Inspired by: Ta’lor Pinkston
Its an amazing thing in life to find your true purpose. For most women, purpose comes in tiny packages, hair bows and late-night feedings. As mothers, babies rock our worlds – but they also empower us in becoming the best versions of ourselves. For Ta’lor Pinkston, an unexpected pregnancy inspired her to create the Ladyhood Journey. From instability to rapid success, Pinkston was determined to teach her daughter self-worth. With a similar mission as our founder, Gloria Ward, we knew Ta’lor would be a perfect fit for the I’m Loving Me Project. Enjoy her exclusive interview all about her business and mission to empower women and mothers.
What inspired you to start your business?
In 2015, I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter before I graduated with my masters in social work. I was living in a one-bedroom apartment, depressed, unmarried, financially unstable, and in a failing relationship with my daughter’s father. When I had my daughter, I made a promise to myself that I would do anything possible to prevent her not knowing her worth. I founded LADYHOOD journey that same year without a clear idea of how I would begin to help women prioritize self-love, but I knew that it started with me beginning my journey to fall back in love with me.
Any big projects coming in the future?
At the beginning of April 2019, I will be launching a Body Love Program for women to fall in love with their natural bodies and embrace their natural beauty.
April 26, 2019, I will be attending the Professional Women’s Network Ladies Who Lead Awards Ceremony for receiving a nomination. “Ladies Who Lead” puts a spotlight on the women who work tirelessly to mentor, sponsor, and help women in developing professional success.” www.prowomensnet.com/ladies-who-lead-2019
June 2, 2019 at Bay 41 in Pittsburgh, PA, I am collaborating with Grlpwrpgh to host our first Self-love Sunday: The Fest from 12:00-5:00p. “With the amount of support we’ve gotten on our Self-Love Sunday events, we decided to go big for our next quarterly event. We’re excited to announce Self-Love Sunday: The Fest! Join us for a full-day outdoor fest with live music, yoga + meditation, on-site activations, dancing, food + drinks, local vendors, a drag show + more. This is your safe space. Open to any and all. We’re going to be celebrating all that we are, and loving the skin we are in.” –Amanda Cowan, founder of Grlpwrpgh
What do you most love about what you do?
Connection is the most rewarding part of what I do. Seeing women struggle to know their worth and journey in self-love to truly begin being honest, accepting, being compassionate and trusting their inner wisdom is what I truly love most about what I do. It’s an internal glow up that sets my heart on fire. I love helping women and mothers know their worth and I receive confirmation that self-love love is healing, every time I have the opportunity to work with women through my virtual support group, in my individual self-love coaching sessions and during therapy sessions with the mothers I see weekly.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years, LADYHOOD journey will have a home; a physical location for women + femme to receive group and individual self-love + mental health therapeutic services. We will host self-love workshops + retreats and have weekly meetups for women and mothers to receive support in the areas of self-love, women empowerment, and healing.
Do you have any tips for women in business?
Be active in your self-love. Meet yourself where you are. Ask for help + constructive criticism from those who are already doing what you desire. Stay in your lane. Do not over extend yourself. Take the breaks you need. Join social networks that support you. Surround yourself with individuals who motivate, empower, and challenge you. Start small. PLAN. Be compassionate with yourself. Give back to your community. BE GRATEFUL WHEN YOU ARE DOWN AND WHEN YOU ARE UP.
On juggling your own businesses, how do you find balance in life?
Self-love. Without pouring into myself through self-awareness + honesty, self-care, self-pleasure, and prioritizing self-compassion, I would be imbalanced and unstable in my professional life. Personal and professional development go hand-in-hand, and without active self-love, I would burn out. Another important thing for me, is making sure that I set aside time to plan + prep for my week. It’s important for me to have a schedule and it not only holds me accountable, it gives me room to breathe. Just like I put my appointments in my calendar, I put myself in my calendar as well. I pencil myself in as much as possible and make time for mediation, yoga, reading, devotion, and prayer. This gives me time for my daughter, my business, and myself. It’s all about balance.
How do you hope to empower women in business or with an imprint you’d like to leave?
I have made it my mission as The Heart Advocate, to be there for the heart of every woman. Women who are entrepreneurs + mompreneurs or business women, must prioritize their self-love in order to maintain their own personal wellness and inner peace while running businesses and working. I hope women see me sharing my truth and growing my business and see that I am perfectly imperfect; I hope that they see me uplifting other women and not living in competition with anyone. I hope that they see that I am meeting myself where I am and not comparing my journey to anyone; unique, unashamed, and unapologetic. Lastly, I truly hope that they see that we are in control of our reactions in this life. Trauma, pain, abuse … these things try to dim our light and it’s our responsibility to let our light shine even in our pain.
What do you think your ultimate purpose in life is?
Loving God, loving others, and loving yourself. I believe that God created us to love. Love is so much stronger than hatred. When I love, I love hard, but I must extend the same love to myself that I extend to others, and make sure that God is at the center of my self-love.
BIO: Ta’lor Pinkston, MSW, aka The Heart Advocate, is a certified Self-love Coach and who is dedicated to heart of every woman and is the Moving Beyond Depression Clinician at Healthy Start Inc. She graduated with her Masters in Social Work at California University of Pennsylvania and founded LADYHOOD journey, LLC in 2015. She is a self-love motivator, an inspirational speaker and an advocate for depression and the body-positive movement. LADYHOOD journey provides one-on-one coaching sessions that focus on the 10 Branches of Self-love (as provided by the Path of Self-love), women empowerment and healing. She has a virtual support group for women + femme called The H.O.E. Truth (Healing Over Everything™) who are seeking support online in every life transition in womanhood and motherhood.
