Meet Dr. Tomekia (EdD) Manning

We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Tomekia (EdD) Manning recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Tomekia (EdD), 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?

I learned resilience by watching my role model who is my mother. Although she endured a lot of problems during her upbringing and young adult life, she still managed to raise 6 girls, put us through school during tough times. No matter the circumstance, she spoke positive things into us daily and she always kept the faith.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a former radio personality and television news journalist who because an educator in 2004. For the last 23 years, I have been a teacher, teacher leader or campus administrator working with students daily to make a difference in their lives. Although I love education, I have a passion for storytelling, creativity and educating the audience on how to improve the quality of life. During the Covid 19 epidemic in 2020, I developed a virtual podcast with other black female doctors (educators, therapists and a medical doctor) to help the audience stay holistically well. On The Chamber Talk Show, which was later named The Doctors of Dallas, we discussed everything from love and heartbreak to health and wellness. This podcast helped educate the audience on various topics since the hosts came with a wealth of knowledge on various subjects. Today, I am focused on being a creative through film. I started acting in 2021 and have fallen in love with the film industry. Since then, I have acted, co-created and written two movies. This year, I began my own film production company called TEE Manning Productions. In my next big project, I will act and direct a movie entitled “Stone and Crenshaw”, which we have dubbed “The Bad Boys of Dallas”. Our team has also recently released Deep Seeded Thoughts on Tubi’s streaming platform, a movie that chronicles my unfortunate encounter with domestic violence. This feature film has already been watched by more than two million viewers. Other projects that I have been a part of include Grimy Situation, Back 2 Basics and Droppin Bodies.

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?

The three qualities that have brought me to where I am today include grace, perseverance and hard work. All three of these are needed to change the trajectory of one’s life. As a high school administrator, I have learned the pure essence of hard work. Dealing with teenagers can be challenging yet rewarding. The goal of many educators is to have an impact on the lives of students daily by ensuring that they learn the skills needed to be successful. Having an impact includes teaching them life skills like managing emotions, being kind to their peers and focusing on fostering new skills that will allow them to also give back one day. In the midst of this and all else, giving yourself grace is key. We must give ourselves grace to make mistakes, then grow and learn from them especially when life doesn’t go as planned. It’s almost a given that the other two qualities go hand in hand. Perseverance and hard work together equals achievement at some point. The key is never giving up. I have used these qualities in television news, education and now as a filmmaker and entrepreneur.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When feeling overwhelmed, I step back to pray and reflect. During these moments, I spend time seeking scriptures that relate to my issue. I also include practical things like prayer time, fasting, reading and managing self care like massages, facials, exercising and writing. The creativity comes alive when life presents various challenges. I wrote a book in 2022 called “Mentally Fit: A Guide to Engaging the Mind, Body and Spirit”. It provides practical strategies to improve the overall quality of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vigneproduction.com
• Instagram: drtomekiam
• Facebook: drtomekiamanning
• Linkedin: drtomekiamanning
• Twitter: tomekialane
• Youtube: thedoctorsofdallas

Image Credits

The image with the dumbbells are the image for my book Mentally Fit: A Guide to Engaging the Mind, Body and Spirit