Meet Nadia Thomas of Touched By Glam Homes LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadia Thomas.

Hi Nadia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story really started long before I ever became a business owner. Growing up in Chicago, I was always a dreamer with big ideas. I remember saying when I was younger that one day I wanted to open a cosmetology school, but I also consistently talked about opening a group home or community home where I could help people who needed a safe place to stay. At that age, I didn’t know exactly what it would look like. I just knew helping people was something I wanted to do.

A lot of that desire came from what I witnessed within my own family. I had family members who, at different points in their lives, needed shared or transitional living because they weren’t in a position to maintain an entire home on their own. My stepfather was one of those people. I watched shared living give him a place where he could regroup, rebuild his life and eventually start his own business. Seeing that firsthand stayed with me because I understood that sometimes a person doesn’t need someone to save them—they just need a safe environment and an opportunity to get back on their feet.

My stepfather also taught me lessons that would later become important to my own journey. He always stressed the importance of protecting my credit, being financially responsible and preparing myself for opportunities before they came. I listened to him, and those lessons eventually helped put me in a position to purchase my first home at
27-year-old.

I was also inspired by one of my cousins, who was a young entrepreneur in our family. She purchased a building and turned it into a sober living home. Watching someone close to me actually build something similar to what I had dreamed about for years showed me that it was possible.

When I met my husband, Maurice, I shared that dream with him. I told him that one day I wanted to open what I called at the time a “group home”—a place where people could have a home while rebuilding and transitioning through different seasons of their lives. He never forgot that conversation. For my birthday in 2019, he surprised me by gifting me the businesses that became Touched By Glam Homes and Touched By Glam Residency. That meant so much to me because it wasn’t just a business idea. It was something that had been in my heart since I was young.

From there, I poured myself into building it. My husband and I were hands-on from the beginning. We put furniture together, furnished the homes, created the spaces and worked to build relationships and partnerships. I treated it like my baby because I knew I wasn’t simply creating a place for someone to sleep. I was creating an environment where someone might begin the next chapter of their life.

Over the years, I’ve met people whose stories have reminded me exactly why I started. I’ve had residents who had been living in their cars for years before coming to us. I’ve had someone going through chemotherapy who needed a stable place to live while fighting cancer. Experiences like those changed the way I look at housing and strengthened my commitment to this work.

I understand that when someone comes through our doors, we may be meeting them during one of the hardest seasons of their life. That’s why I don’t want our homes to feel institutional or like somewhere a person has simply been placed. I want people to walk through the door and feel at home. I want the environment to be clean, beautiful, comfortable and cared for. I believe your surroundings can affect the way you feel, the way you think and even the way you begin to see what’s possible for your future.

That’s one of the reasons I bring a sense of luxury and warmth into our homes. To me, luxury isn’t only about expensive things. It’s about dignity. It’s about walking into a space and knowing that somebody cared enough to prepare it for you. No matter what season someone is going through, I believe they deserve to feel valued.

My journey has grown beyond the dreams I had as that young girl in Chicago. I’ve become a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur and a woman who is still constantly learning, growing and dreaming bigger. Through it all, my faith has remained at the center of who I am. I thank God for putting me in a position where I can help other people, because being able to make a difference in someone’s life is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

For me, success isn’t only about what I can build for myself. I want to be able to look back and know that something I created helped make somebody else’s difficult season a little easier.

At the core of who I am, I’m a builder, a dreamer and someone who genuinely loves helping people. Whether it’s through housing, business, creativity or whatever God places on my heart next, I want the same thing I wanted when I was that young girl in Chicago: to create something that changes people’s lives and to always leave people with love.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey definitely hasn’t been without challenges. One of the biggest things I’ve had to learn is how to keep going even when everything doesn’t happen as quickly or as smoothly as I planned. Building businesses, working a career, being a wife and mom, and still pursuing my own goals takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice. There have been moments when I’ve questioned myself, experienced setbacks, and had to completely change my approach, but I’ve learned not to let a difficult season make me give up on the bigger vision.

I’ve also learned that being a giving person and wanting to help others can sometimes come with its own lessons. I’ve had to learn boundaries, trust my instincts, and understand that everyone won’t see my heart or my vision the way I do. Every challenge has taught me something about myself. I’ve become more resilient, more intentional, and more confident in the woman and entrepreneur I’m becoming. I’m still growing, but now I can look back and realize that some of the hardest moments were also the moments that pushed me to grow the most.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Touched By Glam Homes LLC?
Touched By Glam Homes was created from my desire to provide more than just a place to stay. I wanted to create safe, comfortable and affordable shared-living spaces where people can have stability, privacy and a sense of home while navigating different seasons of life.

What sets us apart is the personal touch behind what we do. I’m very hands-on, and I care about the environment we create just as much as the business itself. I don’t believe affordable housing has to feel cold or institutional. I want our homes to feel welcoming, well cared for and like somewhere a person can genuinely be comfortable and proud to call home.

One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing an idea I had turn into something that can make a real difference in someone else’s life. We’ve grown into multiple homes, and I’m continuing to build relationships with community organizations, caseworkers and referral partners so that we can connect with people who need the type of housing we provide.

There is also a bigger purpose behind the brand. Through Touched By Glam Residency Inc., our nonprofit organization, our mission is centered around helping individuals experiencing homelessness or hardship move toward greater stability and independence. As we grow, I want to continue expanding our housing options while connecting residents with resources and opportunities that can help them move forward.

Ultimately, I want VoyageATL readers to know that Touched By Glam is about housing with dignity. I’m proud of the homes we’ve created, but I’m even more proud of what those homes can represent for someone else—a safe place, a fresh start and an opportunity to build their next chapter.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something that surprises people about me is how creative I am outside of business. People usually meet the entrepreneur first, so they’re often surprised to learn that I also write, record, perform and have a completely different side of my personality that comes alive when I’m creating.

I can go from talking business, numbers and strategy to being in a studio creating something from nothing. I love fashion, visuals, music and anything that gives me the freedom to express myself. Creativity has always been a part of me, even before entrepreneurship.

I think that’s what people don’t expect—I’m not one-dimensional. There’s the businesswoman, the wife and mom, the creative, and the woman who can completely transform when it’s time to step in front of a camera or microphone. Somehow, all of those versions of me work together. I’ve never believed I had to choose just one lane.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.touchedbyglamhomes.com/
• Instagram: _nadiaglam
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ nadia-thomas1