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

TaTanisha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

As an Elementary School Counselor, I began to notice an increase in anxiety in the students that I serve. I began to research mindfulness, meditation and breath work for school age children, especially children of color (our school was 99% african-american). While i found some resources, they did not offer examples of relatable characters that my students could identify with or see themselves in. My son suggested that I create my own character to use with students. After several tries, we came up with an animated brown girl with an amazing natural afro. I decided to name her Maya after my daughter who had also had issues with anxiety like me. My son took my vision and brought Mindfulness Maya to life. I took the emotional issues that plagued my students and made lessons, scripts and topics for Mindfulness Maya to speak with them about through Youtube. After releasing the character of Maya, we realized that a boy character was needed as well. so we created Carleton (named after a dear loved one that we lost due to gun violence). Together, and sometimes individually, they would teach students mindfulness, the art of meditation, yoga, breath work, and social emotional learning (SEL).

Who would be the voice of Mindfulness Maya? My daughter
who would be the voice of Carleton (Mindfulness Maya’s Brother)?
Who would create the animation ? My son (SCAD student)
Who would create content and research based lessons? Me

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been an elementary school counselor for 20 years. I got into this amazing profession because I wanted to help students navigate the world in a positive way. I find true, genuine joy advocating for students inside and outside of the classroom. Creating content that can help students cope wth big emotions has been a purpose fulfilled.

I am so proud of the content we create. I have received nothing but positive feedback from educators. It feels good to use my own content with my students. I have also seen how the lessons, videos and books have made a positive impact with students throughout several school districts .

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

We continue to create new relevant content. We ask for feedback or topics that early learners are facing and create content based on that. We also share other brands with similar content to ensure that clients know that our purpose is aligned with the collective goal of positive mental health for students.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Target the audience that your content is intended for. Our content is geared toward educators and those connected to the Mindfulness world. Seek out the groups on social media that align with what you are doing or the message that you trying to convey. Interact with them and you can definitely build from those quick connections. Support others that are doing things similar, there is room for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindfulnessmaya.wixsite.com/mysite
• Instagram: @mindfulnessmaya
• Twitter: @MindfulnessMaya
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mindfulnessmaya2019/videos
• Other: Book Titles below available on Barnes and Noble Online and Amazon Kindle : Mindfulness Says Hello Mindfulness Maya Shows some Love Carleton’s Rainy Day Maya and Carleton Get Some Rest The Exhale is Everything