We recently connected with La Tonya Powers and have shared our conversation below.

Hi La Tonya, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

This is certainly a story that I can tell. Growing up, we were instructed to have all the information and all our ducks in a row, per se. But what happens when you need to change your life, you don’t have all the information, and everything is out of order? I had just moved to Georgia, I was newly divorced, a single mother, and trying to figure out how I would create a new narrative for a season that I couldn’t even see what tomorrow would look like. The one thing I knew I could do well was speak, I knew that God had given me the gift of helping others. To do that, I had to create a curriculum to help myself. You can’t be good at telling others to do what you won’t take a chance on yourself, so I took a risk and started my own coaching company. I had to decide whether to empower myself or keep the same cycle of patterns active in my life. I needed to escape. I would stand in the mirror daily and talk as if I were speaking to a room full of potential clients, and I kept doing that until it happened. I practiced my fear in private, so I could take the risk without failing in public. Those moments turned into motivational speaking opportunities that were now paid for. Taking the risk to start my business when I had nothing created moments that granted me engaging conversations with celebrities, TV appearances, writing for a nationally syndicated magazine, traveling the world, and finally becoming an author and advocate for the things I believe in the most.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My life has been filled with many challenges, tragedies, and heartbreak. I carried a secret of depression for many years, and through all of it, my life’s purpose was revealed, and I have triumphed through it all.

I was aware early on that I had a gift and understood that my purpose was to help people. Growing up was challenging; my innocence was taken from me early on, and after suffering through molestation and thoughts of suicide, my self-esteem was very low. I went through my life making choices from the pain I had endured.

That pain caused me to choose the wrong relationships, make the wrong decisions, miss opportunities, and, most of all, I carried a secret depression that later turned into panic attacks. I went through a tough season with no answers in view. However, through prayer and my belief in God, the same gift God gave me would be the same gift that would help lead me out of my greatest fight. There was a dark cloud of molestation hanging over me, along with two failed marriages, so I decided to fight back by finding my place.

I had my first son while going through a divorce. During a night of arguing and being abused, I suffered a mental breakdown. I was emotionally tapped out, and I had to learn to love my son even though I didn’t love myself.

I began to rebuild my life, and while doing so, I was invited to speak at my first conference, and from there, I pursued my Doctorate in Theological Studies in 2007. In 2014, I received an honorary Doctorate from Thomasville Christian University. I furthered my training by becoming a Master Life Coach and received certifications in business strategies, NLP, Cognitive behavioral training, relationship coaching, and leadership strategies. I have authored several books: Spiritual Detox Rehab For The Soul, Eli’ora Warrior Princess, and The 12 Minutes To Change Devotional. I have since started two more businesses, which I am grateful for.

I have been privileged to be featured on the radio and have appeared as a special guest for the reality show “Being,” where I strategized a plan to help turn a family in the right direction. Since my debut on BET, I have become a life strategist to celebrities and many others.

As the founder and director of The Transform You Empowerment Group, my vision is to help others realize their full potential by supplying them with he right tools. As a community leader, I believe you can rebuild from anything if you don’t stop trying.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My business was thriving before the pandemic, and during the pandemic, my family became very ill. My oldest son suffered the most, and I lost him during this time. My business took a major hit, and there seemed to be nothing I could do to change that narrative. The great thing about having a God-given gift is that no matter how long it sits, it still works when you need it. After a long journey of grieving, I had to find a way to recover. The best way to build your business is to model your product. I gave myself what I had given others, and because it worked for me, I gained new clients.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the things I had to unlearn in business is the myth that all you need to have a successful business is hard work. Hard work does not guarantee success. To have a successful business, I had to put together a good strategy plan, and along with that, a system that works.. Hard work is necessary, but without a good system and strategic planning of the systems, hard work alone will not be enough. The saying work smarter, not harder is an impactful truth. Knowing what works for your business gives you insight into how to grow your business through targeted planning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tfunow.com
• Instagram: @dr.La Tonya Powers
• Facebook: Dr. La Tonya Powers
• Linkedin: Dr. La Tonya Powers
• Yelp: Dr. La Tonya Powers