Leona Carter is an accomplished corporate communication strategist, a certified intimacy and relationship coach, and the author of fourteen books. A common theme in many of them is the intentionality of our words. Whether we are speaking to our children, our partners, our colleagues, ourselves, or in prayer, Carter encourages us to understand the power of our words. We begin our conversation with Carter explaining the message in her book Because I Said So!
“I am a mother of six,” Carter says. “So, I knew motherhood is a big deal. I can’t just do what my parents did because it wouldn’t work with this generation. I wrote a book to moms about equipping and inspiring children about being intentional about the words that you say, because everything you say will be held against you.”
Carter says it’s important to talk to your children and be intentional about the power of the words you say to them. She points out that there’s a difference between lavishing unearned praise, which can lead to a child growing up feeling entitled, and praising the behavior that you want to nurture and encourage. Carter also recommends not dwelling on mistakes—we all make them.
“It’s about redirecting them with your words,” Carter says. “Moms have gotten really laid back in the intentionality in training your children.”
Carter’s newest book is called Sexpectations: Strategies for Navigating the Misconceptions of Sex in Marriage to Create Long-lasting Intimacy, coauthored with her husband, Omarr Carter. It’s written in his-and-her perspectives on a variety of situations that can come up in a marriage.
“When we are talking about marriage, we again have a faith foundation in our marriage,” Carter says. “We believe our marriage is ordained by God. This week we’re speaking, in fact, will be our 28th anniversary. There’s no doubt that there’s work in marriage. We approached this topic because many times marriages are having conflicts because of sex, money, or communication.”
With that in mind, the Carters took on the topic of sex, and when they compared their perspectives, they found that, in many cases, the expectations can differ between partners. The Carters will lead a breakout session based on the book at the Marriage-Connect Conference at Stones Church in Kalamazoo on October 20th and 21, 2023.
“It will be held in the faith-based community, but you don’t have to be faith-based to come,” she says. “It’s open to everyone.”
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