Meet Tiana Davis of TeawithTi in Smyrna

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Davis.

Tiana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I first entered the world of social media, I would definitely say that I overshared. Lol. I was in high school when platforms like Facebook/Myspace/Blackplanet were around, so that was my first introduction into the world of social media. When you’re young, you feel like you have to share everything. The good, the bad, the drama, the ups downs highs lows. So, when I first started using things like Facebook, I was definitely a firecracker. I posted thousands of photos, wrote notes about my life and called people out, wrote subliminal statuses and tweets, all that. Lol.

As I have grown older (and hopefully wiser), I’ve started to figure out how I would best like to serve others through the use of social media. And within the past two years, I’ve discovered that my passion is creating safe spaces for Black and Brown people to speak/live their truth and to have open/honest/authentic dialogue with one another.

My podcast was created on a whim. I went live with my followers one day and just had a conversation with them, and they enjoyed it so much that they wanted me to come live more often, and they would ask me if I would save the video so they could come back and listen to it later. As time continued, more people started requesting and telling me I should do a podcast. So, in October of last year, I figured out the technical stuff, and now, here we are, with #teawithti the IG Live show being a weekly show, and me, feeling like I found my calling and spinning it into more shows, like Sunday Sessions, The L.Y.T. Series, etc.

My dream and my vision is to take the show on the tour so that I can create the feeling I get with my followers online in person. I want them to feel like they’re sitting in their best friends living room having the best damn conversation ever. That is what I have created with my followers on my IG live, and they are starting to view my live as a family. And I love that. And I want to give that experience and safe space to as many people as I can.

Essentially, I’ve learned, that I’m simply doing this because it’s what I wished I’d had as a kid growing up. A safe space to be my authentic self and be vulnerable without being judged for it. So, I’m creating what I wanted back then. But, the adult version. Because we can get pretty explicit and uncensored in my live. Haha.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely been an interesting road filled with some ups and downs. The hardest thing for me to do is to be consistent with the show. As an empath, sometimes having to come live every week and give my energy to so many people can be draining. I have taken many mini hiatuses (for months at a time) from doing the show, and people always ask me to please come back and let me know that I am missed and that the show is needed. So, I’m learning to find a balance between how much is too much, and how much is just enough so that I can give all of me and be fully present when I’m doing my shows.

But it has made it hard to grow my social media presence and platform because of my disinterest in social media. I don’t enjoy all the ‘extra’ that goes into growing a platform. I don’t need outside validation, and that’s what can make it hard for me to provide consistent content outside of doing the show itself. So, I’m learning how to go about doing that. Because I’m horrible at it. But hey, gotta know your strengths and weaknesses, right?

Please tell us more about your work, what do you specialize in and most proud of.
My main podcast is called #teawithti, and it’s a weekly interactive Instagram live show (Wednesdays @9pm eastern time on my IG @teawithti_), where I let my followers choose the topic for the week, and then we break it down and dissect it together. I ask them questions related to the topic, as well as ask them to give me their personal experiences. They are welcome to come live with me too. That’s actually my favorite part is them coming live with me. Sometimes, I will have a cohost, but for the most part, my followers like when it’s just me, because I can give them my undivided attention, and I”m a master at comment moderating/commentary. We cut up and have a good ass time y’all. Really. Lol.

From that show, I have created another show called Sunday Sessions, a show dedicated to giving creatives and entrepreneurs a platform to talk about their journey and to showcase their talent, whether that be a product/service they offer, new music they want their fans to hear, a book they wrote, etc. It’s on a dope new app called Stationhead (shoutout to them one time for the one time!), an app that gives anyone the chance to host their own radio show and connect with people from all over the world instantly. What I love about the app is that it allows us to go live with up to four people at a time, so fans can connect directly to the people they admire and look up to and ask them questions or show them appreciation/love, and I think that’s really important, that direct connection to your customers/fans/followers. I have a cohost, and it’s been great all the love people are showing us as far as wanting to be a guest on the show. We are already booked up into September/October, and spots are filling quickly. So, it’s beautiful watching something from the ground up to receive so much love.

Eventually, my goal is to start my own podcast network, TheLYTNetwork, and to have shows that are all dedicated to creating that safe space for Black and Brown people to speak and live their truth openly, authentically, and unapologetically. That’s what LYT stands for: Living Your Truth.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like best about Atlanta is the creative and collaborative spirit and energy here. People want to support you. They want to see you win. And they are down to help you in whatever capacity that they can.

What I’m not so keen on, is the fact that y’all don’t have distinct neighborhoods the way they do in Los Angeles, which is where I lived for eight years before moving here. It’s very confusing for me to be in the suburbs on one end of the street, and then be in the hood at the end of it. Lol. I’m also not fond of this somewhat inferiority/superiority complex many people seem to have. It reminds me a lot of LA, and that’s why I moved here was to get away from those types of personalities.

But for the most part, I like it here and can see myself setting up shop/a headquarters here and buying a home and maybe even starting a family.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.patreon.com/teawithti
• Phone: 4702225990
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @teawithti_

Image Credit:
Zhe

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