Tanisha Akinloye is the CEO of Empowering through Beauty, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization uniting passionate hearts to provide hope. With a strong mandate to support women and girls with financial, spiritual, beauty, and emotional needs, Empowering through Beauty is a non-profit with the purpose of enriching lives, building confidence, and promoting self-sufficiency through self-esteem workshops, educational programs, social entrepreneurship, and anti-poverty seminars.
I got the chance to interview Tanisha:
S.U. Being a huge fan of everything to do with beauty, I was intrigued by the fact that you work to empower disadvantaged women. What got you into doing this?
T.A. Sophie, being that I am a beauty expert I find most things beautiful. Empowering women is dear to my heart. As a successful salon owner, I realized that even my clients who could afford to get their hair done, had some hard times. It made me think of the disadvantaged women and children who only wished for a haircut, hairstyle and/or makeover who definitely could not afford it. So in 2010, I made the decision provide beauty services to the less fortunate free of charge. At that time, I decided to take the concept of beauty to a whole other level of empowerment.
S.U. What are the main obstacles that women are facing today?
T.A. The main obstacles that women face today is low self-esteem which dominates how we interact with each other as women, limits our ability to become effective leaders in work and in life, and destroys the power we have within us to unlock the potential greatness we all possess.
S. U. If a woman is “disadvantaged” what are some of the things that she can do to make herself feel more beautiful?
T. A. Beauty is not always found in the way we fix our hair and makeup we wear. These are some of the tangible ways we help our clients feel more beautiful. The first thing is they must see and understand the different forms and meanings of beauty. Education is at the top of list for disadvantage women to feel more beautiful. It can be as simple as going to the library to open up book to learn something new. Reading is beauty! There is something beautiful about educating one’s self. Secondly, each day, a woman must take time to embrace her being. When I say take time, I mean don’t rush when you’re washing your face or bathing. Take time to see the beauty you have. The simple fact that you can move around to bathe is beautiful. Smile! Smiling for no reason is beautiful. Yea, people sometimes think it’s crazy, but try it. It can bring about a transition in that moment that might even make your feet tingles. It will open up your mind to a whole new level of beauty. Surround yourself with nature by walking on a beautiful trail. Its breathe taking! This is a true way to connect with a God in a peaceful and tranquil space. He will reveal his love for you in unimaginable ways. Maybe you have lost touch of who God made you to be. In this quiet time, God will reveal in spirit and in truth, His prefect plan for your life. That’s beauty!
S. U. How can The New Gorgeous community help women who are perhaps less fortunate than we find ourselves to be?
T.A. The New Gorgeous community can partner with Empowering through Beauty organization at our upcoming events. As a matter of fact, Empowering through Beauty will host its first premier fundraiser on December 14th from 10 am-5pm. We will have a makeover glam day for women with surprise celebrity guests, and more! More details to come within the next month, as we are currently looking to build partner ships, so please check our website for updates. Also, you can simply ask less fortunate women how ‘can I help you?’ Maybe, it’s buying her next meal, or buying her bus or train ticket to a job interview. There are so many ways you can help.