Meet Tab Manning: Women’s Empowerment – Author, Coach, Speaker, Podcaster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tab Manning and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tab, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I always try to find a condensed answer for this question and somehow it is still a long story, lol. The inspiration behind W.E. WIN LLC is my mother, Paula Johnson. I lost my mother to substance abuse when I was thirteen years old. My mother had a traumatic childhood and struggled throughout her life to overcome that trauma; she found her escape in substance abuse. I started W.E. WIN to help women. I always felt maybe if my mother had access to an organization like W.E. WIN she would have felt more empowered and supported. She could have possibly found healing, peace, and turned her life around for good. Before W.E. WIN became an actual business, it was me just wanting to help my friends and women who were dealing with things. In 2008, I was working in ministry at my church with the youth, and I would have dreams of speaking on huge platforms of women. Next, one of the prophets in my church approached me and shared her vision of me preaching and teaching. She told me my ministry would not be in the pulpit, but in the trenches. 6 years later, I was ordained as a Minister in my church, and I started preaching. After attending a vision board party at my church, I decided to start hosting my own vision board parties for my friends. It started off as a few ladies gathering to set goals at the top of the year. During the event, we’d talk, share experiences, give advice and most importantly pray. Every year the gathering grew, until I could no longer host at home. I started renting venues and every year I continued to add different elements to the events; coaching, spoken word, meditation, etc. all with the intent to uplift, encourage and inspire. I still had no idea I was creating a business; I was just doing what I loved- Empowering Women! I started noticing the goals these women were setting for themselves, starting businesses, writing books, traveling, finding their purpose. I started thinking – what I am supposed to do, what is my business? A friend said – this is your business, and W.E. WIN was created.

I did not know what W.E. WIN would be outside of the Vision Board Party. That’s what I became known for, the annual vision board party.  I pondered what else could I do to Empower women. How would I uplift, encourage and inspire them to live purpose driven lives?  The goal was to help them holistically- provide them with tangible events, services that will help their mind, body and spirit.  I started the Yoga Prayer and Meditation Breakfast. An event where with guided yoga and meditation, followed by a communal style breakfast where we talk about issues and challenges, and of course prayer. From there I continued to seek ways to help women. I also wanted to help young women, so I held an event in 2019 for teen girls. It was called Y.W.E. WIN! – Young Women Empowered! It was a free event for high school girls. I invited professional women from various industries, Scientist, Real Estate, Nursing, Education, Entrepreneurs and others. They talked about their professions, their education and training, they also shared their personal stories of obstacles and pitfalls. Then we introduced the Vision Board concept to the young women, and they set goals, action plans and created vision boards. We had giveaways, we had an organization to come and discuss teenage and dating and things to be aware of. It was truly an empowering day!

I did not stop there. I became an Independent Damsel Pro for Damsel in Defense, so I could equip, empower and educate women on personal safety, situational awareness and sell personal safety products such as stun devices, pepper sprays etc. I felt it was my social responsibility to women to empower them to protect themselves against attackers especially here in Atlanta, one of the highest sex trafficking hubs in the US. I hosted self-defense classes along with this initiative. I then decided to take this to the next level, and I received my life coach certification so I could help women maneuver through personal and professional challenges in life. As a life coach I help empower women by assisting them with clarifying goals, identify obstacles holding them back, develop strategies for overcoming those obstacles.  For those women who cannot afford to make the investment into life coaching I created the W.E. WIN Podcast, which is a Podcast for women that provides coaching, and also a space to spotlight women entrepreneurs, discuss social issues, and deal with all things concerning our mind, body and spirit.

I’ve also written two books which I self-published on Amazon. A Pocketbook of BLessons & A Pocketbook of Power both are inspirational pieces to uplift, encourage and inspire women to live purpose driven lives. My latest venture to the W.E. WIN business is W.E. WIN Apparel. It is a line of clothing and accessories for the “Empowered Woman”. All of the merchandise has an empowering message.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
So W.E. WIN is an organization focused on Empowering Women to live purpose driven, authentic lives! My goal as the Founder and CEO is to Uplift, Encourage, & Inspire women holistically- mind, body & spirit. So whether it is an event, a speaking engagement, a podcast, or a published writing it is done with the intent to empower the audience. I truly have a passion for helping women. This passion stems from my mother, everything that I do is dedicated to her memory. Aside from my mother it is also about my daughter, my niece, my sister, my girlfriend. I want to provide tools, resources, information, that is useful to them. The word Empower means “make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.” When a women has confidence in herself and her ability, there is nothing that she cannot accomplish, and when she knows that – she is winning!

I can’t single out one thing I am most proud of because I am proud of all of it. I have found multiple methods to reach my audience. You may be empowered by reading one of my books, or attending one of my events. You may be inspired by listening to one of my podcasts, or I may coach you through a personal or professional breakthrough. You may feel uplifted by wearing one of my original design tshirts that say ” Be You Tiful”. I am a creative- I love writing stories, poetry, music. I was unsure how that gift would fit within my business model but it is literally the glue. I am the creative source for all of my work.

It definitely has not been easy. I still work a full time corporate job, and there’s still so much to learn about Entrepreneurship and running your own business. I have a degree in Organizational Management which has been helpful. But when you are creating something from scratch without a real blueprint or another company to try and benchmark it’s tough. I am at a point right now where I am seeking a business coach of my own as well as a business mentor in a similar field so I can see what I missing and how I can improve. I despise managing social media and keeping up with the algorithms, the marketing and digital marketing and selling – those are areas that are challenging for me. However, until I get to a level where I can hire people to handle those areas – I do it all myself. I manage my own website and content, I create my own flyers and posters- Canva has become my best friend.

The biggest challenge for me which covers everything was learning to be patient. You see all of these what seem to be overnight success stories and it can become discouraging. W.E. WIN has been in business for 3 years and we’ve accomplished a lot in that time, When I first started doing the work, years before I made it an official business- I was never concerned about the money, I did it for the love of helping people. Then I started to focus on the money I was not making and frustrated me, especially with the money I was putting out out create this business. I had to remind myself that the money will come, just stay focused on your Why. Remember why you started, and that is what keeps me going. I started this to honor my mother, to leave a legacy behind for my children and to make a difference in the world while I am here.

I have learned patience, resilience, and consistency is key in building your business and your brand. You have to keep at it everyday, even when you are tired and even when you think they are tired of you- keep pushing your business and brand. Also, start where you are. I did not have investors, or funding for any of my projects- I started my podcast on anchor for free, I self published my books on Amazon for free. Do not use the excuse of money to keep you from chasing your dream. I just a little girl from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, who had a dream to do something great with the life that God gave me. To make a mark on the world in a positive way. I did that by raising two amazing human beings my children Nayai and Khalil. Once they were old enough, it was time for me to create something outside of them for myself. That is what W.E. WIN is, and I hope that when it’s all said and done it will be an organization that Empowered women to be authentically dope and purpose driven women they were created to be!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Right now, I would have to say my favorite spots to chill at are Rocksteady Atlanta and Apartment 4B. I’m also developing a fondness for C&C Social House. All of the places have amazing food, drinks, music, ambiance and decor. The crowd is mature, chic, laid back and chill. I am a cigar aficionado so I would also recommend Fellaship ATL. It is a really cool vibe there, they have different events including live music, they food and drinks are great, and the crowd is mature. That is about the extent of where I hang out at. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who I feel that I attribute to my success. Whether big or small I am grateful for them all. First and foremost – my home base – my husband and children; they are definitely my backbone and support system. They cheer me on and keep me encourage. They listen to my ideas and provide me with feedback and that is invaluable. My family: my dad Frank Miller, my fairy-godmother Angele Jones, and siblings and everyone who has rallied around me because entrepreneurship is challenging! My sister circle (too many to name) but the days that I want to quit and throw in the towel they lift me up and they let me coach them for free. My former church Courageous Worship Church- I learned so much from them, they taught me a lot and I will always be indebted to them for that. Now for the name drops – My mentor Tee Buzz- she has been my beacon of light from the first time we’ve met. Her counsel, advice, and mothering spirit has been a blessing in my life. Rhea Daniels my Biz Bestie, Laprice Shari one of W.E. WIN’s biggest supporters, and to everyone who has shared a post, purchased an item, sent a prayer, encouraging word, whatever it is – It is together W.E. WIN! Thank you!

Website: womenempoweredwin.com

Instagram: we_win_llc

Facebook: WEWINLLC

Youtube: WOMEN EMPOWERED WIN!

Other: PODCAST – anchor.fm/tab-manning