Meet Edna ” EMAE ” McCants | Master Life Coach, Author, Firecracker Speaker, Award Winning Educator.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edna ” EMAE ” McCants and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edna ” EMAE “, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind the success of The Soul of Me is that I finally stopped lying to myself; I needed to heal.

For a long time, I was a ‘Successful Stranger.’ I had the degrees and the title, but I was still living out of that ‘Ward of the State’ survival mode. I was performing for everyone else’s applause while my own soul was starving. I was hurting people who didn’t deserve to be hurt by me. The moment my brand truly took off was the moment I decided to be one woman.

I stopped trying to be the ‘Powerhouse’ that the world expected and started being the woman God created. When I started sharing my raw journey from foster care to finding my peace women didn’t just see a coach; they saw themselves. They realized that if I could stop surviving the ‘storm’ of my past and start commanding my own life, they could too. My success isn’t about a marketing strategy; it’s about the fact that I’m living the healing I teach every single day. That kind of truth is what people are actually hungry for.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Soul of Me is a sanctuary for the high-achieving woman who has won at everything except being herself. I coach women on how to stop just ‘surviving’ their success and start healing their spirits so they can finally move forward with authenticity.
What I am most proud of isn’t a revenue goal; it’s the transformation in the women I touch. Whether it’s a woman I’ve mentored through a screen or someone I’ve met in person, seeing them drop their ‘Strong Woman’ mask is my greatest reward. I’m proud that the ‘EMAE’ you see on social media is the exact same person you’ll meet in the grocery store. My energy is magnetic, it’s not a performance; it’s a presence.”

It was a journey of hard work and deep learning. While I was blessed to have mentors who could show me the vision of what was possible, I still had to do the ‘boots on the ground’ work myself. My mentors gave me the map, but I still had to walk every mile of the trail.I had to figure out the little things that no one tells you about the late nights spent mastering business credit, the trial and error of business funding, and learning how to show up authentically in my marketing every single day. I had to teach myself how to take those high-level lessons and turn them into a brand that actually worked for my community.
Success wasn’t handed to me; it was built piece by piece, brick by brick. I had to forgive myself for the mistakes I made along the way and keep going. When you’re building a legacy from scratch, having a mentor is a blessing, but having the discipline to figure out the details is what makes you a CEO.

I want the world to know that your ‘forecast’ doesn’t define your future. I’m a Ward of the State turned CEO, but I’m also a woman who chose to sit with herself until she found her peace. My brand is proof that when you win the war for your soul, everything else the business, the credit, the influence will follow. I didn’t just beat the odds; I rewrote the entire script

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my bestie is coming to town, we are going straight to where it all started for me. I’m an Eastside Harlem girl, raised, so I’m taking her to the blocks that built me.

We’re walking through the neighborhood to experience the real culture, the murals, the street vendors, and that specific East Harlem energy you can’t find anywhere else. It’s where my ‘survival’ first turned into ‘soul.’ For the best vibes, we’re heading to Blvd Bistro on Frederick Douglass Blvd. Even though I’m from the Eastside, I know good soul food when I taste it, and their kitchen takes me right back to my auntie’s house. The music and the atmosphere there are exactly what the soul needs.

We’ll definitely hit Times Square too. Standing under those huge buildings and bright lights reminds me of how far I’ve come. From a little girl on the Eastside to a woman commanding her own space in this big city, that’s the New York dream.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am a firm believer that while you have to do the work, you don’t have to do it alone. My journey has been shaped by the hands and hearts of some incredible women who saw the ‘Greater Me’ before I could fully see her myself.

I have to give a massive shoutout to two pivotal mentors who changed the trajectory of my life and business: Jasmine Stokes, the visionary behind The Greater Me Consulting, and Lynn Brishae, the powerhouse CEO of The Boss Summit.
Both of these women were instrumental in my growth. They didn’t just give me business advice; they showed me that ‘anything is possible’ isn’t just a cliché, it’s a reality you build. They pushed me to stop playing small and challenged me to become the woman I am today. They’ve watched my evolution from the ground up, and their guidance was the bridge that helped me cross over from survival to soul-authority. Jasmine and Lynn, thank you for believing in the version of me that was still under construction. I wouldn’t be standing where I am without your support.

Website: https://thesoulofme.com/

Instagram: E_MAE__

Linkedin: Edna McCants

Youtube: @E_Mae