We’re looking forward to introducing you to Empress Hyder. Check out our conversation below.
Empress, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
Most people will never admit it out loud, but so many are wrestling with fear in ways that look quiet on the outside but feel loud on the inside.
Fear is not always screaming. Sometimes it whispers through their habits, their hesitations, their silence, their procrastination, or their perfectionism. And because you are someone who sees people beneath the surface—through their patterns, their pain points, their potential—here’s what others are likely battling in secret:
Fear of Being Seen.
Not just physically, but spiritually, creatively, professionally. People want visibility, but they’re terrified of what will be exposed once the spotlight hits them—flaws, gaps, insecurities, childhood wounds, inconsistencies. They want the stage but fear the scrutiny.
Fear of Not Being Enough.
No matter the highlight reels, resumes, or branding, many are scared that if people saw the “real them,” the applause would stop. They fear their confidence is fragile, their success accidental, or their capacity temporary.
Fear of Failing at the Very Thing They Prayed For.
Blessings are heavy. Opportunities come with responsibility. And many fear dropping what God placed in their hands—marriage, motherhood, leadership, influence, or purpose.
Fear of Outgrowing People They Love.
Growth feels good until it requires separation. A lot of people stay small to keep the peace, maintain friendships, or not be labeled “too much.” They’re afraid success will cost them relationships.
Fear of Starting Over.
Whether in business, purpose, or healing, the idea of rebuilding again feels exhausting. Many stay in what’s familiar—even when it’s killing them—because fear convinces them they don’t have another reboot in them.
Fear of Being Misunderstood.
Some people silence themselves because they’ve been labeled difficult, emotional, inconsistent, or intimidating. They fear their truth will get twisted, so they settle for half-expression.
Fear of Asking for Help.
People hate admitting that they’re drowning—financially, mentally, creatively, spiritually. Pride and survival mode make them suffer quietly.
Fear of Success.
This is the one nobody admits. Success requires discipline, structure, consistency, boundaries, and accountability. Many fear that elevation will demand a version of themselves they haven’t met yet.
Fear of God Actually Using Them.
Purpose is beautiful, but calling is inconvenient. When God starts pulling people into destiny, they fear losing comfort, control, or the life they curated on their own terms.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
E. Simone is a multi-brand entrepreneur, creative strategist, and the visionary behind The Doula Collective, a business ecosystem designed to help individuals and companies birth, build, and scale their ideas with clarity and structure. With a background in marketing, branding, enrollment operations, and systems development, she blends creativity with operational strategy to support startups, founders, and creatives at every stage of growth.
Her work is deeply rooted in her personal story as a two-time NICU mom, which led to the development of her signature “Brand Doula” framework—guiding brands through phases of incubation, stabilization, and expansion with both care and accountability. What makes her work unique is the way she merges faith, systems, and creativity to not only build brands, but to build sustainable foundations.
She is also the founder of The Healing Seat, a powerful women’s empowerment platform and live event experience created to foster honest conversations around healing, purpose, leadership, and identity. The Healing Seat brings together women from across the country for transformational dialogue, education, and community, blending personal growth with professional development.
Currently, E. Simone is expanding her educational platforms, developing digital products, hosting large-scale women’s events, and continuing to grow a national community of entrepreneurs and creatives focused on clarity, healing, and generational impact.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment that truly shaped how I see the world was the day I became a NICU mom.
Standing over a child you cannot touch without wires moving, alarms sounding, or a nurse stepping in—watching a tiny human fight for breath, strength, and survival—rearranges your entire understanding of life. It humbles you. It matures you. It forces you to see the world through the lens of what really matters, not what we think matters.
Those months in the NICU taught me three things that completely reshaped how I show up as a woman, a mother, a leader, and a creator:
1. Nothing is promised, but everything has purpose.
When you watch life hang in the balance, you learn to pay attention to the details God hides in the hard moments. Purpose is often born in pressure.
2. Strength isn’t loud.
Sometimes strength is silent, still, and surrendered. It’s doing what you can and trusting God with everything you can’t.
3. Healing is not optional—it’s foundational.
It was in those vulnerable months that I realized women carry so much quietly. And if we don’t make room to heal, we end up building from a fractured place. That revelation is what planted the earliest seeds for The Healing Seat.
The NICU didn’t just change me—it awakened me.
It taught me empathy, patience, resilience, and the awareness that everyone is fighting battles we may never see. It pushed me into purpose, into entrepreneurship, into faith-led leadership, and into creating spaces where women can feel seen, held, and supported.
That moment shaped everything: my brands, my mission, my voice, and the way I champion others. It made me who I am today.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes—there were moments when giving up felt easier than continuing.
One of the hardest seasons was navigating life as a single mother while rebuilding emotionally, financially, and professionally after deep loss and transition. I was grieving, stretched thin, and trying to lead, create, and provide all at the same time. There were days when the weight of responsibility felt heavier than my faith, and the vision felt bigger than my capacity.
What almost took me out wasn’t just exhaustion—it was the quiet fear that I might be doing all this alone.
But what kept me was purpose. I realized that quitting wouldn’t just stop my progress—it would silence the assignment on my life. My children, my future clients, the women who would one day sit in The Healing Seat, the brands I was called to build—I couldn’t walk away from that.
I didn’t survive that season by being strong every day. I survived by being obedient on the days I felt weak. And that taught me something I live by now: you don’t have to feel powerful to move forward—you just have to keep moving.
That season didn’t break me. It built me.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no—the public version of me is real, but it’s not the whole me.
What people see publicly is the purpose-driven version of me—the woman who shows up to teach, pour, create, lead, and build communities. She’s real. She’s intentional. She’s aligned with my calling.
But she is also curated.
Not in a fake way, but in a protected way.
I’ve learned that every part of you is not meant to be public. Some versions of me belong to my children, my partner, my closest friends, and my quiet moments with God. Those spaces hold the unfiltered version—the woman who doesn’t have all the answers, who still heals, who still asks for guidance, who still doubts, recalibrates, and grows.
The public me is rooted in truth, but the private me is rooted in depth.
What I share publicly is shaped by my assignment: to help people build, to empower women, to speak life, to create strategy, to bring clarity. But privately, I’m still evolving, still learning how to balance motherhood, ambition, relationship, leadership, and healing.
So yes—she’s real.
But she’s also layered.
And the fullness of who I am isn’t for public consumption, it’s for sacred stewardship.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, my customers would miss the way I combine clarity, care, and creativity in everything I touch.
People don’t come to me just for a design, a strategy, or a service—they come for the experience. They come for the way I can hear what they’re trying to say even when they don’t have the words yet. They come for the structure I bring to their chaos, the accountability I bring to their vision, and the confidence I help them build in themselves.
They would miss the way I slow down and see them.
The way I help them name their purpose.
The way I take their ideas off life support and give them a roadmap to grow.
They’d miss the emotional intelligence behind the work—the gentle push, the direct feedback, the spiritual grounding, the way faith and strategy meet in every session, every email, every brand I touch.
They would miss having someone who can hold both their brand and their becoming.
And honestly, they’d miss the consistency. The reliability. The honesty. The creative problem-solving. The way I make them feel like their brand matters, their story matters, and their evolution matters.
I think they would miss that the most:
not just what I do, but who I am when I do it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.empresssimone.com
- Instagram: @thebusinessdoula_
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/thedoulacollective
