Today we’d like to introduce you to Tab Manning.
Tab, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was late in my twenties that I discovered that I wanted to help women. I was attending church and serving with the Youth Ministry and started having dreams of preaching. I ignored it and shrugged off the idea of being a Minister. One of the Prophets in my church shared with me that she saw me in ministry. She told me that I wasn’t going to be a Preacher in the pulpit, I would be in the trenches helping women with conferences, and workshops and speaking. When she told me that I was taken aback because her prophecy was coinciding with what God was already speaking to me in my dreams. God gave me a dream so big that it seemed impossible. A non-profit women’s facility that helped women transition from difficult situations back into society. Offering various services such as substance abuse counseling, a haven for domestic abuse victims, and sex trafficking victims. The organization would help them with educational services, job training, parenting classes, but most importantly real counseling to deal with the trauma in their lives. I believe that if my mother had access to services and counseling maybe her life would have turned out differently (I lost my mother to substance abuse when I was thirteen). I said, God how? This is big, how is this going to happen? He told me to just be patient and prepare for it.
Suddenly, everything that has ever happened in my life made sense. It was an Aha moment for me! It has never been about me, I am simply apart of God’s bigger plan. It was in my mother’s pain that I witnessed, along with my own trials and tribulations that I discovered my zeal to help women. I know it is my passion because I cannot stop thinking about it. It does not matter how much work goes into it, I do not mind doing it. I am willing to invest in it; my energy, my time, and my resources. I know it is my passion because I feel fulfilled when I finish a project or an event. To date, I have spoken at conferences, started my blog, and held various workshops and events. I am volunteering at transitional houses for women teaching them how to get back into the workforce with various classes. I’ve established my organization W.E. WIN LLC, and I am currently working on obtaining my life coach certification and publishing a series of books geared to empower women to walk in their purpose.
Six years ago, I attended a vision board party at my church. My Pastor ordered some pizzas, and everyone brought supplies; magazines, poster boards, tape, glue scissors, etc. We spent the day creating visual collages of the goals we set to accomplish for the year. The purpose of the vision board was to bring visibility to what we aspired to accomplish and to have an accountability tool to keep us motivated and on track. I loved the concept; my children and I created our vision boards and I will say that we accomplished most of what we set out to do that year.
I enjoyed the vision board party at church so much that I decided to host one of my own. I wanted to be a blessing to a few women and I figured this event would be a great way to do that. I invited eight women to my home. I told them to only bring themselves, all supplies will be provided. A few women prepared dishes and I catered the rest. We fellowshipped at my home and spent the day creating our vision boards. My vision board party was different from the one I attended at the church. It was in an intimate setting for women only. Also, I wanted to take it a step further. I said not only are we going to create our vision boards, but we are going to also set plans of action to achieve these goals. We can share ideas and give advice to each other on how to get things done. We did that and so much more. All of us were dealing with some internal struggles. We came in cute, smiling, and pretty, but under that façade was heavy baggage. There were women going through a divorce, women having problems with their children, finances, their health. That vision board party was about more than setting goals that day. It was about healing, comforting and encouraging one another. We laughed, cried, and ended the day by praying over our visions, and it was on that day that I discovered my purpose to empower women through uplifting, encouraging and inspiring them!
My vision board party has grown since the first one in 2016. Every year, the number of attendees increased, and I continue finding creative ways to improve the party. It is now a conference with workshops, vendors, speakers, and entertainers. All with the same mission – to Uplift, Encourage and Inspire women to live purpose-driven lives. It was during my second vision board party that the idea for W.E. WIN LLC was created. It is the starting point of the facility that God gave me the vision for.
W.E. WIN LLC -Women Empowered WIN! is an organization that I founded with the intent to empower women holistically. Uplifting, Encouraging, and Inspiring their mind, body, and spirit. W.E. WIN LLC hosts events such as VBP (Vision Board Party) and the Yoga Prayer Breakfast. There are more events coming this year. I’ve published my first book ” A Pocketbook of BLessons” on Amazon. I have also spoken on panels and events as an Empowerment Speaker and W.E. WIN is currently working on a podcast titled “The Winners Circle”. I also volunteer at local transitional houses for women teaching skills to get them back into the workforce. I have 2 events this summer ” Young Women Empowered” which is a career workshop and dream board party for teen girls (September) and the second Yoga Prayer & Meditation Breakfast (August).
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been anything but easy. However, I count it all joy because as the bible says, “All things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. I thought I would work in Corporate, climb the ladder. Preach and teach and write a few books. I did not identify what I was doing as a business, I thought I was just helping people. I was the one people came to for advice, for counsel, for prayer. So, one of the biggest challenges was first identifying this was a business, and that it is something that I could brand and monetize. This road gets discouraging at times because I am in the business of helping women to overcome their obstacles, identify and accomplish their goals, and to live happier, purpose-driven lives! How do you put a price tag on that? How do you get women to see the value of investing in themselves? And, how do you market that? It is not like retail or catering. Additionally, there are so many things that I would like to do, but not having the financial backing makes those things challenging. I would like to be able to help the community and have more free events but I cannot do that without money. There are other challenges like juggling my full-time job and still making time for my business. I have a blog, a website, social media platforms and maintaining those are time-consuming, and figuring out how to get W.E. WIN noticed, How to get my book to sell and book more paid speaking engagements. I have a story to tell, and a message to share that I think can help other women- I just need the platform so they can see and hear me. At the end of the day, I understand that this is my business. If I want it to be successful, I have to put the time in it. No excuses, there’s no one else to do it.
We’d love to hear more about W.E. WIN (Women Empowered).
I am most proud of VBP (Vision Board Party). I started it in my living room in 2016 with eight women, and just four years later, it has grown to 25-30 women. While I am proud of the numbers, I am more proud of the impact that it has had on the women that have attended. When they share their testimonies of how they were uplifted, encouraged and inspired at the event, I know that all my blood sweat and tears were worth it. These events help women to gain clarity and seek out their purpose and live fulfilling lives.
As far as what I do, I am a motivational speaker, I am a writer, I am a facilitator and I am working on becoming a certified life coach.
I believe what sets me apart from others is that I am relatable. I am speaking from personal experiences when I am speaking to these women. Also, my transparency. I have the ability to take off my masks, show you my scars and not be ashamed of any of it because it has helped me to become who I am today and that experience helps me, help others.
It has never been about the money, it has been about operating in the calling that God has placed on my life.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I use WordPress for my blogs, canva for my graphic design content, godaddy.com for my website. I use Eventbrite for my events and twitter, Instagram and facebook to connect with people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.womenempoweredwin.com
- Phone: 6786291700
- Email: tabithamanning@womenempoweredwin.com
- Instagram: we_win_llc
- Facebook: @wewin2018
- Twitter: @wewin2018
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