What do you need to hear today? Are you looking for inspiration from someone who transformed pain into purpose, not just once, but multiple times? If so, you just found your haven! Prepare to dive into the incredible journey of a woman who rose from homelessness to hosting healing retreats and learn the true power of walking in her faith.

Who Is This For?

Many of us face seemingly insurmountable challenges that leave us feeling lost and overwhelmed. This episode shares the empowering story of Takiya La’Shaune, the Inspirational Beauty Boss, who overcame tremendous adversity and now dedicates her life to inspiring and empowering others. Her journey from abuse and homelessness to entrepreneurship and spiritual strength can illuminate the path for anyone seeking to turn their own struggles into triumphs.

What It’s All About

In this episode, you’ll meet Takiya La’Shaune, a woman who epitomizes resilience and faith. From surviving multiple forms of abuse to overcoming homelessness, Takiya’s story is a testament to the human spirit’s ability to rise above the darkest times. She shares her journey of becoming the Inspirational Beauty Boss, founding her own salons, authoring six books, and launching a podcast. Takiya reveals how her faith and determination helped her transform pain into a purposeful life, and how she now uses her experiences to uplift and support others.

Some Key Takeaways:

  1. Transforming Pain into Purpose: Learn how Takiya turned her traumatic past into a powerful mission to help others through healing retreats and inspirational speaking.
  2. Building Resilience through Faith: Discover the role of faith in overcoming life’s toughest challenges and maintaining a positive outlook.
  3. Empowering Others: Understand the importance of community and support in personal healing and growth, and how you can use your experiences to uplift others.

Don’t miss this truly empowering conversation! Be sure to listen right away to be inspired by Takiya La’Shaune’s journey of faith, resilience, and empowerment.

Mentioned Links & Resources:

Today’s Featured Guest

Takiya La’Shaune

Takiya La’Shaune, known as the Inspirational Beauty Boss, is a remarkable entrepreneur, author, and speaker who has dedicated her life to inspiring others. With 14 years in the beauty industry, she owns a line of salons and spas, has published six books, and launched the podcast “Behind This Smile.” Takiya is also the founder of the nonprofit Heal Her, which offers restorative retreats for women. Her journey from enduring severe trauma and homelessness to becoming a beacon of hope and empowerment showcases her unwavering faith and determination to uplift others.

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Transcript

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I want to ask you right off the bat, what do you need to hear today?

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Could you use some inspiration from somebody who figured out how to turn pain into purpose?

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What about a story of a woman who went from being hurt to hosting healing retreats?

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And what about a story of that same woman who went from being homeless to housing

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and helping other women?

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And of course, I couldn't fail to mention the fact that this woman,

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the Inspirational Beauty Boss, she's going to teach you what it means to be walking in your faith.

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You are about to meet the absolutely incredible Takiyah LaShawn,

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a woman who is going to blow your mind at her level of positivity,

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at her incredible story of the challenges she's overcome,

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the challenges she still overcomes.

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And yet she is here today with a mission to inspire and empower you.

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My friend, I welcome you to episode 292.

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What's up, my friend? And welcome to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

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I am your host, Kevin Lowe. 20 years ago, I awoke from a life-saving surgery

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only to find that I was left completely blind.

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And since that day, I've learned a lot about life, a lot about living, and a lot about myself.

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So in here on this podcast, I want to share those insights with you because

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friend, if you are still searching for your purpose, still trying to understand why,

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or still left searching for that next right path to take, we'll consider this

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to be your stepping stone to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

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Find all details and information inside of today's show notes.

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So the Inspirational Beauty Bots is a moniker. It's a name that I go by to describe

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myself. And that came about.

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Maybe about four or five years ago, when people started asking me, you know, what do you do?

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And I kind of would freeze up, not because I didn't want to tell people what

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I did, but God has put my hands to so many amazing things that narrowing it

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down, it was almost like giving that 60 second elevator pitch.

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And so I had to come up with something that encompass everything that I am, that explains it all.

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So the inspirational beauty boss is exactly who I am and what I do.

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I have been in the beauty industry for the last 14 years.

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I'm an entrepreneur with my own line of salons and spas. And I also have launched

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my own brand of beauty products.

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So in the beauty industry, I'm an entrepreneur. So that's where the boss part comes from.

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And then the inspirational part is everything that that ties into that.

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It's the foundation and it's the platform of who I am.

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I use every bit of what I've come from and what God has brought me through.

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And he's blessed me to turn that into business, into entrepreneurship.

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And it's my purpose and it's my calling. And I just for years heard so many

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people say, you're so inspiring.

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You're so inspiring. You inspire me. What you're doing is inspiring.

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So I became the Inspirational Beauty Boss.

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I love it. That is a amazing title to have.

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I think any of us would be proud of that. And so, well, that was really amazing,

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the story behind that, because my next question is trying to figure out where it all began.

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Where does your story, your journey begin that kind of leads up to becoming

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this Inspirational Beauty Boss? Take me back to earlier years and give me an

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idea of where it all begins.

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Yeah, good question. So where my foundation begins would be in my childhood.

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I am not only a survivor and overcomer and a thriver of abuse.

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I have encountered pretty much every form of abuse that there is to have mental,

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emotional, physical, psychological and sexual abuse. And so those are things

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that where my the root of my story starts.

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And I endured many of those things in my childhood and on through my teen years,

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young adult years, and even things that God is still healing me through and

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teaching me to overcome now.

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And that foundation is where my story began.

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It's things that on the outside to the exterior were things that people would

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look at and go, wow, that should have took you out.

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Those things going through not one, not two, but many traumas are things that

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you should have lost your mind.

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You maybe should not be here. Just by statistics, God has allowed me to overcome those things.

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And he taught me to turn that pain into purpose.

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And I had to determine very early on, and I say early on because I knew before

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leaving my parents home, which was the birthplace of the trauma,

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the dysfunctional family.

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I knew very odd that I was not going to allow what I was going through to dictate

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who I was going to become.

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OK, I knew that I did not want to allow the pain of my past to be something

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that I use as an excuse in life to have this self-pity or look down on myself.

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I knew that I wanted more out of my life.

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I knew that when I became a parent, I was going to be the best version of myself that I could be.

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And I also learned very quickly that once I turned that pain into a purpose

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to help other people, because that's where I found my healing and I'm still

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on that healing journey. But that's where I found joy.

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I found joy in linking arms with other women and other people that had come

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from situations where doing things like I was in showing them that,

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you know, hey, I went through that as well.

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But I'm not letting that dictate who I am.

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I'm gonna take that and I'm actually gonna flip it upside down and I'm gonna

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step on that and I'm gonna use that as my platform to propel me into my purpose.

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And as the years went on, I started to turn that purpose into passion and that

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passion into profit, P-R-O-F-I-T.

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And so that's how this became who I have become.

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Hmm. Incredible. I listened to you.

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And the next question I have to ask is, where do you get this,

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this mindset, this amazing, I mean, boss woman spirit?

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Did it come from a role model? Or is this just you through and through?

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Wow. I think I certainly have role models, but in this sense of the term, it's who I am.

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I would say I love how you put that me through and through. It's my heart and

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my heart is rooted in my faith.

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Going through the things that I did, I went through a lot of trauma.

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I had a lot of setbacks. I had a lot of questions.

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God, why and how come? And there was this hurt and this pain and anger.

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But when I really found my relationship and my faith in Christ and with God,

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God loved on me and showed me how to heal those things.

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And he showed me his love and in showing me his love, that did something to my heart.

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And it caused me to have a heart to see people the way that he sees people,

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even in all their brokenness and their mess and their hurt and their trauma.

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I have a heart to see people.

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And so it's just who I am because God is in me and God is love.

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And I also determined I came from some of that abuse that was verbal abuse.

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I was told consistently in my childhood that I would never be anything,

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that I would not amount to anything,

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that I would just turn out to be the single mother on welfare,

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all of these things that I was still a child and didn't even really know what I was being told.

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But again, my mindset, I just knew I'm not those things.

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I'm not going to be those things. I'm going to prove people wrong and show them

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that I am something, that I do have value. you.

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And so I adopted that mindset that the only person that I have to compete with is myself.

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And each day I strive to be a better version of myself. And so it's not, I'm not this superhero.

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I go through things every day. I'm human. Like I tell people,

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you cut me, I'm going to bleed red, just like the next person.

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So I have emotions and feelings and things as well. But I just simply have a

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mentality of, I will not quit.

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I'm not built to quit. I don't know what that means. It's not in me.

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And I believe for me, having children helped to further that because I have

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these lives that I'm responsible for, not just myself.

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So I just never adopted a mentality of, I'm going to quit or give up.

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And while those things that were said to me were intended to put me down,

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they were things that I actually took and said, I'm going to prove you wrong. And I did that.

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You talk a lot about your faith. Where did that begin for you,

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your journey with faith?

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My journey with faith began when I was about 21 years old, 2021 years old.

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I was eight months pregnant with my first child, my daughter,

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and that was, gosh, she's 26 now.

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She's almost 27, which is crazy because I feel like I'm still 25.

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I was eight months pregnant with her.

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She was in in my womb, and I was working as a child care provider at a daycare.

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And the woman that owned the daycare, she invited me to her church.

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And that was my first experience.

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I didn't grow up in church. I didn't grow up in a household where we went to

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church or we talked about God or anything like that.

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So fast forward to me being 20, 21 years old, someone invites me to church and I go.

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And I just remember being encompassed by such this feeling and this desire and

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this drive to accept Christ when the altar call, when it was offered that,

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you know, ask Christ to come into your life.

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I just felt like that was the right thing to do. And I did it.

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And that was the entrance of my walk in faith.

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It took many years to get to the place where I've learned earned relationship

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and cultivating, you know, my faith with God.

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But it was started in that moment when my daughter was, I was eight months pregnant

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with my daughter in the womb and the belly.

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And so now, like I said, that was almost 27 years ago. Yeah.

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Amazing. Wow. Now my next question is before I have us kind of move forward in your, in your story,

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you sound like obviously Obviously, the home that you grew up in was not,

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and I'm just going to assume,

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a loving home, an encouraging home.

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How did you make it not turn out to be what they told you you would be, that mother on welfare?

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How do you feel like you didn't fall victim to your circumstance and instead

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broke outside of it? Yeah.

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So I'm smiling as you say that because I don't know that anybody has ever actually

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asked me that so poignantly.

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And I'm smiling so big because the first thing that comes to mind is I'm stubborn.

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If we want to sum it up in a ball, in a nutshell, I'm stubborn.

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I am going to prove you wrong.

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I am going to prove you that I'm not the negative things. I wouldn't say I'm

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competitive, but I have always been someone that's like.

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If you tell me I can't do that, I'm going to show you I can do it.

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And if you tell me that it can't be done, I'm going to show you it can be done.

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And so I just believe I have always had that as a child.

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And I wouldn't say, you know, it was a very difficult home environment.

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There are times that I recall love and laughter and joy in the home,

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but there are also times that it just turned into discord and dysfunction and no peace.

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And so I just I was stubborn. I just was like, I'm going to you tell me I can't do it. Yes, I can.

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I believe it's Audrey Hepburn.

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She said the word is actually it's not impossible.

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It's I'm possible. impossible.

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And I always see the glass is half full, never empty. Yeah, I love it so much.

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Wow, wow, wow. I love the impossible. No, I'm possible that I've never heard that before. I love it.

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I have it in I have a bunch of affirmations throughout my studio in my home.

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And that's one of them. When you walk in, when people walk in to visit me,

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there's all of these positive affirmations. And that's one of them.

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Wow. That's incredible.

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So back kind of on, on your life, you talked about when, when you were pregnant,

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but give me an idea of, of life from childhood, moving into adulthood,

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what did life kind of go from there?

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Oh, well, you know, Kevin, I was a mess.

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I mean, coming from trauma and abuse, I again, Again, grew up in a two-parent

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home, but my stepfather was my abuser.

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So it was like a two-parent home physically, but lacking all the other aspects of what I needed.

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And so I grew up with...

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Some traits that I had to learn lessons from.

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Like I said, I had to walk out. There was no one there to tell me what was right

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and wrong and those things that were done.

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And really no one there to tell me that, you know, this is the path that you

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should or shouldn't take.

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And so I learned a lot of lessons.

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Like I'm cautious to use the word made a lot of mistakes because I feel like

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it's only a mistake if we don't learn from the lesson, right?

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Like if we We don't learn from it. We're going to keep going through it.

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But looking back over that, I have learned in my life that to be human,

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to be easy on myself, to acknowledge what I've gone through and what I've come from,

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and to also acknowledge all the amazing things God has given me to do and just

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to be easy on myself, as well as give myself that grace to be human.

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And again, to learn those lessons as quickly as possible so I don't have to

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keep going through them again.

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Wow. Yes. Powerful, powerful, powerful.

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Talk to me about some of these these things that you went through,

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because I know at some point and you'll have to fill in the gaps. You were homeless.

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How did that all come about? Yeah. So that's one of the things that happened.

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My children and I, when my son was about four years old, my daughter was about 10 at this time.

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And I had found myself in a relationship.

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I thought I was going to marry this guy. We had a home together.

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He had his business. At this time, I had walked into entrepreneurship.

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I'd started a cleaning company. My daughter was two years old,

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was very successful. I got with someone who I thought we were successful together,

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and he turned out to be physically abusive.

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So it was just that pattern of what I'd come from. I still found myself falling

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into relationships like that.

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And I found myself in this state of deep depression because here I am,

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not only myself being subjected to this, but my children.

00:16:57.502 --> 00:17:02.402

And how do I get out of this? How did I get in the middle of something that

00:17:02.402 --> 00:17:03.702

I said I never would again?

00:17:03.982 --> 00:17:09.562

And I really started to spiral until one day, I actually, God gave me this,

00:17:09.622 --> 00:17:12.542

all I know how to describe it as is this out-of-body experience.

00:17:12.602 --> 00:17:17.142

Like you see in the movies, the action movies going on and then the screen slows

00:17:17.142 --> 00:17:20.462

up and everything's in slow motion and the sound goes away.

00:17:20.702 --> 00:17:24.102

I had an experience like that one day. I was standing in the home.

00:17:24.923 --> 00:17:28.323

And the guy, the gentleman that I was dating at the time engaged to,

00:17:28.463 --> 00:17:30.643

he was really angry with me.

00:17:30.743 --> 00:17:35.803

And he started walking towards me screaming and yelling as if he was going to physically harm me.

00:17:36.063 --> 00:17:41.283

And in that moment, my children were upstairs. Again, my son four, my daughter 10.

00:17:41.523 --> 00:17:45.663

And they ran down and stood on the stairwell. And they're watching this whole

00:17:45.663 --> 00:17:50.523

scene between he and I. All of a sudden, everything slows down like a movie.

00:17:50.723 --> 00:17:54.823

I could see faces, but I couldn't hear voices. I could see actions.

00:17:55.203 --> 00:18:00.203

And I hear the voice of God speak to me and say, look at your son.

00:18:00.643 --> 00:18:05.863

Is this what you want him to think he's supposed to do, how he's supposed to

00:18:05.863 --> 00:18:08.943

treat women? You know, and my son had this look on his face,

00:18:09.003 --> 00:18:10.403

like it just excited him.

00:18:10.583 --> 00:18:14.303

And then I hear, look at your daughter. And my daughter looked terrified and

00:18:14.303 --> 00:18:15.503

she's crying and she's afraid.

00:18:15.783 --> 00:18:19.083

And I hear, is this what you want your daughter to think women are supposed

00:18:19.083 --> 00:18:22.223

to be treated like? And I remember I screamed, no.

00:18:22.443 --> 00:18:27.563

And whoosh, all the sound, everything came back in. And I yelled for my kids,

00:18:27.683 --> 00:18:29.223

come on, come on, come on, let's run, let's go.

00:18:29.503 --> 00:18:34.623

And we ran in our pajamas with no shoes on our feet, left everything behind,

00:18:34.883 --> 00:18:43.023

the cleaning business, the home, vehicles, personal items, just left and ended up homeless.

00:18:43.023 --> 00:18:46.323

Homeless but I walked away with my life I

00:18:46.323 --> 00:18:49.203

walked away with my children seeing that their mom

00:18:49.203 --> 00:18:52.223

was not going to allow them to

00:18:52.223 --> 00:18:55.683

grow up in a environment that

00:18:55.683 --> 00:19:00.123

perpetuated the abuse that I had come from and so in that day I changed the

00:19:00.123 --> 00:19:04.963

trajectory of my children and their mindset my daughter knows you do not allow

00:19:04.963 --> 00:19:09.803

a man to physically hurt harm or endanger you my son knows you do not ever put

00:19:09.803 --> 00:19:13.203

your hand on and physically hurt, harm or endanger a woman.

00:19:13.343 --> 00:19:19.623

And so we ended up homeless. And that actually was one of the most pivotal moments

00:19:19.623 --> 00:19:22.083

in my life because it was tough.

00:19:22.803 --> 00:19:28.263

But it was in that moment that God gave me a clean slate and he put me in the beauty industry,

00:19:28.403 --> 00:19:31.383

which took me through the 14

00:19:31.383 --> 00:19:36.983

year journey of self-esteem and self-love and self-care and women's empowerment

00:19:36.983 --> 00:19:41.403

and becoming the inspirational beauty boss and authoring and publishing six

00:19:41.403 --> 00:19:46.243

books and becoming a talk show host and a podcast host and just so many things

00:19:46.243 --> 00:19:49.563

and sitting here now sharing that testimony and telling this story.

00:19:50.383 --> 00:19:57.583

Wow, wow, wow, wow. Before I get to the question of how do you transition from

00:19:57.583 --> 00:20:03.763

running out of that home to being homeless to all that you just gave us a preview you for.

00:20:04.043 --> 00:20:09.543

I just want to acknowledge one fact that even way back then,

00:20:09.643 --> 00:20:12.143

what an amazing mom you were.

00:20:13.058 --> 00:20:18.938

The fact that the fact that you put your children first, you put their safety

00:20:18.938 --> 00:20:25.238

first, but not even just their safety, but you had this opportunity to make a glimpse at the future.

00:20:25.638 --> 00:20:30.818

And again, you were able to remove them from a situation, remove yourself,

00:20:31.038 --> 00:20:34.598

throw yourself into homelessness.

00:20:34.898 --> 00:20:36.078

So scary.

00:20:36.578 --> 00:20:41.698

So just unknown, uncertain. certain, but you knew that was worth it.

00:20:41.718 --> 00:20:46.378

If you could save the lives of your children and not just their life,

00:20:46.438 --> 00:20:47.718

but who they would become.

00:20:48.358 --> 00:20:50.098

Yeah. Amen. Exactly.

00:20:50.838 --> 00:20:56.278

Exactly. Gosh, you had me tearing up, just reminding me and putting it like that.

00:20:56.418 --> 00:20:58.918

I mean, that's 100% what it was about.

00:20:59.098 --> 00:21:03.898

It was me making sure they were okay and changing the trajectory of their lives.

00:21:03.998 --> 00:21:08.418

And while we left and And when we left, I mean, we were living comfortably,

00:21:08.658 --> 00:21:10.798

you know, beautiful home, vehicles.

00:21:11.118 --> 00:21:14.718

He had a business. I had, you know, on the outside looking in,

00:21:14.758 --> 00:21:19.538

we look like the great, you know, all American family. We achieved success.

00:21:19.678 --> 00:21:26.158

I had come out of my back story and now I have kids and I'm going to get married and she's doing great.

00:21:26.218 --> 00:21:30.158

But inside of those walls, there was still turmoil going on.

00:21:30.158 --> 00:21:35.398

And so to leave all of that and to end up homeless by choice,

00:21:35.718 --> 00:21:38.878

people would go. And here's the thing. I had friends.

00:21:38.998 --> 00:21:42.538

I had family. I could have called on people and said, look, I need a place.

00:21:42.598 --> 00:21:47.698

But I will tell you, I was so ashamed that I had ended up in that space that

00:21:47.698 --> 00:21:51.878

I felt like I got to figure this out and fix it myself. Looking back on it now,

00:21:52.078 --> 00:21:54.998

I probably wouldn't have made that because so many of my friends are like,

00:21:55.058 --> 00:21:56.358

I can't believe you didn't call me.

00:21:56.438 --> 00:21:58.698

So I was always surrounded by love.

00:21:58.818 --> 00:22:02.418

But it was just one of those things where I allowed the shame and the guilt

00:22:02.418 --> 00:22:04.078

to say, you got to figure this out for yourself.

00:22:04.498 --> 00:22:08.558

And I remember telling God, I made this choice. I made this mess.

00:22:08.918 --> 00:22:11.818

Whatever we're in, I'm going to trust you fully.

00:22:12.473 --> 00:22:17.173

I know you're going to bring us out of this. It doesn't feel good. It doesn't look good.

00:22:17.213 --> 00:22:20.733

I'm going to trust that you have better in store for me. And he did.

00:22:20.913 --> 00:22:25.413

And so that transition from having it all together to losing everything.

00:22:25.533 --> 00:22:33.233

And we actually ended up living on a farm, sleeping in a barn and a horse trailer and a tack room.

00:22:33.373 --> 00:22:36.873

I ended up meeting this woman and I kind of gave her part of my story,

00:22:36.933 --> 00:22:39.153

but not all of it because I don't want to share everything. thing.

00:22:39.193 --> 00:22:43.633

And she says, you know, well, I have this place that you can stay in. You can stay there free.

00:22:43.773 --> 00:22:48.053

It's not the greatest thing. So I took it. And eventually we became really good

00:22:48.053 --> 00:22:49.233

friends because she learned my

00:22:49.233 --> 00:22:52.013

story and was like, well, let's get you and your kids out of this place.

00:22:52.293 --> 00:22:57.313

But in that space, living in that barn, sleeping in a tack room or sleeping

00:22:57.313 --> 00:23:00.873

in a horse trailer with my two kids, I will tell you what, Kevin,

00:23:01.033 --> 00:23:03.053

my kids did not skip a beat.

00:23:03.173 --> 00:23:06.353

They were so resilient. resilient they were happy that we

00:23:06.353 --> 00:23:09.293

were out of that situation to them it was an adventure

00:23:09.293 --> 00:23:12.433

and I made it as such there were nights that I

00:23:12.433 --> 00:23:17.773

would cry and I would lay on my face boohoo crying to God about ending up homeless

00:23:17.773 --> 00:23:21.293

and being in a situation but then there were days that my kids I'd look and

00:23:21.293 --> 00:23:25.633

they were out there in this field running and playing with horses and feeding

00:23:25.633 --> 00:23:30.053

chicken and it was the most enjoyable and peaceful time of their lives and they

00:23:30.053 --> 00:23:31.373

had no clue that we We were homeless.

00:23:31.573 --> 00:23:34.753

They just knew mom got us out of this situation and we're good.

00:23:35.193 --> 00:23:39.933

Yeah. You know, that's exactly what I started to say is they probably didn't

00:23:39.933 --> 00:23:44.533

realize it then, but they had been taught one of the most valuable lessons of

00:23:44.533 --> 00:23:47.113

life is that the things that matter are family.

00:23:47.933 --> 00:23:54.053

It's being together. It's life. It's none of those big homes and fancy cars and all of that.

00:23:54.093 --> 00:23:59.913

That's just stuff. What matters is being with family, being safe,

00:24:00.253 --> 00:24:02.093

feeling safe, feeling love.

00:24:03.003 --> 00:24:07.203

And that's exactly what you gave to your children. Yeah. Yeah.

00:24:08.863 --> 00:24:15.783

So talk to me from there. I mean, I mean, I mean, let's just like paint the picture like, woo,

00:24:15.983 --> 00:24:21.443

baby, this is like the rags to riches movie that we all be watching on Hallmark

00:24:21.443 --> 00:24:26.863

Channel about the girl in the tack room on the farm to where you are today.

00:24:27.043 --> 00:24:30.683

So so let's you got to skim us along.

00:24:30.843 --> 00:24:35.323

Let's let's hear it. So, yeah, that's so funny you put it like that,

00:24:35.403 --> 00:24:38.983

because, I mean, I always tell people of my life is literally a Lifetime movie.

00:24:39.103 --> 00:24:44.483

Like I am so waiting on Lifetime Movie Network to reach out to me because it's a it's it's good.

00:24:45.003 --> 00:24:51.163

Yes. Amazing movie. So coming through all of that, where is this woman at today?

00:24:51.323 --> 00:24:56.263

As I mentioned, you know, one of the things that I I have always been a writer,

00:24:56.343 --> 00:25:00.783

even in my childhood, I would write very exceptionally. emotionally.

00:25:01.003 --> 00:25:03.843

I was noted, I was commended and noticed for that.

00:25:03.943 --> 00:25:07.183

And I learned that that was a gifting and a talent that God gave me.

00:25:07.203 --> 00:25:10.863

And so as I started maturing, I wrote because it was therapeutic.

00:25:11.163 --> 00:25:14.983

It was a way for me to talk about what I was going through when I didn't have

00:25:14.983 --> 00:25:17.543

anybody to talk to, or I couldn't trust anyone.

00:25:17.863 --> 00:25:20.163

So I would write. And so now I'm,

00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:26.460

I write as an author. I've written and published six books ranging from my first,

00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:30.800

which talks about my story and that homelessness and everything we've talked

00:25:30.800 --> 00:25:35.740

about here on up through women's devotionals, self-help journals.

00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:38.400

You know, just different things I write.

00:25:38.660 --> 00:25:44.020

I've launched a podcast, Behind This Smile, which is the platform for the next

00:25:44.020 --> 00:25:48.440

book that I'll be releasing called Behind This Smile. And it's me going behind

00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:53.020

those photos that you see of me on social media, the rags to riches.

00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:56.080

Look at this girl. She's smiling. She's happy. She's traveling.

00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:59.920

Yeah, but let me take you behind the smile and tell you what I was enduring

00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:04.500

behind that and go deeper and be very vulnerable and authentic and transparent.

00:26:04.760 --> 00:26:08.640

And so that's what the podcast talks about. That's what the book will talk about.

00:26:08.840 --> 00:26:14.780

I founded a nonprofit, Heal Her, which offers restorative retreats to women

00:26:14.780 --> 00:26:19.500

where they can and have safe spaces and gatherings and events and getaways and

00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:24.220

be connected with counselors and therapists for resources and just have that

00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:26.900

mental health moment or that mom day if they need it.

00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:31.840

I work with youth. I love working with youth girls and talking to them about

00:26:31.840 --> 00:26:37.020

where I came from when I was their age so I can hopefully inspire them and cut those things off.

00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:40.480

And I just, you know, I'm living life.

00:26:40.660 --> 00:26:44.360

I'm enjoying podcasting. It's very therapeutic for me.

00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:49.240

I'm enjoying the of speaking and it's, it's snowballing really quickly.

00:26:49.340 --> 00:26:53.540

I'm getting all kinds of opportunities and offers and open doors and I'm just

00:26:53.540 --> 00:26:55.280

enjoying life. I really am.

00:26:55.760 --> 00:27:01.960

Yeah. Oh my goodness. You are the inspirational, amazing, awesome beauty boss.

00:27:02.200 --> 00:27:04.600

I mean, we got to add some more words to the title.

00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:12.200

Wow. I mean, I mean, but, but truly, and, and I mean, here's what I want to

00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:18.060

acknowledge is, I mean, And it's not easy to build what you've built.

00:27:19.316 --> 00:27:25.076

It's not easy to be an entrepreneur. It's easier to be an employee. That is the easy route.

00:27:25.516 --> 00:27:30.536

But the fact that you did it and that you've done it, it's really remarkable.

00:27:31.156 --> 00:27:37.676

Yeah, it has not been easy. And I don't ever want anyone to have the misconception

00:27:37.676 --> 00:27:40.616

that it's just been so easy.

00:27:40.736 --> 00:27:45.356

Sounds like it was a walk in the park for her. No. No, enduring all of those

00:27:45.356 --> 00:27:49.896

things that I've gone through, the trauma, raising children as a single mother,

00:27:50.136 --> 00:27:53.676

building business while I raised my children as a single mother,

00:27:53.876 --> 00:27:58.296

learning of my own trauma and the impact of that, having diagnosis.

00:27:58.936 --> 00:28:03.636

I'm 47 now and I was in my early 40s the first time I saw a therapist.

00:28:03.976 --> 00:28:10.216

And it felt so liberating and so freeing because she put a title to what I had

00:28:10.216 --> 00:28:16.316

been dealing with. She said I was diagnosed extreme PTSD and severe depression.

00:28:16.736 --> 00:28:20.376

And those are harsh things to hear. But I'll tell you, when I heard it,

00:28:20.456 --> 00:28:26.616

I felt like this weight lifted, not because I had these diagnosis, but, oh, I'm not crazy.

00:28:26.836 --> 00:28:32.796

And I have been dealing with a lot. And she said, look at what you've overcome, Takiyah. That's a lot.

00:28:33.236 --> 00:28:39.816

And so I'm learning more and more to be proud of myself. I'm learning more and

00:28:39.816 --> 00:28:41.376

more to share more of myself.

00:28:41.656 --> 00:28:45.136

And it, like you said, it has not been easy.

00:28:45.356 --> 00:28:50.056

There are still days that I have to push through. Like I said, I'm human.

00:28:50.276 --> 00:28:56.996

I'm not superhuman, but my faith in God, I account it and attest it all to him.

00:28:57.756 --> 00:29:04.676

I wholeheartedly believe I would not and could not be here had it not for me

00:29:04.676 --> 00:29:08.996

having faith in God and allowing bowing and acknowledging his hand on my life

00:29:08.996 --> 00:29:16.396

and him allowing me to use the story of my journey to help other people, other listeners,

00:29:16.516 --> 00:29:21.636

other viewers, other people say, look, you can get up. Not only can you get up, take my hand.

00:29:21.756 --> 00:29:24.696

I'll help you and I'll walk through it with you. Hmm.

00:29:25.416 --> 00:29:32.356

Was there ever a time when you could say that your faith ever wavered?

00:29:33.736 --> 00:29:37.756

Yes i would be lying if i said.

00:29:39.716 --> 00:29:49.616

I would be lying if i said no now have i ever lost my have i ever stopped believing

00:29:49.616 --> 00:29:55.656

in god no i beyond a shadow of a doubt i have not that moment in that barn when

00:29:55.656 --> 00:29:56.876

my kids and i were homeless.

00:29:57.096 --> 00:30:02.276

I remember getting on my knees and crying. It was raining and the roof of the

00:30:02.276 --> 00:30:07.136

barn had deteriorated. And so it was raining and it was destroying and damaging

00:30:07.136 --> 00:30:09.776

the last little bit of clothes that I had managed to bring.

00:30:10.016 --> 00:30:13.276

And I got on my knees and I remember telling God.

00:30:14.482 --> 00:30:20.862

I trust you. I believe in you. It does not matter how it looks or how hard it will ever get.

00:30:21.002 --> 00:30:23.682

I will never stop believing in you.

00:30:24.062 --> 00:30:29.702

And I just have seen him move too much in my life to doubt him.

00:30:29.842 --> 00:30:36.062

But faith, yes, wavering. There were, like I said, times of asking him, well, why?

00:30:36.242 --> 00:30:39.082

Or even and telling him, I don't want to do this anymore.

00:30:39.502 --> 00:30:45.762

You know, just being real with him.

00:30:45.802 --> 00:30:49.862

But see, that's the relationship I've cultivated with God.

00:30:50.022 --> 00:30:52.722

I treat him just like a friend, a father.

00:30:52.902 --> 00:30:58.042

He's all of those things. And so I can come to him with my truth because he knows.

00:30:58.442 --> 00:31:04.802

And I remember I went almost a year, one year, where I didn't not pray,

00:31:04.962 --> 00:31:08.202

but internalizing I was angry with God.

00:31:08.502 --> 00:31:12.002

And I just was different in my walk and my relationship.

00:31:12.302 --> 00:31:17.302

And I remember a whole year later, folding clothes, and I remember hearing the

00:31:17.302 --> 00:31:19.782

voice of God just say, why don't you just say it?

00:31:20.182 --> 00:31:23.082

And I remember I screamed, I'm so angry with you.

00:31:23.462 --> 00:31:26.722

And it's like he knew it. He was just waiting for me to be like,

00:31:26.922 --> 00:31:29.182

why don't you just put it out there? I know you're mad at me.

00:31:29.482 --> 00:31:31.862

I can handle it. Let's talk about it.

00:31:32.482 --> 00:31:37.122

So now I let him know I'm angry. I don't like this.

00:31:37.302 --> 00:31:42.802

I'm not going to do this today, you know, but he's so loving and so gentle and

00:31:42.802 --> 00:31:45.402

so kind and so merciful and so patient.

00:31:45.862 --> 00:31:49.902

And he still has a plan. And it's just like Jonah, when he was in the belly

00:31:49.902 --> 00:31:52.142

of the whale, Jonah didn't want to go do something.

00:31:52.322 --> 00:31:55.522

He went through it for a little bit and then he He pouted and he finally was

00:31:55.522 --> 00:31:56.762

like, all right, God, what are we doing?

00:31:57.042 --> 00:32:03.082

You know, so that's, that's, I do, I do waver at times, but my firm footing

00:32:03.082 --> 00:32:06.522

is I love him and I know that he loves me.

00:32:06.962 --> 00:32:11.662

Yeah. I love it. You know, what I love about the way you explain that is you

00:32:11.662 --> 00:32:17.022

explain it exactly how I do is it's a relationship and it's just like every

00:32:17.022 --> 00:32:19.882

relationship where there's times when we get upset,

00:32:20.102 --> 00:32:23.642

we get angry, but we still love each other. You know what I mean?

00:32:24.522 --> 00:32:27.642

Yeah, absolutely. Still love each other. And that's it.

00:32:27.802 --> 00:32:33.882

And like I said, God, He showed me, He showed me His love in all of those situations I was going through.

00:32:34.042 --> 00:32:38.902

Even when I didn't love myself, when I hated who I had become or didn't understand

00:32:38.902 --> 00:32:41.822

and like it, God's love was just always there.

00:32:42.022 --> 00:32:44.402

And He, you know, how do we experience God's love?

00:32:44.602 --> 00:32:49.282

He can send it through other people. He can send it through our reading the Bible.

00:32:49.282 --> 00:32:53.222

He can sit it when we're sitting alone in those deep, dark places and we're

00:32:53.222 --> 00:32:56.642

hurting and we can just cry out and we may not be able to see him,

00:32:56.682 --> 00:33:00.082

feel him, touch him, hear him, but he's with us.

00:33:00.202 --> 00:33:02.782

If we have the opportunity to open our eyes.

00:33:03.688 --> 00:33:09.288

Then he's still got a plan for us. And that's his love. Amen to that. Oh my goodness.

00:33:10.388 --> 00:33:18.008

You're two kids. It's now been many, many years since you guys ran out of that home.

00:33:18.688 --> 00:33:23.148

Talk to me about your kids today. I just, you know, talking about your kids

00:33:23.148 --> 00:33:29.288

and being a mother all this time, would just love to kind of hear a little bit more about that.

00:33:29.848 --> 00:33:35.128

Yeah, yeah, that's a good question. So, again, there now my son is he'll be

00:33:35.128 --> 00:33:37.568

21 in like a couple of weeks,

00:33:37.808 --> 00:33:48.428

which I'm still grappling to figure out because, again, I'm only 25 and my daughter is 26.

00:33:48.728 --> 00:33:54.508

And I will say, you know, this process, this journey has not been easy for them

00:33:54.508 --> 00:33:56.928

either. They are off the top. They are amazing.

00:33:57.288 --> 00:34:02.928

They are brilliant. One of the things that I spoke over them all these years

00:34:02.928 --> 00:34:07.168

through their childhood and even now, I would tell them, I would say,

00:34:07.268 --> 00:34:10.188

God, give them wisdom beyond their years.

00:34:10.428 --> 00:34:13.988

And Kevin, let me tell you, sometimes they're so smart. I just want to tell

00:34:13.988 --> 00:34:16.348

them, just, you know, can you just go sit down? Stop talking.

00:34:18.388 --> 00:34:23.088

I'm the mom. OK. No showing me up.

00:34:24.628 --> 00:34:30.128

But they are. I, I, I've seen that manifest that God has really graced them

00:34:30.128 --> 00:34:31.968

with wisdom for their age.

00:34:32.108 --> 00:34:36.148

I mean, when they were young, my daughter, you know, I can remember her as young

00:34:36.148 --> 00:34:40.908

as 10, 11, 12, and she would come to me and she would give me these conversations

00:34:40.908 --> 00:34:42.768

and these talks and this motivation.

00:34:43.288 --> 00:34:46.588

She's in med school now. Her dream is to be a trauma surgeon.

00:34:46.968 --> 00:34:49.968

And so she took a little bit of break.

00:34:50.048 --> 00:34:55.648

She graduated high school and she took a little bit of a break because while I came from trauma.

00:34:56.028 --> 00:35:01.808

And while I did all that I knew to do in the moments that I had to do it,

00:35:01.848 --> 00:35:07.648

my trauma still affected my kids because of my struggles and my not understanding.

00:35:07.988 --> 00:35:13.128

And so my daughter is in the space that her and my son are six years apart.

00:35:13.328 --> 00:35:17.148

So she had six years of mom, where I call it my.

00:35:18.470 --> 00:35:24.250

Unknowing of unhealed trauma and things like that. And so she had six years of that.

00:35:24.410 --> 00:35:31.210

And then my son came along and he had mom who found Christ, who had a diagnosis,

00:35:31.510 --> 00:35:33.750

who was learning to deal with that.

00:35:33.850 --> 00:35:37.970

And so the dynamic is very different between my children, my two children,

00:35:38.050 --> 00:35:41.650

and we are all on a healing journey. We really are.

00:35:42.130 --> 00:35:45.030

There's times, there's seasons where we

00:35:45.030 --> 00:35:48.210

are absolutely close and then there's seasons where we have

00:35:48.210 --> 00:35:51.090

a little bit of distance because we're each working on

00:35:51.090 --> 00:35:56.590

our healing journey and they have just overcome so much and I'm extremely proud

00:35:56.590 --> 00:36:02.130

of them and I just like any parent I want and wish the best for both of them

00:36:02.130 --> 00:36:08.650

yeah absolutely did you ever get involved in another relationship after that

00:36:08.650 --> 00:36:10.070

one that you just spoke about earlier?

00:36:10.410 --> 00:36:14.550

Oh my gosh. Yes, I did.

00:36:14.810 --> 00:36:18.710

I actually, Kevin, I actually got married and it wasn't right away.

00:36:19.170 --> 00:36:22.410

Um, it was probably my goodness.

00:36:22.490 --> 00:36:28.830

So that was about 2017 and I got married in 2020, January, 2021.

00:36:29.290 --> 00:36:34.550

So that was a long time. And I got into a relationship with someone that,

00:36:34.550 --> 00:36:39.690

you know, I first marriage, I waited, prayed, asked God, is this the person?

00:36:40.250 --> 00:36:44.910

And I actually was so nervous when I got a yes from God, because in dating,

00:36:44.970 --> 00:36:48.530

I normally was used to hearing God go, nope, no, not the one.

00:36:48.950 --> 00:36:53.490

And so when I got a yes, I, it shook everything in me, because I was like,

00:36:53.530 --> 00:36:56.970

oh my gosh, this is the person that God wants me to spend my life with.

00:36:57.150 --> 00:37:04.130

Like, wow, we dated, we went through all the motions, we did counseling, and we married.

00:37:04.904 --> 00:37:11.284

And two months into the marriage, the bottom fell out and there was infidelity

00:37:11.284 --> 00:37:14.304

and there was cheating and there was lying on his part.

00:37:14.424 --> 00:37:19.984

And I just could not understand, God, what happened here?

00:37:20.864 --> 00:37:29.824

And that was a journey that I am still healing from because we ended up separating. rating.

00:37:29.924 --> 00:37:33.604

And then I divorced and I actually had to file a restraining order,

00:37:33.704 --> 00:37:36.784

order of protection because he started stalking me.

00:37:37.084 --> 00:37:42.804

And that is something that added more stress and trauma to my life.

00:37:42.884 --> 00:37:47.284

And that is something that I'm healing from now.

00:37:47.384 --> 00:37:51.644

And it's actually, here's how God works because it's like, well,

00:37:51.764 --> 00:37:56.344

wait, Takiyah, I thought you prayed and sought God. God, I remember asking God

00:37:56.344 --> 00:37:57.644

the same thing. Did I miss you?

00:37:57.804 --> 00:38:01.584

I must not have heard you right. I must, did I just want this so badly?

00:38:02.124 --> 00:38:07.244

I remember God settling me and telling me, Takiyah, it takes two people to do the right thing.

00:38:07.944 --> 00:38:12.304

So it was never God's intention to put me through something that would hurt me.

00:38:12.424 --> 00:38:18.284

It was his intention for this man that I married to come alongside me and have a better life in Christ.

00:38:18.464 --> 00:38:24.424

But he refused to do the things that needed to be done. And so I'm still healing through that.

00:38:25.264 --> 00:38:28.184

But I look at it now.

00:38:28.404 --> 00:38:33.544

And I go, had I not gone through those things, I would not be sitting here on

00:38:33.544 --> 00:38:36.144

your podcast today talking about all of this stuff.

00:38:36.824 --> 00:38:42.104

Because I actually in the midst of all of that last year had a nervous breakdown. down.

00:38:42.584 --> 00:38:47.404

And in the midst of that, in that moment, it was when I was holding my cell phone later that day.

00:38:47.484 --> 00:38:51.924

And I just was kind of frustrated and going, I'm just swiping all these pictures

00:38:51.924 --> 00:38:53.824

of me smiling. Oh, she's traveling.

00:38:53.924 --> 00:38:58.984

She's smiling and she's living here and she's smiling. And I remember saying, I'm always smiling.

00:38:59.484 --> 00:39:02.644

If people really only knew the truth behind this smile.

00:39:03.124 --> 00:39:07.464

And in that instant, I heard God say, so tell them. And what evolved from that

00:39:07.464 --> 00:39:13.544

was the launch of a podcast. and I'm here sharing my story and talking and testifying

00:39:13.544 --> 00:39:16.884

and just being authentic and vulnerable and real.

00:39:17.044 --> 00:39:23.364

And I cannot tell you how much it's given me my power back and my voice and

00:39:23.364 --> 00:39:28.964

has propelled me even deeper and further into doing God's work and the tremendous

00:39:28.964 --> 00:39:33.864

amount of support and love that has come in and the lives that I hear being

00:39:33.864 --> 00:39:36.364

changed and breaking free because I'm sharing my voice.

00:39:37.904 --> 00:39:43.044

So very powerful. I'm going to make a really weird comparison.

00:39:43.624 --> 00:39:48.604

So you got to bear with me. But this is what, as you're talking,

00:39:48.804 --> 00:39:55.544

all I can think about, so living here in Florida, we always have afternoon thunderstorms in the summertime.

00:39:56.595 --> 00:40:01.295

And the thunderstorms will come through and there's days when they are fierce.

00:40:01.415 --> 00:40:05.735

The thunder rattles the windows, the lightning striking all over.

00:40:06.335 --> 00:40:08.535

You can say it can be pretty fierce and scary.

00:40:09.355 --> 00:40:14.995

But when the storm passes, if you go outside and you look at the yard,

00:40:15.275 --> 00:40:18.055

the grass is greener than it was before.

00:40:20.035 --> 00:40:26.495

That that grass the world it grew on the other side of that traumatic event

00:40:26.495 --> 00:40:33.075

and i can't help but but look at you and think of the same thing,

00:40:34.255 --> 00:40:39.235

that's so beautifully put that's that is so eloquent that's like that's what

00:40:39.235 --> 00:40:48.635

we call what is it um jesus talked in parables that was a parable like I will never forget that.

00:40:48.755 --> 00:40:52.115

I love it. Thank you so much for that. That really is.

00:40:52.315 --> 00:40:56.175

And there's a scripture that talks about how God will give us beauty for ashes,

00:40:56.415 --> 00:41:00.815

you know, and it just makes me think of that. But that's so beautifully put, Kevin. Thank you.

00:41:00.935 --> 00:41:05.075

Oh, of course. Of course. Well, I have one last question for you.

00:41:05.095 --> 00:41:10.875

But before I get to that question, will you please share with us where somebody

00:41:10.875 --> 00:41:16.215

can get Get plugged into your world to find your books, to listen to the podcast,

00:41:16.335 --> 00:41:20.695

to get all into your realm. Where can we send them?

00:41:21.335 --> 00:41:23.455

Yes, they want to get all up in my business.

00:41:24.475 --> 00:41:31.475

You can find me, the Inspirational Beauty Boss. I have made it so simple for you guys.

00:41:31.895 --> 00:41:37.035

It's every hashtag, social media, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, website. site.

00:41:37.115 --> 00:41:42.795

You just simply put in your smile is your weapon and you will find me.

00:41:43.275 --> 00:41:49.335

Because I had a lady just last year, complete stranger, come up to me and I

00:41:49.335 --> 00:41:51.255

was having a rough day and she didn't know this.

00:41:51.295 --> 00:41:54.975

And she walked up to me and she hugged me and embraced me. And she said, you are beautiful.

00:41:55.335 --> 00:41:58.595

You never stop smiling. Your smile is your weapon.

00:41:58.955 --> 00:42:02.695

And that stuck with me. And so that is how you can You can find my books,

00:42:02.855 --> 00:42:08.015

my website, my speaking, my podcast is streaming on all platforms behind this

00:42:08.015 --> 00:42:08.915

smile with Tequila Sean.

00:42:09.435 --> 00:42:12.855

And you just plug in your smile as your weapon and you'll find your girl.

00:42:13.439 --> 00:42:16.399

Amazing. I love that so very much.

00:42:16.839 --> 00:42:24.179

My last question for you is for the person listening today, and maybe they're

00:42:24.179 --> 00:42:25.739

a couple of steps behind you.

00:42:25.999 --> 00:42:28.079

They're in that thunderstorm.

00:42:28.679 --> 00:42:35.379

They're in the thick of it all. What would you say to that person to give them

00:42:35.379 --> 00:42:39.359

the encouragement to get to where you are in life?

00:42:39.359 --> 00:42:44.939

So what immediately comes to mind is actually the title of a podcast episode I just did recently.

00:42:45.119 --> 00:42:50.499

It says, you got to go through it to get to it. Okay. And let me explain that.

00:42:51.239 --> 00:42:54.559

A lot of times we're dealing with things and say, oh, well, I'm going through

00:42:54.559 --> 00:42:57.619

this or I'm going through that or this is going on.

00:42:57.679 --> 00:43:01.699

I'm going through it. when you visualize going through something,

00:43:01.799 --> 00:43:02.879

I want you to see a tunnel.

00:43:03.459 --> 00:43:06.839

You're going through that tunnel. There's an entrance. And when you get into

00:43:06.839 --> 00:43:10.579

that tunnel, you know, it may be dark or you're just driving, driving, driving.

00:43:11.099 --> 00:43:14.159

In order to get to the other side of that tunnel and see the light again,

00:43:14.379 --> 00:43:16.879

you got to keep going to come out on the other side.

00:43:17.039 --> 00:43:21.359

So you can't stop is what I'm saying. You have to keep going.

00:43:21.699 --> 00:43:27.779

You have to not give up. And sometimes in that tunnel, it can be very dark.

00:43:27.779 --> 00:43:32.399

We can find ourselves in a dark place. We're alone. We're sad. We're depressed.

00:43:32.719 --> 00:43:37.279

We feel like nobody's there with us. And you may sit down and just you want

00:43:37.279 --> 00:43:39.039

to curl up in a ball in a fetal position.

00:43:39.199 --> 00:43:41.879

You just want to rest. You just want to stop. You're like, my goodness,

00:43:41.979 --> 00:43:45.899

how long is this tunnel? How long do I have to keep going through?

00:43:46.299 --> 00:43:48.099

You have to get up.

00:43:48.620 --> 00:43:54.260

And you have to keep going because in order to get to the other side of something,

00:43:54.540 --> 00:43:56.680

you have to go through it. Okay.

00:43:56.780 --> 00:44:02.860

So if you're going through, just remember, you'll come out on the other side. Eventually keep going.

00:44:03.060 --> 00:44:05.380

That is absolutely beautiful.

00:44:06.240 --> 00:44:12.360

Thank you so much for sharing such wisdom, for sharing your story.

00:44:12.360 --> 00:44:19.620

Story, inspirational, but even more so empowering is what I take from our entire

00:44:19.620 --> 00:44:24.100

conversation today is just pure empowerment.

00:44:24.380 --> 00:44:30.720

And I just want to thank you in the most heartfelt way for being here and for

00:44:30.720 --> 00:44:33.220

sharing all of that goodness with me and my listener.

00:44:33.600 --> 00:44:38.000

Thank you so much. It has been an absolute honor just to be here.

00:44:38.220 --> 00:44:42.940

And I love your questions, the prompts, so engaging and so thought provoking

00:44:42.940 --> 00:44:47.260

and just very touching to me as well. So thank you, Kevin, for everything you are doing.

00:44:47.500 --> 00:44:50.300

Oh, well, thank you so much. That means the world.

00:44:50.340 --> 00:44:56.720

And for you listening today, as always, I hope that this podcast can mean more

00:44:56.720 --> 00:44:58.420

to you than just something entertaining.

00:44:58.800 --> 00:45:03.860

So I hope that something said today can be an impact on your life.

00:45:04.120 --> 00:45:09.820

And remember, if there's somebody in your world who you think to yourself, wow, you you know what?

00:45:10.080 --> 00:45:14.820

They could really benefit from hearing this. Well, go ahead and share it with them.

00:45:15.380 --> 00:45:17.920

That's what we want to do. That's how we spread the message.

00:45:18.380 --> 00:45:20.480

That's how we make an impact in the world.

00:45:20.900 --> 00:45:24.980

So with that, I'm Kevin Lowe. This is Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

00:45:25.260 --> 00:45:26.880

Get out there and enjoy the day.

00:45:26.960 --> 00:45:45.762