Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty-Ron “Dr Ty” Douglas.
Ty-Ron “Dr Ty”, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story began in the womb. My mom was a 19 year old college freshman who got pregnant with me and had to decide whether she would get a degree in nursing or a degree in me. It was a tough decision because of the pressures of those back home in Bermuda and her desire to not let people down. She found herself at an abortion clinic in Alabama….While at the abortion, my mom felt me move for the very first time and knew she couldn’t do it. She sacrificed her college dreams, returned to Bermuda and poured into me so that I could be prepared for any opportunities that would come my way. Twenty-four years later, after I finished my master’s degree and returned to Bermuda to teach, my mom returned to our alma mater to complete the degree she had to forfeit to give birth and opportunity to me. She went on to get her master’s degree and now serves as a licensed counselor. After finishing my Ph.D. and serving as a university professor for the past seven years, my mother commenced her doctorate at my university! The work I do as a transformational speaker, professor, consultant, minister, lay pastor, and executive director of So Amazing Life Today is grounded in my story and the reality that I know I am here by design. Movement in the womb saved me! And I haven’t stopped moving and shaking since! It’s a work of generations and cycle breaking to provide opportunities and access to those on the margins, including youth and women like my mom–gifted, expectant, and resilient.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The journey has been far from smooth. As a cycle breaker, nothing has come easy. As a dreamer, it has always been a fight. Continuing to believe in the face of adversity has been a challenge at times, even as I am simultaneously encouraging others to continue to believe! I live what I teach, write and share. While movement in the womb saved me, I sometimes have struggled to rest and be still. I have lived with a boldness that challenges systems and traditional thinking, and that typically comes with resistance. I am the guy who not only makes the tough decision but is also willing to write the book, construct the movie script, release the song and share the lessons learned from the decisions. My wife and I’s marriage and willingness to share our journey in book form is another example of this. Balancing the requisite urgency to be who I was created to be with the patience required to see seeds mature is a delicate and sometimes difficult balance for me.
Tell us more about the business.
The OSHEA Group is the platform that undergirds the work I do as “Dr. Ty” in university and community-based settings. This work dovetails with my non-profit platform, So Amazing Life Today, Inc. I specialize in educational consultancy and community/ family development, drawing on my research, teaching and servicing in educational leadership and policy analysis. In particular, for over 15 years, I have immersed myself in the lives, journeys, and transitions of black males and black families, in school settings but also in what I call “community-based pedagogical spaces”–that’s a fancy way of showing love for spaces like barbershops, churches, basketball courts, soccer clubs, and neighborhoods. I am most proud of the breadth of my work. I have been a consultant for organizations like the NCAA, NFL, and professional basketball organizations drawing on my research of over 100 men and athletes in the U.S, Bermuda, and South Africa. I have spoken for universities, athletic teams, community organizations nationally and internationally. I have also engaged in meaningful local work in my city that has led to the planting of a church I lay pastor and the meeting of needs for youth and families. In short, I specialize in seeing and bridging the gaps that institutions and individuals ignore or take for grant. I leverage those spaces to provide access to those who need it most. Doing this work with my family sets it apart. My wife and I co-authored a book on marriage; I have written an award-winning book in higher education; and I get to do it within the context of a So Amazing Marriage and while raising two cool sons.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe we create the context for the opportunities we get and everything else (for me) is based on the grace and timing of God. I believe in hard work, prayer, and favor.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DrTyDouglas.com
- Phone: 2566447256
- Email: DrTyDouglas@gmail.com
- Instagram: @DrTyDouglas
- Facebook: Ty Douglas
- Twitter: @DrTyDouglas
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