Today we’d like to introduce you to Tihanna Louise.
Tihanna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is one of reinvention. In my teenage years, I was a bit of a rebel and got into a few sticky situations that left me with two choices transform or stay stuck. That created a new narrative and new ways of being and generated momentum that has stuck with me my entire life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road – transformation, change, and evolution never is. I’ve made hard choices and sacrifices. I’ve bumped my head a lot. Spent the first two years of my life in prison, put myself through college as a single mom, went into a career everyone told me I had no chance at. Took a 40k pay cut and traveled the country to build my career. Left my career after 15 years to take a leap toward building my own business. Made many sacrifices to make ends meet including driving lyft/uber, selling candles and jewelry online, starting an Airbnb business to keep my house, and a turo business for my cars. I did all this to build my coaching business starting in 2016 and just had my first six-figure month.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I often say the Universe “pushed” me into entrepreneurship because it was something that had been a desire for a very long time but fear and uncertainty and having no clue how to start a business kept me from doing it for a long time. However, a series of unfortunate yet synchronistic events, including a divorce and two back-to-back layoffs, gave me the courage to take the leap and I haven’t looked back. Being a broadcast journalist for 15 years and a PR & Marketing Executive for nearly 10 years showed me there was a need for more authentic corporate communication and storytelling and my coaching and consulting business is dedicated to helping professionals at every level think better so they can speak better and I love every part of that process. Building my business has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life and at the same time, the most rewarding. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I’ve persevered. I’ve survived. I’ve thrived. Most importantly, I’ve enjoyed the process and helped many people along the way. I am living my purpose and that feels good.
After being laid off, I started a consulting firm called “Worth-A-Read”, helping authors and entrepreneurs tell better stories and build strategic marketing plans to get visibility for their products and services. My clients also knew my journalism background and that I had excellent communication skills so I would often be asked to help them with their speeches and pitches. At the time, I was running a spiritual and transformation life coaching business on the side. What I realized is that my professional clients could use the frameworks and principles I was sharing on the life coaching side because much of their hesitancy or fear around public speaking was due to limiting beliefs and unconscious bias they were carrying from past experiences etc. I decided to start to marry the two businesses so I created a new entity, rebranded under my name and the business I have today was born. My business today helps professionals bring their “whole” self to work by giving the tools they need to think better, speak better and lead better.
As a single mother of four accustomed to making a six-figure salary, the ups and downs of entrepreneurship have been frightening at times. What’s kept me going is the personal growth I’ve been forced into as a result of dealing with some of my deepest fears around money and success and careers as well as the belief that I and everyone else on this planet deserve to do great work in environments that feel good to them. Throughout my professional career working inside of corporations, the experience was often one that felt limiting, toxic and full of bias. It took a lot for me to break the belief that my personal survival and my family’s survival was dependent on me being inside of these environments on a daily basis. Once I did, I never wanted to go back because I saw it actually didn’t have to be that way. The environments I’ve created inside of my own company support autonomy, creativity, transparency, diversity and that feels good and frees me up to focus on what really matters: the work vs office politics. I think companies that are serious about sticking around for the next few decades will have to put more effort into changing their environments and cultures into ones that truly support the whole person.
Looking back, I would have believed in myself more. Everything I was working toward five years ago, I’m living today. It wasn’t easy to get here but I’m here. I remember spending so many days frustrated and fearful that things wouldn’t work or that I’d never be able to get certain things right. When I think about it now, it serves as more evidence to the strong belief I have in myself today but I could have saved a lot of energy had I had that confidence then. I also would have come out of the “spiritual” closet sooner. I hid the fact that much of my work is based in mindfulness, consciousness, transformation and energy work. It might be “woo-woo” for some people but it isn’t and it works. We all talk about being our “whole” and “complete” selves but “whole” is mind, body and spirit. Another word for spirit is “energy” and it’s a real, scientific thing that impacts everything in us and around us and the more comfortable we become acknowledging and exploring that, the better chance we have of improving our lives, society and workplaces.
I’m proud of how I’ve scaled my business from just $8k in 2016 to a healthy mid six figure range. I just had my first six-figure month – something I thought was not possible. I’m proud of how many executives and companies I’ve helped. I’m proud of how I’ve overcome all the adversity, doubt, roadblocks, challenges. I’m proud of the team that has built itself around me and includes people who believe in my vision. I’m proud of how I have stepped out on the leading edge and been unabashedly visible and vocal on topics that aren’t traditionally “corporate” or in alignment with the typical executive coach. Most of all, I’m proud of how no matter the fear, I’ve been and continue to be willing to move scared.
I currently offer 1:1 coaching, group coaching, media training and a speaking workshop specifically for women. In addition to private offerings, I’m often brought into corporations and start-ups to lead training, coach executives and speak.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Balance. Life is hectic in all ways. Staying balanced in your body, mind and energy is key.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tihannalouise.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tihanna_louise/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tihannalouisespeaks/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tihanna_louise
