We recently had the chance to connect with Dr. Vanity Barr-Little and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Vanity, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I’m a wife and mom of four boys — one in preschool, one in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in high school. I’m also a morning person, so my mornings usually set the tone for our household. I like to start the day with a 40-minute workout and a bit of light housework. By the time I’m back upstairs, the house is coming to life, and my husband and the boys are getting ready for the day. We do our best to keep the mornings calm. It’s our way of easing into the day before the pace of school, work, and business begins.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Vanity Barr-Little, the founder and CEO of VANBAR Holdings, a portfolio of small businesses I started after my military career. It began with one business, then another, and now I’m up to four. I’d describe myself as an opportunity-driven entrepreneur. None of my businesses came from a single passion or big five-year plan…they came from noticing opportunities, applying business principles, and executing. Along the way, I’ve been honored with recognition, including the Enterprising Women of the Year Award in 2024 and being featured in the Tampa Bay KNOW Women editions in 2022 and 2023. I’m also a BG5 Consultant. BG5 is a system that blends ancient wisdom with modern science to help individuals understand their unique career design and reveal their full potential.
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 was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Well, I don’t know if this is necessarily my earliest memory of feeling powerful, but it has definitely been the most powerful: the home birth of my fourth son. Bringing life into the world on my own terms reminded me of a power that is both deeply personal and universal, the power of our primal instincts, and it further grounded me as a woman and as a leader.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
When you’re a first-time business owner, the thought of failure can feel like it might destroy you. It’s overwhelming because everything is tied up in the outcome — your resources, your name, your future. Over time, though, I’ve changed my relationship with failure. It isn’t final; it’s feedback. Every failure informs us…if we’re willing to look closely and be honest. It reveals where to adjust, where to grow, where to sharpen our approach, and when to pivot altogether. That doesn’t make it easy; failure is still uncomfortable. But I’ve come to see it as a forcing function because it demands honesty, it makes us stronger, and it makes us more strategic for the next move. Today, I see failure as an accelerator because each one compresses the time it takes to discover what actually works and what doesn’t.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
An important truth that very few people agree with me on is that most people don’t actually have the capacity they think they do. We live in a world conditioned by flattery and empty encouragement—messages meant to manipulate, not empower. Then they meet someone like me, someone who believes in discipline, accountability, and doing the work, and it’s a shock. I genuinely want people to win. But most people don’t rise to the level they imagine for themselves, not because they can’t, but because they won’t hold themselves accountable to standards. That truth makes people uncomfortable, but it’s also why so few achieve at the level they dream of. Success, whatever it looks like for each of us, isn’t created by belief alone.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Oh, that’s a good one. I hope the story people tell about me is that I lived with clarity and generosity. Clarity in seeing things as they are and making decisions with conviction, even when they weren’t easy. Generosity in giving my time, my knowledge, and in genuinely wanting the best for others, not just myself. And that even in my imperfections, I was still an example — a role model. That I expected not perfection, but excellence, and that I pulled it out of others, too. That I raised my sons to be strong in mind, body, and spirit, principled men who love and honor women, and that every business, community, or person I touched was left better, sharper, and more alive because I was there. That’s the story I hope people tell about me when I’m gone.
Contact Info:
