Interview Video
Watch the Kendra Cooke Interview
Guest Information
Kendra Cooke is a speaker, business strategist, executive coach, and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of leadership experience and 17 years of coaching leaders nationwide. She helps individuals and organizations build purposeful, profitable, and balanced lives through authentic leadership and practical growth strategies.
After rising from receptionist to brokerage owner, Kendra became one of Tennessee’s top real estate professionals before selling her business. Her journey of resilience and reinvention informs her work in leadership, business growth, financial empowerment, and personal transformation.
As the founder of E3 Empowerment Retreats, Kendra creates experiences that help women embrace change, build confidence, and step into their next chapter. She is also a keynote and TEDx speaker known for talks on financial confidence, mindset, leadership, time management, and success.
Kendra is the author of Embrace, Empower, Evolve and the creator of The Daily Well Planner. Her mission is to help people bet on themselves, discover their purpose, and grow stronger through every season of life.
Testimonial
Kendra Cooke
What do you do when everything you've worked for suddenly falls apart?
🎙️ Inside the You Are Worthy Network, I had the privilege of interviewing the incredible Kendra Cooke—TEDx speaker, bestselling author, leadership coach, branding strategist, real estate veteran, and passionate advocate for financial confidence and personal growth.
🌱 Kendra's story begins in Southern Illinois, where she experienced a broken family life and learned the value of hard work at a young age. As a teenager, she dreamed of becoming an attorney and headed to Nashville, Tennessee, ready to pursue a different future.
🚗 Life had other plans.
🏡 For nearly three decades, Kendra built an extraordinary career in real estate, becoming a trusted leader and mentor in the industry. But when the real estate market crashed in 2010, she found herself facing one of the most difficult seasons of her life.
After putting all her focus into new construction sales and neglecting the relationships that had helped build her business, she suddenly found herself out of inventory, out of momentum, and needing help.
🙏 Instead of allowing pride to keep her stuck, Kendra humbled herself, asked for forgiveness, reconnected with her database, and returned to serving the people who had known, liked, and trusted her for years.
Question & Answer
You built an incredibly successful career in real estate before transitioning into coaching and speaking. What inspired you to make that leap?
Real estate gave me an amazing career, but I eventually realized I wanted to create a bigger impact. Selling homes allowed me to change lives one family at a time, but speaking on stage and coaching lets me reach hundreds of people at once. I felt called to help people grow personally and professionally, so I chose purpose over comfort and stepped into a new season.
You often encourage people to "bet on yourself." What does that message mean to you personally?
Throughout my life, I've had to make some difficult decisions—from leaving my hometown with very little, to rebuilding my business during the housing crisis, to walking away from a successful career. Every major breakthrough started when I chose to trust myself. Betting on yourself means believing in your work ethic, your values, and your ability to figure things out, even when the path isn't clear.
You speak frequently about financial confidence. Why do you believe money is such an important conversation?
Money affects every part of our lives, yet it's one of the topics people avoid the most. Many of us carry limiting beliefs about money because of how we were raised or past financial struggles. My goal is to remove the fear and shame around money, teach practical financial habits, and help people build wealth with confidence and intention.
What makes your E3 Empowerment Retreats different from other personal development events?
E3 Retreats are designed to be a safe place where women can truly be themselves. We focus on embracing change, empowering growth, and evolving into the person God created us to be. Through coaching sessions, journaling, prayer, meaningful conversations, and community, women leave feeling lighter, more confident, and ready to take their next step.
Looking back at the young woman who left Illinois for Nashville right after high school, what advice would you give her today?
I'd simply tell her, "Bet on yourself." There will be setbacks, disappointments, and moments when you question everything, but don't stop believing in what you're capable of. Stay faithful, keep learning, work hard, and trust that every challenge is preparing you for something greater.
