Meet Tonya Griffin-goldston

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tonya Griffin-goldston a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tonya, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

“Through pain, strength and purpose are born,” is a personal quote that I have lived. I found my purpose through turmoil and pain that life has brought me. It was through the ashes, beauty rose. I am a spoken word artist and writer. Some of the most powerful work that I have written has come from my darkest moments. I realized that what I went through, not only was to build strength and character inside of me, but to reach out to others and offer the same hope and purpose that pulled me from the darkness into the light.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a spoken word artist and creative writer. Known as Lyrical 7 to most, I have traveled and perform spoken word for various events. I have had the opportunity to do spoken word for the ambassador of Rwanda and the survivors of the 1994 genocide, Trust Your Transition Her-Story Award event, which also honored the life of Traci Braxton, documentary film, “Women of Color in STEM”, “What She Said” magazine, radio shows, podcasts, jails and prisons along the East Coast, international and community events, schools, churches and more. Currently, I am working on a spoken word video called, “Silent No More,” which tells my story of being molested as a child by my uncle and sexually assaulted as a young adult. I am also the creative writer for an animation series called “Tribus Animus.” The series deals with finding purpose and destiny in the midst of turmoil, which is pretty much my life story. I am working on a book that speaks about lessons that life has taught me in hopes that it will inspire and impact others. My desire is for others to find their God-given purpose and thrive in it.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The most important skills that were most impactful to me in my journey were accountability, tenacity, and hope. Regardless of who you are, where you come from, your skills, talents and abilities, everyone–and I mean EVERYONE needs accountability. Accountability holds you responsible in reaching your goals, dreams and responsibilities in life. It is necessary for growth and development personally and professionally. But the key in this is that you have to WANT to be held accountable. I personally have an accountability partner that holds me accountable to what I say I want to accomplish, from the smallest thing to the biggest. Next is tenacity, which is necessary in your development to keep getting back up when life continually knocks you down. One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 24:16, “A righteous man falls seven times, but rises again.” This speaks to the importance of developing resilience and perseverance. Your past, your circumstances, your trials, your challenges does not define who YOU are! It is only what you do from that moment, that determines your future. Last, but certainly not least is HOPE. Hope allows you to see past what your eyes can’t see, your ears can’t hear, and your mind doesn’t know. The hope I’m talking about is not wishful thinking, but an expectancy that comes from knowing beyond a shadow of doubt that your situation is temporary and not a permanent state of being. I know personally what it’s like to have lost sight of hope, even for a moment. It nearly cost me my life as I tried to commit suicide, but thank God, His hope and will for me to live pulled me out of the darkness and saved my life.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful things that my parents did for me was to introduce me to God. My walk and faith has kept me through some of the darkest times and still holds me to this day. Another impactful thing my parents did was to believe in my dreams and cultivate my gift of writing. Before technology, there was good ole’ fashion pen and paper. My parents saw my gift of writing at an early age. They bought me journals and art paper (as I also love to draw some) to pour out my creativity on paper whether it was pen/pencil, paint brush or simply crayons and markers. They allowed me to share my creativity during our family time growing up. Even while my mom cooked dinner (making her delicious homemade food that I can still taste lol), I would stand next to her reading the latest adventures of a story I created or a poem that I wrote. My parents always encouraged me to enter into poetry and writing contests and I eventually won first place, in a state-wide poetry contest for all the middle schools in the state of Virginia. They showed up to as many events that they could and cheered me on from the audience. Because of their unwavering support, I am where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lyrical7_