you know, if you want to, you know, come join me or whatever. Yeah. Come on. Like I said, I'm building a table. I'm inviting others. Everybody's welcomed.
Kelly Morgan [:You know, am I really trying to motivate and. And really focus on black women? Yes. But I'm. I'm here to help anybody who wants help. But black Women first, man. I. You know, because. Just because in my experience, Black women haven't always been welcoming of me doesn't mean that I'm not welcoming to black them.
Kelly Morgan [:Yeah, I don't know every black woman, so I'm not going to put a label on you. And don't put one on me if you're down with me. You want to, you know, be a part of this platform, you know, cross, collaborate, whatever. Yeah, I'm open to that, regardless of who you are, but especially to black women, because we're so underrepresented. I really want us to build a community. But since I've been out here doing this, I haven't had a lot of black women approach me, really. And I've been out here, and I'll keep being out here.
Alian Ollivierre [:And there's that thing of collaboration, right, that I want to kind of touch on a little bit. But you made mention of it just now where you said, you know, I'm trying to build the table, I'm trying to build the room, and I'm welcoming you and I want you to come and join me, but if you don't, it's fine. But if you do, great, right? So talk to me about collaboration. How important is it to you? But also, why, why? Why collaborate?
Kelly Morgan [:I think collaboration is so important in this space because you can introduce me to people that I may have never come across.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:And vice versa. We can help one another promote, market. We can help one another get the visibility and exposure that we're both out here. We're both out here trying to do it. We're stronger together than by ourselves.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right.
Kelly Morgan [:I mean, I may be able to, you know, you're an author. Hey, come on my show. I'll promote you to my audience. You know, See, you know, and then so. And then you'll pay it forward and so on. Now, look, we're building a whole community. And now, guess what? It's the. It's just normal.
Kelly Morgan [:It's not even like a thing. It's just how we build as. As black women, as authors, is you have to start somewhere. And there's a quote. I always thought it was Buddha, but somebody told me it was Gandhi. Be the change you want to see in the world, right? And it was Gandhi that said it. Although, you know, it's funny, I always thought it was Buddha, but it's Gandhi. And I always think about that and that.
Kelly Morgan [:You know, sometimes we sit back and think, man, I wish somebody would do this, or, man, I wish somebody would do that.
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Kelly Morgan [:And Then one day I thought, well.
Alian Ollivierre [:Why isn't that somebody me?
Kelly Morgan [:Why can't that be me?
Alian Ollivierre [:Right?
Kelly Morgan [:Why. Why don't you be the change that you want to see, Kelly? Why don't you actually do something different this time? Yeah, you want a different result, do something different.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's it.
Kelly Morgan [:This feels different this time around. Even my daughter came to me the other day and she's like, you know, mom, your whole. Your whole vibe feels different than the last time you tried to lunch, you launch your company. I said, yeah, because I feel authentic. I feel strategic.
Alian Ollivierre [:I feel closer to who Kelly is. Yeah, closer to who Kelly is.
Kelly Morgan [:It feels real.
Alian Ollivierre [:Yeah.
Kelly Morgan [:I said the other one felt like I was just trying out here to promote a book and be what these guys told me. Now I'm just. I'm promoting me, and the books are an extension of me. The company is extension of me. But I truly want to help you if you're down for that. Come on.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's excellent. And I mean, as we start to wrap up, because, Kelly, we could talk for hours, I feel like. But as we start to wrap up was one thing. Like, if any younger Kelly was listening in and feeling trapped in that performative state, feeling unsure of themselves, feeling like their mindset isn't quite there yet in terms of their own self leadership. Like, what is one thing or advice you would give that Kelly?
Kelly Morgan [:I think if I could go back and talk to young Kelly, I would tell young Kelly to listen to young Kelly all too many times. I can remember coming up with ideas or thoughts and pushing that out and be like, no, that's dumb. That's stupid. No, not stupid. And not listening to myself and listening to others and let others directing me on my path. Listen, honor. Honor who you are. Listen to yourself first.
Kelly Morgan [:And please do not let others inflict their fears on you. That's what naysayers do. They in fact inflict their fears upon you. Ooh, do you really want to publish that book? That sounds scary. You're going to go do that book signing. What if nobody goes? You know, don't let them inflict their fears upon you. Honor yourself first. Do it.
Kelly Morgan [:Do. Don't have regrets. Don't do it. Don't. Life is too short. We are not on this planet for that long. It's all just a test anyway.
Alian Ollivierre [:That's Kelly just out here preaching. Just preaching. Oh, my goodness. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Kelly Morgan [:You know, I could talk all day, so thank you for allowing me to just spew my story and just tell my story. And, you know, I had the opportunity, I got the courage to tell the story right, to be authentic, to tell my journey, and to really build something sustainable. And thank you for your help with me doing that on my journey. Everybody that I encounter that allows me to come on their podcast and speak, I appreciate the space that they're creating for me and for others. So, no, I thank you. You honor me by allowing me to spend my time with you. Thank you so much.
Alian Ollivierre [:Thank you. That. You're welcome. That's super powerful because sometimes, you know, it's important to understand how others are feeling in this space. So I really appreciate that. And for all the listeners out there, Kelly has so much to offer. Please go and check out all that she has going on. Especially if you're an author or you're interested in publishing or you need a publisher, I'm directing you to Kelly's room.
Kelly Morgan [:Our book club, too. We have a new book club, so we're looking for members.
Alian Ollivierre [:See? So here. There you go. Stay connected with Kelly. But until then, thank you so much, Kelly. And thank you so much to whoever is listening, wherever you're listening from, I truly appreciate you.
Kelly Morgan [:Thank you.
Alian Ollivierre [:Now, if this episode spoke to you, share it. Don't keep it a secret. Don't gatekeep. Send it to that woman who you know needs to hear. You are not alone, and your leadership still matters. I'll repeat that. You are not alone and your leadership matters. And wherever you listen, please subscribe to the Lead Her Shift podcast or head on over to our website, theleadhershift.com to connect with us there.
Alian Ollivierre [:This movement is about more than just leadership, is about building something better. I'd love to hear your story, because your voice matters, you know, because the world is ready for your authority. The question is, are you.
