We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tomeka Tiller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tomeka, 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?
My mother. I watched her battle mental illness most of her life. My mother’s strength and beautiful soul was a source of inspiration. Witnessing her resilience in the face of mental disability taught me valuable lessons about facing life’s challenges with grace and determination.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a jack of all trades. I act, sing, write plays and I am also a women’s outreach leader and minister. And while all of these things are great, my main focus these days is outreach, I really believe in healing the world, one person at a time and that starts with me. People often complain about the things going on around them but rarely take action to help the situations. I recently started an organization called Pink Ladies of Purpose, Inc. Pink Ladies is an organization that empowers women and girls to live their lives with intention, direction, and a clear sense of purpose. This organization was birthed from my desire to create a sisterhood of women and girls who support one another in their personal and professional lives. I believe that when women and girls are empowered, they can make a positive impact on their communities and the world. Being a women’s outreach leader is special to me because I have the opportunity to be a source of inspiration, guidance, and a catalyst for positive change. I had an event on October 14th called R.A.W. (Real Anointed Women). It was a dinner/forum where women were able to express their individual concerns with the support from a panlist of inspirational women. It was amazing!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I am an open book so I would say that being a victim of child molestation, having to take care of my mentally disabled mom from the age of 19, having kids at an early age and a few failed marriages would build character in you if you don’t fold. People tell me all the time that I am one of the strongest people they know, I believe that in life, when you are drowning you are going to either sink or swim. I am not sinking. The things I have been through have shaped me. I am determined not to become a victim to my circumstances. God has been too good to me for that. Instead I am strong, wise and resilient.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played an important role in your development?
The BIBLE. That’s the book. It is literally life’s navigation. The answer to a lot of life’s questions are in there. I have found myself in situations where I didn’t know what to do or how to feel and I picked up the bible and started reading it and instantly found peace. One of my favorite books in the bible is the book of Job. Job was a resilient man. No matter what came his way, he still believed that God was going to come through for him. Yes, he had his moments where his faith wavered a bit, he was human, but ultimately, he believed in the power of God and had unshakable faith. It’s the “Word” for me. All day, every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/yeahitsmeka/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkladiesop
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mekolina31?feature=shared
- Other: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B00CVO2U9M?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_0oBgKpnEjYdx8wMXkWKxLwKrt
https://plop.eventbrite.com
