Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: The podcast for those who find themselves immersed in adversity and choose to write their story instead of having others write it for them. I'm Drew Duraney and I'm your host. Today's guest is Tawana Lowry. In Tawana's words, I help female business owners and coaches grow bigger, faster with story sharing and brand strategy. Global keynote speaker, best selling author, 35 years in business leadership. Enjoy the show. Tawana, it's so good to see you.
[00:00:42] Speaker A: Thank you so much, Drew. I'm very excited to be here. Been looking forward to this conversation for weeks.
[00:00:49] Speaker B: This is going to be wonderful. So I always thank the person who introduced me to my guests. So this time I get to thank Mike Wiener of nrg. Mike, thanks so much for the introduction to Tawana Lowery. I really appreciate that.
And audience, you know, I always start with how when we're young, we're taught that life is linear. It's a straight path. And it's not a malicious teaching. Our family, our friends, society, they want it to be straight line for us because it'd be easier.
And so it's always suggested to us that if we do A plus, B plus, C, D is going to happen.
And you know, for the most part, for us, life is linear until it's not. Ultimately, an external circumstance will come in between one of those letters and derail our straight path in life to a more circuitous route.
And with that, that means adversity has now reared its ugly head. And here's what happens. I always say there's three types of women out there. There's woman number one who's got so many blind spots she doesn't even notice the adversity. She just lives life the way people told her to live. And she doesn't change anything. I don't have woman number one on the show. Now woman number two sees the adversity, yet she says, no, this adversity is a barrier. I'm the victim. Everybody else is to blame.
Life is what it is. I can't change anything. And so she goes about her life on autopilot. She doesn't change anything. And you know what? On her deathbed, she's got a ton of regrets. I don't have woman number two on this show. Now woman number three I do have on the show.
Woman number three has a heightened self awareness. She sees the adversity and she says, you know what? I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. This adversity is not a barrier. It's an opportunity for me to do something different. Take massive action and become a stronger woman on the other side.
And that is woman number three, and that is Tawana Lowery. I have Tawana on the show.
So, Tawana, if you could, for the audience, reach back as far as you need to for that defining moment in life, that tap on the shoulder, the whisper in the ear, or the 2 by 4 upside the head that I needed, what is that defining moment that transformed you, that transformation from woman number one and two, or both, to the woman you are now and how that transformation impacted you personally and professionally?
[00:03:10] Speaker A: Yeah, well, you know, I think it would be important for me to. To address woman number two, because sometimes woman number two doesn't know she woman number two. Right.
And. And I mean, I'm just being honest because if you are surrounded by some form of dysfunction, disrespect, abuse, whatever that might be, it could be trauma. Right?
And you're exposed to that. And around that from an early age, you don't know that it's not normal.
[00:03:38] Speaker B: That's true.
[00:03:40] Speaker A: And so you may not be saying I'm a victim. What you may be saying is, this is normal.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: That's a good point. That's a good point.
[00:03:47] Speaker A: And so I think, you know, I have to. When I think about woman number two, that describes me.
And so.
But then you don't really, you don't really see yourself as a victim, but you don't really see yourself as a higher form of what you are called to be either. Absolutely. So, you know, you just kind of, in this world, kind of like the Matrix, Right, Right. Until you're presented with the other pill. And so I to say I was presented with the other pill.
And it was several years ago, and it was through a series of events that, you know, I wouldn't wish on anybody, but my mother died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage.
And this woman was not the best mother in the world.
You know, it just is what it. It is.
And yet my heart was broken that, you know, my mother passed away, but six months later, my marriage of 25 years suffered a. I'll say it this way, a fatal wound.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Oh, boy. Okay.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: That just carpet bomb trust and things like that. And it pretty much killed the marriage. You might as well say kill the marriage. And so then a few months later, my father died of a heart attack.
And so, you know, I just had this trifecta of just loss, loss, loss.
And I personally reached a point that I, although I was a faith woman, Bible reading woman, you know, church going and all those Kinds of things, I guess for the first time ever, I started saying to myself, I'm a victim.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:31] Speaker A: I felt myself caving.
Like, it was almost like I could hear Darth Vader going, come to the dark side. You know, your life's never going to get any better than this.
And honestly, I was tempted to say, yeah, you know, that your side looks pretty good compared to my side.
But thankfully, because I'm a woman of faith, God Almighty really spoke to me, and he got my attention. Because all I could see, Drew, was everything that I had gone through. And I guess for the first time ever, it just hit me in the face that I was raised in a, you know, kind of a domestic abuse situation. Thankfully, it wasn't sexual abuse, that my mother had an addiction problem.
Just a lot of craziness and manipulation and disrespect.
Things I said that you start to think are normal.
[00:06:21] Speaker B: Right.
[00:06:22] Speaker A: You know, I suffered some difficult situations in my teen years, and then I became.
I got married early, got divorced, became a single mom, lived below the poverty level, then remarried.
That marriage was stressful, was very difficult, went through two bankruptcies, lost two homes, and then all of this happened. And all I could think of for the. Probably for the first time ever is I just looked at my life and I saw myself a victim.
[00:06:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:59] Speaker A: And I think God Almighty knew I was going there.
[00:07:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:03] Speaker A: Right. And he just kind of, like, pulled me by the collar, and he said, tawana, you don't see all this the way I see it. Because what I started saying was, look at all I've overcome. Look at all I've overcome. And all I could see was just this, you know, 35, 40 years of.
Of life that was just not doing nothing but beating me up.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:25] Speaker A: And I think, to your point, for the first time ever, I was going to go see myself as a lifetime victim, which was not going to produce any good fruit. Right. I had just kind of up to that point, just guts it up and kept going forward and gusted up and kept going forward because I didn't know any other way.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: Right, exactly.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: And so God just said, you know, Tawana, you're. You're not seeing any of this the way I see it. And he said, yeah, you overcome all. You overcame all of it.
[00:07:51] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:52] Speaker A: Because I put something in you from birth that would give you the ability to overcome it.
[00:07:56] Speaker B: There we go.
[00:07:57] Speaker A: And I went, oh, my God. And I couldn't deny it. Like, I was still standing. Right, sure. Um, I don't know, for those who read the Bible, whatever But it. It was kind of like, you know, Daniel goes into the lion's den. He gets out of the lion's den, he marches over to his friends, and he starts screaming about how he'd been thrown in the lion's den. And his friends are like, dude, your head's still on you. Like, be thankful.
And so I think that's what God was trying to say to me.
[00:08:22] Speaker B: Right.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: You did, in fact, overcome it. But then this was the pivotal moment. You ask about the pivotal moment. I liken it into, like, a burning bush kind of experience.
And he said, tawana, you're looking at all these things you've gone through as a list of liabilities.
And he said, it's not a list of liabilities.
[00:08:43] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: And this was like, that pivotal moment that just, like, got my attention. He said, tawana, that is your resume.
And I went, what? Like, it so blew my mind.
And, you know, and I could see it. It was like, oh, my God, that is my resume. It's qualified me, right, to speak into the lives of so many people and teach them a better way and help them and help them overcome. And then he goes to me, says this to me. He goes, what are you going to do with it?
And, you know, so from there, it was kind of like a challenge, like a mic drop challenge.
[00:09:22] Speaker B: Right, right.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: And. And so I just started realizing I've got something strong here to offer, and I'm going to start taking steps right then to, I guess, rocket myself into an overcomer lifestyle that I'm called to live.
[00:09:43] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: And see all of this as working for me.
It didn't happen to me. It happened for me.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: Right, Exactly.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: And honestly, Drew, people tell me, you know, what would you change? And I say, I wouldn't change anything.
[00:09:56] Speaker B: Nothing.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: I wouldn't change anything because it's given me what I have now. It's made me the person I am now, and. And so it's actually culminated into everything I'm able to do for others and offer.
[00:10:11] Speaker B: That is wonderful. Wow. There is a. There is so much there. And, you know, I'm not gonna say I'm sorry you went through all of that, because I am.
In a way, though, it. It made you a stronger woman.
So when. When you were ready to rock it forward, what. Do you recall what that first step was? That first physical thing you did to rock it forward?
[00:10:34] Speaker A: Well, the first thing I did was I got up off the floor, because at that point, I. I mean, I was face down on the floor just bawling my eyes out, and so, you know, progress is progress. That's what I like to say.
[00:10:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: And if it's get up off the floor, if it's take a shower, if it's just, you know, get up the next day and go do the next thing, you gotta. You gotta give yourself credit for the small steps. Right. That's big.
But in a more tangible way, I thought, you know, I can't be the only person who's been suffering difficulties and unplanned tragedies or maybe normalities that they haven't had the courage to step out of. And so I started a blog and I just started writing about how to overcome, you know, all these different things. And the next thing I knew, Drew, I had people in 90 countries reading my blog. I mean, I was a nobody sitting in my office and, you know, north Atlanta. And I thought, man, I think I'm on to something.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:11:28] Speaker A: And so then I, you know, got certified as a life coach and I started just showing up and volunteering.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:35] Speaker A: And coaching and teaching. Then I wrote a book. So it was just like, I just started taking steps to reach other people and, you know, give, I guess.
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:47] Speaker A: Pay it forward.
Because I had had such a revelation, and I just wanted other people to have that revelation as well. And so those were the first tangible steps.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: Unbelievable. So what kind of volunteer work did you decide to do?
[00:12:02] Speaker A: Yeah, so I just started showing up at these different places for, you know, like women's rehabilitation centers, prisons, small, small Bible studies and things like that, and just started doing, speaking.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:12:16] Speaker A: And then teaching and so on and so forth, so forth.
I eventually started a women's empowerment coaching program.
[00:12:26] Speaker B: Wonderful.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: And. And then I started a non profit and so on and so forth. So, you know, just. Just taking steps of realizing that I had been given a huge revelation and I had a Rolodex, literally, of difficulties I had overcome.
[00:12:44] Speaker B: Right.
[00:12:44] Speaker A: And so while it may not be chapter and verse to other people, I felt like, like God told me, that's your resume. Like, this is going to give you street cred to speak into lives of other people.
And, you know, even now, when I share more, you know, in depth of my journey, people say, well, you don't look like what you've been through. And I'm like, yeah, well, thank God for that. Like, what do you want me to look like?
[00:13:10] Speaker B: Really? Absolutely.
[00:13:11] Speaker A: I mean, that's kind of part of the message, right? We don't have to look like.
[00:13:15] Speaker B: Yeah, you don't have to look like.
[00:13:16] Speaker A: What you've been through.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: So what was the Is the nonprofit still active?
[00:13:22] Speaker A: I'm sorry?
[00:13:22] Speaker B: Say, is your nonprofit still active?
[00:13:25] Speaker A: No, I just have just recently closed that down. I've made a huge pivot into something else.
[00:13:31] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: You know, that I think is going to be even more impactful later on. I can't really divulge it right now, but.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:13:38] Speaker A: Honestly, I really, I realized.
[00:13:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:42] Speaker A: That the reason so much had come against me was because I had such a huge destiny.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: I got, you know, I mean, the forces of. Of darkness, however you want to describe it, they don't really mess with people who don't have a big destiny.
[00:14:00] Speaker B: That's a good point. That's a. Yeah. Because if we're being.
[00:14:02] Speaker A: And if you have a lot of headwinds, that's because you're. You've got a big sale and you're about to go make a big difference.
[00:14:10] Speaker B: That's a really great way to look at it. Absolutely. Absolutely.
[00:14:13] Speaker A: Yeah. And if, you know, here's the thing. If you're not feeling resistance, then you're not doing anything.
[00:14:18] Speaker B: That's a good point. If you're standing still. Yeah. Yeah. You don't feel. You don't feel that resistance. I love that. So I, I. You can't divulge what you have going. Going to happen. So what are you working on now? What are you actually doing now that you can divulge? You know, perform.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: Yeah. So I am a story sharing expert coach and a brand strategist.
[00:14:38] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:14:38] Speaker A: And what I do is I help small business owners, solopreneurs and coaches. I help them basically get noticed, gain clients, and grow their business by taking their story and turning it into a brand message that connects with their ideal client.
[00:14:55] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:14:56] Speaker A: Drew, your video just went blank.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: Did it?
[00:15:00] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:15:03] Speaker B: How about.
[00:15:03] Speaker A: I know you're going to edit this, so you're. You just went dark.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Actually, you know what's funny? I really died. Don't edit it. And why it went dark, I don't know, because I can still see myself, but.
Interesting. Okay, we'll keep going. It'll come back.
[00:15:18] Speaker A: Okay. So where was I? Oh, yeah. So, yeah. So when I was doing women's empowerment coaching, I built my coaching business based on my story, and I created a framework around how to do that, and it became very successful.
And so then I kind of made a pivot and I thought, you know, I really feel like I can help female small business owners a lot more if I can teach them how to grow their business through the power of their story the way I did. And so I made that pivot a while back, and turns out my hunch was correct. And so that's what I'm doing now.
[00:15:59] Speaker B: Oh, that's wonderful. That's wonderful.
The biggest success story you have for your clients, would you have something in mind that was one of your biggest success stories?
[00:16:08] Speaker A: Well, I have several, but I would say in general, because I work with people around the world, you know, six different countries I work with across all different industry spectrums. So I think, you know, in general, what I help people realize is that the very story that they're hiding from is the thing that's going to help their business grow.
[00:16:30] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:16:31] Speaker A: And so I think specifically of a lady that I help, she's in the financial investment space in Canada, and she was having some difficulties with keeping her funnel full and attracting her Right. Clients.
And then when she and I started working together, we discovered a story she had in fact been hiding about money trauma.
And as soon as she, you know, because I helped them put together, put it together in a professional way, and as soon as she started sharing that her businesses blew, her business blew up. And she went from basically having almost no clients and she was at a panic to being top 10 in her business in a matter of eight weeks.
And it was that story she was afraid to tell and she had been hiding, but it was the thing that resonated most with her niche market.
[00:17:25] Speaker B: Right.
[00:17:25] Speaker A: And it gave people permission to feel safe to talk with her because of the connection that it made. So that's. That's one great example. And then, I mean, I just have so many. I'm sure.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: I'm sure you do, because the. The art of storytelling is so powerful. It elicits emotion and it does break down walls, break down barriers, and does help to form trust. And, you know, the fact you're giving permission to people to tell their story, you're also giving people permission to feel the effects of that story.
And I admire you for that. Absolutely.
[00:17:58] Speaker A: Well, you know, here's what I like to tell people, Drew, is that some. Some folks think that it's woo, woo, like it's, you know, hocus pocus. But really, there's a lot of market research that supports why story sharing, or story branding, some people call it, is the most effective way to reach your ideal client. For instance, we know from the research that 68% of consumers say that the story associated with the person and or the brand influence their purchasing decision.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:18:28] Speaker A: And we also know from the brain science of it that our brains are 22 times more likely to remember a story, rather than all the features and the stats and the facts, you can go to Steve Jobs, and, you know, he proved that beautifully. And the reason is because our brains just love stories were created that way. It activates all parts of the brain.
[00:18:51] Speaker B: It does. It does. We lean in when we hear a story, and that gives that absolutely anything.
[00:18:57] Speaker A: We kind of started out this podcast with a story.
[00:19:00] Speaker B: Yes, we did. Yes, we did. We actually absolutely did. Anything else that we may have missed that you want to tell the audience about what you're doing?
[00:19:08] Speaker A: Well, you know, I would just like to say that, you know, if you are that small business owner coach, solopreneur, and, you know, you have a story, but you don't really know how to share it, you're kind of worried about, you know, how do I put it together?
Does anybody really care about it?
I would say yes, they absolutely do care about it. Now, there's a professional way that you do it. You have to make sure that it's focused on your ideal client. I help my clients do that. But also, there's people out there who just think that.
They don't even think that their industry, it would be a good fit for story. And I just simply tell them there really isn't such a thing.
Your ideal clients really do want it. It's the thing that's going to elevate you above the competition and make you the one that's memorable. It's. It builds that heart connection. Right, right. So I. I always say this. You know, relatability is credibility.
[00:20:03] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:20:04] Speaker A: And if someone is looking for, say, a coach or someone to do business with in their lane, and they know the backstory of the why, that you're doing your business, you're going to really elevate yourself above all the other choices they may possibly have.
[00:20:20] Speaker B: That's very true. Absolutely true. Well, you know, the audience, Tawana has certainly captured the essence of you, Tawana Lowry, they're going to want to get in touch with you. So, folks, Tawana said that her website Message for the number4Millions.com has a lot of information that you can get out. Get on her calendar, also find her on LinkedIn.
So that's the best way to reach out. Now, you mentioned, Tawana, that you have a workshop coming up. I know we're going to probably not air by December 9th, but if you're doing a monthly, can you explain to people what the workshop's about?
[00:20:55] Speaker A: Yes. So it's an hour long. And what I do is I take them through the market research, the brain science. I Show them why story sharing really is their wealth, attraction, superpower, and how the top brands are using it to grow their business. We break it down. I help them understand different components about what powerful story sharing looks like. And then I always share the three top mistakes I see small business owners make and I show them how to correct it.
So it's just packed full of great information that they can take action on right away. And I do it every month.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: Wonderful, wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
So before we wrap up, I want to ask you two final questions. Did my picture come back, by the way, or is it still?
[00:21:45] Speaker A: It did, yeah.
[00:21:46] Speaker B: Good, good. For some reason that does that every now and then. The glitch, technology. Anyway, I want to ask these two questions. So the first one, you're in your happy place and you're sitting down with 7 to 10 year old Tawana Lowry and you want to give her advice about life. What are you going to tell her?
[00:22:04] Speaker A: Well, I would say that, you know, if I were to give her advice, I would just tell her, believe in yourself.
Really believe in yourself.
Make more effort to hear what God says about you, not what everybody else around you says about you.
And yeah, I would say just believe in yourself that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, that you have a great future.
[00:22:29] Speaker B: I love that. All right, so let's switch gears now. You're sitting down with young businesswoman, young entrepreneur, Tawana Lowry, and you want to give her advice about business. What are you going to tell her?
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Probably about the same thing. To be honest with you, it wouldn't be that different.
The only thing I would add is just make sure you're surrounding yourself with people who have already gotten to a place that you're at that you want to get to.
You just make sure that you have supportive relationships. And here's the other thing. Don't be afraid to cut things loose and cut certain people loose because you got to do it now. You can do it with care and you can do it with kindness. But you've got to decide, what are you going to value?
The things that are the things, the people, the situations that are keeping you stuck and small?
Or are you going to value your calling, your purpose and your future?
[00:23:23] Speaker B: Very wonderful, wonderful advice. Love it. Well, Tawana, I want to thank you for being on the show, for coming into my life, for being the human being, the wonderful human being you are. You're doing some wonderful things to help people challenge themselves in telling their stories and you're helping them succeed and show and shine a bright light on who they their destiny, who they can become.
And I want to thank you for all of that.
[00:23:49] Speaker A: Well, thank you. The pleasure has been mine all the way.
[00:23:53] Speaker B: Wonderful, wonderful. Everybody out there, please take care of yourselves.
Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe and give us a review to help others find it.
I'd like you to answer this question.
Are you living the life you want to live? Are you living the life of others want you to live? I'd like you to think about that for a second because I strongly suggest you live the life you want to live. If you want to learn more about what I stand for and my services and how I'm able to help many men get out of their own way, please go to my website at www.profitcompassion.com.
feel free to also email me at drewrophetcompassion.com come. I'd love to have a conversation with you.
Take care of yourself and choose to write your own story instead of letting others write it for you.
