Cynthia Barnes

Founder and CEO

Salesforce

Recognized by Salesforce as one of the Top Sales Influencers to Follow 4X (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

 Salesforce Top Sales Influencer to Follow (4X)

Thank You; It's True.

From teaching women how to reach the top 1% to empowering them to own it—I've transformed my expertise into a revolutionary methodology that helps professional women Own Their Awesome with four simple words: "Thank you; it's true."

As the author of "Reach the Top 1%: A Strategic Game Plan for Warrior Women in Sales" and founder of the National Association of Women Sales Professionals, I witnessed firsthand how even the highest achievers struggle to own their success. This insight led to creating the transformative "Thank you; it's true" framework, which turns the simple act of accepting compliments into a powerful catalyst for authentic confidence.

Key Focus Areas:
• Transforming high-achieving women from reaching success to owning it
• Pioneering behavioral change strategies that eliminate imposter syndrome
• Delivering high-impact keynotes and workshops on authentic confidence-building
• Leading a global movement to revolutionize how women receive and internalize recognition
• Developing scalable programs that create systemic change in workplace cultures

Impact:
• Created the groundbreaking "Thank you; it's true" framework
• Built the NAWSP from inception to 15,000 members
• Featured TEDx speaker on confidence and authentic leadership
• LinkedIn Top Voice | 4X Salesforce Top Influencer

My mission has evolved from showing women how to achieve success to empowering them to fully own it. Through the power of "Thank you; it's true," I'm helping professional women transform their relationship with confidence and create lasting cultural change.

Chief Transformation Officer & Founder 

TED Conferences

• Delivered engaging keynote presentations and immersive workshops at TED Conferences to equip teams with the mindsets and toolsets for success.
• Collaborated with event organizers to tailor talks on various topics to inspire and motivate audiences.
• Received accolades for impactful talks that left lasting impressions on attendees and sparked meaningful conversations.

TEDx Speaker | Keynote & SKO Speaker

RedBoxMe in Collaboration with Cartier

RedBoxMe in Collaboration with Cartier is at the intersection of philanthropy, art, cinema, leadership, literature, sustainability, and more, all driven by deep passion and commitment from our group of members. RedBoxMe was architected by Cartier Awards Laureate and innovator Candice Pascoal alongside the President of Cartier International, Cyrille Vigneron. At its core, RedBoxMe is a platform that curates a diverse and inclusive community of thought leaders, creatives, and individuals from various backgrounds for the expansion of thought. We gather around a number of intellectual and creative opportunities, both online and in person, creating a dynamic and engaging space that goes beyond traditional knowledge consumption.

Luminary Thinker

National Association of Women Sales Professionals

∙ Built a global community of 15,000 women sales professionals, offering targeted mentorship, training programs, and resources that enhanced confidence and career advancement.
∙ Spearheaded strategic partnerships with 50+ global organizations to embed equity-focused hiring and development strategies, achieving measurable increases in diversity and retention.
∙ Designed and launched scalable programs like NAWSP:EVOLVE, addressing systemic challenges and driving industry-wide transformation.

Total Quality Logistics

• Secured and expanded pivotal freight brokerage accounts, identifying prospective clients and sealing lucrative deals.
• Exceeded growth targets by 200%, showcasing exceptional ability to set and surpass ambitious DEI goals.
• Amplified revenue streams to $2 million within eighteen months, ensuring long-term financial viability.

Senior Account Executive, Logistics

Mary Kay Inc.

• Drove customer interest and revenue for a cosmetics company through market research and successful deal closures.
• Initiated employee surveys to enhance organizational communication and understanding.

Director of Employee Engagement

Women leave millions on the table every year—in salary, promotions, and business deals—because they hesitate to ask for what they deserve.

🔹 I help high-achieving women own their worth, negotiate fearlessly, and close with confidence—whether in the boardroom, the sales floor, or their career.

🔹 As a TEDx speaker, executive coach, and Fortune 500 consultant, I’ve worked with leaders at companies like Google, Bridgestone, and New York Life to empower women to stop settling and start owning their value.

🔹 WHAT I TEACH:
✅ How to negotiate with confidence and secure what you’re worth
✅ How to own your presence, influence, and executive authority
✅ How to sell yourself, your ideas, and your expertise like a pro

📢 FEATURED KEYNOTE: “Own Your Ask™ – The Art of Getting What You Deserve”
🔥 Perfect for sales teams, corporate leadership events, and women’s executive groups.

📅 Want me to speak at your next event? Let’s talk!

DM me or visit www.cynthia-barnes.com

* Founded NAWSP to offer executive-level consultation and develop DEI-specific strategies tailored for various industries, serving both U.S.-based and international clients.
* Advised C-Suite Leadership on optimal strategies to achieve short- and long-term objectives, sharing insights on trends, best practices, and their potential impacts on business models.
* Conducted Organizational Assessments to identify areas of improvement and recommended enhanced policies, processes, and procedures to clients.
* Developed and Facilitated Customized Curriculums focusing on recruitment and retention for over 50 organizations nationally and internationally.
* Implemented Employee Training and Development Programs to foster skill enhancement and professional growth.
* Established Performance Metrics and Measurement Systems to assess employee productivity and effectiveness.
* Orchestrated DE&I Roadmaps, aligning organizational goals with actionable diversity initiatives.
Increased Representation of underrepresented populations by 64% through targeted recruiting and mentorship programs.
* Conducted Equity Analysis across the entire employment life cycle, including recruitment, retention, interviews, performance evaluations, and separations.
* Developed ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) to promote inclusivity and address specific employee needs and concerns.
* Managed Talent and Succession Planning Programs to ensure organizational continuity and growth.
* Promoted a Positive and Inclusive Organizational Culture, enhancing team member engagement and productivity.
* Focused on Risk Management to mitigate potential organizational challenges and disruptions.
* Delivered Value by creating customized curricula and training for multiple industries, enhancing organizational capability and adaptability.
* Shared Industry Insights on current and emerging trends, enabling clients to adapt and innovate in their respective domains.

"Can you walk me through your salary expectations?"

I slid my number across the table. $127K.

The hiring manager's eyebrows shot up. "That's... ambitious for someone with your background."

My background: 8 years building revenue systems. $14M in documented value creation. Three frameworks running at my previous company.

"We were thinking more like $85K," he said. "But there's room to grow."

I folded. Took $92K. Convinced myself the title mattered more than the math.

Six months later, I'm training the new guy they hired. His starting salary? $135K. His experience? Five years. His documented wins? "Strong potential."

Same role. Same team. Same hiring manager.
Different invoice.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠:

They knew my number was right. They just knew I'd accept less.

They didn't negotiate my value. They negotiated my confidence.

They weren't questioning my worth. They were testing my documentation.

The script from that failed negotiation still burns:
"I appreciate the opportunity..."
"I understand budget constraints..."
"I'm flexible on compensation..."

Translation: I'll subsidize your profits with my discount.

Now? Different script entirely.

"My rate reflects the value I create."
"Here's the documentation."
"This number is firm."

No apologies. No explanations. No negotiations on my worth.

Because they don't pay you what you're worth.
They pay you what you refuse to work without.

That failed negotiation? Cost me $35K annually. $175K over five years. Before compound interest. Before opportunity cost. Before the mental tax of watching Brad make more for less.

To every Black woman about to negotiate:

Your number isn't ambitious. Their offer is extraction.
Your experience isn't lacking. Their evaluation is.
Your documentation isn't excessive. It's evidence.

Stop negotiating against yourself before they even counter.
Stop accepting their framing of your value.
Stop believing growth potential pays bills.

They have the budget. They always did.
They're just waiting to see if you know it too.

Thank You; It's True™

P.S. That hiring manager? Reached out last year for consulting help. My day rate is now triple what that annual raise would've been. He said it was "outside their budget." I said that sounded like a personal problem. Documentation has a beautiful memory.

#BlackWomensWealthLab #SalaryNegotiation #KnowYourWorth

Founder & CEO, Black Women’s Wealth Lab™ | Closing the pay gap for 1,000,000 Black women by 2040 | Turning corporate extraction into income

A poised woman with short natural curls sits on the floor in a softly lit, elegant living room. She wears a fitted nude-toned tank top and taupe lounge pants, holding a floral teacup in one hand with a laptop in front of her. Her jewelry is minimal and refined, and the neutral décor behind her creates a serene, upscale atmosphere. 

Yes, I invoiced my church $10K.

The pastor's jaw dropped. "But we're doing God's work."

"So am I," I said. "And God's work deserves proper funding."

See, they'd been running community programs for 15 years. Free financial literacy. Free job training. Free business coaching. All led by Black women who tithed, served, and subsidized.

The youth minister was teaching coding bootcamps after her 9-to-5.
The deacon's wife ran entrepreneurship workshops on Saturdays.
Sister Johnson's grant-writing saved them $2M.

All for "the glory."
None for the invoice.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡:

The coding bootcamp they gave away? Worth $5K per student.
The entrepreneurship program? Corporations pay $25K for that.
Sister Johnson's grant expertise? Consultants charge $10K per proposal.

They were sitting on $500K in annual program revenue.
Giving it away while Black women burned out.
Calling it ministry while we subsidized their mission.

I didn't just invoice them. I taught them to invoice everyone else.

Started charging corporations for diversity training they'd been doing free.
Created certification programs that companies paid to send employees to.
Turned "community service" into community revenue.

Six months later:
• $500K in program fees generated
• 12 Black women instructors now paid $150/hour
• Zero burnout, maximum impact

The pastor called it a miracle.

I called it pricing our gifts properly.

Because even in sacred spaces, Black women's contributions have value. Our expertise doesn't become free because we're in the sanctuary. Our brilliance doesn't get discounted at the church door.

That $10K invoice? It was for the framework that generated the $500K.

They paid it. In full. On time.

Because transformation costs. Whether it's in boardrooms or church basements.

To every Black woman giving away her genius for "the cause":

Your cause needs funding.
Your gifts deserve compensation.
Your service has a price tag.

Even Jesus said the worker deserves their wages.

Start invoicing. Even your church.
Especially your church.

Because we can't pour from empty cups.
But we can invoice for the pitcher.

Thank You; It's True™

P.S. Three other churches just hired me to implement the same framework. $15K each. Turns out, sacred spaces everywhere need to learn how to value Black women's work. I'm teaching them. At market rate.

#BlackWomensWealthLab #InvoiceYourWorth #SacredAndPaid #ThankYouItsTrue

Founder & CEO, Black Women’s Wealth Lab™ | Closing the extraction gap for 1,000,000 Black women by 2040

Black background with white text quote reading 'Even Jesus said the worker deserves their wages.' Black Women's Wealth Lab logo appears at top in gold/yellow. Tagline underneath reads 'Economic justice for Black women who built the wealth.'

Carson V. Heady

Carson V. Heady is Managing Director for Microsoft Elevate, a bestselling author, top sales influencer, and podcast host who has built a career helping people and organizations win through technology, authenticity, and servant leadership.

With over 25 years in sales and leadership roles across Microsoft, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, Carson has mastered the art of selling in complex environments. At Microsoft, he leads the Americas Nonprofit team supporting over 400 named nonprofit organizations, delivering transformative outcomes by aligning customer missions with Microsoft’s cloud, AI, and security solutions. He has also created a replicable demand generation social selling model that has generated $1 billion+ in revenue that he has trained in 11 countries and presented to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his leadership team. Carson's success is driven by a philosophy that fuses heart, hustle, and human connection.

Carson is the author of 6 books, including the "Birth of a Salesman" series and his latest releases "The Show Must Go On" and "UNBEATABLE" — modern sales playbooks for navigating reinvention, resilience, and growth in an evolving landscape. His books blend storytelling with strategic insights and are used by sales professionals, leaders, and organizations as practical guides to career advancement.

He is also the host of two successful podcasts: *Mastering Modern Selling* and *Connected Teamwork*, where he interviews top industry voices and explores topics like AI in sales, personal branding, emotional intelligence, and nonprofit digital transformation. His guests have included CEOs, bestselling authors, comedians, Microsoft executives, and healthcare experts.

Carson is an 8-time CEO/President’s Club winner, a frequent keynote speaker, and a recognized LinkedIn Top Voice in sales and leadership. He’s known for his high-energy delivery, candid storytelling, and tactical advice that inspires sellers to take bold action while staying grounded in purpose.

Rooted in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and now based in St. Louis, Carson is a proud husband and father of three daughters. He believes success isn’t just about quota — it’s about showing up, staying true, and making a difference.

Co-host of The Crocodile School Podcast

We are capable of so much more than our small but powerful reptilian brain want us to believe. How do we access our true potential and transform the parts of us that keep us small? Join leadership coach & award-winning author Hylke Faber and best-selling author & Microsoft #1 Social Seller Carson V. Heady for this monthly podcast in which they explore how we can use every challenge as an opportunity to get to know more of our best self and share that with others. Carson will bring live case examples and leadership lessons and Hylke will bring coaching insights leveraging his Taming Your Crocodiles approach and the truth that is available in this moment.

Carson Heady

I didn’t become unbeatable because life handed me easy wins—every scar, every betrayal, every time I was passed over or underestimated became jet fuel.

The boiler rooms, the corrupt managers, the write-ups manufactured from thin air, the impossible quotas.

The days I carried entire teams on my back while others collected the credit.

The times I was told to cheat—and chose integrity.

The politics, the exhaustion, the moments I buried my head in my hands wondering if greatness was worth the cost.

No one is coming to save you.

You have to build your own story.

You don’t create greatness by playing small.

You create greatness by letting your fire make the room uncomfortable.

What’s the one moment in your career when you realized they underestimated the wrong person?

Human to Human: Why Communication Is the Real Superpower in Leadership, Love & Life, with Richard Vickers https://lnkd.in/gPTNBQ9U

Some people think pressure is a sign they’re falling apart.  But what if the weight you’re carrying is actually forging the strongest version of you?


Everywhere I look, people are carrying silent battles—quotas, deadlines, expectations, family storms, heartbreak, health scares. 

We show up to Teams calls smiling while fighting wars no one sees. And yet… we rise. We deliver. We keep moving. We keep showing up even when it hurts.

Pressure isn’t punishment—pressure is the proving ground.

It means you’re trusted. It means you matter. It means you’re playing a game that counts.

🔥 Pressure doesn’t break you—it sharpens you.
 🔥 Chaos doesn’t crush you—it reveals you.
 🔥 Struggle doesn’t weaken you—it forges you.

I can’t carry the whole world, and neither can you.

But I can control my integrity, my effort, my faith, my consistency, my next right step.

And every day I do, I become someone a little stronger… a little wiser… a little more unstoppable.

If you’re in the fire right now—remember:

 Blades aren’t sharpened in comfort. They’re sharpened in friction.

What about you—right now—is the pressure crushing you… or is it quietly sharpening you?

How Chaos, Calling, and Character Forge the Unbeatable Leader Within Everyone You Meet Is Carrying Something Invisible Everywhere I look, people are c

Open article: THE PRESSURE PARADOX: Why the Weight You Carry Is Building the Strongest Version of You by Carson V. Heady • 5 min read

THE PRESSURE PARADOX: Why the Weight You Carry Is Building the Strongest Version of You

Fear, Failure & Fuel: How to Turn Missed Quotas, Job Loss & Setbacks Into Your Greatest Sales Superpower  https://lnkd.in/gqbqEHSn

We all have wildly different superpowers—strengths, passions, instincts, worldviews—and when we learn how to align them for a shared mission, that’s when the magic happens.


It’s the moment when two people with completely different gifts realize: “We’re better together than we ever could be alone.”

 It’s the moment when teams stop competing and start complementing.

 It’s the moment when leaders stop trying to clone themselves and instead start cultivating the uniqueness in everyone around them.

And there’s one crucial ingredient that makes it all work:

Feedback.

Not feedback as confrontation.

 Not feedback as critique.

But feedback as contribution.

 Feedback as investment.

Somewhere along the way, many of us were conditioned to attach fear, anxiety, or defensiveness to feedback.

 We brace ourselves for impact instead of opening ourselves for growth.

But when you reframe feedback—truly reframe it—something shifts.

When you say:  “I’m giving this feedback because I want this person to get better.”
 …everything changes.

People don’t grow from silence. They grow from care.

 Silence keeps the peace—but it never unlocks greatness.

Real leaders lean in, even when it’s uncomfortable.

 Real teammates lift each other, even when it takes courage.

 Real organizations thrive when people see feedback not as a threat, but as a gift.

And when every person on a team is showing up with their unique strengths, willing to contribute, willing to give and receive feedback with humility?

That’s when you get unstoppable cultures.

👉 What’s the superpower you haven’t fully leaned into yet?
 👉 Who on your team has a gift that complements yours?
 👉 And what feedback do you need to give—or receive—to unlock the next level for both of you?

Connected Teamwork Growth Leaders Network Hylke Faber

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