Queen Boss Energy: How Kellina Powell Is Redefining Disability, One Bold Move at a Time

Kellina Powell is a Deaf coach, advocate, and best-selling author who empowers individuals with disabilities through coaching, workshops, and advocacy. After losing her hearing at age four, Kellina transformed her challenges into a mission to inspire and educate. She's the founder of Kellina's Empowerment Inc., helping young adults with disabilities overcome barriers and achieve their goals. Her future vision includes opening Deaf schools worldwide and building a Caribbean resort designed for individuals with disabilities.n by Beyond Data Editorial Team

When you meet Kellina Powell, you don’t just meet a Deaf coach, best-selling author, and entrepreneur—you meet a force. A force for representation. A force for equity. A force that moves through the world with grace, boldness, and an unshakable mission: to empower others by living her truth out loud.

Diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of four, Kellina’s early years were marked by silence—but not stillness. She bounced between Deaf schools and mainstream classrooms, searching for a sense of belonging. “It felt like I had a personality disorder,” she shares. “One moment I could be myself; the next, I didn’t know who I was.” But amidst the microaggressions and missed accommodations, one thing remained steady: her family. “My Caribbean family was like lions,” she says with a smile. “They were my advocates before I even knew how to advocate for myself.”

That foundation—fierce love and cultural pride—would become the bedrock of everything Kellina built. But it was a chance encounter at age 16, while working at Canada’s Wonderland, that planted the seed for her purpose. A young boy spotted her hearing aid and lit up. His mother, in tears, said, “I told my son there’s nothing wrong with him. Now that he sees you, he believes me.” That was the moment. The calling. The shift.

Since then, Kellina has authored not one, but four books, starting with her Amazon best-seller Everyday I Am Just Deaf, written during COVID lockdowns. “I was bored in quarantine,” she laughs, “so I wrote a book in two months.” That book opened doors to speaking engagements, collaborations, and a growing online presence—over 300 podcast appearances and counting.

But she’s not stopping there.

Through Kellina’s Empowerment Inc., she now works with organizations like Black Mental Health Canada, Humber College, and various universities, providing coaching and consulting to young adults with disabilities. Her goal? “To help others see what’s possible. To let them know they are not alone. And to show that they too can become the representation they never had.”

And as if that weren’t enough, Kellina is launching a second business: a real estate venture focused on accessible housing for people with disabilities, especially those on ODSP. Inspired by her mother’s work managing a youth shelter, Kellina is also dreaming up a long-term vision: building a fully accessible shelter and eventually, Deaf schools across the globe.

When asked what real inclusion feels like to her, she keeps it simple: “Caption everything. Don’t make us rely on others to be included. Show up for us by designing with us in mind.”

And then there’s her Caribbean dream—a resort in Saint Lucia, fully accessible for Deaf and disabled travelers, complete with signing staff, inclusive programming, and the warmth of Caribbean culture. Why Saint Lucia? “It’s home,” she says, proudly tracing her roots from Saint Lucia and Jamaica to Trinidad and China. “I’m a mix of everything. I am the Caribbean.”

At just 27, Kellina Powell has accomplished what many spend decades trying to figure out. She has turned pain into purpose, difference into distinction, and barriers into bridges. She’s not just showing up—she’s opening doors, building new ones, and handing out keys.

Her message? “If I can do it, you can too. Life is too short to stress over what you can’t control. Focus on what you can create from here.”

We’re calling it now: Queen Boss Energy. And the world is better for it.