We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Teniecka Drake. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Teniecka below.
Teniecka, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I dropped a link for a petition because right now currently dear to my heart. My dear friend and sister in the Lord Katrina Chevilar-Cormier came up with this beautiful idea. To bring back prayer into schools. For me when I went to school back in 1986 we did not have that. I was not aware that it was even in school. Until she made me aware that in 1962it had been removed from out of all schools across the United States. It made me sad that was removed. I wanted to really help in pushing this. Using whatever social media I have along with my Podcast called: God’s Gift Through His Word.
https://www.change.org/p/put-reciting-prayer-back-in-public-schools?recruiter=1293830080&recruited_by_id=c9246270-a0f5-11ed-a308-cd0f7284387a&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard
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 am a podcaster, author and inspirational speaker. While there are many people that may have a podcast, book and speak. I am on a mission to utilize every bit of my life experience to help others. I am a Survivor of Domestic Violence and being a believer it is hard for people to understand that. While I utilize my story to help my an impact I use other part of my life to bring attention and awareness to other areas. I am also a Veteran that lived through being sexually assaulted in the Milan my career was ended after that. I was given a mental diagnosis to deal with that situation. I am also a mother of two beautiful special needs children along with my other 2. I am also an HIV+ woman. With all thus intersectionality I have over come many things. What to show that all that I have been through there is a light. That staying faithful to Lord he will make and provide a way out. I have shared bits of my story on different platforms about different aspects of my life. Never all at the same time. I definitely hope to be on a stage to share with many people to keep going and not to give up at all. The Podcast as mentioned before is called: God’s Gift Through His Word. My book is titled: The Gift of Finding God’s Love Guilt and Shame turned into my Shine.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
It has been quite a ride and there have been tons of hard things to go through. One story that I will share from my journey was having all my children taken away from a phone call to the VA hotline. That call wrecked my life for awhile. Harbor Pd came to my door put me in handcuffs “for my safety” and put me in a patrol car and took me away from children. Since I am a single mother they placed my children in foster care. It literally took me 5 months to get them back. I had to do virtual visits. On top that deal with my abusive ex-husband. It took everything inside of me to keep calm press through and not give into anger. All the while my kids are with a so called “friend” that is benefitting financially. I look back at that time now and just amazed because that took so much out of me. That was one time I found myself to be resilient and keeping my Faith and my kids top of mind.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
It is actually a funny thing. I met one of my other business partners Dr.James Sutton, II a.ka. Pastor J. I met him doing podcasting actually. I had started my Podcast on 01/25/2023 celebrating 5 years podcasting this year. I met him oddly enough in February and he had sent me a message. I am not sure how he found me. I had never heard his podcast before. His is call Walk in Truth Radio Network now before it was just Walk in Truth Radio. We sent several messages back and forth. One day we connected on the phone and he and I have been great friends and done a lot of different things together. The one that he and went in together as was the SoCal Podcast Explosion event. He helped me with that so much. He was a huge funder and supporter. Katrina Chevilar-Cormier was also a funder and supporter of this event. They partnered with me to create my vision for that event in 2019. We are looking to another event of course while also building and creating a non-profit that will be Faith based. It is called L.A.F.F, INc. The title means loving Arms For Families and their is a purpose for that name. It is twofold to first shoe the Lord’s loving Arms around these families and that the can Laugh(LAFF) again.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/show/00LvJHebfRPkuJyinDvQuR?si=9u4smD6ATKWv7dpOtjB4fQ&utm_source=copy-link
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ggthw18?igshid=NTA5ZTk1NTc=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080982066965&mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tendrake
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Teniecka?t=U8kALRYjmgj_CcqHIDDhpA&s=09
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TenieckaDrake4U2Day