Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tanya Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tanya, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
The idea of Black Women Who came about in 2018 on a hot sunny day in June after renting a kayak at The Texas Rowing Center. If you’ve ever been to Austin, you would know that on any sunny, beautiful day. The lakes tend to look like our highways, congested. But with more smiles of contentment than frowns from frustration. I was in the middle of Town Lake paddling, again noticing that I was the only one of color in a kayak, absorbing the energy that being in my happy space brings. I thought, why wouldn’t anyone love this? So, I created a group inviting women of color to kayaking with me. No one would join me but this one lady. I later discovered I needed to address the barriers stopping black and brown women from enjoying water activities. One of the most significant barriers for black and brown women and children is not knowing how to swim. The second was the fear of large bodies of water. Later, as Black Women Who Kayak+ started to become more established as a business, we partnered with The Britsh Swim School to offer swimming lessons to our members at a discounted rate. My goal was the more confident the mother felt in her new space, the more she would bring her kids and family members.
Tanya, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hello, my name is Tanya Walker, and I’m the CEO and Founder of Black Women Who. Our organization used to be called Black Women Who Kayak+, LLC, but we recently rebranded. Everyone has a purpose in life, even though some of us are more aware of it than others. I never thought my passion for kayaking could become my purpose, but God works in mysterious ways. I’ve always had a heart for giving, and in 2023, I even donated a kidney to a stranger without thinking twice about it. Whenever I see a need, I’ll do everything in my power to help. In 2018, I saw a need when I realized that there weren’t many people who looked like me doing the things I loved to do. At that time, Facebook had just introduced a new feature that allowed users to create meetup groups. I took advantage of this and created a group called “Black Women Who Kayak”. However, I soon realized that this platform had the potential to be used for something much bigger than just organizing kayaking trips. I wanted to place black and brown women and children in every space that you rarely see them in. So, we partnered with the following and more: The Texas Rowing Center to teach members and their kids how to row, Crux Climbing Gym, Austin Yacht Club, Avery Ranch Golf Club, British Swim School, Texas Park, and Wildlife to teach how to hunt, etc. However, what sets Black Women Who apart from similar organizations is that we aim to provide a long-term experience for our members. We don’t want our events to be a one-time thing. Our goal is to create a community where members can hold space for each other and engage in their newfound adventure through a membership program. This is why we offer financial aid to members who qualify as low-income and want to learn activities such as rowing, sailing, climbing, and more. So far, we have successfully taught over 50 women how to row, with 6 taking full advantage of the membership and several children.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I made a bold move on my journey when we rebranded our business name. As some may already know, our previous name was Black Women Who Kayak +. After donating a kidney last year, my mental and emotional state underwent significant changes. I recognized the need for a change in the direction of my business and decided it was time to level up with confidence. Given that we do so much more than just kayaking, I wanted to leave our name open to endless possibilities for our members. Therefore, I took the executive decision to change our name to Black Women Who. Moreover, we gave our logo and website a complete overhaul to make it look more professional and inviting.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Starting a business demands a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifices. I can attest to this from my own personal experience with Black Women Who. I single-handedly funded everything from the gear, food, travel expenses, and other necessities. But as we grew and made a name for ourselves, we started receiving donations and grants from businesses that shared our mission and vision. It was a challenging journey, but we persevered and succeeded in expanding to now having nine chapters nationwide and growing. We’re now able to provide financial assistance to various opportunities such as members to hold space with memberships in their new adventure. Funding for kids to go to summer camp and more.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blackwomenwho.com
- Instagram: blackwomenwho_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blkwomenwho
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackwomenwho/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6fGRY1oVqE
- Other: As seen on NBC The Today Show: https://www.today.com/video/how-1-woman-is-empowering-and-inspiring-women-through-nature-165022789668?fbclid=IwAR1VXPyRf32TflA-6cT6xN4sP1uL4Qff1YySTHIhtn_O3RrrIrM-jGAla_I