Meet Teniecka Drake

We recently connected with Teniecka Drake and have shared our conversation below.

Teniecka, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

When I think of all the challenges I have past through in my life. Those are the moments and the turning points that added to becoming resilient. My resilience came from people that did not think I had value. It came from family members that did not care about me. It came from being a Survivor and thriver of Domestic Violence. It rose from a diagnosis of being HIV+ and all the stigma and shame I had to overcome. It came from the sexual abuse I faced in the military that destroyed my career. It developed from the whispers and watchers with words that cut deep into the core of who I thought I was. It came through the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I was able to withstand obstacles and people that would rejoice in my failure. Imagine having a mother that wanted to abort you. Then as you grew up had you committed to a mental facility for money. The entire time thinking it was the military causing the challenge. All the while not knowing your mother and father were together in the entire situation. Can you imagine the resilience as well as the tough skin that had to be developed. There is nothing worse than family members saying you are crazy and plotting your demise.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am excited to share something new with everyone. First, I am excited about helping faith-based women find their voices. Especially if they have come out of Domestic Violence or any other type of abuse or trauma. I build them up with encouragement and remind them who they are. I do that through my podcast “God’s Gift Through His Word”. I also have a book that provides encouragement as well where I share my personal testimony. It is called “The Gift of Find God’s Love: Guilt and Shame Turned Into My Shine”.
Now to share what I have just finished doing as afar as events and what is coming up. I had put on my very first event on October 18,2025. It is called Ignite a New Start:Reclaim Your Power, Rewrite Your Story Summit. I was super thrilled I had the Mayor of Maricopa Mayor Nancy Smith as the Keynote Speaker. I also had Mr. Moore and Mr. Allen from the 100 Black Men sharing about the MOTA(Men of Tomorrow Academy) program. I also had Stephanie Winner the Center Manager for Hope Women’s Center shared services they provide as well. I also had Ms.Flor a Mental health Therapist share about her services she provides. Ms.Tyra a DV educator from Against Abuse Inc. also shared what she does. Mr. Jim and Lt.Perez from Maricopa PD shared as well from the law enforcment and resources side. The beautiful MC Jeanette Perez moved the program along. My amazing friend team Ms.Stephanie, Ms.Shantee, and Ms.Alisha. They all assisted in a huge way. The Gift bag Sponsor for the event was Council Member Ms. Amber Liermann and super grateful for her!!! The Event sponsor was Dr. James C. Sutton,II out of St. Louis Missouri. I have spoken about him often he is my podcasting partner, friend and Event Sponsor!!!!! It was a great turn out!!! I will be hosting every year so it will be an annual summit!! That is exciting for me!!!!! I am looking forward to bringing everyone back and of course adding new editions as well.
What I have coming up on November 8,2025 I will be part of the Local Author Fair. That will be hosted at the Burton Barr Library in dowtown Phoenix. I was excited to be selected out of 120 entries. I am thrilled to be apart of it!!! I have also been invited back to do a book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Peoria Arizona. I will be there on November 16,2025!!! I am looking forward to that. For now those are the updates and current events.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I can share a little about this. Mindset paired with a I can do it attitude is a must. You have to cheer for yourself regardless of what anybody else thinks. My mentor Les Brown said, “What people think about me is none of my business”. If you keep that in your mind you move forward regardless. A quality within me is tapping on being creative and bring my ideas into reality. Public Speaking is a wonderful skill to have and I need it often. If that had not been developed over time I do not how I would handle speaking engagements. Public Speaking has been a skill that has been with me since I was very young. I have learned more taken courses and, classes to hone my craft.
What I would encourage for someone starting out. First, discover who you are and what you are passionate about. Then run for that passion and do not stop. When the roadblocks and obstacles of life rise up as they will. You have to learn how to pivot and not get stuck on what you are facing at that current moment. That is not acting like the challenge does not exist. You will not let consume your thoughts. Focus on solutions and looking for new ideas and ways to move and grow. Lastly,
the people closest to you may not understand what you are doing. All you need to understand is you are not serving them you have other people that you serve. Keep that mindset and you will arrive to where you want to be in life. Never despise humble beginnings.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Absolutely, I love working with people who a powerful message to share. That could be podcasters, Authors, Indie gospel artists and traditional artists. I am always looking for strong partnerships and great connections!! It is a bonus when it is faith-based!!