Meet Shuntavia Gray-Baines

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shuntavia Gray-Baines. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shuntavia below.

Hi Shuntavia, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.

When I think about how I developed the ability to take risks, I often think about when Covid hit back in 2020. Covid created a lot of uncertainties but it also created opportunities for people to take risk and to work on that idea or that goal that you’ve been pondering on. Being restricted to the indoors you had a lot of free time to brainstorm to get all of your thoughts together to make decisions and to actually act on something and make progress. During Covid, my husband and I started our first business by the name of TRUELYOURS LLC which we are in the process of re-launching soon in 2026. I do believe that after starting a business it unlocked a different part of my brain as far as my creativity and my ability to take risks. Since opening up my business, I’ve started to build my brand even more. I’ve become an aspiring make-up artist, content creator and now Tax preparer. All of which I genuinely enjoy doing and I can’t wait to see where all of these take me. And although I’m still, at the age of 34, trying to figure out what my true purpose here on earth is, the fact that I’ve taken these risk and allowed myself to grow, make mistakes and learn from those mistakes, I’m very proud of myself and I know my future is very bright.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

At this point in my life as a wife, mom of 3 and entrepreneur I am solely focused on building my brand, being financially stable and generational wealth! But business wise, I am currently focused on building my name in the tax industry. I recently partnered with Elite Tax Solutions as a Professional Tax Preparer and the new tax season is quickly approaching. With my background in finance and customer service I feel equipped to perform well but nonetheless I am anxious to step into this new world.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Communication skills
A background in business education
Leadership skills

The advice that I have for anyone who’s early on in their journey is to make sure you know how to communicate with people, communication is key we’ve all heard it before. Without communication nothing works and it creates a lot of unnecessary problems. I would also encourage having some sort of educational background not saying that you need to have a 4- year college degree or a 2 year college degree, but I am saying even having a certification in something stands you apart. Just food for thought. Lastly, being a good leader. Being a good leader you inspire others and you build strong and trusting relationships. And on your journey building good relationships are key!

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

My number one challenge for me right now that I’m currently facing would have to be the thought of me not knowing if I’m walking in my purpose. At the age of 34 I just feel like I should know this by now, but truth be told I don’t. Even though I’m doing so many things that I enjoy, I’m still uncertain. And I often pray to God and ask him to show me what my purpose is, show me what I’m suppose to be doing. And maybe I am walking in it and I just don’t know it yet. But that is a constant battle in my mind that I deal with everyday.

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