We had the good fortune of connecting with Tyra Brown and Latoya Askew-Dover and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyra and Latoya, what do you attribute your success to?
For us the most important factor behind our success is working together as a team. It’s almost like each of us have a lane and no one has more control or wants to overpower anyone when it comes to making decisions. We learned that when you respect each other without trying to overshadow each other and communicate efficiently that’s one part of the recipe of having such a great team. Building a great team has allowed our organization to stay consistent with our mission and continued to give us the confidence to keep going.

Tyra Brown(Founder) and Latoya Askew-Dover(Co-Founder)

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Growing Leading Optimistic Women is a Non-Profit Organization for women empowerment. I started GLOW because I wanted to help women turn what they think is their mess into their message. There was a time in my life where I was getting myself into trouble, I wasn’t confident, I felt like I didn’t have certain tools to help me get through womanhood, the list goes on. As I started to learn who I was and started to focus on loving myself I thought if I’m going through all of this I’m certain other women are going through some of the same issues. That’s when I created GLOW.

Once I started GLOW I knew that I had to build a team of like-minded women to help me with my mission. My team and I created a great and solid foundation that will continue to help the women in our community. I’m grateful for our growth.

One of the lessons we learned along the way is to slow down. I think we learned that lesson early on. Not saying that we had an issue but for us we decided to agree that we always have to take our time. We learned that we don’t have to do something because we see everyone else doing the same thing. We don’t have to rush our process. That’s what keeps our organization together. The women that we serve, even outside of our memberships, come to us for support or for sisterhood because they know that we are genuine.

Today, you see so many women saying they are about women empowerment and sisterhood. You have so many women skeptical of even joining groups and organizations because those same women screaming sisterhood and women empowerment have all become a part of “The Mean Girls” society. What makes us different is we’re simply none of those things. We’re not judging because of your popular status, not rocking the latest styles and fashions, or your financial status. We’ve created a safe space for women to support each other. Our goal is to strengthen the community and empower women to become the best versions of themselves.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

To be honest my favorite spot in the city is my home. Yikes! I know right! No, but the one place you can visit is Aunt Vonda’s Kitchen Table. Her food is amazing. She’s one of our biggest supporters.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Of course we want to always thank our parents, family, friends, and spouses. They are our biggest supporters and we love them all. But we also want to thank our Director Marquita Moon. When I tell you she gets the job done, that’s what she does! She also doesn’t hold back, she will tell you in a minute like a mother telling a child “Aht, Aht! Stay focused and remember the mission.” She is our glue that holds us together and she deserves as much credit for everything that’s a part of GLOW.

Tyra Brown (Founder) & Latoya Askew-Dover (Co-Founder)

Website: www.weareglowing.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/g.lo.w._

Image Credits
Amber Belle owner of AB Productions

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