Kara Elyse Henderson Became the Change She Wanted to See

Troubled by Lack of Diversity, Kara Elyse Henderson Founded Her Own Shop 

Mindful Media aims to solve the problems that its founder witnessed as talent

In 2019, while attending grad school at the University of Texas at Austin, Kara Elyse Henderson was modeling on the side for extra income.

Hired to be the face of well-known and well-loved local brands, Henderson, who is Black, began to realize a disconnect: The decision-makers on these projects weren’t reflective of the diversity she saw every day on campus. Instead, they were almost always white, and mostly men.

“Most of the people who were behind the camera, who’d been selected for these opportunities, did not look like me,” Henderson said. “Seeing the broad range of diversity—not just in terms of background and ethnicity, but even just talent—I knew that there was ample opportunity to diversify that industry, and I wanted to provide space and opportunity for creators that look like me to be able to enter into, occupy and work with these brands.”

Adweek magazine cover

This story first appeared in the Oct. 31, 2023 issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.

This story first appeared in the Oct. 31, 2023 issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Click for more from this issue
Headshot of Kathryn Lundstrom

Kathryn Lundstrom

Kathryn Lundstrom is Adweek's sustainability editor.