Surviving & Shining: Unstoppable Live Episode 2
Some stories don’t start with a five‑year plan and a polished LinkedIn profile.
They start and sometimes thrive in survival mode, with babies on their hips, unpaid dreams on the back burner, and a quiet conviction that life has to be bigger than this.
That’s the heartbeat of this Her-Story conversation: two women, Starla and Lateva, who turned survival into strategy, and strategy into the Create. Connect. Collab. (CCC) community.
This isn’t just a founder spotlight. It’s a mirror for every woman who’s ever thought:
“I have the degree OR expertise, responsibilities, and dream… but I’m scared to start.”
Before the Brand: The Girls They Used to Be
Starla: From “Average Student” to Emmy-Nominated Storyteller
In high school, Starla wasn’t thinking about college; she was just trying to make it through. She calls herself an “average student,” just surviving, until one moment shifted everything.
She wasn’t invited back to her video production class.
That rejection became a defining lesson:
no distractions, no excuses, relentless focus.
When she got to Ball State, everything changed.
Starla…
Got deeply involved on campus
Helped create a student TV show called “The MiXx”
Watched that show become Emmy-nominated in its first season
College didn’t just give her a degree; it gave her proof that:
If you’ve got an idea and the courage to execute, you can make it happen with the right people.
Starla graduated in July with a diploma in one hand and a baby on the way. Her son, Cardell, was born just weeks later. Suddenly, all the questions about “career paths” collided with a new question:
What kind of life am I going to build for this child?
Even when full-time entrepreneurship felt too risky, Starla didn’t drop the dream, she…
Worked different jobs
Freelanced in video production and photography
Built a portfolio and a reputation that would later become the foundation for Mathis Media and CCC
She didn’t always know how it would work. But she knew, deep down, that she was meant to build something of her own.
Lateva: No Plan, Just Survival
In Lateva’s words:
“In full transparency, there was no plan. I had no plan for children. I had no plan for a husband. I had no plan for a career. I was just surviving real life, day by day.”
She became pregnant at 19. Survival looked like:
Enrolling in medical assisting school and excelling… top of her class
Going back to “regular college” and finishing her BSN
Working as an RN in nephrology and bariatric surgery
Moving into leadership as a patient care manager, speaking at bariatric conferences and serving as the warm, front-facing connection for patients
From the outside, it looked like she had “made it”:
A respected career
Growing leadership roles
A stable field with clear next steps
But inside, there was tension.
She loved caring for people, but she didn’t love being micromanaged by people who didn’t understand her work.
She considered becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA) for more autonomy and flexibility. When NP school didn’t work out, it could have felt like failure.
Instead, it became a pivot point.
Reinvention on Repeat: From Nursing to Real Estate to a New State
With three kids by 28, Lateva was still in survival mode, but now with an expanding sense of her own capacity.
Her husband’s family owned a real estate company. When she stepped into that world:
She earned her broker’s license
Started selling real estate
Built a million-dollar portfolio for someone else
She loved the autonomy and the thrill of entrepreneurship. But she also saw the reality:
“I would make a bunch of money in February, and then I would make no money in March.”
Just as she was finding her stride, her husband got a major corporate offer in Indiana with full relocation, movers, and a salary that shifted what stability could look like for their family.
It was a crossroads:
keep building something unpredictable, or say yes to something big and stable.
They chose to move.
In Indiana, Lateva went from juggling clients and closings to being at home within four walls, with four kids… eventually six daughters wrestling with a deeper question:
Am I done building? Or is there still something more I’m meant to do?
Motherhood as a Catalyst
Both women became mothers early in their lives. But instead of limiting them, motherhood sharpened their focus and redefined their “why.”
Starla: Time to Double Down and Focus
Starla had her son right after graduating from college, and a few years later, she had her daughter, and that moment became a personal mandate:
If I tell my child he and she can do anything, I have to live like that’s true.
So she:
Picked up a camera, (her husband Reggie gifted her the first one)
Taught herself photography
Started taking pictures, building Mathis Media along the way
Protected her time like it was gold: nap times, lunch breaks, and late nights all went into her business
Her philosophy is simple and sharp:
“I can always make more money. I can’t get time back.”
Motherhood didn’t slow her; it focused her. It made every hour matter more.
Lateva: Breaking Generational Cycles
Lateva’s mother had her at 20. She had her first daughter at 20. The pattern was clear: young motherhood, survival, and a life built around “just getting through.”
But with her own daughters, she was determined to write something different. When you have children…
“You become a different MOM-ster. I have to give her the world. I have to give her something stable, because those are all the things that I lacked.”
With six daughters, she’s not just building a business. She’s building a new legacy:
Stability where she once had uncertainty
Support where she once had to figure it out alone
Opportunity where doors once felt closed
Her hope every single day:
“That they say, ‘That’s my mom, and she did all the things.’ And when I’m no longer here, they remember that I left a legacy of love, laughter, and working hard.”
Now, she’s watching that legacy unfold, one daughter at Ball State, another committed to IU, each of them stepping into the world with a different foundation than she had.
The Moment “I” Became “We”
Both stories could have stayed individual…two women running strong businesses on their own tracks.
Instead, they chose collaboration over isolation, and that’s where Create. Connect. Collab. (CCC) was born.
For Starla, freelancing had been part of her story since college:
Shooting commercials for agencies
Filming at events
Building a name as a creative storyteller
But going full-time still felt like too big a risk without a safety net. She needed more than passion; she needed strategy and support.
She started listening to business podcasts, hearing entrepreneurs talk about masterminds, groups, and collaboration. That sparked something: she didn’t have to do this alone.
Through building community, meeting like-minded women, and co-creating spaces for connection, CCC took shape. And then came a pivotal moment.
At the first CCC retreat in 2019, in an Airbnb filled with vision and vulnerability, Starla said:
“I have this feeling that in 2020, I’m going to go full-time.”
No one knew what 2020 would bring. But something else was already in motion.
Her grandfather, Paw Paw, had been quietly asking the same question over and over:
“How much money do you need to go full-time? What would it take?”
In 2020, they lost him. But he left behind a nest egg, intentionally set aside to invest in her future.
His belief in her became the bridge between part-time hustle and full-time entrepreneurship.
“I’m just so thankful for him sowing into my journey.”
Her leap wasn’t reckless. It was strategic, supported, and deeply personal.
Always Waiting for the Shoe to Drop… and Building Anyway…
For all the visible success (events, features, partnerships) the internal work is still very real.
Lateva is honest about living with a survival mindset, even now:
“I’m constantly waiting for the shoe to drop… that somebody’s going to come and open the door and tell me that it’s all fake and I didn’t do anything and it’s not for me.”
That level of transparency matters, especially for women who assume that confidence arrives once the milestone is hit.
The truth they model is this:
The fear doesn’t always disappear.
The doubt doesn’t always dissolve.
You learn to build alongside it, not under it.
What helps them keep going?
Community – women who remind them of their impact when their own insecurities get loud
Faith – prayer, grounding, and a belief that their work is bigger than them
“We pray. I pray over what we do. I pray for guidance. I think it’s really important to have strong mental health and a strong faith foundation, too.” -Starla
The Impact of One Day a Week
Here’s one of the most striking parts of their story:
CCC gets one dedicated day a week.
“We run our own businesses Monday through Wednesday and Friday through Sunday. We work on CCC on Thursdays. One day out of the week.”
And yet, from that single day, they have:
Touched and supported over 1,000 women since 2019
Created spaces for emerging entrepreneurs to learn, connect, and be seen
Partnered with organizations like the WNBA and Wiser Symposium
Been featured in MORE Magazine, and chose to share that spotlight with other women entrepreneurs
They could have made it all about themselves. Instead, they turned every platform into a shared stage.
Their mantra is simple:
We’re in the room, but we’re not there alone.
When they walk into a space, they carry their community with them.
“We gotta be in the room, and when we’re in the room, you’re in the room with us… especially if you’ve told us what you want to do.” - Lateva
For the Woman Who’s Afraid to Start
This Her-Story is more than inspiration. It’s a blueprint and a nudge.
If you’re the woman who:
Has a degree… or not (maybe you have a lifetime of self-taught skills)
Juggles responsibilities (kids, elders, bills, jobs)
Holds a dream you can’t quite shake
…but you’re scared to start, here’s the wisdom distilled from Starla and Lateva.
1. Don’t Just Leap… Plan.
Courage is powerful and strategy is essential.
Ask yourself:
What problem am I solving?
Who needs this?
How can I test this before I leave my job?
Ideas are beautiful. But they become sustainable when they are anchored in real, felt needs.
2. Find Your People.
Isolation magnifies fear.
Community shrinks it down to size.
Look for:
MasterMinds, MasterClasses, Mastering the Work, MasterStories, and Mastering Your Goals.
Business communities
Spaces like Create. Connect. Collab. that are built for emerging women entrepreneurs
When you hear other women share openly, you collect their lessons…without having to live every hard moment yourself.
3. Learn, Then Implement.
Workshops, lives, and panels can be powerful, but they can also become a safe hiding place from the actual work.
Starla and Lateva’s reminder:
Be in the rooms, yes.
But also block time to work on your business.
Your business is built in the hours no one sees, when you’re quietly laying the foundation instead of just collecting information.
4. Respect Your Realities, Honor Your Dreams.
You don’t have to “burn it all down” to be a “real” entrepreneur.
You can:
Keep your job while you build something new
Take calculated risks instead of reckless ones
Move toward full-time only when your life, finances, and mental health can hold it
There is no prize for suffering more than necessary.
5. Let Your Story Lead You
Whether you:
Became a mom early
Started over in a new state
You are Unstoppable, and you are making Her-Story every single day!
Join Your Sisterhood in Business
Create. Connect. Collab. Monthly Membership -
All Access To:
The Private Create. Connect. Collab. Facebook Group
Our Private Group Me
Monthly Virtual MasterMind
Monthly Virtual Educational MasterClass to Elevate Your Digital Presence and Business
Monthly Check-In
Discounted Event and Retreat Tickets (Virtual AND In Real Life, when that’s a thing again!)
Discounted Merch
Most Importantly…Community Connection, Support, and Engagement!
Create. Connect. Collab. Yearly Membership -
All Access To:
The Private Create. Connect. Collab. Facebook Group
Our Private Group Me
Monthly Virtual MasterMind
Monthly Virtual Educational MasterClass to Elevate Your Digital Presence and Business
Monthly Check-In
Discounted Event and Retreat Tickets (Virtual AND In Real Life, when that’s a thing again!)
Discounted Merch
Most Importantly…Community Connection, Support, and Engagement!
About the Hosts:
Starla Kay Mathis is a wife, mom of two, speaker, plus-size model, photographer, and multi-preneur. She co-owns Mathis Media, a full-service media and marketing agency, with her husband, and together they also run Mathis Media Studio, specializing in Portrait, Family, Milestone, Seniors, Newborn, Weddings, and “In The Box” Photography. She is a Co-Founder of Create. Connect. Collab., a hybrid community for women business owners, Starla provides professional development, accountability, and networking. A community-driven leader, creator of safe spaces, and published photographer based in Indianapolis, she believes in creating a life you love and living it.
Business Website: https://www.mathis-media.com/
Personal Website: https://www.starlakaymathis.com/
Business Instagram: @mathis.media
Personal Instagram: @starlakaymathis
Lateva Woolfork is a Detroit girl living in an Indianapolis world — a visionary entrepreneur, speaker, faith leader, and proud mom of six. She is the Founder of Socially Coordinated Consulting (SoCo PR), a communications and brand strategy firm elevating mission-driven organizations through public relations, community engagement, and authentic storytelling. As Co-Founder of Create. Connect. Collab., Lateva empowers entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses and meaningful connections through community and accountability. A dedicated small-business coach and advocate, she is committed to helping founders gain confidence, clarity, and strategy for growth. Lateva is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, a member of Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Class XLVIII, and an Indy 40 Under 40 honoree for her civic leadership. Known for her warmth, humor, and authenticity, she creates spaces where people feel seen, supported, and strengthened in every season.
Business Website: https://www.socopr.com/
Personal Website: https://theallpurposewoman.com/
Instagram: @latevawoolfork
Cheyenne McMullen-Hall a wife, mom, and multi-preneur. She is the founder and Your Digital Marketing Strategist at Cheyenne Marie Consulting. She focuses on elevating businesses by building brands, websites, email marketing campaigns, social media strategies, and offers marketing consulting services. Cheyenne is also a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant servicing central and southern Indiana. She’s passionate about creating connection and confidence by helping women elevate their business, their brand, and how they show up every single day.
Marketing Website: https://www.cheyennemarieconsulting.com/
Mary Kay Website: https://www.marykay.com/cheyennemcmullen
Instagram: @cheyennemarieconsulting
Facebook: Cheyenne Marie Consulting