Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tashi Rawls. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tashi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

After a series of conversations with my teenage daughter, family, and friends I noticed a pattern, my loved ones were not properly healing from their past traumas. “Although I’ve always had a close relationship with my daughter, I realized that the majority of youth aren’t as comfortable opening up with their parents or other adults during the times they need someone to listen the most. I knew in order for young women to succeed as adults, they needed the right attention and support. I grew a passion to help girls address their pains, providing a safe place to share their stories, motivating them to persevere, which ultimately became a space for women of all walk’s and in 2018 I established Speak Your Peace a registered non profit as of March 3, 2020.

“With the spike in teen suicide, runaways, confrontations and seeing as how we all sometimes just need an outlet I thought of how women empowerment events have helped so many open up and start the healing process, I decided to create something that would award the same opportunities for the younger generation.”

Our Mission is to provide a platform that is a safe haven for women, preteens and young adults to receive the support they need to flourish through opportunities and new experiences. We want to ensure that new and future generations are raised up to be queens that simply speak their peace.

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Tashi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Tashi Rawls, a native Washingtonian born and raised in the District of Columbia. What was started as an one time empowerment event has now evolved into quarterly events, a community partnership and a safe space for many.

Speak Your Peace was created as a result of my own experiences and my journey to healing. Upon doing my own shadow work, I recognized that the majority of my trauma had begun as a teenager and followed me into womanhood. I wanted to create a space for us to learn from others experiences, to be vulnerable with one another, to be heard, seen and understood, I ultimately wanted community, a tribe.

What sets Speak Your peace apart from others is that we cater to the root and the tree, a huge part of our breakthrough relies on the women before us and understanding their struggles.

I’m most proud of the women and teens I’ve met along the way, the women and teens who allow themselves to be open amongst a stranger, the relationships that are built as a result of showing up and giving young women and women the space to be heard and seen.

I want people to know that whatever you feel you’re going through, or dealing with, that thing that makes you feel like it’s only you, I guarantee it’s not. Come to the next event, get to know others, we are all going through the same things and we can all help each other heal.

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

I’ve had to learn that your journey won’t be your friends journey and that’s ok, that it’s not the number of people in the room or who follow’s you but who you’re able to impact. In the beginning we want our friends to be our biggest supporters but my mission is so much bigger than my circle, it’s the women/teen girls I’ve reached that I do not know personally that brings me the most joy. You cannot make room to meet new people if you’re constantly surrounded by the crutch of your friends.

I learned this by not seeing familiar faces at a few events, initially I was upset but I wholeheartedly believe the breakthroughs that happened in those rooms would not happen if it was filled with familiar faces, if it was so many attendees that it made people feel uncomfortable.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Most recently I started doing free events in partnership with a local community organization. My event had registered at 100% capacity and of that maybe 35% attended. I truly put my all into my events, usually making less than what I put out and in this case profiting nothing at all.

Again, my initial reaction was to lessen what I put out but I had to truly get out of my own head. I refuse to compromise my integrity, the integrity of the Speak Your Peace brand or downplay the shift that happened because of who isn’t there.

That event was actually the best one to me, it literally gave every attendee the opportunity to express themselves, to engage and to leave feeling better.

I was reminded of why I started in the first place and given a push I didn’t know I needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.speakyourpeace.info
• Instagram: @_speakyourpeace
• Facebook: @_Speakyourpeace
• Linkedin: Tashi Rawls