Life is lived the way you want it to be. There is no problem being different than the rest and taking detours if that will lead you to your own version of success. Dr. Sylvia Morris and Dr. Angela Walker sit down with Dr. Angela’s third cousin, Britney Harris, who shares her own experiences of getting out of her comfort zone and showing up authentically no matter what. She discusses how motherhood and the Navy service shaped her into a resilient and empowered woman. Britney also imparts insights about the power of women supporting their fellow women and why embracing gratitude every single day is essential to unlocking profound growth.
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Britney Harris On Taking Detours And Being Different
Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Welcome to the show. Angela, we have an awesome guest. I’m super excited to have her. She is my relative. We’re going to get to that. Let’s talk about getting out of our comfort zones. I know people are always talking about, “We’re going to take a leap. We’re going to move and do something that scares us.” How do you look at getting out of your comfort zone?
When you told me your idea of this being a topic, I tried to reflect back to think of a big time when I jumped out of my comfort zone. Honestly, I went all the way back to high school. It taught me a lot about myself back then. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity back then. We may have talked on another episode that I went to a small private school prior to high school and jumped from a class of about 40 to a class of 900. When I ran for class officer and some of the things that I did in leadership, that was way outside my comfort zone because I had never done anything like that before. I was super scared but it was something that I really wanted to do.
I tried out for sports, almost every sport because I loved athletics of all types, and got turned down for numerous sports. I stayed with swimming. I was on the drill team. With leadership, I didn’t really have much background. Long story short, that was one of my first experiences. I got the position. I was like, “It’s very scary but I can do this, and it’s fun.” That was one of my first experiences.
What I can reflect on is having been an OB-GYN for close to 25 years and leaping to a different avenue of coaching and speaking, that was following my spirit, wanting to do more with what I know, and feeling like I’m making a bigger impact than one patient at a time. Once I got into it, I realized, “I’ve been coaching all my life. My entire career was never labeled a coach but now, I have more time to spend beyond the fifteen minutes.” It was accepting a different perspective and taking that leap. That’s something that’s been outside my comfort zone. Once I stepped into it, it was like, “This is what I’m meant to do.” How about you?
I went hiking. If you know nothing about me, I am a quintessential LA girl. I’m not trying to go hiking. I like to go to the beach and bike along the path. I like to go to Pilates, yoga, and all of those things. When someone says, “Let’s get up at 6:00 AM and go hiking,” I’m like, “No, thank you.” I was on holiday and I was at Rancho La Puerta. They had a 6:00 AM hike but they prefaced it as a breakfast hike. I knew that after I walked my two miles, I would have a really nice breakfast. I was like, “This isn’t bad.”
Since I don’t like hiking and those things, I did enjoy talking with the other guests. I was talking, and before you knew it, I was like, “We’re here. It’s time for breakfast.” The next day I got up not at 6:00 AM for that hike but I went on the 6:45 hike. I was like, “If you distract me with some talking or with some breakfast, I might like this hiking thing.”
That’s awesome. As long as you get a reward and you can reward yourself however you choose.
Introducing Wife, Mother, And Veteran Britney Harris
I am reward-oriented. I’m human. We are going to talk with my third cousin. That’s not the most important thing we’re starting with but we’re going to start there. She is a wife, a mother, a student, a veteran, and an overall bright light in our family and the world. Britney Clark, I want to welcome you to the show.
Welcome.
Britney, how are you feeling? What’s going on with you?
Honestly, I’m taking everything in. There is a lot going on. I’m going to go visit my mom for Christmas. I have that going on. I start clinicals in January 2025 so I’m trying to get all my stuff situated with that.
That’s nursing school, right?
Yes.
Congratulations.
Thank you. I’m trying to get approved by the board to start my clinicals in January 2025. I’m trying to get myself situated. That’s all we got going on and the holidays.
You are moving. I have to shout out the HBCUs .
Britney, we’re so excited to have you on. You are someone that we feel has made boss leaps in your life, your career, and your family life. We’re going to go way back and ask one of our basic pieces of knowledge that we’d like to know about you. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field. It started off at first when I was a little girl. I had to ask my mom, believe it or not, like, “Mom, what did I always say I wanted to be when I was little? I know I liked medicine, science, and stuff like that but what was it that I always ran around saying?” She was like, “You always talked about being a pediatrician.” I was like, “Okay.”
I have always wanted to be in the medical field. It changed what part of the medical field I wanted to be in the older I got. At one point, I wanted to go into psychology, and then at one point, it changed to anesthesiology. I’m going back and forth with anesthesiology and psychology. I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field but didn’t know which route I was going to take.
I did not know that. I probably would’ve recruited you a little harder into medicine. My mother was a nurse, so I’m so excited that you are going into nursing. Certainly, congratulations on being accepted into nursing school. That is a huge feat. We are super proud of you.
Your avenues are wide open. You don’t need to know now. Sometimes, when you go through some of your rotations, it’ll fall into place. You can do so many things through nursing. That’s wonderful. That’s good to know.
The Most Important People In Britney’s Life
Britney, can you share with our audience some of the important people in your life?
It’s a lot of women. Our family is full of strong women. They’re leaders. They conquer everything. Some of the people that are important in my life are my mom, number one. She’s a role model. That’s pretty much who raised me and her grandmother who is your cousin.
Your great-grandmother is my auntie.
My great-grandmother, Grandma Bobby, was also an important figure in my life as well as my grandmother, my mom’s mom, Melissa. They pretty much shaped who I am as a woman and I’m very grateful for them. Also, I have a very good pack of women friends that are amazing. They push me. They’re also leaders. A lot of them are in the medical field. A lot of them have doctorates. It’s amazing. It’s beautiful how talented they are, how smart they are, and how determined they are. They are my role models. Last but not least, my big cousin, Sylvia. It’s a whole thing of women. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by women who are impactful. That’s all the people that are important to me, honestly.
That’s beautiful. That’s what this show is all about. It is women supporting women and how we can show up for each other. It sounds like you’ve had a lot of people showing up for you. Along those lines, you have a daughter. Can you tell us what motherhood has taught you?
It’s taught me a lot. Even on days that I don’t want to show up, I have to show up and I have to give my all. That’s the only thing. I don’t know how to formulate it into one thing. It’s showing up. You have to show up. You have to give it your all and give it your best no matter how you feel. That’s one of the most important things that motherhood has taught me.
One of the most important lessons of motherhood is to just show up and give your best no matter how you feel. Share on XAs a mother of two daughters and much older than yours, you show up the best way you can. You will realize there are days that you don’t show up that well. You’re doing your best but it’s not the ideal way you would’ve wanted to, but you have to give yourself grace and do your best. I also found in those moments when you’re not doing your best, you haven’t done your best, and you’ve done something you wish you hadn’t, it is learning to apologize to a child. Being able to say you’re wrong or you’re sorry teaches them the same values. You can say, “Mommy didn’t mean to say it that way.” Kids know when you’re being real when you’re being authentic. Nobody’s perfect but we are always striving to do our best. I’ve seen you in action and I know that your daughter is blessed.
Thank you.
Bria is so wonderful. When you talk about showing up for people, when I think of your mom and your grandma in particular, they have always shown up for me. It could be something as simple as all of the planters at my house on my front porch and on my deck. Your grandma, when I first moved in, we went to Ikea. She was like, “Get this.” We then went to the nursery. I was standing there looking around like, “I have no idea what I’m supposed to be buying,” and she was like, “You’re going to get this.”
She planted all of my planters. Every time I see them, I think about Melissa. When something grows really well, I’m like, “I got this. I can do it.” That is showing up. The lesson that I continue to learn is how to show up for myself. Certainly, I show up for the people in my life. As I’ve aged, I’ve realized I have to show up for myself first and then I can show up for other people. Thank you again for that reminder.
Serving In The United States Navy
You are also a veteran. My father was a veteran. He was in the Army in Korea. Angela’s father was in the Air Force. You are a Navy veteran. Can you share this with our audience? First, how did you decide that you were going to go into the armed services, the Navy in particular? Share with us some things that you learned from your time in service.
Believe it or not, I never had an interest in joining the Military. It was something that happened. I was taking a friend to see the recruiter. It was hot outside and my AC was broken because I was in college. I didn’t have a lot of money. Finally, she was like, “Come inside. You can sit in or whatever.” I go in there and I’m sitting there. He was like, “You might as well take the practice ASVAB.” I was like, “Why not? I don’t have anything else to do.”
I went and scored well on the practice ASVAB, so then he wanted to recruit me. I was like, “What do I get out of it?” He was like, “There’s school and all these great things. You can get the VA loan and all these great things.” I was like, “You could pay for school and I can go to any school I want to? That beats having to be a full-time student and work full-time.” Once he said that, I was ready to join. I ended up joining 6 months later or maybe 10. That’s the story of me joining the Military.
Why Navy? There’s Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. How is it that it was the Navy?
After I took the ASVAB, I did go back and say, “The Air Force seems like more of my speed.” What kept me from joining the Air Force was I tore my ACL in high school playing volleyball. They would not take me but the Navy would give me a waiver to join them. That’s why I ended up in the Navy, and I don’t regret it one bit. One thing that I’ve taken away from my service is that outside of learning from my mom and my grandmothers, it taught me that I can do whatever it is that I want to do and whatever I put my mind to and jump in. That is one thing that I have taken from it. That’s what’s gotten me this far. That’s a big one. Some other things are dedication and motivation. That’s about it. That’s what’s been getting me by, honestly.
Serving in the military will teach you that you can do whatever you want if you just put your mind to it and jump in. Share on XYou were an air traffic controller in the Navy. That means you’re on a battleship or aircraft carrier and you’re the person that brings the top gun.
I was an air traffic controller on an aircraft carrier. We help them land on their final phase. It’s exciting. I enjoyed being on sea duty and being an air traffic controller than being on shore duty. It’s not as fast on shore duty. It’s very slow. Air traffic control is top tier. You get that adrenaline rush. It’s amazing to see. We’re all working as a team in that small little area. There are about maybe seven positions and everybody plays an important part in helping that pilot land safely on that aircraft carrier. It’s an amazing thing to see, honestly.
First of all, thank you for your service. We are very grateful. My dad was in the Air Force. He worked on planes. T op Gun is my favorite movie. It came out when we were in ‘86, somewhere in high school. I remember my dad taking me to the air shows and being on his shoulders. I also remember thinking at some point that I wanted to be a pilot maybe, but I ended up wearing glasses in high school. Back then, you had to have 20/20 and there was no LASIK.
Long story short, it’s fascinating the work that you did. What insight could you give to someone who is thinking about going into the Military? I don’t think we get all of the facets of what you could do other than a very serious part of it is being sent to war, but there are a lot of interesting and fascinating things. It sounds like it took you out of your comfort zone in many ways but you learned, “I can do this.” It gave you confidence. Thank you for your service and thank you for sharing that. You gave me a little bit of a good feeling thinking about the many times watching Top Gun. Have you ever had one of the flybys where you spilled the coffee on yourself?
Yes. It’s a real thing. It’s so exciting to see. If you haven’t been to our air show, you should go and see it. I got to bring my mom into our space. We call it CATCC, Carrier Air Traffic Control Center. She got to see where we work, all the radars, and what we do. She didn’t get to see us live in action. We only do it underway. It’s pretty cool to see.
I bet. I could talk to you about this all day but we’ve got so many interesting things to talk about though. That sounds fascinating what you did. My other love, and our shared passion, Sylvia and I, is traveling. Do you have a favorite port that you went to?
My favorite port, I would have to say, was Israel only because it was one of those ports where nobody got to do that. There is a lot to see. They had a beach. The beach was beautiful.
Didn’t your mom come to visit you?
Yeah. That’s what I was going to say. I paid for my mom to come and visit. That started her whole journey of traveling. After that, I couldn’t get her to sit down. That was my favorite port. My number two would be Greece because every day, it was a party.
Greece is number one on my bucket list.
It’s beautiful.
What Civilians Must Know About The Military
What do our veterans or people who are in service wish that civilians understood about the Military?
I hear a lot of people who are like, “That person did shore duty. It wasn’t that bad for them.” They have to understand that we’re still a part of the operation. Like the people that are boots on the ground and how they’re impacted, we’re impacted as well. I may not have been directly on the ground when bombs are getting dropped or they’re infiltrating things but I also have to deal with when the pilots come back and they’re telling us the stories of what’s going on. If I’m hearing on my earpiece what’s going on, it still impacts us, even people who are in supply. We’re not immediately on the ground but we still are helping out and it impacts us.
I don’t have an example but I think they misunderstand. They always are going straight to, “If you are Special Ops, you are in the Military. If you weren’t, you weren’t really in,” but it’s all the same. We’re all a part of it. Without the people that are in the background, nothing would be able to get done. We are moving parts of the team.
My dad worked on planes. He didn’t fly planes but he worked on them. If he didn’t do what he did well, then there could be a consequence to what was happening. You all play a vital role in keeping us safe. We’re very grateful. That’s great intel and great insight for those who may discount somebody’s role.
Advice Younger Self And Taking The Boss Leap
Certainly, you wear a lot of hats. In our introduction, we talked about you being a wife, mother, veteran, student, and soon-to-be-nurse. What advice would you give to your younger self, that seventeen-year-old Britney?
To keep on fighting. Don’t give up, and don’t give up on your dreams. My dreams at first were to go straight to college and become a doctor, become a nurse, or become a psychologist. Unfortunately, there were some detours, but I’m here. Sometimes, those detours are very much needed to give us insight on, “Is this really what I want to do?” or, “I may want to do this but maybe I want to take a dive into this part of it or this sector of it.” It’s okay to take detours. My story is my story. Be okay with that. I’m not going to have the same walk as everybody else. I would give myself that insight because I struggle with that a lot being my younger self.
I love that. Along those lines, you have made the transition to the Military, nursing school, and motherhood. What has guided you or what helps you make those decisions to make the boss leaps that you’ve made? What do you use to guide you?
First, I figure out if it is what I want to do, and then I have to think about how it affects my family and what’s going on with us at that present time. I then do a little bit of research and what obstacles I may run into having a family and having a husband. I research and see, “How can I go over those obstacles? What can I do to go around those obstacles in order to achieve what I want to achieve?” If it’s achievable, then I pursue it. If it’s not achievable at that moment, I’ll write it down and come back to it. It’s not my time to make that boss leap. That’s how I go about making my decisions.
I love your intentionality around that. Write it down.
How Women Can Support Each Other Better
Planning and preparation. You’re one of our younger guests. We’re grateful to have you here. You’ve already mentioned you’ve had a lot of women in your family, your life, and your friends. How do you think women can support each other better as we move along in this life? Whether it’s in our personal aspects or career aspects, how can we support each other better?
I feel like a lot of us sometimes do not give a lot of women grace. Sometimes, we can be very judgmental. A lot of women, especially Black women, need to have a more open mind. That would really help us in supporting one another because some of us are closed-minded and some of us are judgmental. Sometimes, that stems from our own insecurities from societies. If we can work on healing ourselves, we can show up for our other Black women or our other women in general and be able to do that for them.
That’s great advice.
It’s about having grace for each other. That works whether you’re 17, or 27, or 87. You are so on point about that. I’m excited that you have girlfriends and a community of women that support you. Certainly for our group, we check each other. You said what’s going on with X. They provide such a great sounding board and keep me on a mission.
I’m always excited when other women have a support group. It may not always be women. It could be men. We don’t get through life by ourselves. When you’re married, it’s not, “I have a partner now that I don’t necessarily need anyone else.” We still need our community of people.
In addition to our community, we need to take care of ourselves. I love what you said. “It’s okay to be me,” and accept yourself for being me. In addition to that, we have to take care of ourselves mentally and physically. Can you share with us what you do for self-care?
For self-care, I know some people like to be alone but I love to either be with my mom, which is sometimes scarce because she lives so far away, because I love hanging out with my mom or I also like to hang out with my girlfriends. I’m able to be myself. I’m able to let go. I know that even if I have to bring the baby, I’m going to be able to still let loose and I know that she’s going to be okay. That’s one way that I like to do self-care. It is getting out, letting loose a little bit, and letting my hair down.
Outside of that, I like to organize. I know that sounds a little bit weird but sometimes, that helps me to calm down, take a step back, and slow things down. It sounds crazy but it helps me out a lot. It brings me down. Sometimes, I could have a lot of things going on in my head about this plan, that plan, or, “How am I going to do this? Who’s going to cook dinner?” I’m going in my head. Sometimes, that calms me down. It slows everything down and puts everything in perspective for me. That is self-care, in my opinion.
That’s great. That’s a good one. I like that.
I haven’t heard that. Are you a Container Store kind of girl?
I do love the Container Store. I like HomeGoods, Target, or anything with some organizational stuff there.
B ritney, what are you most grateful for?
Life and being healthy. I’m most grateful for that. I feel like we take life for granted. I’m most grateful for that because, without life, I wouldn’t have my baby. Without life, I wouldn’t have had all these experiences that I’ve experienced. I wouldn’t have the opportunities that I have. I wouldn’t have my family. I’m most grateful for life because we take it for granted every single day. It can be taken from us at any moment.
Never take life for granted. It can be taken from us at any moment. Share on XOne other thing. What are you most hopeful for in the future?
I’m most hopeful that I will be around to see my baby have babies, be successful, and see who she’s going to be when she gets older because I know she’s watching me. I want to know how she’s going to turn out. I want to know how she’s going to be a leader and what she’s going to lead. I want to know all those things. I hope that I can stay healthy and maintain my health so that I can see her running her household and making boss leaps or making boss moves.
Do you have any thoughts or what guides you in terms of what you want to teach her? Are there some principles or guiding stars of who you want her to be that you try to teach her?
My number one thing in this household is what you put into the world is what you get back. That is the guide to everything in life. Even with your career, what you put into your career is what you’re going to get out of your career. What you put into your marriage is what you’re going to get out of your marriage. What you put into your child is what you’re going to get out of your child. I really try to teach her that. I’m like, “You have to be nice to people because you want people to be nice to you.” It all ties in together. That would be the number one thing that I’d love to instill in her as well as hard work. Another thing is to clean up after yourself. Those small things play a big part. We don’t notice it but it plays a big part. I learned that in the Military. Those small things or those key things teach you a lot.
Those are great lessons.
Britney’s Contact Details And Closing Words
The devils are in the details. You get what you give. That is true. I call you Brit Joy. Brit Joy, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us here on the show. How can our audience get in contact with you?
I’m always on Instagram.
You are, and I appreciate the likes.
One thing about me on Instagram is I’m going to support every woman that’s on there. I’m going to be in the background rooting for everybody. I’m going to like something every time and I’m going to comment all the time. You can get in contact with me on Instagram. It’s @A_BratzLife.
Know that we are supporting you because you are truly a bright light in our future for those women who are coming up after us. The lessons that you’re teaching your baby and what you taught us in this show. We are so grateful. We’re here for you. I’m not your cousin but I’m right here supporting you. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you, Brit Joy.
Thank you, cousin. Thank you so much for this opportunity.
We would love to have you back and hear more about your nursing school adventures. I know there’ll be many.
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We had some jewels and gems from Britney Clark, my cousin. It was awesome. My favorite is that detours are okay. That’s the story of my life. Angela, what favorite pearls did you hear from Britney Clark?
She’s amazing to me. She is one of my heroes being an air traffic controller and a female. That’s not necessarily a pearl to take away, but this is what the show is all about. It is shining a light on people who are doing all different things that we don’t ever get to hear about. I’m grateful for her service. She brought back some good family memories for me.
A pearl, and I’m paraphrasing because I don’t write anything down, is that it’s okay to be me. I don’t need to compare myself to anybody else. My trajectory is my trajectory. My path is my path. It’s okay to be me. If we can learn that at such a young age where she is, I don’t need to put myself next to anybody else. I keep moving forward on my path. That was great.
What she’s teaching her baby is what you put in is what you get out. What you put into this world is what you’re going to get back. There is no more important lesson than that. If you put in love, you’re going to get love back. If you put respect in, you’re going to get respect back. If you put in the hard work, you’re going to reap the rewards. I could go on and on but is there anything else you want to add, Sylvia?
I’m so grateful for the relationship that I have with Britney. Family is really important. For me, the lesson is when you have family, it’s tending those relationships. It’s being intentional about getting together, sending a text, calling, or making time. Her mom, my favorite cousin Rochelle, was in the New Orleans area so I flew in for the day. They picked me up at the airport and we went and had lunch. We went to the museum. Bria was there and she was able to run around. Having that eight-hour period with them was so important for my spirit and for maintaining and cultivating the relationship.
Some people are like, “You went in for the day.” I am like, “That’s what I had.” It was so worth it being in community and being with family and getting that love. I’m super proud of Britney. She talked about showing up for people. They have always shown up for me and I’m grateful for that. Having said all that, Angela, may you be well.
To our audience as well, may you be well.
Important Links
About Britney Harris
Britney Clark’s roots trace back to Southern California, where she was raised by a lineage of strong, independent women whose lives were testaments to courage and self-reliance.
These matriarchs not only paved their own paths but also laid a foundation of strength and perseverance for the generations that followed. Inspired by their example, Britney embraced a life of service, enlisting in the Navy in 2015. As an air traffic controller, she demonstrated exceptional skill and commitment, earning two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals throughout her service for her outstanding performance and dedication.
The currents of life eventually steered Britney to New Orleans, a city as soulful as it is dynamic. It was here that she found love, started a family, and decided to transition from military service to pursue a new calling in health care.
Now a student at Southern University A&M School of Nursing, Britney is fulfilling her dream of providing compassionate care, an ambition inspired by the strong women who shaped her early years. With plans to continue her education at UCLA and obtain a Nurse Practitioner degree, Britney is poised to blend her background in rigorous service with a deep-seated passion for healing and community support.